#vs also not doing anything and not having people to do things with but wanting to idk. hard to explain. it looks like i did a lot

[amiya-shirou]

I genuinely believe Federico is like 90% of the reason why the central themes of emotion, humanity vs seaborn, and human connection actually work, because it would be so easy to completely ruin the message by making it a vehicle for typical "love is what makes us humans" "if you don't feel love and emotion exactly like everyone else does you're not an ACTUAL human with a SOUL!" nonsense, like to the point I'm also anxious I might end up sounding like that every time I try analyzing the seaborn conflict in any way, but thanks to Fede being written the way he is while having such a central role in Zwillingsturme and being so close with and important to Arturia we know that when she says "it has to include everyone" and when the game falls on praising human qualities and the power of human connection they don't mean "everyone who can feel normal human emotion :)" "everyone but they're gonna need to become human" but simply everyone, no one left behind, no one erased. The focus on destroying the barriers between people exists as an answer to oppression and discrimination, to bring humanity together so they can work as a whole to face adversity, not because not feeling empathy the same way Arturia does is "wrong". Even during the piano scene when Fede is shown as unable to understand why music, why art move people the way it does, despite it being a focal point of everything about Arturia and everything about the humans who stand against the Seaborn, it's never presented as a failing on his part, never presented as him being fundamentally incompatible with humanity - in fact that scene is where he learns how to approach emotion from his own angle in his own way as a form of data and it's when he grows as a person and becomes able to use it to better get Arturia despite his difficulty in conveying and "feeling" emotion. He doesn't get Sankta empathy, he values logical understanding over emotional connection, he's joked about from other characters as being more like a robot than a human, he's deliberately written as being an opposite to Arturia's unrestrained empathy, and yet he is the protagonist to Arturia's antagonist role, he is the one who understood her the most and who could support her in the finale, he's the one outsider who cared the most about fixing things in the Monastery while the "proper" Sankta were all busy dealing with their own problems or actively worsening things (hi Oren). His character arc doesn't have anything to do with him starting to "get" emotions like "real people" do but just about starting to ask questions, to find a way forward when his strict adherence to logical reasoning fails him, to interpret why he does what he does and feel the way he does, to understand why things happens and why people act certain ways, and in quite a few scenes that's precisely why he could reach a conclusion others couldn't.

His biggest scene in Hortus involves him refusing to accept Clement's position that just because the only flower left from his garden he had a deep emotional attachment to was a bit damaged and not perfect the way he grew all the others to be, the way he wanted it to be, then its survival is meaningless.

Just because Clement couldn't see the worth in the flower's existence it doesn't mean there was none for anyone.

Just like Federico was the one chosen by the Law amidst countless "perfect" Sankta well accustomed to their supernatural Empathy.

Everyone means everyone.

[freakycass]

some of my favorite byler moments that erase my doubt + a random thing thats make me question byler endgame

i wanted to come on here and share some of my favorite byler moments that make really all my doubt go away about them being endgame. i also want to share something that somewhat makes me doubt byler endgame, just to hear yalls thoughts on it.

3 moments that take away my byler endgame doubt:

☆mikes inability to hug will at the airport☆

this scene screams “i’ve thought way too much about how i feel about my best friend and i don’t wanna make it even more weird.” we’ve seen mike be affectionate with will before (especially in s2), and even with dustin in s4. so why couldn’t he just give will a real hug? will literally has his arms out. he’s ready. and mike just… gives him that awkward one-armed back pat? some people say “maybe mike knows will likes him and doesn’t want to lead him on.” okay, but mike doesn’t know will is gay. he doesn’t. and if he was worried about leading him on, then why is he being so soft and flirty in both bedroom scenes later? it doesn’t add up. the hug hesitation makes way more sense if mike’s trying to suppress feelings he doesn’t fully understand or isn’t ready to admit.

☆“you never say it” vs. “you didn’t have to” ☆

yeah, obviously. this was what convinced me personally to start shipping byler. because what clearer of a parallel do you need? watching mike and el’s fight scene vs. mike and wills bedroom scene is just pure perfection. we clearly see that mike struggles with affirming el’s needs, because he isn’t verbally able to say what she needs him to say. they struggle with communication in that way. in mike and wills scene, we honestly see the complete opposite. even without will saying anything to mike about how he was acting, mike still understood and didn’t even need him to say anything. there’s a mutual understanding between the two of them that el and mike don’t have. you all know this, idk why im explaining this lmao.

