#i love analyzing media i’m obsessed with

[seulgist]

saw spy x family: code white yesterday and i have a lot of (very positive) thoughts about loid forger and the forger family in general.

!!! spoilers beneath the cut !!!

OUHHH the trailer/clips posted before the movie was released worldwide did loid so dirty. that scene of him caressing that women’s leg and “”kissing”” fiona. like woah where was his PR team. he was getting dragged left and right.

just had to get that out of my system bc i will be loid forger’s lawyer in the rest of this post.

i think the most notable moment of the movie was when sylvia told loid that someone else would be taking over operation strix. instead of him being relieved, he was upset.

mind you, operation strix is a long-term mission and is extremely stressful for him. being tasked to appear as a perfect family man when he grew up without one? almost impossible. on top of that, he has a ton of side missions he has to take on during operation strix. so, you would think being told that operation strix has ended would relieve a lot of his stress, but it added more.

i think the best part (different from the most notable) of the movie is that the reason why twilight didn’t want operation strix to end is never directly answered.

sure, it could be that he was finally in a (somewhat) stable place with a semi-permanent home he could come back to everyday which made his job a lot more convenient, but the movie never shows that. in fact, it shows the opposite; that he wanted to continue operation strix to keep his pretend family for selfish reasons.

for once in probably decades, twilight did not worry about anyone but himself (and his family). he was more focused on prolonging operation strix because he hadn’t lived a happy & stable life in so long. twilight doing something for his own happiness is unheard of ,, so i love seeing the subtle growth he’s experienced since creating the forger family.

OH and don’t even get me STARTED on the ferris wheel scene with him and yor. you can tell when he goes into ‘agent twilight mode’ to smooth things over with yor, but that moment in the ferris wheel was genuine.

he was already afraid that sylvia would take him away from his “”pretend”” family, so hearing yor doubt her skills as a wife/mother then finding out that she thought he was seeing someone else was what broke him. i believe that entire scene was not twilight talking, but was loid forger. maybe he believed that if he could smooth things over with yor and go back to presenting as a normal & loving family, that operation strix could countinue. at the least, maybe him, yor, anya, and bond could stay together.

AND when anya ended up not even getting a stella and he had to rework his WHOLEEEE plan in order to appeal to the vice principal’s taste instead of the principal’s, he didn’t even feel upset.

he had spent so much time and energy to make sure they had all the ingredients for the perfect meremere and went through so much trouble to make sure she had even the slightest chance of receiving that stella. yet, when anya came home without a stella and the plans for who would judge the pastries changed, he didn’t even budge. he just looked forward to spending another day with his family. if the old loid forger was put in this same situation, he would’ve passed out or had a heart attack.

(i have so many other things i could talk about like the way in a few scene, an object divides loid from yor + anya but at the end of the movie that divide is broken but i’ll save that for another day)

so today, i proclaim that loid forger will no longer be referred to as loid “for the mission” forger, but shall henceforth be referred to as loid “the official family-man” forger.

[gabrielsbubblegumbitch]

Hello again! LOVE op's posts about static moth so so much they are giving me ungodly amounts of serotonin ... It's genuinely been such a joy reading your interpretations of their relationship and what makes them work the way they do. Even with the limited amount of content we have of them I believe you've nailed their respective personalities and behavior patterns spectacularly and every single post has been extremely interesting to go through and to analyze off of!

Regarding the reasons as to why Valentino likes vox as a romantic partner, I also believe part of it has to do with some of Vox's more stalkerish tendencies as well? His (not yet canon but close) Voyeurism, his constant need for control, etc.

This is more of a head canon than anything else, but I do genuinely believe Valentino enjoys the obsessive attention he can get only from Vox as it does wonders to quell his constant sense of emptiness, his subsequent feelings of abandonment, and the anxieties that follow. The fact that he knows Vox enjoys stalking him, (probably) gets off on it and is actively deriving pleasure from simply watching him go about his day may be adding to the thrill and content as well. The thing is, as generally absurd and problematic it is, this behavior seems to bring a sense of security for both Partys involved: Throughout the show during all 4 episodes that feature Valentino's presence, we have yet to see a single scene with him without at least one camera tracking his movements. They are everywhere. They follow him wherever he goes, Vox can follow him wherever he goes whenever he so chooses, even to Vals own personal quarters. They are a massive, glaring red flag and quite frankly would bring a suffocating amount of pressure and sense of captivity to any other person under the same circumstance. But Val never brings this up, so I feel he either doesn't think he's in a favourable condition to complain, or he likes the idea of Vox always having his eyes on him. For me I think it's the latter, and I think for him to act so nonchalant around vox's cameras and his potentially constant, 24/7-hour surveillance, it has to have offered him some form of comfort. It has to have made him feel good, either about himself, about the state of their relationship, or both.

(apologies for the sloppy wording, hope you have a wonderful day!)

Awww, Anon, you are so sweet! Reading your question brought me so much joy <3 I think your perspective is spot on, and I wholeheartedly agree with it. I must admit I initially omitted this aspect of their relationship from my initial response because the question specifically focused on love rather than "sexy and toxic stuff." For me, voyeurism and stalking kink are more closely related to the latter category.

That being said, Val undoubtedly enjoys having Vox's eyes always on him. Being a diva and a performer, he relishes performing for Vox, especially knowing Vox's likes all the deranged shit but desperately tries to hide it underneath his clean façade. So he’s basically like “I’m going to hit this bitch for you, Voxy. As a treat.” recognizing that Vox couldn't do it himself without tarnishing his image. In return, Val receives even more attention and admiration, perpetuating the cycle.

Since you've given me the opportunity to delve into Vox's voyeurism further, I'll add some additional insights (I've been meaning to write a proper post about it for some time now but that rabbit hole is just too deep). It's fundamentally about control, of course, and it's simply a kink. However, kinks are not merely about arousal; they involve complex psychological dynamics. People a lot smarter than me wrote a shit ton of essays about voyeurism, especially since it is a very relevant topic in the visual media era. One sentence about Lacan's interpretation of it grasps really well what I have in mind when I think about Vox:

By appropriating the other as image, the voyeur makes it an object of pleasure*, while remaining uninvolved in the other's intimacy.

It’s a parasitic relationship. A voyeur gets symbolic control over their object and it gives them the sense of being powerful. And they don’t have to offer anything themselves – no effort that is required to gain control in situations with two subjects involved, nor the vulnerability necessary in consensual relationships. They can just freely feed on others without offering anything in exchange.

