fayraje

[fayraje]

From Dec 2021

#Mdzs #wei wuxian

[fayraje]

emotions be damned

#hazbin hotel #hazbin lucifer

[fayraje]

As a touch averse Aroace person with low empathy, Alastor is very relatable to me. I don’t mind that he’s shipped with a lot of people, though the ones who erase his sexuality to do so make me uncomfortable. Some aces are sex favorable, but alastor is pretty obviously -at least to me - sex repulsed. Im also pretty sure he’s aplatonic, yes even if has friends. I think he’s a loveless aro like me.

I ship him with a lot of people, cause he has fun interactions with a lot of people that I want to see more of. I’m lazy, can’t be bothered to say brotp, or use other terms, so for me ships are by default, queerplatonic. But allo people really tolerate erasing aromanticism and Asexuality more than if it happened to gay or lesbian characters. If you want to ship him with people, own up to it, instead of defaulting to justify it with aphobic arguements. If Radioapple is a valid ship, so is spidermoth

#hazbin hotel #alastor #arospec #Shipping #double standards

[fayraje]

Since I have no clue about romance and am asexual, shipping for me, just envisioning these characters as a fixed presence in each other’s lives. They may have interacted only once or twice canonically, but in my head they have regular and frequent contact. Whether the interactions are friendly, hostile or sexual is the least important part.

But seriously, Hazbin hotel is feeding my multi shipper soul. To list every pair I like there’s: chaggie, chalastor, charmily, spidermoth, radiodust, radioapple, huskerdust, adamsapple, guitarspear, staticradio, radiohusk. And yes I’m shipping alastor with both Charlie and her dad, so what

#Asexual #aromantic #Shipping #Hazbin hotel

[fayraje]

I’ve come to the realization that the things I love about something aren’t necessarily the reasons I love it. Sometimes you love something just because. And honestly, the same applies to hating something. You can hate something independently of its shortcomings.

#Thoughts

[fayraje]

Charlie gets her adorableness from her father confirmed

Help! He’s not supposed to look cute in his demon form too!

#hazbin hotel #hazbin lucifer #lucifer morningstar #lucifer magne

[fayraje]

for someone who talks about how much Wei wuxian owed him, you’d think jiang cheng would be better at repaying his own debts (to wen Qing and wen Ning)

#mdzs #Jiang cheng #canon jiang cheng

[fayraje]

Let's talk about how hubris is not Wei Wuxian's fatal flaw.

I am very, very tired of this take.

Hubris is the fatal flaw of many a hero throughout history. The hero thinks of himself better than everyone, has a high self-confidence bordering on arrogance, and finally, it leads to his downfall.

Those stories are indeed an amazing exploration of human arrogance. But MDZS is not such a story. WWX is not such a hero.

Perhaps people are misled because WWX is not a character afflicted with self-esteem issues (whatever CQL may choose to portray or popular fanon may claim). He is completely confident in his actions, assured in his competence, secure in his endurance. He does not doubt his morals, he is righteous and brilliant and competent.

This is confused with arrogance, especially because much like Gui Dao, his so-called 'arrogance' is often called the reason for his downfall. And until the very moment of revelation, MXTX gives us scenes that are out of context to give us the impression that WWX's downfall was his own fault.

I have said this before, I will say it again, I will say it a thousand times. WWX's demise was the punishment the society forced upon him for having the audacity to stand up against cruelty. For having the audacity to do the right thing when the world was drunk on power and hatred and vengeance and passivity.

Now then. About Hubris.

“Not everything was because of his cultivation path. Wei WuXian’s personality is quite immoral. One’s deeds will be paid, one way or another; what goes around always comes around.”

We have this in the prologue, which, as we all know, are rumours surrounding WWX that are systematically decried throughout the book.

A moment that WWX's apparent arrogance is shown to us is during the empathy with NMJ. His perceived arrogance is clearly shown as a mask when WWX himself says that he was joking with JC as he walks away. However, after this, he has a fight with JZX, a fight that at that particular time, seems uncalled for. JZX inquires about JYL, and WWX does not care for it. Out of context, this seems like WWX is making trouble for no reason.

