#the media consumes me and not vice versa

[burningthetree]

Once again I lie in bed wondering, how are people normal about movies shows etc

[akkpipitphattana]

WAIT JENGPOK IS ALREAFY ESTABLISHED

[skylordhorus]

maaaaan i love getting on tumblr and seeing the most depressing nihilist takes

[infizero]

brain hungry feed it 300 PAGES OF UNDERTALE

[problematicbyler]

an incomplete history of byler sexuality discourse

and how widespread fandom purity culture and homophobia created a flourishing nsfw sub-fandom

some may call me chronically online, but i call myself a fandom historian. i've been a member of some fandom or another since i was about thirteen, and i've always been interested in the rise and fall of fandom discourse. though it's annoying in the moment it's happening, i think it's very interesting and telling to look back at the overall arcs and trends.

so, let's talk about the many times the fandom has cancelled people over byler sexuality, and how each level of "hornygate" has contributed to the growth of the proship/byler smut community.

(i use the term proship in its intended definition, which is to say, not "problematic shipping," but rather being pro-fiction, anti-censorship, and anti-harassment; it is a position of believing the fiction one creates or consumes doesn't reflect a person's real life beliefs or morals.)

i have been a stranger things lover since season 1, a byler shipper since season 2, and an active part of the byler community on tumblr since season 4. i'll mostly be focusing on post-season 4 discourse because that's what i've really been most present for and that was the period that really marked a turning point in the fandom.

seasons 1-3

i wasn't as plugged into fandom discourse back in the day, but the broad strokes of early discourse was mostly thinly veiled homophobia. claiming that it was sexualization to assume will or mike could be queer despite blatant queer coding, implying that analysts were no better than will's bullies to assume his sexuality, etc etc. people were criticized for shipping byler at all because they were so young (but these people naturally had no issue with mileven, so, again, homophobia).

season 4 (may-july 2022)

now, season 4. this is where byler was brought to the attention of a lot more fans, and stranger things' viewership reached wider than ever. the byler fandom on tumblr booms from 4k to 100k over the course of season 4's release.

this brought a lot of new people who have never been in fandoms before, people who never learned don't like don't read or your kink is not my kink and that's okay or ship and let ship.

or, a lot of times, people who had only been in fandoms for celebrities and bands, which tend to have different rules when it comes to shipping and sex, because they're real people. hence a lot of young antis' conflation of character with their actors, but that's a different rant.

so with a rapidly growing fandom, a show ripe for analysis, and the art of media literacy bleeding out on the ground in front of us, the hellscape of the fandom post-season 4 in 2022 followed as such:

august 2022

jo/kendra gate where two extremely popular analysts were called out for "sexualizing" byler while being adults (early to mid 20s). they were dogpiled and harassed because one of them said that will was giving mike "bedroom eyes" (he was) and one of them said mike was checking will out (he was):

pyshiie and moogate. the proship side of byler twitter rose up and started to divide itself. i'll credit my own joining-the-dark-side to pyshiie and moo, formerly barbjeanisms, who were two popular artists called out respectively for sexualizing byler and generally being proship. similarly, people were called out and criticized for even following or interacting with those accounts after this discourse.

september 2022

hosegate is the most famous across the byler fandom, and it's when some users proposed that the scene in the pizzeria uses phallic imagery to imply mike turns will on (or vice versa) and a lot of people thought that was too sexualized, it caused a divide, and more fanpolicing, etc.

october 2022

the artist noodlesandtea was harassed for having liked arguably nsfw bakudeku art (they were shirtless, it wasn't explicit) on the same account where they draw characters who are minors. they also drew byler kissing, which was a problem for some? anyone who defended them was also called a pedo, naturally. noodles also got called out for having drawn fanart of the popular e-rated fanfiction....

the unmarked mixtape. a massively popular sequel to a massively popular fic, the red envelope. for a long time, those were the most widely recommended byler fics, but it very soon became taboo to even admit to reading them because the sequel has explicit sex and the first has them making out.

sonnet116 gate is another fic that was beloved and then rapidly turned on by byler twitter because it had implied, fade to black sex scenes. it was about them hooking up but had no smut. and even the non explicit idea of that was offensive and pedophilic of anyone who dared read it. around this time, another fic was called out for having will moaning into a kiss, because writing a teenager moaning was also offensive and pedophilic.

i'm told i (jana / troublebyler gate?) may have influenced a lot of people joining twitter for byler smut after writing illicit affairs and some other smutty oneshots in rapid succession, seeing a lot of byler shippers moving to the proship side of the fandom just to discuss and write byler smut. i also hosted a little fandom gossip column on my curiouscat where a lot of folks confessed to reading or writing smut while pretending to be "normal" in the "main" fandom. it basically revealed/implied that a large amount of popular authors, artists, and accounts were secretly pro byler smut, and that many proshippers were "undercover" in the "main" fandom.

the blocklist era. around this time the "main" fandom also created a "st twt safety" account on twitter which was basically targeted harassment and mass reporting of proshippers. the account does warn of some genuine bad actors sending gore images via dms, being racist, etc. but by far, the majority of it was simply calling out proshippers for sexualizing byler, sharing screenshots they thought were "gross," which only resulted in spreading nsfw content to unintended audiences of minors that likely never would have seen the nsfw accounts otherwise.

november 2022

practice kissing gate is where a handful of popular fic writers were criticized for writing practice kissing fics (such as undertow), and in fact, any amount of byler making out, because adults "fantasizing" about teenagers kissing was "gross."

the proship corner of st twitter continued to grow a lot thanks to so many lovely fan creators, all of whom i couldn't possibly list but who have done a lot for the community! but we continued to get bombarded with endless callout posts and block lists and witch hunting. people were unabashedly policing people's following lists and likes on twitter to call people out for engaging with any questionable users or content. (if you search byler twitter now you can still see the wreckage of so many witch hunts.)

onward through 2023

over time things have mostly calmed down, or at least enough of the folks on "opposing sides" of the fandom have mutually blocked each other to survive. this is likely also influenced by the hiatus leaving the fandom to quiet down, the collapse of twitter-turned-x having many users migrate their fandom content elsewhere, and the mass exodus of many people from the fandom for political reasons. if i had to guess, the ramp-up to season 5 will see all new conflict as more "casual" fans return to the fandom. but who's to say.