Without delving too deeply into philosophy, Vox's inability to live authentically stems from his obsession with his image, his guardedness, and his need for control. This sets a lot of limitations about what he can allow himself to personalmy experience. So he derives dopamine from "stealing" others' experiences and emotions, while avoiding the effort and vulnerability required in genuine connections.

*In a broader sense, voyeuristic pleasure isn't necessarily sexual; it can manifest as the thrill some people experience from watching macabre imagery in movies, eavesdropping on neighbors' drama, or even watching overly personal vlogs.

[lilbrattyratty]

A Guide to Lewis Hamilton and Peter Bonnington

Recently I have been convincing people to become obsessed with whatever Lewis and Bono have so instead of repeating myself unnecessarily I have decided to make this handy dandy Bible guide to their journey together!

1. The Basics

Lewis and Bono have the longest running engineer and driver pairing in the history of the sport.

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Sir Lewis Hamilton: if you don’t know who he is then I’m slightly surprised you are here but I am not here to judge. Sir Lewis Hamilton is a British F1 driver who has won 7 world championship titles with the Mercedes team! He’s a legend in the sport. He made his debut with McLaren in 2007 and has been with Mercedes since 2013.

Peter “Bono” Bonnington: Bono is senior race engineer for Mercedes. He has been race engineer since 2011 where he worked with other 7 time world champion Michael Schumacher. After Schumacher left Bono was paired with Lewis and they have been together ever since! He has been widely regarded as the most successful and most well known race engineer.

Note: for some reason there was a misconception going around that Bono was 10 years older than he really was. Let’s put this to rest: his birthday is 12 February 1975. Source

It’s Hammertime: maybe one of the most famous Lewis radio messages. Bono explains that during the years where radio messages were more strict they needed a code word to let Lewis know it was time to really go all out. So they suggested “put the hammer down” before it became “it’s hammertime”. Source (timestamp 18:17)

Austrian GP 2014: the very first Hammertime. Link

2. The Partnership

Out on track the race engineer is the critical link from the team in the garage to the driver. They must analyze all the data and determine what the driver needs to know without overwhelming them.

————————————

Platonic or romantic or brotherly no matter how you may view their relationship it has been stated many times by both of them that their relationship takes a lot of trust and open communication. They share a deep bond and connection that they feel is integral to their success.

In this interview you will find Lewis speaking about the depth of their trust and love for each other. Link

“It’s like a marriage, I guess.”

“There’s love, and real friendship, and loyalty.”

This interview is where Lewis speaks about the support that they show for each other. How he feels that they are always there for each other to bring out the best. Link

“I don’t know if I can do this for you…”

This interview where Lewis again talks about how much he loves Bono and how important their bond is to him. Link

“I think he is also one of the few people who can handle me on good and bad days.”

In this Instagram post you can read that Lewis is always thankful for Bono and recognizes that his success is thanks for many people but Bono in particular… Link

“Forever grateful for my guy Bono, blessed to have him by my side.”

Now Bono may be more media shy but he does have this interview where he talks about working with Lewis. Link

“He’s the rockstar and I’m the one in charge.”

Occasionally Bono will not be working with Lewis and you can see how awkward it is sometimes when you aren’t used to the replacement. Link

“That was a lot of information, I don’t understand what you just said.”

A moment when you can hear Lewis trying to calm Bono rather than the other way around. Link

The Egg: Bono brought an egg to the 2021 Brazil and Jeddah GP because Lewis loves the movie ‘Cool Runnings’ and it really inspired him when he was younger. In the movie they kiss their lucky egg. Source

Podiums: Bono has been on the podium a few times with Lewis and each one is super fun and special! A full list can be found here!

3. The Fandom

“I love Bono and I wouldn’t want to work with anyone else. Don’t write that I love him because I haven’t told him.” -Lewis Hamilton

————————————

Below I have compiled fic recs as well as just shippy moments from the two of them.

Notable Moments:

British GP 2014: Lewis wins his home GP and Bono tells him to “lap it up, boy”. Link

Austin GP 2015: who can forget the iconic hug? (pictured above) The way Bono leaps into his arms and he bounced him up and down… simply iconic. Video link of the hug

US GP 2018: Lewis tells Bono he’s not gonna go steady. Link

Russian GP 2019: Bono tries to hide behind the crowd but Lewis won’t let him. Link

ALSO at that same GP! They stared at each other from the podium in beautiful iconic cinematography… link

Abu Dhabi GP 2019: Lewis (and others) dump champagne on Bono’s head and make him very very wet… link

Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi: Where Rossi asks Lewis if “this is your guy?” And Lewis replied “yeah.” Link (timestamp 2:39)

Mexico GP 2019: Lewis dedicated his win to Bono. Link

Notable Blogs:

@storm3326: creates wonderful Bono and Lewis fanart

@queerbenched: makes beautiful Bono and Lewis edits

@still-we-rise @teamroscoes @princemick @l8tof1 @husbono @flatspot: All post a lot of good Bono and Lewis content. I scrolled through a lot of their blogs a lot while making this post.

There are of course plenty of other wonderful blogs out there and I appreciate every single one of them.

Fic Recs:

This thing called us by Dutchiedragon Rated: Gen.

Summary: Brazil 2021 brought so many emotions, it left the Mercedes team completely burnt out. Lewis ends up alone in his hotelroom with a thousand thoughts running through his head, so he seeks out the one person who might bring him peace.

Or: Lewis needs help taking out his braids. Bono is there.

So long, longing by ohfrecklefreckle Rated: Mature.

Summary: Engineering is a dirty job but someone's got to do it. What happens when you're almost telepathic but still can't say what you need to?

The contours of things by The_Orange_one Rated: Mature.

Summary: Lewis belongs to so many people, but Bono mostly just belongs to Lewis.

Love in the major key by ambiguouspace Rated: Teen.

Summary: Bono, in particular, looks surprisingly alert tonight.

In fact, James notices, as his brain clicks out of analysis mode and into observation, he’s positively glowing. His eyes are bright, face a little flushed like he’s been working out. James looks down, catalogues the rest of his appearance. Bono’s t-shirt hangs slightly loose on him, nothing like the cut he normally favours, and the print on the front is unusual, an oversized image of something James can’t quite see but looks oddly familiar and—ah.

Lewis and Bono and the unsubtle art of workplace flirtation.

Lost in My Own Incidents by glasscushion Rated: Explicit.

Summary: “What do you need, Lewis? This bit I can do.”

“This,” he says, his eyes still closed. “Can we just stay like this?”

