#(and it’s so sad how this fandom portrays him the worst of them all when he’s literally not)

[yuikomorii]

Hello there, I would like to ask you something.

Why is the Sakamaki family your least favourite if your favourite Diaboy is a Sakamaki?

// You kinda answered your own question, Anon. :”)

The reason why I don’t like the Sakamaki family is ✨Ayato✨ or the way he’s treated there, to be more precise.

Ayato is without a doubt the most unfairly treated member of that family, even Kanato is more loved than him, although he’s supposed to be the one nobody understands.

No one ever thinks about what he had to go through, despite the fact that his past was extremely painful. It didn't leave "scars" like Laito's, but pretty reminder that Ayato was the most tortured Diaboy in the entire franchise, given that the lake scene was only one of many near-death experiences Cordelia forced him to go through, and he was also very emotionally and mentally abused for centuries. But does anyone really care? Apparently not.

Either his brothers are incredibly ignorant, or Rejet simply does not know how to write trauma. Only because Ayato appears energetic and unbothered does not mean that he is without inner struggles or insecurities. They pretend that in order to be considered traumatized, you must hate yourself or be depressed, which is a very wrong mindset. I also dislike how many characters, particularly Laito, find Ayato's life ideal to the point of envying him, despite the fact that being in Ayato's shoes would be a terrible fate.

Now, let’s get into more serious stuff. Ayato may not be a completely innocent character, but he would never betray anyone or project his insecurities onto them.

If you ever feel pathetic, read this YOUNGBLOOD chapter, where Shu and Subaru both backstab Ayato and use him as bait while he is being beaten up by ghouls to help his brothers find out more information. The fact that they casually talked about betraying Ayato makes it even worse, and I can't understand how people here are excusing their behavior with "They were just children." Being a child is not an excuse to be a jerk and ruin someone's life. Ayato wouldn't have been cursed if they hadn't left him there.

This really dark secret has been confirmed in Laito's LE route, and while I love Laito, this literally makes him far more toxic than he was before. So, basically, Laito wanted to kill Ayato when he was younger. It would have liberated Ayato from Cordelia's abuse, but he also has a desire to live, and taking that away from him would be evil. Again, I've seen people justifying it and they were all like "Poor Laito..." . He had his reasons but what he wanted to do is still very wrong, Ayato did nothing wrong to him.

Reiji is also really mean towards Ayato, plus was the source of Ayato's breakdowns in LE, but I don't have high expectations from Reiji because, like Ruki, he isn't sugarcoated and he talks ill about everyone. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Kanato is Ayato's brother who has hurt him the least; they insult each other, but he hasn't done anything cruel to him for no reason (not counting bad endings).

And now people will probably come to me and say that the Sakamakis do care for each other, but their "love" for one another is phony and forced to me.I'm not including the Tokutens, where they appear to be having a good time together, because those aren't 100% accurate after all. I honestly don't care if they're family-oriented in other routes; if they can't be like that in the most canon route, with a guy who's almost always supportive of them and apologizes if he ever does them anything wrong, they're no longer valid to me and the best ending for Ayato would be to leave that household as soon as possible.

Bonus— Here we have two DL characters able to stand up for themselves and for others, who are never afraid to help someone but still get mistreated, while the fandom keeps mischaracterizing them:

#(I had to include Yui there) #(because the moment she makes a mistake everybody hates her) #(I know Ayato is not a saint but at least he did less problematic stuff than his brothers) #(and it’s so sad how this fandom portrays him the worst of them all when he’s literally not) #(some people really can’t think outside the box and it shows)

[hazshit-hotel-hater]

What gets me with Vel is that we see she has a good rapport with her coworkers/friends. She may sometimes roll her eyes at the other two and their antics and of course when her direct business gets interrupted she gets frustrated, but we mostly see her on good grounds with the rest of the Vees. They respect her when it comes to serious business and in that last scene of the season they all look to be very much on the same page and in it together, smiling about their future... yet fanon (if it isn't infantalizing her as you've pointed out) is constantly projecting "angry black woman" stereotypes onto her.

It's gross and in my opinion clearly racially motivated that they see her as nothing more than a "bitchy" woman of color. While the fanon I've seen also has separate gross issues with Vox and Val they are at least allowed some nuance on occasion, but I just don't ever see that with Vel, she's just an angry woman rendered to the background in their eyes stripped completely of her professionalism, intellect, and cunning. She's one of my faves and it sucks so bad to see.

Hi. :) I wrote 5 paragraphs in response to this question and Tumblr so graciously decided to delete fucking all of it. :)

The Hazbin Hotel fandom has a serious racism problem and not enough people are talking about it. Aside from the infantilization of Velvette, other BIPOC characters are put into stupid stereotypes or treated like children because either Vivzie can’t handle writing competently or the fandom doesn’t know how to behave themselves. This is especially apparent for the women, but—and this is probably the only time I will talk about him in this way—Valentino is also suffering from this shitass issue.

Firstly about Velvette, just like how this said, Velvette used to be treated like a child in canon (now fanon) and is being portrayed as only a sassy angry black woman by the fandom. This is disgusting! I don’t think I need to say that! For some reason (misogyny) the Hazbin fandom just has this thing where they take a POC person or a woman—usually both—and decide to treat them like a child. Best examples being Niffty and Velvette being portrayed as Angel & Husk’s and Vox & Valentino’s children. Niffty is 22 and Velvette is in her 30’s. And of course they are both POC. I know there’s going to be someone accusing me of just whining about racism or being like “not everything is about race” but shut the fuck up because I’m busy talking.

I think the best scene to depict Velvette’s character—even though she hardly has any scenes. It shows that she will and can respect her colleagues but for other people, you either need to give her something she wants or her respect needs to be earned. She literally sings a whole song about it.

For other characters like Niffty I have a post for her in the works so I won’t spill it all here, but I can’t in good faith talk about the racism problem without mentioning Valentino. The fact Vivzie has made her worst character into the basic tall hot hispanic/latino man with the hot spanish accent stereotype. Honestly this sort of stereotype doesn’t bother me much, there’s a few villain characters I like with it like Alejandro from TDI, but Vivzie making this a big aggressive and dangerous POC person abusing a sad little white guy just grosses me out. It’s not like the situation would be any better if Angel wasn’t white, but it really does just leave that extra sour taste in my mouth.

Also I don’t need to explain why 90% of the POC cast being fucking grey or purple or blue is bad right.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin critical #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critical #tw valentino #cw valentino #hazbin velvette #hazbin hotel velvette #velvette #hazbin vees #hazbin valentino #valentino hazbin hotel #valentino #hazbin niffty #niffty hazbin hotel #niffty #tw rape mention #cw rape mention #cw sa implied #tw sa implied #tw sa mention #cw sa mention

[pinkandpurple360]

Triggering material: Dangerous SA victim blaming rhetoric of the HBoss fandom that’s sending a dangerous message and hurts real people:

Pretend this isn’t about your ship or your faves, just listen objectively.

[character] guess who, of HBoss is not a victim of r*pe / SA by [character] because:

The guy doing it to him is an abuse victim himself

This is not an excuse.

The guy doing it is sad and crying. His mascara is flowing. He’s on anti depressants.

I’m sad you think that’s an excuse to SA someone regularly.

The guy doing it doesn’t mean it.

Still doing it.

The guy doing it is a queer man!

His victim is a queer man.

The guy doing it has repressed sexual urges he needs to let out, his wife and him didn’t have a good sex life and she’s a bitch. He makes him feel better.

Hell fucking no. Just no.

You’re playing into the stereotype of gay men being sexual predators.

You’re defending the sexual abuse of a queer male character. An abuser can be any orientation. How many lgbt+ victims are afraid to speak out on their SA by another lgbt+ person, in case they also fuel stereotypes, do you think?

The guy doing it is offering him something in return

He’s holding his job and entire livelihood over his head and knows he can be killed by him at any time.

The guy doing it doesn’t understand consent cause he’s very sheltered, he doesn’t mean it. He’s actually in love.

Id argue that he doesn’t understand love because he’s sheltered, he actually just thinks consent doesn’t really matter. And a victim shouldn’t worry about the abusers rationality.

He (the main character) is just a sex worker so he can’t be a victim of SA, you’re a prude who hates sex workers

He is not willingly a sex worker this is not his choice of work, he has no choice in the matter. And sex workers have higher rates of SA and r*pe than any other member of the population!!! Sex workers are human beings who get to say “no” who shouldn’t have to sleep with people who abuse them and who people they find repulsive. They should choose who they want to be with, on their terms. Sex workers do not have to be down for everything!!!

It’s kinky and meant to be dark

If it’s meant to be dark it should stay dark, and stop trying to make the SA a comedy and then into a sad romance. It also worryingly, correctly portrays something sex workers have to deal with, Johns imposing increasingly violent, damaging, possibly fatal kinks on them with each session, and coercing the person to go along with the elevating kinks out of their comfort zone because they know that they can’t really decline.

He’s the top, he’s tough and he’s masculine. He’s confident in his sexuality. He can’t be a victim of SA

Girl. Go home. That is sick. This is the worst fucking one for me because when are we going to let the myth die that only effeminate or weak virginal people can be victims of SA

He deserves it because he’s hypersexual to other people too, and he stole from the guy and played with his heart.

Nobody. Deserves. S.A. No matter what. Scream. Also being objectified in this manner actually triggers an unnatural hypersexuality as a way to claim back a feeling of control over the situation. That is no excuse either, but it shows that SA only leads to more SA.

(Some micro-aggression about bisexual/Pansexual or polyamorous people or anyone who is promiscuous in general, being down for everything from everyone at all times)

Stop.

He’s a bad person too! He’s just as toxic!

Bad people don’t deserve SA. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A GOOD PERSON TO BE A VICTIM OF ABUSE

The guy doing it thinks He likes that sort of thing.

He was told “Stop it.” In that same scene. He won’t stop.

He’s a grown man who can make his own decisions.