which brings us to now:

spicybylerpolls gate, wherein the byler tag on tumblr collectively had to reckon with the fact that people want byler to have sex and it doesn't make them creeps to vote in silly polls about it. people criticized the blog for being overly sexualized and pure fantasy versus more "acceptable" analysis, with many making sweeping moralizing statements about anyone who dared interact with the blog.

this has kicked off tumblr's own sort of horny revolution in encouraging folks to be more open on here, whereas previously we were confined to our corner of twitter.

so in summary:

people over and over again put fan creators on a pedestal just to turn on them when they're "betrayed" when a person's views did not one-to-one line up to theirs.

teens in the fandom especially were "betrayed" by adults in the fandom they thought were "safe" (and i would argue that self proclaimed "safe" adults in fandom are far more dangerous to real life minors than the proship fans who sexualize fictional characters but dont interact with real teens)

most everything has been fueled by widespread ageism at any fan over the age of 18, widespread homophobia and puritanism in regards to exploring queer sexuality or discussing sex at all

so much hate has been over what are essentially "thought crimes", with people watering down serious accusations like pedophilia into a petty insult over disagreements on fiction

and the cycle repeats itself endlessly until things devolve back into witch hunting and policing peoples following and likes etc

the best part to me is that every single cancellation just resulted in more people flooding to the horny side of the fandom to post more freely and without shame. every time a person on twitter posted screenshots of my account to say how "gross" it was (while simultaneously exposing my 18+ nsfw content to their audience of minors) i had a surge in followers. the more the fandom squeezes, the more people slip from its hold.

but that doesn't make the harassment campaigns okay, and it doesn't mean the fandom didn't do massive amounts of harm to real people in an attempt to protect fictional characters.

my hope going forward is that the fandom can coexist as a community where people don't have to like or agree with certain content to treat the people who create it with respect and dignity. and i hope that, while this side of the fandom might grow more on tumblr, we don't have to relive the same old discourses and go through the same cycles we went through on twitter.

and remember kids, the block button is both free and fun.

[joseline-woodhouse]

I will stay in the Nevermore fandom.

I mean, I am not posting about it currently due to entirely unrelated reasons. But I'll come back to it.

The discord situation was a big mess from start to finish and people mess up in messy situations. That's normal. The apology wasn't great, but the kinds of flaws it contains have to me been a sign that red really is trying but is simply not made for PR work or mod work. They seem entirely overwhelmed by it and lack understanding of the priorities on these fields as well as their duties as a moderator/creating artist of the comic.

Leave if you must, no one is entitled to you giving them a second chance, but I think stepping back from mod work was the right decision here and we can all continue on now and see how similar issues will be handled in the future.

And for the love of god, can we stop comparing the situation to what's going on with JKR etc.? Y'all are comparing pub brawls to expansion wars. If these are the same level of bad, then no media is consumable anymore. No person is above messing up this way in a situation that is too big for them to handle. And I am glad, most people leaving the fandom don't seem to antagonise the ones who stay and vice versa. Speaks for a surprisingly mature and differentiated way to handle the divide here.

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buck & Eddie: An EXPLANATION (NOT AN EXCUSE) for the basketball incident

After rewatching different scenes included in 7x4, the basketball scene where Buck appears to ‘intentionally’ bump into Eddie which caused Eddie to be injured pissed me off.  It frustrated me so much that I wanted to figure out why the scene was included in the episode because they were playing a friendly game of basketball and there shouldn't have been any injuries.

Even though I’m not well versed in sports, I do know enough about them to understand tackling someone usually happens in U.S. football not basketball, so the full body contact wasn’t necessary if Buck just wanted to block Eddie’s shot (get it… Buck was trying to block Tommy’s shot with Eddie, it’s a double entendre 🤪😜).  The point is, I figured there had to be more to Buck’s behavior than him just being ‘jealous’ of someone he met like once a couple of weeks prior.  Also, I wanted to know why Buck didn’t immediately apologize to Eddie and I think I may have found the answer.

Full Disclosure: I do NOT condone violence of any kind in any instance because it’s unacceptable behavior no matter how it’s viewed!  It’s never the answer to a dispute and use of words can usually resolve a matter when there's a disagreement.  In this scene BUCK DID NOT DO THAT AND I HATED IT!  Therefore, his actions on the basketball court were unfathomable and it doesn’t matter if they were INTENTIONAL or not since he bumped into Eddie so hard that Eddie fell and injured his ankle.  He could have broken it or received a permanent injury from it, so IT WAS NOT OK!

Before I delve into my interpretation, please understand I don’t think Buck was fully aware and I hope he wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt Eddie.  However, I do think his actions were 70% subconscious and 30% conscious because he had to know on some level, that his actions were over the top especially since he told Maddie he didn’t like how he felt left out from Eddie spending time with Tommy after only two weeks.

THIS POST DOES NOT INTEND TO PROVIDE AN EXCUSE FOR BUCK’S BEHAVIORS, IT’S SIMPLY A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION FOR THEM.

Please note: these are my interpretations and observations of episode 7x4; therefore if someone doesn’t agree, it’s ok because two people can have different opinions and they can coexist.  One person’s opinion about a scene or an episode doesn’t have to be like someone else’s and it doesn’t make one person’s opinion right and the other’s wrong or vice versa.  Everyone consumes and interprets media differently and just because one person sees something one way and they liked it, it doesn’t make it so for someone else since everyone has different backgrounds and experiences.  Please try to use GRACE when reading other’s thoughts on a matter.

Now back to the regularly scheduled program…

Don’t read below the cut if discussions and interpretations of the shooting, Eddie’s breakdown or the basketball scene are triggering.

Before you start reading, please note, THIS IS NOT ABOUT OS!  HE’S THE ACTOR WHO PLAYS BUCK SO DON’T GET THIS POST TWISTED.  BUCK IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER AND OS IS A REAL PERSON.  NO ONE KNOWS OS PERSONALLY EXCEPT FOR THE PEOPLE HE ALLOWS IN HIS LIFE.

