#like I'm sorry but if you genuinely believe you can know a person based solely on the things they post online

[coockie8]

So do antis realise that their assumption that the fiction we consume is "our entire personality" is pretty much only announcing to the world that the fiction they consume is their entire personality?

Projecting and all that.

Personally, I like to believe antis have lives outside of Twitter and Tiktok and shit, but when they claim proshippers entire personalities are what they show online, it makes me wonder if antis do actually have a life outside the internet, because surely if they did, they would understand that what someone shows online is actually a very small portion of that person' personality.

Their inability, or unwillingness, to understand this very simple fact leads me to believe that what they show is their entire personality. Because if you think what I'm showing is all of me, then that's probably because what you show is all of you.

[khaire-traveler]

hey, so im kinda new here but i was just scrolling and saw a post you made in like december of last year (im really late i know, im sorry) saying that the gods aren't going to harm you and won't toy with you, and um, i really mean no disrespect at all with this, this is a genuine question, and i in no way mean to bash you bc i love the greek gods too, but like don't the greek myths show the exact opposite of that? like zeus and poseidon legit flooding the whole ass earth just to get rid of humans? and so many different occasions where the gods smite humans bc of a tiny offense? or actually just toying with mortals because they find it funny? and just basically doing really questionable things to humans all the time? i love them and all, but isn't it a bit of a stretch to say that they wouldn't harm humans when they literally did for all of humanity's existance per the myths?

Hello, Nonny, thanks for the question! I appreciate that you were trying to be respectful. 🧡

Firstly, I would like to say that I made that post last year. My thoughts and opinions have shifted over time, and that post was mostly made with the intention of comforting those who needed it (including myself, at the time). Posts like that don't offer enough context to express what a person actually believes/practices. I still would like to believe that gods don't just fuck with people or harm them in really shitty ways, but this is due to personal experience, as are most things within this type of religion. It's very heavily based on each individual's experiences with the gods. I have never met two people with the same exact practice or even interpretation of the gods; something is always a little bit different, even if it's a very small difference.

Secondly, these are myths that you're referencing. Even in ancient times, they were not interpreted literally all the time. This isn't really the type of religion that I would suggest people interpret myths literally, and I don't mean that in a rude way. It simply doesn't make sense to me to do that, especially when the culture of the ancient Greeks was so vastly different from the modern day. In fact, many of the major "issues" people have with Greek myths can be explained by a difference in culture and ways of thinking. If you choose to interpret myths literally, go for it, but I personally find the gods to be VERY different from the myths people told of them.

You have to remember as well that it's not as if these myths were written by the gods themselves or something; some old ass white men were probably the ones writing that stuff down, and they lived in a culture where men had all the rights and privileges (this is all to say that many myths treat women like shit for a reason: the culture viewed women as being worth less than literal animals).

The Greek myths are not scripture. I feel that basing one's views of the gods solely on myths is extremely limiting and, in my experience, inaccurate. Zeus has treated me very kindly, even helping me escape from the worst abuser I've ever faced; Poseidon has been very respectful, gently approaching me and randomly just popping up for assistance throughout my life; Apollo has been a light in the darkness for me during many times of need, always willing to guide me when I've lost my way. The gods can be depicted in myths one way but act in an entirely different way in reality.

That said, however, the gods are complex beings, similarly to humans. They are capable of feeling any emotion - sadness, happiness, anger, disgust, etc. Of course they're bound to get upset at humans from time to time, but I don't believe they would act maliciously towards someone randomly or for a super petty reason. They can be kind, loving, and sweet, but being multifaceted, they can also be cruel, spiteful, and angry. I would argue that rarely does a worshipper experience the more "unpleasant" side of the gods, but it does happen, I'm sure. I just believe that the gods will not go out of their way to just "mess with people", if that makes sense. For example, I don't believe Aphrodite would ruin someone's life for making a one-off comment about how their partner is "as/more beautiful as/than Aphrodite". Like, why would she care? Especially if that person doesn't even worship her, why does it matter what that person says? It's just some random person, and she has much better things to do than spend her time ruining their life for a compliment to their lover. The gods simply have better things to do and/or are more mature than that. They're thousands upon thousands of years old; I'm sure they know how to handle someone who called them a mean name or said something "hubristic" in a respectful and disciplined way, especially if that person isn't a worshipper/doesn't believe in their existence.

Of course, there are people who would disagree with me, and that's perfectly fine. There is no right or wrong belief when it comes to these things. The beauty of this religion is that you're free to think whatever you want. If you want to believe that Hermes is the god of Monster Energy™, you're absolutely free to do so! If you want to believe that saying someone is as beautiful as Aphrodite is insanely disrespectful and not ok, then you're free to think that as well. There's nothing wrong with believing whatever feels right to you, but just remember that at the end of the day, religion should be a generally positive experience for you. It should make you feel good in some way, be that happiness or fulfillment or even comfort. Religion shouldn't make you feel uncomfortable, unhappy, and unsafe constantly. There are times where religion - especially this one imo - will test your limits or push boundaries, but it shouldn't make you feel like shit all the time.

Ok, anyway, I apologize for going into a tangent lol. I hope this gave a sufficient answer to your question. Believe whatever you feel is right, Nonny. I may believe that the gods are kind (although they certainly can behave otherwise, being multifaceted), but you're welcome to believe the opposite. There is no one single way to interpret the gods; it's different for everyone. The only recommendation/advice I have for you is to base your views of the gods on personal experience rather than myths. Myths are just that: myths. They are meant to teach lessons or explain the nature of the world. Sometimes they're even just meant to show examples of a god's wrath/why you should respect the gods. Point being here that they aren't usually meant to be taken literally, and I personally would not recommend doing so, but it's entirely your choice.

I hope this helped and gave you a good answer! Take care, and have an awesome day/night. 🧡☺️

[baphmochii]

First of all hope SalAsh shippers have a wonderful day. As you very well said, it's cruel to bully ppl over what they ship

With that our of the way

HELLO SALASH DISLIKER

I have had the same exact feeling eversince Ash was introduced. I personally think she's cool. Not my favorite out of the group, but still cool! I have the feeling that she was thrown in as Sal's crush solely because she is, well, a girl. I know, I know she is nice to Sal and it's only natural young Sal would have a crush on her (imo)

BUT

I genuenly don't feel like Ash would like Sal back. To me personally, I think she sees him more of a little brother than anything else. Of course this is just my opinion/headcanon and everyone is free to have their own interpretation! I have always seen it as a one-sided crush. To me it feels like Sal fell for her because she is the pretty and cool girl who was nice to him, which *is* a realistic reason for Sal to like her! However, I also believe that they have little to no chemistry as a couple. To me, it feels like she was Sal's first crush. I just hope they don't become a thing because I really, really think Ash would not return the feelings :/

Anywaysss it's been a while since I played Sally Face so maybe I'm missing a detail or two, as a matter of fact ranting about this made me want to replay the game again lol

Sorry for the long rant it's not everyday someone talks about an unpopular opinion on my comfort character/game 😭 Have a lovely day! 🩷

PS: Love your content! You are very talented ✨

Thank you so much 💙 I'm so happy you love my content! It genuinely means a lot to me knowing that!! 🥹💙

I read everything and I had to take a hot minute to think about this one, I agree with what you're saying. I personally (obviously) dislike Ash, I don't think I'll ever like her, I tried and I accept the fact that I just dislike this chick. However, I can see Ash liking Sal as a little brother instead of a romantic interest. I don't think Ash would like Sal that way either, they both don't exactly bond or spend time with each other in the game nor is it even mentioned that they do hangout together alone, there just isn't any chemistry for them to even get together and even if they did it just wouldn't exactly make any sense at all. Ash having that feeling toward Sal, a platonic and brotherly love for Sal just feels right on so many levels.

Having a crush from someone being or showing kindness to them is a very true and realistic thing to happen and I'm not shitting on that in any way at all! It's valid to have a little crush that will eventually fizzle out but, I guess that bothers me with Sal, he has a crush on (of course) the pretty girl who shows like kindness to him a few times in the game. Hey - I'm not trying to attack our guy, Sal Fisher for that, we've all been there before with a person who's been nice to us at some point in our lives.

I really hope they don't get together in the damn sequel either, that shit will drive me fucking nuts. If it were to happen I'd really hope Ash would not return Sal's feelings towards her and just like him like he was her brother. I dislike when games or other media does that, putting character's together that doesn't make sense but they do it for the fan base/service like.. PLEASE DON'T! 😭

. . .

