#So idk how we as a fandom have decided to treat the canonness of those translations | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

harocat · 15 days

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One thing that really bugs me is how over and over I see all these blanket posts about what 'fandom is supposed to be', and they always have so many notes and like... fandom is not supposed to be anything? I'd argue it's supposed to be fun, but beyond that, there's never been a set 'thing' fandom is supposed to be. So you always have people arguing that their approach to fandom is the one true way, and that fandom used to be like this (as a fandom old I can confirm this is 95% of the time not true), and it's almost always just what their personal preference as an approach is.

A small example; people in fandom did not 'not used to care whether their ship was canon or not'. Large swathes of fandom have always cared about that, because people have always shipped in different ways and for different reasons. For some fans what is in the text is most important, and they enjoy this!!

People did not used to just ignore it if you had different character and ship preferences. There were entire communities decided to defending characters that got a lot of hate. I'm sure we all know about the anti character communities and sites too.

Antis are also nothing new. While I do agree there has been a big uptick in moralizing shipping preferences in recent years, I remember having the most vanilla ass ships in the world repeatedly called 'abusive'. I ran a community for the most canon, most 'wholesome' pairing you can imagine in the early 2000s, and I got doxed for it. Fandom has always been like this!! The moralizing is worse, but it is not new.

Fanfic has never just meant to be an exploration of what canon did wrong, or even what canon left out. These are two common approaches, but just as often it boils down to 'idk I want more with these characters' or even 'this is a love letter to canon.' There's a mindset that fanfic is meant as a fuck you to canon, and sometimes sure, it is. But that's only one approach, and many, many fans approach it differently.

Also, since very early on, kids have been in fandom. If it 'used to be an adults only space', it was only at the very beginning. This isn't me berating people who want adults only spaces in fandom, by the way, or telling people they need to make things kid friendly (you absolutely do not). It's just saying that kids are not interlopers. They are meant to be here as well, and they should be treated kindly when and if we do need to interact with them.

I think most of what I mentioned in this post is good. I think it's great that there are fans who care about what ship is canon, as well as those who don't. I think it's great that people approach fic with totally different mindsets and goals. I think it's great that for some people, fandom is a place to explore fetishes, and for some it isn't (this isn't inherently moralizing either, some people just have other interests in fandom, or they're ace/aro/etc. and it affects their preferences). I think it's great the kids and teenagers find joy in fandom. Obviously I do not think the ship wars and doxxing are great.

I just don't like when people say 'fandom is supposed to be' or 'fandom used to be' because as always, your experiences are not and never will be universal.

#fandom #yes i know some aces and aros love the smuttiest of smut but some don't #it just depends!!

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byrdblood · 11 days

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I know it's not canon and has no chances of being actually canon but i love trans cross....i hold this headcanon in my heart /sobs/..

It's so cool when some sanses stories are 'bout them finding their own person/names/identities that are far from their previous 'sans' roles/assignments....they never fail in being super trans-coded (looks at both cross and ink)

Answering this on my phone so sorry for being less verbose than normal (digital keyboards my fucking beloathed </3), but to be honest things like this are part of why I was motivated to create Multiverse TAU as a little "creative universe" of my own — TAU!Cross canonically IS trans! The markings under his eyes are meant to portray that to the audience!

Again I'm on my phone so I can't type for shit right now but I have some really fun worldbuilding I want to do regarding monsters' ideas and perceptions of gender, using both the canon info we get from Undertale (via visual designs) and fanon headcanons that have been going around since before the porn ban. (Wild times for the dashboard, those were.) Basically everyone in the UT fandom seems to agree that the skeletons are normally ken-dolls but can form whatever genitals they want — my question is, why should other monsters be different? I mean, we know some of them are the same already — look at things like moldsmals and whimsums, they've obviously got nothing by way of sexual characteristics. And clearly monsters have a concept of gender, but if all monsters are born sexless with as little sexual dimorphism as between, say, Toriel and Asgore (both built like bricks!), or even Undyne (flat as a washing board, baby!) then how do monsters express or decide it? I've seen people make female skeleton OCs before and the biggest difference always seems to be decoration around the eyes — eyeshadow, eyeliner, etc. — which tells me that gender expression in monsters is probably less of a "physical sexual characteristics" thing and more of a "visible gender expression" thing, or at least that their sexual dimorphism doesn't present the same way as it does in humanity. That brings its own questions — is there any overlap? Are there no "born" gender markers at all and all of them must be manifested consciously? If any of them are natural, do they manifest during puberty or at birth? If they're natural, are they permanent? (Could they possibly be permanent when a monster's body is a direct representation of their soul?) And while gender expression being basically the whole she-bang would make "transitioning" extremely easy, how would monster society come to view genderfluid people or people who dress nonconforming? Would any prejudices come from it, even as well-intentioned as monsters generally are?

Idk, I love shit like that, dude, I love worldbuilding. I wanna do cool shit with it!!! Maybe TAU!Cross was born with the shadows under his eyes and his father was like "okay, you're a woman". Maybe there's old babybones pictures of a tiny but otherwise completely identical-looking Cross looking pissed as shit in a striped lilac dress. Maybe they're natural markings or maybe he, sentimental bastard that he is, chose to keep manifesting them to remind himself of his past. Maybe his father's reaction to him coming out was a snide, nasty little "well, if you want to be a man, I'll treat you like one", and that's part of why Cross grew up with such a yardstick up his ass. Maybe part of why he clings so desperately to his uniform is because it was "proof" that his bitch ass father accepted him, or because he doesn't want to give up the "feminine" markings on his eyes but he still feels the need to compensate for them.

Idk!!! I want to ask those questions and answer them properly at some point, I'm just dead broke and drowning in work right now!!!! Agh!!!!!!

#keegan talks #multiverse tau #utmv #cross sans #sorry for the edit i forgot the readmore!!

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rnlacc · 11 months

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No no, I think you take it wrong. No Ironwood fan defends what he did in v8 because we don’t accept v8. To me, Atlas arc is till in v7 where Ironwood is still Ironwood.

We’re just mad because the writers treat him like a punching bag to justify the main casts. There are some huge problems that they have built up but they couldn’t handle all of them(racism, class distinctions, capitalist economy,…) so they decided to just kill off Atlas and Ironwood to end the conversation. They actually don’t know how politics work. If I’m able to say, v7 wasn’t great like other said, the political things in v7 was just…not enough and too childish.

Another reason, the writers being a little shit because they don’t respect Ironwood fans like other fans just because they hate the character.^^ And the writers actually didn’t give a fuck for the character when they gave him some meaningless semblance within 2 minutes.^^

*Other characters’ fans getting harassed*: “Oh we’re sorry for the fandom’s behavior.

*Ironwood, Adam fans getting harassed*: “We do not see anything.”*Then join them to harass the character.*

And one more reason, Ironwood fans can’t really have fun while there’s a lot of brainless RTstans have been calling Ironwood fans “fascist” while they have no idea what “fascist” is. That’s annoying.

Idk if they’re too hard for you to understand, but accepting whatever the writers said and then call it “canon” is just…???For example, in those next volumes, the writers can just make your fav character a rapist, an abuser, a tyrant,…which is completely out of their character traits and then say “it’s for the pLoT”, then what do you do?Accept all of them are “canon”?

