#i’ll read 100 dislikeable characters but when it’s so obvious the author thinks this character is so great when they’re mild at best

[whoarethegirls]

this year my reading goal is to stop sticking it out when books desperately try to get me to love a character

[itsclydebitches]

I kinda wonder, what could bakugou do (hori write bakugou to do) to make him less popular with the "anti" crowd. Like He was a horrid child no doubt and people who try to put blame on Deku or lessen the terrible shit bakugou did aren't great. But as we don't rly see it, we have to assume bakugous behaviour wasn't stopped, we only ever saw his mum "punishing" him when he was being rude after getting kiddnapped. Nothing will excuse what bakugou did, but he has stopped? He's overall a harsh person but he's not harrassing and bullying people anymore, specifically not deku, he's trying to attone for what he did to deku and has now apologised for it. His behaviour was never viewed as justified or good in the series, he's a scary figure in middle school, we're not meant to like his behaviour, so the series itself hasn't justified his actions.

As someone who relate to both bakugou and deku more than I'd like to admit (never told someone to jump tho, that's fucked lol) so I can 100% understand not liking or even hating bakugou but as someone who's not 15 anymore, looking back I also made a lot of really shitty decisions and like bakugou have tried to make up for it, and like deku I was 'friends' with people who hurt me.

Is there anything he can do for the "antis" to just dislike him rather that be "anti"?

(I'm very sorry if you've talked about this somewhere, you can just tell me to look for it if you have, I'll continue to look for your posts on the subject)

Hey there, anon! I think I’ve spoken about this only tangentially and/or in my main Bakugo meta, which is too big for anyone sane to read. So yeah, let’s chat here!

For me personally—and that’s all I can ever do: speak personally. I think it’s important to keep in mind that there is no single solution to please the “anti” crowd. Each fan will be looking for something slightly different in Bakugo’s character, much of which might contradict what a “stan” is currently enjoying. Given how charged a character he is, I'm not sure it's possible to get the entire fandom to like him—what I’m looking for hinges on having a different reading of the story than you seem to. Meaning, I think the series does justify his behavior. Not in any overt, super obvious way like having all the characters go, “Wow, Bakugo! I sure do love how you threaten people all the time. That’s super cool and heroic!” Things are rarely that straightforward. Rather, it’s in a more subtle, but consistent manner that paints a rather conclusive picture across hundreds of chapters.

Simply put, Bakugo is continually rewarded for his actions. Or, if not outright rewarded, his actions are ignored in a way that implies silent acceptance. Characters may not always like what he does... but they're willing to let it slide because Bakugo's heroism was always treated as a given, not something he had to earn and prove.

With the ever necessary disclaimer that I’m not fully caught up yet, here’s a list of some of the things that stood out to me in the first half of the series:

Bakugo’s bullying made him the most popular kid in school.

Bakugo’s bullying was ignored by/outright supported by the teachers.

Bakugo’s bullying did not hinder him from getting into U.A., one of the most prestigious hero schools around.

Despite acting horribly throughout his time at U.A. too, this behavior was continually ignored by the teachers and other authority figures around him.

Bakugo’s struggle to realize that other people aren’t “trash” doesn’t hurt his achievements in any way. He still gets top scores, still wins the tournament, etc.

Bakugo’s behavior gets him special attention from All Might, the greatest hero and Bakugo’s personal idol.

His behavior doesn’t make others dislike him in any manner that’s taken seriously. Everybody is still willing to not just put up with Bakugo, but—in time—start treating his behavior as a quirk (no pun intended lol) that they’re secretly fond of, rather than something he should legitimately be striving to change. Kirishima is the most overt example of this.

This is compounded by his behavior constantly being framed as humorous. Much like with Mineta’s perverted actions, characters might superficially go, “No, that’s bad!” but the story never demands any significant development because then we’d lose the “joke” of Bakugo screaming in rage at the slightest inconvenience, threatening to murder someone over nothing, constantly belittling everyone around him in a “funny” manner, etc. When fans talk about development of a manga character as archetypal and extreme as Bakugo, most don’t really want to see significant change to his base personality. Because then that would result in someone who doesn’t look like the “real” Bakugo: someone nicer, more even-tempered, more mature, etc. But for those of us who were never drawn to that personality in the first place, the continued acceptance of his rude, egotistical, and violent behavior is discomforting. The easiest comparison I can draw is between this and Bakugo’s mother slapping him. That slap is meant to be another “joke”—we see it constantly in shonen anime, something "humorous" you shouldn’t take too seriously because haha, it's just an overprotective mother—but many fans do take it seriously, using it as the basis for a whole “Bakugo was abused and this explains his behavior” reading. Well, I take the “joke” of Bakugo’s threats and insults seriously, especially in a story that starts with something like telling Izuku to jump off the roof. In the same way that many fans want others to treat Bakugo’s mother as a serious topic that has had a negative influence on his development, I want the series to take Bakugo’s everyday actions seriously as a negative influence on… well, everyone around him. But it doesn’t. His base personality is grudgingly adored.

The above two points are seen most overtly in Izuku, who never wavers in his respect for Bakugo despite how Bakugo treats him. Not just prior to U.A., but during their training too. Izuku, as the protagonist, is the emotional heart of this tale, so when he talks about how inspiring Bakugo is, it encourages the reader to see his behavior as inspiring too. Rather than, as said, something that needs to change. Izuku's continued friendship with Bakugo, his adoration of him, and his acceptance of the way he's treated has severely warped how the entire story sees Bakugo's actions. After all, if #pure Izuku can see the good in Bakugo, why can't everyone else? He must not be that bad after all.

I could get into detailed analyses of all the above—like how Bakugo was the one comforted after attacking Izuku outside the dorms at night and how the messed up relationship he has with Izuku is upheld as something to nurture; how the remedial courses he had to take were made to be rather silly, thereby undermining their supposed importance to his development; how Bakugo’s kidnapping had nothing to do with his flaws, but much of the fandom uses it as a way to dismiss any appropriate consequences because, “Hasn’t he suffered enough?” etc.—but in the interest of keeping this within a readable length, I’ll leave it at that. The point is that Bakugo has always been privileged when it comes to his behavior, resulting in others either outright praising it, ignoring it, or demanding that he change a miniscule bit, which always keeps him far below the standards of both his peers and the expectations of a hero. Everyone in 1-A must learn to be even better than the good people they already are... Bakugo needs to learn that other people aren't dirt at the bottom of his shoes. It's never been a particularly impressive development when pit against the rest of the class. All of which can make something like an apology feel pretty hollow. Yes, he’s apologized and I say with all seriousness that that’s great! But how does that apology stack up against 300+ chapters of content? As Bakugo’s words highlight, he's been a really awful person up "until now": he was consumed by Izuku being “miles ahead of [him],” he “looked down on [him]” because he didn’t have a quirk, he “didn’t want to recognize that,” he “hated that,” “grew distant,” “tried to beat you down,” “opposed you and tried to show my superiority over you,” and ends it all with, “it probably doesn’t mean anything telling you all this” before finally getting to the “I’m sorry.” This is basically a laundry list of how horrible a person Bakugo has been for the entire series, with an acknowledgement that this apology is coming really, really late. This is the moment where I could START to like Bakugo, depending on how he acts form here on out, but that pivotal moment arrived after six years of content and in the final arc of the story. It’s too late. Bakugo needed this kind of self-reflection and positive action 250+ chapters ago so he could (hopefully) grow into a better person across the story, not at the story's end. What we got instead is 322 chapters of him being a really horrible person, but the story going out of its way to excuse or even praise that behavior the majority of the time.

As a quick comparison to end on, I think what Bakugo needed was what Soo Jin got in True Beauty. You don’t need to have seen the drama to follow along. The tl;dr is that she has a lot of the core qualities of Bakugo: an all-consuming drive to win that was created due to abusive parents with high expectations, resulting in her bullying a peer to a pretty horrific extent. The difference between them is how the story frames their actions. When Soo Jin becomes the bully she loses everything. Rather than succeeding academically, her grades plummet, making it clear that this anxiety and self-doubt (things the fandom keeps insisting Bakugo is struggling with, but that rarely ever show up in the text) is actually impacting her day-to-day life. Her best friend drops her because she’s not going to support her choices. The boy she likes rejects her. She’s eventually forced to start over somewhere new - which importantly separates her from the girl she was bullying - and get some distance from her parents, resulting in the growth needed to become a healthier, happier, good person again. So when Soo Jin apologizes to the girl she hurt, it feels earned. The story continually recognized how horrific her actions were and put her into a place where she either had to change, or continue losing at everything else that was important to her. Bakugo? Bakugo doesn’t lose. Oh, he claims he does because he’s comparing himself to Izuku constantly, but that’s just him thinking in extremes. He still wins academically. Still wins many battles. Still wins at having friends. Still wins by maintaining the prestige of being a U.A. student. Still wins by getting All Might’s attention. Still wins by receiving Izuku’s respect and an agreement to maintain this rivalry that Bakugo is so obsessed with. Bakugo comes out well 99% of the time, he just thinks he's "lost" because he can't stand not being the absolute best.