I'm so sorry, I hope my response made sense! I really like your opinion and your headcannon on Sal and Ash. Rahhh!! I really wish people would make more or even talk more about Sally Face, because like.. it's my comfort game too and Sal is my comfort character too. This game deserves more spotlight like *sobs* I also hope you have a lovely day too 🫂💝

[morganpdf]

sorry if this is intrusive. long time follower just very slow... i was under the impression you were t4t mlm (related to you with that). are you a lesbian now?

hey! really quick i do just wanna put out there that youre right abt it being intrusive but i am nothing if not a chronic oversharer on the internet so i'm abt to do what i do best<3 and overshare<3 i'm ALSO gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're asking this from a genuine place & are not just looking to start shit or anything etc but anonymously asking for more details on people's gender/sexuality is Usually unwelcome & uncomfortable

ANYWAYS. i am t4t but have never been strictly mlm/dont think ive ever said i'm mlm? and am also pretty constantly posting abt women so dsvbfghdsv i'm defs curious how that came across 😭😭😭 i don't claim the lesbian label bc im not solely attracted 2 women (just mostly) etc BUT as far as gender goes im just (shrug emoji) transmasc I've been actively bouncing between binary trans guy & nonbinary since highschool and rn nonbinary has been feeling way more comfortable etc. identities shift & change etc honestly im personally most comfortable saying im just p much queer gender/sexuality wise as a catchall & to cover my bases bc i dont really have strong feelings towards any sexuality labels for myself & gender is and always has been goofysilly for me so! yeagh

been toying around w butch lately tho bc its comfortable & i definitely feel like there are aspects of my identity that are still very much Connected 2 my 'sapphic roots' or w/e in a way that isn't consistent w a binary gender 4 me personally (gender & sexuality are very intertwined for me in ways they might not be for other people etc etc etc)

tldr yes im t4t . no im not a lesbian but i believe their beliefs

also im getting the distinct vibe that you are a younger trans guy looking for role models (not a dig!) and while i Get that & know that specific kind of solidarity is Good & Feels Good - remember that solidarity can be found with all our lgbtq+ siblings in the community! anyways i will get off my soapbox now bc i need 2 figure out dinner dghfvsd

[friendsofmedusa]

How could you claim to know anything about the whole of trans people when you solely go off of the people who are bad, who just so happen to be trans?

I am an s/a victim, both of a cis male, and years later, of a nonbinary person. To avoid your mockery, I won't say anything about the fact that although I am still skeptical of men, I try hard not to judge, I will only say it of nonbinary people.

I am a skeptical person, and I don't trust others as quickly as I do women. I can acknowledge that there are bad people who are trans. But I'm not going to see a problem with them as a whole.

What I can't understand, I will give voice to, and what I have a problem with, I will give voice to as well. But I'm not immediately going to dismiss it because I'm angry or don't understand.

So I don't understand why TERFS or " radical feminists "—you're not radical, by the way, you're nothing new—claim to know so much about others' lives, despite the fact that they don't understand anything at all about why trans people feel the way they do so much as assume how they feel, based off of a narrow‐minded, extremist outlook that will only ever see the negative of anything that isn't immediately understood.

Standing up for women and speaking on the struggles they go through, talking about the trans people who happen to be bad, standing up for assault victims, talking about the men that are bad and what's wrong with male culture, that's not wrong, at all. I don't even need to say so, but I would like to clarify it.

But you are extremist. How can you accurately or impartially assess anyone's life—especially one you would never fully understand, even if you were supportive of it, or humble enough to try and learn about it—from a standpoint like that?

How can you talk so knowingly of the minds of people you don't take seriously, anyway?

First of all, I'm deeply sorry about what you went through, that is horrendous and I hope you are well and recovering.

Now, addressing the rest of your ask.

I don't base my opinion of trans people solely on the bad ones, that would be stupid. I've met plenty, both on the internet and in real life, who were good people. And I do believe there are some genuine transexual people, whose dysphoria is so severe that transitioning is the only valuable option for them.

That said, I don't believe in the concept of gender. Or, I think it's a concept we should actively work to dismantle instead of enforcing it, as it's the main tool men use to keep us women under their heel. Gender is nothing but a stinky pile of conservative and downright sexist gender roles and expectations, why shouldn't I be against it when it's actively harming my life as a woman?

And before you say something along the lines of "But trans people are redefining the gender binary yadda yadda yadda", let me just say: no, they are not.

There is literally nothing as sexist as claiming to be of the opposite sex because you don't conform to society's expectations of how you should dress, act, speak. I should've transitioned years ago if that were the case.

But moving on.

I don't see a problem with the whole of trans people. I fully support their rights to housing, jobs, healthcare, you name it.

Who I have a problem with is men, aka adult human males. Reason why, scroll my blog and you'll get the gist. And trans ideology is offering men new ways to torture women.

Just look at all the inmates id-ing as trans to be moved to women's prisons. It's either one of two cases: one, there's an alarming number of rapists among trans women, and women are fucking right not to want them in their spaces; two, you can't take someone's word at face value when it comes to psychiatric disorders (because let me remind you that gender dysphoria still is a psychiatric disorder).

And when you say that radfems don't know anything about the trans experience, you are just plain wrong. Many, many of us are dysphoric women and detransitioners. We've been there, we just didn't fall down the hole of medicalisation.

And that's really the crux of it. You say I'm an extremist, and for what?

For saying we shouldn't unnecessarily medicalise children? For saying that SRSs are Doctors playing fucking Frankenstein on depserate people? For saying that therapy should be the primary form of medical care a dysphoric person should receive, instead of going straight to irreversible surgery?

If that makes me an extremist, glad to be one.

[satansbastards]

haiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!! ur unwitness protection program thoughts. hand them over

okay get ready im about to launch them at you at mach 10

I don't have much in the way of who the individual members are because we just don't have much to go off of. Will hasn't really told us anything about them besides the fact that the group existed. (my brain just isn't letting me come up with ideas without at least SOME prior information)

I'm trying to go back through all the rolled episodes to see if I missed anything so current thoughts are based solely off of what I've been told and shown through the show itself.

Read more here cause I have a whole ass essay. Sorry not sorry.

Obv major spoilers for Prime Defenders and friends I have so many sad thoughts. Might post more after these ones but this is all the stuff that's been most on my mind about the UPP

We know Deadwood has issues with people going missing, whether or not those dissapearances are paranormal in nature or not. Who's to say? I wanna believe that while the group originally formed as a general way to investigate the spooky stuff going on around town, it ended off as a group of kids trying to find these poor souls who went missing.

I feel like they all absolutely could see spirits and monsters like William said, but in the sense of like, only being able to see out of the corners of their eyes. He mentioned everything being fuzzy and just out of sight, and I've seen stuff like that in like, John Dies at the End where average people can really only see otherworldly stuff from their peripheral vision.

William either had the best vision of the group or was just the best at investigating. Because I DO remember that in the rolled after the session zero Charlie mentioned that William had been out with his whole group and was the only one who saw the light of the wisp and ran off.

Aside from investigating missing people, he's also mentioned that they did investigate abandoned buildings and whatnot. I feel like UPP was trying to figure out just what exactly these monsters and spirits even were. Think like Gravity Falls with those journals cataloging the various creatures around the town. (this is also where the pacific northwest vibes I used to get for Deadwood before you mentioned how much better the Midwest would fit had come from.)

Give me the William Wisp monster manual Charlie you and I both know he would have made one.

Last big thing regarding the group is less of a coherent thought and more of a genuine question I have. How did they split up? I know William left because he felt he was a danger but! Did the UPP split up on good or bad terms with William?

We haven't gotten any sort of confirmation about whether or not they still keep in contact. Nothing, no texts, emails, calls. Not a single thing. Is this by William's choice or did his friends cut contact because they were afraid of him?

His parents likely have next to no knowledge about the supernatural but his friends DID. Are these thoughts William has had about whether or not he's even a person, even still himself, coming directly from him? To an extent I'd still say yes, but a very sinking feeling in my gut tells me he's had a very similar converstion before. With his old friends.

Did they ever talk to him about everything? Did they just not accept that he even COULD be William? They know people go missing a lot and don't come back. They likely knew that William also went missing, if Charlie is still sticking to his original draft for his origin.