#Rwde #james ironwood #rwby

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yeuphoric · 24 days

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╰ * some fandom based / fandom inspired plots i'm looking to write here or on discord. if you're interested, please shoot me a message & i'll get back to you asap !

bratz . i have yasmin & sasha so would love to have a cloe & jade for a fun lil mumu. we could explore them travelling the world, being influencers, and also getting into hijinks just like in the show / movies / games. we could also include some of the supporting characters like their love interests and enemies and other friends. idk just an indulgent and nostalgic vibe because everyone was doing barbie plots not so long ago but i was always a bratz girlie and felt like i was missing out on the fun lol.

greek mythology . pretty open to ideas for this, would prefer it not to be set in a specific fandom though. i'm down for it being historical, a modern au, a fantasy style au ( think g.ame of t.hrones, etc. ), anything really ! i have a.pollo, h.ephaestus, p.ersephone, p.oseidon, & z.eus, but i'm happy to explore others depending on what we decide the plot to be. dark & potentially t.aboo themes welcome for this but not expected.

yellowjackets . right now, i'd like to do an oc plot / mumu inspired by it as i'm already a part of a canon rp for it. we could just throw a bunch of our ocs into a survival situation and see how they go or just focus on one particular dynamic among the chaos. also, i'd love to do something where we explore the different timelines, such as them while they're stranded and then them after they've been rescued or even 10 / 15 / 20 + years down the line when they've " moved on " but end up being forced to confront it all again. i'm down to include a mix of female & male muses in this, and i'd be down for it getting dark & d.ead d.ove.

alien . i'm just obsessed with the idea of a group of muses being on a spaceship for work / a new life and then crazy things start happening and shit goes south. friendships breaking, new alliances forming, paranoia and suspicion is high, resource hoarding, a lil bit of love and lust along the way. something along those lines. bonus points for token android character who is treated like trash by some of the crew, and maybe they actually are bad and the one behind all the chaos, or maybe they're good and trying their hardest to ensure the survival of the crew ( double points if there's one crew member in particular they develop a soft spot for ).

rdr2 . outlaws on the run pls !!! it can be two outlaws running from their past, an outlaw and someone they pick up on the way, or a whole gang of muses that are up to no good / starting a new life / trying to evade the law. again, would prefer this to be fandomless but with similar vibes to the game.

cyberpunk 2077 . anything !!! i just need a futuristic plot that is set in a backdrop of crime, unrest, and poverty that's covered up by ever evolving tech, garish neon lights, and looming buildings owned by corporations. a city of dreams but also death and decay. would love something inspired by v & johnny but honestly i'm game for anything.

far cry 5 . i have john seed as a muse so if anybody is down for john x deputy things ..... ??? but i also just fuck with the idea of there being a family cult that take over and control a town / county and from that, a person / group rising up to save their friends and home. religious, dark, & d.ead dove themes welcome.

baldur's gate 3 . i haven't finished the game yet ( i'm on act 3 ) so ideally nothing canon but i'm obsessed w the fantasy adventure vibes lately so a plot / mumu inspired by the chaos & unpredictability of it would be chef's kiss.

animal crossing new horizons . something cute & fun to welcome in the summer. based on a tropical island ? all arriving as strangers but forming a community to create a new home for themselves ?? relationships blossoming, businesses & services starting up, tasty lil slices of daily life ??? making our own ocs based on villagers / npcs from the game ????

#indie smut rp #indie oc rp #indie rp #1x1 rp #indie discord rp #╰ * wanted : ⧽ plot .

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jack-kellys · 1 year

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west end question: i obviously love my brooklyn girls and would die for them all, but is it bad that it’s taken away the sprace dynamic for me? like i’m still 100% on board with a nowhere near canon ship and it shouldn’t affect me they’ve decided to have spot be a girl, but it lowkey has? and i feel kinda guilty about it? idk i love my proshot boys. but i am 100% here for all the uk newsies cast they are amazing and so talented and it’s definitely my favourite production by far!! idk if i’m making sense

ok part of me feels a litle baited actually because like. i feel like... im vocal abt mlm musical sprace not being a big vibe for me in the first place. so im a funny person to ask if you were looking for relief lmao. anyway here's my thesis below.

wait also if ur a white newsie fan a read-thru+rb of this would be much appreciated thank youuu (also yall have been eating up my character analyses anyway sooooo!)

TL;DR THESIS: if you're feeling genuinely let down that your ship did not see the light of day and a black girlsie spot conlon got to instead, then yes, you should reevaluate that.

followers, if you've been with me long enough, you know that i have quite strong opinions about how this show gets treated when it comes to interpretations and fandom/fanon. mostly, this is because i literally work in theater, and it's extremely backwards in my brain personally when shows get treated more like a movie or tv show than a performance piece.

im also one of the only ppl in this fandom that ever seems to dare speak on race (not the damn character smh). and anon, buddy, kiddo, this does have to do with race, gender, and sexuality.

firstly, what i think needs to be understood about newsies, is that it is theater, which means it is meant to be mutable. there is no one way. there should never be one way. it does not exist. secondly, theater does not exist in a fandom vacuum. its live every night, conceptually. theater is a live performance art.

interpretations change- it's the nature of theater. so i think asks like these really do illuminate the difference between fans of the show's content or fans of... i guess the show's culture's content.

this is a culture content ask.

one thing i really, truly, deeply need you all to understand: from an objective, script- and staging-based perspective, proshot sprace does not exist. they do not speak. they barely see each other. race does not even volunteer to go to brooklyn. the ship originates from the 1992 movie, where they do actually interact, which is why the ship has prevailed through the 90s to today. they're from the movie, not the musical.

of course, this doesn't bash the ship- it has history, and naturally fans want to create new history when they get a new source material (the musical). it's true for like every newsie ship lowkey (but also not lowkey because all the manhattan newsies do interact and sprace literally does not but thats a different post!!), which is something i do admire about the fandom- we do a lot of our own legwork here, we invent relationships and backgrounds from one-liners that could be given to tbh any frickin newsie. i respect the 30 years we have invented ships.

however.

when a huge, publicized, consistently sold out production comes along with spot conlon as not only a woman, but a woman of color (specifically black rn!) as the leader of the most feared group on stage, there becomes something much more important than a "sprace dynamic", which does not canonically exist in the musical anyway bro. you can't miss something that isn't there imo. often the story and casting within a story comes first, and goddamn if this isn't one of those times. lillie-pearl's spot brings bravado, swagger, confidence, and intimidation that is literally....fine maybe i'm being personal but it is slash gen incredible to see in technically a period piece! a black woman in leadership with that kind of assuredness! in such a popular musical! how is that not– automatically surpassing an often obsessed-over (yes i am. hinting at something here, straight girl fans) mlm ship?

and while i'm on the topic of the over-obsessiveness of mlm musical sprace, let me talk about uksies sprace. because what's also wack abt this ask is that sprace is not a hopeless case in this production- it literally has about as much 'evidence' as the proshot imo!!!!!

i got to hop over to 2nd row brooklyn seating for act 2 so i saw once and for all really close up, right. there's a moment when race is upstage letting the newsies in/down from the stairs. spot comes down and she does, in fact, share a look with him. race gives spot a nod and she keeps moving.