For me, the story needed to have Bakugo face consequences for his behavior, not receive rewards and/or have others ignore it, and that revelation/apology needed to come way, way sooner. For me the issue is not a specific action that Horikoshi can have Bakugo do in the next chapter and them bam, I like him now. The problem is Bakugo’s entire concept, how he’s received by the entire cast, and his run across this entire series. "Entire" is the key word there. Which is why the “But he’s apologized. What more do you antis want?” reactions don’t sit well. What we wanted is a better written redemption arc across those 300+ chapters, not a single scene that’s meant to have us forget all the other problems inherent in the story. At this point it’s a far more complicated situation than, “Bakugo just needs to do X, Y, and Z and then we’re golden.” At the end of the day, Horikoshi failed to make me like him as a person and I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to change Bakugo enough to make him likable to me. Bakugo was never the sort of character I’d be inclined towards without a serious, nuanced redemption arc, but sadly, a core, crucial part of that redemption arc took six years to arrive. At this point there’s no way to change the problems in Bakugo’s writing for that huge chunk of the series and not enough time left in the series, it seems, to do the work we should have seen across the entire run. Honestly, idk if the Bakugo we'll get going forward is someone I can just dislike as opposed to being really uncomfortable with, but my money is on there being too little story left and too much investment in upholding Bakugo's base personality for that to happen. I could absolutely be proven wrong! But I think the problems are structural and needed to be better dealt with from page one, not hastily patched over in the final hour.

[hamliet]

Analysis tag game

Tagged by @save-tenko-and-akito :) 

Answer as few or many of these as you like. Enjoy! 1. How do you begin writing your analysis: do you start writing about the first thing that strikes you; or do you step back and look at the narrative structure first; or something else?

I usually start from a question I have about the narrative; my metas usually start with me wanting to learn something rather than me having something I want to prove. I always have to be interested in the subject!  2. What do you like to keep in mind while writing your analysis/meta?

Er... nuance and empathy. ;) It’s hard to balance that in some ways because like... in literary criticism you literally cannot be too blunt. You do not say “seems.” You do not say “likely.” You say “is.” You declare. That... does not always get received well in fandom, though :P So there’s a balance between sticking to an argument and acknowledging that not every statement applies to every situation in the world, or even to every interpretation of the work. 

3. Do you try to keep your value judgments separate from your analysis?

Is value akin to like or to morality in this question?

For the former, I think that there is a line between “I don’t like this” and “this is objectively bad,” but either case is okay to make--as long as you have evidence to back it up. If you can explain why X twist doesn’t make sense with the previous parts of the work, it’s not just “I don’t like this.” Also, you can think things are objectively good and dislike them, or think they are objectively bad and love them anyways (2ha’s last arc for me). You can even be a hypocrite (I disliked the end of TG and of 2ha for the same exact reason--protagonist halo--yet still enjoyed 2ha and ended up with a much harsher opinion of TGre for no other reason beyond just personal taste + life circumstances + expectations etc.) There’s a lot of shades of gray (nuance!) in there as well. 

For the latter... I know based on spoilers, for example, that Qiang Jin Jiu’s ending might be objectively well done, but it doesn’t necessarily seem to jive with my particular values. We’ll see how it’s executed/framed. But that doesn’t inherently affect my view of the story’s quality. 

4. Do you prefer analyzing characters, or arcs, or both?

Both, but characters are the main substance of a story for me. I have been more nerdily interested in structure lately though. I’d like to think Professor B is proud of me for how often I think back to his class...  5. Do you think receiving feedbacks/responses on your analysis/meta help improve your critical skills?

Yes! When it’s constructive and when there’s discussion backed up with evidence (whether in support or disagreement). I’ve learned a lot from other meta writers, and made some great friends! Literary analysis is always a discussion (even historically speaking!) so it’s 100% a valuable part of the experience. 

The problem, of course, is that people can be rude and social media encourages less-than-stellar engagement and out-of-context understandings, which means it’s often just safer to be like “I’m not discussing this.” :/  6. Do you consciously decide which media you want to write analysis on or does it naturally come to you?

Kind of goes back to question 1 for me; if I like a work and have questions about it, I’ll often write about it.  7. Do you prefer writing long or short metas? Which ones do you prefer to read?

Long for both, I guess, but honestly it depends on the topic and what it requires! Some short blurbs are great, and concise. I am in general not concise.  8. Which are your favourite analysis/criticism/meta blogs?

@linkspooky @aspoonofsugar @redphlox @haleigh-sloth I know I’m forgetting many great people.  9. Which shows/movies/media do you think deserve to have more analysis done on them?

Hmmmm. 

Qiang Jin Jiu--it’s a novel fans are really sleeping on (at the same time, that ,means there is no Shen Zechuan discourse which is inevitable if it gets popular, so I get to love my stabby son in peace). It’s also quite rich in themes. 

RWBY. There actually is a fair amount of content for RWBY, but less analysis, which I’d love to see more of! I think the story is really well done so far (not perfect, but good) yet a lot of the hot takes about RWBY are... they kinda misrepresent the show, which is a shame. 

Scum Villain. It often gets overshadowed by MXTX’s other works and while it definitely does have more obvious flaws (it’s a first novel and that’s clear), it’s no less thematically rich than MDZS or TGCF, and also just as clever. I also think its being a different genre plays a role in it being overlooked; a lot of critiques I see are exactly the point (like Binghe’s over-the-top behavior being designed to make you question tropes, the cringe sex scene is cringe for a reason, etc).. 

10. According to you, what are some prerequisites for good quality analysis?

Simply put, you’ve gotta be deferential to evidence. Support your claims, and also answer the “so what” question (ie why does x point you’re making matter?) Also, be willing to change your mind based on evidence, and also stick to the work. Which doesn’t mean you can’t empathize or theorize about why x people like y or how culture/authors impact work/the perceptions of a work, but that you should do so with self-awareness and humility. Fiction and reality have a nuanced relationship.

Oh, and don’t be afraid to be wrong or to change your mind. I’m wrong all the damn time. You learn through doing, right or wrong! 

[its-miichan]

xie lian is poorly written (TGCF criticism)

I’ve said that I’ll be making a rant on why I dislike XL, so I’m here to keep that promise because everyone is so looking forward to my next hate post. I honestly found XL and HC to be the worst parts of TGCF, while I think most other parts of the story are actually pretty good, so I don’t hate TGCF like most of you believe I do, I just dislike Hualian. I don’t mean any offense to those of you who liked XL or TGCF in general, and definitely no offense to MXTX. Although I felt like her writing got worse in TGCF, she is still an immensely talented author and I respect her for all that she does, and all of this is just my personal opinion, and probably as far away from true as it can get.Now, just like HC, I have tried very hard to like XL, but I just can’t manage to like him. He is by far the worst MXTX MC in my opinion, and pales in comparison to SQQ and WWX. Now, without further ado, let’s get into why I don’t like Xie Lian.Why XL is a poorly written character in 5 long points;

He is bland and barely has a discernible personality

Inconsistencies ahoy!

His character arc is flat and he doesn’t develop as a character and doesn’t learn from his mistakes

Is wildly unlikable in the flashbacks and a lot of bad things that happen is actually his fault

Is overpowered and again, a Mary Sue.

Point one is that he is bland and barely has a discernible personality. He is supposedly “kind, sincere, generous” and other positive traits you would expect a children’s book protagonist to have. But does he really have a personality though? Yes, he does have personality traits, but a lot of those traits are just so, so vanilla. He doesn’t have a personality that can make him easy to tell apart from other characters other than being the “boring one”. 

He isn’t funny or outgoing like Shi QingXuan, and he isn’t sarcastic and sassy like Mu Qing. Heck, he has even less of a unique personality than Hua Cheng. Yes, HC’s personality is annoying, but even he has more of a personality than XL does. XL has no motive, goal, or any purpose in the story. He just tags along on missions that have nothing to do with him and just flirts with HC the entire way.He has no standout traits that make him a “unique” protagonist. SQQ is unique because he isn’t there to be heroic, but rather a panicked person forced to commit heroic acts to survive in the twisted world of a bad webnovel. WWX is unique because he is mischievous and laid back to the point of being annoying at first glance, but will actually throw his own life on the line to protect others. I can’t give Xie Lian a specific description of his character because his character is so uninteresting that it really can’t be described. When I think of XL, my brain just comes up with a bundle of words (nice, really dense, doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry) rather than a character as a whole. It felt like MXTX slapped a bunch of traits together and called it a day. 

I guess XL is savage sometimes, but that feels so weird and out of character for someone that’s usually supposed to be quite outspoken.