How long was Will missing, had they given him up for dead and when he came back they assumed he wasn't the same William they knew? Did the monsters coming after Will only confirm those suspicions?

Did they ever even find a body or did William just "myseriously" reappear some time later? I can't say I even fully blame them for not trusting that if that was the case. As much as it hurts to think about, they were all scared kids and it's really hard to trust your friend who's been missing for god knows how long returning like nothing had happened. In Deadwood? With all these other monsters?

I can be upset about this possibility all I want but at the end of the day, I can see it happening. And understand where they're coming from. I just really wanna know what Will's current relationship with his old friends is. :(

That's all I've got at the moment! Feel free to rant about my thoughts and correct me on anything I misrembered or maybe stuff that was mentioned in the Rolled episodes cause I haven't fully gone through those yet! Thanks for letting me rant about this I love this so much.

[throne-for-queens]

‘Not being disrespectful to your opinion’ really ?? That’s the meanest, sick and the most lowest a human can think of another human, unless of course you don’t consider Megan as ‘human’. I don’t have trouble believing that considering how absolutely horrendous some of your opinions are around her. You are here being polite to someone who thinks losing baby is a joke and that all is fair when it comes to expressing ‘opinions’ especially around your fav. Let the child’s soul rip without being dragged in this cesspool of shit thinking of yours.

Sorry to say this but shame on some of you, that your hatred for this person has reached a scary level of disgust. Y’all are sounding like the MAGA supporters to the outsiders. Genuinely concerned that these are the type of people supporting Kells.

I don't hate Megan at all. I think you want that to be the narrative but that doesn't apply here. When I said no disrespect, I was solely talking about the person. I will not make someone feel lowly on my page because I don't agree with their opinion. I try to give everyone a platform to say how they feel, just like I'm giving one to you, despite your name calling and your ridiculous comparison of me to Maga supporters. I did not agree with the commenter and I stated that based on who I know colson to be. I don't have that same level of knowing for Megan, therefore I didn't speak on her. I'd like to believe that she would never use someone else's misfortune as an attention grab, and that's where my opinion of her will remain. I've never once publicly said I don't find Megan to be human, she makes mistakes, she gets out of character, that is her life. And some advice for the future, if you want to correct something, I would just say hey Sandra....I'm open to criticism and I've had these conversations with other people who follow me.

[delete-the-kisses]

rant about religion/christianity below

i've thought about religion and queerness a lot recently, mostly because my friendgroup now has queer people and also a straight, religious girl.

i used to believe in god. and when i got older i just stopped believing. there was science and evidence and the internet and my baby gay brain was like "woah! i'm not a sinner because none of this shit is real!"

my family apart from my grandma and aunt aren't really religious either. my mom and dad have never repressed me or my identity and haven't tried to make me believe in anything. and don't get me wrong; i don't really have any childhood religious trauma either? so now it's like, why do i of all people care?

but it truly, truly hurts me how much of this whole fucking world is being run by major religion. why is christianity a part of literal fucking social structures? why do they teach religion in public school? (not in every country but mine) why does the president say god bless you in their speech? (once again, could be just my country.)

and another thing that hurts is that it's scientifically proven that being religious can give you brain damage. because religion refuses to change with time and the sole fucking reason humanity has survived this long is adapting to change.

i know there's accepting christians. my friend's family is incredibly accepting. my friend may be allocishet, white and christian and she's one of the most open-minded, kind, amazing people i've ever met. her family is so kind as well.

but then, there are the ones who say that being queer is a mental illness. there are the ones who invite a priest over to cure their child who just came out. there are the ones making anti trans and queer laws and banning pride flags. that's the other extreme.

most christians i've met aren't straight up hateful. they're a calm, civil, hidden kind of hateful who get kind of uneasy when there's discussion around queerness or just... something that doesn't agree with their stance.

and i GENUINELY have trouble understanding how your worldview can be centered around something that there's literally no scientific proof of. sorry (not) if this offensive but to me, it's equivalent to believing in unicorns. but i respect your beliefs and i won't make fun of you for them or hate you for them BECAUSE i refuse to be equally bad.

i also don't understand willingly being a part of something that limits the things you can do. why are you living a restricted life to get into heaven where there truly isn't any certainty that it even exists? how do you blindly trust this? isn't religion just a socially acceptable cult?

and why the fuck do you claim to accept other people's beliefs and religions but the SECOND someone's a satanist you go guns-a-blazing at them. (fun fact: satanism isn't even about the christian satan!) (fun fact 2: no queer person is going to hell for their identity and telling someone they'll go to hell is mean and disrespectful!)

is it TRULY necessary to "spread the gospel" to people? that is literally just shoving your beliefs down other people's throats... the EXACT thing you claim the lgbtqia+ community is doing. or is it only okay since it's your belief?

why are your morals based on your religion? i see shit on social media saying "atheists, what's restricting you from just killing someone if your religion isn't telling you not to?" and maybe that's an extreme example but what do you MEAN "what's restricting you"?! MAYBE MORALS? BASIC HUMAN DECENCY? like... do you find yourself lacking those??? if the bible tells you to hit your wife and support slavery do you do those things??? (the bible probably says both of those lmfao.)

so. that was my rant for today. ain't no hate like christian love, amirite? if you're christian or religious otherwise and find yourself reading this with an urge to comment "jesus loves you" or "god please help her" just save the time. every time i get a comment like that i carve a pentagram on a dead goat! xoxo

(everyone believe whatever the fuck you want i don't care but remember anyone has the right to question it. christianity is the biggest world religion btw and the "oppression" you experience stops existing when you put your phone down. stop whining at it. that's all fr byee)

[arctichotch]

May be closer to a rad-fem than a terf, but you do say things to make people think that. I'm genuinely sorry, I know that's hard to hear, but when your feminism doesn't include men or even acknowledge that men can be victims and you can't listen to anyone who disagrees with you without becoming super vitriolic, it sends terfy/radfem vibes. I understand you feel strongly, and you have big feelings about this, but I'm saying this because I care. It might be time to just take a break and breathe

this is so condescending lmao. how is believing a woman was abused, based purely on evidence, radfem/terf-y? lmao

i don’t become “super vitriolic.” i might get a bit defensive because people are trashing AH for things that could be part of any victims story and in turn are trashing those people too. and people do be coming at me with the most ridiculous arguments for why amber is lying and it drives me up the fucking wall because they should look into dv, research, evidence etc before saying shit that is straight up lies and misinformation. because misinformation is dangerous. and if someone’s coming at me with misinfo, i’m not going to over look it for fear of seeming “vitriolic” or like a terf.

and i have never once said a man can’t be a victim. not once. because that’s bullshit. when i speak about victims or survivors or anyone at all who has suffered at the hands of an abuser, i am including everyone. men, women, non binary folks. every living breathing human being. to me, there is no threshold of standards to meet to be a victim (unlike what so many depp supporters think btw) because it happens to anyone and everyone.

yeah sometimes i reblog stuff discussing female abuse survivors in particular. or whatever else. because women are so often not believed about being abused while simultaneously being so frequently abused. or because i see it on my dash and think that it’s a good point.

supporting female survivors doesn’t mean i don’t support male survivors. those two things are not mutually exclusive. it just means i support survivors, regardless of gender. which i do.

just because i don’t believe johnny depp was abused (once again solely based on evidence) does not mean that i don’t think any men can be abused. if johnny had the evidence amber had, i’d believe him. it’s not about the person to me, it’s about the evidence, the facts. gender in abuse plays no role to me (besides maybe considering statistics in particular situations.)

i 100% think that society is not a place made open for men to come forward about abuse they’ve suffered. and that fucking sucks. and needs to change. as does anything in relation to dv because the world is a mess in how any abuse survivors are treated.

but, with regard to this case, i believe the woman in the situation because she has the evidence. so anything i’m talking about is with this case in mind.

it’s so fucking tiring and genuinely upsetting to be accused of not believing men about being abused just because i don’t believe one man about being abused. i believe and support many other male survivors (and have spoken to this in the past) but all that is discounted because i don’t support depp? that’s not fair.

supporting abuse survivors and advocating for them on a social/psychological level is something i am so incredibly passionate about. and what i intend to pursue in the future.

abuse is not based on gender. believing someone shouldn’t be based on their gender. i don’t believe amber heard because she’s a woman and i don’t not believe johnny depp because he’s a man. it’s not even something i overly considered before i began to be accused of not believing men etc. my stance on this case is purely based on evidence and what i know and have researched on ipv over the years.

you’re not saying this “because you care.” yes i feel strong about this, and have “big feelings.” i’m not 6 years old. i can speak about things i’m passionate about online without some anonymous person calling me a terf and telling me to shut up pretty much.

i have had plenty of conversations the past few days, listening to someone else’s pov but that doesn’t change what i believe. their evidence didn’t convince me all of a sudden that i was in the wrong because it’s the same facts i’ve seen presented over and over again.

like what have i actually said to seem like a terf? besides that i don’t believe johnny depp.

not believing one man was abused (once again, based solely upon the evidence) ≠ being a terf/radfem who never believes male survivors

and no i’m not going to take a breather. because i’ve had so many survivors speaking under my posts/my inbox/my dms who have been speaking about their experiences or thanking me for making some little post on here because it makes them feel less alone. and why the hell would i ever walk away from that because somebody wrongly thinks i give off terf vibes.