and like im gonna see the show again (every day i am counting my mf blessings fr), so if i'm wrong or they don't do it every time i'll correct myself, but that's what i saw with my own dang eyes on saturday. they do acknowledge each other in uksies.

and since they do, i really like. i have to ask. what is bothersome/unpopular abt uksies sprace, other than oh idk.... its not white/white mlm with a twink/manly bf trope? why can't race still love who spot is as a character, this strong and fearless ruler of brooklyn, in uksies? because tbh josh's racer...nahhhh because. this is such a side note now but they'd be so good together oh jesus am i gonna ship uk sprace. and it's not like they're 'taking away' from a queer ship because a) you can headcanon spot as a queer girl and race being trans is consistently popular and b) newsies has ten billion gayass ships bro we've been eatin for literal decades.

anon, i'm sure you didn't mean harm by this ask. i'm sure, honestly, that a lot of fans are feeling the same way as you and weren't quite sure how to put it in words. but, i'm also not surprised you sent an ask like this on anonymous specifically.

should you feel guilty about it? i don't think guilt is the right word. but i believe you should think more about how newsies is not.....static. it does not exist in one form, and it never will. if you're feeling genuinely let down that your ship did not see the light of day and a black girlsie spot conlon got to instead, then yes, you should reevaluate that. in theater, you should always question why something impacted you the way it did- a major point of theater is to discuss and think about it when you leave! i know this because ive spent three years literally studying it, to back up my thesis credentials.

thank you for reading this, newsies fandom. i do honestly say all this with love, and i hope it made u think !! ♥️

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maksandart · 5 months

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jo?

Tysm for sending the ask! <3

My first impression At first, I didn't think much of her. As a child I would dislike most of the more villanous characters just because they weren't "nice". But I never actively disliked her or anything. I just had different faves at that time

My impression now Right now Jo is my fav character. Nothing much to say, but well, I just love her so much GOSH

Favorite thing about that character Way too hard to choose one thing. Like, I adore her beautiful design, her excelent personality and the way she interacts with other characters. Also, we can't forget about those creative nicknames she gives to others. It's just a solid character in general.

Least favorite thing My least favourite thing about Jo is how her own struggles were underutilised. It was mentioned once that she has some body image issues and then it's never brought up again? Like, give my girl some development

Favorite line/scene Way to many to choose. Also most of them are from polish dub. But some of my fav scenes include: Jo and Cameron in that confesional I painted recently, Jo talking about Heather in the episode 10, Duncan apreciating her nicknames in TDAS or that one scene in TDAS where Jo was treating the leach canon like it was some kind of a cute animal or something haha

Favorite interaction that character has with another Whole rivarly with Brick. Especially their interaction at the beggining of episode 2. Or when Jo got switched to Team Rats, that scene is also great, I enjoy the colors used

A character that I wish that character would interact with more Heather. HEATHER. I could talk for hours how this rivarly had its start in ROTI, but then creators in All Stars decided to make Jo an early boot, so we never had much time to enjoy this relationship. Another missed potenial to this bag of missed potentials called TDAS

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character It may be my own weird brain doing mental gymnastics to make this make sense, but Jo gives me vibes of Johanna Mason from The Hunger Games series. Idk why, it just fits

A headcanon about that character Jo has a cat and it's the only being in the universe that's allowed to interrupt her training

A song that reminds of that character I'm not sure. Maybe "Girls" by Marina? I don't do things like this often so idk what song would suit her

An unpopular opinion about that character Idk if I have any unpopular opinions about her other than the fact that she's my fav character in the whole series (which had recently stopped being an unpopular opinion)

Favorite picture I need to choose this picture. It's been my discord pfp for such a long time it became part of my online image. And even after a year of having this pic as my pfp, I still think Jo looks stunning here

#ask game #total drama #roti #total drama revenge of the island #revenge of the island #td jo #!!! <3 #i love her

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welcomingdisaster · 11 months

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2, 3, 7?

2. a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom i did 2 over here! but now since i've done two characters who i think don't bottom often, i'll do two characters that i don't think top often. again this is with the disclaimer that i tend to prefer switchy dynamics for all my ships. sooo. turgon is such a control freak in life that i think he might enjoy just laying back and getting taken care of in the bedroom (god knows he won't let this happen anywhere else). i think he'd feel a "duty" to perform at first, but if you put him with a partner that likes to make all the decisions he'd be so very relieved to fall into that dynamic in the bedroom. also for whatever reason i think finrod and amarie are this:

don't ask me why it's just vibes

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

okay big disclaimer on this that everyone has different takes and what makes me very annoyed has a right to exist in fandom. no hate intended towards the takes and people i mention, should they somehow see this. that said i AM choosing violence tonight

i see a lot of takes i dislike but only one. has made me so mad that i immediately left my house and walked five miles out of sheer frustration. and it was this, as far as i recall, their logic: "sauron killed celebrimbor before celebrimbor gave him the information he was really looking for (location of the three rings). sauron is the master of torture, and this was kind of a pretty big torture fuck-up. thus, sauron was not at his best when torturing celebrimbor, and killed him too rashly out of anger. this is later backed up by the way he treated his body. thus, celebrimbor must have done something particularly heinous to sauron. in fact, it was celebrimbor taking advantage of sauron all along. this means that feanor must have seen maiar serving in aule's forges and decided maiar were some kind of servant class, which led to celebrimbor inheriting those beliefs and being creepybadevil at sauron when they worked together" i don't think i need to dissect this take to explain how much it pissed me off. but i WILL say i am genuinely impressed with this user for managing to victim blame the victim of a crucifixion.

also i would like to say that sauron is such a cringefail loser (affectionate?) that we should be surprised about him fucking up torture. guy got beaten by a big dog & also made the mistake of killing finrod before learning anything important from him

again no hate to the user. people have drastically different takes & headcanons and favorites but god. that one got me. it really did get me.

honorable mentions go to:

that one theory i saw that someone managed to blame almost exclusively women (indis, nerdanel, and yavanna) for the conflict of the silmarils

the person who said child!fingolfin should have been a better brother if he wanted feanor to like him. this one loses "bad take" points for being the funniest fucking thing i've ever read

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

hmmm i actually think i've mostly gone the other way around? i think i mostly tend to like characters more than i did coming into fandom. that being said i weirdly don't like erestor. something about him idk

i also used to like sauron a lot more than i do now. now i'm very sauron-cautious. some of the coolest fanart and fanfic in fandom involves him and i don't wanna dismiss that, i definitely enjoy reading about him, but for some reason he's the character the MOST likely to make me click out of a fic if he feels "off" to me

#can u tell im salty tonight #swanmaids #lena speaks

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kenobster · 1 year

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7 and 10 for the opinions meme!

from the Choose Violence Ask Game, thank you for the ask!! ^_^

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

Hate is such a strong word lmao, and usually canon has already gotten me to hate a character before I even witness fandom behavior (i.e. Satine - though I really only hate her in the Obitine lens; otherwise, I like her or am neutral). So I've been really racking my brain for this one lol.