☆mikes reaction to el kissing him in season 3 finale☆

this one hit me hard. so let’s break this down: the girl he’s supposedly been obsessed with all summer kisses him, tells him she loves him too, and his reaction is… to keep his eyes wide open during the kiss and say nothing back? even though he knows she’s about to move across the country? and then when she walks away, the look on his face is just… not what you’d expect from someone who's finally “gotten the girl.” it’s not happy. it’s confused. and it’s not just the kiss, the whole final montage feels off. mike’s standing in front of a closet when she kisses him. el is literally holding will’s bear while they kiss. symbolically, it’s like will is between them. it doesn’t feel triumphant or romantic — it feels heavy and unresolved.

and now here’s a minor thing that kind of makes me doubt sometimes:

☆the duffer brothers having to cater to the GA. ☆

i 100% believe byler should be canon- and honestly, it would be queerbaiting if it doesn’t happen. but i have to admit, a lot of the GA don’t pick up on the subtle queer coding around mike wheeler’s character. i’m saying this from a somewhat biased perspective, based on what my own family and peers (who are very much part of the GA) have said about how they interpreted season 4. most of them picked up on the fact that will is in love with mike, and that he lied about the painting- which, great! that part wasn’t exactly subtle. but when it comes to mike, most of them interpreted his love confession to el as totally sincere, and a big turning point in their relationship. a lot of them say stuff like, “it’s sweet that will loves mike, but mike’s never shown interest back, so it wouldn’t make sense for byler to happen in season 5.” now obviously, we don’t agree with that- we’ve seen the deeper queer coding in mike’s behavior, his hesitations, his repression, the emotional weight of his moments with will. but the GA tends to take things at face value, and i can unfortunately see the duffer brothers trying to cater to them by going for an ending that feels “safe” or “clear” to the widest audience possible. and that would honestly really suck. i don’t want to believe they’d do that, but at the same time, i wouldn’t be shocked if they did.

[papercranesandinkstains]

And to piggy back off of this because I genuinely feel like this answer is straight forward enough, but there is a VAST difference in the romanization of these kinds of characteristics and someone acknowledging them but making it seem like something that is not desirable. Every time you step onto a platform, you are putting yourself and your words up for show (whether you want to or not) and the court of public opinion is VERY easily swayed. If you present a dark topic as some kind of love story to aspire to, people are going to crave it because humans crave community. You are presenting this type of romance as something that is acceptable and it is going to shape how people view the relationship.

Every single action has a consequence whether it is positive or negative. Fanfic is a freeing place because you can write what you want, but once you put something out to the public, you are opening the gates for criticism. There is a way to address heavy hitting/dark/sensitive topics that can accurately portray a character while also holding the character accountable for their actions and not dismissing them. Romanticizing horrible people by dismissing or making their bad actions seem endearing gives the standard that that kind of treatment is acceptable/dreamy.

As someone who was in an extremely abusive/sexually abusive relationship with someone who attempted to kill me multiple times, I have seen how easy it is to sway people to see a character with similar qualities to Rafe through rose colored glasses and excuse them because they love him or because he is attractive. All it takes is a few words or a smile, and someone will be completely in love with how someone is treated whether it is good or bad. THAT is the issue with the characterization of Rafe is that you do NOT have to ignore who he is to write him canonically, but you also have to understand that writing him that way and allowing it to be seen in a positive light creates a space of yearning for readers who want to see that kind of treatment. There is nothing romantic about abuse/negligence/racism/sexism. Those things can often exist in a story, but they should not be aspirations.

And this is coming from someone who has read MANY dark/dead dove fics because fanfic is an art form. It is a form of expression, and it can be incredibly freeing/intriguing to read or write about. HOWEVER, you are still responsible for the affect/messages that your writing is sending to the audience. Glorifying or making light of the situation to try to further a love story is where the issue comes in.