[melrosing]

I'm 99% sure JB are going to end up tragically (GRRM said he loves tragic love stories so I don't trust him.) My hope is that the relationship doesn't die, even if Jaime does, and Brienne knows he loved her. But I have a feeling that death might not be the worst thing to happen. For all we know, it might end up in betrayal and rejection and pain and I can't go through that again. Most heroine/villain ships are written like that, as cautionary tales about how naive the heroine was for trusting the villain and doesn't she know that he can't change, that he's only evil and will definitely disappoint her. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure if that happens, it won't be like the show and GRRM will write it well, and it'll be fleshed out and maybe even enjoyable to read. The only thing I won't forgive is if Jaime ends up being a corrupting influence on Brienne. That's how some heroine/villain ships are written too.

Yeah, I also tend to think they’ll end tragically, but D&D’s definition of tragic is… so different to GRRM’s. Like with D&D, their idea of tragedy is all based around the hopelessness and despair of the Red Wedding – that was the thing they were looking forward to writing, and it’s that horrified audience reaction they’ve been trying to win back ever since. Audience hurt is a measure of brave and disruptive writing in their view, and along with utter fucking carelessness, JB’s story fell victim to that.

Meanwhile, I remember this from an interview with GRRM:

One particular letter, sent by a waitress, remains fresh in his memory. “She wrote to me: ‘I work hard all day, I’m divorced, I have a couple of children. My life is very hard, and my one pleasure is I come home and I read fantasy, and I escape to other worlds. Then I read [the Red Wedding], and God, it was f–king horrifying. I don’t read for this. This is a nightmare. Why would you do this to me?'” the author recalled.

Martin wrote her back, “And basically said, ‘I’m sorry, I do understand where you’re coming from.'” (X)

I think GRRM has enjoyed some of the appalled reactions his biggest twists have earned – which is fair, and I do believe that the Red Wedding is a justified (if upsetting) twist. But his memory of this letter goes to show that he’s well aware people don’t read just to be upset: tragedy has to mean something, you can’t just deal out hurt and call it a story.

If Brienne, after a lifetime of rejection, is dealt a final blow by the man she truly loves, the man who truly knew her – what meaning is there? Because that’s the end of her story, it’s not some halfway point. I could go into how senselessly hurtful the rejection narrative is for Jaime’s story as well, but I think it’s always Brienne’s that gets neglected when we talk about this. Because it’s downright miserable ending if you’re Brienne, isn’t it? It’s downright miserable to read if you give a single shit about her, right?

And can anyone tell me why GRRM would even write such a thing? What he’d even be trying to say about people like Brienne with an ending like that? That people like her just don’t understand the way the world is and can’t know love? Something tells me that’s not what was on my dude’s mind when he wrote JB as his own personal BatB. He believes in tragedy, not pessimism.

In JB’s case, I can see their tragedy being Jaime’s choice between love and duty (that theme we keep seeing in ASOIAF) – maybe Jaime could live the rest of his life with Brienne, but he needs to save his children, or stop Cersei, or otherwise do his duty as LC of the Kingsguard. If his story starts with him choosing love (Cersei) over duty (to protect the innocent, i.e. Bran), perhaps his ending sees him having to abandon love for duty. That’s a tragedy, but a classic ‘human heart in conflict with itself’ that leaves Brienne’s narrative perfectly intact. The show, meanwhile, seems to get it the wrong way round.

As for whether Jaime would ever ‘corrupt’ Brienne, I really don’t think that’s on the cards. He’s not a classic villain in that he doesn’t represent some force for evil, and he’s never tried to recruit Brienne to his ‘side’, instead he’s shifted over hers. Plus her morals are steadfast as ever for having known him, he’s actually reinforced her belief in many of them. I imagine Brienne will enter greyer areas in the final books, but that will be more to do with her own arc of learning the complexity of the world, and perhaps discovering the things she’d do for love idk.

Anyway perhaps this sounds myopic but I genuinely don't even worry that book JB will end as the show did. Their ending in GOT made a lot of people feel deeply unhappy, but A) that was basically their sole intention and B) they really didn't give a fuck about these characters, it's not worth reading into it.

[vividaway]

I know it doesn't have any relation to the trial now, but was JD really racist? Or homophobic or transphobic? I'm totally on his side and knowing this won't change my stance but I'm curious. I can't find anything that suggests this. I just wanted to ask because you seemed to know. I hope this doesn't come off as disingenuous, I just wanted to get it clarified. Sorry to bother you, have a good day!

(will be reblogging to address the other claims, this one got long because i'm very passionate about educating)

hi, i'd like to try to answer this with as much proof as i can, as i do feel the statements made are NOT ACCURATE to reality.

i first want to start off by saying you arent a bother AT ALL. this is a very good question, and its one that is a bit more complicated than that.

theres the accusation that Depp threatened black peoples lives. this is unfathomably untrue, and i cant believe that i got AS TWISTED AS IT DID. i've linked an explanation before, as it couldnt have be explained more clearly.

Depp was drinking. the "shot" is a shot of alcohol. its very blatant once you know the context.

now, lets talk about the native american claim. as someone who is indigenous, its something i think we SHOULD talk about.

in the past, johnny has claimed to be (i am ASSUMING, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG) a mixed cherokee, and i only assume this based on how the media portrayed his claims.

this is a hill i will DIE ON as a cherokee. MIXED CHEROKEE'S EXIST. my families has tries to the blackfoot cherokee specifically, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE-- THEY ARE NOT A TRIBE.

a LOT of indigenous people were subject to the cruelest tortures well after we "gained our rights" in america. we were subject to forced sterilization at late at the early 80's, and native children were taken off of their tribes by the government and adopted out to white families.

Now, this is very VERY TRICKY. because you are actively apart of a white family. this lead to a TON OF WHITE PEOPLE claiming "they were apart of the blackfoot-cherokee tribe" and this lead to the demonization of the term.

due to this, a LOT and i mean A. LOT. of native people grew up not knowing they were native. this lead to a whole generation of people who do not know their native heritage because they didnt grow up in it. some of my cousins identify as blackfoot cherokee, (my great grandfather was blackfoot) and thats the sole reason WHY blackfoot-cherokee exists. as a label for those who DO know their heritage.

personally, i dont see myself as blackfoot cherokee. i TECHNICALLY am, but i actively realize that if i were to join a tribe, i would have to "pick a side". this leads to a ton of confusion for people who GENUINELY GREW UP WITH THEIR PARENTS FROM TWO DIFFERENT TRIBES.

these people grew up WITH BOTH CULTURES. they grew up hearing stories from BOTH tribes. they grew up actively participating in their heritage, and this is all seen as "a waste" because they identify as blackfoot-cherokee. there are actually MANY MANY conferences that people who GENIUNELY learned from both tribes due to their parents AND grandparents, and speak out to spread awareness that blackfoot-cherokee isnt a tribe, but a mixed culture. its simply when two different people meet, and create a kid.

now, all of this explanation IS IMPORTANT. because not only has depp claimed to be cherokee or creek, he was fucking 'adopted' by the comanche nation chairmen in new mexico. (im not sure the legitimacy of said adoption but i still find it very cool)

either way, he IS an honorary member of the comanche nation tribe. not just that, but his explanation OF his native american history matches the timeline of those whom were forcefully kidnapped from their homes and adopted out and those who were forcefully kidnapped from their homes and put into "boarding schools" (where they taught native that their culture and heritage was BAD, and that they were to act like white people.) i UNDERSTAND why it is so controversial for him to mention him being mixed tribe, especially without proper certification. but he of all people would know his history.

he even has a tattoo for his great grandmother, whom he was very proud of.

people quote a blog that has no validity, has broken links, and most of the links they DO have are to other blogs with no validity to them in an attempt to "disprove" that he's cherokee. they link people who arent related to johnny, and its all a big stretch to try to prove he's "lying".