If we change it to "which character began to annoy you" .... there are a few. Hunter from TBB is one. I don't get why ppl like him so much. Fandom be like "he's a hot dad!!!" and I'm just like.... Rex exists. In fact a lot of clones have started to annoy me lately bc fandom apparently thinks they're hotter than Rex, so I think this is a me problem (or maybe a Rex problem, he needs to mind his own hotness).

Another one is actually Luke. Like I am pretty neutral on almost all OT content (unless it's Vader being abused by Palpatine, that's hot). But even then, I'm super neutral on Luke. But there's constant Luke discourse on my dash. Like "Luke's character is like this, not this" or "Luke wouldn't do that, he'd do this" and I'm like who is even saying what these posts claim ppl are saying? Also, most recently, I was reading a fic where I guess Anakin forgot he had twins or something bc he acted like Luke was his only child. So idk, it's definitely been pushing me the wrong way lately.

(These are all spicy takes lmao, so everyone please understand these are my personal interests, not actual analysis or even opinions I will stand by. But also all of you are wrong if you disagree with me. ;D)

10. worst part of fanon

I have so many things to complain about that I decided to narrow this down by defining fanon... For this post, fanon will refer to any popularly held headcanon that I see in fanfic that is generally innocent/harmless and does not regularly get brought up in discourse (I have to eliminate sand ppl things, etc. or we'll be here all day and I'll make so many enemies lol.)

So with that definition, the worst fanon imo is the characterization of Obi-Wan as a master to Anakin. Things like "Obi-Wan never told Anakin he loved him" or "Obi-Wan didn't tell Anakin he loved him enough" or "Obi-Wan never helped Anakin recover from slavery bc he didn't know how to handle such complex topics" (.... yes... surely that trait is how he became a Jedi Master on the Jedi Council, mmhmm) or "Obi-Wan didn't hug Anakin" (one of my BIGGEST pet peeves oh my god, why would he not hug a child????) or literally any variation of these themes. Whether Obi-Wan hugged Anakin or told him he loved him or actually asked him about his needs/wants/past, etc. - none of those subjects have been raised in well-known canon to my knowledge? And based on how Obi-Wan talks to Anakin as an adult in canon and how Obi-Wan treats other children (i.e. Numa) in canon, I'm pretty sure he did every single one of those things while raising Anakin. I have no idea where this fanon comes from (actually I think I do but I'm too tired to whine about how Jedi aren't emotionally repressed right now, esp bc it breaks my discourse rule), but it infuriates me. Anakin had a very good life with Obi-Wan, -glares at everyone on his hellsite-, alright?

Anyway, thank you again for the ask, I very much enjoy angrily spilling tea. lmao

#ask game #.#..#...#....#obi-wan #anakin #obi-wan & anakin #i'm not tagging for the others bc i'm hating on them lol #mine #kenobster opinions

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amethystroselily · 2 years

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Hello there

I'd like to ask your thoughts on sskk as a ship?

I don’t really ship it. I thought I did for a while, but it turned out I just really enjoyed their rivalry.

Like, I don’t dislike it or anything. It’s good in theory I guess, but the “we genuinely want to murder eachother” to frenemies is just so much more endearing to me.

It could work, but it needs so much development and build up for it to make sense romantically to me. So sskk fanfic just feels kind of off because of that sometimes. But it could work really well if given the proper development.

My other problem with sskk fan works is that people act like those two like eachother way more than they actually do. Like, somehow that’s one of the ships the fandom decided was pure and wholesome yet angsty???? When their genuine hatred of eachother and them slowly overcoming it is the appeal. Like people finally acknowledged Soukoku had their issues and somehow that lead to believing Akutagawa and Atsushi were the healthier more loving alternative????

Also I feel like an underrated part of their dynamic is that it isn’t done developing yet. They’re becoming partners. They are learning to trust eachother. But they aren’t quite there yet. Especially Atsushi. Akutagawa might trust Atsushi at this point (or maybe he’s really just that desperate for Dazai’s approval). But Atsushi doesn’t trust him yet. That’s the whole point. That’s why their fight with Fukuchi ended the way it did. And maybe the fight with Fukuchi was the final push? But we haven’t really seen that come to fruition yet.

Also. Just, none of their interactions read as romantic whatsoever to me. Like, there’s no real romantic chemistry, there’s no sexual tension. None of their interactions could ever realistically be misconstrued as flirting. Neither of them are the type for their malice to ever come off as anything other than malice. The only scene I could ever see as romantic between them whatsoever is Akutagawa’s last words. You know how there’s scenes where characters weren’t supposed to be flirting with eachother but they definitely were? Yeah, that’s NOT shin soukoku. They just have a very interesting dynamic. It’s great. The development is phenomenal. Doesn’t read as romantic.

But there’s so much potential there. It could be really romantic if written right in fanfic. But it’s really hard to trick myself into interpreting any of their canon interactions as romantic. But I suppose they could work as something that could eventually lead to romance.

I think Akutagawa warmed up to Atsushi when they fought Fitzgerald, and was just being difficult after that, but I think Atsushi genuinely fucking hated him all the way up until they fought Fukuchi. So I guess I could maybe see it as one-sided. Akutagawa can have a crush on Atsushi, as a treat, but I refuse to see it the other way around. (As of now. Idk, maybe I’ll change my mind in the future)

I do want Atsushi to hug Akutagawa if they ever properly reunite (like he did with Kyouka and Kunikida when he thought they were dead but they weren’t), and Akutagawa to be completely taken aback because he’s not used to positive physical contact, and then Atsushi realizes what he’s doing and immediately stops and is like “actually… what the hell am I doing right now” and Akutagawa’s just frozen in place like “Don’t EVER do that again” and it haunts them both. But, like, it secretly made Akutagawa feel a little warm on the inside, and he almost cried when it happened. But he’d also rather die than it happen again.

#i like it one-sided but only sometimes I guess #I don’t ship it but I don’t Not ship it either #I have like an on again off again relationship with that ship #this post is all over the place #i need to reread the manga again…#bsd akutagawa ryunosuke #bsd nakajima atsushi #bsd #bungou stray dogs

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blackfemmecharacterdependency · 1 year

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unsure if this counts but sam obisanya from ted lasso as a character in a show about bad dads is set up as a foil to others by having a good dad, but those other characters receive more narrative attention, in part because they have more problems and problems directly related to the themes of the show. as a secondary character in a predominantly white main cast, his romantic relationship is mainly about his love interest's arc, even though he is the one on the wrong end of a power imbalance. so i have outlined a fic where I give sam problems. lol. mainly that he feels ignored because he's not the one in crisis, he feels incapable of taking up space, other people unfairly dismiss his ability to sympathize with them just because he lacks shared experiences. but also that he has moved away from home from the first time, his family and others use his youth to treat him as if he isn't mature, his taste and interests are different from his peers.

I've heard nothing but good things about Ted Lasso, but I'm gonna be honest - I have not seen a single moment of it and never even knew what its about. I think I've seen maybe two Black femmes in passing over the years and I can't tell if they've got enough for me to dedicate my time into diving in. (And nobody's suggested that I watch it, which leads me to believe my familiars know its too white for me). And my folk know, one of my first questions would be "who is/are the Black girl(s), and how are they treated?" If the answer would embarass them to have to admit to me, they don't even mention it. 😅

Ummm.. Idk if I'm misunderstanding because I just woke up, but if I'm reading right, we're discussing a Black male character who initially has been given the unicorn role of being the one with a good father and we decided to give him backstory where his story becomes more complicated and his feelings are given struggle?

