#id have to intentionally annoy him. a lot

[identityarchitect]

If you got stuck in a lift with any tma character, who would you want it to be?

jon or elias no question

[worstcharacterpoll]

[Image description: A tournament bracket of 32 contenders, labeled "Tumblr's most hated." The matchups on the left are Vriska vs. Pearl from SU; Rex from Victorious vs. Rick Sanchez; Ansem the Wise vs. Gul Dukat; Kylo Ren vs. Kokichi Ouma; Scrappy Doo vs. Sheldon Cooper; Pierre from Stardew vs. Mort from Madagascar; Seraphine from League vs. Heimskr; and Jurgen Leitner vs. Andre Glacier. The matchups on the right are Walter White vs. Light Yagami; Buck Cluck vs. Ross Geller; Bramblestar vs. Starlight Glimmer; Goro Akechi vs. Pariston Hill; Katsuki Bakugo vs. Berdly; Angel Dust vs. the Impostor; Olaf from Frozen vs. Hooty; and Zenos viator Galvus vs. Tony Stark. The bracket is red on a black background. End ID]

Here is the official bracket for the most Hated Character on Tumblr! Each round will last 24 hours, with a 12 hour break in between. Round 1 should start Feb 9, 2023 at 9:00 AM CST.

As a reminder, this tournament is for the characters that you hate the most, so always vote for your least favorite of the two options. The winner will be publicly executed.

FAQ under cut:

Q: Why did you put in x character and not y character? Aren't there more hateable characters from that franchise?

A: I wanted to keep the competition light-hearted, funny, and interesting. I intentionally avoided most shitty parent characters, dictators, characters who were meant to be hated, etc., as well as characters heavily associated with bigotry and sexual assault, and gravitated towards characters that were more divisive in fandom. Exceptions were only made for characters I am familiar enough with and can use my own judgement for. Using Zenos as an example: He is a villain who is very evil and meant to be hated, which I mostly avoided when taking suggestions for things I wasn't familiar with myself. However, he's very divisive between people who think he's a good interesting villain, people who don't think he's a good villain and don't like him in the story at all, and people who want him carnally. Walter White is also meant to be hated, but he has a meme status, and as a villain protagonist I think he's more interesting than most "meant to be hated" characters. Also, there are certain franchises that I simply didn't want to include. If JK Rowling wasn't such a real and horrible political presence, owing all her influence to Harry Potter, I would've definitely put Snape on the poll. As it stands, I don't really want to give HP any attention. TL;DR answer: Because it's funnier that way

Q: But I LIKE that character :(

A: As mentioned before, I specifically gravitated more towards characters who are more divisive rather than universally hated. They are usually more interesting, and there is more variety with those types of characters - you don't have shitty dad character #1 vs. shitty dad character #2. I actually looked for "anti-(character)" tags and discourse about that character when making decisions about who to include. lol If you actually like some of these characters (uh, my condolences), vote against them in their respective matchups.

Q: Is it too late to suggest a replacement?

A: Yes.

Q: Why are you doing this?

A: I feed off of hatred and violence. I want to see who tumblr users REALLY hate.

Q: Why Pearl?

A: It was quite a while ago now so I get it if people don't remember, but Pearl discourse used to be a big thing and people argued that she was irredeemable for many of the things she did early on in the show. If you remember the "Pearl hates the Irish" meme, that was a parody of how much people hated her

Q: Why Hooty?

A: I haven't seen the Owl House but I'm told many people think he's annoying. Also he's voiced by Alex Hirsch and fuck that guy he did my boy Ford so dirty I'm still mad about this

Q: Why Starlight Glimmer?

A: MLP:FiM is another show I didn't really watch but she was a villain who got redeemed and became a main character and a lot of people think her redemption arc was rushed and botched and she actually made a lot of people quit watching the show. One of my close friends really really really hates her and I don't think that's an isolated incident

Q: Why Berdly?

A: Annoying. Personally I think his arc of becoming less annoying was pretty fun but a lot of people still hate him.

Q: Why Bakugo (instead of Mineta)?

A: I actually debated this a lot and held a preliminary poll which Mineta actually won. But then I decided democracy is dead because Mineta really wouldn't be as interesting as Bakugo in this tournament because he's basically universally hated. Bakugo is more interesting because people who hate him REALLY hate him, while people who love him REALLY love him. Kind of like Vriska. I think. I never read Homestuck and I don't plan on ever doing so.

Q: Why Tony Stark?

A: He's a heavily divisive character because he's a war profiteer billionaire with a superiority complex, but the narrative treats him as a morally pure hero. Also, he's MCU Spider-Man's mentor and most of MCU Spider-Man is basically defined by Tony Stark and he's not allowed to be his own character. There's a bunch of other stuff but I didn't watch and I don't care about most of the MCU. Personally I'm a really big Spider-Man fan and I despise him for what he did to Peter Parker but I shall refrain from making this a long rant.

Q: Why did you include characters that you're not familiar with?

A: I didn't want to exclusively have characters from my interests. I wanted a bit of variety. Before the poll started, I accepted submissions for candidates, and basically trusted submitters to send in decent characters. Some of the characters I ended up with may go against the vague guidelines I set for myself, which kind of sucks, but that's how it is now.

Q: This bracket sucks.

A: Make your own tournament then. I'm just some guy making a tournament on tumblr dot com for free. Don't take it too seriously.

[baby-xemnas]

hiding to not upset fans, talking about 🐯and👒 dynamic again

i Love Luffy and Law's dynamic (i dont amplify things shippers do, no shade, i know that i twist Law's character too to make it more lawbepo) and Law being very strict about them working together being an alliance no matter how many times Luffy insists FRIENDS!!! - Luffy is not listening or respecting what Law says about it so his feelings are not hurt by Law's s refusal. i love Luffy. and i love that Oda didn't make Law a tsundere towards him (shippers can think that he is,i dont care i disagree do it where i can't see it) he is very insistent that No im not your nakama.

Law didn't need to go through an "accept Luffy" character arc, nothing there to be fixed. And I Love it. Really grateful to Oda for that not just cuz i don't ship it but because it makes Law's character more firm and solid in his beliefs - i kinda love that PH and DR dont change him as a person.

I've talked about it before how much i enjoy Law's character cohesion how he is very set in his ways but in a good way. Because yes of course character development is good but id put it this way - character development necessitates a character being incomplete and even after some development happened the implication stays that they can be changed further. Which is not a bad trait for a protagonist or a supporting character - but what characters Dont change much through shounen stories typically - mentors and wise men. I like to think of Law as being in that category. He is not anybodys mentor but he is fully realized and solid. And That is VERY COOL to meeeeee

So when he is a stubborn ass about shit like Luffy friendship im like 😳😳😳😳 sir yes sir of course please go on as you were, you only have allegiance and loyalty to your family, and help strangers because you are kind. you are so cool.

sorry if its annoying that i mention that i dont ship lawlu like 3 times but its important that my biases lay elsewhere therefore i like the negatives (that comes from Law lol) about their relationship

I talked abt it biut i love that Law has that special status of no - Luffy - while yes helped him with his revenge plan - didnt save Law's life like he did with strawhats (including Vivi who is the easiest example of what makes Law NOT a nakama) - Law is grateful to him, but not eternally, Luffy didn't win his heart like with many others (if he did oda could signify it by making him more tsun, but Law isnt so they are more like colleagues and not friends cuz Law is firmly against it) Law is intentionally a hyper rational character and he Believes in Luffy's potential and would bet on him becoming King- but he is not one of the many Luffy super fans that Luffy made along the way.

I love it a lot i think Oda made a lot of good decisions with Law that i love

[imagine-silk]

I LOVE YOUR PETER B PARKER AND YOUNGER AUTISTIC READER FICS. THEYRE AMAZING!! CAN WE PLEASE GET MORE? I DONT CARE WHAT THE SCENARIO IS, BUT ID LIKE IT TO BE FLUFFY/LIGHT HEARTED.

》 ARE WE YELLING NOW? THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXCITEMENT AND ASK, IT MEANS A LOT.

His favoritism is blatant and as subtle as a parade float, that's nothing new. Yours is. At first it's just that he could get away with touching you, shoulder clasps and such, but after a while you prolonged it by not moving. When you realized it you then initiated it. Straight up walked up and leaned on him while he was talking to someone. Others are jealous, especially because he will not shut up about it.