Lewis lifts one side of the blanket for Bono to take and he grabs a handful, laying it over his own lap, the wool heated from where it’s been resting against Lewis’ skin. The urge to reach out beneath, to soothe, to touch, is almost suffocating.

“Not a problem mate. No problem at all.”

Author’s Note: This is not a complete list and may be updated as they continue to be insane about each other!

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/729708592592306176/how-about-a-different-discourse-death-of-the

What this ask is missing, a bit, is that Death of the Author *does* mean that the author’s take on things is no more or less valid than anyone else’s. It’s about decentering authorial intent in analyses of media. Barthes is pretty clear and quite pointed about it in the original essay.

What bothers me about misuses of it and what I think this anon means to say is when people start decentering the actual *text*. The idea behind Death of the Author is also that the text stands alone. You don’t need to look at any extra shit to understand it. As you said, it was a response to a mode of analysis that obsessed over plumbing through author biographies.

The issue with what people do in fandom is they ignore the text. “I don’t like this element of canon, so it doesn’t exist.” (Which is different from arguing that it’s there but it sucks because of XYZ reasons, so I’m going to consciously ignore it in my fan works. This is when people just act like it isn’t there in the text in the first place.) “You have to take my bizarro world out-of-nowhere headcanon that is based on nothing except that I want it to be true, that I love this character and I wish they were XYZ therefore they are” and take it just as seriously as headcanons that actually engage with what’s in the show/video game/book/movie/whatever and use that as their basis (like building off something that is subtextual in the original work).

Granted we all do this to some degree, we all come to a text with our own biases and you can’t *always* easily separate those out, and that can affect, for instance, your interpretation of what the subtext is, but I think the irritating fandom behavior is when this kind of ignoring-the-text-to-substitute-your-own-reality is this very deliberate sort of laziness. The annoying thing in my current fandom is people who are fans of this one ship that they insist is the most progressive and other people just don’t see the scintillating “subtext” of because we are bigots or whatever, between two characters who don’t interact that much for two MCs and when they do it’s not at all shippy (but these characters both have very shippy subtext with different characters), but where these people think the ship *should* exist because of their identities. And their “evidence” for the ship is always gifsets taken way out of context and not including the dialogue that makes the non-shippy context for that scene very clear (including that it might actually be shippy for conflicting pairings). It’s like this bizarre version of “close reading” that strips out the largely context *deliberately* in order to make a particular conclusion seem more compelling than it actually is.

Anyway, all that ignoring-the-text stuff is STILL bad analysis per DOTA. Since the point of DOTA is to go based on the text, if you’re obscuring the text you’re kind of just installing yourself as a new author.

This is why DOTA doesn’t mean “anything goes.” It just means “authorial intent is just one interpretation that doesn’t have to matter.” It doesn’t mean other stuff we use in analysis doesn’t matter, and if anything the point is to make it even more text-centric than the older author-centric analyses were. People can still disagree about what the text says, of course, but they should both be going back to it in how they construct those arguments, and not, like those shippers, deliberately ignoring chunks of the text that weaken their arguments.

--

I don't think all of them are consciously throwing out actual canon, but they are often throwing out all context that would help evaluate subtext.

Like... if you're analyzing a Marvel movie, you might ignore what the director said in an interview, but you probably shouldn't entirely ignore the fact that it is a Marvel movie and apply assumptions that make sense for some arthouse film.

And, yes, if you're arguing for shippy subtext, even unintentional on the part of creators, "I like this ship because..." needs very little, but "This ship has more support than this other ship" requires going back to the actual text and looking at it in its totality.

There's a lot of faux-intellectualism around garbage like TJLC where people try to make themselves feel smart by using the language of close reading while having the media literacy of a bucket of rotting fish.

[joeymerenset]

Void’s Romance Club blog Introduction

You can call me Joey, online I use the nickname Void, I use any pronouns but tend to prefer she/they (I’m still figuring that out,) I’m pan and polyamorous

I’m from Palestine and that is not up for your personal interpretation. It is a fact, and if you do not support Palestine, block me.

I’m obsessed with Romance club, my other interests include writing, analyzing literature and media, learning theology and culture, and making art, mostly by drawing but I do other things as well.

I speak Arabic, English and despite having learned French in school all my life, I only know the basics. Trying to learn it on my own time now.

Romance club facts:

I play Romance Club on three accounts because I cannot decide on love interests to save my life. 🥲

My first story on RC was The Flower from Tiamat’s Fire. My favorites are PSI and Song of the Crimson Nile.

I’d love to make friends/ find Romance Club mutuals, you can ask for my discord.

What Romance Club stories I’ve played, in order of my first to latest:

The Flower From Tiamat’s Fire

Status: on my 6th playthrough

Love Interest: Kingu

Path: Fire

Kali: Call of Darkness

Status: on my 3rd playthrough

Love Interest: Ratan

Path: Loyalty, Kindness of the Goddess. Now playing on Independence path

Heaven’s Secret

Status: Completed

Love Interest: Malbonte

Path: Harmony Bearer, Path of Malbonte

Heaven’s Secret 2

Status: Completed

Love Interest: Malbonte (plan to play on other account for Hunger)

Path: Composure

Rage of the Titans

Status: Completed

Love Interest: Murphy

Path: Divinity

The Desert Rose

Status: Season 3, Ep 6

Love Interest: Adil

Path: Rebellion, The Desert Flower

Song of the Crimson Nile

First account:

Status: Season 2, Ep 5 (caught up to latest update)

Love Interest: Undecided, waiting for Anubis

Path: Honesty, Necromancy

Second account:

Status: Season 2, Ep 5 (caught up to latest update)

Love Interest: Set

Path: Cunning, Oneiromancy

Kali Flame of Samsara:

First account:

Status: Season 1, Ep 11 (Caught up to latest update)

Love Interest: Ram

Path: Pride, Legacy

Second account:

Status: Season 1, Ep 5

Love Interest: Saraswati

Path: Passion, Freedom

PSI

First account:

Status: Completed, on my 7th playthrough (Replaying S3 for a bad ending)

Love Interest: Ivo

Path: Control, Form

Second account:

Status: Season 2, Ep 6

Love Interest: Kay

Path: Impulse, Form

Third account:

Status: Completed, on my 2nd playthrough (Replaying for middle ending)

Love Interest: Jonas

Path: Control, Form

Arcanum

Status: Previously reached the end of season 2 before making a second account, panicked when I couldn’t choose a love interest, and replayed the whole thing. Currently on Season 1, Ep 7

Love Interest: Liam (will play on other accounts for Bert and Rob)

Path: Emperor

Astrea’s Broken Heart

Status: Season 1, Episode 5 (caught up to latest update)

Love Interest: Undecided (will probably play on multiple accounts for Mikael, Raphael and Felonia)

Path: Faith

W: Time Catcher

Status: Season 1, Ep 4

Love Interest: Shen

Path: Moon Heiress

Legend of the Willow

Status: Was previously about to end season 2, forgot too many plot points. Now just began replaying

Love Interest: Kazu (Will probably play on other accounts for other love interests)

Path: Coldness, The Pearl Fox

Soulless

Status: Just started, Season 1 Ep 2

Love Interest: Threxia

Path: Pride

I will continue to update this list as I keep going.