WHY IS THIS RELEVANT?

because johnny depp has been accused of misappropriating native american culture, time and time again.

so with all of this, do YOU think johnny was racist?

[kitsu-katsu]

About revived (by Derivakat)

(Disclaimer: Nothing against Derivakat, I think her songs are amazing in general and she's very talented, I simply have a bone to pick with these lyrics and characterization)

So um, here's my counter to some of the lyrics because fuck it, I'm tired and fueled by spite, let's go:

Let's start with the chorus:

"White streak in my hair but no stress now" - Funnily incorrect, cc!Wilbur confirmed that the white hair is from stress itself, it's not about the revival process alone. Also just by reasoning, I cannot imagine what might have been stressful about spiralling and believing that the world is out to crush you, believing that you're the scum of the Earth as well, only to die, spend 13 and half years in dark isolation and then being jolted back up to life missing huge chunks of information, really cannot fathom how that might be stressful /s

"I've seen hell, but this is a bit more my style" - True you know? It's awesome that he's said that he's over the moon about being alive again after spending 13 and a half years of pure isolation in the dark, screming until his throat was hoarse. But coming from the tone of it, I'd like to point out that Wilbur's also still passively suicidal and self harms (check out the part under "He doesn't love TNT, he self-harms with it" in this post)

"A decade of time to make everything mine" (also counts for "This is my sunrise, this is my dawn, this is what I've waited for all along. All of this time, all this is mine. MINE. MINE. MINE!")- Honestly, based on what he's been doing, no prejudices, forget everything fandom's said: he doesn't really seem to want to "make everything his", does he? This perception mostly comes from him saying "This is my sunrise, this is mine!" in the original revival stream, however, if you forget about common fandom perception, what's so evilly framed about a guy who spent 13 and a half years of isolation in the dark saying "this is my sunrise!" after watching the sun coming up again for the first time since his death, in which he was extremely emotionally unstable? Like for real?

Now onto the verses:

"Am I the bad guy? I'll be the bad guy again" and "I've come back hell-bent" - Now, he has said that: “Here’s the thing, Tommy. I, I, I, I know I was bad, and I know I can redeem myself, but like, you know, there’s a little bit of fun in being bad, you know, we’ve spoken about this.” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 11:31, 5th May), BUT, since then he's also expressed genuine remorse for his worse actions during Pogtopia (check out the parts under "He really regrets what happened in Pogtopia" and "Wilbur cares. A LOT" in this post), a wanting to redeem himself and truly become better and... uh... OH! He's also admitted that he's afraid he scares people and cried when Ranboo said that he was "an alright person". For real, just watch the Healthy Competition stream and read this reddit post by cc!Wilbur

The reddit post in question, just in case:

"You think I cared? It was always a means to an end" - So false. Just... so false. Ok, so quick one, let's review the actual lines said originally about him "not caring for L'manburg" in full:

“Uh, one thing, I didn’t actually really care about L'Manberg, I just cared about, you know, sticking it to the man. Actually, I cared about L'Manberg for the sole reason that I could use it to stick it to the man.” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 24:18, 5th May)

“Look, I- Okay, I said it wrong. Look, I did care about- I did care about L'Manberg, but I cared about it for- You would call it the wrong reasons, but I, I- Just don’t think about it, don’t think about it too hard. Look, L'Manberg’s gone now, we’ve got that, you know- That, that wart on my side is gone, you know. I salute it, I salute it, you know, it was a great- It was a great place.” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 25:18, 5th May)

“Look, Tommy, I’m gonna reiterate for you once more because I don’t think you quite understood, and that’s okay, you know, you don’t need to understand everything. I did care about L'Manberg. I did, I did. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, Tommy. L'Manberg would have been as loved by me had it been called Bimbum and was built in the middle of the desert.” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 26:05, 5th May)

“The actual location, and the actual things it was, it were, were not important to me. It’s the thing it stood for. Which was freedom, liberty, and sticking it to the man, Tommy!” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 26:26, 5th May)

“We were a family, Tommy. We were…” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 27:26, 5th May)

So as you may see, he retracts himself immediately and explains his feelings with more nuance

Then, let's look at the more recent confession to Ranboo:

“I told Tommy that I didn’t actually care about L'Manberg, and that it was just like a tool for me to use to gain like, you know, power and stuff. But it’s not, it’s not true.” - (Wilbur’s A Year Later: 26:36, 3rd Aug)

“L'Manberg is- was really important to me. And it is still to this day.” - (Wilbur’s A Year Later: 26:47, 3rd Aug)

“I want it to, em, I want its history to live on not as a stain caused by me, you know. I basically just took a big shit on the history books, it feels like. I wanna, I wanna make it, I wanna make it feel like it was, you know, it was something that happened. You know, it was a great thing, you know, think of the good times. The- The years of safety. Well, not years, but you know.” - (Wilbur’s A Year Later: 26:47, 3rd Aug)

If this got more explicit I'd be literally hitting you over the head with it. Anyway, check out the parts under "Wilbur cared. A LOT" and "He really cared and cares about L'Manburg, and didn't want its ideals twisted to hur others with" in this post

"So who cares? So what? I'm not calming down" and "Shut up! And listen" - “Tommy, shut up! I mean, Tommy, come over here. Tommy, come over here, come over here, man. It’s cool, it’s cool, it’s cool. Sorry, I, I-” (Alivebur)

– (Wilbur’s A Deck of Cards with a Green Smile on them: 26:08, 31st May)

That line's totality gets often cut down, erasing the immediate apology after the loss of cool. Furthermore, I'd argue that him "not calming down" in general is mainly due to his euphoria and overexcitement during certain scenes where it makes complete sense for him to be feeling like that, and in a broader sense, he has a tendency to say things in the heat of the moment and out of impulsivity that he turns to later regret from all the way back at Pogtopia. Him not calming down now is either out of impulsivity or outright euphoria to be out of limbo, not necessarily an evil thing. And when he percieves he should calm down, he tries his best to do it, or apologizes for snapping

“I’m sorry I wasn’t, you know, entirely on the same page. But, man, I promise you, I’ve calmed down, you know, I’m all, I’m all settled in. I understand, you know, what’s changed, what hasn’t, who’s new, who’s old, you know, who’s still about, you know, who… Who, uh… uh… Who trusts me and stuff.” - (Wilbur’s A Year Later: 15:04, 3rd Aug)

“I relived that explosion in my head so many times man. And, and, and I- I get that you don’t, you don’t trust me, I do, but like, man, look at me, bro, I’m not gonna do it again. I’m not gonna- I’m not gonna hurt you again.” - (Wilbur’s A Year Later: 21:21, 3rd Aug)

(Check out the parts under "Wilbur cares. A LOT", "Paranoia and distrustfulness are integral parts of his character", "Self-loathing and self-sabotage are also integral parts of his character", "He hesitated regarding the button tons of times" and "He feels inhuman. He knows that people see him as a freak, evil or crazy and that makes him feel dehumanized" in this post)

"There's nothing wrong with me" - BUDDY. Wilbur drowns in self-hatred, what are you talking about? The man got caught off guard and cried when someone said "you're an alright person"... He's worried that he scares people, he knows how others see him on top of his own self-hatred

“TommyInnit, as you know, is just, he thinks I’m insane. I’m not insane, chat, I’m not insane.” - (Wilbur’s The Festival: 4:30, 16th Oct)

“See, I’m not so crazy, Tommy. I know what I’m doing.” - (Wilbur’s The Festival: 16:40, 16th Oct)

“I’ve told you, I’m not crazy, Tommy. I know what I’m doing, and this is genuinely the best thing we could do right now.” - (Wilbur’s The Festival: 17:18, 16th Oct)

“I’m not crazy! How am I crazy?!” - (Wilbur’s Speedy Stream Festival What festival: 43:18, 17th Oct)

“Everyone I seem to meet has this deep intrisnic feeling of disgust towards me. Jack Manifold seemed to be quite nice to me, but I reckon he, I could feel it, you know, in his stare. But like, you don’t have that. I can tell you’re a good guy.” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 30:24, 5th May)

