#it especially hurt that it was a fandom thing and the person is so invested in their own fandoms yet they felt it fair to step on mine

[emometalhead]

.

[ariaste]

Apparently there was some lil drama in Good Omens fandom again about people being deeply nervous and scared of the end of Season 3, and I wrote this in the replies of one of the asks that Neil Gaiman answered, but I feel like it is deserving of being crossposted into its own post (in a slightly expanded form) so folks actually see it.

cmere, good omens fandom, we're having an intervention. a Come To Jesus talk, if you will.

First of all, I'm literally begging the fandom to:

learn what personal boundaries are, especially around parasocial relationships with strangers. (Suggestion: When sending asks to authors you like, use "polite work email" etiquette, not "joking with a friend" etiquette. The latter comes off REAL weird sometimes, and sometimes outright mean/rude/bullying).

take a couple deep fucking breaths

embrace the philosophy of The Author's Intent Only HAS To Matter To The Author, It Does Not Have To Matter To YOU. If you do not like the author's intent, you can say "hmmmm no thanks" and write some fanfic. That's what it's for.

Friends, Romans, countrymen..... Stop trying to make Neil Gaiman responsible for your happiness. For one thing, that is an absolutely unfair and cruel burden to put on a stranger who doesn't know you. Neil is only responsible for Neil's happiness. You're responsible for your own happiness. In fact, do not rely on ANY external source to guarantee your happiness, not even very nice people like Neil, not even your significant other, not even your family members. Yes, those people might be able to help you with your happiness, but they cannot guarantee it. Expecting a third party to guarantee your happiness is how corporations exploit you, and it is the source of all media trauma. Take agency over your own joy! Don't give away your power! Plan to DIY your personal ideal ending!

Neil is not telepathic, Neil cannot know all your hopes and dreams and wishes, nor SHOULD he be expected to know them, nor does he have space to know them. He is busy with things like his own and Terry's hopes and dreams and wishes. Their hopes/dreams/wishes are just as valid and important as yours, aren't they? Yes, they are. So calm down. caaaaaaaallllllm dowwwwwn.

Yes, I love the show very much too, but at the end of the day it is just a story. And the great thing about stories is that you are empowered to retell them in a different way. It is not real, so if you end up unsatisfied by S3, then blithely impose your own reality and build your own joy. It's not like it's the End Of The World or anything (lil fandom joke there for you)

And look, if you read this and you're feeling Mad and Upset or Frustrated about it, that is a symptom that you are maybe feeling a little stung in your Media Trauma parts. I am sorry that other stories have let you down in the past, and I really sympathize that you are feeling scared about the fate of this story that really matters to you. You've invested a lot of love into it! I really understand the fear! You don't want to be hurt again, and that's super understandable and normal.

But bestie, literally the only way for you to find a story that's exactly perfect for you and that won't hurt you at all is for you to write it yourself. I know that sucks to hear, but it is the truth. If you keep pinning a hope of perfection on other people's stories, you will keep getting traumatized by the media you consume. Love other people's stories for what they ARE, not for the stories that you WANTED them to be -- the same way that we love people, you know? You have to let a person be their own person; you can't force them to be someone else. That's fucked up, so if you notice that you keep trying to do that, maybe go to therapy so you can be that Someone-Else person for yourself (or, if you can't afford therapy, read some self-help books from the library or find some good channels on Youtube who make content that might help with that (I really like JulienHimself)).

If you need a story to be something big and important for you, if you are seeking catharsis and healing from a story that matters to you and you're really scared that you won't get it, then open a Word document and start typing. You can do it. You're a human being, and you evolved to tell stories. Literally it's a species specialization. You got this. It's gonna be okay, because you're going to seize the means of production and MAKE it okay. Yes? Yes.

Good Omens S3 will be what it will be. It will be what Neil wants it to be and what Terry would have wanted it to be. Period. That IS actually the highest achievement and the most noble and admirable accomplishment that we can hope for. And hey, maybe what they want overlaps with what you want, and that will be wonderful! But that will be merely a happy coincidence. The only person who can TRULY center your wants is YOU. So stop trying to trap Neil into doing it, please, because he's busy and it's not his job, AND because your wants do matter and you deserve to have someone who can give your wants their 100% full attention (aka you. that's you. only you can do that. Not even your best friends in the world can do it. Not even your mom can do it, at least not if you're old enough to know how to read.)

It's gonna be okay. Really. Really, it is. No, stop typing the snarky melodramatic reply. This is not the time for jokes; I'm being serious. It's going to be okay. Neil Gaiman can only break your heart exactly as much as you allow him to do so. That's how art works. You have to consent in order to be affected by it, and you can withdraw your consent at any time. You're going to be okay. I promise. As long as you choose to claim your own agency and your own empowerment as an individual, then all will be well and all manner of things will be well.

[statementlou]

i feel like i can talk to you about this because you have rational opinions. so louis bought a starbucks coffee at the airport and the fandom on twitter are eating him alive, calling him evil and wishing he goes to hell. i’m disappointed since starbucks is on the list of brands to boycott but i feel like this reaction is too much? someone even said jay would be disappointed in him, but people said that was taking it too far. i don’t know, i love louis and i’ll keep supporting him and his music but the fact he can be a careless millionaire is disappointing

1. thank you sweetie I would boop if I could 2. oh my god it's a fucking cup of coffee and if people think that's the worst thing Louis, a multi millionaire, has ever done financially they need a reality check! His money will be handled by bankers who are putting it into all kinds of evil fucking shit that he won't even know about, it's actually very hard to know or control that and there is no way trying is even on his radar. That's a passive thing and not on purpose; but the fact that people don't bother to know about that or care really speaks to how performative this kind of online approach to activism is, that they only care about image rather than effect (the effect of his investments would be easily thousands of times more than any number of coffees or even of the promotion Starbucks might get from him holding it.) But furthermore buckle in cause you hit a nerve: Starbucks isn't even an actual organized boycott target as concerns Palestine because THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT financially! The official BDS movement calls for boycott of very specific and pointed targets of which Starbucks IS NOT ONE it's literally just an online trend which is not the same as an actual boycott to materially impact a target! Losing them money is always great, they are a crappy union busting small business killing corporation, but it has zero direct effect to help Palestinians unlike supporting the meaningful boycotts called for by BDS. I don't think Louis has decided to buy starbucks because he has this analysis, but to me it's a pretty important point. Him crossing an actual picket line (playing Israel, playing Eurovision [lmaoooo that thought tho], waving an Israeli flag god forbid) would be a very different situation and something that would trouble me so the distinction matters to me. But I get that to people on twitter, that's what they feel like he has done. To which I would say...