But later, during Phoenix Mt. Hunt, we find out that JZX's last interaction with JYL ended with her sobbing until she almost couldn't breathe. That JYL was content to stay far, far away from him after the soup incident. WWX's anger makes far more sense, especially because JYL is described as someone who very rarely cries.

Fanon about WWX's 'hubris' is almost inseparable from his use of Gui Dao, or perhaps, more specifically, his control over it.

From the moment he comes back from the Burial Mounds, commanding resentment, LWJ confronts him about his control over it.

Lan WangJi, “Some things you cannot be able to control at all.”

Displeasure flashed across Wei WuXian’s face, “Of course, I can control it."

An important thing to realise about this moment I feel, is that when LWJ says this, WWX is just a few days out of the Burial Mounds. WWX knows he can control Gui Dao - it's not arrogance, its confidence built on the fact that had he not been able to do so, he would not have survived the Burial Mounds. LWJ is questioning his control, and WWX's anger, aside from distrust from the man he held in high regard and was so fond of, is very likely to have stemmed from his time in the Burial Mounds being very, very fresh in his mind.

Later, at two more instances, the two being Yunmeng meet and Yiling meet, LWJ expresses similar concerns, and WWX again affirms that he knows his own powers and can control it.

Now the Hubris caused WWX's downfall fanon obviously holds up two specific moments as the moments where his Hubris comes into play. JZX death and JYL being injured.

But when we think about the two instances, in fact, they are two moments that show us that WWX in fact does know his cultivation best.

First and foremost, the two instances are most notably, moments when WWX is in mortal danger, surrounded by people who want him dead, being attacked by them, and under enormous stress. In QQP, there are 300 archers. In Nightless city, 3000 cultivators wish to kill him and then slaughter the innocents he protected. Both are moments where he is vulnerable and very, very alone.

Don't for a moment forget that WWX fought in a war. Instincts like that do not disappear. Similarly, and more importantly, WWX was in a place akin to hell for 3 months, surrounded, helpless, in mortal danger.

In QQP, WWX tells JZX to stay back. I can't understand how people read that and not understand that WWX is well aware of his own control. He tells JZX to stay away. JZX, the Enormous Idiot that he is, doesn't. What he does do, is lunge at WWX. When WWX is being attacked from all sides, when he is focused on protecting himself and has already told him to stay away.

In a similar vein, WWX absolutely has no intention to hold back at Nightless City. He has been confronted with the stark reality that the Righteous Cultivation Sects would stop at nothing to kill the Wens, to see him dead. He is shot, and he himself is filled with anger and rage. However, the moment JYL appears on the battlefield, he leaves the roof, fearing for her safety. He knows that his cultivation is volatile at the time, surrounded by danger as he is.

It is enormous control he shows to calm down in those situations and calm the corpses, all at JYL's request. It is undoubtedly stemming from his concern for her, his want for her to be safe, but it shows that WWX, can, in fact, control his cultivation because he is shown doing it in a circumstance of immense pressure.

It is interesting to note that post 13 years, WWX still uses Gui Dao, and LWJ, with 13 years to grow and having understood better, never questions him on his control over it. But this is very easily forgotten about - and I absolutely blame CQL for demonizing resentful energy and actually making WWX's confidence in his cultivation seem like arrogance and pride.

Making WWX and his Hubris the scapegoat is a very easy excuse to make for the Cultivation World. But it is a severe injustice to the very strenuous circumstances he is under, as well as the trauma he has gone through.

Can WWX bear the weight of the responsibilities he takes on because of how morally upright he is? Yes. But even he buckles under the pressure when the world turns against him. This is why things are so different post his resurrection because he is not alone anymore. He has someone who stands by his side, no matter what the crowd says. He has Lan Wangji, who supports him, who stands by him, and Wei Wuxian knows Lan Wangji is there. He has a guardian, a protection he has never, ever had before.

WWX's fatal flaw is not Hubris. His demise is not the making of his Arrogance. His death was a tragedy precisely because he was punished for doing the right thing.