“Quackity, I’ve, I’ve, I’ve, I’ll be honest you with you, I’ve lost everything, man. I, um. I’ve lost decades of my life. I’ve lost my- most of the people who cared about me. Some people don’t even know I’m back yet, and I, and I think that’s probably for the best. So I feel like that does humble a man. That really humbles a man, you know?” – (Wilbur’s A Deck of Cards with a Green Smile on them: 1:00:52, 31st May)

“Listen, Phil, I met, I met Quackity. After you very kindly lent me your house. I went and met him. Yeah! I met up with him, and I hadn’t seen him in ages. It was, I’m gonna say it, it was nice. It was a nice time. I- I- It felt good, it felt, uh, you know, he didn’t, he didn’t seem afraid of me, which is cool.” - (Wilbur’s Healthy Competition: 7:38, 25th July)

“Not many people do. I mean, Phil, you don’t seem afraid of me, you’re not afraid of me, are you, Phil?” - (Wilbur’s Healthy Competition: 8:03, 25th July)

“Good, good. 'Cause I’m not afraid of you.” - (Wilbur’s Healthy Competition: 8:10, 25th July)

“Why? Why? … No, no, no, no, no, not the, not the bit about the, not the bit about the right foot, the why don’t you think I’m a bad person?” - (Wilbur’s Healthy Competition: 35:13, 25th July)

“Can I be real with you, man? I think I scare people.” - (Wilbur’s Healthy Competition: 36:30, 25th July)

“I mean, like I, I, I, I don’t think I, I- I think a lot of people share your idea, but they share your idea in trying to- trying to keep me from hurting them, you know? Like they’ve seen what I can do, and they don’t want me to do it again, so they adopt your emotion in order to do it.” - (Wilbur’s Healthy Competition: 36:46, 25th July)

“Dream is- He’s had his comeuppance, and I have not! My comeuppance was apparently not good enough for this people. They’re just waiting, they’re waiting for the next thing for me to slip up on, and, Ranboo, I’m not gonna fucking slip up, Ranboo. I’m different.” - (Wilbur’s Healthy Competition: 38:07, 25th July)

“I’m living in eternal limbo, again. I’ve been through limbo, I’m out of limbo, and socially, I’m still in this limbo.” - (Wilbur’s Healthy Competition: 38:36, 25th July)

(Check out the parts under "He feels inhuman. He knows that people see him as a freak, evil or crazy and that makes him feel dehumanized", "Paranoia and distrustfulness are integral parts of his character" and "Self-loathing and self-sabotage are also integral parts of his character" in this post)

"Oh yes, I blew up the nation!" (said with glee) - I make a point of the tone in this specific line, because I could make a point of the tone in the whole song, but this line is a good example. He didn't blow up L'manburg just with glee like "hell yeah! I did it!". Of course he talks about it with pride sometimes, but it's usually either said in the middle of the same impulsive moments in which he'd claim he doesn't care, said with relief of him having control over at least that situation (like him sighing right after doing it just to ask Phil to finish it off by killing him), or said with the same deflection with which he'd claim that not having a grave didn't affect him and was badass actually since he only wanted it for the hateful obituaries anyway (which was a lie, and he admitted it on the third of august stream when saying "I was so pressed about not having a grave" in case you had doubts)

Finally, I want to make emphasis on the fact that: The explosion on the 16th had two main drives behind it and they often get glossed over. The first objectivee was blowing it up and causing just enough destruction to get L'manburg back (You know, when Wilbur still had some kind of hope). After his spiral went further and his paranoia and self-loathing worsened, his two drives become apparent: First was blowing it up to rid the world of the twisted thing L'manburg became, ridding the world of what the twisted version of his ideals became with Schlatt in control of them. Secondly, he wanted to end L'manburg as a part of himself and rid the world of himself completely (by this I'm referencing his suicide), he decided he wanted to die and expected that as a result since a lot of time before the 16th. The explosion was effectively a bigger projection of his suicide, rid the world of both himself and his creation, mixed with his constant desire to protect, it also becomes "rid the world of the corrupted version of L'manburg that became Manburg", because for all intents and purposes, since the important thing about L'manburg was its founding ideals, L'manburg had been dead for a long time at that point.

“Yesterday I had the perfect opportunity to blow everything up and finally end it, you know. I had the perfect opportunity to finally blow up everything and end it and just completely save everyone, right, from the tyranny of Schlatt and the tyranny of the existence of Manberg and L’Manberg, right.” - (Wilbur’s Speedy Stream Festival What festival: 25:17, 17th Oct)

“Explain it to me! Give me a reason! Give me a reason!” - (Wilbur’s Speedy Stream Festival What festival: 26:50, 17th Oct)

“Who else is it gonna hurt?! It’s gonna hurt Schlatt, Manberg, and-” - (Wilbur’s Speedy Stream Festival What festival: 26:55, 17th Oct)

“Why did I bring- I should have just done it. I’m such a fucking showman. I should have just done it.” - (Wilbur’s Speedy Stream Festival What festival: 27:18, 17th Oct)

“No you two can escape, I’ll be the… I’ll- I’ll- I’ll be… I’ll be trapped in here…” - (Wilbur’s Speedy Stream Festival What festival: 27:27, 17th Oct)

“I just- I just want to f… I just wanna end it, I wanna end it. I wanna press that button, man.” - (Wilbur’s Speedy Stream Festival What festival: 28:08, 17th Oct)

(Check out the parts under "Wilbur cares. A LOT", "Paranoia and distrustfulness are integral parts of his character", "Self-loathing and self-sabotage are also integral parts of his character", "He hesitated regarding the button tons of times", "He really cared and cares about L'Manburg, and didn't want its ideals twisted to hur others with", and "He really regrets what happened in Pogtopia" in this post)

[hyperfixation-hideout]

As a former frequent RWDE poster who had to leave because of the harassment I was getting for my criticism: The anti-RWDE crowd don't care, they are deliberately tagging their stuff in such a way that the RWDE tag picks it up so that they can vaguepost in plain sight.

I have gotten the vibe (albeit unfounded) that some people might be doing that intentionally. That's why I made the psa post - so the people who do see it and care will know, just in case. I did think it was possible I'd get a reply telling me "it's on purpose lol stop victimizing them" or something. However, I know some of the people I've seen posting in anti-rwde, and they're genuinely kind people, so I made the little psa in hopes they'll see it, too. And it's been taken well so far!

I'm sorry to hear you were getting harassed. That sucks and I'm sorry you don't feel comfortable talking about rwby transparently. I see it all too often and it's part of why I haven't posted RWBY videos in a while (I have multiple abandoned drafts bc I got worried my tone or word choice could be taken as hate instead of passion). It's possible there are people in the anti-rwde crowd who won't care, who are doing it on purpose (I hope not, but this is the internet), and who actively want rwde users to see their insults. I can't do anything about that, really, and I don't want that kind of person - the kind who goes into a tag with the sole purpose of bashing the people in there indiscriminately so they're all forced to see hate - following me.

I figure if I have followers like that, they'll see my post and leave. And if followers of mine who post there read my tags/response on that post and rethink some things, great! Benefit of the doubt, y'know? I totally understand how bad experiences with members of a group can sour one's perception of that group, and in that case staying away is often healthy.

But I used to think rwde was inherently hateful, and I bought into all the things I was told by people I know in the fndm of what rwde users think, that they're all haters of the show who just want to ruin fans' fun and insult people for enjoying rwby. I fully believed that at face value. All it takes from there is one or two examples supporting it and it's easy to conclude that's the truth, so I did. And if I can take in new information to rethink an opinion and grow from it, so can others :)

It's a similar thing I want to avoid here, thinking of all who post in anti-rwde as the same, with the same information and intentions and opinions. I don't feel great about the tag's existence in general, but setting that aside I know those are people behind it. Based on the response to my little psa alone you can see that some either lacked full context or hadn't thought about it that way, but didn't have malicious intent, either, and are rethinking some things. If I think a group is being hateful and asserting things I find morally wrong, I won't think of it as morally wrong to antagonize them or post about them in their tags. If I didn't have the info and experiences I do now, I could see myself hypothetically being enticed by the idea of antirwde. It's easy to fall into mentalities of defensiveness/offensiveness and hard to get out of. Everyone's guilty of it at some point.