You can be any age or gender and be a victim of SA, his decisions have been taken away from him. That is not something to be ashamed of. Small decisions being available don’t downplay big decisions not. His abuser is a grown man too.

Ok, it is SA, they need to break it off, make character growth, and then they’ll get back together healthier. Redemption!

“He can change!!” “I went back to him Martha, he changed just for me!” Once you get SA’d by somebody, PLEASE NEVER GO BACK TO THEM. YOU DONT OWE THEM SHIT even if they’ve changed. The reward for you not being shitty anymore isnt the love of the person you abused.

He secretly wants it and enjoys it, he’s playing hard to get. He hates himself too much to admit he loves it and is afraid to let it develop into love…the guy doing it is the real victim here.

Jesus fucking H Christ hopping on a pogo stick Batman go to gilded jail

I know this last one is probably what the writers are trying to do but that doesn’t make it any less fucking disgusting and vile.

Lust shouldn’t be about force. And there’s no going back once you have forced that.

#triggering #sa mentions #mentions of sa #helluva boss fandom #Helluva Boss

[esprei]

have recently learned there's a bit more hate around trainwreckshipping than i was aware of so i guess i just wanted to talk about it a bit and give my two cents on the ship, how i see it and i guess my perspective on things. i've kind of always wanted to talk about it, but i just haven't been brave enough until now haha (sorry, i am not super eloquent when it comes to writing things like this so my apologies) ((also throwing it under a cut because it may get long and might also include some slightly sad-ish things so i don't want to just throw that in everyone's face you know))

----

i think i'll just preface things by saying i've always totally understood why trainwreckshipping has gotten so much flack since its inception. or hate, because maybe flack just isn't strong enough of a word. but i do understand. there were mischaracterizations of emmet by portraying him as violent to volo because it was assumed that volo was directly responsible for ingo's disappearance. i was guilty of it. suuuuuper guilty. and i can understand why that put the ship in such a position for many people. toxic, unhealthy, etc. but... i think what i'm a bit confused on i guess is the fact that it's still viewed so much this way to this day. viewed as one of the worst ships because of how toxic it is. how unhealthy it is. all because it started that way in fanon only. but you know, from a canon standpoint, it has nothing. nothing at all. so really, this ship could be anything because it's based in fanon only. no canon interactions of emmet and volo exist yet. there is no official basis on how these characters would interact with each other. and yes, while there were misunderstandings of both characters early on, that certainly doesn't mean it's still that way today. that doesn't mean that people haven't studied and looked at these two characters a little closer to understand them better and to try and make them more realistic to their canon portrayals. to make more accurate depictions of these characters and how that fits in to a healthier perspective with them. i dunno. it just kinda baffles me that with the variety of trainwreckshipping content out there now, some still call it toxic and unhealthy as if we're perpetually stuck in that time period of when it was. like it's not allowed to be anything but that ever just because it started that way. and what makes me the saddest about it all is now seeing so many friends and people in the community of the ship start to get disheartened and discouraged from enjoying something they really actually enjoy because there's still such a bad stigma to the ship. personally for a long time i've just ignored that stigma because i try not to let that stuff drag me down. but i will admit that yes, it has made me more reluctant to post any art i do of it. i've definitely had my periods where i've questioned uploading my emmet/volo art, usually as wholesome as it is, because it does have such a dark cloud around it fandom wise. it's why i made my side blog, in fact. because i just didn't feel very comfortable uploading mostly emmet/volo art here to my main because so many people dislike it or outright hate it.

and in regards to the ship itself, i think i've always thought of it in a slightly different way than most. not so much enemies to lovers but rather through the lens of how volo might could change, be redeemed, see the how his actions in the past inadvertently affected others (and by that I mean his involvement in opening the rift... like yes, that could be what caused ingo to be sent to hisui, but we don't know that for sure... and even if that was the case, volo didn't do it specifically to target ingo. volo was only ever interested in trying to get to arceus and build a better world in his vision).

or how volo could look at emmet after getting to know him and potentially see the beauty and value of the current world through him. you know, seeing someone like emmet and admiring that he can still find a reason to smile and be kind despite all of the pain and suffering he must have gone through since ingo's disappearance. volo starting to see a different perspective than he did before (aka wanting to build a new world because the current one was too full of pain and suffering) because of emmet. i dunno. that's just me personally. because since actually looking more at volo's character and his dialogue in game i've been real interested in redemption paths for him. exploring those possibilities. i just enjoy exploring said possibilities mostly through the dynamic i have in my head for him and emmet because it's fun. it interests me. i see cool potential in it. i enjoy it a lot. and while i don't think i ever portray volo super accurately, or even emmet for that matter, i still think i've come a long way since first finishing pla and ever looking at emmet/volo interactions. but regardless of all of that, that's the beauty of a ship of this nature. a ship that has absolutely no basis in canon. because it really can be anything you want it to be. it can be enemies to lovers, it can be more wholesome, it can be whatever. it's not locked into a specific dynamic because the characters have never officially met each other, let alone had a conversation. and even if that were the case... AUs are still a thing. :D

anyway that's pretty much all i had. just wanted to talk about it a bit because i've seen a recent uptick in people mentioning all of the hate and dislike for the ship etc and i dunno. i enjoy the ship a lot. it's just sad to see that there's still so much hate around it even though a lot of the content now is not like how it originally started. not from what i've seen, at least.

and while i don't expect anyone who hates it to ever warm up to it, i just wish it could be understood that the more toxic, unhealthy dynamic is not the basis of anymore. there are healthier portrayals of it now.

#trainwreckshipping #this did end up pretty long sorry sdklfj #and probably not the most eloquent way to end it off but it's ok #it's a little cathartic to talk about this i suppose #also pleaaaase forgive any mistakes i'm a bit tired and am not usually a writer at least not to this length hhh

[fate-magical-girls]

For the choose violence ask game. (1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 18, 22, 25) for Hank Pym and Hal Jordan.

There's so much I want to say about both these characters that I'm gonna do answers for Hank, and then answers for Hal later.

Warning: potential fandom-enraging takes ahead.

Hank Pym

The character everyone gets wrong

Domestic abuser is not the be-all end-all of Hank Pym's character, but it can't be discounted either, because he's not just the sweet, sad, relatable guy most of his fandom find him to be. Hank is the sum of all his parts. Partly because of the writers' divided interpretations of him, Hank is a person who will realize his mistake, work very hard to ensure they never happen again, make a lot of progress, but then hits a point where he stops watching himself and backslides. His compassion, courage, and patience are real, but so is his insecurity, jealousy, and occasional moments of self-centeredness or self-destructiveness. Once he gets too comfortable in a romantic relationship, everything starts being about his needs and his comfort level, with him not noticing whether or not he could make his partners uncomfortable. To his credit, if they point this out, he usually does apologize. (For example, proposing marriage to Jan on the date of their original anniversary) He's also capable of being toxic and spreading his misery to others, especially during a depressed episode, such as his attempt to destroy almost all AI in Rage of Ultron. There's moments when he feels entitled to acceptance in the superhero community, if not also to forgiveness. He also built a prison where shrunken supervillain inmates are terrorized by ants serving as guards, and named it Lang Memorial Penitentiary, presumably because he and Jan found it funny. That said, understanding and dealing with his own flaws makes him very forgiving and empathetic toward others, even those his fellow heroes would consider lost causes.

3. Screenshot or description of the worst take you’ve seen on tumblr

Anything that considers Janet Van Dyne responsible for the marital abuse she suffered, or that considers her as THE toxic one in her marriage with Hank Pym. Just during the marriage itself, Jan was as supportive as she could be, given the constraints of being written during the 80s. It was Hank who was too prideful to admit he had problems as their marriage decayed. Both of them made mistakes and mistreated each other here and there, but it's ultimately Hank who did worse.

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

Hank Pym, but it's more of a love-hate-obsession for him. Most of the Hank Pym fandom tends to defend him and use him as mental health advocacy. They're right that Hank is struggling, and he is relatable, but he's also a grown man with his own agency and flaws that don't stem from his bipolar disorder. Also, just because of the changing times, characters in his same position, such as Moon Knight and Hank's own daughter, are shown seeking out therapy and a support network to handle their conditions responsibly. Hank is consistently portrayed as someone who, due to both pride and bad experiences with SHIELD handlers, refuses to do that. I hope that when Marvel does bring him back, they'll address that point. I like Hank Pym for both his virtues and his flaws, and if Marvel lets him deal with his condition responsibly, I'll probably stop emphasizing his flaws.

8. Common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

Hank doesn't want to be an Avenger and/or Jan is always dragging him into superheroics when he's more comfortable in a lab. Hank does want to be an Avenger. Moreover, he wants to fit in as an Avenger. He wants to be as impressive and as powerful as the rest of this cool crowd, or at least, he wants to find a niche and be useful. Hank is a person who expresses affection through practical measures, like nursing people when they're sick, or providing them with the info and tech they need to get something done. Tied into this is his low self-esteem where he thinks that if he stops being useful, his friends will no longer want to be around him. That's why finding out Iron Man is Tony Stark proves to be so devastating for him -- he's no longer sure why his cooler and better friends keep him around. It's also why he keeps on redefining himself -- he's trying to be accepted and fit in. It's true Hank has taken physical and mental health sabbaticals, but the Avengers, as strange and stressful as they are, are his only friends outside of colleagues like Bill Foster. Hank needs the Avengers to be his support system, and he definitely wants them in his life, even though he's nervous about how he can keep up with their pace.

Another opinion is that Hank is bad about expressing affection and attraction. Like I said, he expresses affection through practical measures. He is bad about doing emotional labor and remembering comfort zones, more than even Marvel's other geniuses, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a love language. He's not a smooth talker and he's an introvert, but he can be deeply romantic. He lets Maria Trovaya's memory as well as Jan's memory cast shadows over his heart long after their presumed deaths. He remembers special dates and anniversaries and always tries to do something special for his loved ones to commemorate the occasion. He does spend a lot of time in his lab, and his passions are primarily that of the mind and not the body, but he has no problem initiating intimacy with either Jan or Tigra, or even seeking out one-night-stands. I actually think there's moments when he's more uninhibited than his teammates, especially if he's swinging toward a manic episode, and he's demanding some intimacy from his significant other even though they're in a public place (in the worst case scenario, they can just shrink down and hide in plain sight).