There are so many fewer ways to help Palestine than we would wish, and it's SO hard to deal with feeling so powerless right now in the face of such horror, so I love that people feel so strongly about doing whatever they possibly can. But worrying about consumer spending, even on BDS targets, is perhaps the least effective of the things a person can do. Note that BDS boycotts do not mostly focus on asking people not to buy things; they list the products that are especially complicit, but the main work of the movement is to get large investors (corporations, public institutions, whole governments) to divest from the companies targeted because that actually hurts them enough that it becomes less profitable to continue to collude with Israel than to drop them as clients. Consumer spending is not enough to do this. It's easy and doesn't require doing actual work but it's basically virtue signaling, not organizing. Just NOT doing something (yes including voting) is not enough! I personally choose not to give my money to certain corporations because it feels bad to me and I can't stomach doing it, even if they never notice me doing it. But if I was running out of fuel and the only nearby station was a Chevron, I would spend a few bucks there and not beat myself up about it because it will have zero impact on their overall profit reports but a LOT of impact on my life. And if I was in the airport for the second time in mere days after circumnavigating the globe and playing a massive show and doing press and fan service before even having time to adjust time zones and about to get on another flight to another country I might buy a fucking coffee from whatever coffee shop was in there too! But Louis isn't me and I'm gonna be real honest I would be real surprised if he KNEW there was a boycott or gave a shit- he is not a political activist! It's reasonable to be disappointed if someone behaves not how you want them to, but just in general responding to being disappointed in people by lashing out at them is... not it. Not useful, not rational, and not actually an okay way to act to other people. Louis is an awesome sweet caring person who I believe tries hard not to have a negative impact on anyone directly and who cares very much about others; if that's not enough for someone to be a fan of him, okay then they should not be a fan of him! But warning: they're not going to be able to be a fan of anyone else either. No one is pure and perfect... maybe that energy would be better spent trying to make a meaningful difference in the world, and a great first step in that IMO is to recognize and challenge your inner cop. The better world I want to live in doesn't include policing other people, not on twitter and not anywhere.

[discluded]

Build Jakapan, Daemi's Poi, and other individuals stepping forward

I like my peace, but this situation is very serious and deserves to be documented clearly for the international/English-speaking fanbase, which was my original goal of archivism on Tumblr. Some of the posts have already been deleted and others will be washed away with the sands of Twitter time.

Please do not talk about this in terms of "drama" or "tea" because that does a disservice to the victims and people here on Tumblr who may have lived through these experiences watching you treat their trauma like nonsense.

I have no stake in this and do not claim to know the full truth. However, rather than seeing everyone vague about what's happening, I want to provide an account of what people on Twitter are seeing above the noise. I will try to keep this post updated with important developments when appropriate.

My only ask is please don't comment to my inbox about this post. I understand your anger and hurt, but I need to take care of my own well-being. Make a dummy account if you want to talk about it; I will not censor the comments section of post as long as you are reasonable and not victim-blaming.

Finally, please be kind to each other, including Pond (as long as he is doing the right thing) and [Jan 23 update: lmfao fuck Pond] the other actors in BOC given that Poi specifically said she hid this from the cast, and also especially fans who loved Build and were blindsided. There is no "deserved" to be upset, people who invest their love and free time into something are allowed to be hurt... the only thing that matters about a person's integrity is how they choose to act with this information.

tw: domestic violence, intimate partner violence, abuse, threats, photos of bruises, rape, miscarriage

On approximately Jan 19 2022, right after the BOC line-up announcement), Daemi announced they would be breaking up as a writing duo, which prompted fans to speculate about the future of Kinnporsche season 2. Daemi as a writing duo is made up of two members: Yok and Poi.

In the next day or so, Poi insinuated that Build had stolen the idea for 4 Minutes from her and given it to Sammon, who then helped cut her [Poi] out of involvement in the new series. Build responded to this by publicly crying and issuing a statement, going above BOC's management. Pond was with Mile in Pairis at the time/flying home and responded to Instagram comments that they would investigate fully before issuing a statement.

Approximately the next day, on Jan 22 2022 local time, Poi came out with a statement and chat logs with proof that she used to be in a relationship with Build, and he had cheated on her, financially manipulated her, physically abused her, and threatened to kill her.

The original translator is a ManUtd fan and had no involvement in the fandom but took the time to do the translation since it was blowing up on Thai twitter and known fandom translators were not doing them. They then deleted those tweets after being harassed by Build's fans, but has continued to tweet about the situation.

(please click on the image for the full translation of the chat, I stacked them to save space)

Here is an additional Thai summary of Poi's claims and an english translation of that.

Some people noted that in the original IGS where Poi references this abuse on approximately Jan 19, she used stock images from Pinterest. Those claims included that she had a miscarriage due to the fact he had hit her so hard. Poi again confirmed that she had a miscarriage and noted she had hospital documents to back up her claim. She also addressed the comment that she used stock images due to the fact that Instagram is a visual social media.

Poi also confirmed that the legal process was already started. Given her history with the BOC cast, she might have also felt the need to get the story out of accusations of her lying and starting "drama" about the situation by posting her chat logs and photos.

Subsequently, Build shared messages that Poi had sent him regarding a situation with a sponsor in an attempt to make her look like a "crazy" woman, but incriminated himself and deactivated on Jan 22 2022 (possibly temporarily).

During this time, additional people came forward about being a victim of Build. One Thai fan came forward about knowing another of Build's former girlfriends, who was the victim of gang rape. However, the OP is getting permission from this individual to tell the story first and so the story may not be released to the public. Update Feb 10: Most likely false. (leaving text here for honesty that this rumor existed and debunked)

Another one of Build's ex-girlfriends, who was previously silenced and shamed by his fans, confirmed again that she was physically assaulted by Build 8 years ago.

I will not add the tweets with evidence of Build cheating on Poi/involvement with other women while supposedly dating one of them as while cheating on a partner is bad, it is a personal indiscretion and not a crime unlike the situations highlighted above.

As for the fact that both authors in Daemi sexually harassed other actors in KPTS, I am not excusing those actions. People, notably WOMEN, should not have to be perfect victims to be believed. You don't have to like Poi or approve of her past actions to think she does not deserve to be abused.

Additionally, if you believe that Poi's past actions are indicative of her character, I want to clarify why people were upset with him in summer 2022 since that was not documented on Tumblr either. Having bad opinions online is not a crime, but they do show a pattern of behavior from him from attitudes to actions. Build's comments/attitudes from that situation are consistent with his abuser behavior that is documented above. (1) (2) (3) (4)

Any additional documentation from past victims will be a link to the reblog since I will run out of image space on Tumblr. I will not document things like BOC suspending Build for the time being since those are widely seen and have an English translation.

Final update update as of Feb 10, 2023: Updated on the false allegations about rape and this being debunked since it's important. Please do not ask me for updates about him; I don't care about him, he makes me miserable, people whose careers I do care about don't have to deal with him anymore. Please do not make me responsible for your mental health.

Jan 28, 2023: Build has left BOC. At this point, there's nothing else I can provide as context in English that will change people's minds so let's respect that this will be processed in a court like it should have been in the first place. Take care of yourselves friends.

Final notes: Genuinely fuck Pond.

Jan 25 2023: link to the latest post with evidence from Poi and Mynk

Jan 23 2023: Kind anonymous provided IDs which have been added. Clarified position on Pond, with link to latest comment. I have more posts with translations from Thai twitter and will update another day.

Please take care of yourselves and your mental health. 🙏

[historical-romances9]

Apparently people in the fandom are upset and pressed because some fans didn’t like Season 3 and what the showrunners did to Polin.