Another Reminder: before you read this please REMEMBER this episode was told from BUCK’S POV!

After carefully analyzing the basketball scene, I remembered something about Buck’s past.  Everyone who knows the character is fully aware that he doesn’t want to be left behind or abandoned again.  That's why it's important to note that in season 7, Maddie’s getting married to Chimney, Bobby and Athena almost died on the cruise and Hen and Karen are adopting a baby.  Everyone in their found family is moving on with their lives and IMO, when Buck realized Eddie had moved on too, he couldn’t handle it because Eddie’s supposed to ALWAYS be there. They have each other's backs and have had them since 2x1. But it seems like Buck forgot one thing, he pushed Eddie away in 6x15 with that BS line about Natalia seeing him and outside of work, they weren't spending time together anymore.

In 7x4, Eddie found a new friend (who wanted him but I’ll elaborate on that in another post) and he was having a great time going to fights in Las Vegas, spending time working on his cars and going to karaoke, basically he was doing the damn thing but Buck couldn’t handle it since Eddie and Chris are his FAMILY!  They’re the two people in his found family that are his but he’s either too scared to say something or I don’t even know what but the point is, he expects them to be there whenever he’s lonely and wants to cook some lasagna or something.  But this time they weren’t since Eddie moved on and Buck didn't know what to do about it (Hint: all he had to do was open his mouth and talk🙄). 

After I remembered the aftermath of the shooting and Eddie’s breakdown, I realized, in Buck’s mind, he thinks the only time he gets to be with Eddie in the way he wants to be with him (AS HIS HUSBAND) is when Eddie’s hurt (related post linked here) which is FALSE AND UNFOUNDED but in Buck’s mind, he doesn’t know that.  If this is his rationale, then he needs to go back to therapy because it’s not true.  Eddie added Buck to his will and named him to be Chris’ legal guardian but it appears he still hasn’t fully dealt with his abandonment issues yet and until he does, it's likely he won't be able to move past them.

Before Eddie found a friend with similar interests (which I thought was great) Buck got to be Eddie’s everything and he was Chris' other dad. He's never been a guest in their home and he's slept on their couch numerous times (related post linked here).

That was then and this is now since things changed in season 7 because it appears Buck started to believe his position in Eddie’s and Chris’ lives was in danger and that’s why he reacted the way that he did in 7x4.  He thinks the only time Eddie and Chris need him is when Eddie’s hurt and to prove my point, I’ve included two examples below.

In 4x14 (full video of the shooting linked here), after Eddie had been shot and he was in the hospital, Buck was at 4995 S. Bedford St. taking care of their son Chris while Eddie’s then girlfriend, Ana was sitting by Eddie’s hospital bed even though he was in a coma. 

Buck had full control of the house and he was fully responsible (with Carla’s assistance whenever he had to go to work) of taking care of Chris, making sure he went to school all while they waited for Eddie to wake up.  Make no mistake, Buck was sitting in Eddie’s chair at the dining room table.  He’s Chris’ other dad and has been for years.

In 5x14 (video linked here), Buck was literally living with Eddie and Chris after Eddie’s breakdown. He was taking care of the house and their son whenever Eddie went to therapy. He made sure Chris did his homework and he was waiting for his HUSBAND (EDDIE) to come home so he could cheer him up👀.

Chris called him in a panic and Buck rushed over to help.  Now, even though Buck had a girlfriend (whom he used to help him get information on how to help Eddie with Equine Therapy), he was literally staying with them to make sure Eddie and Chris both got what they needed.

Bonus points: Buck called Bobby (his found dad) to stay with Eddie so he wouldn’t wake up alone while he left to take Chris to school.

In 7x4, Buck tried everything he could to get EDDIE’S ATTENTION (it was Eddie’s attention he was seeking) but nothing worked since Eddie was so enamored with Tommy and all of Tommy’s toys (I’ll elaborate on this topic too in another post).  Buck was pissed so he encouraged Chimney to go to the basketball game with him but trust and believe Buck wanted to be there so he could see EDDIE!

It appears Buck was irrational and irritated and the more he saw the new bond between Eddie and Tommy, the more furious he became.

This is where things get messy because in Buck’s mind (reminder this is from his POV) it’s possible he thought that if he physically injured Eddie, he’d get his place in Eddie’s life back and he’d be able to play the role of HUSBAND (to Eddie) and DAD (to Chris) like he did in the past.

Buck truly believed Tommy was a threat to his place in Eddie’s life and that’s the reason why he reacted the way he did during the basketball scene.  The idea of him losing Eddie was real this time just like it was during the shooting and Eddie’s breakdown but there's ONE MAJOR DIFFERENCE.

EDDIE’S HAPPY!

He’s not hurting or pressing Buck to hang out with him and Chris because he went and found a life while Buck was entombed in his loft with the death doula.  It’s something Buck couldn’t process or comprehend since he wants Eddie to be there waiting for him.

Buck can’t fathom a life without Eddie and Chris because they're his family and trust and believe he’s never felt threatened by Ana or Marisol because he KNOWS Eddie’s not into them.  Reminder, he was the one who told Eddie to breakup with Ana instead of him trying to stick it out like he said he was going to do. 

Buck is HYPER aware of Eddie in every scenario which is the reason why he noticed Eddie's discomfort in 5x2 while Ana and Chris were at the firehouse. Also, he ignored Ana when they were there. He wouldn't even look at her. Buck's not bothered by Marisol either because if he was, he would have told Eddie in 7x1 to have her talk to Chris about women instead of asking him to do it.

When Buck’s facial expressions are examined, it’s easy to see he looks mortified at what he'd done to Eddie and the hints of their shared trauma from his past was mixed in too. 

This was especially true while Eddie was on the ground.

Bonus points: when was the last time Buck saw Eddie injured and lying on the ground?

Ding, ding, ding… THE SHOOTING!  Buck risked life and limb to save Eddie after he was shot in the middle of the street. And I believe he would have reacted differently if Tommy hadn't stepped in and said something that caused Buck to deflate.