[sicasole]

Why I Love Kpop (I think)

I’ve joked before that everyone who likes kpop secretly wants to be in a polycule, but like most jokes the more I think about that statement, the more truth I find in it. After all, kpop disrupts the way we think about homosocial relationships, and it often presents queer dynamics for its audience to ponder and sometimes even obsess over. Lately, (and by lately I mean for almost 8 years) I’ve been captivated by the question of why I and so many other queer people love kpop so much. The following is a stream-of-consiousness attempt at answering that question. I’ll be speaking from the perspective of a queer femme fan who listens to and watches mostly male idols, but of course I know this topic is richer than just this one dynamic. I don’t speak for all queer people or all kpop fans.

For as long as I can remember I’ve been listening to, performing, and analyzing music, but when I think about kpop, I’m thinking about it very differently than any other musical media. Because yes, kpop is about the music but it’s also about so much else. It’s about queerness and bodily autonomy and relationships both toxic and beneficial. I, like a lot of queer people, love fantasy worlds and characters because they present their audiences with beings who live outside the norm, people and places unbounded by logic and social constraints. They offer us an escape from a world that is unaccepting of our ever-expansive queer identities, and a vision of the possibility for a better one.

But kpop occupies this intensely fascinating space between fantasy and reality. Fans online talk about idols more like they’re fictional characters than real people, frequently speculating about an idol’s time away from the narrative their company puts out the way someone might headcanon a fictional character. These group narratives a company creates give idols an air of fantasy and mystery, allowing for this fan speculation to run amok on social media as they attempt to “fill in the blanks.” But kpop offers a grounding in reality that pure fiction cannot. Here exists a fantasy world you can really see and hear and walk through. These characters you project onto are actually real people.

So why do I love kpop? The answer changes almost daily, but lately I think it's because in many ways, kpop seems to be made to be enjoyed by queer people. The 20th century had gay men who were devoted to Judy Garland, and now we have the Jungkook lesbians.

Queers have always dominated fandom spaces. As people who are more likely to lack role models in our everyday lives, we’ll often turn to fandom media for guidance about how to love and how to be. I think “straight” mass media lately is obsessed with being “relatable” but queer people don’t usually relate to the narratives put out by the heterosexual media machine. This is why kpop is really appealing to members of the community. It’s overwhelmingly uninterested in being relatable, instead, it's aspirational. This parallels the queer self, who is often more invested in the journey of becoming than it is in running towards a more clean-cut goal like home ownership or a nuclear family.

But when I think about kpop, I also think about my own body and its autonomy (or lack thereof). I think about the performance of femininity. This feels a bit strange and vulnerable to admit, but a part of me has always been willing to hand over my body in exchange for love and devotion. This is the kind of transaction a kpop idol makes when they sign a contract. It’s easy to criticize when we see it put in front of us so plainly, but queer people (especially trans people) and those assigned female at birth have always been aware that they don’t entirely own their bodies or decide their actions.

Idols capture exactly the level of freedom I believe is currently possible for me because frequently as a queer person and a feminine person I feel like the only way I can be accepted and safe is if I offer up my body and self in a way that is sanitized and therefore marketable and commodifiable.

Queerness is more accepted today than it was even a few years ago, but there are still limitations to that acceptance. Queer people who remind the dominant heterosexual power structures of tropes and stereotypes are more accepted than those who are living their lives in active opposition to straight expectations. Of course, we know that stereotypes are oppressive tools used to dehumanize people, which is why the pressure many members of the community feel to censor their identities in order to fit into these tropes and stereotypes (while often done for their own safety) is especially demoralizing.

Kpop also relies heavily on tropes when it comes to constructing the narrative of their groups’ dynamics. We know that much of this is done to make the group marketable and commodifiable. But one positive is that a performative self can protect a kpop idol’s privacy from a world that demands celebrities provide their fans with an endless stream of details about themselves and their lives. In the same way, a performative self can protect a queer person from persecution.

This begs the question of how much someone can stand to perform an inauthentic self, even if that performance helps keep them safe. Lately, this is where I see myself most in the idol on my screen. Like me, I feel he is constantly engaged in a horrific balancing act, asking himself how much he can stand to inhabit a performative self for his own safety. Like me, I feel he is questioning whether an authentic self even exists and if it does, will its appearance cut him off from the audience’s love? Like me, I feel he is screaming for a way out.

These men have been locked into a performance their overwhelmingly queer and female fanbases are all too familiar with. Their personal and financial livelihood depends on their ability to appeal to their audience just as the safety of queer people is dependent on the way they are viewed by the domineering heterosexual power. The relationship between idol and fanbase is both symbiotic and toxic. Idols become what they think their audiences want, and this performance is terrifyingly reflected in the lives of their marginalized fans.

This is the point in my thinking where I ask myself what I even hope to gain from this line of inquiry. Is it some sort of twisted self reflection? Is it an unhinged brain-ego trip? Is there even anything here worth exploring? I believe (and hope) there is. I and most people who analyze media today are pushing back on the idea that someone has to be exactly like you for you to relate to them. On the surface, the male idol is nothing like me, but the aspirational nature of kpop media invites me to see him and myself as more hauntingly alike than I would sometimes like to admit. He is androgynous in ways I could only ever dream of, yet he is yearning like me. He is queer like me.

One of the pillars of anthropology (so much so that it’s almost become a cliche) is that its goal is to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange. To the untrained eye, kpop might look like a shallower reflection of our everyday world, one that’s even more image-conscious and subjugated by the demands of capitalism. It certainly can be those things, but when I look at kpop I see the current human condition distilled. Most of us alive today have been trained to constantly seek validation from those around us. Kpop is both familiar and strange because it reminds us of the ways we perform for audiences either real or imagined. It can make us uncomfortable because it shows us just how much we are willing to sacrifice to satisfy the demands of those audiences. In censoring ourselves, we become our own voyeurs and are left wondering who has more power, observed or observer?