At any rate, I think a Black character with a good dad is a powerful (and unfortunately revolutionary) piece of representation. I don't spend much time with male characters on this particular platform, but if I was dealing with a character who already had that particular brand of backstory, I would likely build up on that.

Like, if the canon has him being utilized for comparison to the white characters or furthering their storyline, I'd focus more on maybe seeing what about the relationship with his dad is special? What headcanons are there about the family that aren't shown? What healthy types of ways do they process their information? I feel like a wholesome Black family dynamic is scarce enough that I personally would just love to build on that ideal... but I also invest my time particularly to Black marginalized genders in general, and specifically with this blog the female characters and feminine characters.

So, I would probably be digesting how they are used in this storybuilding. That being said, I know that there are Ted Lasso fans in the BFCD collective, so I hope that they can connect with you on some of your ideas. Might not be for me, but we do be needing to connect over representation and somebody here surely is invested in this Black man with his good daddy. I hope they hit you up and y'all can touch and agree on your fandom things.

Have a great night.

#answered #chucktaylorupset #I don't go here #Nesha Chats #Ted Lasso #story building #not black femme related

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entomjinx · 1 year

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No worries. Tumblr has its own quirks and moods. Nothing we can do about it.

Sometimes it really is just awkward.

But yeah, we talked on/off (timezones, heh, even though you were sometimes up early/late - always hard to tell xD). And, idk, I thought I had gathered some strength after the trauma and all that crap. Fun times. So I took the gamble. In a way, why am I still messaging like this? But at the same time, idk.

One Piece is one of those mangas I will complete one day. I'm still very behind even though my ship is there since the beginning. 😂 and it's just so engaging! But at the same time I feel like I wouldn't be able to write fic for it. I guess I'm easily scared lol

Oh, I'm still stuck in gratsu. OTP and all that. I get the bunnies but writing sure has gotten super difficult. And then I catch another handful of bunnies before having finished one story and it's a lot of wips. Doesn't help that I'm feeling so bummed about my writing and that RL stuff has been bad. Gotta love a writing crisis. Which, btw, better not go your way. Just time and spoons for you.

Tumblr will always be just one step to the left of fully functioning, and that's how we like it here I suppose.

Sometimes messaging and replying though anon is easier. It a way to be slightly detached and not too invested, while still going out of your comfort zone to talk to the people you want to, especially after everything that happened in that server... At least, that's how it makes sense to me. Should you ever decide to just outright message me, I'd answer the second I saw it, but for now, if this is what you're comfy with, keep doing it!

Also sorry it keeps taking me so long to respond. College is very hectic at the moment. (also this got long oops)

One Piece is super engaging! the latest chapters are absolutely wild, especially the one this week. Holy shit. I have been more anxious writing for One Piece than I was for Fairy Tail, but the fandom is genuinly a much nicer and kinder space so far. I didn't fully realize how awful the FT fandom had treated me until I posted my first OP work... The difference is staggering. And most people I've spoken to have been much less insistant on only focusing on what's "canon." It's been wonderful so far.

That doesn't mean the FT fandom didn't leave such an impact on me that I'm not anxiously awaiting the switch up and rage to be sent my way, but I'm trying to tell myself that it's a set of irrational thoughts.

I still adore Gray/Natsu and I plan to finish some of the WIPs I have for them, as well as Phenomenon eventually, but I think most of the things I make outside of that will be kept to myself and close friends.

I have! so many plot bunnies! I finally came up with the idea to make a discord server where each channel is a plotline, and once I'd reached the limit for how many channels I could have in a category (per fandom) I have to finish something before I can make another one. It keeps me in check while also letting me keep a decently high number of ideas so that I don't get stuck with writers block.

I'm sorry stuff has been hectic in real life, and I hope things start to look up soon. Your writing has always been wonderful in my opinion, but I fully understand being bummed about it too. I can never really look at my own writing without feeling like it's missing something. Every artist is their own worst critic after all, so remember that others don't see what you think is missing, they see only the wonderful things you have created and shared.

#asks

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jillianallen14 · 3 years

Text

Spirk fanfic rec

Some amazing Spirk fanfic to bless your dash because I’m falling in love with this shit all over again (this is like the 10th time this has happened lol):

Entering Orbit: Jim escapes to Iowa to avoid the media frenzy following the Narada incident, but a late-night miscommunication results in Spock turning up on his front porch; rated m; 30,957 words

Papers in the Roadside: Non-Starfleet AU. Jim owns a small bar in Chicago, keeps on picking up strays and taking care of everyone no matter how hard it makes his own life. Spock is a journalist writing feature articles for the Chicago Tribune; he depicts the world with uncanny skill, but hides more than one personal drama and is possibly under surveillance from the Vulcan royal family. They meet by accident just before their lives start to spin out of control; rated e; 49,637 words

Take Refuge in What You Know: AU - Kirk has moved into a apartment/house and wants to get to know his neighbors. He meets his neighbor Spock, a loner who suffers from extreme agoraphobia. Kirk thinks he's beautiful enigma; rated e; 120,334 words

Listen, this is not only my favorite Star Trek fic of all time, it’s also one of my favorite fanfics in general. It’s right up there with Text Talk and The Shoebox Project from the HP fandom, which if you’ve read, you know are incredible and frankly life-changing. And this fanfic changed my life. The description the author gives doesn’t do the beauty of this fic justice. I suffer from agoraphobia and Spock’s depiction as an agoraphobic man was probably the most well-researched, sympathetic, empathetic, caring, realistic portrayal of what it’s like to be agoraphobic that I’ve ever witnessed in fiction. It made me cry like a child because I had never felt so seen and understood. This writer is incredible, and this fic is incredible. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s an AU, which I’m usually pretty wary about, but it barely even feels like an AU. It just feels like Jim and Spock. The author’s understanding of both of their characters’ is perfect, like just a spot-on portrayal of who they are. This fic genuinely helped me accept who I am and helped me understand that I am capable of & deserving of love. If you don’t read any other Star Trek fics (and you def should read more Star Trek fics because they’re amazing), then let this one be the one you read. I dare you not to read it three times in a row like I did.

Observations: First Officer Spock comments on life aboard the Enterprise and his service under Captain James T. Kirk; rated m; 500,000+ words.

So the author of this fic actually did a thing where they made this fic into two books (similar to what The Shoebox Project authors did many years ago in the HP fandom). They don’t get any money from people buying the books; the cost is just to go towards producing the books. This fic is the equivalent of two LARGE novels. We’re talking 600 pages & up. It’s a huge fic. Now, that being said, I read it in one day. ONE DAY. It’s that good. This is another one of my all-time favorite fics, though not quite as dear to my heart as the one I listed above. It’s focused on AOS, and tbh, I forget that what happens in this book isn’t actually canon. Like it’s so well-told, it just feels like it’s now part of the timeless story of Kirk & Spock. The “professional” Star Trek writers would never be brave enough to do what this author does with Kirk and Spock, though. This fic will make you angry, will make you laugh, will make you cry. It has such a good grasp on every single character. It also shows the love between the crew of the Enterprise, which is always a treat, and it’s beautifully done in this fic. It has a sorta-enemies-to-lovers arc between Spirk and an enemies-to-close-friends arc between Spock and McCoy that is beautifully done and fleshed out. This fic is definitely a journey to go through, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s extremely slow burn, and you will want to slap both Kirk and Spock (and McCoy) upside the head at certain points lol.