9. Worst part of canon

How Janet was killed off and Hank was essentially rewarded with Tigra's love in the wake of Secret Wars. Sorry to the Tigerant shippers out there, I have some issues with that plot development. For me, it feels skeevy that Hank Pym is essentially given a fresh start because Jan isn't around to make him feel guilty about his mistakes anymore. It gets worse because Tigra was originally a second-wave feminist character. Even before her transformation into a weretiger, she was strong, determined, and refused to be put down or infantilized by the men around her. Her original character arc in West Coast Avengers was about her reconciling the two sides of her soul and realizing that her Greer side wasn't a weak little woman who needed men like Hank to comfort and protect her. Her Avengers Academy years were alright, since she was a good teacher and a good mother, but she also didn't feel like the way Tigra should be. All her edges were filed off and she became an accessory for Hank Pym's happiness. However, I do concede that they seem happy together and fans want their favs to be happy.

As it pertains to Hank himself, his not-quite death in Rage of Ultron. He died almost as an afterthought, and he's only ambiguously dead because Ultron fused into his body. If Marvel really wanted to retire him, they could've chosen a better way to do it.

10. Worst part of fanon

Anything that posits that Hank, Greer, William, and Nadia should form a happy little family without Janet being involved. Jan is Nadia's mother in everything besides biology. Just because Hank is Nadia's biological father and Nadia wants to meet him doesn't mean she should be cut off from Jan. And Jan being Jan probably means she has a split custody agreement set up and ready to go just to prepare for eventualities.

Also, the opinion that Hank, Greer, and William would continue to have a happy, drama-free relationship as time went on. Personally, I think that Hank's insecurities need to be taken into account. His original conflict with Jan leading into his manic episodes was that she was richer, more successful, and performed better in battle than he did. Even if he's gotten past most of his toxic masculinity by now, he still needs to be careful about backsliding. In a way, Greer really is perfect for him because of her lack of employment or respect from the hero community at large means she never triggers his insecurities. He doesn't feel an obligation to respect her or compete with her the way he would with Jan. Greer, being the free spirit and semi-loner she is, also doesn't need Hank's attention or emotional labor to keep loving him. She can just drift in and out of his life as needed. Of course, she might have some strong opinions if she thinks Hank doesn't respect her. There's also the issue that Hank and Greer are from two different worlds, even more so than him and Jan. Sooner or later, as William begins dealing with his cat soul and cat instincts, Hank will want to impose some sort of discipline while Greer wants to give him space to figure it out on his own like she did back in the day. And that would lead to conflict. On the other hand, Hank and Jan would mostly agree as to how to coparent Nadia. I also think that William is mostly his mother's son, so while he would always love Hank as his dad, there would be a gulf between them where they don't share very many interests and thus can't really understand each other. If you factor in Moon Knight, William might vibe more with him as they both understand the thrill of the hunt, and Hank would really start feeling competitive.

12. The unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Hank is a niche character in and of himself, and I wish more people would love him with all his flaws attached. He's a bit of a paradox, both an ant of a man and someone who casts a long shadow. There's a lot to hate about him, for obvious reasons, like being selfish and insecure. But there's also a lot to love about him, like his curiosity and idealism and his compassion for even the smallest creatures, such as his ants. You can't call him a good person, but he's still a well-rounded character. I also like Eric O'Grady and find him a very distinct character. Like Hank, he's heavily flawed, maybe even more than his predecessor, but he still tries to better himself. He still learns something about letting go of his selfishness and being a hero. Eric's original death was being crushed to death like an ant while protecting a child. Regardless of Remender's writing quality, I can appreciate that he did find the courage to step up and sacrifice himself when cowardice is something he struggled with for his entire existence.

18. It’s absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on…

Both of the other Pym-Van Dyne kids. There's William Grant Nelson, Hank and Tigra's son, of course, but there's also Katie Summers, Jan's daughter with Alex Summers. There's a lot of stories you could get out of them. Katie was stolen from her father's arms by Kang the Conqueror when the Avengers needed to go back in time and erase the bad future that she was born in. Kang's child-rearing methods leave a lot to be desired because he typically dumps children in specifically selected bad future timelines that traumatize them into hating everyone they used to love, like Black Bolt's son Ahura being made to slaughter his own ancestors across time or Archangel's twins being thrown into a mutant concentration camp. How would Hank, Jan, and Nadia deal with Jan's daughter as Kang's angry and traumatized lieutenant? And for William, I've already talked about how I think he and his father might not always understand each other, but there's also the issue of his dad not just being his dad anymore. In a blended family scenario, Hank is also Nadia's dad and Katie's stepdad of sorts. How would William handle not being able to monopolize his father anymore, especially when Nadia shares more of his interests? And for that matter, how does Nadia deal with Jan having a daughter of her own, a daughter that she deeply missed for a long time?

Also, Marvel should hurry up and let Jan design a toyline with Hank's help. She can design the dolls' looks and Hank can help build the miniature accessories.

22. Your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

Hank Pym has hobbies that aren't just science! He plays the piano, snaps candid photos, watches anime, enjoys junk food, and he and Jan both collect stamps. And for the record, back in the Tales to Astonish era, Jan was always trying her hand at stand-up comedy by telling ironic horror stories to people she hung out with. Her performances rarely went over well, especially not with Hank. I like the idea that he and Jan held open mic nights for the Avengers or attended fandom conventions together, because couples need to share some hobbies. He's also good at barbecue, so I imagine he cooked for Greer sometimes.

And neither here nor there, but Hank, Jan and Greer are all characters with horror roots. Hank starts out as a sci-fi horror protagonist, an arrogant scientist whose experiment backfires. He then becomes the psycho-horror villain of Jan's story in the lead-in to their divorce. Tigra was modified from standard superhero The Cat into a horror B-movie style weretiger that was at once attractive, exotic, and dangerous. Someday, these three should deal with some horror story tropes...

25. Common fandom complaint that you’re sick of hearing

Hank deserves to forgiven for his mistakes with no strings attached because the likes of Carol Danvers and Tony Stark have done worse and been accepted back into the fold with a slap on the wrist. If anything, Hank was forgiven and accepted back with no boundaries attached way too easily during the Stern-Englehart era. By the end of Trial of Yellowjacket, he does have a moment of clarity where he apologizes to Jan, but his other teammates like Cap were trying to apologize to him for not doing more to help him. He was then quickly invited back to be the Avengers West Coast's tech support, and while he still felt guilt and self-hatred, most of his friends, his ex-wife included, forgave him for his misbehavior as Yellowjacket. It got to the point that trying to finally hold him accountable and give him harsher consequences 20 years down the road instead looked jarring and out of character. Carol and Tony, for their parts, were let off easily, but Tony, at least, went on an apology tour and deal with some animosity from his friends for a while. To date, the only Avenger who made a big mistake and still gets overshadowed by it, but deals with it responsibly by accepting her own guilt in the matter and accepting that people are right to view her with suspicion until she proves that she has well and truly changed is Scarlet Witch. Hank always falls short of that final part, because there are moments when he thinks he has indeed done enough to deserve unconditional forgiveness.

I do think Hank deserves a chance to be forgiven for his mistakes, but I also think that he needs to accept responsibility for himself, mostly by getting himself the right sort of treatment to make sure his manic or depressive episodes won't overpower him again.

#hank pym #ask game

[dearweirdme]

Folks, come in. It’s over.

I feel so sad that Taekookers are clinging to hope but I think we need to re evaluate what it means to be a Taekooker.

Jennie last IG post is undeniably full of things that are just too much to ignore, even more because are obviously so intentional.

- The clothes are the same she wore in Paris;

- The picture of the caviar is exactly the same in Taehyung’s ‘Tae’s crew’ picture’

- The ‘Tae’s crew’ picture has Jennie’s staff and friends.

All this without admitting that both idols managers were present in that Paris outing.

I agree that it’s very confusing but I think Tae did the Paris thing on purpose. They arranged to be seen. Maybe they wanted to test the reaction and back out of official announcement when reactions were not good.

However, at this point and with these last pictures from Jennie herself, I don’t think we can ignore that she wants to hint the dating is real.

Now, the bad thing with all shipping theories is that at some point people need to explain behavior by assigning villain role to somebody. We see this with Jikookers portraying Taehyung as liar ( when he mentions JK and implies they hang out) because they can’t explain Taekook spending time together. We see this with Taekookers too reacting to Jimin interactions with JK. So assign a ill intention to someone that is messing up with a theory became normal when people believe in a ship.

So now I feel we have the same choice with Jennie. There is no way her posts are not meant as related to the rumors with Taehyung. So what are we saying here? That she is lying? Seeking attention? We don’t know any of these idols personally but we can have common sense that Jennie is at a stage that she doesn’t need to do fake rumors like this for attention. Or even why assume the worst of the person when the only reason for doing so is that discredit our theories that Taekook is romantic?

I think that there is no doubt Taekook is very close and spend a lot of time hanging out. This part is only denied by dishonest people at this point. However, even though there will always be mysteries that we will never know ( like the Paradise Hotel stay, only the two and close to airport, so many things) , it is possible and more evident that we just got the plot wrong. They are close, maybe the closest duo but not romantic.

My second fear is how Taehyung is already the least supported member by OT7 and many times even abused ( OT6 accounts openly flourish) . For some reason the fandom resents his popularity outside BTS, minimize his relevance and talent. They are never the ones defending him and if anyone brings up how his projects are ignored, they disdain.