Look, first of all, it’s not my job to cater to other people’s feelings on the internet, especially about fiction. Seriously, we are discussing a TV show here, not real life issues. I know the fandom has people of all ages, even some teenagers (who aren’t old enough to watch this, but I get it, I was the same), and that explains a lot.

Second, I’m 30 years old, I’m married, I have kids and I have a job. And historic romantic dramas have always been my personal favorite form of escapism and just to relax. While I watch many movies and TV shows with my husband, and he likes History as well, romance is not a favorite genre of his, but it’s mine. It’s my personal thing. So, yes, I want a good and entertaining story to decompress from everyday life.

I was very excited about Season 3 and Polin, and enjoyed Part 1. I rarely post anything here other than gifs from historic romances I enjoyed, but I was so disappointed with Part 2, I had to share my thoughts because it’s my blog and I can write about whatever I want.

You have the right to enjoy whatever you want, too. If you think Season 3 was a masterpiece and everything you ever wanted, good for you. Cool.

But others have the right to disagree as well. I have the right to say “it was bad”, they should have done better and deviate from the source material (book) was a terrible idea and it hurt the story being told.

And if I’m being honest, I think many fans were more concerned about Polin being “endgame” than the story itself, and that’s why they are praising Season 3. Of course they were endgame: there’s a book about it, and the show is based on those books. So, yeah, don’t label other people’s opinions as “bad takes”.

People aren’t mindless consumers (or they shouldn’t be), and so I stand by my views. Many choices from the showrunners harmed the love story, deeply. Dragging the angst, Polin wedding while they were in bad terms, the Queen crashing the wedding, no wedding night nor honeymoon. I don’t even care if I’m offending anyone by saying how can anyone actually defend these choices by the showrunners. It felt like Episodes 5&6 and Episodes 7&8 were written by different people!

I’m aware that many fans are very protective of Polin because there are many haters in the fandom. But thanks to what the showrunners did in Season 3, those haters won’t go away. If anything, the showrunners gave them more reasons to hate on Polin. And that upsets me as well because I love them and was very invested in their story.

Oh, well, I’ll just keep on pretending the major parts of Episodes 7 and 8 never happened. Polin had a beautiful wedding and wedding night, and then a beautiful baby because of their passionate honeymoon.

[lennons-lemonade]

I have thoughts….. about the live action ATLA series

we as a fandom have been talking about the changes made to katara (rightfully so, they were INSANE). but when are we as a fandom going to talk about the differences in Zuko’s character? because what do you mean he fought his father and WON?!?!?? maybe this was a fanon thing, but i never thought he was meant to be a very good firebender? ESPECIALLY at the start of the series!!! Like- he spends time learning, he has a breakdown during a lightning storm trying to improve!! so much of the live action made him seem more powerful than i ever thought he was meant to be???? ALSO why was his scar so TINY????! my parents seriously thought he had a birthmark or something!

because i love certain changes they made but it also kind of feels like everyone has been mischaracterized??? katara lost all of her edge, sokka lost his mini-arc of self improvement, zuko lost the base of his inferiority complex (inadequacy) and aang lost his discipline (What do you MEAN he hasn’t been training with katara during their trip??? they would have thought of that!)

BESIDES THAT! If I were azula and my brother who was supposed to be a loser, beat our dad, THE FIRELORD, in an agni kai, only to be the bigger person and not hurt him??? yeah man, i’d be insecure and afraid i’d be losing my position with my father too!!!! i would have been afraid the moment ozai ended up on the ground!

and then Ozai keeps acting like he wants Zuko back??? and like cares about his return???? and that soooooo threw me off. whenever they point out that zuko’s hunt was a wild goose chase and then show a scene of his dad being invested in his return??? like???

Idk. i liked a lot of aspects of the show, but i think some of their changes were definitely strange & they could have done way better

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

i saw your mizo mid hcs (really liked them :D) and i was just wondering if you have any ship-oriented ones for the mizo mid :)))

if not no worries :3

Like who else I would ship them with in tr??? Well honestly I haven't thought too much about this before but this is what I've been thinking

Takemichi- I don't think I need to say much about him here since I think the fandom has shipped him with everyone at this point and you can see why. His personality goes well and makes fun dynamics with a lot of the character's and he has canon interactions with most of them.

Akkun- I feel like Akkun x Kazutora is pretty popular since the exhibition and it makes sense! But I have another idea, it's going to sound pretty out there though but hear me out, Akkun x Yuzuha. Ok so Akkun has a lot of the same characteristics that Takemichi has, even directly taking inspiration from him in the final fight. And we know these same characteristics are what made Yuzuha have a crush on Takemichi. The way he was willing to fight her and Hakkai and not give up even though he wasn't the strongest. So I could see this working, the only thing that's missing is them meeting/ Akkun showing her his personality but in the good timeline they must've met. I think it could be a fun pairing especially because Hakkai and Taiju would be so confused.

Yamagishi- I really like the idea of him being with someone who's just as invested in the fights and excited by them. Or someone strong who he watches fight, like him cheering them on. Because this is tr this fits a lot of the character's though.

Takuya- Someone very strong, I like the idea of him being in an opposites attract type of relationship. Like one of the bigger more intimidating characters who is soft for Takuya who is a bad fighter. Like maybe in the future him being with South or someone. I also think the other mizo mid members being slightly intimidated by his boyfriend but also wanting to make sure he doesn't hurt Takuya would be funny. The other person i kinda like for him would be Angry, they seem to have a bit in common and they've canonically met. Like if Takuya went to thank him for saving him then they became friends then eventually more then that later on.

Makoto- Ok ngl I'm stuck here, struggling a bit to come up with who or what type of character to pair him with.

[confessionsofa-roleplayer]

Okay people, I'm gonna say it loud for those in the back because, man, I have been seeing this sort of thing happen too much lately: Just because YOU had a falling out with someone, no matter if you think they were at fault, that does NOT give you the EXCUSE to ABUSE your blog popularity to manipulate your mutuals and followers to ISOLATE and BULLY that person OUT of your FANDOM. This sort of action is DRAMA MONGERING and MANIPULATIVE to your mutuals. ESPECIALLY if YOU at all had the gall to tell them NOT TO DO THAT when you had every intention of doing it to them. At that point you're just waiting for an excuse to give yourself a flimsy reason to be a bully and hypocrite to your own words and rules. Your victim will quickly notice and know that it is you doing this as well. Communication is a two way street already, so if you take actions already when cutting them off that prevented anything to have a chance to end amicably, even sending them your own angry message before blocking them when you know they aren't online to say anything back, then that person you cut off will be understandably hurt once they come online to such a problem. Telling someone what you think they are, and trying to make them feel like their voice is silent to you by doing it when they can't react, while hurting them when you led them to believe you thought differently before this type of hurtful action will leave a very raw psychological wound. Words leave wounds on a persons mind and heart that will always be with them going forward in life. They may express some of that hurt in ways that are not directed at you in any way to try and get over what you did. To try and cope with just how much you negatively impacted them with your hurtful words and actions leading up to it all you like to omit to your mutuals. Not even to mention targeting an individual as a group can have devastating effects on on that victim. The RPC these days is way to welcoming to this sort of mob mentality around a popular person who knows they can abuse their popularity. Those sorts feed off having only their mental health issues being respected with no investment in the feelings of others they intentionally go out of their way to hurt. People these days need to stop and realize if they got a popular blog they interact, and even ship, with telling them to "oh block this person because they hurt me and are talking about me trying to get people to block me" is a GIGANTIC fucking red flag. HOLY SHIT.