So why do I love kpop? I’m not always entirely sure that I do. What I do know is that it’s not really about some fantasy of receiving affection. I don’t turn to idols for tenderness. I never wanted to feel loved, I just wanted to see something beautiful up close. I wanted to see someone who was suffering in the same way I was. I wanted to seek some unprovable personal truth, that perhaps this ethereal creature I saw on my screen was, in fact, just like me. Sure, they had a surface-level beauty I could never reach, but we were alike in all the ways that mattered.

And here I am now, with all of this behind me, wondering if I am (and continue to be) just some more than slightly messed up and lonely child looking for connection in all the wrong places. But then again, aren’t we all?

[strawberrybyers]

Oh my love I don’t need to talk shit about byler when you see how many horny girls go insane for it you realise it’s not about rep but girls obsessing over males

idk i think this is such a weird take even though i do agree fetishization within fandoms is an issue that should be discussed and i also think this take does not apply to most bylers. i didn’t start shipping byler until season 4 aired. i’ve been watching the season since like the week season 1 aired. i truly think most of us ship mike and will because the context is showing an obvious deeper connection between these two characters. i cannot speak for everyone’s reasoning as to why they ship byler, but i can speak for mine and 1) i care about queer rep as a queer person, 2) i personally find the build up and symbolism of mike and will’s love to be beautiful, and 3) i love stranger things and i’ve decided to analyze the media i’m consuming the way i want to and it just so happens that it led to shipping byler.

not sure why i’m wasting time answering this ask, especially since it’s from months ago, but i feel like i want to extinguish this kind of thinking in regards to why i and most other fans ship byler.

[peppermint-twst]

I want to start analyzing the characters’ forms of romantic love using Socionics theory—a personality typing system similar to MBTI but more in-depth. Socionics puts a big focus on relations and compatibility between types.

So I plan to use the characters’ sociotypes to explain their possible romancing behavior. This is all theory and headcanons and I’m using personality-database.com as source for their types. There’s room for inaccuracy but this is what i have to work with…

Remember this is just for fun and shouldn’t be taken seriously

Anyway! Let’s start with Cater! If this gets an ok amount of engagement, I might make a more in-depth post or do other characters later.

Cater - ESE (ESFj) - “The Communicator”

Cater’s sociotype is ESE (ESFj) which fits with his sunny, outgoing personality. His forms of love are Mania and Eros (I will cover that in a bit). He’s the type that when he falls, he falls HARD. And there isn’t much stopping him when it comes to conquering what (or who) he desires. Even when the other party shows disinterest, he won’t lose hope.

Cater is the type that gets blinded by love he doesn’t notice or acknowledge the other person’s flaws. His type makes him a very passionate lover.

Here are some quotes about this type:

“The COMMUNICATOR is cheerful, optimistic, and can endure a lot from the object of his feelings. Despite his emotionality and sensitivity, he is quite an imperous and strong character.”

“Erotic stimulus and recklessness of this passionate and persevering conqueror make him capable of many compromises for the sake of feelings.”

“Only inherent to him cheerfulness and a sense of humor help him overcome all obstacles on the way to his goal, not taking close to heart neither the coldness nor even flat refusals of a partner - for as long as this person is of interest for the COMMUNICATOR. His belief in success and reciprocity does not run low even in the most hopeless situations.”

“If he manages to win over his partner, whom he has fallen in love with, he does not consider any formalities. His emotion and desire is so great that is makes him close his eyes to much.”

“The sensing types SEI and ESE enjoy being gently stroked on their skin. However, the ESE is much more emotional and passionate in his love manifestations…”

Now back to forms of love, the ESE combines Mania and Eros for his romance style. Here are their descriptions:

Eros:

“This is a passionate, powerful, and sensual attraction to the object of love. Appearance and manner of behavior of a loved one are of great value here. They evoke aesthetic feelings and reverence before the outward perfection, often exaggerated - of face, figure, gait. People for whom this form of love is predominant seek harmony of both body and soul, and are able to turn a blind eye to minor flaws and faults. Inspired by love, they are capable of great devotion, constantly improving their own manners and ways of expressing their feelings, as well as forms of their body, beauty of their clothes, aesthetics of their environment. They willingly adjust and adapt their partner to themselves. They give much importance to physical enjoyments. Not finding the desired harmony, they become forever disappointed in the object of their feelings, and easily part ways with him or her. This form of displays of affection became widespread in ancient Greece, is most characteristic of developed societies, and is still widely promoted by the media and various forms of art.”

Mania:

“Prolonged emotional ecstasy, obsession with love, over-valuation of its significance, which leads to strong emotional shocks, reckless actions, and even dramas. This feeling is strong, possessive, demanding, thirsty for complete reciprocity, but also capable of many compromises. This love is very enduring, even in those cases when it is unrequited. Often it is capable of heroism and sacrifice, and even unconditional devotion. It is full of contradictions, since it is very dependent on changeable moods. Quarrels may be frequent with this kind of love, as well as sharp contrasts in behavior, even fleeting infidelity. It is the cause for unpredictable actions and disregard for generally accepted norms of behavior. Mania love exists since ancient times, but it became most widespread in the 20th century in Western Europe after the sexual revolution, whose followers called for the emancipation of the senses and the denial of the cold bourgeois rationality. It has not lost its relevance in our pragmatic time, though it has become less dramatic.”

Cater puts a lot of value into aesthetics so Eros seems to fall in line with him. This doesn’t mean beauty and good looks is the sole source of his love. They might help get him interested, but once he falls in love, the other person will be nothing but perfection and flawlessness to him.

Now out of all forms of love, Mania is the most passionate. It’s that crazy kind of love which may veer into obsession. Cater can withstand a lot of sacrifice for the sake of love… which makes sense when you look into his habit of people-pleasing.

Sources:

If anyone reading this is interested in me expanding on this post or doing other characters, please engage—like, reblog, comment, message, or send an ask!

Also if you’re interested in Socionics, you can start by taking this test:

(Remember that test results are not always accurate so it’s possible that you may get mistyped. The test is only a starting point.)

[thegaybluejay]

Hi! Here’s a little about me!

- I’m 23

- I am very queer (and trans)

- I believe in liberation! Freedom should be for everyone, and bigotry is never welcome here!!

- I love analyzing/talking about media and the importance of good representation and all of that fun stuff!

- I am currently very ATLA obsessed (this will probably consume most of my posts)

- I love to write! My AO3 is GayBlueJay and my first ATLA story “Theseus (What We Know Is Bound To Break)” is currently up and going!