#Mdzs #wei wuxian #he did nothing wrong #he might be overly self sacrificing at times #but it was the flaws of society that led to his death #not his own

[fayraje]

So according to vivziepop, charlie and vaggie were really good friends for a while and it was "kind of a natural progression for them", so she doesn't really know who was in love first, thinking it was a more mutual feeling that developed between them. Explains why I love it so much. I think a healthy romance is at its base a friendship with added pda and commitment. Basically best friends with benefits. Chaggie’s casual affection, mutual support and trust are so adorable, and it’s clear they truly love each other, it’s not just attraction, though I’m pretty sure that’s there too

#Chaggie #Rainbowmoth #Hazbin hotel #I think love and attraction #while not entirely seperate #are distinct

[fayraje]

Mxtx telling not to split or reverse wangxian was kinda weird. I guess she’s allowed to have her preferences for her own work, but I dont think creators can tell their fandom what to do. So is her view that so many gay people in the same place is unbelievable. But she was absolutely right in saying ‘You don’t have to explain everything as romantic. I think that if you don’t reduce everything to a romantic relationship, the characters would have more depth.’ I felt very seen

#Mxtx #Mdzs #Fandom #Shipping

[fayraje]

I don’t even hate fics where jiang cheng is a good brother who really does love Wei wuxian. Well as long as they’re set before his death. I just hate most yunmeng bros reconciliation fics, cause they mostly focus on how Wei wuxian wronged jiang cheng. Jiang Cheng was the one who led an attack on him, after his sister gave his life to save him. Even before that, since he was there on the pledge in nightless city, he would’ve been involved in attacking the burial mounds anyways.

But no, Wei wuxian should have just left children, elders, woman and two people who risked their lives to save him against their own people, to be slaughtered. JC is the one who gave up on their promise first, not standing by him cause it was inconvenient. Because he was jealous of Wei wuxian’s abilities and how he was supposedly favored by his father. Because he was possesive and entitled, to the point that not being wwx’s no.1 priority was enough to cast him out. He asks for levels of loyalty that he doesn’t return, because I’m certain wwx is not his biggest priority.

so all the fics where wwx apologizes for leaving, chosing other people I, bringing trouble, etc just reads as victim blaming. Worse is when they bring the puppies thing into it. I have nothing against making jiang cheng a better person in fics, but it usually involves writing Wei wuxian in a worse light. Everyone has their own preferences, and this just isn’t mine

#Mdzs #canon jiang cheng #I can tolerate Draco in leather pants trope as long as they don’t ‘Ron the death eater’ characters I like #Usually it’s not that overt #which in someways is worse cause that means it’s not tagged. #Like good parent yu ziyuan involves making her grievances with Wei wuxian and jiang fengmian legit and reasonable. #As if she isn’t abusive and always finding something to be angry about and the bringer of her own misery #It’s tricky making a character better without making another worse. #Most people fail. You’re free to write whatever you want #but victim blaming is usually a turn off for me. Not matter how slight #in a meta context

[fayraje]

I really don’t like lan xichen. He’s everything salters accuse Adrien of being, except he doesn’t have the excuse of being fourteen, abused and literally not knowing. And no willful ignorance doesn’t really count. Wei wuxian made the thing with the wen remnants very public. Jin guangyao, literally admitted he was right. And the guy just thinks that Wei wuxian’s heart has really changed. And then he later blames the poor guy for the massacre in nightless city. They were going to go kill him and the wen remnants, despite wen ning and wen Qing giving themselves up. He just took the fight to them, and he wasn’t even the one to attack first.

#Mdzs #anti lan xichen #lan xichen critical

[fayraje]

if i like a character that lots of people like, i’m basic and i have no taste and “ew they’re so overrated”. if i like a character that a much smaller group likes, then i’m “trying to be special” and “that character is so boring” and “theres a reason why no one likes them”

yall pick a side. i keep having popular favorite characters and then less popular favorite characters and this is what always happens LET ME LIVEEE

#Anti cringe culture #cringe culture

[fayraje]

This might just be me, but I am starting to notice a serious trend of independent animation being critisized simply for being self indulgent.