[souryogurt64]

that was SUCH a nail in the coffin analysis ive always felt weird abt how mcr and their fans have been operating ever since they came back and u put it into words 😭 like i genuinely think mcr is still effectively broken up and only came back bc they missed a) each other/performing occasionally kinda and b) MONEYYYY because a full tour and multiple makeup palette launches with no album out after like four years is insane! (i get that the pandemic mightve shifted their schedule maybe but lets be real) and i think mcr fans are subconsciously hurt by this and somehow the revisionist history of mcr being freedom fighter genderqueer activists that threw the first brick at warped tour makes them feel better about it?? like "oh this band has values so surely they wouldnt come back from a breakup JUST to take my money"

I actually think that back in 2018-2019 the band originally intended to record and release an album and then were not able to follow through. I think COVID probably affected people’s mental health or drawing out the creative process for several years more than originally planned led to the same tensions that resulted in the band breaking up coming back to the surface. 

The earliest MCR reunion leak was actually in Spring of 2018 by SWMRS (lol) and had probably been going on for a long time prior to that. They have had plenty of time to record an album, they either just can’t or don’t want to. 

The initial reunion announcement had a lot of really stylized and specific imagery that was new and not nostalgia bait at all. It also felt very extra for just a tour. I don’t religiously pay attention to MCR but they have been doing a lot of stuff to try and keep the album hype going as we head into 2024, like flashing a 5 symbol at shows. I feel like that type of thing was more prevalent early on, but it’s been 4 1/2 years (!!!) so it’s hard to remember. 

Also, I joined bandom in Feb-March of 2013 and all throughout the hiatus through reunion leaks in 2018 (so 5 years), MCR were constantly doing things. They each had solo projects (Frank several) and Gerard was doing comics and a TV show. Plus, the band released CW, several demos, and merch. 

Over the last 4-5 years, they have basically had one tour and that was it. What have they been doing this entire time? Nothing? 

Also, an album that was significantly delayed or didn’t pan out would explain Frank’s garage sale fiasco. The FOB reunion was originally prompted by a blog post from Patrick complaining about how he had blown his savings on Soul Punk and it failed— so if Frank had invested personally in LS Dunes banking on a MCR album, that might explain why he needed to auction off sweatbands as well as the band getting snippy on socials about how they can’t “afford” to film a video. 

And like, no, nobody is “owed” a MCR reunion or MCR album or “owed” closure and if they want to fuck off and drink virgin Pina Coladas in Tijuana for the rest of eternity and play WWWY and Riot once every 4 years or something they can 

But stringing fans along with “cryptic messages” for 5 years and not making any kind of acknowledgement in the press is weird and like you said, I think explains a lot of the obnoxious holier-than-thou behavior from the fandom. During the time MCR have been “back,” FOB, Avril Lavigne, Blink, and probably other people have gone from varying degrees of hiatus to being well into full touring and promotional cycles for new material which has also made MCR less and less special. Those acts didn’t set outrageously high and dramatic expectations beforehand like MCR did either. 

I also really don’t intend to be disrespectful or make assumptions but I think Gerard especially has a long history with drug/alcohol issues in relation to performing and doing touring before the album was even recorded may have led them to delay stuff to (at best) prevent any issues arising. 

And like maybe their bodyguard is telling the truth and there will still be an album. But planning a reunion starting in 2017 at the absolute latest, recording and releasing a single in 2019+playing reunion shows, and not releasing the album until 2024 at the earliest is not really a normal schedule and at best is indicative that they ran into issues along the way. 

[bakapandy]

Excuse the question, but what's the thing you like the most about each of the sand sibs? Like your favorite thing about them. I apologize if the question seems weird, but I just came across a bunch of Sakura stans hating on Kankuro, cause they're pissed that he's the one who got to fight Sasori in the war arc, cause they think he's unworthy or smth, and that Sakura has a deeper bond with Sasori, and that she's the one who should've fought him. I needed to reassure myself, that I'm not the only person in this fandom who likes Kankuro. Like, he gets so much hate from everyone, for everything he does. Like, he could just breathe, and there's already tons of people wishing for his character to literally d*e, which hurts me deeply, cause he's a comfort character of mine, and it literally triggers my anxiety everytime I see people hating on him. You don't hate Kankuro, do you?

You sound young, so I’m going to give you some advice: don’t put any emotional real estate into the opinions of others, especially with regard to fictional characters. Honestly, who cares what they think? That should not affect your enjoyment of media. Enjoy your stuff and ignore everyone else. If someone hates your fave character then use the block button and toss them aside, don’t get too emotionally invested, it’s a waste of energy. People who spend that much time spewing hate for a fictional character rather just enjoying what they like aren’t worth your time or attention anyway.

No I don’t hate Kankurou, he’s one of my favorites, seeing as I’m a Sand Siblings stan account and fan artist lol. He’s driven, ambitious, responsible, fiercely loyal, but keeps a fun laid back attitude.

This is my analysis of the decision of having Kankurou fight Sasori. It’s my opinion and based on my interpretation and that’s it.

Sakura’s fight with Sasori was iconic. It was a incredible demonstration of her talent, strength, and wit in her debut battle of the Shippuden series. But Sasori’s entire history lies with the Sand. The emotional aspect more involved Chiyo, his grandmother and caretaker, rather than Sakura herself, though she did partake in it. Sasori encountering Sakura again doesn’t really offer emotional closure, in my opinion, because she had already killed him, she had already released him in death. Sasori fighting Kankurou again in the 4th war, however, had the goal of giving BOTH Sasori and Kankurou closure. Kankurou for losing his first battle with Sasori by demonstrating his own growth and dedication to the Puppetry craft and Sasori for losing sight of what he loved during his life and to relearn his passion for the craft by witnessing Kankurou. He passed on, leaving his most prized puppets and the future of Puppetry to Kankurou, whom he deemed worthy.

[historia-vitae-magistras]

alfred straight up murdering his brother on accident just because he walked too quietly into the room is so fucking funny but how terrifying is alfred to regular humans? If he goes to casually throw some ridicously heavy thing he's working on over to the intern or whoever theyre not gonna get back up on their feet to chew him out for it lol. also... getting shot and squished by bisons still hurts like all hell right? does matthew start to get wary around him or is he just too used to it to be all that bothered?

Lmao right? I very much enjoy using these characters, especially fleshy loony-tune-style horror shows because good fucking god, it's funny. But its also very fun? Alfred javelining people into the water must be so fun. Alfred casually picks up Matt when he's on the sofa because he dropped his keys behind it. He will randomly rip up troublesome trees in someone's fields in the middle of the night. This is not a wholly negative, angsty or even humourous trait.