The closest person to Peter's status is Hobie. He is a naturally touchy person so it's usually fine if you're neural or higher, it can be allowed, or at least shaken off. That being said, he's also the most punched out of everyone. Not that your always in a bad mood, he goes up to you at random sometimes and startles you, even if you were in a good mood.

Gwen was a yes in your book, she just really passed the vibe check the first time you met her. And she generally cleaned up her mistakes so it was usually forgiven on the spot. There are a few times it took a while to forgive her though. Like the time she opened your collectable.

Pav was so difficult to describe to you. He just ran around and said exactly what he meant. It was very nice for you. But he was also very adamant on his goal to be better than Peter and become the new favorite. It was very cute and you didn't really know how you felt about it so you just didn't think about it and enjoyed his company.

Now Miles was and is annoyed he started late in the race. To becoming your favorite of course. Everyone else knew you and he just got there. He tries to cheat and gives you things. Things that sometimes fail miserably or hit completely. If you smile at him your being polite and just taking it, the more strained it is the more you don't like it. If your face goes blank it's a hit. Added with the statement that is something like 'thank you' or 'you have no idea how excited I am' he knows he hit the jackpot. He also does this away from the others so they don't get any ideas.

Miguel and you share a common enemy; you're both not funny, at least not intentionally. But you're both kinda fine with it. He had work to do and you wanted work to do. The others laughing around you was nice though, another common thought you had.

As for hyper-fixations Miles is the first one to figure out things. You have a new book in your hands and pots of plants with a coffee press on the counter. Two plus two equals you're trying to make coffee completely by hand. Pavitr would be the one to take time to learn about the things you do to the fullest extent he could, balancing school and home life. But after all of that Miguel is actually the one to take you place to do things, he has money and a driver's license.

Speaking of Miguel, he would never admit it but he was also fighting for first place, he just didn't have a lot of time to do it. He's a busy man who takes work he really should just delegate. So if Peter's gone for awhile he'll pick up the slack before you start to decline. It's all under the guise of you doing him a favor or vice versa. You said he needed to go out and touch grass so it was a good way to make both of you to do it.

Having said all of this, Peter will still never be dethroned. He's not blind, you like everyone else, he's just better. To say you boosted his ego would be the world's biggest understatement.

[itsjaywalkers]

my favorite part of making ghosts is actually sirius and regulus screaming matches, they’re so fun to read idk how people are able to pick sides especially in context that reg doesn’t want to hurt sirius intentionally. he’s very much protective of him, even if he doesn’t realize that. well it’s different for sirius…..he clearly wants to hurt reg tho in my understanding he’s having hard time processing his feelings and he’s forced to deal with his emotional baggage, his childhood and part of his past that he thought he buried long time ago AND his platonic soulmate is trying to bang his annoying little brother, right before his eyes. man if i was sirius in this situation, id set them both on fire and happily face trial knowing i did nothing wrong

U GET IT NONNIEEEEE like yes making ghosts is a jegulus fic but at its very core . it's about grief and siblings and regulus and sirius . so ofc one of the best parts of it it's the brother angst and their screaming matches!! i have so much fun writing those scenes (even if they also hurt a lil sometimes)

and yessss reg feels very conflicted about the whole sirius thing, despite not realising it most of the time, bc he thinks he hates him and wants to see him suffer which . he does . but he also keeps protecting him unknowingly and taking care of him in some ways and can't deal to watch him hurting unless he's the one responsible for it

ALSO YESSSS IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY THAT IM MANAGING TO PORTRAY SIRIUS' FEELINGS SO WELL EVEN THO HE GETS VERY FEW POVS bc that's exactly it, yes he's being mean and rude and unfair but he has his reasons??? and his behaviour makes a lot of sense considering the circumstances?? in fact, he's being a lot more civil than i'd be, i agree with u nonnie, i would've killed both reg and james already lmao

[hotchs-big-hands]

okay another personal headcanon that i could just be biased about bc i hate haley but i think haley tampered with their birth control. haley and aaron were the typical american dream. high school sweethearts married right out of high school or college so if they were gonna have kids id imagine they wouldve had them a lot younger than 40. and i dont think aaron ever wanted to have kids so i imagine they used birth control and condoms plus they successfully avoided pregnancy for over a decade. so i think once haley realized aaron was dead serious about being unit chief and how much he genuinely loved his job despite the depravity of mankind she started pushing for a baby haaaaard.

and when aaron consistently told her no he didnt want kids shed simply take matters into her own hands. she cant force him to quit for no reason so what better way to do it than getting herself knocked up? thatll certainly make him love her more and force him to quit right??? so i think she straight up wouldnt take her birth control and would just take them out of the package on the days aaron was gone and just throw them down the sink or something and just pretended like she was shocked that she got pregnant. and then once she realized aaron wasnt going to quit for their kid either she let the bitterness and resentment take over her bc now shes stuck essentially being a single mom to a kid she only had as a manipulation tactic and aaron still wont quit. double flop

Honestly? Wouldn't surprise me if she did that ngl. It was very odd they went so long without kids so no doubt she had smth to do with why she suddenly got pregnant. I guess the only thing that you can say is she didn't hate Jack like some parents end up doing?? Idk lmao 💀 thinking abt her makes me annoyed lmaooo

Edit: I should also add that if she did technically do that that could be considered sa of sorts. He was having sex whilst not knowing she was intentionally sabotaging their protection. That's ... yknow

[cigaretterry]

i feel so sad and small right now.

[dorkstone]

omg if u have any platonic zouxie hcs id love to hear em!!!

Rubbing my hands together EVILLY

A lot of these are ideas I haven’t yet fleshed out entirely BUT I really wanted an opportunity to talk about them anyways so thank u for this

-Douxie and Zoe are soulbound to each other basically for eternity. The spell that allows them to live as long as they have is called a death ward, and it requires two people to cast! Im not sure the extent to which they’re bound, like if there are any connections or if the original casting was the only time they technically needed to be together, but the idea of them possibly sharing injuries could be kind of funny? Or sad, depending on the context!

-Zoe during Wizards, chilling at Hextech until suddenly she feels like she just got knocked around by a crazy powerful sorceress a dozen times: oh god what the fuck is he doing

-I’ve been toying with the idea of them Not Getting Along when they first met and after they casted the death ward. Zoe grew up hardcore repressing her wizard abilities and was Very off put by any magic, but one day Douxie seeks her out because he’s in search of that second half, and she is just. Not happy. And I don’t think they ever did the death ward spell intentionally or with either of their total consent. Currently, my thought process is that they get into a very dangerous fight against someone or SOMETHING that leaves Zoe inches from death, and the death ward is one of the only things that will keep her from fucking Dying and Douxie gets her to do it to keep her alive. However, she’s! Not very happy with the idea of living forever and being soul bonded to some Fucking Guy. And the tension that it causes between them is a Lot and goes on for quite a few years.

-the death ward shows up as those matching skull ‘tatoos’ I drew them with btw. Besties with the matching symbols of defying mortality

-of course, they manage to smooth things out yada yada, whether it takes a few months or several decades is up for debate.

-Zoe is half the reason Douxie went from the moppet with the man bun persona to the guy he is well! Once they started being around each other more often, she loved to push him around and (affectionately) push him out of his comfort zone a lot <3

-this does come back to bite her in the ass! Because newfound confidence Douxie will never pass up the opportunity to annoy the Shit out of her! His favorite thing is picking her up and moving her when he wants to get to something but she’s in his way.