Of Coffee Beans and Green Tea Leaves: The progression of a relationship, through Coffee Beans and Green Tea Leaves. Basically, it’s an AU where Kirk works at a coffee shop to pay his way through school, and Spock visits often. rated t; 16,429 words

Love, love, love, this fic. It’s cute, it’s in character. They have kind of a rocky start together, so it’s got a little bit of that Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy i-hated-you-but-now-i-love-you-marry-me vibes to it. I’m a sucker for that, if you haven’t figured that out by now lol. It’s really good, and a really enjoyable read. And it’s not too long, if you’re in the mood for something on the shorter end of things.

Please Don’t Touch the Vulcans: The "yes" is out of Jim's mouth before he can think about it. Jim is chipper about having time off for the holidays. He asks everyone if they want to spend time together but sadly, everyone ditches Jim over the holidays because they have plans. McCoy visits his daughter, Nyota visits her family, and everyone splits. Not knowing Spock has feelings for him, Jim doesn't even bother asking if he wants to spend time together figuring he has something to do. Something cute, romantic with the boys spending time with one another and confessions; rated m; 17,690 words

Super cute and has lots of Sarek, which idk about y’all, but I’m always a fan of. Sarek and Jim kind of get to know each other a bit, and it’s cute. Sarek knows about they’re in love before Spock & Kirk know lol. If I remember correctly, there’s also some appearances from everyone’s favorite: Old!Spock! You also get a little bit of jealous and protective Young!Spock. So you’re in for a real treat with this one.

The Ren shat’var Trilogy: A split-second decision changes Jim's life forever, as he enters into a bond with Spock in the face of certain torture. Enemies to the Federation emerge from unlikely places, and the command team must contend with unexpected threats, as well as challenges within their own intense relationship. In this three-part series, the Enterprise races across the galaxy to confront the unknown, and Jim and Spock discover the true significance of their unprecedented connection; rated e; 184,411 words

Textual Attraction: Valentine’s Day does not bring up pleasant memories for Cadet Kirk. But the serendipitous switch-up of his cell phone with a particular Vulcan professor’s will make his day far more interesting –and romantic. Perhaps some new memories can be made! 15,900 words

SO GOOD. Just SO good

Spaceman: Academy AU. Five times Spock realizes he's attracted to a barista at the academy spaceport, and one time he decides to do something about it. rated t; 3728 words

Short, sweet, funny. You’ll love it.

Subtext: Texting your Vulcan first officer in the middle of the night is never a good idea. Especially when you have an obsessive crush on said Vulcan.The holidays are approaching and Jim is left entirely Spockless aboard the Enterprise when his First takes shore leave on New Vulcan. After some midnight pining, Jim sends a text he instantly regrets. That is, until Spock responds and willingly continues their textual communications to an inevitable conclusion; rated t; 13,032 words

Cute, sweet, funny. It’s a texting fic. I think you’ve probably figured out I love those. This one makes me laugh so fucking hard. Like actually laugh-out-loud-omg-did-i-just-snort kind of funny. Spock is great in this one

All Spock Wants For Christmas: While Jim is away on a delegation mission, he panics about what to give Spock for Christmas. With help from Bones and Uhura, and in between some spam texting with Spock, Jim realizes he already has the perfect gift. And all it needs is wrapping paper and a bow; rated t; 11,966 words

And here we have another cute, sweet, funny texting fic. Sue me lol

The Morning After: Jim convinces Spock to take shore leave with him on Risa, hoping the time together will help re-solidify their bond of friendship after some recent tension. Meanwhile, Spock convinces himself he's on Risa for one reason and one reason only, to prevent his wayward captain from getting into trouble. After a passionately illogical night of Romulan Ale and chocolate infused liquor, everything changes when Jim wakes with something other than a hangover filling his head. Something he's sure neither he nor Spock can handle. Because if Jim knows anything for sure, it's that his messed up thoughts belong nowhere near Spock's clean, ordered mind; rated m; 50,381 words

HAHA. This fic fucking cracks me up. You’ve got drunk boys pining over each other & not realizing it. You’ve got accidental marriage. You’ve got bed sharing. It’s great, it’s cute, it’s funny.

Take This Sinking Boat (And Point It Home): In which Spock pines, Jim isn’t stupid (except he kind of is), and Christopher Pike has had enough of this bullshit; 6698 words

Pike is great in this one, and it’s super, super funny.

Extracurricular Activities: Spock returns to the Academy from a tour of duty to find an intriguing cadet captures his attention; rated e; 15,433 words

Veritas: Basically, Kirk and Spock are on trial because the Federation thinks they are emotionally compromised by each other, which is putting the lives of their crew in danger. They have to convince a court they’re not actually in love with each other. They think the claims are bullshit. They think it will be easy to prove that they aren’t in love or emotionally compromised, damn it. It isn’t; rated m; 186,80 words

This one is so, so good. A real gem off of Fanfic.net. I remember it was actually one of the first Spirk fanfics I ever read, and it blew me away. The progression of their relationship is really well-done and interesting. It has star-crossed lovers vibes and has some really emotionally intense moments in it, especially for Spock.

A Habitual Affection: Living in 1930s New York with the Vulcan you're secretly in love with is no simple thing. But Jim never liked anything simple. And then, the big snowstorm hit...; rated t; 7998 words

A beautiful TOS fic about one of the gayest episodes of Star Trek. Love this one.

Atlas: Between what was and what will be stands James Tiberius Kirk, in all his fractured patchwork glory. Because saving the Federation was only the beginning; rated t; 135,529 words

A beaut. Really great characterization, and the progression of Jim and Spock’s relationship is really well-done.

#spirk #spock #kirk #james t kirk #spock/kirk #kirk/spock #star trek #star trek tos #star trek aos #space husbands #spirk fanfic recs #spirk fanfic

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illwynd · 2 years

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Why have so many people in fandom forgotten that ships don’t have to be canon to be valid? It’s like fandom’s greater acceptance in mainstream culture has led to greater stigmatization of fans with niche interests and less popular ships.

Hey at least that makes it easy to ignore their utterly smooth-brained takes!

fr tho part of me wants to argue that there is no way they legit don’t realize how stupid of an argument that is. There is no way that much of the absolute basics of fandom culture is getting lost. Like this is fandom. Where all we do day in and day out is write about shit that isn’t canon. That is how it works. There is no way that people don’t realize that, and despite their attempt to dress up what they’re saying as some serious, high-minded artistic or social concern, it is still quite obviously three ship wars in a trench coat and the only reasonable response is to laugh them out of the room and/or tell them to go read some Walter Benjamin and get back to us.