Things were different this time because Eddie wasn’t shot but he was injured but Buck caused it and he wasn't able to fix it or save Eddie and take him home or to the hospital. Buck tried but Tommy shot his own shot which caused Buck to foul out of the game and by proxy he thought out of Eddie's life.

In the above GIFs, it’s easy to see how he wanted to reach out to Eddie but his hands wouldn’t move the same way he couldn’t touch him in 4x14 while they were riding in the back of the 133’s fire engine.

Before I end this post, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how Buck has hurt someone before; it wasn’t physical that time but it was emotional. 

BE CLEAR, I’m not a fan of Taylor Kelly’s and I’m not comparing him asking her to move in with him after he did a dumb thing (his words to Maddie in 5x13) with the way he injured Eddie.  But I am using this as an example to show his lack of comprehension regarding how his actions affect others and the way it continues to persist.

In 5x13, when he went back to the loft and she was sitting on her own couch, he said, “You think I trapped you” and she responded, “Am I wrong?”, his response was, “I’m not sure”.  I think on some level he did know since he was afraid someone else was going to leave him. Eddie wasn't at the 118 and Maddie, Chimney and Jee-Yun had just returned to Los Angeles.

Two years later, in 7x4, Maddie asked him, “You didn’t mean to hurt him (EDDIE), did you?”; he responded, “I don’t know”.   His response was very similar to the one he gave Taylor and on some level, I believe he does know since he was 'jealous' of EDDIE hanging out with someone other than him.

IMO, Buck wasn't able to get the emotional skills one usually obtains while they're growing up because of the raggedy Buckley parents since they emotionally abandoned him and Maddie.  He’s deathly afraid of losing those he loves but he can also be selfish with his presence whenever he gets to make things all about him.  Reminder, he admitted it to Eddie in 3x9 during his second apology about the lawsuit. He said, "I'm sorry I wasn't there Eddie. You and Chris needed me and I had my head so far up my own behind with that stupid lawsuit." He was able to fix it back then and there wasn't any other people like Tommy hanging around to get at Eddie.

Additionally, two more examples of the way he makes things about himself happened in season 5 when he was dating Taylor and they remained entombed inside of his loft.  They never went anywhere except for the separate trips they took to Oklahoma when she went to visit her dad in prison. It happened again with Natalia at the end of season 6.  Since he wasn’t visiting Eddie and Chris, it appears he was entombed in there again with her so there’s that.

Be CLEAR, Buck is 32 years old (not 30 like the show lied and said he was in 6x11 because he was 28 in season 3 (3x1 Maddie said it to Bobby and Athena) and he was 29 in season 4 (4x5 proves it when he said it himself to Maddie) and since MATH IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, it’s the same no matter where someone lives.  The fact is 2 + 29 = 31, therefore he was 31 in season 6 and he should be 32 in season 7). Buck should be able to express himself with words instead of acting like someone in middle school.  That’s possibly the reason why Maddie told him about the kerfuffle she had when she was 14 years old and told him not to act like someone that age.

The point of this post is Buck was/is afraid Eddie’s leaving him again but this time it’s different.  Buck had all but abandoned Eddie and Chris while he was dwelling inside of his loft with the dEaTh DoUlA and when he finally emerged after breaking up with her, he thought Eddie and Chris would be there waiting for him but this time they weren’t.  Eddie found a new friend and Buck felt left out so in his conscious and subconscious mind, he figured if he hurt Eddie, he would be the one there to take care of him like he’s done every time in the past.

But… Tommy stepped up and said, “I can take him because I brought him and there’s an urgent care near his house”.  If you look at the expression on Buck’s face, you can see he felt like it was over.  He’d finally done the one thing he thought he’d never do (even though he broke Eddie’s heart in 6x15 with his BS line about “She sees me”) but anyway, he didn’t have a leg to stand on anymore since Tommy was there for Eddie and he helped him by taking him to urgent care. 

I HATE THIS SCENE AND I WISH THEY HAD FOUND A BETTER WAY TO HANDLE IT.  I don’t like it when either of them gets hurt.

Finally, Buck needs therapy to deal with his inability to handle his emotions.  I know a lot of people want him to just move on from his traumas but the fact is he hasn’t and that's why he needs to get help to be able to learn how to process his thoughts instead of him just providing lackluster responses like, “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure”.

His behavior was inexcusable so HOPEFULLY, he’ll have to APOLOGIZE in CANON to Eddie who’s never intentionally injured him.

Will he apologize to Eddie for acting like a middle schooler in 7x5? Only the showrunner, writers, producers, actors and actresses know the answer to that question.

[slasher-smasher]

More Homelander thoughts

I literally just wrote this RIGHT as I got up this morning. (4 am kill me) this will probably not make sense.

As much as I would love to see Homelander come heh apart during sex, I think that him being introduced to the most simplest concept of skinship or experiencing intimate things that doesn't lead to hard core pound town would have the same devastating impact on him.

Like, ok bare with me and my sleep addled nonsense brain but I would like to just start off with just having him experience some cuddles. Maybe it's early in the relationship (firm believer he is demisexual like me!) and you guys are still getting to know each other and you notice how tired he is viscerally even if he is still plastering that smiley persona. So you offer your lap to rest his head and maybe watch a movie. He might be weary at first but when you start absentmindedly carding your fingers through his hair? Oh man. Everyone KNOWS how that man would melt. Madelyn knew what she was doing with this starved boy.

Next would be a little spicier and—more importantly—fun! I want that man to experience what I call "teenager moments" like pulling him into an empty room just to make out or sneak around maybe into restricted areas for more cuddles and kisses because you know he gets stressed and it's fun to see what you guys can get away with.

Now this is (personally for me) the most important part for him. As I mentioned above, I think skinship for this broken and insecure man would do wonders. The trust in you for him to even consider taking off the top of his suit let alone all of it at the same time would have to be deep.