-I absolutely think they Tried dating before, maybe a few times in the past several hundred years! But they both sort of come to the conclusion that they appreciate each other on a casual level more than anything, and the commitment to each other just isn’t something they feel comfortable with? It’s something neither of them can explain directly, and sounds convoluted to anyone who asks, but to each other they understand where they’re at and that’s what matters! it’s also one of the things that helps Douxie realize he’s probably somewhere on the aroace spectrum (even if he won’t use that specific vocabulary for his identity for another couple centuries)

-they are Ash Dispersal Pattern! Currently it’s just Douxie on guitar and Zoe on vocals, and their “band” is more just a fun experimental thing more than anything. Douxie absolutely ropes Claire into playing bass for them at Least casually! (Also I’ve been thinking abt Douxie teaching toby drums bc they should be friends)

AND here’s some old messy doodles I did of 12th century Douxie and Zoe ! They’re real messy but I figured this would be the best place to drop them ahee

First FIRST meeting and she wants None of his shit

Girl mad

[oikawaplssteponme]

7 signs that you are in love

previously: the fourth sign

masterlist

You notice the little things

Todoroki grabbed his towel from his training bag. He wiped off the sweat from his forehead as he attempted to catch his breath. The burning sun mixed with lack of a cool breeze made for an unpleasant sensation. Midoriya handed Shoto his water bottle.

“Thank you.”

“It would be easier to train if it were cooler out,” complained Midoriya. Shoto nodded. He had been mainly using his left side for today’s training with Midoriya, causing his body temperature to rise.

“Maybe we should call it a day? I think four hours of training is sufficient,” suggest Todoroki. Deku nodded.

“Sounds good to me.”

The two boys packed up their things and headed back to the dorms. They had spent their Saturday morning doing some extensive training together, leaving them beat. Shoto and Midoriya entered the dorms. You spotted Shoto right away.

“Where have you been all morning?” you asked him. Shoto wiped his face with his towel again.

“I was working out with Midoriya,” he explained. You stepped closer to Todoroki, staring at his face.

“Shoto I think you got sunburnt.”

Todoroki furrowed a brow then placed his hand on his cheek. His face was incredibly warm. Either it was from the sun damage he just endured or from how close you were standing to him.

“Oh maybe…”

You tisked, and grabbed onto his hand.

“Come on. We better put some aloe on it before you start to peel.”

You pulled Shoto away and led him to your room. He took a seat on your bed as you rummaged around for your bottle of aloe vera. You sat down in front of Shoto.

“I always keep a bottle with me. It's good for your skin you know,” you chuckled. Shoto nodded. Before you opened up the bottle, you realized something.

“Uh could I tie your hair back? It's pretty long.” Shoto’s eyes widened.

“Oh yeah, go ahead.”

You grabbed a spare hair tie from your desk and leaned in closer to Todoroki. You made a tiny ponytail with his front bangs that covered up his forehead. For the first time, you could see the extent of Shoto’s scar.

“There, perfect,” you smiled.

Shoto gave you a small smile back. You took the aloe gel and began to apply it all onto his face. The cool sensation instantly soothed his sunburn. Shoto hadn't realized that he has been staring into your eyes the entire time. The way you cared for him so intentionally. It was a strange concept for Shoto to grasp. The idea that you didn’t hesitate to tend to him. He was honestly in awe of your kindness. Your kindness was one of the things Shoto liked most about you.

“There, that should help,” you said with a smile.

“Thank you,” replied Shoto. He looked down at your hands.

“Your nails,” he said. You raised a brow.

“Hmm?”

“You changed your nail polish color. Yesterday it was black and today it's red.” Shoto picked up your hand and looked at your nails. Your face grew warm.

“Oh yeah I tend to redo them a lot. Painting my nails is a weird stress reliever of mine,” you admitted. Todoroki studied your hands. The shiny red paint of your nails made him smile. He couldn’t help but wonder if you had painted them red for a reason.

“Oh here,” You removed the ponytail from Shoto’s hair, allowing it to fall back on his forehead.

“I forgot that was even there,” he chuckled.

You moved a bit closer to Todoroki, fixing his hair. You adjusted the strands to make sure all the white pieces were on his right side and all the red on his left. When you finished, you were met with Shoto’s eyes. You both stared at each other, becoming a bit flustered. Shoto took a deep breath.

He placed his shaky hand on your cheek. He carefully brushed his thumb against your skin. You now placed your hand on top of his. Shoto began to slowly move in closer to meet you. You repeated the action.

“May I-”

“OI Y/N!”

Someone began to bang on your door and you immediately jumped back from Shoto, causing you to fall from your bed. Shoto’s eyes widened and he helped you up from the floor.

“Damnit-”

“Y/N are you alright?” he asked. Shoto took your hand and helped you up.

“I’m okay,” you said nervously. The banging on your door didn’t stop. You went to open the door, annoyed at this point.

“What?”

Kaminari and Sero stood at your door.

“True or false: if Sero and I combined our quirks it would make electrical tape, right?”

Both you and Shoto sighed.

“You have got to be kidding me…”

“No I’m dead serious.”

“Oh shit were we interrupting something?” asked Sero as he pointed to Todoroki. You looked back at Shoto, then at Sero again.

“Yes, it would make electrical tape.”

“See I knew it! Okay thanks Y/N!” Kaminari grabbed Sero and the two of them left. You sighed and faced Shoto again. The energy between the two of you was a bit awkward.

“I, uh, I think I’m gonna go take a shower, long day of training you know,” said Shoto. You nodded.

“Yeah…”

Shoto began to head for your door.

“I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you later.” You gave Todoroki a weak smile before he left. He scolded himself, another opportunity wasted.

He spotted Kaminari and Sero once more, before freezing them in their spot.

a/n: ah hi hi🤍 please forgive me for my inconsistent posting on this, i promise to do better!! i really appreciate all your support on my work, it means a lot. id love to hear your thoughts and a reblog would be greatly appreciated!! love you all 🤍

[ taglist : @tanakasprayer @heyitsmichele @seiijixcia @asdfghjkl7things @random-fandom-girl-24 @sorrythatspussynal @bibly @big-phat-cat @sapphoscolonoscopy @luluwiie @happyheartsss @lealofsblog @iwaisa @bakugousmymassa @evivn1 @tetsoleil @bokutory @vangoghmusings @moonlightaangel @complimentaryhugsgirl @marajillana @sopesmin @alaina-rose13 @shotoful ]

[maschotch]

Who gave him the nickname - don't see Max Ryan as a candidate either out of the original BAU, but Katie Cole maybe.

I could see maybe Kate Joyner early on in his FBI career. While I'm not sure they had anything going on beyond friendship (no matter how many times the others said the word liased in a weird voice), they did seem fairly close and it would add a little extra meaning given that this is the first time we see a new team member introduced since her death and the first time we see him explicitly tell someone to call him Hotch.

kate would call him hotch, but when they interacted one on one she mostly called him aaron. i think considering the brief time they had together, it was unlikely she would be the one to start the nickname, but still prefer to use his first name. and tbh it seemed like he was alone when he worked w scotland yard?? maybe thats a leap, but theres so much history thats unclear for him. anyway he doesnt seem like the type to have a rapid friendship form, then come back and be like “call me hotch now :^)” akdjskhf like i like her and i think they’re cute, but i doubt she had that much of an impact

i like it being katie. id prefer it if he’s had the nickname longer than he’s been at the bau, but it does make sense: unless he really does introduce himself as “hotch,” idk how well a nickname would stick through different friendships/periods of his life (but ig there is something sweet about brighteyed greenhorn little fbi agent aaron eagerly joining the bau going “hi :^) im aaron hotchner :^) but everyone called me hotch <3”)

i agree that max ryan seems unlikely to give him a nickname.. rossi and ryan particularly seem like the kind of people who would enjoy lording their seniority by lowkey demeaning someone by calling someone below them by their first names?? idk if that makes sense, but its a particular energy when someone uses your first name in a setting where last names are considered appropriate/respectful—its almost derogatory. like saying “youre not someone i feel the need to treat as an equal”

i could see katie doing it for sure. especially since she’s adamant about being called by a certain name: she’d pick up on the mild insult of being referred to by his first name and maybe try to find an alternative that isnt so formal but still something that would indicate a friendly air. idk just her being kinda annoyed at the others insisting on calling him aaron and saying “you know what? im gonna call you hotch, how does that sound?” and eager-to-please aaron hotchner being excited to being gifted a nickname by his senior—its a sign of acceptance.

gideon also calls him hotch a lot.. actually idek how often he called him aaron….. gideon doesnt usually seem like the nickname-giving type, but he does seem like the kind of person who would distractedly shorten someone else’s name without really thinking about it. tbh he honestly seems like someone who would be bad at remembering names, so maybe he intentionally gave him that name bc it was easier to remember or maybe he just accidentally called him that so many times that it just stuck. idk when alex was a profiler—maybe she was on the bau but maybe she worked somewhere else.. i cant quite remember what they said about her for that.. but if she was a junior agent along with hotch, i think itd be cute if she was the one who gave him a nickname. itd be especially meaningful coming from her, who’s a linguist. she likely knows a great deal ab etymology and appreciates the significance of names. itd be a sign of intimacy/mutual trust for her to choose to call him that.