You could argue that he’s been worn down by 800 years of torture and suffering so that he doesn’t really care anymore, and while that does make sense in a literal way, it makes the story less...exiting. I want to see his reactions to new situations, or how he thinks about the amoral or upright acts of the gods and demons, but instead of actually getting to see his thought process and his inner conflict, he’s just like “meh” and lets it pass. This is probably what ruined my investment in the story as XL just feels so bland and we don’t even get to see his personality through his reactions, therefore we’re just told his personality.

Point two is that his character is so inconsistent. For example, as said above, he is usually “nice, sincere, and kind” but then at times he is savage and sarcastic (like when he tells LQQ that he will die if they duel in book 1). It felt like MXTX couldn’t make up her mind and so she just made XL both outspoken and also savage. Another inconsistency is with his intelligence. At times he is extremely smart and can figure things out that other characters can’t, but at other times, he is blatantly dumb. Like with HC. He is so dense that it just doesn’t make sense! He’s an old, 800 year old god that should be good at reading people and can see through a person. But then when it comes to HC, his deliberate obtuseness isn’t really a coherent part of his character, but rather an excuse to put the confession at the end because none of the scenes before were “romantic enough.” And XL never picks up on any of the hints that HC drops, even when they’re blatantly obvious.

Yet another inconsistency is with his so-called “insecurity”. He supposedly doesn’t think he is good enough and thinks that he is a bad god, but then he goes up to LQQ and claims that he’s going to die if they duel with the arrogance of HC? Whenever he makes a decision with it he is stubborn to a fault, which someone who is insecure wouldn’t usually do (I would know). And then besides it being a reason for HC to comfort and baby XL, the insecurity never comes up again? Additionally, some things that someone in his position would think more deeply about, he doesn’t think about at all. For example, when he is told that HC burned down the temple of 33 gods, someone who cares about the common people would think something like “That’s terrible! The time and effort and money of these people all gone to waste, and civilians may have been injured in the fire.” Instead he is just mildly confused and that’s it. Again, you could argue that it’s because of 800 years of suffering, but it just makes the story so much less interesting and...coherent.

One last inconsistency is that how come nobody, absolutely nobody, has been his friend for 800 years. He is supposedly a nice person, but despite his niceness, he has not even TRIED to make friends and nobody has tried to make friends with him? It is shown at the end of book 4 that most people don’t know that he is the trash god, so shouldn’t they be more willing to make friends with him then?

Point three is that his character arc, just like HC's, is so flat. The entire point of the flashbacks was so readers could throw a pity party for XL and feel bad for him, and so it’s just sad for the sake of being sad. XL doesn’t grow as a character, and what tiny bit of character development we do get is just...not great.

Just like HC, throughout the entire story, XL hasn’t changed a single bit in the present timeline. I don’t find this to be terrible, but as the protagonist, he should at least have some development. However, unlike HC, who’s jump from past to present is far too drastic, XL’s jump from past to present is far too small. He is no different in book 2 than he is in book 1, 3, and 5. You could say that in book 4 he comes to terms with the world and accepts it, but at the same time, in book 4 really all he did was angst, brood, and then suddenly become all sunshine and rainbows again. I do not consider brooding to be character development. This is because at the beginning of book 4, when he lets the other street performer go on and continue performing while he himself goes off and finds a new place shows that he is at least somewhat accepting of his current fate. He does fully accept it by the end of book 4, but going from partly accepting you are a beggar to fully accepting you are a beggar is not enough character development for 800 years. He also repeatedly emphasizes how unlucky he is and how he’s already used to suffering, and honestly at some point it stops being funny and instead just becomes like MXTX wants the reader to feel bad for him so hard.

Point four is that he is wildly unlikable in the flashbacks and he’s barely helped the common people at all. Yes, I find present XL to be bland, but at least he’s nice and likable, but him in the past is stubborn, stupid, and so overly righteous. If he had just listened to people, he would’ve avoided major disasters, and if he could just ask people before doing something stupid, he wouldn’t have been in the place he is today. This would make an extremely interesting plot point and place of conflict, but then the book just never addresses it? Like I don’t think the book registers that a lot of the stuff that happens is XL’s fault more than it is BWX’s. Additionally, XL is so overly righteous. His head is so full of “the common people” that he doesn’t give a second thought to the people around him.

For example, if he had just told the people of Xian Le to kill the people of Yong’an, he would’ve saved his kingdom, his people, his family, and his friends. But no, he had to think about “the common people” and let the people of his kingdom die, resulting in his downfall. Additionally, when he let the other street performers perform and he would leave, yes, that is a nice thing, but to FX, MQ, and his parents, it is just the worst decision. Rather than caring about the people near him and his ill dad, he had to be the white knight and leave.

And then a lot of the stuff in book 4 is his fault, but the book never addresses this. If XL wasn’t so overly righteous, MQ wouldn’t have left. If MQ didn’t leave, they would have one more person to make end’s meet. If they made end’s meet, then XL wouldn’t have to resort to robbery. Even if they didn’t make end’s meet, if he just listened to FX, he would still be fine. If he hadn’t committed robbery, he wouldn’t have been humiliated as hard in front of the 33 gods. If he wasn’t humiliated, then he wouldn’t be stabbed 100 times and he wouldn’t burn the Yong’an capital and have FX leave him and his parents wouldn’t have committed suicide.

And he says he wants to help the common people, but he hasn’t done that at all. In book 2, he hurt his kingdom and the tons of people that died from the curse, and didn’t lessen the casualties caused in the war at all. In book 4, the people that stabbed him all got burned to death by HC (why does XL in the present not consider this?), he burned the Yong’an palace and likely killed people, and yes, he did stop the human face disease this time, but because he was the one that unleashed it in the first place. When he was general Hua, he had tried to save the common people, but his actions really barely did anything in the future. As the Guoshi of Yong’an, he did more harm than good. So how has he helped the common people?And the book never addresses this? Like after he came back to his senses in book 4, Jun Wu doesn’t punish him and the people don’t hate him or anything. He hates himself instead, which feels like it’s just something that MXTX put in so that the readers and HC could go like “no baby, you’ve done your best, you’re amazing.” He is presented as an underprivileged angel and deserves all the love in the world because he’s such a nice person, but at the same time….no? He isn't as great as the book makes him out to be and the fact that the book insists on him being a selfless martyr annoys me to no end.

And point five is that he is also an overpowered Mary Sue. Yes, just like HC, he has flaws, but these flaws never actually get addressed in the book and also are never used against him, and so the book treats him like he’s perfect. WWX has a very similar build to him, where they are both people that try to save people, but WWX has very obvious flaws that lead to his downfall and people call him out for such as his arrogance. But XL never gets called out for being stupid or stubborn, except for by HC to be “cute” (like as in “you’re so stupid because you never consider yourself.”) 

He is much less a Mary Sue than HC because he isn’t “rich” or “renowned” like HC is, but in most other aspects he is just as bad as HC.First of all, he is basically just as powerful as Jun Wu even thought JW trained just as hard as him but for 800 years. Why? (Besides his plot armor and protagonist’s golden halo). He ends the book respected, loved, and super powerful and is also smarter than everyone else and is able to figure things out super fast, but is for some reason still collecting trash? Even though he has basically destroyed the entire status quo of the heavens just because he has suffered while nobody else actually suffered under the rule of Jun Wu, everyone still loves him. However, he is much better than HC in terms of being a Mary Sue because at least he isn’t crazy good at carving statues and can't figure out dead languages, but he is still overpowered as heck and is either hated for no reason or unconditionally loved.

About the hated for no reason, why? Why is it that after the fall of Xian Le, everyone hates him? Like the logic that the people have for hating him is so convoluted and so weird that I just don't understand. Just because the human face disease appeared during the civil war does not make it "his fault". It's correlation, not causation! Look, I don't like XL, but having people hate on him for such a stupid reason feels so forced to me. I mean, I guess it kind of makes sense, but at the same time, it's so exaggerated that I stopped caring. It feels like MXTX first thought that XL needed to go through literally everything bad for angst and so that when HC takes care of him it's fluffier, but it felt like she wrote the angst first and rushed the reasoning.

Again, I respect MXTX for her hard work that she put into TGCF and by no means do I want to disrespect her for that. I don't mean any offense to anyone who likes XL as well. Don't worry, I'm not biased, SVSSS and MDZS will have their turn on the chopping block as well. As always, feel free to attack me in the comments, but be sure to stay respectful to each other and MXTX.

[nomattertheoceans]

I feel like I picked up on most of the racist tropes in Maas’ books but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the homophobia in them

Hi Non!! Thanks for the ask :) 

Just an fyi if people didn’t see it, Anon is referring to my tags on this post about death of the author and the importance of criticizing media without taking into account the creator’s intent.