He is the biggest target of haters. I already seen antis bragging about ways they will try to sabotage whatever project or release. So he is alone and I suspect much of his support comes from Taekookers. Now, what happens when Taekookers start realizing that the romantic part of Taekook was really illusion? I fear they will abandon him. Either by resentment or because shippers, in all ships, usually are only interested in self validation of a story and if that is not true, they move on to something else.

So I just want to ask Taekookers to re evaluate if their support for this duo bond is conditional on them being romantic. If they are the closest, if they love eo as brothers but are happy with other people romantically, does it really matter the nature of their bond?

We need to remember that their happiness is the priority and if we see Taehyung happy, that’s it. That’s all that matters. Not that it’s Jennie or JK that is the romantic source of it.

Taekook bond is precious regardless of the nature of it. They love to be around eo and they need support from people who are not attached to them based on condition of romance.

Anyway, I just feel we have reached a point where we have to look at things without double standard. If Tae or JK had posted such obvious things about the other, we would be saying they are ‘claiming their man’. Now that Jennie posted these last posts, I feel that’s exactly what she is doing and if we decide to call her a liar or attention seeker, we lost the plot and just doing the ‘villain’ character because we don’t want to give up our dream.

I just want them all to be happy and supported.

Hi anon!

Well, I don’t agree with most of your post.. obviously 😊. But you are right by saying Tae and Jk deserve our support regardless of their relationship. Personally I do support both of them aside from thinking they’re in a relationship. Just like I support all BTS members. And if I was to ever think they’d broken up, or they never were a thing in the first place (not likely to be honest, but.. not impossible either I suppose) I’d go on supporting them the same way I have BTS as a whole. I mostly talk about Taekook here, but I do love the whole of BTS.

I don’t agree with this not being a stunt. I think you might’ve missed that Jennie wasn’t in Paris at the time Tae was at that restaurant. The caviar being “identical” as you said.. makes it super silly of her to post that pic. If they were actually a couple, she wouldn’t need to post a pic fake implying that she was there with him when she wasn’t.

Tae is arguable the most popular member of BTS. He is absolutely not the least supported member. He is not the only one getting hate, maybe it’s intensified.. but bigger trees catch more wind.

I agree that some Taekookers might leave when they think it’s not real. But a lot also love Tae for Tae and I think you should give more credit to Taekookers and to Tae himself. By implying fans will leave him you yourself must think he’s not capable of holding on to fans without Taekook.

It would be different if Tae and Jk had posted things like this, because we know they have a strong relationship and the likelihood of us being correct than is way bigger. With Taennie all we’ve got is vagueness and no real life interactions (apart from that stroll ofcourse). It looks like a pr stunt to me. It looks scheduled and set up. It’s highly aimed at promo. It does not look natural. Jennie is not claiming her man, she would have gone to Bruno Mars with him if she wanted to do that. She would have posted him if she wanted to do that. I don’t think Jennie is the villain, I think she does what the company wants her to. It’s business, crazy business.. but business nonetheless.

I do want Tae to be happy and I think it makes him happy to know some people see him.

#taennie #taekook

[andro-dino]

I think this is a good one, if you like to rant a little, what are the (in your opinion) the 5 mfb characters that get misunderstood/mischaracterized the most, by the fandom?

oh my! surprise 5 things? in my inbox? more likely than you’d think

also this is such a good one I have so much to say on this

5. Kira’s frequent mistreatment makes me sad because he’s a very interesting and complex character with SO much to explore in regards to his upbringing and trauma and how that affects his character in the present and going forward, but a lot of people tend to portray him as a very one note crAaAaAzy villain and sexualize him to some of the worst degrees just because of his character design. It’s really unfortunate because there’s so much to love about him but it is a minefield trying to find anything for him

4. I’m not gonna blame people for misunderstanding and mistreating the garcias bc the show doesn’t even respect them but I’m still gonna be upset about it. I could go on and on about why the garcias were so poorly handled but like, when you think about their characters a little harder, you can really easily understand them from a more sympathetic view and how not only their environment but the way they were treated and used by the adults around them shaped how they behave throughout the series and like. Again, not blaming anyone for disliking them or seeing them solely as static villains bc they are not well written at all but I do wish people would give them a little more nuance, yk? I’ve taken the liberty of taking sole custody over them bc I could treat them so much better than the show, so I might be on of the only people who really sees this perspective just bc of how much I’ve diluted myself with my own noncanon analysis but yk.

3. I’m gonna go ahead and lump kyomado together because while I do think people don’t treat them with the nuance they deserve on their own, it is 10x worse when it comes to people shipping them specifically. And that makes me especially mad because kyomado was one of my first ships in any fandom and I still really like them together, but Jesus Christ people take them in the worst direction possible. It’s always so stereotypical with Kyoya being the cool hot closed off and aggressive one and Madoka being sweet and kind and submissive to him and it’s like. No!!! NO‼️‼️💥💥💥💥💥 They’re characters are so interesting together in my eyes because they’re relationship is built on mutual respect and ability to stand up to each other. Yes Madoka can be sweet and caring to him, but she is in no way submissive and is readily able to challenge him and call out his bullshit. Yes Kyoya can be cold and aggressive but he is not some abusive shitty YA male lead, he’s an angsty teen who genuinely recognizes Madoka’s abilities and respects her. I think you could make a similar argument for how people treat him with Hikaru as well but I personally find it far worse with Madoka, which makes me so sad bc I love this ship but hate a lot of the shippers and content for it :(

2. Gingka i dont think is as prevalent today, but I have seen the horrors and my god are they rough. The woobification of Gingka Hagane is an actual crime and should be treated as such. Im not even that big a Gingka stan or anything but I become fucking enraged whenever I see him portrayed as some soft and submissive uwu boy because there is so much more complexity and depth to his character and yaoifying him does that such a disservice. Idfk what show they were watching because in no universe is Gingka some sweet and innocent soft boy.

1. Damian. DAMIAN 100% IS THE WORST AND IT MAKES ME SO MAD. IDK WHAT IT IS ABOUT HIM THAT ATTRACTS FREAKS BUT 99% OF DAMIAN STANS ARE ABSOLUTELY VILEEEEE AND I HAVE NO RESERVATIONS IN SAYING THAT. It genuinely makes me so viscerally upset because I love Damian, he’s one of my favorite characters and I go absolutely rabid every time I think about him but OH MY GOD the way this fandom treats him is so awful. I mean it when I say it disgusts me how much people oversexualize him and mischaracterize him as some dominant and cool sex god or whatever because it is just so far from what he actually is and HES LIKE 13 ALSO????? LIKE YOU CANT EVEN KID YOURSELF INTO THINKING HE MIGHT BE ON THE OLDER END HE IS GENUINELY PINT SIZED AND ACTS LIKE A SPOILED CHILD THAT IS A FUCKING KID. Damian is an incredibly complex and interesting character with so much depth and lore. He is a deeply traumatized child with a godcomplex who screams when he gets dirty or his worldview is challenged, he is not some sexy flirtatious guy who’s got everything together. It’s one thing to focus solely on the power scaling side of him and disregard his character, but it’s a whole nother thing to sexualize him and remove him so far from the context of his story for the sake of whatever these freaks are on about.

#axel’s silly little thoughts #sorry I got heated with that last one but. it’s still a prevalent issue and continues to make me mad every day #also chalk idk if you realized I never reblogged the 5 things post but regardless I enjoyed this #I wanted to tbh but didn’t bc I have a hard time placing things on an ordered hierarchy #but I like ranting and talking about things and this was fun

[arceespinkgun]

Jazz is much more interesting and multifaceted than people give him credit for. And it's super disappointing to see how the fandom interacts with him, especially as a black-coded character. The sheer amount of casual racism and fetishization is distressing, especially because it's mainly dispersed by his so-called "fans"

Jazz's interpersonal relationships are very fascinating and could be an important part of his character. However people seem to be unable to properly handle or understand that aspect of him; both official creators and fans. While I don't claim I know the character better than anyone else, I also don't think it's that hard NOT to write anti-black content and fetishize the character

An opinion I have which could almost be called controversial, is that I don't think Jazz and Prowl should get along at all. I would like them to be dysfunctional, I love them as worsties. I don't want them to have a bonding moment where they suddenly understand each other and work in tandem harmonically. I want them to retain that conflict of clashing ideologies and methods. I want them to agree to disagree, rather than meet each other halfway

I really feel this—at this point, I've seen most of the media Jazz appears in, and there's so much to his character that just doesn't seem to be engaged with at all. For example, how social is Jazz really? This is the guy who just stood in a field and let snow completely cover him in one episode of the Sunbow cartoon... and he often comes across as isolated from the people around him. How much of this is because he won't open up, and how much of it is because he is just a very independent person? Could he be a secret introvert? How deep are his friendships with others when many of them seem to amount to "the person Jazz hangs out with" and there are often fewer interactions between him and his friends than you'd think? These are just a few fascinating questions about the character that people rarely ask.

The rest of my response got really long so I'm putting it under a cut:

While I'm Asian and not Black (and I don't want to speak over the voices of Black fans) the racist, anti-Black tropes found in a lot of fandom writing about Jazz truly do seem like they could be so easily avoided. Basically every single one of them involves interpreting the character in the exact opposite way that multiple different series portray him! One example is how many people write him as being lazy/trying to get out of work constantly—no version of Jazz has EVER been portrayed this way in ANY series, so wouldn't it be so easy to just not?! I'm 90% certain that this is due to a mix of people's racist biases showing through in their fanwork, and also the uncritical replication of other people's racist fanwork without actually stopping to look at who this character really is (also largely caused by racist biases).

I'm not letting racist tropes in actual TF series off the hook, but I'd really wish that as transformative media the creations of fandom would be attempting to address and improve these issues instead of making them 10,000x worse by adding racist tropes that weren't even present in canon. For example, how is the Sunbow cartoon—the show so racist it had fucking Carbomya in it—one of the best portrayals of Jazz there is? I feel sad that the continuities most often discussed are some of the ones that serve the character the worst, actually. Like basically nobody's going to talk about how Jazz bravely fought Galvatron one-on-one in the Marvel comics or anything.