There is a way to be interested and try to follow along with the canon of a character because let’s face it, Rafe is not a good guy. This past season he was more fanfic-centered in his characterization, but before he had several underlying themes that should not be seen as desirable in a partner. You can acknowledge him for exactly who he is, you can have yourself or a character fall in love with him exactly where he is it, but the implications that can come from romancing the idea of him vs showing why those things are not traits to look for are something as a writer, you will have to answer to whether you really want to or not. No matter how you mean it, it can come off as tone deaf or as you romanticizing characteristics that should not be made endearing because of the hurt they cause.

You are ALWAYS free to scroll, but also ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away. This isn’t an issue with the freedom of creation or expression, it is with the implications and how this can be misconstrued to the audience.

That’s all for this Ted Talk because I genuinely don’t understand why this is even a discussion being had anymore. You have the freedom to create anything you want, but you don’t have the freedom to receive no criticism or encouragement. That is unfortunately what happens on a public platform. Learning, growing, and correcting is a part of life. Nobody is being shamed, this is a growth opportunity.

i have a question (please don't misinterpret im JUST JUST JUSTTTT ASKING PLEASE DONT KILL ME)

why are you trying to stop people from writing canon rafe? its fiction, so not a gloification. im sure since we're all adults we can tell that men who act like rafe are DICKS irl. but... fanfiction is writing. witing is an art. art is an interpretation. rafe is... not a good person, but he IS an interesting character tho. writing fanfics isn't about being all about bad behavior but you're looking at stories and emotions from different perspectives. when one writes canon rafe even if its smut you're not excusing him being a horrible bitch. ppl write what's fascinating to them and it's a good way to understand very nuanced characters.

perhaps... you should know how to separate fiction and art from real life (NOT BEING RUDE.)

everyone is technically allowed to interpret a character how they want and you're knda trying to shut that down which just limits creativity and community.

if you or others don't like how rafe is portrayed in canon fics, thats cool and you can avoid 'em! but trying to shame others and telling them to only write fanon rafe is just unfair and not nessecary.

hi! i never try to kill anyone who comes in with genuine curiosity and open-mindedness so do not worry, you're off my list (for now... hehe)

why are you trying to stop people from writing canon rafe? its fiction, so not a gloification.

i'm not! i love writing canon!rafe. i love writers who explore the complexity of his nuanced characterization. i admit, here and now, and over and over again, he is a bad person. his subtext is filled with prejudices—classism, racism, sexism to his own sister—but i never excuse that behavior. i never hide behind the veil that just because you're writing canon does not mean you're not subjected to criticism. additionally, just because you write canon!rafe does not mean you have to romanticize the attributes of his character.

fanfiction is writing. witing is an art. art is an interpretation.

you're right! fanfic is writing. fanfic is free. but that doesn't make absolve it from its problem. that's the beautiful thing about complex topics. two things can be right at once. you can write whatever you want. but that doesn't mean you're free from the criticism of your own writing. i strongly stand by that.

you should know how to separate fiction and art from real life (NOT BEING RUDE.)

i do. fiction and art are separate from real life. if you were here a while back, i even wrote a thought piece on rape and non-con in fanfic. i was advocating for people to have the right to write them. i explained, in explicit detail why people write it the way that they do. but i still stand by what i believe: just because you write a taboo topic, and you're in a fanfic space, does not mean you are absolved of the consequences and callouts of the interpretation of your fics by your audience. intents ≠ actions. and to completely disassociate those two, if you really want to be nuanced, is impossible. i remember reading an article where a serial killer admitted that he got some of the ideas for his murders from a skywars movie: the scene where leia was held up in chains. it was meant to be misogynistic and demeaning; so art and media do have an impact on real life.

everyone is technically allowed to interpret a character how they want and you're knda trying to shut that down which just limits creativity and community.

the thing is, i'm not. never once did i told them to stop writing it. i said to address it. the problem i have with it is the inherent romanticization of the characters. i have read dark, dead doves do not eat fics with rafe cameron, and i never called out those writers. why? because they never framed it as something readers should want. the audience should like. the audience should accept. it was narratively framed as wrong. that's how you go about writing a nuanced character with taboo topics. when you're putting misogynistic!rafe into a setting, and you framed it through a rose-colored glass, where it's actually acceptable, endearing, and romantic, that's the problematic aspect of it. you didn't do your due diligence as a writer to address that.

if you or others don't like how rafe is portrayed in canon fics, thats cool and you can avoid 'em! but trying to shame others and telling them to only write fanon rafe is just unfair and not nessecary.

i do avoid them. i don't read them. i didn't even @ any of the writers. this was something said in my own blog, in my own space, using the general rafe tag as anyone else. you coming onto my blog to tell me to avoid this was unnecessary. i did. if you're applying the same logic of your argument to me: you're coming into a space where you should've avoided my words. you should've "avoid" me. you wanted to come on my blog to let your feelings be heard, and i'm hearing them. but don't ever say that i didn't do my own due diligence. i did.