So yeah, regarding Maas. There’s a lot of ways in which I find her writing homophobic, I’ll divide them in different categories to try and make it clearer because my mind works in twisted ways x)

You should also know that I haven’t read Crescent City past the first few chapters so I can’t talk about this book (what I heard isn’t great regarding this issue but I haven’t read it so I won’t comment on it)

(this got long so I’m gonna use a read more)

worldbuilding

I think her worldbuilding tends to reflect a homophobia that she might not be aware of. Her entire world is built on heteronormative ... norms (lmao sorry I don’t have a better word I haven’t slept in more than 20 hours) that don’t leave any space for queer people to thrive in.

Throne of Glass actually got the less awful bit on this one, we’re shown that Hasar’s girlfriend Renia would become Empress if Hasar was crowned, and Aelin’s uncle was openly gay, so I guess compared to ACOTAR it’s better.

ACOTAR gets the worst of this: The fae society is painfully mysoginistic and by extend, homophobic. Mor is basically sold into marriage at sixteen, to a man, without regards of how she feels about it, because women are considered a breeding stock. The Illyrian women are viewed in the same light. Even Feyre is expected to be making heirs when she’s about to marry Tamlin. Yes, all these examples are painted as bad things in the books, but it doesn’t take away the fact that there are also considered normal within the society we are presented with. When the entire world is built around cishet dynamics (whether good or bad), it shows us that queer relationships are not the norm here, they’re outsiders from their own society (btw considering women as ‘baby makers’ is also transphobic but I’m not gonna open that can of worms).

The mating bond in itself is the biggest heteronormative concept in her books. As Rhys explains it in ACOMAF, it is literally intended for couples to make the strongest babies. It doesn’t care about love between partners, its primary goal is to perpetuate the species. It’s a natural instinct that we’re shown is basically impossible (or at least very difficult) to fight against. We’re shown that the woman has to make the man a meal to “seal the deal”, we’re shown that men become extremely violent towards other men they consider a threat when they’re influenced by the bond (by the way that’s toxic masculinity but it’s not what this post is about).

I believe that Maas didn’t intend for the mating bond to be a possibility between mlm or wlw couples, but that she retconned it in ACOWAR. Which in a sense is good, I’m all for queer soulmates! But the concept she invented here doesn’t have much room for non heteronormative relationships, and it becomes painfully obvious when you try to apply the mating bond logic to wlw/mlm couples. It brings many questions to mind: if it’s intended to make babies, does it mean that the mated mlm couple has one of the men be a trans man? If that’s the case, why didn’t she tell us? Why didn’t she spend more time on telling us their story? If they’re both cis men, then why would they have a mating bond, something specifically designed to help with species continuity by making babies? To me, it’s proof that she didn’t think it through, she thought it was cute to have two men be mates just like our main couple was, and didn’t stop to consider how the mating bond didn’t allow for this to happen organically because it exists in a vaccum of cishet privilege where she didn’t think about the consequences of including it in her books without elaborating on it. 

We can also see that queer people aren’t expected to be the norm in that society. Feyre is genuinely surprised when Mor tells her that she likes women, as if it was this groundbreaking thing she never even considered. I’m not going to get into details as to why I hate Mor’s coming out (I love Mor being a wlw but really, really, hate that scene), but the fact that she hasn’t felt comfortable enough to come out in five centuries is very telling of how unaccepting the fae society is of queer people. So yeah, there’s a queer bar where she hangs out but like... that doesn’t mean it’s accepted. One of the main reasons why queer bars started existing in the first place was to become a safe space for people to be themselves, so you know, I kinda take it as another proof of how unopen-minded the fae society actually is.

lack of queer characters

Overall, we don’t have a lot of confirmed queer characters. Off the top of my head, I can think about (of course I might forget some so that might not be 100% accurate, I haven’t read the books in a long while):

TOG: Hasar and Renia, Aedion, Orlon and Darrow

ACOTAR: Mor, Helion, Thesan, Andromache, Nephelle

Note that I’m not counting unnamed characters. I don’t consider “x’s lover” as a developped enough character to count as representation, come on.

Out of all these characters, only two of them are in the main cast of their respective series (Aedion and Mor). The others go from “mentioned” to “secondary character” at best. I’m not saying that all of her characters have to be queer, but out of such a big cast of mains, one in each series seems very little.

construction of these characters

On top of not having many characters that aren’t cishet, the characters we do have aren’t very well handled by the story.

Hasar is repeatedly described as being ugly, despite most of the other characters being described over and over as breathtakingly beautiful.

Aedion compares bisexuality to forced prostitution.

Helion is basically shown as sleeping around with everybody.

Mor’s sexuality is kept so ambiguous that there’s debate as to whether she’s actually bi, or rather a closeted lesbian.

Renia barely talks, Darrow is a jerk. Orlon, Andromache and Nephelle are figures of the past that we never meet

This is a problem mainly because of how small in numbers the queer characters are. The more diverse cast you create, the easiest it gets to avoid hurtful tropes. I wouldn’t mind Helion being a bi man sleeping around all the time if he wasn’t the only bi man in ACOTAR. Nor would I mind Mor’s tragic backstory if we had other wlw characters. By reducing her cast to such little numbers, she’s creating problems in her writing. She’s telling us that bi men sleep around and never settle down, she’s telling us that sapphic women will only get tragic stories and never find love again.

In the end, the combination of a heteronormative worldbuilding and the lack of work put into the queer characters we are given makes it impossible for me to not consider her books homophobic.

To be clear,

I don’t think Maas does this out of malice. I don’t think she’s a homophobe who hates queer people or anything. I also don’t dislike her books. They’re a fun read, and there’s a reason why ACOMAF is one of only two audiobooks I always have on my phone! Hell, I even write fanfic with her characters. But I think it’s important to be critical of her books, particularly in regards to issues such as racism, mysoginy, or homophobia.

To go back to the original post from yesterday, this is why ‘death of the author’ is an important point here. I’m not saying that Maas intended to be homophobic or that she built her world expressedly to exclude queer people. But in the end, that’s what happened, and we can’t brush off the critics of queer people and people of color just by saying “well, the author didn’t mean it that way.”

I do think that she includes queer representation only as an afterthought in her books, and it shows. Mor’s coming out was poorly handled because she didn’t consider the ramifications of it, just like the mating bond suddenly applying to queer relationships. Her societies are based on cishet white upper class America and that leaves little to no place for queer people (and people of color) to thrive in her stories. From what I see, she doesn’t seem interested in consulting with sensitivity readers over these issues, and as long as she doesn’t swallow her pride and listen to the people that are affected by it, she’s not going to get better on these points.

[bouquet-of-gentlemens]

About

Hiya, guys~!

So this is partially a writing blog (I’ll reblog some aesthetic stuff, or just anything I like sometimes, so beware~). I write fan fiction and some original fiction, but I’ll just be posting the fan fiction stuff here. Feel free to make requests or just drop by to chat/ask questions, whatever you want really. Keep it appropriate and be kind, though, please!

None of the characters, art, gifs, etc. I use are mine and I am in no way taking credit for anything but my own writing so all credit goes to their respective owners (I’ll try my best to credit when I can, but if I don’t and you know whose it is, please tell me! I’ll credit it right away~!).

So with that out of the way, here’s some info about me and my blog!

Fandoms:

Fandoms in bold are the ones I’m most comfortable with, but I’ll try writing for any and all of these!

(Keep in mind that some of these are a bit rusty since I haven’t watched/read/indulged in its content recently, but I’ll brush up as much as I can if necessary~)

DC Comics

Bat Family

Young Justice

Teen Titans

Miscellaneous

Marvel

The Avengers

X-Men

Guardians of the Galaxy

Miscellaneous

Harry Potter

Marauders (but I’m open to try the other generations, so feel free to ask anyway!)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

General (House specific characters, e.g. Hufflepuff x Slytherin or the like)

Criminal Minds

Voltron: Legendary Defender

Miraculous Ladybug

Star Trek

Reboot Movies

Star Wars

All 8 (including Rogue One!)

The Clone Wars series (somewhat)

Percy Jackson

The books

Chronicles of Narnia

Merlin (BBC)

Final Fantasy XV

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Disney

Basically everything except Descendants since I haven’t watched it

And probably a bunch more! If you don’t see something here feel free to ask anyway and I’ll tell you if I’ve seen/read/know of it and if I can write something for it!

Things I Do:

Reader Inserts!

All of the things below will most likely be with a Reader or S/O (for headcanons and the like)

I will try to write any Reader. I want everyone to feel included! If I get something inaccurate or if you feel like I’ve misrepresented you, let me know! Offending anyone is most certainly not my intention. If I don’t think I can do a certain Reader justice, I’ll tell you so and hopefully recommend you to someone else who can do your request!

Readers might include: female, male, gender neutral, etc.

Headcanons

Blurbs/Drabbles

One Shots

Series/Multi chapter fics

I may or may not try Match-Ups/Ships, so stay tuned~

AU’s are my life, so if you want anything like that please send it, I love them to death and I’ll love you even more~

Things I DO NOT Do:

Rape

Incest

Pedophilia

Most other trigger warnings, but I’ll do a few - it’s very circumstantial so ask, but I can’t guarantee anything.