[life-rewritten]

Fish Upon the Sky Episode 1-7 (The Problems with Walls; An analysis on Duen and Pi)

I swear, if I could just settle down, stop running away and actually analyse FUTS the way I usually do. I would have so many essays by now on how authentic and deep this show can get with some of its characterisations. As I  write this FUTS essay that has constantly been plaguing me and making me frustrated that no one else is seeing these themes, I realise again sadly how this director has sadly failed to show the vision of what he wanted for the series.  An essay on how DuenMeen and MorkPi mirror each other so much with their themes, it sounds crazy to think that they do because their storylines on the surface seem different at times. Still, also their love interests act differently towards them, and they have different dynamics with them. But that's what's so great about meta and mirroring in TV, especially in shows that aren't meant to be seen as deep or purposely filled with hints and clues to break down. Fish upon the Sky is one of those shows. It struggles to find a balance between wanting to be more profound and showing exciting themes vs pleasing and appealing to the audience, using humour and other exaggerated performances/narratives to do so. However, the writer of Fish upon the sky novel has always had her works struggle with these issues and themes. Jittirain always writes emotional stories about unrequited love, with different lessons, ideas, or characterisations that people fail to understand or truly value because the meta/depth of their personalities is hidden or misunderstood by their own directors. This is what happened in  2gether; this is what also happened in Theory of Love.

A Misunderstood Duo

In order to really understand how grand the narrative the show is failing to truly flesh out is, you need to understand that Pi and Duen (the two main characters of the show) are the narrators of both their own stories. Pi's is Fish upon the sky whilst Duen is Leech upon the sky (😂😂) but what's great is that you can already see the mirroring/similarities just by their titles. Even though their insecurities and worries seem different, it's the same theme for them;  both struggle with love because they secretly have a lot of self-deprecation and hesitancy from how people have treated them. It's not as noticeable when you see Duen's characterisation/storyline, but if you truly focus on the themes of his narrative without being distracted by the loud comedic routine he has, you'd see that his biggest insecurity, that he tries to be defensive and act like he doesn't care about is his dumbness. He genuinely feels weaker/inferior because he's known as being dumb to everyone around him. He struggles to process anything that is complex and requires more depth or thought.  It's played for laughs because he relishes in the idea that people feel exasperated by his actions. He acts like he doesn't get bothered by how people perceive him because he's still seen as socially acceptable, unlike Pi, who's actually bullied and alienated from society because of his own 'flaws'.

But you can see that it's all a façade when it comes to Duen, just like with how Pi handles his own insecurities and trauma to do with his perceived flaws. It's why Duen chooses to lie to Meen that he's a dentist. He didn't want him to see him the same way others do. This already should show that he doesn't actually enjoy being seen as dumb, but he has walls up to make it seem like he doesn't care. He knows he's constantly being compared to others, but he can't change who he is (just like Pi didn't also want to change how he looked or acted to please people at first). So he jokes and tries to see a positive in being that way; he starts to want to slack off and cheat off others when it comes to work. He stops taking University seriously and repeats classes constantly because he always fails. That is until Meen shows up, and then he starts to want Meen to believe he's something more. Why?

But in case I haven't repeated it enough, Duen is like Pi, whose insecurity is easier to see since we watched him get attacked and bullied for it immediately in the first episode. It's Pi's true thoughts and opinions we see in the show as the audience, whilst Duen's story is hidden with comic relief and unseriousness. They both try to act like they're okay with what they are being judged by in society. Thus, they act confident, they're both loud, they're selfish, acting like they don't care how people see them. Preventing others from getting to hurt them by making it look like they are in control of what they have and use that to their own advantage with others.

They both stay heavily in denial about their true feelings in general, but primarily with the critical focus; the people who make them question everything about their flaws that come into their life and frighten them the most. The ones that break down those facades; make them automatically want to run away whilst being unable to stop showing and escaping their true feelings whenever they're in their presence.

The Use of Humour and Sarcasm 

So what we end up with is a narrative with two incredibly annoying and flawed characters who are seen in the audience as exaggerated caricatures for comic relief and shallow storytelling. And it's brilliant because both their unlikable/loud, selfish personalities are just fake walls built, so they don't crumble and get affected by how society views them or wants them to act. So you see, there's the issue that people keep misunderstanding about these two stories, especially about these two brothers. They're realistic; they're flawed because they've been affected by society and the environment around them. They're acting like how anyone who's been hurt before would act, they have built up walls, and they've decided to just stay by themselves and let that guide them in everything. They deal with their issues with sarcasm and humour to reduce the seriousness of the situation, so they don't appear weak or let anything hurt them.  

That's why I love this narrative of FUTS, it's meta and more profound than people think, but because the director doesn't do the best to show it, it can get lost in all the exaggerated humour. For example, with Pi, because he's socially anxious and always overthinks how people think of him (due to his past experiences of being abused and hurt by being ignorant of how people thought of him), his world is wildly exaggerated in his head. The way he narrates the story is played for laughs and is a very telling and realistic representation of how overthinking is expressed in his mind; it's overdone, loud and nonsensical at times. That's what social anxiety does; it makes you cry about one stare, one laugh, one action someone does, it makes you panic over the most minor things, and Pi does that with panic and boisterous, sarcastic humour from the start of the show.

Hence his story also has exaggerated humour because he deals with his issues with that fake jokes and sarcasm. So the show also exaggerated humour too when we are in his perspective.  This is actually similar to Duen's breaking the 4th wall narrative style of his storyline. As with Duen, whose narrator of his story mocks and laughs at his actions ironically. When really that is just literally himself fighting with his inner voice about his true feelings about Meen. He breaks the 4th wall because he's internalising his own emotions and dealing with them as a skit; the narrator is his true self ridiculing him for not accepting that he has feelings for Meen and that he's not as bright/cool as he thinks he is. So if we understand this and notice that the narrator makes fun of him constantly and jokes about his actions, you'll realise that Duen sees himself that way too; he sees himself as a joke. He doesn't see himself as suave and carefree; he actually mocks himself internally for being dumb and being gross.

Pi: The Need for Protection and Avoidance 

So already, just from breaking it down with this point of view, Duen and Pi mirror each other so well, and their narratives because of this focus on the same themes and ideas of self-discovery. Both are flawed characters with a lot of vulnerabilities and pain that they refuse to deal with properly. An id ego defence mechanism catalysed because of their past experiences and protection of their mental space. They both stay in denial, hurting who they love by refusing to let them get to see them without the walls down and more. Pi hates that he loses control with Mork and refuses to let Mork have his heart because he believes Mork is too good for someone like him secretly.  He knows he'll be the one damaged. Hence the choice to intentionally misinterpret his brother's metaphor on the vaccine analogy and view it as the complication with getting with Mork. Let me try and use this to break down his mindset with why he chose to still choose Nan even though he knows (he does know) that he wants to be with Mork romantically. Listen to the analogy his brother uses. He mentions the iatrogenic vaccine, a vaccine intended for a patient that starts helping the patient be well but actually causes more harm than good. The end result is because of the incompatibility of the vaccine and the time it takes for those results to show up in the patient and make their lives affected in a negative conclusion.

 A vaccine ironically is meant to be an antidote, something that saves people, that helps and makes them feel better. And that's what Mork says he wants to be for Pi, it's romantic, but once his brother announces a different version of a vaccine, Pi jumps with that analogy and believes that's the truth about Mork and him that makes sense to him, than seeing it positively. So with this analogy, we can break it down this way:

The Iatrogenic vaccine was too different and incompatible with the patient. Which is what Pi believes about Mork. Remember, Pi doesn't think  (because of what people have told him) that he deserves loyalty and love from people better looking/capable than him. He sees Mork in this light from the start; he views Mork as a rival because Mork is good looking, popular, strong and cool, basically things that are not associated with Pi to others.  So Mork and him are incompatible in Pi's mind.  This is why Pi constantly asks Mork why he wants to be close to him. He just doesn't understand it.  