When it comes to Jazz and Prowl—I have very mixed feelings. I took no issue with them being longtime friends in some earlier media like the Marvel UK comics run or the Dreamwave comics, and I felt like it made a lot of sense with how they're characterized. But it doesn't seem like people examined or explored it. Instead, what's popular is layer upon layer of racist tropes (and other gross, strangely essentialist ones—why are fanfic writers so weird about characters from Praxus?) and in later canon media (with IDW2 being the worst in its messaging), Prowl has been so linked to police brutality and more issues than I can even go into here that it feels deeply inappropriate for these characters to be friends now. Because of these issues, I even feel uncomfortable having acknowledged that they were friends in any media, and while normally I'd analyze this dynamic in more detail or show excerpts that highlight it, I don't feel like I can because I can't trust people to not be gross in response.

I also remember the whiplash between IDW's Spotlight: Jazz (very underrated story by the way) in which Prowl is maybe the kindest anybody has ever been to Jazz, versus a couple years later, Prowl thinking it's a good idea to POINT A GUN TO JAZZ'S HEAD to get his attention. It's bad enough that the character the Autobot logo is depicting is horribly stained in this way—very disturbing—but I feel even worse knowing that something that was once nice for Jazz has been so ruined in both canon and fandom. I think this situation is beyond the scope of fans to tackle and that TF just needs to get its shit together regarding social issues. That being said, I feel like this makes it even more important that fans stop replicating racist tropes in their fanwork, since that's making the situation even worse.

TL;DR Jazz is great and if I see one more fic in which Prowl stops Jazz for speeding I'm going to explode

#also I hate that IDW2 left a stain on characters like Nightbeat and Chromia #didn't the first IDW series do enough damage by having Optimus and JAZZ be cops?! #my analysis #Jazz #Prowl #long post #transformers

[marshmallowprotection]

It’s always frustrating to me when I see fics that portray Suit as this one-sided villain who’s just the worst person in the world (seriously, why do some people depict him as a bigot? This man has no idea about societal norms in the first place). He’s so complex, I don’t know how some people can’t see that? He does things that absolutely aren’t right, of course, but he DOES care, even if he’s confused about his feelings and might not realize it. No matter what he says, he doesn’t want you to be seriously harmed

Suit Saeran is a complex character, right off the bat. It is important to hold him accountable for his actions, just as much as I implore many people to hold Ray accountable, too. Neither of them want you to sit there and erase or justify their actions. GE Saeran makes that clear in the garden after the heaviest night of apologies from Suit Saeran not even a day before. Please, do not forgive him if you don't feel ready to do so, and take your time to decide what's right for you. That's how it is framed.

It does make me rather sad to see people not delve deeper into his character, but I understand that sometimes people don't want to put energy into a character like this. He isn't their cup of tea, and they are entitled to go out of their way to avoid him if he makes them uncomfortable in any way. You have to curate your own experience in fandom, after all.

But, for the people who do try to write with him and uphold his characterization, it does sadden me to see people write him as a one-dimensional villain when he is not that. 

As a matter of fact, by the time he comes to give you his apology, he admits what we all know the longer we watch him lash out. Every awful thing that he was saying was meant for him, but he doesn't justify it by saying that those words were for him. He says that even though they were intended to punish him, they hurt you, and he is not proud of what he's done. 

He is using what he was taught to survive. To be strong in Paradise is to be strong in the way of finding your devil.

Why do you think he wears a suit? He’s dressing like Saejoong Choi, a devil who haunts him.

Why does he repeat what Rika and Mother Choi have said to him?

Because, in his mind, those are the people who get to survive. The only way you get to survive in that place is if you're willing to crush other people like bugs, and even if he hates it, he knows that if he doesn't do that, he won't survive, and that means Ray won't survive, and that means you won't survive. He does what he does because he is afraid... so, he lashes out, trying to beat you, Ray, and himself down because Rika's made him believe if he doesn't obey, it's the END.

Of course, as I said, understanding his actions does not excuse them. I do think it's interesting to get to understand him better as a person because it's helped me find catharsis. 

#ask #anon #mod kait #suit saeran #saeran choi

[capcavan]

It’s me again! I loved your thoughts on Jack and Sheena! I always see so little of him and it’s always “he’s a homophobic asshole who is bad at exy and jealous of Neil for getting Kevin’s attention” but I genuinely think there’s so much more to that. I feel like he did want to be a Raven and he wants to see the mighty Kevin and Riko. Now for his personal issues with Neil I think it’s something like he hates how everyone adores Neil because he believes he’s a better player who has worked SO much harder then him. He’s memorized all the Raven exercises and pushed himself harder than anyone. He deserves to be recognized. In my personal opinion (which I can’t wait to hear your ideas on him) I believe that he hasn’t gotten away from his abusers and is still actively in a situation where he has not gotten over his problems and that’s why he’s so angry all the time. He’s an amazing player and one that stuck out to Kevin Day. He is probably so excited to meet his idols and play on a team with them. Only to be disappointed at how different it is from what he pictured. Sorry for the ramble by the way!

No need to apologize I love hearing that! It's funny to see how different people give depth to the background characters. Jack is really more of a concept for fanbase. Can't really blame people for simplifying him like this we haven't really got much to work with and sometimes people just need plot device to be mad at it's nothing personal, jack really is riko just with even less screen time and even less content lul. You will have the most fun when you wont rely on others to portray him the way you enjoy developing him, characters like this are basically fandom co owned oc's so it,s better to not get too hopeful about others creating content exactly the way you like it. But I love reading stuff like that! we have one thing in common then my jack is def disappointed upon meeting the boys , but as i sad Riko was already a success story to keep things interesting Jack will sadly get opposite of that treatment in narrative. Not everyone can or want to be helped, Foxes were not happy to meet jack , dressed red and black and referring to Riko as Raven king to other man's clear discomfort. But hey .. if Riko could go through it and be tolerable then there sure is hope for Jack .. right? Jack is the worst kind of sport fan - the one who often doe snot even attend the games instead favouring meetings few streets away fights under bridges and needles violence in name of beloved teams. I think a lot of blood got spilled in name of ravens over the 39 years the team was around they just attract people like this. Jack was perfect example of it, perfectly brainwashed by nests ideas and had not even set a foot inside, Tetsuji woudl have been proud, Riko and Kevin wan to vomit. For Riko it's first time truly seeing how brainwashed by raven propaganda people could have become. Jack life was not easy, he comes form military family, his home has set of rules written on a wall both for behaviour and for looks, Jack was not allowed to wear red not allowed to paint his eyes black or dye his hair - things many raven fans did to fit in. Jack was supposed to get drafted but due to his health conditions it would never be an option which led to his father treating him like lost cause waste of space, Jack going to military was the only worth and hope the man had for this boy. It's okay Jack never cared, getting thrown out of house meant freedom and lack of attachment no need to look back He headed to Palmetto got involved with social services this way meeting Renee when she was volunteering, and then down the line wymack. yes yes it was all planned Because now he was in foxes (fuck foxes) with Riko Riko who was much shorter than on tv. Riko who was captain of ravens, the strongest and best team, the person who never allowed other to mistreat him, fierce and dangerous, Jack wanted to be just like that<3 Sadly Riko was not all that any more. And instead of breaking it it just fuelled Jacks obsession, because with good few inches over Riko he started fantasizing about overpowering him, wouldn't this put him at the top of food chain? Jack is the reason Arron does not use slurs any more Arron would never want to sound the way this guy did when referring to Arrons brother and his boyfriend. Jack is the reason Nicky profoundly apologized to Neil and ... Matt over the things he done to them in the past and started therapy with new doctor not connected to rest of them because.... because of Jack so yeah anon I will most likely not give jack redemption or even happy end Riko is my boy for that , but it's not because i dislike him or the idea of him but because i just find him more interesting this way , he need to fill the Riko shaped slot in my doll house.

#aftg #riko moriyama #all for the game #andrew minyard #aaron minyard #nicky hemmick #jack aftg

[rosiesramblings]

A Real Smile

WC: 2.2k

Fandom: Criminal Minds, ler!Spencer, lee!Reader

TW: Talk of depression and anxiety, general mental health problems

A/N: Okay I just want to say I tried to make it OBVIOUS in this fic that tickling does NOT fix or cure mental illness. Like, not even close. However, as someone who has struggled with this stuff for at least 8 years, having a solid support system DOES help. That's really what I wanted to portray in this fic. I love you all! And I hope you enjoy.

“What are you doing?” Reid’s voice jolted me out of my focus, and I forced my face to relax from the aggressively fake smile I had been wearing.

“Um. Paperwork?” I purposely misinterpreted the question, twisting nervously in my spinny office chair.

“I meant with your face,” Spencer said. He strode across the bullpen and hopped up onto my desk, fixing me with a stare that I knew from past experience meant that he wasn’t going to drop this until I told him.

I sighed, looking around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. To my surprise, there was nobody else in the bullpen. Hotch’s light was still on in his office, but other than that it was completely deserted. I glanced at the clock, and oh my god it was almost half past nine. Shit. I really hadn’t meant to stay this late. At least nobody else was around to notice my weird coping mechanisms.

I looked up at Reid. “You can’t laugh,” I said.

“Why would I laugh?” he asked genuinely.

“Because it’s… silly at best, embarrassing at worst,” I explained.

“Ok. No laughing. Now what was that face? It looked like you were in pain.”

“So, I read online that the action of smiling, even if it’s a fake smile, triggers the release of happy brain chemicals. If I’m being honest, depression has been kicking my ass lately, and when it gets like this I fake smile when I’m doing paperwork for especially hard cases to try and trick my brain into thinking I’m happy,” I said, staring resolutely just past Reid’s shoulder, not making eye contact.

He didn’t say anything. I panicked.