Any content that I think might be triggering will be tagged and have a warning beforehand - stay safe, bugs! If something makes you uncomfortable don’t read it!!

If you think something should have a specific tag or warning, let me know!

Song fics

Fics somewhat inspired by songs are fine though!

OCs

I’m just not too comfortable writing for a character I don’t know all that well or that I didn’t make or just things along this line.

Exceptions may arise, but it’s not too likely

Smut/NSFW

I am not too comfortable with my ability to write this, so I’d rather just wait until I am (if ever)!

Moodboards

While I love looking at them, I cannot make them -_-’’’

Requesting Format:

Okay, so now that you know what I write for and what I do, how do you request something? Easy!

All I need from you is something that looks like this:

Character

Fandom

Plot

Additional Notes

Okay~? This will help me organize and keep everything in order. Obviously the more detail you provide for the plot, the easier it will be for me to complete your request.

Example of a request:

Character: Jason Todd/Red Hood/Robin II

Fandom: DC/Bat Family/Young Justice/etc.

Plot: Soulmate AU where their name is tattooed on your body, etc.

Additional Notes: Gender neutral!Reader, Vigilante!Reader, Fluff, Angst, etc.

You can get as detailed as you like, more is better than less! However, I may change or add or remove certain aspects of a request if I just can’t seem to write it exactly as requested. If you are unhappy with what I do for a request, let me know! I can always try again, but if I just don’t think I can do what you’re asking, I won’t. I’ll always let you guys know if I decline a request, so if you don’t see your request somewhere and it’s been a while, I may have just not gotten to it yet or I don’t have it, so don’t be afraid to ask!

Note: this template is typically for longer requests. Things like headcanons won’t need as much detail or plot seeing as you’d be requesting for my headcanons.

 If I do decide to open ships/match ups I will add a template for that (but it would really just be anything you’d like to share about yourself, the fandom(s) [up to three] you’d like to get shipped with, and your gender preference [would you like to get shipped with a male? Female? Don’t care? etc.]).

FAQ:

How long will it take for a request to be completed?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I honestly don’t know. I’ll try to be as consistent as I can, but I’m in college so I don’t know when I can post other than whenever I have free time. I’ll complete requests on a sort of “first come, first serve” basis, or at least try my best to, though.

How many requests do you take at a time?

At this point, I’m going to try to keep a maximum of 15 requests at a time. Later on I’ll break it down based on what type of request it is (One shot? Headcanon? Drabble? Etc.).

Do you post anywhere else?

I do not! Tumblr is my only platform right now, so if you see my work anywhere else (I don’t see why you would, but just in case) it is not me. Please tell me so I can take care of it.

Do you give shout outs?

I do! I’ll do it for any kind of writing blog, fandom blog, whatever! By all means, I’m happy to help~

How do I know if requests are open?

My description should say whether or not I’m taking requests at the moment, so check there first! You can ask if you’re still not sure for whatever reason, but please do not send a request if they are closed. I will have to decline and tell you to request at another time.

What are AUs?

AU stands for “Alternate Universe”. So anything that doesn’t necessarily follow canon, but may contain certain elements of canon (depending on the AU) such as the characters or dynamics between characters (though not always). Some examples can include: soulmate! AU, high school/college! AU, fake dating! AU, roommates! AU, medieval! AU, royalty! AU, musician! AU, and many, many more!

What are OCs?

OCs are “original characters”, which are essentially characters that fans create. Often times the creator will insert these OCs into already existing fandoms/universes, sometimes pairing them with a character/characters from that show/movie/book/etc.

What are headcanons/blurbs/drabbles/one shots/etc.?

Alright, so every author will probably define these differently in order to fit their personal preference, so these rules only apply to me!

Headcanons:

Ideas or concepts regarding a character/characters that aren’t specifically stated as fact or a part of canon. These are things that an individual likes to believe to be true about said character(s), that they consider to be a part of their own ‘canon’ in their head. Sometimes headcanons can become widely accepted by the fandom and thus become integrated as a part of the fandom’s interpretation of the character(s).

I’ll typically write these out as bullet point lists in regards to a certain topic, i.e. “headcanon for what it would be like to date [insert character(s)]”.

Blurbs:

A very, very, very short piece of writing. Probably under 100-200 words. Usually based off of a prompt of some sort, e.g. “blurb for reader and [insert character(s)] cooking together”.

Drabbles:

Still typically a shorter piece of writing, probably around 250-500 or so words. Can be based off of a prompt similarly to blurbs.

One Shots:

Pieces of writing that are stand alone fics. Can be any length, but will not have any chapters or additional parts. Sequels/prequels/etc. may be added if I get inspiration for it and you guys want more of this particular work, but I wouldn’t count on it every time.

Series/Multi-Chapter Fic:

As stated by the title, this includes multiple chapters! That means a certain prompt/request/idea/AU/etc. will span multiple parts and become a series. This means a fic will have at least two (2) parts/chapters, but can have as many as I/you want (as long as I have the inspiration for it, again).

Ship/Match Up:

(Keep in mind that these are not yet open, I’ll decide later on if I think I can do these, but I’ll put this here just so you guys know and just in case~)

These are where I would tell you who I think I’d ship you with (platonically, romantically, both, etc.) based on information you give me about yourself and what kind of character you’d prefer (fandom(s) [up to three], gender preference of character [male? Female? Don’t care? etc.]), etc.). You can tell me as much or as little as you want, however, more detailed reasons and responses as to why I would ship you with this character are easier with more information. I can’t really ship you with someone if all I know is that you’re a girl, your favorite color is green, and that you would like to get shipped with someone from Marvel. Personality, looks (not really necessary, but it does help!), preferences, hobbies, likes, dislikes, etc. all help! I can also take a look at your blog if you’d like me to (though any information you can provide would also be helpful as this does not act as a substitute for telling me about yourself)!

About Me:

So, feel free to ask me anything you’d like to know~! I’m pretty open, but I will not share some more private aspects of my life (for obvious reasons). If anything you ask me makes me uncomfortable or if I simply do not want to answer, I will say so. Don’t be afraid to be curious though! I won’t get mad at you (unless you’re being a jerk, then I may not be the most kind), I promise!

Here’s just some basic information about me:

You guys can call me Al (A-L, not A-I), but feel free to use any other nicknames or whatever you’d like to to address me~ Whatever you’d like is fine with me (as long as it’s appropriate and kind, as I’ve stated before)

I am 18 years old

I use she/her pronouns

I am a Hufflepuff, but my secondary house is Gryffindor

I am majoring in Aquatic and Marine Biology

I live in the United States (I have my whole life, though I would love to travel around the world and get to see new places)

I say I am 5’3” (but really I’m closer to 5’2 and ½”)

I try to love and accept everyone I meet~ though I also live by the motto of “you cannot tolerate the intolerant” based on the paradox of tolerance. Just be kind, guys~

I love to talk to people. I’m chatty, it’s part of my charm (love you if you get that reference, love you even if you don’t), so you guys are always welcome to talk to me! I may not be the quickest to respond, but I’ll try my best!

I am an INFJ and a Taurus (Dragon in the Chinese zodiac)

I love my friends more than anything in the world and would do absolutely anything for them

I don’t really like mayonnaise and I don’t like pickles on burgers (when I do eat pickles, I only really like bread and butter, sue me)

I use nicknames and a lot of teasing and physical touch to show my affection

I’m an introvert, though I have some extrovert qualities. So I guess you could say I’m an ambivert that leans on the introverted side~

I live for rainy days in bed with fairy lights and something good to read.

Annnnnnnd, yeah! I threw in some (hopefully) interesting tidbits so you can get to know me a bit better, but again, feel free to ask away~!

I love you all very, very much! Have a great day and happy browsing, bugs~!

[guidingthulite]

A, B!!!, J, L, N, P, Q, R, S, T, Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLS TELL oof i love ur writing!!

OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN THANKS EMY!!!

aaaaa you love my writing? i’m so happy to hear that

A: Your current OTP.

HAMAHAYA. HAMAHAYA BIG TIME. And also lowkey Ishimondo but HamaHaya is my main one!!! I love them so much and I have so many headcanons and stories for them!!! That’s kinda why I want to put them on poly relationships? Like I want these relationships to be explored but I can’t take them away from each other

B: A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind.

I haven’t considered Yuuichi ² (and i refuse to call it any other way) but man did you change my mind. Did you.

Also there was this one time I just liked MasaHika as a BROTP but then @producktions and my brother came and… I surrendered :’D

J: Name a fandom you didn’t care/think about until you saw it all over tumblr.

Oh, Voltron definitely! I saw all this fanart, and fics and stuff and all I knew it was filed under ‘gays in space’, but then @justanothermatsugirl and @srta-double invited me to watch and… Porntron came to be. And Porntron is the best thing. Ever.