Second, the Iatrogenic vaccine starts off good but causes damages in an irreparable way to the patient. It's the patient that ends up being affected by this vaccine interaction, not the vaccine that caused it. Before Wan starts this vaccine conversation, he discusses how people around his hospital are patients primarily because of heartbreak; they come in with damaged mindsets, broken hearts and self-harming injuries because of being hurt by love and letting themselves be vulnerable to that. All Pi hears is people hurt themselves over the pain of heartbreak and being abandoned. That's the complication if he does finally trust Mork. Especially after Mork and him get to be close, it'd be just like with everyone who has gotten to know him in the past, who stayed by his side as 'friends', once they learnt about him, what they said is that he wasn't worth being loyal to. So many people used and deserted him, and it almost broke him. This is why Pi grow the walls he has now. Even though Pi is chasing after Nan, he's not expecting an answer from Nan that's positive; Nan is a fantasy, something he can use as a goal to want to keep chasing and distracting himself from that singleness and loneliness he felt at the start of the show. This is why he's doing all of this; he just wants a distraction from the mess of his life. But to Pi, Mork? Mork is real. He's serious; he's someone who Pi actually truly will be damaged by if he's hurt and left by him; he's someone who Pi truly loves and is real to Pi, it's terrifying, and so he rather just avoid that because of the risk of a complication. To be that patient tricked by the vaccine and left to deal with those consequences all alone? Yeh, no, he can't do that.  Pi sees him as a friend and doesn’t want to end that because that's the first thing in a while that has made him feel actually happy being himself and accepted. Being friends with Mork makes him feel safe. So again, it's selfish, but it’s all about him preserving what he already has with Mork rather than damaging it.

Those complications are exactly that result if he lets Mork in romantically and Mork sees his true self and leaves like everyone; it’s not Mork who’d be hurt. It’s Pi who’d have nothing more to believe in if he lets himself be that vulnerable. Again Pi is thinking with his head when it comes to Mork; there’s a massive risk if someone takes the wrong vaccine, that person is damaged because of it. Pis journey with Mork is the same thought process that friends to lovers have. The fear of losing each other if they cross that line, of taking things too far and ruining the foundation they had that made them safe. The fear of the love being false as it always has been from others.  Pi thinks he likes Mork because how can he not? However, Mork is always there, making it hard for him to think. He associates Mork with niceness and protectiveness, but that doesn’t mean he has to accept him romantically, and Mork sees right through him and is fond of breaking down those walls he put so high up to ensure he doesn't get hurt again. Mork is the one pushing Pi further away from him the more he clings because Pi doesn’t like losing control. Same as Duen. And Mork doesn’t let him just figure it out without manipulating everything; the more he does that, the more Pi feels manipulated and tricked into wanting Mork as a partner, and that's too scary for Pi. This is why it’ll be massive when he finds out who Mork truly is on his phone as the guy from nearby faculty.

Duen: The Need for Nonchalance and Ignorance

Duen is the inversion with his storyline; he tries to look cool and better to Meen,  refusing Meen to see him when he's worried, anxious or insecure because he himself shuts off those emotions whenever Meen triggers them. He doesn't want to face the truth, that he hates being seen as dumb and not being seen as a hero to Meen. He lies to Meen because he's trying to keep him by his side without actually letting him see his true self. After all, if he does, he also may judge or leave him too (guess what same as Pi's worries with Mork. Mirroring!).  Duen tries to act unaffected just like Pi does with Mork because again, they both know once they break down and give in, there's no turning back, they will be exposed, and the' truth' about them (which they believe and see about themselves) will push the people they truly want by their sides away.

So instead, they grapple for control by faking lack of care and feelings for their partner; they refuse to apologise quickly and refuse to give in easily to them to further their relationships, increase their trust and let them in. They refuse to let go of their fake personas and fake masks and walls they've built and try hard to hold onto the facade, which hurts Meen and Mork in the end. They both push and pull and show signs of vulnerability and romance only when they're alone with no one else around (like the tent scene with MeenDuen and the after school night scene with MorkPi outside). They show worry, devotion, and they show that they want them by their side. And these are the moments when we actually get to truly see who they are without their walls, their fake personas unshed, and their niceness, their care and protectiveness over them exposed.

Wan: The Comparison and Norm

When we're first introduced to the show, Wan is mentioned almost immediately as we see Pi's struggles. Because of Wan's reputation, people choose to crowd around Pi, and it's sad, but I also think Duen also had this same issue, just a bit different. With Pi, it's about his outer appearance, his beauty standards vs society's. It's exposed to him he lacks those, but it's his intelligence similar to Wan that makes people stay by his side at first.  He also studies dentistry as Wan studied Medicine, viewed by societal standards as impressive and praiseworthy. Pi is used by people who want to both get to Wan and want to profit from his brain and abilities. Duen is the inverted version of this; he is seen as handsome and cool and aloof, a bit messy, but the reason why Meen first leaches onto him is his street smarts and survival skills with social interactions, he knows the right people, he is seen as cool by others including Pi, but he's also seen as dumb. He's failed repeatedly, unlike his brothers at trying to obtain a degree.  So he has the outer appearance but lacks the next valuable thing in society's opinion; brains and the ability to increase your status by your talents and skills. Duen lacks that; he doesn't have any specific things about himself that he can fully be proud of. He's not highly talented, he's not intelligent, and he's also not viewed by women as extremely attractive or awe-worthy. He nonchalantly takes on this persona; he chooses to block any worries about things being serious because he lacks the smarts to think of things deeply or ponder about life's questions.

He's insecure, however, about this, and you see it when he tries to join in with Wan and Pi when they discuss vaccines and love. As Pi transforms for Nan, his lie is that he's well of without other people in his life like Mork; he pretends he's okay being seen as loud, not friendly, selfish etc.  Duen's own lie to Meen is that he is a version of Wan, of what people think Wan is; intelligent, put together and reliable. Because what Duen wants from Meen all the time (he doesn't realise he already has this devotion from Meen for just being himself when he's not trying) is for Meen to want to rely on him since that's precisely what Meen keeps telling him he likes about him, or wants to learn from him; street smarts etc. Duen likes being seen as a protector, a hero, a helper etc., to Meen. And that's why he stays adamant with his lie and refuses to let Meen truly see him below the surface.

Like Pi, he also doesn't want to admit what he knows and has fought to accept, which is, he loves Meen and wants him by his side. It's the fear of losing what he has with Meen that makes him do what he does, which is the same reason Pi also keeps rejecting Mork; it's the fear of losing him. And that's the ironic thing about Pi and Duen, they're ironically trying to preserve what they love, but because of scars, insecurities and walls, they're hurting the ones they love by just refusing to be their authentic selves. It's ironic because they think being themselves is the worst option. Yet, on the surface, they act like they're fine with who they are, they're loud about being carefree of what others think of them, they're okay if these two leave them, but in reality, their worst fears are admitting that they agree with what people see in them as flaws, that they also hate themselves for that. That's heartbreaking because they fought so hard to keep loving themselves, to keep believing in their worth, but society made them genuinely think that they're wrong. And it's painful but realistic.

Again they're all similar and mirror each other. I just want people to understand that FUTS is a deep show; I know the director doesn't do the best job with what he's been trying to show, but it is deep; there is thought at times put to it in the profound moments. In the moments where both Pi and Duen aren't being fake and are their true selves, you'll notice that the jokes and humour slowly reduce whenever they are true; the narrator also reduces for Duen because he doesn't struggle as much with his feelings for Meen like he did at the first time. All the stuff that happens in the show is on purpose, even if done messily and poorly. People love to hate on the show. It has a lot of flaws, I know, but it's not the worst thing; it has deep characters that are incredibly flawed and hurt (even Mork, who we still hope will get to understand his story) it has people that act one way on the surface but hold deep scars and pains below whilst wearing a mask. The characters are unlikable because they are realistic to how people with self-sabotaging habits and deprecation act. That's why I like this show. And I'm sad I wasn't writing out more all about the meta and moments I've enjoyed so far. Anyway, I'm grateful this show has been shown this year; it definitely made me ponder my own ideas about how I view myself and if I have walls up around the people I love. I think many people do relate to Pi or Duen somehow, and it's unfortunate that the director doesn't help us feel the same way about the narrative when it's actually a great BL story to unravel and watch.