So for humans... not very as an adult. I think. Generally, Alfred puts his people at ease. He's handsome, funny, intelligent and friendly. Man has that kind of crooked smile and easy charm. The charisma, luck and social skills of the gambler and the grifters and drifters of the old Westerns if not the old West. When he was little and had less control because he'd get excited, I could see him getting himself in trouble and accidentally committing some violence. As an adult, I think he's much more careful around humans, and the only time he tends to bust out the super strength is to prevent accidentally killing humans. Picking up a car in front of someone getting aggressive will contain that person's aggression goddamn fast.

As for if things hurt, yes. Superheroes and Gods are boring for me to write about. I like making these fuckers creepy and overpowered sometimes, but I'm most invested in their humanity. So time to do the math. The average bison is about 816 to 1,088 kg, and the most recent record for a deadlift was 487 kg. So on the lower end of that, 816 divided by 487 is about 1.67; redeploy that as a percentage that's about 160% the strength of what's currently possible. I personally think this is why this dork is always snacking, so it has some effect on his metabolism and his physiology. He's not going to starve to death as fast as he should with that metabolism because there's that nation fuckery there, but my boy is peckish. So now that I've laid that nonsense out, I generally make him about 160% more resilient than the strongest human (yeah, my browser history is fucked, what about it?), but not in all ways because biologically, that would fuck up his brain something fierce cerebellum be whack big and I like my nerdy NASA boy. But I try to keep that 160 in mind, so it might sometimes be consistent? Maybe? But yeah, he's durable and walks away from a lot of things that most people wouldn't, but he can be shot, dropped, smashed, hit, etc. And his pain tolerance is limited because, again, that removes too much vulnerability and why are we invested in this nerd? Lord knows it's not patriotism on my end. Strong, but not indestructible.

Now with the biology and the physical aspect of my stupid brain's explanation of this yankee doodle dumbass (affectionate) articulated, onto the emotional and interpersonal consequences. This is a bit meta, but Alfred's perception of himself and his loved ones can reflect this fandom and canon. I don't know if canon makes them twins, but many people do despite some intrinsic differences in history, progress, culture and values. It's a valid take because who wants to lord over other people or think about being the superpower and the empire? And passport privilege, cultural dominance, and political hegemony are things that only come into play when we're online or in some sort of international situation. The world revolves around the US, but Alfred's 'first amongst equals' with the laurels of power is not his default setting. At home, he just wants to be another person. Abroad, he has to function on a different set of rules, and leadership, and that arrogance only comes out at certain points. He wants to be human, he wants to be loved, he wants to be normal. And it hurts his fucking feelings to be reminded he isn't, that it is lonely at the top, that no matter how similar, the Trudeau quote applies.

Matt's used to him, and Alfred's reasonably careful, but the gulf between them, Alfred's ability to just steamroll him if he wanted to (even if Matt would give him a hell of a fight) does leave its marks. Matt tries as hard not to show it as much as Alfred tries not to crush him. He's overjoyed about something and goes in for a hug, and there go a couple of subluxing ribs as he kind of affectionately slaps Alfred's shoulder like "indoor muscles! Indoor muscles, bud!" And its mainly because Alfred doesn't like thinking about being a weirdo, and Matt doesn't want to remind him. They want to be as equal as possible, but physics is a thing.

[fedorah-the-explorah]

I saw a take that said the family dynamics between team red (especially shadowsan + carm) are somewhat exaggerated by fandom and there's not actually a lot in canon that supports a lot of popular head canons or attributed roles. And it's like, first of all, please keep your hurtful truths to yourself. Second of all, I'm probably going to need a read more.

Despite myself, I really cannot disagree with the points made by this particular poster. It's a sound argument. Carmen Sandiego (2019) is an adventure series. It's fast paced, action packed, and focused a decent amount on edutainment. This is understandable, this is after all, the point of the franchise as a whole. The characters have enough sustenance that they are likeable, though they are most noticeably flat.

I'd argue that Shadowsan and Devineaux are the most dynamic characters, but even then the handling of their respective character arcs leaves something to be desired. Much like the rest of the series, their storylines feel rushed and added in as a second thought. I get the impression that the show was envisioned simply as an adventure of the week type of thing. They had a premise and a gimmick and they wanted to run with it. This is fine. But then came the overarching story lines and... Well. There were no master pieces.

We'll take season one as an example. The first two episodes were pretty solid. They had a coherent and well executed story line supported by characters with personality and potential for growth and depth. The pilot episode of a series serves to set up character arcs and overarching themes without having to go too into depth because of the fact that it's simply the beginning. The first two episodes of this series fulfilled their purpose, and they were executed well. I will even be generous to the rest of the season's story line and say that there did seem to be at least the minimal amount of foreshadowing and groundwork laid for the twist at the end of the season.

The problem then comes into play with the remaining episodes. From episodes three to eight, the story line is episodic and self-contained. There's a formula and it works well without there necessarily being a greater need for depth. I was perfectly invested simply with the caper by caper formula. It was never thought-provoking for me nor did it need to be. It was just a bit of fun. And then came the final episode and it was... interesting! I was pleasantly surprised by the sudden inclusion of an overarching story line, if not scratching my head a little.

Shadowsan's reveal made a decent amount of sense in hindsight, but didn't come across as particularly expertly crafted. It was a sudden shift to the status quo with little build up, and it felt vaguely out of place. It's an episode that could have been executed better if the narrative had started to shift earlier in the season or if there were more episodes between "The Chasing Paper Caper" and "The French Connection Caper." Instead it's everything all at once and I found myself thinking, "Oh! Okay! So we're doing this now."

Upon rewatching, there is some build up that can be noticed and recontextualizes, but it's not much. Even knowing how the season concludes, episodes 3-8 still feel episodic and disconnected from any greater story line. You've got some angst about Carmen's origin, and Shadowsan's insistence about sending Tigress for a second time reframes itself as a calculated decision rather than misjudgment but that's about it. They have the bare essentials of story telling, but they're not skillfully crafted. And that's... fine! This is children's TV. I don't actually hold it to the same standard as adult television, and I do think it's a pretty decent show for what it is.

My point then that I want to address is this idea of bare essential story telling. Carmen Sandiego doesn't lack the elements needed to tell a good story. They're there, just not expertly executed. The post that inspired this spiel mentioned that Team Red reads more as friendly coworkers. I don't fully agree with this, but I see their point. I will also say that I don't think this was what the writers had in mind. I do believe they were meant to be read as Found Family, in fact, it is more or less explicitly stated in "The African Ice Caper." It's just that, like every other aspect of the show, it's handled in a way that gives hints of further depth while not fully conceptualizing the theme.

This is not a smear campaign against the series. No, this is very much a product of passion. It's an entertaining show with beautiful animation and captivating fight sequences. I was hooked from the first episode and I continued to be so through the end of the series. I'd say one of the greatest draws of this show lies in its weakness. We're only given impressions of characters' further depth and personality. With the obvious exception of Carmen, we're only given glimpses of characters'back stories. In regards to over arching story lines, we're only given bare bone elements. This isn't great from a critical standpoint, but it does open the door to a large array of fan interpretation and transformative fanworks.

Because of the flaws in canon, fans are not bound by strict limitations. They are free to come up with their own unique interpretations of characters, they can flesh out back stories however they see fit, and otherwise flimsy storylines lend themselves to deeper fan-driven exploration.