I'm just glad I happened to dig a little deeper and see something different than I'd believed to be true. Others may not want to do that because they'd rather avoid what makes them uncomfy, and that's okay too! (As long as they're self-aware about the limitations of their experience and as such don't spread hate about it) The problem I have is when people act with the goal of making someone else feel shitty or insulting their character, not for any specific opinion or belief, but for the very act of disagreeing. So the terminology of anti-rwde rubs me the wrong way, but I don't think the people using it are all intending "anti-discussion." I don't like the idea of it in general, but at least if it's tagged "antirwde" people can blacklist it, just like people can blacklist rwde. It's a pretty small group of people posting there, so I'm just hoping it doesn't spiral into something huge flooding the tag. We'd never be able to read a post in there again 😭

TL;DR: Maybe some of them are. But maybe some of them aren't. And maybe some of them are but might change their minds with new info and perspectives. I did. So I'll just hope to reach the people willing to be reached and distance myself from those who aren't.

[tequiladimples]

I hope this doesn't come off as rude, but I saw that you dislike when collision is branded het cause you're not het, but no one's talking about you personally? like for me, I really like collision but I can understand the criticism in a way and that isn't an attack on you (or an attack at all lol). again hope I'm not rude but idk it seems unnecessary to get upset, it's better to take it as constructive criticism

sigh i don't think ur rude but it simply isn't constructive.

look i’ll talk abt this one more time n then i Beg we can put it to rest! (this is gna be a lot of word vomit but if i'm elaborative now i hope i won't have to talk abt this ever again)

i’m deeply insecure abt many aspects of collision. i don’t really keep that a secret. i also know some ppl don't like fantasy, some ppl don't like the kinds of dynamics i like, some ppl don't vibe with my style of writing (hell, i barely vibe with my style of writing). those things are fine. i can't control that and i don't take that personally. the reason why this is the one critique i do take personally is because it genuinely presumes wrongful, harmful things about me and my values, especially when i've made deliberate efforts to avoid writing the exact flavor of fic they're accusing me of having written. just because people don’t mean for what they say to reflect back on me, doesn’t stop it from doing so.

the thing about calling something a “het fic” is that the term brings along certain connotations which i don’t stand by at all and feel deeply uncomfortable and distraught to possibly have created. i’ve gone over this godforsaken story again and again just to be absolutely sure i didn’t actually do so. when people say “het fic” they generally don’t mean “boy meets girl and they fall in love”, they mean “super rude and mean boy meets uptight virtuous girl and makes her fall in dependence with him through manipulation and treating her like shit until she behaves how he wants.” and that is straight up not the fic i wrote. i’m not stupid. i know the dynamic i went with is widely and easily misused and there’s a lot of fiction depicting really bad, uneven, unhealthy relationships through it. i knew this going in, and i’ve tried persistently to avoid making those same mistakes. 

skipping over the fact that they’re both boys (bc duh)--harry doesn't exhibit any real manipulative power over louis. collision harry is a grumpy, fruity little nerd who happened upon a really unfortunate lot in life and managed to trick himself into believing he's evil for like half a second of the story and his resolves crumble like a danish pastry the moment he receives his first hug. he's kind of aloof and arrogant, and understandably hardened from his past, but he's not bad. he's just lost. that's the basis of his character arc. now on the other hand, louis has harry wrapped around his finger starting like chapter 4. harry’s the one who opens up emotionally first, harry’s the one desperately seeking louis’ approval and caring about his opinion, harry’s the one who makes himself vulnerable continuously throughout the entire story. the only time louis makes himself vulnerable on a comparable scale is during the smut scenes, and even then, harry is gentle and attentive and puts louis first. louis is less experienced than harry in that area, but he isn't scared or intimidated by harry, and he has full reigns of the progression and nature of their relationship as a whole. that’s kind of how it needs to go with tough x soft dynamics for the power balance to not feel uneven, and i wrote the story accordingly. if you then happen to still be so blindly determined to associate soft/small with weakness (and thereby uh, womanhood ig) that you still felt like louis had an inferior position to harry solely because he is indeed soft/small, that sounds quite frankly like a you problem.

now, the whole point of louis’ character is that he’s underestimated. sure, he’s naive and self-centered and sheltered from the real world--that’s the basis of his character arc. those things all change. but louis isn’t ever weak. like idk who apparently needs to hear this but you can be small and simultaneously not be a pushover. the two aren’t mutually exclusive. there isn’t a single time louis takes shit in this story, especially not from harry; he gives back as good as he gets every time. oh! and then he literally saves the entire universe and the execution of that whole thing was his idea alone. i tried really hard to underline how strong-willed and full of grit he is to contrast what others think of him. if you think he’s portrayed as a meek and frail damsel, you missed the point. once again, i feel like we circle back to this misconception of louis being kind of naive and physically small = louis being inferior = louis being female. just do some soul searching.

(i could also get into the fact that for a bunch of people who don’t know these boys personally (no matter how much we like to think we do), this fandom is weirdly opinionated about characterization. especially regarding sexual stuff. i know creating a version for ourselves of who we think these boys are based on things we recognize in ourselves or things we find endearing is part of the comfort with loving them. but that doesn’t really equate to actually knowing them, and besides, this is fan fiction; no one’s opting to write a biography, anyway. being experimental and explorative and putting different aspects of their personalities in different lightings is what makes fic fun. if someone’s writing harmful or one-dimensional characters, that’s one thing, and preferences is again whatever floats your boat. but the “out of character” argument feels mostly really strange to me. this is a bit of a tangent, though.)

lastly, the thing is that i will and i do take it personally if someone insinuates that a character--a gay character--that i, a lesbian, construed is a secret vessel for expressing heterosexual attraction. if someone calls louis a “self-insert”, that does reflect back on me. and to elaborate on that--i don’t particularly love to bring it up, but it's quite disheartening to pour personal PTSD experiences into a character and rly put effort into doing it right and justice and underline growth and healing, just to find out people disregard all that completely in favor of declaring that my self-projection lies in the attraction to a man--which is to say, the one thing i couldn’t possibly feel more estranged from. it's so incredibly tactless. i feel thoroughly whiny at this point but how is that not supposed to make me a little sad?

anyway. none of this is to say that you can’t dislike or critique collision. you can. sometimes ppl don’t like things. but i hope i’m clear about where i’m coming from with my discomfort now. people’s preferences and dislikes are indeed not mine to be hurt by, but these things are. this definitely got unnecessarily long and i probably look like i take myself unbearably seriously (i promise i don’t), so i’m sorry. but at least i've said everything now, and if i encounter this sort of rhetoric in the future, i have something to redirect people to. also anon, none of this is directly pointed at you, i know you mean well. take care <3

[traincat]

I hope this doesn't come off as argumentative because I'm genuinely just trying to learn (though it's ofc not your responsibility to teach me so I understand if you ignore this ask!). I know v little about St. Patrick as well as judaism in practice (theologically, I know quite a bit about judaism) but why is it wrong to put Ben on St. Patrick's merch? my understanding is that nowadays hes more associated with Ireland and Irish pride than christianity? Sorry if this is dumb, just trying to learn!

Okay, so it turns out you can still by this shirt! I’m not suggesting anyone does, but for the sake of transparency, here’s the link to it at Kohl’s. And here’s the shirt!

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A kelly green shirt featuring a lighter green screenprint of Ben “the Thing” Grimm from Marvel Comics. He has his fists raised and is surrounded by a shamrock banner.] 

I think this is an interesting ask, and thank you for sending it, because it demonstrates that a lot of holidays with Christian roots have very much moved into this kind of “secular grey area”, particularly but not solely within the United States, where I really don’t think they belong. St Patrick’s Day especially has a reputation within the US as being less about the saint himself or even Ireland or Irish pride and more about a bunch of people having an official day where it’s slightly more socially acceptable to be drunk in public. So there’s a market for St Patrick’s Day merchandise because if you’re going to get drunk in public like that you might want to wear something that says It’s Okay, I’m Celebrating! And hence the “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” shirts and hats (worn often by people who are not Irish) and the above Shamrock Thing shirt. I’m not Irish for the record -- a little Scottish on my dad’s side -- but I think the history of Irish immigrants in the US is very interesting, and that there’s parallels to explore there between Ben being from a family of Jewish immigrants on the Lower East Side with the experiences of Irish immigrants in New York, but I don’t think putting Ben Grimm on a shamrock shirt sold at Kohl’s for $20 is the way to get into that. But St. Patrick’s Day is a Catholic holiday, and no amount of secularly getting drunk in public erases that, so it’s very weird for me to see a Jewish character front and center on holiday merchandise for a holiday that he has no cultural connections to -- and for a holiday that originates with a group responsible for a good deal of the oppression and antisemitism Jewish people face. It’s an erasure of Ben as a Jewish character because Marvel would rather have some quick holiday merchandise cash and personally I do find it pretty offensive. Ben is also not Irish, to briefly remove religion from it altogether, so he’s a weird choice of character clearly chosen due to overall popularity and recognizability rather than any sort of representation approach. Peter Parker, who is likely half-Irish on his mother’s side (and I think believe May canonically comes from a family of Irish immigrants) belongs on a St. Patrick’s shirt before Ben does.