[hey-its-nonny]

chapter two!! these will be very inconsistent concerning the times that they’re released and i’m sorry lol bUT i’ll write as much as i can when i can and try to make a posting schedule :) hope y’all enjoy it!! side note: this picks up right where we left off last chapter :) warning: slight slight angst in the beginning ~~~~ The quiet crackle of the fire was all that could be heard in the night. Silence was often a blessing in times like these. It allowed you to be alone with your thoughts for a while and process what happened.

But, if you were being honest, you just wanted to forget about it.

You wanted to not think about it. To not think about the fact that you’d almost lost your very best friend to an orc, and that you hadn’t stopped it. Legolas did. You locked your gaze on the flickering flames before you, poking the fire to keep it alight.

Your thoughts went dark as your eyes remained fixed in the flame, your sharp and aware expression going dull. What if Legolas hadn’t made it in time? What if Aragorn had died? You wouldn’t have known what to do with yourself.

But a familiar voice saved you from your thoughts. “If you’re going to take the night watch, you should keep your senses about you.” The elf chimed, causing you to jump at the sudden noise. You looked up to find the elf observing your features intently, his own expression..smug?

You peered into his blue eyes, unaware of what you were searching for. Then, you realized you’d been staring for just a little too long.

At that, you redirected your gaze to the fire, suddenly very interested in poking the fire. “I didn’t know you were awake.” You admitted in a still voice, subconsciously pulling the cloak tighter around yourself.

Even as you looked away from him, Legolas still seemed to find a very keen interest in your face. You felt exposed and you did not like it at all.

“You seem troubled. What is bothering you?” He asked in a quiet, nonchalant voice, careful not to wake the sleeping man a few feet away from him. You turned your head up at the question, brows slightly raised in surprise.

As it turned out, you didn’t like being so easily read. It was annoying. “Nothing.” You answered curtly, leaning against the rock behind you as you let your eyes close for a moment.

You breathed in, focusing on whatever you could to calm yourself. Whatever would help you forget that you almost lost Aragorn. Then, you breathed out all of the stress from the day, relaxing before you spoke once more. “Thank you,” You breathed, lifting your head to look at the elf with gratitude.

He looked confused for a moment, before you explained. “for saving Aragorn. I do not know what I would have done if I’d lost him.” You admitted, your tone solemn. Legolas nodded, offering an almost warm smile in return. After seconds of silence, Legolas’ voice could be heard.

“So the two of you are close, I suppose?” He inquired, raising a brow in question. “Yes. He’s my best friend.” You confirmed with a slight smile, but then you remembered: you didn’t even know the elf you were talking to. “And there is not a thing I wouldn’t do to protect him.” You stated, the other taking the warning you gave.

Telling him a little bit couldn’t do any harm, could it? “I did not have family growing up. So, when I met A-“ You stopped for a split second, correcting yourself quickly. “Strider, there was almost an instant bond between us.”

“He has been like my brother ever since.” A smile tugged on the ends of your lips, crinkling the corners of your eyes and filling your body with a temporary sense of warmth. Legolas seemed sad, like you spoke of things that were merely wishes to him.

And the cold came back, more bone-chilling and violent than ever. You quietly groaned, narrowing your eyes at the entrance to the cave, tugging the cloak with an annoyed expression. “How about you? What was it like for you growing up?” You asked through slightly chattering teeth, a brow raised.

Legolas simply stood, walking over to sit next to you. What was he doing? You stared at Legolas with a rather confused expression, relaxing a bit when he mimicked your actions from earlier with his head resting against the rock wall behind the both of you.

“I am an only child.” The elf finally spoke up, opening one of his eyes to peer at you. “I was raised in Mirkwood, brought up by my mother and father, Elerrian and Thranduil.” He elaborated, eyes dim with an emotion close to grief.

Then, it clicked.

You nodded in understanding, deducing that this was, in fact, the prince of Mirkwood. You’d expected him to be handsome, given what you’d heard, but this was a bit unexpected.

Shaking your head in the slightest way, you dismissed the thought and turned to ask, “What are you doing here, then?” You slightly tilted your head, leaning in a little out of curiosity.

“I couldn’t go back, so I came to find him.” The elf nodded towards Aragorn, then stopped to look at you. “And I suppose you as well.” He added, the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

You rolled your eyes playfully, nudging him with your elbow. “Do my eyes betray me, or is that a smile I see on your face?” You lightly taunted, drawing a chuckle from the elf. “I was beginning to wonder if you were even capable of such an expression.” You added, chuckling quietly as your eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

As the night went on, you found it harder to stay awake. So, you kept on telling stories of your adventures with Aragorn, keeping your eyes open as best you could.

“I remember traveling to the woodland realm with Strider once. It was beautiful.” You reminisced, leaning into Legolas’ side more than you meant to. “We got lost for a while, but eventually we found our way.” “A lot has changed since then.” The elf added, a twinge of sadness behind his deep blue eyes.

“Why did you come to find us? You didn’t explain that much.” You asked, forcing your eyes to stay open while you nodded off. “The battle for Erebor took its toll on everyone. Including me.” He stared at the ground, fiddling with his fingers.

“One I held dear did not return my affections, but instead held close to another.” He admitted, the information only drawing further sadness from the eyes you’d begun to grow fond of.

Though he didn’t show it, at least not intentionally, you could tell that it still hurt for Legolas to talk about this. And that’s when you felt guilty for asking. “I’m sorry, I did not know.” You quietly apologized, placing a hesitant, yet comforting hand on the elf’s shoulder.

Beneath your cold s/c palm, you felt a slight flinch, but soon the other relaxed into the touch after a few moments. This woman he fancied had really broken his heart, hadn’t she? The elf conveyed no further emotion in the eyes that told you so much, yet so little, nodding in acknowledgement.

“You’re right, mellon, you didn’t know. You do not need to apologize.” He reassured, taking note of your struggle to stay awake. And just as he did, you drifted off to sleep, resting your head, surprisingly, on his shoulder. He was okay with that. ~~~~~ chapter two is out!!! i’m really happy with this one. also, a HUGE shoutout to @sokkasdarling who helped me out with this last part i was struggling with. love ya hon <3 tagging: @elvish-sky @themerriweathermage please private message me if you want to be added to the tag list, otherwise i’ll forget. thank you all so much for reading and for all of your support! i love and appreciate y’all so much 💞💞

[rosethornxs]

Congrats on the follower milestone!!! 🎉🎆

I humbly submit a ship request with the Pedro boys: White girl that can't tan (I rust!). She/her, 5'0 (I'm not short, I'm fun sized!), curvy/heavier side, type 1 diabetic, blind as a mole without my glasses, animal lover (cat mum and horseback rider but love all animals--I would pet a crocodile if I knew it wouldn't bite me LOL), sarcastic, jaded, got sharp tongue and bit of a smart ass, swear like a sailor (particularly British slang and swear words), singer, avid writer and poet, bookworm, enjoy hiking/camping/fishing, prefer tea to coffee and prefer meat to veggies. Favorite wines are carménère and riesling, alcohol is Kraken spiced rum. Hail from Rocky Mtn area (UT). Outdoorsy & indoorsy and have strong stomach. Love all music genres. Shite with languages. Love exploring/driving my Ford SUV (I love Ford trucks/SUVs but have the nickname 'Chevy'). I can learn to drive/adapt to almost any vehicle so I guess that's a skill. Night owl, bit of a loner, independent, good shot with a rifle, jeans/T-shirt type gal but also like wearing all black in the Fall/Winter. Might not be relevant but: Tattooed (both calves (Utahraptor and Utahceratops), half sleeve on right arm [actually is my medical diabetic ID instead of one those necklaces or bracelets], one on inner left forearm (the Dark Mark--my house is indeed Slytherin), one on left side of chest (Supernatural anti-possession symbol), and the eye of Horus on my left hand). Self injury scars on upper forearms/shoulders. None of my relationships have panned out, a couple having been abusive, one divorce.

Hope that's not too much! 💚🐀💜

Hello darling! 🥰 Thank you so much for your support, it means so much to me!