I think the biggest thing he is sensitive about is his body image. I'd suggest little touches to his neck and maybe sliding your fingers a little under the sleeves of his suit to caress the skin of his wrists and (if you can) forearms bit by bit to get him used to having not only the feeling of other parts of him being touched but to know that you WANT to explore other parts of him. That you are not just there for self satisfaction and want to make HIM feel good. You want to feel his warm flesh under your hands —the beat of his heart, not the pads of the faux muscle that Vaught wants people to think he has.

This is that part where you would combine the intimacy of making out and cuddles with the extra step of removing an article of clothing. He would feel much better when you also remove your clothing. He hates feeling vulnerable.

With Vought shoving unrealistic media and propaganda down his throat since infancy, Homelander would immediately think naked = sex but you would have to convince him that you are not expecting sex. You have to show him that just feeling the skin of your partner against yours can be just as intimate.

You could be in his lap or vice versa and he would marvel in the sensation of having your chest pressed against his with no thickly padded barrier. Moaning into your mouth as you slid your hands down his shoulders and back.

This would be so cathartic for him. He was always expected to give and provide and act a certain way but with just the two of you sitting on the couch or bed, caressing each others skin. Finding small things like his ribs being sensitive or just enjoying the warmth and scent of your naked skin. He doesn't have to worry about fulling expectations. You love him.

Expect tears and sad little whimpers. This man needs a full blown naked cuddle session.

Sorry if this is just random ranting that makes no sense. I had to get this out or I would be consumed.

[imagionationstation]

It’s a tough situation because on one hand, I think it’s completely fair to criticize both 2012 and rise. Both shows have their own flaws, and it’s only natural that one person may prefer one show over the other. Someone who likes 12 doesn’t have to like rise, and vice versa. I think people are allowed to hate certain media, and express that hatred, even if they don’t have a reason/a good reason for it. Are they worth listening to? Well, that’s another question lol.

I also don’t think criticism necessarily means someone hates the show. I myself am critical of 12 BECAUSE I love the show so much. I love looking at analyses for any show, be it 12 or rise, that look at why a concept or idea didn’t work as well as it could have. And I have to remind myself that people who criticize the show aren’t coming after me personally (usually). That being said, most rise fans who criticize 12 either don’t like 12 or haven’t seen it (probably only consumed clips at most). And the evidence they provide (if they even provide it) is usually out of context clips where they miss the whole point of the episode. Which is rough. 

I do feel like the hate 2012 gets is disproportionate, but that could just be on tumblr. Tumblr users (and ao3 users by proxy, since they seem to share users?) seem to favor rise a lot. If you go on a site like the technodrome forums, they seem to be a lot more critical of rise. But then again, some of their content is not for everyone. While I don’t personally agree with everything everyone says on there, I do like seeing different people’s opinions. 

On the other hand, it’s so hard not to be up in arms when someone criticizes 2012, especially when I personally feel their claims are baseless and can easily be argued. I remember when it started to consume my thoughts, and that’s when I knew I needed to unplug. But I understand that you’re not really in a situation where you can do that. I’ve found I get the most enjoyment when I interact with fandom in small doses. Now, I just laugh at 12 hate comments and how absurd they can be. Seriously, some of them are so funny, I started compiling a list. It’s a lot easier for me to let comments slide now and remain unaffected, and I think you’ll get there too. Hope you’re doing well.

You’re not wrong about this:

I think it’s completely fair to criticize both 2012 and rise. Both shows have their own flaws, and it’s only natural that one person may prefer one show over the other. Someone who likes 12 doesn’t have to like rise, and vice versa.

And this:

I also don’t think criticism necessarily means someone hates the show. I myself am critical of 12 BECAUSE I love the show so much. I love looking at analyses for any show, be it 12 or rise, that look at why a concept or idea didn’t work as well as it could have.

I love 2012 but I still rant about how I dislike certain elements or episodes. And when I know I’m being objective and fair, I’ll touch on elements about RISE as well (pending decent research done). I never said that anyone had to like any TMNT series.

In fact, I think I said the opposite in a previous ask 🤔.

But I think you can usually tell if the criticism is objective or not.

Is this analysis or post saying, “These were bad concepts/ideas” or are they saying “This is a bad show” because there’s a difference.

There is a very big difference.

I think people are allowed to hate certain media, and express that hatred, even if they don’t have a reason/a good reason for it.

Well. Sure. Absolutely. They can experience a hatred for it.

But can they go around ranting about a hatred for something that they have not researched/watched/looked into reasonably?

No. No, they can’t. Or, rather, shouldn’t. That’s not fair.

This does not deserve to be allowed to continue:

That being said, most rise fans who criticize 12 either don’t like 12 or haven’t seen it (probably only consumed clips at most). And the evidence they provide (if they even provide it) is usually out of context clips where they miss the whole point of the episode. Which is rough. 

If someone, anyone, RISE fan or not, wants to hate on the 2012 show, then I hope they’ve recently seen a few seasons at the very least.

I really don’t think that’s an unreasonable expectation.

And I have to remind myself that people who criticize the show aren’t coming after me personally (usually).

Unfortunately, I have deleted Asks before.

People hate the show.

People are offended by people who like the show.

I don’t know how big of a creator you are or what you do, but I get all kinds of attention for the stuff that I make compared to the stuff I reblog. And I post a lot of opinions on how great the show is.

And, when Anon is a feature, people aren’t afraid to give thoughts.

I refuse to turn off Anon as a feature, however, because there are sweet, kind, but nervous Tumblrs who would want to use the feature.

On the other hand, it’s so hard not to be up in arms when someone criticizes 2012, especially when I personally feel their claims are baseless and can easily be argued. I remember when it started to consume my thoughts, and that’s when I knew I needed to unplug.

Do I need to unplug? Probably.

Should I just ignore the fact that baseless accusations have existed so long that the fandom is probably built upon them and looks toxic 24/7 because no one stands up for the sweet boys? Probably.

Am I tired of that being the standard? Yeah.

Will I cause trouble for speaking up? Probably.

Should I sit back and stay in my lane? Probably.

Am I any good at not ranting when upset? No.

It’s kinda what I built my entire blog upon. Essays and rants. So.