Frequently on Tumblr, you'll see posts that disparage fanon for the way that it tends to flanderize and flatten characters. And yeah! This is bad! Unsurprisingly, flattening complex stories into easily recognizable tropes and clichés is actually the devil! A lot of times in fandom, you see this sort of corporate brain rot that simplifies stories into familiar and easily consumable pieces of "media" ("Consuming media," my beloathed)

Fanon gets a bad rep. Is it deserved? Mm. A good majority of the time, maybe. But where is the discussion for fanon in the other direction? What about when fanon expands a work of fiction? When it assigns more complexity than canonically given? There's something innately human about connecting with a piece of fiction and wanting to do more. We don't so easily let go of things, you know? When you love a piece of art that's otherwise disappointing, you have this desire to see it do better. To meet its potential. I think that's where fanon in the opposite direction stems from.

I think the fandom surrounding Carmen Sandiego (2019) is a decent example of this. The characterization is admittedly lacking, but that's done nothing to stop fanartists from coming up with their own rich interpretations of characters and their relations to others.

Carmen and Julia are two characters that share a decent amount of screen time, but their relationship otherwise suffers from the amount of time stretching between interactions. This has done nothing to deter fans. It seems I can't throw a stone in this fandom without hitting beautiful pieces of fanart depicting the two, or multi-chapter fics exploring the two's dynamics, or impassioned ramblings about them.

The same thing can be said about Graham and Carmen. They share a decent amount of screen time and their interactions are compelling, but they're too far and in between. What's there is not fully developed. Again, bringing it back to the idea of bare essential story telling. They have what they need to hint at the intrigue of both these dynamics, but they're not satisfactorily executed and both relationships suffer as a result. Their relationships, and indeed, the show as a whole, kind of feels like a completed puzzle with various missing pieces.

I chose Julethief and Redcrackle to use as examples, but similar things can be said of every other relationship in this show. Player and Carmen have moments that hint at a dynamic friendship built on unwavering trust and care, but it's only in a few select scenes, (though, the scenes that do do this are phenomenal and make me want to cry-- and I'm so sorry shippers-- but Player and Carmen have a monopoly on the hard hitting emotionally impactful moments in this show. I don't make the rules, I'm sorry.) and the majority of their interactions are reserved for getting down to business.

However, because of the glimpses we do see, you see countless fics detailing their friendship and building on to what we see in canon by going behind the scenes. I myself have extensive head canons about these two and honestly, what I've written and published is only the tip of the iceberg. Player is a bit of a tricky character to get a grasp on because of his limited role in canon, but what we do see opens up all sort of interpretation. I have such a fun time writing him because I can use what I see in canon to shape my own ideas about how he would act in various scenarios. My version of Player is far more dynamic than what we see in canon, but it's only like that because I love the canon character so much. I want him to do more, I want him to be more. My creativity is piqued with this character.

Moving on, let's focus on Shdowsan and Carmen, my other beloved dynamic. I have so many ideas about these two's relationship, and I especially enjoy delving into the dynamic between him and Black Sheep. They suffer the same problems as prior discussed. The scenes building on their relationship are sparse, but they are there. Take for several examples:

Shadowsan interacting with little Black Sheep in the "Daisho Caper," Shadowsan's stated remorse at not being able to tell Carmen about her own family, Shadowsan nursing her back to health after "The Stockholm Syndrome Caper," his stated motive for hiding the truth of her lineage from her, Shadowsan telling her he'd be with her till the end of the line, Shadowsan reminiscing about little Black Sheep when he visits the destroyed VILE Island, Shadowsan's dedication to finding Carmen's mother for her, Shadowsan telling her she can finally rest, and, and, and, and.

There is certainly a reason that fans have interpreted he and Carmen as being father and daughter, and I am in no way surprised by the beautiful and extensive explorations that certain fans have taken into these two's shared history (@frozenwolftemplar my beloved)

After all, you really do have to wonder about the hardened assassin who couldn't bring himself to harm a child or her father. Could there have been more done on the show writers part to really cement their relationship as adoptive father and daughter? Yes, absolutely. Does the development of their relationship leave something to be desired? Yes, absolutely. Do the existing interactions inspire me to delve further and call up melancholy memories of me and my own father, thus making me want to extensively detail their shared history before expanding on their present relationship so that I can process my own feelings about my own father? Yes, absolutely. Is this type of connection a deeply valuable faucet of story telling and kind of the whole point of creating art to begin with? I think so!

Carmen Sandiego doesn't necessarily set things up just to drop them so much as it strives to create compelling story lines and interesting characters before ultimately failing to delve deep enough or dedicate enough time for these things to fully come into their own. They're there and they exist, but it's like... Drinking water with oranges in it. I can taste the oranges, but damnit, now I want orange juice.

It utilizes story telling techniques, but not enough so that the show fully benefits from them. There's an impression of character dynamics, back stories, and personality but they're not fully recognized.

However, it is because of these flaws that fans can take the source material and go absolutely bonkers with it. By engaging with the story and characters, you really get the chance to flex your creative muscle. It's like a sandbox. The sand is there, the box is there, and the tools are there, but what you make is up to you. I've seen some deeply moving pieces of writing come out of this fandom, and it's insane to me how some authors can do so much with so little. In engaging with fanworks for this show, I've drawn connections to my own life and my own relationships. There are lines of writing that have been engraved into my brain. I've met wonderfully creative people and I'm glad to be an active member of the community.

No, the show itself is no amazing piece of story telling. It's fun and it's entertaining, but it doesn't fully realize everything that it set out to do. It does, however, open the door to community as well as inspiring creativity and transformity, and that means the world to me.

[sokkastyles]

I want to address a few tweets I've seen floating around about Iroh, because I only ever see them mentioned by the crowd that believes that Iroh treated Azula so horribly, and I feel that's not quite the whole story. It's easy to see why people use them in their arguments, especially since they come from people who worked on the show, which adds an appeal to authority to the argument. I'm sure many people can guess which tweets I'm talking about right now. The first one, which mentions Iroh, is by Aaron Ehasz, in reply to a response to his now pretty well-discussed Azula redemption thread (which I will link if people aren't sure what I'm referencing.)

I have my own issues with Ehasz's proposal of Zuko acting as "Azula's Iroh," which I've talked about pretty extensively on my blog. While I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea, I think there is a very real danger in placing an abused kid in a position where he's responsible for the well being of someone who took part in his abuse. The way I've seen people use these tweets as "proof" that Azula "deserves" redemption, while insisting that Zuko, Iroh, and every other character that Azula hurt actually owe her, pretty much confirms that. As does the below reply.

And there it is. The implication that Zuko would "surpass" Iroh by helping to fix someone who hurt him deeply and who has never wanted his help, nor apologized for the hurt she caused him. That this would, in fact, make Zuko a better person, along with the condemnation of Iroh for not equally sacrificing his own well-being or the well-being of those he was charged with protecting from Azula in the series.