And yeah that’s all for now! I look forward to interacting with y’all here!

[peachdelta]

hey do you like robots. if so can you share your favorites

i’m assuming this means robots from other media and not my own HAHA

if mythra and pyra count they might be my favourite fictional characters of all time, same with malos and A/alvis, i love you trinity processor i would do anything for you trinity processor please text me back trinity processor. i could talk about these three for all fucking time you have no idea how much i like mythra and pyra they’re such insanely compelling characters that have so much potential. i’m also a sucker for ino’s WACKY fucking design her head is WAY too big for her body i love her. poppi xenoblade deserved better. i love her dearly.

im always a big fan of megaman (especially mmx and the protomen), i loved so many of the characters in command mission a LOT. command mission dub is so fucking camp i will die on this hill it’s great. i’m also a fan of copy x by proxy of a close friend being obsessed with him.

elster from signalis might be the hottest woman i’ve ever seen in my life. that scene where she’s shoving the new arm onto her shoulder and she looks all broad made me feel things.

i have very strong feelings about fi from loz. she holds a very dear place in my heart and has since i was a kid

TURING WEBBER. i cannot possibly recommend playing 2064 read only memories enough. turing is the most delightful character on earth

the three marathon AIs are insanely compelling. i love you leela i love you tycho i love you DURANDAL!!!!!!!! i have so many strong feelings about durandal. i am not smart enough to analyze marathon that much. i like staring into the abyss of marathon infinity’s timeline like i could ever hope to understand any of it. i have much smarter mutuals than me that can do that.

honourable mentions: glados, bonbon idv, ai uwasa magia record, (SPOILERS) professor layton and the azran legacy, tobor mysims, metal sonic, star dream, roni trauma team, all of the iron (x) pokemon, hatsune miku et al, v1, v2, mirage, all the ultrakill bots, wx-78

[startrekprodigyfan]

A mini rant

I really wish tumblr fans and YouTube react channels would latch on to Star Trek Prodigy. Every week I’m reminded that so many of the people who “officially” review Star Trek content in general online have absolutely NO understanding of the young adult animation landscape.

Countless reviews gripe that the episodes are “too short,” while simultaneously missing all the key details they normally pay attention to in Star Trek because their mindset is still that of animation = for babies. They are so unwilling to engage with the media as it’s presented.

They’re definitely not familiar with the way most animated shows are written these days, where larger story beats are given out bit by bit and writers allow them to come together organically, rather than spoon fed to you upfront.

How many reviewers criticized Dal for being “unlikable” only to walk that back after the Kobiashi episode? How many reviewers complained it was “too much like Star Wars” after only the first episode and didn’t allow the show to even introduce the Trek content? Unwilling to give the character a chance to grow because they didn’t like his starting place?

I’m still salty about reviewers complaining in Dreamcatcher “why didn’t they use the transporter?” despite the show literally telling them that there was a certain type of radiation which is notorious for interfering with transporters. That’s the techno-babble jargon these types of reviewers should LOVE to sift through, but they ignored it and dismissed it and called it a “plot hole” because they don’t respect the intelligence of the writers and its intended audience.

And that’s a common theme I keep seeing. Just this past week it happened again with the Borg episode, where the reviewers complained about the Borg not using their nano-tubes ala First Contact despite the show intentionally referencing the end of Voyager. Instead of it being in line with established canon it’s written off as a way to make the Borg “less scary for kids.”

I don’t understand this seemingly collective amnesia from Trek fans who gloss over long standing established lore and only remember one or two things and forget everything else. I thought cataloguing all these details was one of the things Trekkies were supposed to be GOOD at!

Meanwhile… you wouldn’t see this dismissive attitude coming from young adult animation YouTube reactors. The people who obsess over The Owl House, Avatar, Korra, Amphibia, and Gravity Falls would pick up on those details IMMEDIATELY. They’d analyze the characters relationships, they ship the characters together, theorize about the time travel stuff, and be excited to get into a show like this! They’d ask a question, then the show would answer it, and they’d be like “oh cool! Now I understand!”

Where are my 2 hour long analysis videos about Dal and Gwyn’s relationship? Where are all the lgbt+ reviewers excited that Zero is non-binary? Where are all the reactors trying to protect Murf and Rok? Where are all the animation nerds geeking out over how amazing this show looks??? Where are my Diviner simps???? LOL

I don’t know how to spread my love of this show to other platforms like YouTube. I can’t make videos and I’m not gonna become a reactor. But if I have ANY sway here on tumblr… please, please, PLEASE, let other people who aren’t 50+ year old die-hard Trekkies find this show and start reacting to it!

Spread the word! This show is literally designed to get new people into Star Trek. I wanna see it! I wanna see these YouTuber react channels responding to this show with the same reverence and appreciation that they do for Gravity Falls and other young adult animated shows!

I wanna see people making crazy theories about time travel!

I wanna see people loving Dal’s growth as a character.

I wanna see people loving Gwyn’s sword.

I wanna see people fawning over Murf’s adorable-ness.

I wanna see people mothering Rok.

And more importantly… I wanna see people who’ve NEVER WATCHED Star Trek get into this show and say “I’m really loving Janeway, now I really wanna watch Star Trek Voyager too and see the real Janeway in action!”

These people exist. They’re out there. I know they do! I just have no idea how to reach them! So please, if you ever see a react channel asking “what should I watch next?” Please, please, PLEASE, recommend Prodigy! I fear that word of mouth is really the only way to do this now! Spread the word! Let people around you know how good this show is! Let more people find it! Let more people react to it! Help the show find the audience that seems to be completely missing it!

I love this show. I just want more people to get into it and create content for it! I do what I can here on tumblr, but I’m just one person. I can’t do it alone!

[copperbadge]

just wanted to say thank you so much for noting down the podcasts you listen to! I've been using them as a jumping off point to listen or discover new things and a lot of them are great. would you ever consider doing more recs after November is over?

Oh sure. I mean, I do periodic posts that are just "a list of what I'm listening to" but at this point it’s so long and there are many that I’m on the fence about, so let me do a highlights reel. 

History:

Behind The Bastards - Historically accurate but also quite informal and funny, all about people who are terrible, historic and contemporary; just did a brilliant two-parter about how cigarettes invented/ruined everything, which is a great place to start.

Noble Blood - Histories of the nobility and frequently of their grim demises. 

Cautionary Tales - An examination of how historical events can teach us lessons about what we assume, overlook, and misunderstand.

Bedside Rounds - Medical history, with a bend towards medical education (in the sense that med students can get class credit for listening); I find it highly accessible as a non-doctor but I'm not sure everyone would.