I just laugh at 12 hate comments and how absurd they can be. Seriously, some of them are so funny, I started compiling a list. It’s a lot easier for me to let comments slide now and remain unaffected, and I think you’ll get there too.

I suppose that should be the hope 🧐.

And maybe one day, I’ll get there.

But, I’ve been deeply invested for this long. May want to give me a few years to turn that corner. My brain can be a stubborn thing.

Hope you’re doing well.

You too! I hope you find some comments to add to your list <3

[sophiemariepl]

Okay, I know that I’m most likely gonna sound like a boomer, but hear me out:

Today’s HotD fans are a perfect example to me of what is wrong with a large proportion of modern audiences and the way people consume pop culture and media in general.

Ever since the premiere of the Season 1, I am becoming convinced that going beyond black-and-white perspective is… well, beyond capabilities of a growing number of folks out there.

Like, to so many of them it is either Team Black or Team Green.

Either Rhaenyra or Alicent. Or either Rhaenyra or Aegon. Either Daemon or Aemond. Either the Targaryens & the Velaryons or the Hightowers. Et cetera.

And once someone leans more to one side of the story, they just seem to idealize their team and completely demonize the other. Once you love Rhaenyra, she becomes the perfect heir, progressive and feminist, and Alicent becomes a cruel, back-stabbing b*tch and servant of patriarchy. And vice versa, once you prefer Alicent, she is a 100% victim of her circumstances with no agency whatsoever and Rhaenyra becomes a spoiled b*tch who is unable to make anything good out of her opportunities.

And it’s just so beyond the point for me.

People, this is not some football match where you pick your team and wish all the worst to the other.

It’s a fictional historical fantasy chronicle about a downfall of one of the greatest houses in the history of this universe. Nobody here is perfect to rule; in fact, every faction here is in one way or another bad and makes decisions that are just incompetent.

The whole point of George R.R. Martin writing about the Dance of Dragons story is to ask the question:

What happens when among all the heirs to choose from, none of them is good?

And let’s finally stick to that.

[daughter-of-sapph0]

the reason this website works while others fail is because the main dash is in reverse chronological order and only shows posts by people you choose to follow.

algorithms never work. a computer will never know what someone wants to see more than the actual person. it might give you some content that people can turn off their brains and consume for a few hours. but tumblr doesn't have "content". it doesn't have family friendly short form tiktok videos for people to scroll through for hours. it doesn't have arguments about petty internet drama where people tell each other to kill themselves for disagreeing like twitter does. like, sure those things can exist on tumblr but they aren't the main point of tumblr.

tumblr isn't content. it's conversations and art and writing and music and pictures and movies and experiences and people's lives being shared with their close friends. the reason this website works is because of the fact that their is no algorithm.

algorithms do not work for a website like tumblr. I only want to see the posts and reblogs from people I follow. the people I follow share similar interests to me and share and create posts that I know I will enjoy. even if there's a blog that posts one thing I really like, if the rest of their blog is stuff I have no interest in, I won't follow them.

staff says that the current model unfairly rewards popular blogs.

first of all, rewards them with what? clogged notification? that hardly seems like a positive, and I should know.

secondly, so what? no one cares if anyone is popular or not. follower counts aren't public. blogs don't get popular. certain posts get popular.

also thirdly, their solution to the "popular blogs" issue is to introduce an algorithm which will either:

just promote the posts of blogs with lots of followers, therefore making the "problem" they're trying to fix bigger

recommend posts from smaller blogs who do not want the attention and will end up getting "ew why am I seeing this garbage" on their personal vent posts

completely ruin the whole reason people follow tags and tag their posts in the first place and will end up thinking that non-fandom posts that aren't tagged from fandom blogs should be shown to people in that whole fandom (see point 2)

show posts to people who have no interest in them, such as showing posts about photography to people who only use tumblr to talk about video games, or vice versa

will end up promoting posts by fascists and terfs that staff still will not ban

the whole idea of an algorithm is a fucking stupid idea to implement on tumblr, and I hope that all the executives who decided to push for the idea get fired.

@staff @wip @changes @support this as a warning. no one on tumblr wants an algorithm. you can check the notes on your recent post, and it's all unanimous. people will leave this site en mass if you implement it.

you will not gain more users with an algorithm. anyone who would ever use tumblr has already jumped ship from twitter and reddit and tiktok. all those websites are currently failing because of poor executive decisions, and trying to make tumblr like them will be a death sentence. the only reason people join tumblr is because it isn't like every single social media website.

if new users wanted something similar to twitter, they'd join one of the dozens of twitter clones that will be shut down in a few weeks, like threads or bluesky or whatever the fuck they're called. people don't come here because they want twitter. people come here because they want tumblr. and an algorithm will fundamentally change and ruin what tumblr is

you will not gain users from an algorithm. but you will certainly lose them. it is a terrible decision that no one will like.

[samwisethewitch]

I know this isn't the theme of my blog but as 1.) a genderqueer person, who 2.) has a media studies degree, I want to talk real quick about JK Rowling, the idea of separating art from the artist, and why you literally cannot consume media created by JKR without contributing to real harm against real people.

First let's talk about Death of the Author, because I see a lot of people misusing it online. Death of the Author is a theory from postmodern literary criticism that basically says that an author's intentions and personal beliefs shouldn't impact how readers interpret their work. Basically, this means that the author's own interpretation of the work is just as valid as any reader's interpretation, and vice versa.

Critics who subscribe to Death of the Author believe a work should only be judged by what actually appears in the text, not by what the author later claims it "really meant." So if, for example, an author becomes radicalized after publishing her books and later claims that her racist, pseudo-fascist villains were secretly a metaphor for trans people, Death of the Author would tell you that interpretation is utter bullshit and doesn't magically become canon just because the author said it.

I see a lot of people online equate Death of the Author with the concept of "separating art from the artist," but these are separate concepts. Death of the Author just means that the author's own interpretation of their work isn't any more valid than the audience's. Separating art from artist means we as an audience can appreciate a person's artistic achievements without condoning all of their actions and beliefs. So, for example, I can appreciate that HP Lovecraft revolutionized horror fiction while also acknowledging that he was horrifically racist -- and me condemning his racism doesn't change how influential his work was.