L: Your favorite fanartist/author gives you one request, what do you ask for?

It depends? I usually try to make both of us happy when it comes to requests, for example, if that person likes, say, HamaHaya but I feel like I want HamaKura I will ask them for HamaHaya anyways because 1. HAMAHAYA and 2. Maybe they will put more feel into the art!!! And what is most important of art is the feelings that it is put into it! Best art is the art you can tell the author put all their heart on~!

but if i could choose anything, give me the hamahayakuraminamana, you cowards

N: Your favorite fandom (for the people; not the thing you fangirl over).

Um… Is it normal I want to say the MOTHER fandom on 2014? Especifically on DA. It was like a tiny family… Everyone knew each other. Everyone was nice with each other. It was so nice. But now everyone parted ways and I have no idea where everyone is. Most left DA (and so did I) and I can’t help but wonder where they are. But my current fandom is really nice too… It’s like a family, too… Sometimes.

P: Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

Lately I’ve been thinking about a Go Ares AU a lot and hamano goes to tengawara for obvious reasons but that’s kinda boring so I gotta think about something more interesting >:3c

Kind of a joke AU, but still:

Have you guys ever heard about ~LA FERIA~? It’s like this weird Spanish thing we have. Everyone dances and sings these lame guitar songs which are mostly like aAAAAaAAAaaaYYYYYYYY @loreprotectionsquad can confirm BUT! that’s not the interesting thing! The interesting thing about Feria is that we basically get a mini amusement park on our town, just because! 

So my brother and I thought about some Go kids there and it just…

Hamano gets Kurama a giant Snake plush and he tries to ride on a… Ride with it and it almost slips out but he clings to it and manages to save it. Hamano thinks it’s adorable. Kurama swears he’ll kill him if he tells someone. Hamano promised Hayami he’d get a plushie for him too, but he is unable (because you can only win one plush per day) so Hayami gets a dolphin plush for him. Imagine Hayami walking around with two overly joyful boyfriends clinging to their giant plushies. Goals.

Kirino and Shindou ride on the ferris wheel which they don’t set up anymore, but still. and Ibuki tries to climb it but fails (?

Shinsuke rides on some dinosaur themed train, and there’s clowns with balloons and stuff you can snatch from them. He gets a plastic axe. Which are super hard to get i need to tell you the story of how i got one when i was like 8. it was so stupid it’s funny He somehow convinces Tsurugi to ride too, while Tenma and Aoi look at them. They have become the ultime balloon snatchers. No one can stop them. Aoi and Tenma are so proud.

Taiyou comes, sees Tenma and waves at him, approaching him. Then all of the sudden, Fuyuka comes rushing after him, and tells Tenma that ‘Taiyou should be in right now, sorry for the inconvenience’ and picks him by the stomach (you know… like a kitten, with her arm around his torso? you get me, right?) while Taiyou tries to escape, but fails.

Kariya and Hikaru try to hide from Hiroto and Midorikawa, who have come with them, but Kariya wants some time alone, while they want to take pics of everything they do, basically.

Something about Yukimura and Fubuki was mentioned, along with Kishibe and Aphrodi, but I don’t remember ;v; Also, Amagi going with Mahoro and Yukie, and all of the third years (Minamisawa as well, for some reason) going together too.

My brother kinda dislikes Galaxy (except Tetsukado, Kusaka and Konoha) so I’ll do their stuff myself.

Minaho and Manabe compete to see who will get more plushies. They only get one keychain working together. They give it to the first team member that they see because they don’t know who should keep it.

But that was after the previously mentioned day, so the Second Year Trio got them plushies instead (they got the hang of one game and they WILL make the most of it. And, they have to help a boyfriend out, right?

So they spend the rest of the festivity together. And they have fun and stuff.

There’s one ride with horses. Konoha spends 98/100 there. Otherwise, she wouldn’t come. It’s so noisy, and crowded…

Kusaka comes and goes to check on her. He can’t ride on most… Rides (this is redundant) anyways. He’s too tall.

Tetsukado and Hamano competed to see who was better at Duck-Fishing. Let’s just say that Shinsuke and Hamano’s boyfriends came home with lots of plushes and prices…

Sakura aced all the games. How did she manage, no one knows (she was, in fact, the first one Minaho and Manabe offered the keychain to. But she rejected it and got two super sparkly keychains for them instead. Minaho and Manabe offered it anyways in exchange but she said that it was nothing and that they should keep the one they got.

Matatagi showed his brothers the place and rode on some rides (seriously how is this so redundant). Eventually they joined the Plushie Fest. Matatagi’s brothers cheered. He, not so much, not when he had to carry around giant plushies for the rest of the day, as his brothers were too busy exploring around.

I think that’s all??? Am I forgetting someone? except zanakurou but i don’t know what to do with him. he dances sevillanas. i don’t know. sorry darling

Oh, yeah, and there’s also this AU my brother and I made in which Kurama is a time traveler and quite literally Hamano and Hayami’s son (he has a big sister named Estrella but that’s for another time) and he has come because their parents were too slow too realize they had feelings for each other and he fears for his existence and his sister’s (???

Q: A ship you’ve abandoned and why.

Can you believe I used to ship Min/////a/kura? But, to be honest, I didn’t know what that was. I just found some comic of them and I thought it was cute. Then I got more into InaEle, and well…

I’m saying that one because I can’t think of anything else XD

R: A pairing you ship that you don’t think anyone else ships.

The Kurama multiship fest, which I will proceed to explain, even though the first one is sorta popular, but still:

Hamano and Hayami, because I saw HamaKura and I thought it was really cute! (when i got used to kurama, at first i didn’t like him but i found hamahayakura and i went ‘eeeeeeeehhh’ but you already know that story) then I thought of HamaHaya + HamaKura and Hayami just got into the package for some reason XD

Hikaru, because I was salty I didn’t ship him with Minamisawa and I wanted to ship him with someone but I didn’t know who, then he had a little scene with Hikaru on the games (when they go look for Shinsuke or something) and a lightbulb light up on my head

Tenma because, honestly, how can you have someone you ship with everyone but not Tenma? Plus it’s cute. 

Tsurugi because I saw somebody posting drawings of them and I went ‘hey they cute’ and that’s all. also the fandom team might or might not had something to do with it

Kariya because they had this scene when they went to China on CS that i don’t even remember but what i do remember is my brother asking me why i wasn’t saying anything about the ship, and i went ‘well, i don’t, BUUUUUUUUUT’ and so it started.

Minaho because, and listen well because this one is weird, I was in class, and I was bored, and I decided to make quadrants for some InaEle characters, I started by Minaho and went ‘huh so, Moirail, Manabe, Matesprit, Manabe, Kismesis, Manab-wait’ so I decided to crack it up a bit and now it was ‘Moirail, Hamano, Matesprit, Manabe’ but I wanted to give him a Kismesis (that could’ve been perfectly Matatagi, but I didn’t think of that because I’m dumb) (also read: a love rivalry more or less) so I gave him Kurama. THEN I played BigBang and they had a small interaction and since back then I couldn’t even read Hiragana I don’t know what they said but Kurama made a sad face afterwards so I take it as I was right

Fei because Kurama learns Bouncer Rabbit on Galaxy (actually the two-people version. He does it with Hamano because I’m obvious) and also Fei stole his number, now Kurama has to steal something back (???

Taiyou because on my CS game Kurama, Taiyou and Hikaru always do hissatsus together on the random thing (that makes also Sakura and Matatagi do Butterfly Dream together all the time for some reason. Which is funny because I lowkey shipped it before starting Galaxy) so I got used to seeing them together.

Ibuki because my brother always calls them losers (he’s a bit mean sometimes, but I love him ;v;) so I started relating them n stuff.

Hakuryuu because my brother and I have this thing called the ‘Spammer Club’ which is for characters that say other character’s name a lot. We have Hakuryuu (who we jokingly call churugispammer) Miyasaka, Ibuki, Hakuryuu and Kurama got in too for some reason. So yeah. It happened. N stuff.

Also I brotp him with Kinako, but I brotp Kinako with everyone.

S: What’s a headcanon you have?

Hmm… I headcanon that out of the Second Year Trio, only Hamano has siblings (2 sisters, him being the middle sib- and no that’s not me self projecting ok) 

Hayami has mentioned more than once on the games that he wants to be a scientist, and I headcanon that it’s because his mother is! Which also means she’s super busy most of the time. So Hayami is quite dependent, but he can’t cook for his life. Hamano is surprisingly okay at cooking, and he’s learning to bake.

Also, Hayami really likes penguins for some reason.

T: What are your favorite male/male ships or female/female ships?