One Year - Every season, One Year picks a single year (most recently 1942) and examines the events, culture, and icons of that year. 

You’re Dead To Me - Each episode, the host, a historian, and a comedian discuss a specific historical figure or event to learn more about them and also make fun of them. 

Culture:

99% Invisible - Roman Mars soothingly talks about the invisible design that impacts our everyday lives.

Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend - A talk show host got tired of doing eight-minute bits and now does longform interviews with notable entertainers; it's still very comedic but there's a profundity to the interviews that I absolutely did not expect and love. 

Ear Hustle - the culture of prison, made by prisoners at San Quentin (as well as their loved ones and outsiders who regularly interact).

Embedded - I'm never quite sure how to define Embedded, but they generally do short newsy serials on events of the day; they've covered police brutality, world cup soccer, the January 6th treason, and other local, national, and global events.

Mailin’ It - The official podcast of the US Postal Service, covering all things postal. Hit and miss, but when it hits it’s absolutely fascinating. 

The Allusionist - the history of words, often with a particular eye towards words that come from, or interact with, marginalized cultures. 

Gender Reveal - Queer discussions surrounding gender, generally with a new person each week who speaks about their experiences with gender. Bit hit and miss for me, I’ve found some of the guests rather offputting, but overall highly educational. 

Radiolab - I have no idea what this show’s goal, theme, or target audience is; it’s just fascinating short pieces on fascinating topics. 

Entertainment:

IDEOTV (I Don't Even Own A Television) - Two friends read terrible books and dissect them, sometimes discovering they're better than they let on.

How Did This Get Made - All about terrible movies, with three comedic actors and often guest stars. (I skip the ones that are just Paul because he's fun when he's talking to people but insufferable when he's unaccompanied.)

It's Christmastown - Two sports journalists analyzing and dissect Hallmark Christmas movies, often with guests; really funny and smart takes on movies "made for the gentlest of people".

True Crime:

True Crime Obsessed - I'm a "pates at the five" for this one, which features two friends discussing true crime media (not true crime directly); Patrick and Gillian are queer creators and a fascinating duo to listen to, I'd listen to them discuss anything.

A Date With Dateline - Also true crime media rather than true crime, Katie and Kimberly discuss Dateline episodes old and new, make puns, and occasionally veer off into pop culture.

Bad People - A criminal psychologist and a stand-up comedian discuss specific crimes and criminals as a way of focusing a lens on western culture's relationship to crime and mental health. I occasionally do not agree with some of their hot takes, but they at least are asking extremely interesting questions. 

Criminal - A journalistic take on true crime, covering stories that are less sensational or well-known than most true crime podcasts, with a lot of original research and interviews. 

News:

Planet Money - All things economic, in the US and abroad, though focused in America. 

The Indicator - produced by Planet Money, it’s a shortform podcast covering economic events and indicators daily. 

The Journal - A slightly less shortform but still usually pretty short daily podcast covering current events, particularly in the tech and economy niches. 

Food:

Gravy - Food and culture presented by the Southern Foodways Alliance, with an obvious specific bend towards foodways of the American South.

Proof - The podcast of America’s Test Kitchen, discussing food history, modern food movements, and other things foodie. 

The Sporkful - general food culture and news; most notable as the podcast which gave us Cascatelli pasta. 

Fiction: 

Levar Burton Reads - Levar Burton reads short stories, generally SFF; he just started a new season so I’m not quite caught up yet. 

The Magnus Archives - I listened up to the end of S4 but didn’t care for S5; it’s currently kickstarting a few new seasons. Not sure if I’ll listen yet, but the first four seasons as they stand are great horror. 

Phoebe Reads A Mystery - Phoebe Judge, of Criminal, reads a chapter a day of various mystery novels or great works of literature. At present it’s on hold and may be indefinitely but the past episodes (including all of Dracula) are well worth a listen. 

Old Gods of Appalachia - A gothic fiction podcast mingling magical realism, fantasy, horror, and alternate history; I really enjoy it when I listen but it is a very sprawling story and they take long breaks so I’m not caught up because I have to relisten to it every time they come back from a break or I lose the thread. 

Short Runs:

These podcasts were short serials that are well worth listening to even though they are now complete: 

In Plain Sight - The story of Lady Bird Johnson, often in her own words via her audio diaries. 

Mob Queens - Two journalists discover the epic queer history of a mob wife who dunned in her husband and took over his business. 

Radioactive - Before there was twitter, Father Coughlin was radicalizing bigots via the radio!

The Tylenol Murders - A re-examination of the unsolved Tylenol poisonings in Chicago, as presented by journalists from the Chicago Tribune. 

[ninas-gf]

For the character ask meme: Eula, 2, 3, 7, 8, 22? and Kujou Sara, 4, 9, 20?

oh gosh, this is gonna be a long one :D

Eula:

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

honestly, i think the main reason why i’m so obsessed with her is rooted in how much of a mess she is. her personality is just all over the place, but that just makes it soooo much more interesting to actually analyze her as a character imo

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

probably the way she’s written in her quest </3 for some reason, hyv really wants her to be this absolute girlboss who can do no wrong, and i think it would have been *so* much more compelling if they delved deeper into why she acts the way she does and how her trauma has shaped her and her flaws… instead of basically using paimon to tell the audience how to feel about her, yk?

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

the fanfics! there are soooo many fanfics out there that genuinely do her character so much justice (more than hyv could ever offer tbh) and i really enjoy seeing how different people interpret different aspects of her character… and of course this includes your work as well! <3

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

it’s very, very obvious that a large portion of her fanbase in particular only really values her for her looks, and idk why but it bothers me so much 😭 like as much as i think everyone is entitled to enjoy characters the way they want to, it does make me a little sad that people will ignore everything about her personality because they only see her as a waifu or whatever

also i think she’s one of the most heavily mischaracterized characters in the entire game but i’m also extremely biased when i say that

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

i love it when writers explore her childhood

i dislike it when she’s portrayed as overly aggressive or angry… she just doesn’t seem like the kind of person to lash out that easily

Sara:

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

definitely an animated tv show! not only because i love animation in general, but also because it would give her the chance to have some pretty badass scenes!!

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

i think sara would be a very clean and quiet roommate, but i would also be a little intimidated by her so…. maybe?