Setting aside that there's a huge debate over whether it's even possible to separate art from artist, the main difference between HP Lovecraft and JKR is that Lovecraft is dead and has in fact been dead for so long that his work is in the public domain. That means no matter how many times I read his work, watch films based on his stories, or talk about his role in the history of modern horror fiction, he doesn't make a penny. Whether I engage with his work or not does not change the fact that Lovecraft is dead and is not getting any money from me.

JKR very much is making money off people engaging with her work, and she's openly using that money to hurt people. (See here, here, here) As long as she's raking in Harry Potter dollars, she is going to keep turning around and funneling them into hate.

I don't want this post to get too long, so here's a quick rundown of some of the defenses I've seen and why they don't work:

"I only watch the movies on streaming services! I've already paid for the subscription, so it doesn't matter what I watch with it." That's not how streaming services work. Streaming services track views to determine what content is worth throwing more money at. This is why "hate watching" makes no sense. Streaming services don't care if you like what you watch. They only care about how many viewers it brings in, and if something gets a lot of watchers, they're going to renew contracts, greenlight sequels and spinoffs, and give more royalties to the creator.

"I only watch the movies when they run on cable." Again, not how this works. Like streaming services, cable networks track views to determine what programs are bringing in the most viewers. The reason these networks run the HP movies so often is because they know people will tune in to watch, which makes them more money. They're going to keep paying for rights to run these movies until they stop bringing in viewers.

"I checked out the books from my library! I thought we were supposed to support our local libraries!" In general, yes, libraries are great, but they also operate on supply and demand. That means if books are consistently checked out and have a long wait list, the library is much more likely to order new copies to meet the demand.

"I grew up on Harry Potter."/"It's my favorite book series."/Other appeals to nostalgia. Thankfully, the HP books genuinely don't actually do anything that hadn't already been done well, if not better, by other authors. If you're craving fictional wizard schools, allow me to recommend Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett and A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin.

Last but not least, I want to remind everyone that JKR also publishes adult fiction under the pen name Robert Galbraith. Don't buy, rent, or borrow Galbraith books either.

[phykoha]

Hi, sorry for how awkward this is going to sound but I have no idea how else to word it

I really like your art and I started following you because of rottmnt and more specifically your future mikey art

It inspired me to go back into drawing and I have been practicing and mostly drawing fanart for rottmnt

But recently I started to notice that the way I draw future mikey is very similar to how you do it

I'm not consciously trying to copy your art nor your art style but I need to know: how much are you comfortable with someone being so inspired by your art that they start seeing similarities in their own drawings?

Again, I'm sorry for the awkwardness of it all

sjgvgdvjfs I am a firm believer that art style theft isn't a thing. Art styles shift and change constantly, and they're molded by the media you consume.

As long as you're not trying to pass your art off as mine or vice versa, I really don't mind. I think it's so cool that I can inspire you enough that your art has started to look like mine! lord knows I've copied how other artists draw things tons of times before, whether intentionally or not. So it's really not an issue for me <3

[extraordinarybennyyy]

remedy

pedro pascal x singer! reader

tw: quick proofreading, mention of death

Everyone has a shadow.

Not just the projection of your figure on the cement ground when you're walking on the sunny streets with sweat passing over your forehead and a cup of iced tea in your hand. Shadows are not only that, the distorted and stretched version of you.

Shadows live inside everyone, each of us, eating us from the inside. Whether they are shaped as fears, insecurities, traumas, anxieties: they exist and exploit us, like a virus which tries to expand itself before taking full control of the host. Even the happiest and bubbliest people suffer from this sickness, no matter how cheerful or famous they are.

And Pedro Pascal isn't an exception.

The always-grinning Chilean actor has terrible demons living inside his brain like an all-consuming parasite. People unaware of his past would probably envy him and every aspect of his checkered world, whose patina is only apparently good and utterly beautiful.

His index finger follows the pattern of the tattoo on his wrist, a P that becomes a V and vice versa. That, his mother's death, being his biggest trauma. Her memory wakes up with him and often makes him pull all-nighter, unanswered and completely useless questions whether he could have helped her spinning and sending him in a vertigo of fear and anguish.

Pedro knows those questions are no use and that, unfortunately, nothing would ever bring her back. However they keep and keep circling in his head continuously, a broken disco on the turntable.

He exhales deeply through his nostrils while glancing at your figure playing the piano. Your sacred and angelic self absentmindedly presses the keys of the piano, hair pull together in a messy bun while one of his shirts covers the upper part of your body. Seeing you, a worldwide singer, in such a domestic activity was something Pedro always considered him blessed for.

The actor is leaning on the door of the living room, a military green t-shirt on. His index kept replaying the same path, a V transforming into a P and a P becoming a V. Same pattern everyday, unchangeable like his past and present agony.

When the thoughts screamed in his head and he couldn't find an answer; when his shadows became too dark and he outstretched his hand to walk forward; when tears threatened to burst out of his dark eyes. In all those scenarios, the only thing that keeps him going is you and your love for him. The only cure.

His steps are soft and gingerly as if he is one of the cats he's allergic to, and you barely acknowledge his presence until he sits down next to you. Pedro places his head on your shoulder with an unusual calmness and silence. The bell rings that something is wrong and he knows you know it.

Your fingers caress his cheeks and your lips kiss his forehead. The music in the living room stops as your hands lift from the piano and you hug him tightly. Silence engulfs you in a bubble in which you two only existed, where caresses and breaths spoke louder than words. The world outside - the press, the media, galas, his movies and your albums were far far away, a distant planet where you often escaped from.

"Sing for me," he muttered in the crook of your neck, almost imperceptible. A simple and clear request, you didn’t need more to understand what he was referring to. Your latest album was full of songs of love, all inspired by him and dedicated to him, the love of your life. The world outside suspected that your friendship blossomed into something more, but you two always returned to your isolated den, where no one disturbed your flower of love.

You nod and he sits up. Finger pressing on the white buttons and your voice humming the song you secretly wrote for him fills the room, attaching to the surfaces of the furniture and the covers of books.