I don't necessarily disagree with Ehasz' reply (although my opinion is colored with a skepticism of the entire thread because I think we need to take anything a creative says fifteen years later about a project they are no longer involved in with a grain of salt). It is, as he says, a cheeky and funny line, not really meant to be taken seriously or indicative of Iroh's relationship with Azula in general.

But that's just the thing. I don't think the line was ever meant to show that Iroh doesn't see Azula's humanity. Especially because the context under which he says it is after Azula has just tried to kill him. Not to mention Zuko saying that he thinks Iroh is going to shoot down his feelings that he needs to protect himself from Azula in favor of "getting along with" his sister.

I and others have defended the line because it's not wrong for Iroh to say that someone who has tried to kill him needs to go down. It's also not wrong, and even necessary, for him to tell Zuko that it's okay for him to want to protect himself from someone who hurts him, even if that person is family. If we are going to take this line as indicative of what Iroh thinks about Azula, I think this is far more in line with Iroh's canon characterization, because I agree with Ehasz, Iroh isn't a character who would easily dismiss the humanity of someone in pain. But there's also a line between seeing someone's humanity and allowing them to take advantage of you or others. And that's an important thing to distinguish because people who hurt others are often invested in blurring this line.

The other tweet I often see, which also was recently flung at me, to make the point that the fandom or the writers or Iroh or whoever is just wrongfully against Azula, is this one:

I'm not gonna discuss the idea of Azula "needing" a redemption arc, because that's not really what I want to argue about here, and I'm neither opposed to nor in adamant favor of an Azula redemption arc.

I mostly want to talk about the second of Baldwin's tweets, because actually, yes, I agree. It does "seem odd" that Iroh can dismiss Azula like that.

And I'm not entirely sure if I'm missing the context here, but the thing is, it seems odd because it's not what happens in canon.

And again, I'm not sure what Baldwin is referring to, but every argument for Iroh's "dismissiveness" of Azula I've ever seen doesn't actually come across as dismissiveness of Azula at all. I already addressed the "she's crazy and she needs to go down" line, but the other examples I usually see are Iroh getting Azula a gift she doesn't like and Iroh not allowing Azula to hurt Zuko. Those things only come across as Iroh being dismissive if you actively ignore the ways that Azula hurts him and others and what those scenes are meant to tell us about the characters and their actions.

Just like with Ehasz having clout as a former head writer - and one who is often credited with some of the best character writing of atla - giving him some air of authority in these arguments, I think people assume that Baldwin, who voiced Iroh, must have some special connection to the character which makes him an authority. Not that actors making misinformed statements about their characters is particularly unusual.

But Baldwin only voiced Iroh in book three and beyond, and that gives us an explanation for why there might be that "odd" disconnect between Iroh's seeming "dismissivensss" of Azula in book two and the character who is a loving mentor to Zuko, willing to see the humanity in all sorts of people. Baldwin wasn't a part of book two Iroh the same as he is a part of the character in book three. He wasn't part of the creative decisions during Iroh's interactions with Azula in that book and didn't go on that journey with Iroh or share his thought process when he told Zuko that Azula needed to go down. Baldwin is defending the character that he knows Iroh to be, but not necessarily the Iroh he played, and without, perhaps, the full context.

Which is not to say that he's wrong. I just don't agree with him about what constitutes "dismissiveness" when you're dealing with an abusive person who isn't sorry for their actions and I think "everyone deserves a redemption arc" is one of those statements that sounds insightful in theory but don't think as many people would agree with in practice if you asked them if they thought x person deserved to be redeemed. Does Ozai deserve a redemption arc? Did Zhao? I also think we could debate about what "deserving" means in that instance. Does everyone deserve a redemption arc or does everyone deserve the chance for redemption, whether that chance is taken or not? And should that chance look the same for everyone?

I think people forget that Iroh is also a character who believes people make their own choices, that we choose our own destiny, and that we must. And he's pretty dismissive of Zuko when Zuko thinks his "destiny" makes him superior to others. He has obvious disdain for Ozai and Zhao, and it's clear where that disdain comes from when you listen when he says, for example, that he's never known Ozai to regret anything.

Iroh does believe in redemption, he tells Jet as much on the ferry ride to Ba Sing Se. But he also has clear disdain for those who refuse to change their ways, not despite his own redemption but because he knows personally that redemption is a choice.

All this is to say that I don't think Iroh would treat Azula dismissively if she truly were receptive to change. I don't even think he would or does refuse to see her humanity even when it's clear she has no intention of wanting redemption or that he's lost hope for her, as in the comics he does say that Zuko taking him to find their mother in the Search might be good for her. But seeing someone's humanity doesn't mean you have to make excuses for them, especially when that person has a repeated pattern of hurting you and others. And I think this is just as important to Iroh as a character because Iroh is as much a protector as he is a redeemer. As much as he believed in Zuko's redemption, he also encouraged Zuko to dispose of toxic outlooks and people in his life, because he had to do the same things. And as tragic and hard as that sometimes is to do, it doesn't make him less of a kind person.

[katyspersonal]

thank u for pointing out the unfair finlenia stances in the fandom..a lot of people dont get that not liking a ship is sometimes a taste thing and not bigotry. i personally hc malenia as demi and i like to imagine she kept a professional relationship with her soldiers but finlay was a big admirer. i dont want to get hate for this take though

Aww anon come here;

I'd love to say that disliking a ship is always a taste, not "sometimes", but... well, some people who are invested in shipping will prefer only straight ships and consider gay ones "sin"/degeneracy/whatever led them to it. I haven't run into this sort of fans in a VERY long while but I doubt they went 100% extinct.

Nonetheless, it IS important to not instantly assume the worst about the person just because they don't share the vision of the ship that the 'cool kids' of the fandom decided is canon! Even if initial concern comes from a 'reasonable' place (like not wanting those conservative bigots to shame people in the fandom), this sort of fear and alertness ALWAYS ends up hurting waaaaaay more innocent people than it punishes the guilty ones! This principle applies not just to fandomry discourse of course but everywhere; being hyper-alerted and always set on detecting the enemy just inevitably turns you into THESE guys:

(In case if you don't know of Bloodborne, these guys are pretty much the mentality and reflection of what happens when you become so paranoid you'll rather have many innocents executed than "risk to let a beast slide", super smart and striking portrayal of our clown world ssdhfhds All this to say is that I do not DEhumanise these haters, I know where it came from but I still disapprove of this culture of reactive paranoia)

Okay enough with my ENTP bullshit and back on the subject; aro/ace spectrum Malenia headcanons are valid! As well as your suggestion about her keeping professional distance with her knights. For example, it is reasonable to assume that she felt guilt since all her Knights inflicted inevitable decay on themselves to stand by her side:

What if Malenia had emotional barrier, if not deep guilt for existing, that no amount of Finlay's convincing that she wanted this fate could break? What if the issues Malenia developed through life of both idealisation and demonisation (both are dehumanising) made her push someone, especially a subordinate, away upon assuming they "don't know what they want"? What if she is afraid of relationship because, since Scarlet Rot can sprout stronger in reaction to emotional pain (as we seen from Millicent blooming if she was betrayed), Malenia is scared shitless to harm another person or herself should relationship ever cause deep pain? Or what if Malenia forsaken considering relationship altogether because she identifies as 'blade of Miquella' and is not willing for any bond to become more important than that (and someone can expect romantic love to eclipse familial one, it depends on the perspective).