“I know it’s dumb and that the fake smiling thing was geared more towards normal people who are having a bad day and probably doesn’t actually do much to help people with major depression and generalized anxiety disorder but I figure it’s better than nothing or moping alone at my desk all day and -”

Reid puts a hand on my shoulder, stopping my ramble in its tracks. “Woah, Y/N, it’s ok. I don’t think it’s weird at all. I just… why didn’t you say anything?”

“Say anything about my fake smiling? Probably because I don’t think -”

“No, I mean, why didn’t you tell anybody on the team that you’re struggling?” Reid asked, voice impossibly gentle. His hand is still on my shoulder, and it’s kind of all I can concentrate on. It’s been so long since somebody just - touched me? Which sounds so stupid and pathetic and anyway, he asked me a question.

“Um. Well I didn’t tell Hotch or Rossi because I don’t want them to think that I can’t do my job. And I didn’t tell the rest of you because I’m just used to dealing with this on my own, I guess? It honestly didn’t even occur to me to say something.”

I risk a glance at Spencer’s face and he looks devastated. Jesus. It’s like I told him his dog died or something. I scramble, trying to figure out the best thing to say, not having the faintest idea how to fix it.

“It’s really not that big a deal, Reid, I promise. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist soon, I just have to buckle down and get through these next few weeks until she can adjust my meds,” I say. “In the meantime, I just… try and find little ways to make it better. Hence the fake smiling.”

Reid still looks sad. He hops down from my desk and stands next to my chair. “According to the current research, an embrace would offer more of an increase in endorphin production in the brain than smiling, fake or not,” he says, the fingers on his left hand rubbing at his sweater sleeve.

Unbidden, tears sprung to my eyes. I blinked hard and tried for a teasing tone to cover it. “Dr. Reid, are you asking if I want a hug?”

My voice cracked. Goddammit.

He just raised his eyebrows and opened his arms.

I heaved a breath out, hard. “Ok, ok, just… give me a minute. Cause if you hug me right this second I will cry,” I said, tugging my hands through my hair and staring up at the ceiling, trying to get a handle on my emotions.

Spencer just nodded solemnly. “That would be counterproductive.”

I gave a half-laugh. Then I stood up, shaking out my arms, before looking at him and squinting. “Wait, are you sure? I know handshakes aren’t your thing so isn’t a hug worse-ah!”

Without preamble, Reid grabbed my hand and yanked me toward him, wrapping his arms around me.

Oh. Oh.

His sweater was soft and warm, and my head fit perfectly underneath his chin. One of his arms ran up and down my spine softly, and the other one held me tightly to him. I let out a shuddery breath as I relaxed into his embrace.

This was the safest I’d felt in a while.

“You might be onto something with the endorphins thing,” I mumbled into his chest.

Spencer’s laugh rumbled through his ribcage. The best feeling. “I have an IQ of 187. I’m usually ‘onto something’.”

He rocked me gently back and forth, and I let my eyes flutter closed. 

Only to stiffen and stifle a laugh when Reid switched from rubbing my back to running his fingers across my shoulder blades. I pressed my lips into a line, trying to remain as natural as possible. I didn’t want the hug to end, and I really didn’t want Spencer to find out how much that tickled.

Reid’s voice was suspiciously neutral when he next spoke. “You know, it’s not just hugs that release endorphins,” he said. 

I hummed, hoping that he was planning on going on a tangent that would distract him from asking about the sudden tension in my body.

“Things like high fives, pats on the back, cuddling, all these activities cause so-called “happy brain chemicals” to flood your nervous system.”

“Huh,” I said, barely listening as his touch on my shoulder blades seemed to lighten and become even more unbearable. Don’t move. Don’t move. Don’t move. Don’t - 

“Actually, there is one more activity that helps the brain produce endorphins,” Spencer continued.

“It’s been observed in other species, including chimpanzees, rats, and bonobos, and can induce a fight-or-flight response, which actually reduces stress levels.”

“Oh yeheah?” Shit. Hopefully the giggle was muffled by his sweater.

“Mhm. So I guess we should probably see if it helps you, since the benefits are so clearly so immense,” he said, his fingers still dancing across my shoulders.

“Okay,” I said, proud that I kept the laughter out of my voice.

“So tell me, Y/N… are you ticklish?” Fuck.

“WhahahaAHAHAT?” I burst into laughter when he suddenly lowered his hands and dug deep into my sides.

Spencer just laughed with me. “Unfortunately, knismesis, what I was doing to your shoulder blades earlier, hasn’t been studied in this context. However, gargalesis, this squeezing that I’m doing,” he demonstrated enthusiastically, making me shriek. “That has been proven to give those mental health benefits.”

“Reheheheheid,” I giggled.

“Yes? What seems to be the problem, Y/N?” he asked pleasantly.

“Yohohou’re - yohohohou’re - gohohohd, please go somewhere ehehehehelse,” I said, my face burning as I realized I didn’t really want him to stop.

“Your wish is my command,” he teased, picking me up and sitting me on the edge of my desk, where he had been moments earlier. He backed up, put a few inches of space between us, and I frowned, thinking he was done. Instead, he reached between us and vibrated his hand over the skin of my belly.

“Ahahahahahaha! Wahahahait, not thehehehehere,” I begged. My hands tried to grab his, but he was too fast and I was too uncoordinated.

“Actually, you didn’t specify. All you said was, and I quote, ‘Please go somewhere else’,” Spencer explained.

Nononononohohohohoho,” I laughed, squirming and knocking my cup full of pens to the floor.

“I have an eidectic memory, Y/N. If you had asked me not to get your tummy, I would remembered,” Spencer teased.

“Dohohn’t cahahahall it thahahat,” I snickered, pressing my face into his shoulder in embarrassment.

“What? Big, bad, Special Agent Y/N L/N is flustered by the word ‘tummy’?” Reid asked, moving his other hand up to squeeze at my ribs.

“Spencer! We’re ahahat wohohork! Don’t - don’t teASE,” I yelped.

“Hotch is the only other one still here. Nobody’s gonna see you,” Spencer said gently. “Plus, I’m pretty sure that Hotch would agree with me that you haven’t laughed nearly enough this week.”

“Ohohoho my gohohod,” I giggled, giving up on trying to stop him and fisting my hands in the back of his sweater, desperate to hold on to something.

“Ah, thank you! Easy access to your underarms,” Reid smiled, worming his fingers there and lighting my nerves on fire. 

I tensed my shoulders as I laughed, knowing that putting my arms down would undoubtedly make it a thousand times worse.

“Tell you what,” Reid said diplomatically. “Since you’ve been such a good sport about this, and because I am a merciful and benevolent god,” I snorted at him. “If you tell me your worst spot, I’ll only tickle you there for a little bit and then we’ll be done.”

My voice pitched up an octave. “Whahahahaat?”

“Your choice, Y/N. We can stop soon, or I can keep going until you’re literally just a puddle of giggles on the floor.”

Oh, this was so not fair.

“Well? I’m waiting,” Reid said, digging into the tops of my ribs and making me cackle.

“Ugh - fihihihine, fihihihine! It’s my hiIHIHIHIHIPS REHEHEHEID NO!” I screamed crazily, shocked that no night security guards had come running.

“Good choice, Y/N. Would it help if I counted down?” Deftly pressing his thumbs deep into my hip bones, he took me apart as casually as if we were having lunch together.

“IHIHIHIT WOULD NOHOHOT,” I laughed.

“Hm. I’m going to anyway. You can do it, just ten more seconds…”

“REEHEHEHEID.”

“Nine…”

“YOU SUHUHUCK.”

“Eight… seven… six… five…”

“SPENCER PLEHEHEHASE,” I gasped, absolutely losing my mind.

“You’re doing so well! Four… three… “

“THIHIHIHIS IS A WAHAHAR CRIHIHIME.”

“Oh, don’t be a baby. Two… aaaaaaand one!”

With that, he stopped kneading into my hips and rubbed a firm hand up and down my back. I just stayed where I was, arms wrapped around him, face hidden in his sweater, laughing and waiting for the ghost-tickles to go away.

“Ohohoho my god… my sihihides,” I giggled, feeling the wonderful ache in my lungs of having had a good laugh.

“Feeling any better?” Spencer asked cheekily.

“Mahahaybe a little,” I mumbled. I considered my next words. “Definitely not cured, but the world does seem a little less… horrible.”

“Good,” Spencer said simply. 

We sat in silence for a minute, enjoying each other’s company.

“Listen,” Spencer said, pulling back and looking at my face. “You absolutely don’t have to tell anybody else. I certainly won’t. This is your business, and if you want to keep it that way that’s fine. But, telling the team might help. A lot of us struggle with mental health stuff sometimes. You might be surprised by the support.”

I hummed, considering.

“I am, however, absolutely going to tell them that you’re ticklish,” Spencer grinned. “I’m sure they’ll take advantage of the information. Nobody has to know that it helps your depression.”

I whined, mostly just putting on a show, “Seriously?”

“Definitely. These next few weeks before your psych appointment are going to fly by,” Reid said, tweaking my sides and making me squeak.

The (real, tickle-induced) smile slowly faded from my face and I looked at him seriously. “You’re a good friend, Dr. Reid.”

“So are you, Agent L/N.”

I pushed myself off my desk. “Okay. We have both been here for entirely too long. Want to come back to my apartment for a movie or something?”

“Sure! I’ve been on a major Wes Anderson kick lately,” Spencer said, walking over to grab his messenger bag.

Just then, both of our phones buzzed. “Oh, please tell me we don’t have a case,” I begged, tossing my stuff into my bag as Reid looked at his screen.

He grinned. “Nope, no case. Although, you might find a case preferable to this.” He flipped his phone towards me and played the video that was just sent to the BAU group chat. 

The unmistakable sound of my laughter filled the room and my face burned as I watched Spencer-from-five-minutes-ago wreck me in third person on the the screen. The angle of the shot made it pretty obvious that it was filmed from the doorway of Hotch’s office.

“Hotch!” I squealed, covering my face with my hands.