[cozylittleartblog]

Columbo and the Knight (1984)

put me in the universe where Columbo ran through the 1980s and had a crossover episode with Knight Rider. I think they deserved it, and I am not just saying that because they're my two favorite Old Shows. @telebeast wrote a little fanfic blurb about it and I HAD to visualize it into a comic (which is also the longest comic I have finished thus far at five pages...), so writing credit goes to them.

Autism W!

[itslilacokay]

gonna admit uhh vicagent is the only ava ship so far that i feel ""safe"" posting on this blog.............. do any of you looking at this want me to post other ava ship stuff orwhat please PLEASE LET ME KNOW PLEAAAAAAAASE

[gayleafpool]

bouncing off the previous anon. not to have a nuanced take about Squirrelflight and Leafpool but if i were in their shoes and ended up repeatedly leaning on my sister for comfort in the face of my shitty love life *and* I raised her kids for her *and* had a long term psychic connection to her *and* my life was so tangled up with hers that where one started and the other began was hard to even tell by the point in time of oots... i'd be kind of in love with her

not that they would ever act on it but i think the fandom is very scared of acknowledging that Squirrelflight and Leafpool are the closest that any cats in the series have ever been and their souls cannot be separated and at that point where does the line even stand?

sorry for coming into your inbox with a take that boils down to "i think these sisters have a fucked up codependent bond that is not as palatable as most of the fandom wants to make it"

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT PROSHIP NONSENSE THIS IS ANALYZING THE THEMES OF SQUIRRELFLIGHT AND LEAFPOOL

literallyyy god their mind link makes it even crazier like how do you even begin to separate yourself from someone after that. you can be miles away from each other but you’ll always be connected whether you want it or not. their relationship is the most tragic at the end of po3 and in oots to me because they’ve really lost everything except for each other. nobody is going to protect them so they have to protect each other. like they’ve seen time and time again that they’re only ever going to be unconditionally loved and supported by each other, everyone else will leave given enough of a push. like yeah that’s enough to make their relationship sad and confusing

[milolunde]

We all know Timmy is Wanda’s mama’s boy but we need to keep in mind he’s still Cosmo’s kid too and that Cosmo would love him just as vehemently as Wanda

[guttersvoice]

thinking about this today.

[grapecaseschoices]

tell me you've never played with wyll or gale in your party without tell me you've never played with wyll or gale.

i'm not gonna main tag this

i just wanted to complain.

[biblically-accurate-dca]

KILL!!!!!!!!!

[swordmaid]

i love having ocs wdym my own brain is thinking up of scenarios thats leaving me feeling deranged with the context that only i know about

[7fff00]

just thinking again about the difficulty of achieving actual escape velocity from the womenswear standard of Pervasive Negative Ease…

[crossbackpoke-check]

snapshots:

(1) rks (2) park near the pitch (3) accidental find (4) bloodless (5) don’t ask how many times i’ve seen hippo campus (6) sunlit interior (7) nolan patrick i liked mt. joy first and i have receipts

[memorys-skyscraper]

taking donations of any and all good employment-related vibes rn

[aroaceleovaldez]

Dude I don’t know where you’re getting this information that 13-14 guys can’t be tall at all. Literally every guy in my freshman high school grade (13-15 year olds) were all 5’6-6’0 at the beginning of the school year and they were all actively growing taller as the year went by. Letting people think Nico is average height or tall is not hurting nobody and you are still entitled to your opinion that Nico can be short. I believe all of Nico’s of various heights can coexist peacefully.

I did say "average" height and was only referring to the fact that Nico's canon height is never explicitly stated. Anyways allow me to rephrase:

my grievances only lie with the wiki for being baselessly wrong. tall nico headcanoners i have no beef with you understand i am simply being silly goofy on my blog mwah mwah

[kandicon]

I am. once again thinking about Ashes aftercare