It happened with Hazbin Hotel in 2019 and it's currently happening to The Amazing Digital Circus now, which is which very sad to see. It's not enough to be pattern but it's definetly enough to be noticeable.

A lot of people who don't delve to much into creative mediums seem to forget that art: ALL ART, is a self indulgent medium. The target audience, when creating a project, is yourself. If other people like it and want to see more, than cool. But at the end of the day, you (or in this case, Gooseworx and Vivziepop) are the target auidence for their/your projects.

"All the characters in Hazbin Hotel reek of Tumblr and teenage edge" Vivzie designed all the characters when she was in Highschool and wanted to reuse them for her series. Of course they have 2010s Deviantart vibes, she grew up a 2010s deviantart kid and wanted to keep that vibe.

"Jax is total Tumblr Sexyman Bait and everything is too colorful and bouncy and annoying!" Gooseworx said themself that they like Jax's character archetype which is why they wanted to include him. Also have you SEEN Goose's other work? Bouncy and colorful are their thing.

There are plenty of things to critisize about HH (And it's spinoff HB) and TADC. Even as a fan of these works, I have my issues with them, some even as a result of this self indulgence, but disliking them so vehemently simply BECAUSE they are self indulgent really discourages people from making art, especially in fields such as animation.

TLDR: If you want to see more independent animation and art being made, you have to let people get a little self indulgent. You might not like it, but at the end of the day, it isn't made for you. And that's ok.

#anti cringe culture

[fayraje]

The whole "sibling-coded" thing is stupid as hell. Even if characters are REALLY sibling-coded, like intentionally on an author's part, that still doesn't make it incest. Stop being fucking ridiculous. Best friends often view each other as sibling-like, especially in childhood, and then they grow up and marry each other, by your logic that's incest? Lord, antis are insufferable 🤦‍♀️

#Proship #anti anti

[fayraje]

Being critical of your interests or media does not mean cancelling literally everything that's problematic.

We need to understand that it will be impossible to find media that is entirely unproblematic.

Follow what you think is right. There are tons of things I've boycotted myself. That's my decision. And while there is one media I think is entirely irredeemable and should be forgotten, I recognize that it's a drastic step to take.

Deeming something entirely irredeemable should be done for media that is actually harmful. That has genuinely awful messages in it and/or is propaganda.

Otherwise, it's a case by case basis.

You like the video game that was made by an asshole? Don't see why piracy isn't an option here if the video game doesn't show any of the creators beliefs.

You see a book series that does show very harmful beliefs? That's when you drop that shit.

We were all fine when Minecraft switched ownership because we knew the money wasn't going to the asshole anymore. And there weren't any dangerous beliefs in Minecraft.

I am very sorry to tell you, but the thing you like was probably also problematic in some way. Most everything is.

#Problematic media #critical thinking

[fayraje]

This Blog's Most Important Posts:

— Fiction —

Fiction is NOT Education

Fiction itself doesn’t affect people or give them Bad Ideas.

No amount of dark fiction would make someone with a solid moral core harm another person.

The guys who stormed Capitol Hill were dressed as Captain America.

Children & Fiction

We as a society already had this discussion with the violent video games nonsense.

 “Well if you don’t support it irl then why would you like it in fiction?!”

Why should the writers be held responsible for the bad choices of anyone who picks up their book and ignores what’s actually in it in favor of the version of the book they made up in their head?

People just blame mental illness or past abuse or their victims if fiction isn’t an option.

Fanfic writers are the product of the world they’re in, far more than they are the cause of what’s wrong with it.

Don’t fucking trivialise Nazis and their crimes against humanity by equating them to the fucking “dewit” wrinkle man or the guy who tried to eat a unicorn.

“Fiction affects reality!” It does… but also it doesn’t, and certainly not on a one-to-one level.

Magic Bullet Theory

Fiction affecting one’s perception does not equal the hypodermic-syringe model:

Jaws

It is not necessary for fiction to be good for people’s mental health.

— Romanticization —

Definition of Romantic

What “romantic”, in a literary sense, actually means.

Romanticism is the opposite of realism.

A PSA reminder: Fiction is entertainment, not nonfiction!