I ship you with Agent Whiskey!

I think he’d be into a lot of the same things you are. He’d think you’re such a badass because you have so many cool hobbies. Good shot with a rifle? He’d be all over that, super impressed. He’d also totally match your personality cuz he’s a bit of a smart ass too and he’d be able to go toe to toe with your sarcasm. He might use you as an arm rest as a joke but if that annoys you he’d certainly stop, he’d never do anything to piss you off intentionally. He’d totally encourage your love for animals and probably wouldn’t mind you bringing home animals all the time, the more the merrier. He might question if you brought home something dangerous but he’d be happy to take you out to a zoo or some menagerie where you can experience animals you’ve never seen before. Finally, he’s always prepared with anything you might need for your diabetes. Juice boxes, snacks, emergency insulin, anything you could possibly need, he always carries around just in case. He’s always down for an adventure and I think you’d have a lot of fun with him.

rose’s 400 follower ships

[i-did]

wait id love to hear your rant about how fanon deals with the race in tfc fics/fanon's of everyone else’s race :0

I would like to start this response with the fact that I do not believe anyone is being intentionally harmful in their race head cannons, simply that people tend to follow Fanon blindly and I believe people should not do that, and remember Fanon is only Fanon and we should make our own ideas and stray from the pack more often.

Okay, my thoughts on common race headcanons for the foxes and how they are often accidentally racist:

I know @bloodydamnit has spoken up about this before, but people specifically portraying Seth as black falls into a lot of unhealthy anti-black stereotypes of black men, especially the lack of development people tend to give him. She has written him and deconstructed these issues from her perspective and me a non-black person don’t think I could ever achieve such a thing and therefore do not headcanon him or will write him as black.

I personally headcanon him as hard Vietnamese and half white and made a long post about him before, I love Seth.

Matt and Dan are also often written as black, this isn’t inherently problematic necessarily, but it does often overlook the issue that people see this likely because of Matt’s history with drugs and Dan’s sex work playing into anti-black stereotypes without a tally going into race theory or redlining or any of the following issues in a way that gives them any development.

I like to headcanon Matt as Filipino, his straight hair is perfect for spiking, and dan as 75% black and 25% Oceti Sakowin (commonly known as Sioux), I want to write about how her leaving the reservation was a big deal for her, especially at the 25% mark which means if she is with anyone who isn’t of the same tribe her kids would not be considered a part of the tribe since the US minimum to register is 25% and this was part of her hesitance to be with Matt as well as other pressures. I like to think the baby her aunt had in the EC she ends up adopting from the foster system and that baby is 75% Oceti Sakowin and Matt is super excited to learn about their traditions and bring in both indigenous Filipino culture that he got disconnected with as well as Oceti Sakowin culture that she got disconnected with into their lives with their unexpected kid.

Renee is often headcanoned as Asian, but typically just generally Asian without nuance or explanation and also this plays into the passivity stereotype of Asian women. I headcanon her has African American, with very dark skin and Stephanie Walker was the first black foster mom she had and they hit it off really well, also Renees hair is a wig, no one can bleach their hair to white that’s just… it melts before it does that usually.

Again I’m not saying Renee can’t be Asian, It can be done right and written well, but overall I think it’s important for people to remember why they headcanon things and not accept Fanon blindly. Fanon often plays into harmful ideas. While people of color don’t have to have a reason for being people of color, I think it’s important to notice why you think charters who aren’t described at all are whatever race you headcanon and think critically. Our cultures and races make us experience the world in a certain way that contributes to who we are outside of blanket diversity, and it is important to think about that.

I often see people saying they headcanon Womack as Native American to make him having the tribal tattoos “unracist”, and to make Nora not racist, but Nora wasn’t being racist by saying Womack has tribal tattoos, Womack having shitty Tates in tattoos, which faux tribal was a huge cultural staple despite how cringe it is from the 90’s to mid 2000’s in America. It’s important also to not just say Native American but to do research on specific groups because each culture is unique and different.

That being said, I bounce back between Wymack just being some 70’s looking dad with cut off shorts to Maori where the swirl tattoos are very significant, and Kevin is white-passing but discovered he’s not white like he thought he was, and becomes an AOA history major (Africa, Oceana, Americas, aka indigenous history major).

Also considering Neil and Allison are supposed to be significantly attractive I don’t like them being white because of that, so I headcanon Allison as half middle eastern, (or maybe Indian I have more research to do before I decide), she was told she was adopted as a kid and often her mom would buy her whitening cremes like fair and lovely as a kid, but later found some papers when she was older finding out her dad actually got a woman pregnant and to keep her quiet took Allison and pretended he was such a good philanthropist and adopted a brown kid. She has a lot of problems with this, and bleaches her hair blond to try and fit in with her family without even realizing it. She never finds out who her birth mom is

I am a bit annoyed at white fans constantly calling Nora racist, while also using the lightest skinned headcanons every time for black characters playing into colorism and Spanish Nickys instead of darker toned people. Also, I think people should really try to critically think about their own ideas before calling out someone else. Do I think Nora is perfectly woke? No, no one is, but Fanon is just as bad but in a different way. There is a lot of colorism I see in both headcanon photos people use for the foxes as well as people tending to draw looser curls and thinner noses for characters they headcanon as black. Not every black person is half white and darker-skinned rep is very important. I’ve also seen people use Reece king as a Nicky face claim before and I wasn’t even surprised.

I've also seen people almost always have Erik be “Aryan” some even using the word to describe him unironically, and as a Jewish person this obviously doesn’t sit right with me. I would like to see less straight passing blond haired blue eyed taller than Nicky Erik sometimes.

Again I’m not calling anyone racist, I just think that people should go outside Fanon and think of their own ideas on who they want the characters to be in their headcanons and why. I'm tiers of the same 4 Instagram model photos being used for every Aftg edit, the same light-skinned Dan’s, Matt’s, and Nicky’s. Also while I’m at it, add some body diversity, they’re athletes all playing different positions, I think all the defense players are at least chubby if not plus size. Aaron, Andrew, and Renee are all fat and proud, Nicky and Matt are bulkier with their bodies good for blocking, while Seth is an awkward string bean, an offensive striker who can slip through people quickly despite his height.

Again I know discussions about race can be tense, I am not trying to sound like I am attacking anybody, and I'm not calling out anyone in particular, I didn't even touch on how nicky is written in fanon or canon and how it can often be both racist and homophobic coming from my prospective as a gay latino.

Okay I'm tired sorry this took me so long to respond lol

[throughtheinterstices]

i feel junwan had the best character development throughout both seasons, cuz he really started off so cold towards all his juniors like jaehak, but at the end him and jaehak were such good friends (i love jaehak for sticking by him that whole time too) and he got so concerned about jaehak's wife and would call him for updates and it made me so happy to see him like that 🥺seokhyeong is a close second skfksj he was still a little awkward even at the end, but he seemed alot more at ease with his colleagues so that was really nice too!

jeongwon songhwa and ikjun were like pretty much perfect from start to finish HAHAH ikjun was sooo funny he always made me laugh with all the dumb stuff he did to annoy his friends HAHA songhwa is like a model student/doctor and i aspire to be her and jeongwon was such a sweetheart who could do no wrong HAHAHA

i think my fave pairing would probably be minha and seokhyeong skdksj like i did not expect to love them so much but the introvert extrovert thing they have going on, seokhyeong intentionally letting his mom make the wrong assumptions so he could tell her minha made him stay, minha always being so unapologetically herself around him and not feeling awkward around him ever, and i think it's just something about how she's liked him for soso long and still continued to talk to him as a friend even when he turned her down so many times, it made me feel so very soft

sofsof who's YOUR favourite character and pairing? for pairing im gonna take a guess that its ikjun and songhwa? >< HAHA IDK but yes ive rambled alot longer than i thought i would id love to hear what you think!

omg this ask has been overdue for so long aaaaaa but it's better late than never right?

aaaaaaa yes the character development! loved it a lot! yeah aaaaaaaa i love seokhyeong's the most!! he just went through so much and right now, he's able to voice his feelings in a better way and he's able to allow himself to do the things that he loves 🥺 and ofc junwan!! aaaaaa who knew that there was a cinnamon roll under that cold exterior? apparently, he was a clingy best friend!! so cute! and yes! i loved how his relationship with jaehak developed! they are so wholesome!

and HAHAHA true with the other three! i feel like as the drama progressed, they started being more honest with themselves. but generally, their sincerity was too endearing. and aaaa where does ikjun get those brains? like partying and having an exam the next day?! aaaaaaaaa i'd love to be like songhwa but skskskksksk when will i genuinely just love studying for its own sake HAHAHAHAH gosh.