“Well, that’s one thing checked off my to-do list,” Spencer laughed.

“Oh my god… I’m turning off my phone,” I said, even as embarrassing gifs from Emily and Morgan and a bunch of rainbow hearts from Garcia flooded my notifications.

“C’mon,” Spencer said, throwing his arm around me. “I’m sure you’ll live this down… in a few years.”

I stuck my tongue out at him as he walked us toward the elevator. This time, the smile stuck onto my face was a real one.

#tickle fic #tfb community #tickling #criminal minds fic #lee!reader #ler!spencer reid #hotch is a little shit and he knows it #tw depression #tw anxiety #keep yourselves safe kids

[sledge-in-space]

You know, I've debated writing this for a long time. Because I know it's going to sound incredibly stupid.

But for a character who seems to matter so little in the grand scheme of things, Joey Hudson matters so much to me. She was our friend. She endured so much. And when we come to rescue her we can see that she broke out of her cell with a shank as her only weapon.

We can see that she killed at least three peggies during her escape. That she was laying low and most likely waiting for John.

She thought she was going to be trapped down there forever, and that eventually she was going to be killed. But she still fought at every step of the way, because she was going to go out fighting. We can see her resilience, tenacity and anger in her voice lines. And despite how much she suffered, she wasnt going to leave the other prisoners behind.

And I know she's just a character in a ubisoft game. We get glimpses of her personality but she isnt nearly as well rounded as some other members of the cast. In the end she dies anyway, so what does it matter?

It matters to me because it feels like a lot of people don't seem to care about what happened to her.

I think it's sad and honestly a little sickening that most of her worst moments have been gifed to hell and back, all the while there are people who wish they were in her position. Because if it were them, they could fuck John or get fucked by him.

I already feel like John is portrayed as being a bit of a creep, with the level of obsession he displays and how fulfilling he finds the act of hurting others. But when people wish they were in her position, or download shirtless mods for John in cutscenes where she's also present, it suddenly feels like Joey is in danger of something more sinister than torture.

I'm not blind. I understand why people like him as a villain and a character. But excluding Joey from the story or trivializing the cruel, sick torture she went through so that John gets full, unrestricted access to your dep?

It just doesn't feel right or fair in my opinion.

Which I know sounds ridiculous because it's a video game and none of the characters are real. It would be completely audacious of me to say that no one should like him, or that it is somehow morally unjust to ignore his cruelty.

I don't think liking "bad guy" characters is indicative of having no morals or empathy. I like a lot of characters from different media that have done terrible things. Plenty that are even worse than John. And you shouldn't have to justify why you like something, because your reasons are your own. I firmly believe that fiction is the perfect place to explore whatever you want for whatever reason you want.

It isn't my intention to police anyone.

But there's something about how Joey was treated that feels very wrong to me. John hurt her brutally and we can only specualte as to what he actually did, but we can see and hear the toll that it took on her. And for as long as the game has had a fandom she's been routinely ignored - I believe this is because John is by far a fan favorite, though I acknowledge that this is speculative and accusatory. Or, she gets made into some damsel in distress. All because she has an ungodly amount of mascara on her face in some scenes.

Quick tanget: For the amount of makeup she was wearing when the Sheriff's Dept. stormed Joseph's Compound - which was minimal at most - the runny mascara is just way too extreme (just a small detail that I personally can't stand).

But back to the point.

At least in fandom, if she isn't a damsel, and if she isnt discarded, then her friend and partner - the player character - is fucking the man who tortured her and broadcast her agony across the entire county. In front of her community, so she could be humiliated and broken in front of everyone. It didn't work - unlike like Pratt and Burke, she didn't break (though it's not a contest and I'm not trying to diminish their strength either) - but that didn't stop John from trying.

There's no shortage of people in the fandom who love her, who've showered her with girlfriends and boyfriends and made sure she had a happy ending somewhere. There's been fan art and fic, mods on pc that let her fight alongside you. I've seen a lot of people order commissions of her, myself included. Even my best friend has drawn her so many times it's hard to keep track.

Still, it feels like people are so quick to forget or disregard what happened to her. It was the same in 2018 as it is now, and with so many years having passed I don't anticipate she'll see much of a fandom resurgence.

I think thats a shame. I think her potential was wasted. And that sucks especially hard because of how strong she was made out to be.

#Far Cry 5 #Joey Hudson #fc5 #Deputy Hudson #John Seed #fandom opinions #thanks for reading #really and truly I dont want to start any fights with anyone #I've just felt this way for awhile #even I ignored her for awhile #i didnt think about her or have any real use for her in my own works #but in the past year and a half shes become something of a muse for me #going back and seeing how a decent chunk of her content is gifsets including John tormenting her #that feels disheartening

[pyropsychiccollector]

Imagine being so sensitive that you have to attack others when you feel your ship is "under attack" (criticized). ... This has been my common experience with Big Four shippers, and it looks like my pause from the FT fandom has not changed this trend. I really shouldn't be surprised~... But let's get into it.

Here's my original post: https://at.tumblr.com/pyropsychiccollector/fairy-tail-ask-now-what-is-by-far-the-worst-part/p8o5djvreeoe

A simple post on my preferences towards FT ships in general, right? I mean, it was *asked* of me. I'm gonna give my opinion. I honestly just hate how Jerza is portrayed in canon. That's the crux of my argument; I'm not attacking Jerza shippers or even necessarily the ship itself. If you want to ship Jerza, that's your prerogative. Ship them how you want, too. But here's the thing: I don't like how canon presents Jerza. If you observe Erza throughout the series, there's a distinct difference between Erza interacting with, say, Fairy Tail or other Guilds, and Erza interacting with Jellal. It just... doesn't go anywhere. And moreover, we're supposed to just sweep what Jellal does under the rug. That he took over the Tower of Heaven, forced Erza's friends into slavery, chased Erza away and ordered her never to come back, and then later... killed Simon, one of Erza's closest friends. I've never bought into that "possession" bs, and we have people like Ultear taking the fall for Jellal because he's too "guilty" to man up and take accountability. Consequentially, whenever Erza and Jellal talk, the mood's always dismal and uncertain, and Erza is COMPLETELY different from when she's talking to Makarov, or Natsu, or Lucy, or Gray... It's NOT vulnerability being shown, Jerza is literally running on a hamster wheel and going NOWWHERE... And we're just supposed to be fine with that? Accept that Erza has "forgiven" Jellal and that it's okay to force others to forgive him, too...? It's JUST my preference, posted here on this blog, but I don't like Jerza. It makes me "anti-Jerza" insofar that I really, really disapprove of the direction canon took with it. .... And I'm not gonna apologize for that.

... But wait~! Here comes our latest challenger, idklanguages. Of course, of course, of course. How silly of me. Erza's not "scared" of Jellal, "that's how she acts when she's in love." It's also a bit sad this guy has to tack on the end that she "doesn't" love Natsu, like he's reassuring himself.

... But we're not done. No, sir.

*pinches nose* It's not about the fact she "has to be a badass all the time." Of course everyone has moments of vulnerability. ... But when she's with Jellal, that's NOT being vulnerable. She's literally feeling sorry for him, wishes things were different, wishes Jellal could be that boy in the tower who saved her way back when. This mood never changes, and Jellal perpetually brings Erza down to this one-dimensional girl that ultimately forces others to accept Jellal...even if he kills your brother. Because holding a grudge over that wouldn't make sense at all~ -_____-

And right here's when idklanguages begins to unravel into ad hominems and being contrary for the sake of being contrary. Where the hell is your argument, idklanguages? "You can love someone and NOT be in a relationship"... I've addressed why I loathe the direction that canon's gone, why that "love" is honestly toxic. But you keep going on and on and on without making ANY points. At this point you're in it just to be contrary.

...

You miss the point ENTIRELY with this nonsense. Erza, frankly, IS obsessive over Jellal with how Mashima's portrayed the dynamic. She URGES people to just accept the past and move on, and while that's all well and good, the issue is how flippant Erza is portrayed over Simon's death. She cares more about supporting her "crush", who's hurt her, traumatized her, and killed one of her best friends... as opposed to understanding how Simon's sister must feel. Here's the thing: Erza's "acceptance" of Jellal and his past sins might have been admirable if she didn't force others into doing the same, and if Jellal did something to warrant such a relationship with Erza. ... But he doesn't. His existence, as canon portrays him, is to make people pity him and forever whine about whether or not he'll make up for his past transgressions. He SHOULD feel guilty for everything, but he could also stand to accept and feel more confident about the good that he's supposedly doing, wiping out minor Dark Guilds. A life of selflessness and charity on his part isn't a bad thing; it's what he wants, frankly. But Mashima keeps pushing the Jerza agenda even though there's been no progress. No development. If that somehow appeals to you, fine. But I'll die on this hill that canon Jerza is toxic, and I'm not gonna apologize for my opinion.

.... So yeah. We reach the end of this rant, with idklanguages making a bunch of hot air and a whole lot of, "No, I'M right, YOU'RE wrong, nyah!!!!!" It's fine for you to not like Natza, idklanguages, but just accept that I'm gonna do the same for Jerza... and properly outline arguments for WHY I think it's a toxic ship. Jerza shippers are more than welcome to keep shipping what they do - and who knows? Maybe your ideas and stories find a way to properly redeem Jellal, to give Erza a reason to look past everything he's done to her; or maybe you completely do away with all the pain he's caused her. Whatever floats your boat, more power to you. ... But just like how you lot treat Natza as "non-existent", have your own opinions, I'm gonna criticize Jerza. ... Because it DOES have problems in the source material. In this case, you ARE the aggressor, idklanguages. And all you're doing is spewing hot air. (❋•‿•❋) But go on. Come at me. This is not my first FT rodeo with Big Four fans.