Hey fandom, fiction doesn’t have to be realistic!

Romanticizing an aspect of fiction isn’t that much of an issue, actually.

For god’s sake, the reason we tell stories is so we can engage the imagination.

Most fiction “romanticizes” human experiences and behaviors. 

Hey, did you know that rape fantasies are really common, especially in women?

Women are infantilized so much.

And ultimately, we should not take away women’s abilities to explore their fantasies through fandom.

A fandom fictional ship should not be an example or a role model of a healthy relationship.

Seriously if you need fanfiction to teach you what healthy and normal relationships are like, you don’t need fanfiction you need resources geared towards teaching you what healthy and non-abusive relationships are like.

— Normalization —

Your words aren’t magical and don’t brainwash people into doing what you imagine

People do not copy fiction as a rule. 

Fiction isn’t going to normalize problematic concepts to anyone to a significant degree, unless the problematic concept is already normalized, and then it’s a societal problem rather than one of expression.

This

How ‘normalization’ works:

What antis don’t understand is that exposure =/= normalisation, exposure = recognition, which is not the same.

Normalization and Desensitization regarding Fiction

To antis, this lack of disgust is the normalization they are fighting against

Abusers choose to hurt you. They know that their actions will hurt you, and they choose to do it anyways. Everything after that is an excuse.

Blame the abuser, they did the abusing.

— Villains —

Reasons I have liked villains/antagonists before without agreeing with their actions.

What I mean when I say I like villains:

“The good guys are boring”

The Villain Police

No, the characters one fans over do not “define” who they are as a person, nor “confirm” their political beliefs. 

The "women who like villains and ship them with heroines are messed in the head and will end up in toxic relationships" argument is nothing but misogynistic hot garbage.

Excuse me, are you asking if I know that murder is bad? 

PSA to the Minors™️ and fake activists:

— Redemption —

Nobody "Deserves" Redemption

Exactly! Redemption is for VILLAINS.

Anyone who says certain characters do or do not "deserve" redemption arcs: shut the fuck up like PLEASE.

The only thing that makes a villain irredeemable is if they choose to be… and redemption is a series of choices, not just a singular moment.

They think that “redemption” is not “becoming a better person and fixing your mistakes”, but “being accepted by the good guys”.

I think it’s really important to talk about how different people have different power fantasies.

No one deserves a redemption arc!

Forgiving is not synonymous with redeeming.

Anyone else think people tend to get the wrong idea about hero/villain relationships where the heroine “”“fixes”“” a male villain?

It’s pretty disturbing tbh, to treat basic things that every human needs (like being loved) as a “reward” that you get for good behavior.

— Shipping —

I ship people because I think their story is interesting, not to get relationship advice.

Reasons Why People Ship or Enjoy Problematic/Toxic/Abusive Relationships

Unhealthy relationship means just that, a relationship that is unhealthy.

Love Redeems isn’t “Lazy” storytelling.

Antis are worried that we "normalize" and "romanticize" abuse for harmless FICTIONAL ships.

Shipping doesn’t mean condoning.

Enemies to Lovers =/= Belligerent Sexual Tension

Enemies to Lovers is about:

Women and their tastes in fiction aren’t responsible for abusive men.

Here’s a take you all need to hear: People do not deserve to be mistreated over a fictional character, even if they…

PSA: Shipping is not activism.

Why Shipping is Not Activism

— Fanpol —

Trying to dictate other people’s expression based on your preferences and opinions makes you an anti.

“Censorship is like telling a man he can’t have steak because a baby can’t chew it.” 

Fandom is not activism.

90% of the problem with Twitter is treating fictional people like they're real and real people like they're fictional.

I’ve noticed that the younger crowd requires villains to adhere to a strict moral code. lol

And the girl moved on with her life.

Antis are the one hurting people.

Self-Projection

Hey guys, guess what? According to Twitter, you're "promoting" a villain's actions if you're their fan!

Fandom Frollos

The Moral Crusaders of the 1950s

You are taking responsibility away from the person who has made the decision to abuse and instead placing the blame upon the tools they used.  

#fiction isn’t reality