There are many directions to take in either why Malenia might not love Finlay, love but not want to date Finlay, or not love/date anyone. Why she either can't or doesn't want to! I have a couple of two other mutuals who are scared to tell anyone they don't 'see' Finlenia because even a deep analysis of the character will be received as attempt to "invalidate a representation"! One of them also thinks Malenia ships don't work period because it's hard to let romantic feelings bloom under so much physical and mental illness, speaking from perspective of a person with physical disabilities and severe depression themselves! Also a very valid perspective! Again, do we then want to argue about whose projected experiences "deserve" validation and whose don't? The hell we do :/

In the end of the day 1) fandom is not a majority rule and thus they can't just "collectively decide" how to interpret canon that IS left open to different interpretations, especially using problems like bigotry as an excuse or even weaponizing their identities. What will happen if a lesbian saying the heretics that don't ship Finlenia are all homophobic meets a lesbian that also doesn't ship it? I don't wanna know. 2) culture of reactive paranoia is bad, let's NOT become Yharnam Huntsmen

[frogs-and-books]

I have to admit that it's so frustrating to me that people are doing this "He's canon ace but not canon aro" thing. It feels like people wanting to have it both ways at the cost aro people. If you're going to say only what's explicit in the text matters, then be honest with proper embrace of Death of the Author and disregard what Brennan said outside the context of the text. If you want to invest meaning in authorial intent, than be honest about the authorial intent with Riz. It's hard enough being aro in fandom as it is without people playing both sides of the fence on this

I'm sorry that there is a lack of aromantic representation, but you can't decide what the authorial intent was for the author. He could be aro! There's a lot of subtext and ways to read the story like that, but it's just as easy to read it as him being demiromantic or gray romantic or even just a late bloomer. Because of this, I can't confirm the authors intent unless he states it. I don't personally have an opinion on it, I just like Riz, and I'll like his character no matter what his sexuality is. I'm not going to disregard a statement from a cast member, especially when I doubt Brennan would have said without Murph's permission. That, to me at least, is confirmation of authorial intent.

I can understand why you're frustrated, but there aren't (or at least shouldn't be) sides. I'm simply saying that Riz is not canonically Aromantic, which is true. However, this does not mean that Aromantic people are somehow wrong in saying that they believe he is! Just like many other things, it is up for the viewer to decide currently.

If Murph comes out and says Riz is Aromantic, that's it. He's Aromantic. But until then, it's up for interpretation. You aren't wrong for saying he's Aromantic, but neither is someone saying he's not Aromantic.

I am so glad that Riz resonates with you, but others don't have your same experience and might relate to him in different ways, and their experience and interpretations aren't less valid than yours.

The world isn't black and white. There are so many nuisances that can be beautiful if you allow yourself to see them.

I'm not on the fence. I know exactly where I stand. Riz is canonically asexual and he has no confirmed romantic interests, although he has been shown to be less interested than his peers. This could mean many, many different things, but saying that thinking Riz is asexual but not aromantic is being on the fence is discounting real people who are asexual and not aromantic.

It's not all or nothing. I'm not out to get you or hurt anyone. It just frustrates me when people state their interpretations of media as facts and get upset when other people have different interpretations. Your interpretation isn't more valid just because it's more diverse. That would be like me reading a book where someone was never stated to have a race, but I decided that their character would make more sense if they were black, so now they're canonically black, even though I don't know what the author imagined them like. Just because it's adding diversity doesn't make it more morally correct. It doesn't make it more incorrect either. It just makes it your interpretation.

I know you're probably sick of hearing this, but it's up for interpretation, and you can't fault people for having a different interpretation of a character.

[sleepingdeath-light]

relationship hcs ; prune juice cookie

requested by ; anonymous (20/05/23), anonymous (10/08/23) & anonymous (16/08/23)

fandom(s) ; cookie run

fandom masterlist(s) ; hub | specific

character(s) ; prune juice cookie

outline ; “May you do Prune Juice dating headcanons”

&

“hello would you do a prune juice cookie relationship headcanons thanks 👍🏼”

&

“Prune juice cookie relationship hcs pretty pleasssee ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”

warning(s) ; none, just fluff!

whilst he’s relatively mild when it comes to any public shows of affection, in private he gets extremely gentle and intimate — caressing the side of your face and complimenting you so earnestly that you can’t help but fluster before pressing a passionate (but not messy) kiss to your lips and humming in approval when you kiss him back (he’s also been known to trail kisses from fingertip to fingertip across your neck and shoulders, or just kiss your fingertips and knuckles when you’re holding hands, if he’s in an especially intimate mood)

prune juice cookie is an introvert at heart and his ideal dates usually involve the two of you staying indoors together — whether that’s baking/cooking as a couple, watching a film or two, reading books side-by-side or to each other, gossiping, or just cuddling in bed — but he’s not opposed to going out for lunch or to stargaze every now and then

his pet names for you usually consist of your first name with an affectionate suffix — such as ‘(name) darling’ or ‘(name), my love’ — and likewise he prefers to be called either his first name or something traditional (like ‘dear’ or ‘sweetheart’)

he very rarely says ‘i love you’, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t show that he cares whenever he can — he spends all the time he can spare with you, always says that he ‘cares for/about’ you, invests himself in each of your hobbies and interests, never shies away from affectionate pet names, and is very openly and unabashedly protective over you — his love isn’t as explicit as others, but it’s there if you care to look

evenings are typically spent sat in bed together, reading your latest books or papers before they’re put aside, the lights turned off and the two of you fall asleep in each other’s arms — quiet, domestic, peaceful and simple, precisely how he likes things to be

cuddling with prune juice cookie usually involves spooning, with him having no preference as to whichever role he takes on, and more often than not occurs just as you’re falling asleep — he just doesn’t have the time to cuddle otherwise so he makes the most of what little opportunity he has

mornings with him are usually rather hectic and filled with laughter and routine, with him taking full advantage of the free time he’s allowed to cook, dance, laugh and eat with you before he’s dragged away to focus on his studies once again (he isn’t a morning person, to be honest, but he would never miss a chance to be with you and he never lets his exhaustion show if he can help it)

no matter how many times he’s seen an injury before on himself or others he will always start to panic if he notices it on you, immediately getting you somewhere safe as he goes through the motions of treating you — he’s still extremely effective and outwardly calm and collected, but internally he’s quite shaken up about it and fretting over your well-being

if he realises that you’re jealous of someone or something else in his life then he’ll seek you out and have a private conversation, reassuring you very plainly that you’re his partner and he’d never even dream of hurting them or straying — but when he’s jealous he tends to get extremely quiet and implicitly aggressive towards the source of his ire (glaring at them when you’re not looking, upping his physical affection with you, and speaking up almost passive aggressively to make it clear that you’re taken)

though his home is pretty cluttered and busy with scrolls and books and potions, he always manages to find a safe place to keep each and every gift you give him — and whenever you visit you’re able to spot them on high up shelves and stowed away in corners where they’re visible enough but out of the way of his experiments so that they can be kept safe