OMG!!! OK WE HAVE THE SAME FAVE PAIRING OMG OMG OMG!!! in s1 i did love winter garden the most but in s2, i grew to love minha x seokhyeong more!!! it was really cute and soft how their relationship grew. and aaaaa kudos to minha for being so persistent, patient, and brave!! i mean, yes! empower us, minha! and i loved how seokhyeong really made the effort to take care of minha and ease his way into being honest about his feelings. they are just too cute!

ok hmmm... aaaaa there are too many characters to choose from!! i can't say i have a favorite one. like i mean, i don't have one to point out in this way: OMG YES YOU'RE PERFECT EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU I CAN RELATE WITH. but hmm... i really loved minha's tenacity, patience and courage! i loved that she was really naturally herself in everything and that she doesn't apologize for it. i want to be like her so baddddd. i love ikjun a lot too! especially how it's in his nature to take care of other people. it just comes so easily for him, that he wants to know how everyone is and that he always tries to find a way to help people here and there. and also, he has no complexes! he just lives as he sees fit and just goes with the flow and thinks of everybody without comparing himself. and aaaaaa that is so admirable. and he's such a great dad too! and ofc! i love that even eating out with friends (and songhwa ofc) is kind of pretty big for him. like he appreciates the small moments and gosh, my heart!

[tellywoodtrash]

immj2 19.10.20 lb

oh wow, this is one fug outfit. puff sleeve bhi, gota patti bhi, net dupatta bhi, giant gaudy haar bhi, blue winged eyeliner bhi. matlab, pick one or two of these elements, sis. not ALL.

speaking of outfits that have A Lot going on, the resident queen of that is here.

literally who doesn't have another tab open at all times to switch to when ppl are in the vicinity? anyone who's used a computer since the invention of tabs knows this.

ishani does "work"? what work???? also, she's allowed to use vansh's laptop? huh. wouldn't have thought so.

there. she took it with the memory card and went. godddddddddd riddhimaaaaaa.

dadi to the rescue. honestly, riddhima's life would be very fucking difficult if this dadi wasn't intentionally and/or unintentionally taang adaofying on her behalf.

lmao she's telling ishani to do garba with angre. achcha hua dandiya nahi bola; giving ishani a weapon and letting her loose in the general vicinity of human beings is bound to be fucking catastrophic.

ishani is highly relatable in today's ep.

ishani truly is vansh's sister. knows that riddhima is shady as fuckkkkkkkk.

yup. saw the unsafe ejection notification. (a very jankyyyyyyyy looking one.)

she's honestly such a dumbass. vansh ALREADY KNOWS the truth behind ragini's case and is actively concealing it. what does she hope to accomplish by finding out the truth and telling him??? yeah, i'm sure he'll be thrilllllllled to know that you stilllllllll went behind his back and kept investigating even after he told you 30 million times to leave it the fuck alone. the fact that you're looking into it and didn't take him at his word is his problem, you giant walking donut!!!!!!!

she says “isse kahin safe rakhna hoga” AND PROCEEDS TO TIE IT INTO HER DUPATTA. OHHHHHHHHHHHH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDD. WHY ARE YOU SOOOOOOOOOO FUCKING STUPID SIS?!?!!?

literally the only good use of a bra is to stash small secret shit into it. why wouldn't you just do that?!?!!?

AND SHE JUST LEAVES IT DRAGGING AROUND INSTEAD OF LIKE, TIED AROUND HER WRIST OR SOMETHING OH GOD I CAN'T I CAN'T I JUST CANNOT WITH HOW STUPID THIS GIRL IS I CAN'T I AM IN ACTUAL PHYSICAL PAIN RN

random ainvayi ki saazish by chanchal to turn riddhima’s bhog waala kheer to paneer. goddddddd such 9th standard mean-girl in-home-science-class type tactics.

fwd fwd and i see that dadi knows the truth. fucks chachi up. good. i missed nothing.

oh i see where vansh gets his tendency to declare everyone's crimes and punishment out in front of everyone.

ishani tries taking chachi's side and dadi's like zyaada tarafdaari karogi toh you gonna share in her punishment too. you want?

yeah, that's what we thought.

ouff some more drama about riddhima being given some khaandaani haar. DUDE IS THERE ANYTHING OF ACTUAL CONSEQUENCE HAPPENING IN THIS EP OR NOT???????

some more tuchchi saazishein, ugh i really dgaf.

ofc the memory card fell outta the duppata. and OFC it got stuck to aryan's shoe.

dadi taking everrrrrrrrrrryone's case today.

“mere aur riddhima ke beech mein koi issue nahi hai.” yes, very believable from this highly convincing body language.

dadi giving gyaan on rishte nibhaana and vansh giving her the whole rishta = bharosa lecture too.

interestingly, rrahul is not putting on the usual vansh voice for this scene and it's already 200% more genuine and watchable. please god just let him talk in his normal voiceeeeeee.

dadi bringing out props and shit to explain rishte mein bharosa concepts and vansh is me, totally exasperated and done with this nonsense.

of course a grossass bitch like aryan likes a disgustaaang fruit like papaya.

aaaaaaaaaaaand he's left handed. ugh, hum lefties ka naam kharaab karne ke liye yeh ek kaafi hai.

my god the accusing way she questioned him about being a lefty, lmao.

aryan be like jfc i know i do a lotta shit wrong but yeh toh mere bas mein nahi hai.

great, she now thinks aryan is the murderer. re devaaaaaaaaaa.

mans so desperate he's actually asking dadi for relationship advice.

FUCK-KING ID-IOT-AAAAAAAAAAAA

ABBE OH BEHEN, MAATA RANI SIRF TUMHARI FARMAAISHEIN POORA KARNE KE LIYE BAITHI HAIN KYA POORI NAVARATRIIIIIII???? TUM HATOGI TOH HUM BHI MAANG LE EK DO MANNAT??????

so all it took for him to set aside his ego and decide to tell her all about his deep dark past was one of dadi's dumb lectures??????? DOESN'T SHE GIVE YOU ONE OF THOSE LIKE EVERY 4 HOURS????????/

ok did we ever hear this man tell us HIMSELF, USING HIS WORDS, that he “hates” his mom????? coz he seems to keep a lot of her around him, from the computer password, to the painting, to her payal which i saw him giving riddhima in an insta scene, and now this lehenga. so......... is this just another theory we have about him that's hearsay????

“yeh tum mere liye laaye ho?”

“riddhima jahaan tak mujhe lagta hai, iss kamre mein koi teesra toh hai nahi. and i don't think main inn kapdon mein achcha lagoonga.” the man is 6000% done with her dumb ass.

preemptive statement ki i did this only for dadi.

goddddddddd she just HASSSSSS to annoy him by asking dumbass questions.

“har baat ka apna matlab nikaalne mein tum expert ho hi, riddhima. bina koi matlab jode sawaal kiye isse le nahi sakti kya?” 6000 ratcheting up to 9000% done.

SIS JUST GOTTTAAAAAAAAAAAA PUSH.

“mere paas apni maa ki koi nishaani nahi hai; isse main apni maa ki nishaani samajh ke sambhaalke rakhoongi. thank you.” 

that was enough to floor maa da laadla.

pushing her luck some more by asking him to come do aarti with her.

blah blah blah i know you'll come.

she promises to return the step he's taken towards her by proving him innocent. AGAIN LEMME REMIND Y'ALL: HE ALREADY FUCKING KNOWS HE'S INNOCENT. HE'S BEEN SAYING IT SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL. I REALLY DON'T SEE WHY SHE'S FRAMING THIS AS A THING SHE'S DOING "FOR HIM" WHEN IT'S PURELY FOR HER OWN SELFISH REASONS OF WANTING TO KNOW WTF HAPPENED TO RAGINI.