Ack, that’s a hard one ;v;

- Male/Male - (to keep things fresh from 3 diff fandoms each)

Hamano/Hayami (Inazuma Eleven)

Ishimaru/Oowada (Danganronpa)

Killua/Gon (HxH) 

Shu/Valt (Beyblade Burst)

Hau/Gladion (Pokémon)

- Female/Female -

Diana/Akko (Little Witch Academia) (i gotta continue it sob aaa)

Ootani/Anna (Inazuma Eleven)

Moon/Lillie (Pokémon)

Z: What’s a ship that you want to ship publicly, but everyone on tumblr hates it so you keep your mouth shut about it?

Ahahah, what are you talking about [hides my polyship mess under a rug] it is not much that they hate it, just that no one is interested XD

[deansdirtylittlesecretsblog]

Author Honesty Hour

The always awesome @sis-tafics tagged me in this. Which is the only reason I’m doing this.

1. Which is the imagine you’re most proud of?

Professor Winchester. It took me more than a year to write all 22 parts.

2. Which is your least favorite?

There’s a few, several from when I first started posting my writing to Tumblr and I was taking requests. I wrote them to fulfill the request and I don’t feel like they are really me, not me as the kind of writer I believe I am anyway.

3. If you were to recommend one to read to your mum/mom?

I’d recommend Someone to Watch Over Me to her. It’s another one of my favorites and the smut is mild in that one.

4. Which one would you consider re-writing?

Nothing on Tumblr, but I do have a Dean/OC piece on Fanfiction.net that I’d rewrite in a heartbeat. It was the first thing I ever wrote and it is rough, really rough.

5. Biggest regret in an imagine?

I have a couple where I wrote Dean really out of character for the sake of fulfilling a request and I am not happy with those ones at all.

6. Biggest success with an imagine?

Professor Winchester for sure. He was definitely a hit.

7. Your imagine with the most notes?

It’s a tie between Get Into My Car (Dean x plus-sized reader) and Stripped Bare (Demon!Dean x reader). They both have right around 1400 notes. Professor Winchester’s master list has over 2K.

8. Your imagine with the least notes?

I have a couple of Dean/Donna fics with less than 100 notes.

9. What do you think makes a good imagine? Tips?

This is a tough question. What makes a good imagine is very subjective. I’ve read things that other people have raved about and thought were absolutely amazing that I didn’t like and I’ve read things that I thought were phenomenal but had hardly any notes or recognition. For me, it has to have proper punctuation, grammar, consistent tense, and correct spelling and word usage. If it doesn’t have those things, if it’s glaringly obvious in the first few paragraphs that it doesn’t have those things, then I can’t read it because I’m focusing on that instead of the story.

My advice/tips? 1) Use a beta. A good beta who is going to catch those things. Using a beta isn’t just about making sure the story flows or is interesting, it’s also about making sure your writing has been done correctly. 2) Remember that Tumblr is a finicky bitch. Don’t let notes or lack thereof stop you from writing what you love. We all get better with time and practice. Write what and who you enjoy writing and don’t let the haters and naysayers get you down.

10. When’s the next update on your works?

I’m going to write a sequel to Ketch Me If You Can. Eventually. Someday.

11. Number of followers before you started writing and after?

On my non-writing blog (the one I had before I started deansdirtylittlesecretsblog) I had around 200. Last time I checked this blog I had around 17K.

THE WRITER

1. Which character do you love writing for?

Dean Winchester. I know his character fairly well, not to mention, personality wise, he’s a lot like my husband, so that makes him easy to write.

2. Which character do you dislike writing for?

Castiel. I can’t get him right to save my life.

3. What’s your favorite AU to write for?

I don’t really have a favorite. I’ve done professors, bodyguards, cowboys (on another blog), roommates (also on another blog), put-upon assistants, and neighbors. If the story premise is good, I’ll do my best to write it.

4. What’s your least favorite AU to write for?

I’ve yet to come across one.

5. What do you hope never gets requested?

My requests aren’t open, but one of the reason I closed them is because I kept getting requests that were difficult or uncomfortable to write. My least favorite requests are Can you write Dean/Sam taking the readers virginity?

6. What do you wish was requested more?

My requests are closed.

7. Thoughts on writing Smut/POC/Curvy/MxM/FxF?

I definitely have no problem writing smut, in fact, it used to be the one thing I was known for. And I’ve written curvy readers a few times. I haven’t written any POC/MxM/FxF mainly because I write what I know. I can’t write something engaging and entertaining if I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.

8. Which account is your biggest inspiration in writing?

I love @mrs-squirrel-chester. I’ve followed her writing for years, since before this blog existed, even before she started that blog as her writing blog. And I love @kittenofdoomage. She isn’t afraid to take on just about anything anyone can throw at her. She’s very brave and a writer I find inspiring. Also, @winchesterenthusiast. Kait is freaking awesome and I love her.

9. How long have you been an imagine writer for?

I’ve been writing for 5 years.

10. Any upcoming secret works?

No, nothing that’s a secret. :-)

I’m going to tag @winchesterenthusiast @kittenofdoomage @rizlowwritessortof and @mrs-squirrel-chester.

[askkav-archived]

I’ve Noticed A Thing

Recently - but seeing as I've only been active within this community (ask/rp blogs) for a while comparative to others, at times I feel as though I don’t have some sort of authority to speak about it.

Then I realized, after a second, I don’t care and I’m going to speak my mind.

And let’s get down to it; to the talk - THE talk about OC vs Canon, popularity, activity and your feelings!

Hi, I’m Kav and this is my own OC blog - with about 200 followers (as of right now, writing this) and have had this blog for about 2 months and a few days. Apparently that is a feat in this community, but I think I should point out that it’s possibility due to my activity, my art and also the guest that’s currently been hanging out with them.

And I need to point out something right now but don’t be offended/hurt. etc; it’s just an obvious thing.

Canon blogs will get the better treatment because they're established characters in this world AND have that spotlight that original content creators don't have.

But that shouldn't diminish one's determination to keep at it. People are not going to hand serve you the attention you think you rightfully deserve Because you think so well of yourself, which I'm not saying it's a bad thing but still.

Don't let that bruise your ego or your spirit. (Because god, if that does it - then you’ll just be meeting people along the way who’ll do a lot worse and say worse.)

Anyways let that sink in a little and now, what do you do as an original content creator or an OC ask blog?

There’s not much to say besides don’t give up! Don’t lose all of your hope because seriously, it’s well established that no one really wants to deal with a person who gives up hope and complains or is negative on a constant basis. (*Looks at self*)

Like myself, you need to work on that - that part of yourself that needs to start looking more of positives and other options, instead of being down or thinking negatively. People can sense it and they’ll start leaving. 

Oh, you can say, ‘I didn’t need them anyhow’ or ‘I’ll find better fans or followers than those’ but really, stop making that excuse for yourself to feel better.

You lost them because of that sort of thinking.

Do better! Be better, not only for others but for yourself! As a content creator and someone who wants to have more interaction with others about your content! Don’t dismiss everyone because you feel like you are not good enough or you’re too proud or possibly anxious/shy. (I sound like I’m preaching to myself at this point...)

Also another elephant in the room; Art-based Ask/RP blogs vs Written-Only Ask/RP blogs

I hate to talk about this but let’s just be real; ask blogs - and ones where there’s constant activity and art alongside it, will always have more popularity.

Words are so beautiful, and strung along together - they can be amazing and well thought out ideas, stories and much more but... As they say, pictures write a thousand words.

It’s true and I feel bad for admitting that, as an ask blog - I’m not going to feel the same feeling as an RP blog because I don’t have the same frustration you have. I love your words and the image you can provide with them but it’s not for everyone.

It’s kind of tragic because so far, what I have seen and read - or at least skimmed through, the majority of those I follow are pretty great and incredible!

Please, don’t give up hope though - you’ve met some pretty cool friends and people who love you, either up front or afar! (Like me! And I love you, your portrayals and your blog in general)

Major vs minor characters and attractiveness

Not gonna lie; characters who are mains and have a huge role within a series will get more love and more attention - Also will get bashed too, for not having the right portrayal or the same headcanons as another. Keep doing whatever you wish, you’re good by the way.

But minor characters, that is somewhat tough - they needed to have a following, a fan base but they also can start attracting attention by being constantly active, possibly in character for most or some or just giving MORE to the character in question.

I’ve seen it happens and it’s pretty great! Some feel as though the captured the character even though there is so little information of them as it is. You’re amazing and are doing god or at least the level of the author’s work if they worked more on the character.

Not gonna lie either; physically attractive characters will always just get the glory and the good(?) asks - It’s just how the world works but please know, don’t let that put you down (or go make an ask blog for a possibly popular character for being attractive unless your heart is into it or else you’ll lose passion quickly for your own blog and really hurt others in the process because they always want more!)

Art styles and skills

I don’t really need to go on; people are attracted to dynamic and possibly (what they believe) is art styles that they are attracted, aesthetically, to or want to see more or.

It’s shallow and not at the same time - artists grow from learning from one another and wanting to achieve the same skills or skill level as those they place above them.