#Fairy Tail #Natza #Anti-Jerza

[sneezemonster15]

I hate when Narusakus mock Naruhinas for being a "filler ship" because of all the Hinata fillers SP pushed but then turn around and use filler scens with Naruto and Sakura to prove Naruto always loved Sakura!! It's so hypocritical. One filler moment that comes to mind is when Naruto tells that one woman that Sakura is the girl he fell in love with and talked about her cute smile.

Haha yeah that one. But like, aren't all of those ships hypocritical? Nh stans take Naruto telling Hinata that she is strong in the war arc to be the proof that she is strong and he admires her but simply ignore all the other times, almost every time, when she falls down flat on her face or enters a battlefield without thinking or stumbles on a tinny rock or shows next to no level of skill or intellect. Or when NH proclaim Naruto to love Hinata because he breaks out into kyuubi after she is struck by Pein but simply ignore all the other extenuating circumstances that surround that moment? That Naruto was already in a very vulnerable state and he would have turned kyuubi for almost anyone else at that moment? And this is all canon.

Like sure, you are entitled to your gripe and I get it. But honestly, most shippers and all ships are like this. Even in SNS subsets, you would see SN stans announce Naruto and Sasuke symbolising moon and half moon using filler images from anime (with Ashura and Indra) when it's pretty clear for anyone to see that they are sun and moon. In canon. They are so ridiculous.

Anti SNS are very funny too. I mean these sillies would reblog my anti Sakura or anti Hinata posts with tags like - so real or well said OP, or great analysis OP, but when I talk SNS, all of a sudden, they start to doubt my analysis because it doesn't satisfy their takes. Similarly, Hinata stans reblog my anti Sakura content and Sakura stans reblog my anti Hinata content.

Seriously, this fandom is the definition of hypocrisy. Itachi stans, Sasuke stans, Naruto stans. What have you? Tobirama stans who also ship SNS would scream till their lungs gave out about how Hinata and Sakura stans are hypocritical about their favs but when it comes to Tobirama, they will gush about how he was portrayed as a good leader but ignore Kishi himself giving him derogatory names or his understanding of sharingan which is really stupid at best and evil at worst. Mentioning SS stans in this context would certainly be overkill. Lol.

Anon, except for a few handful of fans, most that I have seen have been hypocritical about something or the other. And they don't realize it. And would fight you about it too, which makes them look very sad.

I don't like some things about the manga myself. But I deliberately make it a point to stick to canon and not headcanon, reason and not wish fulfilment because I realize it's very easy to go down the slippery slope of seeing what one wants to see. It's insidious. People almost don't realize they are doing it. Some people have the honesty to acknowledge it when someone points it out to them. But Naruto fandom isn't really known for honesty or sincere introspection.🤷

#ask #naruto

[yuridovewing]

12, 21, 23, and 25?

12. The unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I don't think I need to say this to you cause I've blabbed about it for a while but Heathertail!! I've always been pretty fond of her, she's a very interesting character and I don't think people give her nearly enough credit for what we've seen of her when you remove her from the Heatherbreeze ship. I think her friendship with Lionpaw before All That Happened was really sweet and I thought it was nice to see an example of a forbidden relationship that was just... two children with a crush on each other that quickly realized it wouldn't work out. But she's also a person who, while she holds personal grudges (for justified reasons imo but-) she will still break the rules for that person to do the right thing. Like, it was against the law to give Lionblaze their medicine, and she justifiably hates this guy and makes sure to point that out... but she's not going to let cats get hurt if she can avoid it. And I haven't read Crowfeather's Trial but that combined with how she acts around Breezepelt is... idk it's interesting! Especially now that she's retconned to be Onestar's kid (which I have conflicting feelings on but yknow still it's interesting)

There's also Dovewing but I feel like more and more people are coming around to her. Thank you Moonkitti. Another I can think of is Onestar, or at least pre AVoS Onestar (which honestly I'm disregarding in my brain cause like... god he was just SUCH a random choice for Darktail's father that I'm halfway convinced that they changed their minds on who it was in between The Apprentice's Quest and Thunder and Shadow) I like a character who gets negative development actually. He starts off as perfectly pleasant and a nice friend for Fireheart in WindClan, but forced leadership and an assassination attempt twisted him to become more bitter and cut Firestar off. And that's just the surface, there's an undercurrent in Winds of Change that Onewhisker is a doormat who is actually being told what to do by Firestar- like it's not something Firestar is deliberately and knowingly exploiting or anything, but what Firestar says, Onewhisker will do because "Well, I DO owe it to him, and it wouldn't KILL me". So seeing his experiences yank him out of that mindset and into someone who becomes more conservative, backfiring on Tallstar cause he changed his deputy in the worst way possible, is actually really compelling to me. I wish they did more with it tbh.

21. Part of canon you think is overhyped

Disclaimer that this bars anything Arc 6 and up cause I haven't read that far.

Mmm tbh... not totally sure what to point at specifically? Cause like, there's a lot I could point to cause like... tbh I think we all collectively remember a lot of WC scenes to be so much cooler than they actually were cause of all the MAPs.

Is it cheating to say most of DOTC? I actually do think the first three books are solid, at least from what I remember of them. But the entire arc is held up as a must read. Which is pretty sad cause I don't see people talk about... actual plot points in DotC all that often. Which I feel is pretty telling.

23. Ship you've unwillingly come around to

Hmmm another hard one cause I don't really have a ton of ships. Or any that I've been "unwilling" on...

I guess Heatherbreeze? I mildly enjoy it in concept but I don't really like how people just reduce Heathertail to "Breezepelt's happy ending". idk.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

Oh anytime the fandom complains about characters besides the protagonists being angry at said protagonists for understandable reasons, to the point of calling those characters stupid idiots even when it's literally "the protagonist got this person's friend killed". Like when people literally portrayed ShadowClan in Night Whispers as petty and mean and dumb for.... being mad at Lionblaze for literally murdering their deputy. And saying Russetfur deserved to die anyways cause she was old and fighting Firestar (who led an attack on her camp btw). Or when Dawnpelt was called an overreacting insane bitch when she blamed Jayfeather for Flametail's death (despite Flametail doing the same thing and worse cause he tried to kill Jayfeather in return but yknow. It's only bad if girls do it) Like... yes she was wrong to do that especially when Jayfeather was innocent and he was totally justified to just save himself in the end. but she was grieving and grief can be messy. Y'know? Also when people got mad at Tigerheart when he threatened Ivypool when the Dark Forest tried to make her attack Flametail's spirit. Yes Ivypool was being manipulated but he's allowed to be pissed in the moment dude!

#nyarthru #mail

[immortalconclusions]

Thoughts on Episode 1 of Interview with the Vampire (2022)

Hi there it's me ya boy immortal_conclusions.

It's been a long ride waiting for this show to come out. When it was announced a year and a half ago, my reaction was one of joy and then trepidation. "Hope for the best, expect the worst." That moment spawned hours and days and months of what the worst (and least academically inclined, I might add) among us called "intellectual debate" in this fandom, most of which was horrifying flaming garbage that most of you know about and that I won't get into here. As someone who remained optimistic throughout that time of uncertainty and tried to uplift voices of other people of color, it's been a long road. In the past year and a half I've written boatloads of fic, made dear friendships, burned friendships with others. A few months ago, I almost stopped writing and almost quit this fandom. I'm so glad I didn't, and today proves why.

"For the first time in my life, I was seen." - Louis de Pointe du Lac, Interview with the Vampire (2022)

This episode was, in a word, perfection. It was gut wrenching, gorgeous, brutal, and devastatingly sad. The framing device was using sparingly and effectively, and the pacing was magnificent. I almost didn't breathe throughout that entire ending sequence. It was a trainwreck hurtling towards its inevitable conclusion. It was overwhelming, dramatic, heartbreaking...everything it should have always been. The amount of respect and homage to canon was more than I'd ever expected.

I am not afraid to say this: they elevated and went beyond the source material.

The way they centered Louis' very human, very real struggles was so poignant and effective. Jacob Anderson portrayed his rage and his guilt and his white-knuckled repression with virtuosity. Louis is filled with guilt over the condemnation of his brother to a world which would never accept him, his homosexuality, immorality of his exploitive profession and the way it betrays his family and his race and his history. He is a man defined by his guilt, imprisoned by lies, and damned by cowardice.

"Bless me father, for I have sinned. Grievously sinned. I'm a drunk, Lord. I am a liar. I am a thief, Lord. I profit off the miseries of other men and I do it easy. Drugs, liquor, women. I lure them in and grab what they got, Lord. I take daughters with no homes and I put 'em out on the street, Lord, and I lie to myself, saying I'm giving them a roof and food and dollar bills in their pocket, but I look in the mirror, I know what I am -- the big man in the big house stuffing cotton in my ears so I can't hear their cries. And Lord I dragged my whole family into this mess with me. I shamed my father. I failed my brother. I lost my mother and sister, and rather than fix it like a man should, Lord, I run. Like a coward. I run to the bottle, I run to the grift, I run to bad beds. I laid down with a man. I laid down with The Devil. And he has roots in me. All his spindly roots in me, and I can't think nothing anymore but his voice and his words. Please, help me!"

This really got to me. That is Louis right there. That is the unfettered essence of his character. JA's performance was magnificent. (Jacob Anderson IS Louis de Pointe du Lac and I will never see him any other way.) This passage reminded me of what a genius Anne was to create this character that nobody ever had before, a character that has captured hearts and minds since. It was mainlining Louis straight into my soul.

Suffice to say, this was more than I'd ever hoped and imagined. I can't even begin to scratch the surface on some of the themes here and how much they mean to me, because I'm overwhelmed right now. This series that I've loved and grown so attached to, adapted in such a faithful and thoughtful way. Carrying all the themes through and transforming them into something even better than the original. I have a whole new appreciation for the source material that I never had before. I am floored and no joke this has restored my fucking faith in humanity. Literally. I am not even kidding about that. We all deserve to be seen. We all deserve to have the stories that are meaningful to us told and shared and loved. Today, we won.

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #amc’s interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #vc #vampire chronicles #louis de pointe du lac #jacob anderson