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

kuki shinobu 100% <3

[starzzify]

hi! i’m star/starzz. (online name, my real name doesn’t go online)

i decided to make a small introduction, as well as organize my blog more. so, this is the post for that!

as for the introduction. my fandoms are hazbin hotel, bsd, and death note but im into a whole bunch of other stuff too. (bolded ones are the fandoms im more active in)

i absolutely love music, i’m listening to music right now. i’m always listening to music every second i can. and some artists i like are sir chloe, conan gray, matt maltese, the smiths, mcr, msi, MITSKI, green day, frank sinatra, melanie martinez, tv girl, and the neighborhood. my music taste could be put under the spotify category of “alt” or “indie” ig? any post i make about music, song lyrics, analysis, anything, will be posted under the #starzz music shop tag.

i also post random thoughts and things, those will be under the #starzz thoughts tag.

another tag that you might see, sometimes.. rarely, is the #starzz is reading!? tag. this will be book quotes or thoughts!

i have a few tags where i post my writing, these are #starzz poetry and #starzz writing, if I post poetry it'll be under both and when I post my #Flu Season story it'll be under the Flu Season tag and the starzz writing tag.

#starzz life posting is where i post about things im going to do, or doing. basically just events.

#starzz obsession or #starzz obsessions posts are where i go on and on about how much i love something or i analyze media (most likely the death note musical OR bsd stuff) basically just things im obsessed with atm.

#texts i never sent or #texts i’ll never send ; where i write things that i think about sending, but never will. (for good reason or not, we might never know)

(new 👇)

#the man speaks or #WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY WALLS , me talking to myself (most of the time at night)

about me:

if you couldn’t tell i love purple

i really like listening to music (specified abovee)

im looking for more moots/mutuals

things i like: music (duh), art (drawing, writing, poetry, etc.), fashion, makeup, jewelry, my friends, journaling, movies and shows, video games, cooking/baking, talking to people, nature, pretty things, when people ask me about things i like (online most of the time, when people ask me about things i like irl i short circuit and don’t know what to say), my phone, tumblr, sending random asks to people i like, buying stuff online, money, listening to essays/rants on random topics on youtube, spicy food, bracelets (i have so many on omg), also making bracelets, clothes shopping, the mall, making presentations

things i dislike: school, annoying people/pick mes, when i make a typo i can’t correct, headaches, anxiety, the beach, the fact i can’t get a job, toxic people, when people say im boring, people who say everything is “cringe” (i promise im not a hater for having so many types of people i dont like its just they’re things i dont like), beige moms, people who fat/skinny shame, getting up in the morning, when people talk over me/ tell me im talking too quiet

(i might add more to my likes/dislikes idk)

feel free to talk to me about anything you like, i love hearing (or in this case reading) people talk (or write) about the things they like

also if you talk to me about something and i really like it there’s a chance i’ll start liking it too

i love to post random things and thoughts so that’s what you’ll probably get on this blog

sometimes i’ll post about my pets, i have 2 cats. one named taffy and the other loki

kin list (probably my reddest flag) : Dazai (bsd), Chuuya (bsd), Sigma (bsd), Akutagawa (bsd), Jax (tadc)

(more “this user is..” headers)

[royaibrainrot]

ATTACK ON TITAN MANGA SPOILERS BELOW

I find this phenomenon so funny, where queer and female viewers of a piece of media will pick up on emotional and romantic subtext for a pairing very early on, but then when the largely male fan base sees a pairing end up together they flip their shit with “THIS WAS OUT OF NOWHERE??” “THE AUTHOR/DIRECTOR JUST CAVED TO THE SHIPPERS” “THIS RUINED THE STORY”??

Not to say that anyone has to LIKE certain ships or storytelling choices (personally I was neutral on if the eren/mikasa storyline going in a romantic direction), but I always had an understanding that that was a thing and would likely be addressed by the end? Like I think it was pretty obvious Mikasa was in love with eren, and I felt like eren’s side of things were implied at least by the time the season 3 smiling titan scene came around.

As such I was really surprised when this was apparently a huge divisive “plot twist.” Like… were we not watching the same show? (Not referring to the rest of the chapter and the eren memories reveal thing- because I understand the divisiveness there)

But as for the whole “this ruined the story/why are we focusing on this” take, I think a lot of it stems from this unfortunate and quite frankly misogynistic idea that romance is a “lesser” form of storytelling that only appeals to naive young girls. Like… is love not one of the most universal and powerful elements of human nature? Why would we not write about love in all its forms? Why is that Jane Austen is “just chick-lit” and fanfiction is “just cringey wattpad self insert”. It’s so weird honestly!

The way I see it, a lot of these young girls/women/queer viewers are showcasing a higher level of emotional intelligence and media literacy, but heaven forbid the topic they are analyzing is romance— suddenly they are “toxic obsessed shippers.”

Anyways I’m both very tired of it, but also weirdly fascinated by it.

[chaifootsteps]

Anon roll call? I’ve never tagged myself with a name but I’ve sent quite a few anons to ramble about character design and story structure and the like!

Guess you can call me feather anon or 🪶! I’m in my early twenties and first discovered Viv through her Die Young video. I loosely followed her after that, I really liked watching her speed paints and I’d watch some of the other short animations she’d post. I really enjoyed her art style for how expressive and colorful it was- I know we all like to poke fun at the whole “sparkle dog design” thing but I think if Viv continued to strive for improvement then her art really could have been something fun, colorful, and eye catching! My brain always connected it to those Lisa Frank books and stickers-

I’m an artist and a writer, though it’s hard to find the time to engage with them as much as I want to. I love storytelling and analyzing media- I think it’s fun to critique things and it helps me develop my own skills as a storyteller. I like to try and find the positives in media and focus on the things I like, but it is fun (and healthy!) to be a little hater sometimes.

I really did enjoy the concept of Hazbin Hotel presented by the pilot- it was clearly a labor of love- and I really did enjoy the first season of Helluva before Viv decided to start retconning and dropping all the previous set up that drew people to the show in the first place.

I have my own stories I would love to develop sometime in the future- likely through webcomics or just plain writing. I love fantasy and dnd-type settings. I am obsessed with horror and gore- body horror is right up my alley and I love creature features and monsters! I am a monster lover to my soul <3 very aroace but I would romance a dragon if given the chance!!

Don’t think there much beyond that. I haven’t left a lot of the fandoms I’ve been in since I was a kid: MLP, FNAF, HTTYD, Pokemon, LOZ, etc etc. But I also love shows like Bojack Horseman and The Thing (1982) is easily one of my favorite movies. I’ll try to sign my asks off after this but no guarantees I’ll remember! I’m a very wordy person so it might be obvious who I am lol

🪶

High five for dragon romancers! Also, in an eerie coincidence, Lisa Frank was a raging asshole too.