Don’t let that bring you down, keep practicing though. Keep drawing. Don’t stop either or lose hope, just keep at it. You’ll get where you wanna be! Practice and practice some more, look to tutorials, different brushes/pens/tools and whatever resources you can get over the internet to help you. 

Art is a skill you yourself have to hone and keep at - as Arin Hanson says from Game Grumps, “Do you think I came out the pussy drawing Mozart?”

I know this post is just a whole mess; but I haven’t really done this in a while - I’m pretty rusty and can’t really be sure to keep this post about the point as much. I apologize for so.

And now I need to ask you, why do you do this?

I’m not trying to be or act as though I’m an authority of what you should feel or think or a judgment of your thought process, etc etc - I’m just here, trying to level with y’all. WHY DO YOU DO THIS?

Seriously, you need to ask yourself this.

I’ll give you my reason for doing this, for having an OC ask blog - my thoughts and what goes through it.

I do and continue to do this because I have always wanted to do this for the past couple of years but the problem was also me and what I was thinking, you see - I wasn’t at the skill level I wanted to be at, the last couple of years,  to start portraying and putting out my own (very self-indulgent) self insert in this world.

And when the time came and I understood what my character was about, what were their goals, their intent and I was sure how to go about them - and that my art style was good enough for me to show them off in.

I made this blog though I’m still new to this and I’m still unsure which version I want to keep Kav as too - but I’m still happy with it, so far.

I get frustrated too because at times, I can’t still properly give details to what goes on in my head - it’s always been a struggle to put thought and ideas down into art, whether digitally or paper. Written or drawn.

But I’m going to continue this, whether I have 1 follower to over a 100+ followers. I’m not going to change either because I’m comfortable at this pace, at this level and what I’m putting out as it is - whether sfw or not.

I’ve grown to know that, I’m not for everyone and I need to keep reminding myself of this - a lot more than I let on. Granted, my need for validation and attention really puts me in the wringer but- *slaps self* - I need to keep trying and be active and keep going because if I stop now, I won’t forgive myself.

Kav, my character, as fictional as they are - won’t let me forgive myself for giving up when I know people out there, before this blog and letting people get to me, that they love her. Maybe more than I do, maybe not as much but they still love/like and appreciate her for existing!

She provides people with a sense of... strength; she gives people the drive and determination to put out their own content, whether OCs or self-inserts and for that. God I’m going to keep this up.

You should too.

But for whatever sakes you believe in, don’t give up! Don’t give in to that fucking bullshit that you are not good enough for all these people! Because if you think you deserve a bit of, what, attention or some other reason! Then keep doing this, keep being active, keep putting out more content, whether drawn or written out there because someone else, someone out there will love you and your character!

Doing nothing but feeling sorry for yourself or some bullshit isn’t going to do just that.

Though this is from my opinion and my standpoint but if you create a blog, more specifically an ask or RP blog hoping for popularity and followers - Well, I’m sorry to say but doing this for something like that won’t turn out to what you hoped.

And you’ll either grow tired or dislike for the whole thing and seeing that; isn’t always fun for everyone else when you decide dropping the character because you lost the passion or muse on account of not enough attention and the like.

If you’re in this, be really into your role - But also don’t let it consume you as well, update about things you feel important and be more open to your fanbase if you have any to your thoughts. It’s just easier.

Anyways I’m done, thank you all for taking the time to read this. Stay cool.

[voltage-vixen]

Author Interview 💻

Thank you very much dear @lin-ful! I’m a huge fan of your work, and I feel truly flattered to be tagged by you! 💕

Name: Kristen 

Fandoms: L365,  SLBP, MLQC, Ikemen Sen/Vamp/Rev & MidCin. 

Want to do in the future: I would like to finish writing the original novel I started. I’ve actually set aside the time to sit down and start writing it, and I’m already a few chapters in. (Which finding the time is half the battle!)

Where You Post: I post mainly on tumblr, but due to recent glitching issues on the site, I’m going to start posting my fanfics to AO3. At least we will see how it goes over there for now!

I’m going to keep the prompts and special event stories on my blog here though. 

Most Popular One-Shot: I don’t know if a HC is technically considered a “one-shot”, but if it is my most popular one would be Bath Time with the Bidders. 

If that doesn’t count, then these stories for Gavin and Victor are both currently tied for first based on the note count: “Show me how you play with yourself.”--Victor  &   “I’m not feeling well.” “Then that means you’re on bed arrest today, and I’m your bed mate.”--Gavin

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: A Reassuring Reminder which features Gavin from MLQC. 

It’s funny because this was never intended to turn into a multi-chapter story, but lately Gavin has been one of the few characters that I’ve actually been feeling really excited to write for, and this story ended up continuing for that reason!

Favorite Story You Wrote: The Prequel to Paradise 

This was a story about how I pictured Yosuke and Taki meeting for the first time. I enjoyed really having to think about the box with this one, because writing for a character in the past can be tricky (at least for me) since we often only have a snapshot to work off of. I was very proud of being able to finish this one, and it really forced me to think

Story You Were Nervous to Post: Feelings Amiss

This was the first fanfic I ever wrote, and the very first one I ever posted to tumblr. I kept deleting the post when I originally first published it, but this was the story that helped me overcome the initial fear I first had. 

Also, it was my first one ever, so please don’t judge it too harshly! 😂

How You Choose Your Titles: In case it wasn’t obvious already, I LOVE alliteration and I will sit there and desperately try to make it work with the title, before I eventually give up and move on to something else. 😂

I can’t start writing the story without having the title, so the title process is a huge deal for me personally as a writer!

Completed: Is a lot an acceptable answer? 🤣🤷‍♀️ I honestly don’t know the count.

Incomplete: See answer to the question above. 😂

Do You Outline? NOPE! 

Been there, done that, and it’s not for me. More times than not I end up deviating from my original thought process anyway. 

Plus, I’ve been having difficulties managing my schedule lately, and that just adds another step for me to have to worry about.             

Do You Accept Prompts? I have a lot in previous requests sessions. I still will moving forward, but with the added disclaimer that despite my best efforts,  I won’t be able to guarantee anything. 

It’s nothing personal-some ideas just click while others have proven to be more challenging. 😣

Coming Soon/Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: I’m a rebel and combined these two questions since they had the same answers. 😂

I am SO unbelievably excited for the new events to get started!!! (I won’t list them all again, but you can find them HERE if you haven’t seen them yet.)

I’m going to be posting a calender shortly with the info on when you can expect to see them!

I’m also really stoked to start writing out for some of the newer fandoms I recently joined! I found some new characters that I really have grown fond of, and I already have a ton of ideas for them! 😊

What do you use to edit?: I write in Word and besides the basic catches it flags (and let’s be honest it misses a lot) I don’t edit. I HATE editing with a passion. 

I do edit in my freelance work (and I still dislike it) but for my hobby writing I “post and pray.” I know this is bad, and I truly do apologize in advance, but I overthink everything and I would start to second guess myself. 

This is 100% a me problem, but it’s a vicious cycle I prefer to avoid!

Writing setup: Chaos. Sheer and utter chaos. The more chaotic the better. 🤣 Seriously, I tend to thrive in a more busy environment. 

I sit on my couch and binge watch all the shows on Netflix that I can’t watch when my kids are awake. (Currently I’m watching Dexter in case anyone cared to know that.)

While I’m writing, I’m normally chatting with friends and I’m trying to use my energy/stamina so I can clear one of many events I’m probably playing. (cough-IkeSen right now-cough).

I end up getting distracted a lot throughout this process, but that’s alright! Sometimes the most randomest things can spark the slightest idea!  

Do you use a beta reader? 

I recently asked a friend for her opinion on the characterization for a newer character I was writing for, but otherwise I don’t on a regular basis.

Nearly all my writing lately has been taking place very late at night, and I always immediately post a story once it’s completed. The exception being the special event stories, but otherwise it’s all published right away. Even if I could find a patient enough soul willing to do it, my writing schedule is sporadic and it would be difficult for me to communicate consistently.  

Additionally, if I’m left alone to wait with my own devices, who knows what would happen?!😂

Where do you get your writing inspiration?  

A lot of times random thoughts will pop into my head when I’m reading a route. Or something I see or hear in real life may trigger an idea that I think would be perfect for a story.

Also, I hate waiting for new content to be released, so I need something to entertain myself with in the meantime! 😊

Can we get a quote from an upcoming WIP?

“You’re finally awake?”

MC groaned as her eyes flickered adjusting to the newfound darkness of the room she was currently being held captive in. 

“W-Where am I?” MC questioned, while glancing around the room trying to find any sort of clue that would provide her with the answers she was seeking. 

A tall intimidating cloaked figure, furtively scuttled over and roughly pinched the side of her bruised cheeks. 

“That’s enough out of you,” he snarled. “Today, I’ll be the only one asking the questions around here.”

(This is from the final chapter of A Reassuring Reminder)

Tagging: @iluvsexyvoltageguys & @that-wasnt-so-bad