But another part of me wants to actually get into it because yeah, you’re right, and it’s an angle that does kinda fit all the pieces. like OK once upon a time but not that long ago, when diverse media was rarer, queer fans (for instance) had to look to fandom if they wanted to see the characters they liked in queer relationships, because it just… wasn’t gonna be there in canon. And as that has become less true, I can believe there may actually be some fans who now consider fans’ versions inherently inferior to canon offerings, something we did to make do when there was no alternative but not to be preferred when you have a choice. Why bother to make your own when you can just get it professionally made from the store?

But to my mind, while things are undoubtedly better—I mean, even frickin’ Disney has given us, like, dozens of “very first” gay characters wow!! And they might even write “sex: fluid” on a form that appears for half a second!!—it is kind of… like, idk how to say, but I feel like one of the weirdo trans queers watching the white-collar gays declare the fight for equality over when gay marriage was legalized, like I’m happy for y’all but no we cannot erase kink from pride because you’ve decided you want to blend; the rest of us are still over here waiting to be treated like people, and hiding our weirdness to be more palatable is not the answer.

And how this equates to fandom… there are so many stories that still won’t get any airtime if there are any corporate interests in play at all, whether that’s studios or publishers or online vendors or anything. Only the most indie of indies doesn’t have to please somebody who’s worried about ad revenue and investors. So, sure, there’s a lot more diversity on paper, but that just doesn’t mean that what everyone wants or needs to see is there to be found. In those terms, it’s… still pretty damn constrained, actually! It is constrained by capitalism, which in the current era means a very sanitized, PG-13 version of diversity that doesn't actually challenge the status quo in any way but sells feel-good individual-focused messages for days. And the rising neopuritan strain of fandom coinciding with the rise of “but you have to ship the canon ship!” seems to be all tied up with this (and completely misses the point: that the noncommercial nature of fandom means it can actually be free of those constraints! and folks want to impose them anyway, as if those constraints are some kind of moral standard we need to emulate rather than an accidental failure, a way in which a system has made things worse for the people within it? good gods why??).

Like so many things, it just makes me want to bash people’s heads together and somehow get them to glimpse even a fraction of the impossibly huge range of experiences and perspectives among billions of people, the impossibly huge range of what people can want from fiction and what they can get out of it, and how utterly foolish it is to think that you, Random McJudgeyfan, have any right to dictate anything about what they should enjoy or spend their time on in this hobby we all do for fun.

(Gah, remember when people would just write a ship manifesto and be done with it? Even when they were overwrought and clearly incorrect, at least they were honest about what they were arguing and why. And at least fewer of us had our lips firmly glued to the butts of TPTB. Something something identity as members of a fandom for a specific story and the fan community around it vs. identity as fans of the corporation that produces the canon... there's that old aura again, ain't it...)

#replies #not sure i'm done thinking about this but asks are piling up #and this has gotten long anyway #illwynd is a weirdo

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constellraetion · 3 years

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You guys seriously need to either stop calling Wiggle “Abusive” or just admit you’re racist already because its seriously not funny anymore thanks

It’s super obvious when ya’ll get all up in arms about the only black coded character in a romantic relationship (and she isnt even Actively in a relationship with Gramble until the end of the game) and how she’s MANIPULATIVE and GASLIGHTS her partner when literally none of that happens, and treating Wiggle like she’s evil and predatory because you people are obsessed with treating Gramble like a pathetic defenseless baby when he’s a grown adult and need to find a reason to hate the pairing and sound woke about it.

But anyway my response the points ive seen about Wiggle and Gramble’s “Toxic, Abusive Relationship” in a short list,

“Wiggle is too old for Gramble, it’s a predatory age gap!”

First off the AMA is what kicked off this discourse in the first place and in general it’s really annoying what people will take word-of-god as irrefutable canon when the ages presented in said AMA don’t even make sense. There’s rumors that the claim that wiggle is in her late 30s is a typo (which I highly believe is true, I genuinely do not think that Young Horses would have put Gramble and Wiggle in a relationship with such a large age difference, and her being in her late 20s makes a lot more sense,

Plus there is a huge and weird disparity with the age ranges in the AMA that aren’t backed up by the game. For example, they also say that Liz and Filbo are childhood friends, that Liz protected Filbo at school, and that Filbo was following Liz for years, but apparently they’re about 10 years apart in age? Are we supposed to believe that Liz was smacking around kids 10 yrs younger than her in defense of Filbo? Wack.

“Wiggle manipulates Gramble and takes advantage of him.”

I know this fandom loves ignoring canon except for when it supports their points but the fact that people keep ignoring what is literally stated between these two is really annoying. Gramble isn’t ignorant, he knows Wiggle takes his snax, and repeatedly stands his ground around her. When she asks him to go on a date with her on the beach he says no, and when she asks if he’ll spend time with her in Snaxburg he says no. Both times, Wiggle respects his decision and doesn’t press him, instead she chooses to let him decide when/if he wants to come to her, and doesn’t insist that he have to be around her. Idk about ya’ll but this doesn’t read as being manipulative to me.

Does she make an attempt to steal from Gramble in the game? Yes, but considering that its implied almost everyone else has at some point so why do people get on Wiggle’s case so much about it? (Hint: Racism)

“Gramble and Wiggle’s relationship is the only unhealthy one in the game so why not critique it?”

Newsflash, every relationship in the game has some kind of unhealthy element to it. None of your faves are immune, not Liz and Egg, not Snorpy and Chandlo, not Wambus and Triffany. It’s even more obvious that people’s “concerns” about how Wiggle and Gramble’s relationship is “toxic” are entirely twodimensional when uh, no one brings up how Snorpy and Chandlo treat each other, how Lizbert treats Eggabell, how Wambus and Triffany barely have a proper reconciliation at all. With this in mind, why do people only act like Wiggle and Gramble’s relationship is unhealthy? Like, you all saw the tapes about Liz and Egg right? We all saw those? No? Liz never even apologizes to Eggabell for how she treated her and I have WAY more concern about that considering they are actually in a longstanding committed relationship vs. two people who haven’t even started dating yet.

With all that said I’d just like to say, stop projecting onto these characters with your problems. It’s fine to critique the actions of characters but you people literally take it way too far, its embarrassing and people like me can see the way you get upset about a black coded character but ignore the faults of other characters with white voice actors (i.e. Beffica has literally RUINED LIVES before, remember how Snorpy keeps lying to Chandlo, or how Liz accused her girlfriend of cheating on her for no reason? Yeah.) No one is saying that you can’t critique Wiggle’s actions, but to be so blatantly obvious with your actions? Ridiculous.

Also don’t think that I haven’t seen people act like Wambus, WAMBUS and FILBO would be better partners to Gramble than Wiggle, when Wambus is the character who was the most violent AND is the person who made Gramble so paranoid about his snax being stolen that he couldn’t sleep, and Filbo has stolen and lied about taking care of Gramble’s snax before and also didn’t apologize about doing so.

anyway TL;DR, You can critique Wiggle’s actions and you don’t even have to like Wiggle and Gramble as a couple but stop pretending that you hate it because their relationship is “toxic”, and stop calling Wiggle “abusive” because you don’t even know what that word means clearly if you see two characters who have NORMAL FLAWS experiencing struggles when it comes to their feelings and immediately jump to labelling their relationship as unsalvageable.