Also I think this is potentially a weird orange joke? Because Ben is orange, but he’s colored green on this green St. Patrick’s Day shirt. Here’s a quick article here about the history of wearing green vs orange on St. Patrick’s day -- suffice to say, it is ALL very Christian, and Ben is not Christian. (ETA: see @majorgenerally‘s comments in the notes for more information.) The fact of the matter is that in the US -- which I’m addressing not only because I live in the US but because Marvel Comics are based in the US and because Ben, in canon, lives in New York City -- we do live in a Christian culture, no matter how much that’s denied, and it’s very alienating for anyone who doesn’t practice or come from that culture. Any fictional figures unless otherwise noted are considered Christian by default -- suggest Peter Parker is Jewish on Twitter and sit back and wait for the inevitable vitriolic pushback -- and even our canonically Jewish figures, like Ben, get appropriated and put on Christian holiday merchandise. A Christian holiday can’t evolve fully beyond its religious roots because the religion is all around us in the US especially, steeped deeply into the culture. Ben Grimm doesn’t belong on a St. Patrick’s Day shirt just as much as he doesn’t belong on Christmas sweater -- and it’s erroneous to suggest that there are no religious implications to that merchandise just because some people celebrate the holiday separated from the religion. 

If Marvel wanted to put him on a shirt for a holiday about getting extremely drunk, Ben belongs on a Purim shirt, a Jewish holiday where you’re supposed to get so drunk you can’t tell the heroine of the story from the villain. We have holidays where a lot of people get drunk too! Like a whole lot of them! Give me Ben on a Passover shirt! I’m tired of the few canonically Jewish characters we have being appropriated for Christian holiday merchandise simply because it’s profitable. 

[angelinuhh]

how would you combat the krp issue properly? i'm not korean, but i am asian, and i have contacted some 'krp's' currently in the tags that seem intent on justifying their use of the tag and the exclusivity of asian fc's only despite how damaging it may be.

tldr; you’re probably doing everything right. 

i wish i were some sort of ... judgment god. and that what i have said and will say is both absolutely right and absolutely convincing.  and that i could do anything that would immediately obliterate the krp community and also end racism. but alas... 

below the cut is an explanation of my perspective and points that i hope will open up a conversation about this. also a bulleted list of things that you can do to be an ally. 

the sad truth is... i don’t know how to ‘combat’ krp’s properly. i don’t even think there is a proper way. 

the only thing i know is how i feel about them.  and i make the choice to be vocal about that--- not because i want minds to change or for there to be a call to action bc someone feels offended on my or anyone else’s behalf, but rather because i believe that people should be aware of the consequences and interpretations of their actions and i want to be a part of the dialogue on how people who look like me are portrayed and viewed in society.  (also bc i love the sound of my own voice and typing apparently)

if someone chooses to not be a part of the krp community, i really do hope it is not because i or anyone else was outraged about it. i hope it is because they genuinely do not support it and what it stands for and that they want to be an ally in the quest for diverse rp communities and ending racist/fetishistic behaviors, especially as targeting the asian community. 

i don’t think that i can force someone to change their mind about krps. there are plenty (i can literally name one whose behavior... continues to boggle my mind) of people who ‘have reformed’ and no longer use the krp tag or title that continue to write and portray asians as SHITTY uwu stereotypes. as an anon in my inbox is telling me, there are even krps that after addressing rps “surrounding the [tag] they use. they use the 'we're korean, so sorry you're offended!' excuse”. (as if people can’t have internalized racism or be of a community and still harm that community) 

some of these people will never change their mind at all. no matter what you say or tell them. like it won’t matter. that sucks and makes me so angry. and it can feel really personal and SO INCREDIBLYdiminishing. but i maintain that--- i can’t and don’t want to tell anyone how to feel or what to do (especially not another korean/asian person who disagrees with the stance i have taken, bc look... what makes me more or less valid than them. nothing.)

in my opinion, the only way things are going to change is by opening the conversation to the people we disagree with. show them the way we feel and the consequences of their actions. we can elevate voices and perspectivesto them. and stand our ground and promote the things we believe are important. 

this is all. very. like. basic. and self-explanatory. i’m not like coming up with a new idea. but that’s the only way i know how to “combat the krp issue.”

look, i don’t give a shit about apologies or take-backs. i don’t even really give a shit about the krp tag tbh. i think it’s inherently racist and it’s very frustrating, but what i care most about is how society sees people of color. and, in this case, i care about how asians in particular are viewed. and portrayed. and written. 

and the change i want to see is about more than “stop promoing/using/tagging krp”. its about-- realizing the prejudices that exist in that community, the consequences that come from the proliferation of the community and much... much more.

SO... WELL THEN, WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

i’m sure this needs to be said, because i get messages about it every time i say something about racism, but you can help regardless if you are asian or not asian, a poc or white. if you feel strongly about this topic or if you agree with me and the other people who have been uncomfortable by the existence of this genre, then please help if you feel like you can. 

here are a few examples of things that i am going to try to do in the future. you are welcome to join me. 

NOT join any rp that labels itself as a krp or rp with anyone who identifies as a krper

loudly NOT recommend krps (maybe even... not do shoutouts/promos/help for them).

if you’re going to take this stance, then make it clear. you can post it on your wid, if you receive an ask-- you can let them know, privately or publicly (pls do not dox anyone or ), where you stand and why. it will raise awareness about the topic. 

attempt to spot people and rps who are furthering stereotypes and often harmful misconceptions and do the same things. this includes anons. do not give awful people a platform in the names of letting everyone ‘state their opinion.’

this could be tricky, because they might not even call themself a krp--- but this is solely based on their actions.

approach these people and rps. message them. tell them how i feel about their actions. i personally find that these conversations are ten times better when not on anon. 

if i don’t feel comfortable doing this or i’m not sure if the rp/person is doing something wrong. approach someone else who does have more agency and authority in topic and ask for their perspective. talk it over with them. if you can, gather and provide evidence (screenshots...etc.), reasoning and more. 

when i am in a conversation with someone who disagrees with me and does not believe that krps are bad-- try to use reasoning that looks less like racism = bad! and more like these actions -> racist consequences. explain to them what exactly i view is wrong and why. once they know that their actions are racist, they can decide what to do with that information. 

elevate the voices of people who i believe have something good to say.

I DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING OR EVEN JUST... ANYTHING. i’ve started a tag about krp issues HERE so i can reblog/gather posts that i think are important and showcase good perspectives. hopefully, they will become more visible and have more of a platform with my help. 

i hope to involve koreans/other asians in the discussion as much as possible. in general, i believe we should not have a conversation about something/someone, without involving that thing/person. (even if they disagree with me.)

realize that i might be wrong about things. 

and this is a KICKER. bc... i do feel strongly about this issue. and many others.  but, while i can voice my own opinion, i also know that it is important that everyone in this conversation (on both sides of the debate) examine both the voices we are elevating and our place in the conversation. i am always making mistakes. i am not an absolute authority. as i get older, i’ve learned that my perspectives change and adapt ALL THE TIME. and that, while i want to stand up for what i believe in, everyone is similarly impassioned and arguments can quickly become unproductive. HOWEVER that still means that i’m going to...

STAND UP FOR WHAT I BELIEVE IN. 

don’t say sorry for doing something you believe wholeheartedly in. don’t do things halfway. hold people accountable. don’t let people say “i don’t rp in krps” and do everything that a krp does but just call it a different name-- and escape criticism. know that this isn’t going to easy fight or that this is ever going to end. but be vocal. and be visible. they can’t silence us.