"But when the pain cuts you deep

When the night keeps you from sleeping"

Pedro closed his eyes, lulled by the sacred words leaving your mouth like a prayer. Under his eyelids, memories of his mother take life once more: she was reading him stories at bedtime, playing with him in the grass and clapping at every performance of his.

"Just look and you will see

That I will be your remedy"

Pedro smiled, knowing that it is true. You saved and cured him as if he was a bird with a broken wing and you placed it back. He can fly again, soaring high in the skies but- every pilot has a second in command, and he needs you more like the air.

When the world seems so cruel

And your heart makes you feel like a fool

A tear stream through his cheek, heart exploding with love. A comforting feeling spreads in his veins like a medicine on fluids, with the only difference that love was the cure you use for him. Every fiber of his being enacts again when touched by such devotion.

I promise you will see

That I will be, I will be your remedy

The shadows disappear slowly slowly, the light starting to appear under the thick, black patina of fear and dread. Breathing steadies as your sing words of reassurance. The curtain opens and the lights comes in again.

His dark and kind eyes gloss once more when you stop tuning the song for him, a warm smile stretching his beautiful lips. There isn't the need to say thank you, his eyes speaking enough for you. Eyes say much more than a gratitude or recognition, especially when you people love each other like you and Pedro do.

You placed your head on his shoulders and he holds you close to his body, his hand on your waist.

As every piece of the puzzle fit with his right match, the borders combine together in a tight embrace, you are his one, his forever match, his remedy.

[gaypolls]

*specifically gay in the way that matches you, so if you're mlm the question is about mlm content, and vice versa for wlw content. if you're both i guess it could be about anything, and if you're gay in a more specific way then it's about whatever your thing is.

"content" here means there's romance, sex, or at least a clearly gay storyline. porn doesn't count.

[mha-grievances]

So with the way that I talk about Katsuki and MHA, you’d think that I see myself as some sort of armchair critic, someone who constantly has to pick apart everything about whatever media I consume. Oddly enough, that’s not really true. I know how to turn my brain off and enjoy something. I know how to get so wrapped up in something that I don’t notice any inconsistencies. I know how to simply allow suspension of disbelief to take over and let myself have fun. So why do I struggle with MHA?

Let me describe a Video Game I love: Fire Emblem Awakening. Awakening’s perhaps the most popular Fire Emblem game in the series alongside 3 Houses. Despite this, Awakening does have some glaring flaws. The gameplay isn’t as polished as some of the previous and newer games, parts of the story do drag on, and some lore related stuff are just glossed over. What makes Awakening such a beloved game? Well, despite the flaws of the gameplay, they aren’t enough to hinder the overall experience unless you’re an elitist. The world and most of the characters are all super charming, fun, and deceptively well written. Though the game does take a lighter tone most of the time, when it wants to take itself seriously, it will without making it seem awkward. For those who aren’t aware of Awakening, it was meant to be the last Fire Emblem title and it was meant to serve as a celebration of the Fire Emblem franchise. It does all of this fantastically. Despite a basic story and some hiccups in the gameplay, Awakening’s strong points have such a big presence that it makes the game great to play and even to this day it has a big fandom for a game that was released 10+ years ago.

MHA struggles with its tone. It doesn’t know when it wants to be good ol’ superhero fun or if it wants to be this philosophical discussion about heroics and heroes. Moments that shouldn’t be played for laughs are and vice versa. So much things are introduced into the world that when something becomes big, it feels smaller than it should be. Things that should’ve happened a long time ago only happen now and things that shouldn’t have happened persist in the story with no real reason as to why they should happen. Characters come and go, playing no real role, especially those who should have a bigger role, while characters who should’ve taken the backseat a while ago are hogging the spotlight. Some people might say that due to us following MHA in real time, the pacing may seem slower than it actually is and it’ll make a lot more sense once everything’s published and read in one sitting. This excuse doesn’t sit right with me cause I’ve read Webtoons that have weekly updates and were still able to maintain the pace of their story, where I actively looked forwards to reading the next update and seeing how all the pieces fit together. Sure, they may have had slower parts where the story’s just playing with its side characters, but even then, the story is consistently written well to the point where I’ve eagerly kept up with the journey even when my favorite characters weren’t front and center.

To look at an example of MHA’s awkward focus and pacing, let’s look at the most recent chapter. Katsuki’s alive now, and while you might think I’d focus on this, I already knew he was coming back so I’m not going to rant about that. I wanna turn my focus to AFO. AFO’s someone who shouldn’t have this much influence on the story anymore. Reason why? The series was building Tomura up to be the new big bad. Whereas Izuku was going to become All Might’s successor, Tomura was becoming AFO’s successor. Suddenly though, Hori introduces the idea that AFO can just possess people and Tomura suddenly becomes a puppet. Yeah, Tomura was being manipulated by AFO before, but he was finally developing beyond AFO’s influence to become his own villain. All that character development thrown down the drain. Sure, Tomura eventually becomes free from the possession and is fighting Izuku for his own reasons now, but AFO’s hogged up enough of the spotlight doing nothing of importance that I don’t really care for Tomura vs Izuku anymore. Keep in mind that after a ton of chapters we still know Jack shit about AFO except that he’s a power hungry person and had a brother. At this point going over his backstory would be an info dump.

There’s also the issue of AFO’s character in general, and that’s being a physical obstacle for the heroes. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a character existing solely to be a physical obstacle, but you have to pace them well or else they end up like AFO, a character who somehow not only knows everything that someone can and will do, but also whip bullshit out of his ass that keeps him around longer than he needs to be. There’s nothing wrong with an OP character but AFO’s an example on why OP characters have a bad rep. It only gets worse when you remember that he should’ve stayed down so many times but for some reason he refuses to exit the story. All Might beats him and he’s still plotting. Tomura rejects him, he acts like it doesn’t matter. All Might tries to take out AFO with him, somehow AFO was able to counter that. AFO should’ve handed the spotlight to Tomura, but he instead persists on stealing it all for himself.

Anyways, I just wanted to rant some more on MHA’s pacing. Thank you all for reading 😂.