Nonblack people can reblog but your comments on this post are unwanted and unnecessary.

#rae rambles #bugsnax #long post #put those STUPID WIGGLE IS PREDATORY COMICS on my dash again i SWEAR TO GOD ill get you i will GET YOU AAAAAAAGH #more like juice should not do things #ANYWAY #hats off to you racists!#don't think i didnt see that one comic where they literally put a jab at people who are RIGHTFULLY UPSET about how ppl treat wiggle #you are so obvious and every person who agrees with them is OBVIOUS and i literally can't stand ya'll #turning ur racism and prejudice into fandom woke points #im going to go insane #i dont ever want to see these takes again <3

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bookwyrminspiration · 3 years

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Half of the things that regarding Tam in Kotlc frustrate me honestly. It feels like he’s pushed aside in the series so frequently, and I feel like this really peaked when he was in the Neverseen in Legacy. First off, it kinda rubbed me the wrong way the way that half of the characters were acting like Tam betrayed them? And maybe I just horribly misread the scene in which he was taken to the Neverseen, but I would not say that was a consensual decision, like at all. Gisela basically just said “Hey come with me or I’m making an entire species extinct and killing your sister.” like that’s manipulation that’s not what an honest decision looks like. I just felt so bad for him because he was borderline kidnapped by this awful group and it felt like no one was taking it seriously. Sophie reached out to him once on her own, and then once again when Linh pushes her to. That’s about all she did to try to help Tam for pretty much the entire book, unless I’m forgetting something. It just frustrates me, especially considering how much she did to try to figure out who her parents were during that book. This isn’t a thing against Sophie, it’s just that the things she did during that book kinda make it seem like Sophie being able to get a matchmakers list is more important than Tam being kidnapped. I don’t know, I just feel bad for Tam it always feels like he’s getting the short end of the stick when he seems like he’s one of the characters who would need support the most? I mean, he’s got so much to deal with and half of his scenes just feel like “here’s a scarring situation for you Tam! Now go back home to Linh or something.” Also, the way they described Tam being chained and mind-controlled actually made me sick that’s really horrific. (Also I don’t know where to put this, but characters keep acting like Tam’s super-ultra edgy and I don’t really see it? This is probably just me, but he’s always seemed more like a really stressed out person to me, not necessarily edgy. This might just be because he’s in a stressful situation in like 80% of the scenes he’s in.) I’ll be honest, Tam just kind of feels like a punching-bag character half the time.

tam is one of my favorite characters so i'm looking forward to this one, nonsie

I do feel that Tam's situation was treated very similarly to Keefe's, though there was actually a lot differentiating the two, which makes it feel weird. To summarize, Keefe ran away to the Neverseen, actively making that choice, and Sophie decided to trust him with that decision. She thought it was dumb and that they'd have to rescue him, but it had been his choice. And she coordinated with him, reaching out nightly to see what was going on and to get a sense of how he was doing. She was actively doing what she could to monitor him and balance her other responsibilities

some of this mindset carried over into Tam, while I think he should've been approached differently. because this wasn't his choice. it wasn't coordinated, and he didn't want to be there. he wanted out, and he wanted to be out safely. My mind is linking it to that one conversation with Sophie you mentioned, the one with Linh. Specifically because he told Sophie not to reach out to him, and said "I. LIKE. IT. HERE[...]I'M EVEN MAKING FRIENDS," (Legacy 407). I think this kinda led us to the "Tam wants to be there the way Keefe did" connection that really isn't accurate. he was threatened into joining, and nothing he says after the fact will erase that.

additionally, while Tam was with the Neverseen, Gethen was back and could search his mind, which was why Sophie didn't reach out to him more than twice. it was a risk that could put Tam in direct danger, and he wouldn't know when it was coming and couldn't agree to that risk. so if the two paths of action we're applying to Keefe and tam are to try and physically remove them from the situation or keep tabs on them, since contacting him is off the table, you'd think they'd focus more heavily on trying to get him back. but they...didn't.

I agree with your assessment of her priorities as well. i don't fault her for trying to figure out who her bio parents are or for wanting to explore matchmaking, i'm judging her for her timing. because she's consistently been very motivated by her friends and keeping them safe, it feels a little off that she prioritized matchmaking over Tam's physical safety. i know the love triangle and romantic drama has a lot of draw for some of the younger fandom base, but I feel as though it was prioritized too much and actually betrayed some of Sophie's key values for publicity.

and going back to the "he always draws the short end of the stick," thing, I think you're exactly right. i honestly can't think of any scenes off the top of my head with Tam where he's allowed to just be a teenager and take a break. There's always drama with him, which I think in part comes from the "sarcastic dark aesthetic friend" he's kinda gotten boxed into. he's there to be dry and pessimistic and further the conversation. note: he doesn't actually seem like a dry/dark outlook person as much as a lot of us (myself included sometimes) make him out to be. yes, he uses a lot of sarcasm, but that's not synonymous with dark and edgy.

to me he sounds like..,bitter? and resigned? and just generally annoyed to be there but doesn't want to show it. i don't think that makes sense so let me expand on it. he feels like when one friend of yours has invited you into a group of theirs friends (none of whom you know) and you're just kinda existing in the same space but are slightly uncomfortable and don't know what to do with yourself, but you don't want to let it show and risk offending anyone. you talk and fake your way through it but it feels off and you just don't like it and don't want to be uncomfortable anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually has a lot of anxiety that everyone around him just doesn't pick up on

his life changed drastically very quickly and he doesn't have a lot of friends. sure, there's the group, but they're not friends in that way. tell me, can you think of one person Tam would tell his worries or fears to? I can't. the most obvious might be linh, but I don't believe he'd tell her, because he'd want to protect her instead of burdening her with his worries. I think he's tied to her a lot and seen as a package deal in a lot of canon--and frequently in fanon--so it can be hard to separate them at times,

I might be jumping around a little, but back to the chains. those are incredibly fucked up, and I don't think they're given the appropriate emotional response they deserved. this is a teenager who has been physically chained for all hours of the day, for weeks. and he's just living with it, knowing he can't take them off. and when Sophie learns and tells Mr. Forkle, his response is that he's never heard of something like that before and would need to research it. Like?? excuse me?? one of the minors you let swear fealty to your organization is literally chained and you're 1. not trying to get him back 2. just saying you need to research it.

that's another thing! everything I remember (and I might be forgetting something) is the teenagers talking about Tam being missing and how they need a plan and want him back. But there are several adults in his life now who could step forward to take that responsibility. Tiergan. Mr. Forkle, Squall, the bodyguards, any dwarves working with the Black Swan, etc. You know, these adults with loads more resources and people at their disposal. they could do something, organize something, make an effort. A child was kidnapped and it feels like they went "wow that sucks. hope we get him back. anyways--" idk. that's just something that's bothered me.

he just keeps getting hurt again and again. it's like that's all we focus on with his character, him being sarcastic and dark in stressful situations and not him just existing. we see him fighting with his parents, fighting with the neverseen, being teased and singled out when he's around Keefe, like can he catch a break? can we just let him smile for once?

I, for one, think he deserves to be more than just a punching bag, nonsie

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