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creatingblackcharacters · 2 days

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"Let's Have a Talk, First"- Stereotypes, pt 1

Come sit down. You and I, before we get into any of the things I'm sure you're impatient to know: we need to have a come to Jesus talk, first.

There are some things that I've been asked and seen that strengthens my belief that we need to have a reframing of the conversation on stereotypes in media away from something as simple as "how do I find the checklist of stereotypes to avoid". Because race- and therefore racial stereotypes- is a complex construct! Stands to reason then, that seeing, understanding, and avoiding it won't be that simple! I'm going to give you a couple pointers to (hopefully) help you rethink your approach to this topic, and therefore how to apply it when you're writing Black characters- and even when thinking about Black people!

Point #1: DEVELOP THE CHARACTER!! WRITE!!

Excuse my crude language, but let me be blunt: Black people- and therefore Black characters- will get angry at things, and occasionally make bad choices in the heat of the moment. Some of us like to fuck real nasty, some might be dominant in the bedroom, they may even be incredibly experienced! Others of us succumb to circumstance and make poor decisions that lead to crime.

None of those things inherently makes any of us angry Black women and threatening Black men, Jezebels and BBC Mandingos, and gangsters and thugs!

Black people are PEOPLE! Write us as such!

If all Black characters ever did was go outside, say "hi neighbor!" and walk back in the house, we'd be as boring as racist fans often accuse.

I say this because I feel I've seen advice that I feel makes people think writing a Black character that… Emotes negatively, or gets hurt by life and circumstance, or really enjoys hard sex, or really any scenario where they might "look bad" is the issue. I can tell many people think "well if I write that, then it's a stereotype" and to avoid the difficulty, they'll probably end up writing a flat Black character or not writing them at all. Or- and I've seen this too- they'll overcompensate in the other direction, which reveals that they 'wrote a different sort of Black person!' and it comes off just as awkwardly because it means you think that the Black people that do these things are 'bad'. And I hate that, because we're capable of depth, nuance, good, evil, adventure, world domination, all of it!

My point is, if you write your character like the human being they are, while taking care to recognize that you as the writer are not buying into stereotypes with your OWN messaging, you're fine. We have emotions, we have motivations and goals, we make decisions, and we make mistakes, just like anybody else. Write that! Develop your character!

POINT #2: YOU CAN'T CONTROL THE READERS!!

Okay. You can write the GREATEST Black character ever, full of depth, love, nuance, emotional range, all those things…. And people are still going to be racist about them. Sorry. There is absolutely nothing you can do to control a reader coming from that place of bias you sought to avoid. If it's not there, TRUST AND BELIEVE, it'll be projected onto them.

That passionate young Black woman who told the MC to get her head out of her ass? Yeah she's an angry Black bitch now, and bully to the sweet white MC. Maybe a lesbian mommy figure if they like her enough to "redeem" her. That Black gay male lead that treats his partner like he worships the ground he walks on? Yeah he's an abusive thug that needs to die now because he disagreed One Time with his white partner. That Black trans woman who happened to be competing against the white MC, in a story where the white MC makes comparable choices? Ohhhh they're gonna be VILE about that poor woman.

It really hurts- most especially as a Black fan and writer- knowing that you have something amazing to offer (as a person and creative) and people are gonna spit on that and call it "preference". That they can project themselves onto white characters no matter what, but if you project your experiences onto black characters, it's "pandering", "self insert", "woke", "annoying", "boring", and other foul things we've all gotten comments of.

But expect that it's gonna happen when you write a Black character, again, especially if you're a Black writer. If you're not Black, it won't hurt as personally, but it will probably come as a shock when you put so much effort in to create a lovely character and people are just ass about them. Unfortunately, that is the climate of fandom we currently exist in.

My favorite example is of Louis De Pointe Du Lac from AMC's Interview With The Vampire. Louis is actually one of the best depictions of the existential horror that is being Black in a racist White world I have ever seen written by mostly nonblack people. It was timeless; I related to every single source of racist pain he experienced.

People were HORRIFIC about Louis.

It didn't matter that he was well written and what he symbolized; many white viewers did NOT LIKE this man. There's a level of empathy and understanding that Black characters in particular don't receive in comparison to white counterparts, and that's due to many of those stereotypes and systemic biases I'm going to talk about.

My point is, recognize that while yes, you as the author have a duty to write a character thoughtfully as you can, it's not going to stop the response of the ignorant. Writing seeking to get everyone to understand what you were trying to do… Sisyphean effort. It's better to focus on knowing that YOU wrote something good, that YOU did not write the stereotype that those people are determined to see.

POINT #3: WHY is something a stereotype?

While there are lists of stereotypes against Black people in media and life that can be found, I would appreciate if people stopped approaching it as just a list of things you can check off to avoid. You can know what the stereotypes are, sure, but if you don't understand WHY they're a problem and how they play into perception of us, you'll either end up writing a flat character trying to avoid that list, or you're going to write other things related to that stereotype because "oh its not item #1"... and it'll still be racist.

For example: if you wrote a "sassy Black woman" that does a z formation neck rotation just because a store manager asked her something… that's probably stereotype. If you thought of a character that needed to be "loudmouthed", "sassy", and "strong" and a dark-skinned black woman was automatically what fit the profile in your mind, ding ding ding! THAT'S where you need to catch your racist biases.

But a dark-skinned Black woman character cursing out a store manager because she's had a really bad, stressful day and their attitude towards her pushed her over the edge may be in the wrong, but she's not an "angry Black woman". She's a Black woman that's angry! And if you wrote the day she had to be as bad as would drive anyone to overstimulation and anxiety, the blow up will make sense! The development and writing behind her led to this logical point (which connects to point #1!)

I'm not going to provide a truly exhaustive list of Black stereotypes in media because that would ACTUALLY be worth a college credited class and I do this for free lmao. But I am going to provide some classic examples that can get y'all started on your own research.

POINT #4: WATCH BLACK NARRATIVES!

As always, I'm gonna push supporting Black creators, because that's the best way to see the range of what you'd like. You want to see Black villains? We got those! Black heroes? Black antiheroes? Assholes, lovers, comedians, depressed, criminals, kings, and more? They exist! You can get inspired by watching those movies and reading those books, see how WE depict us!

I've seen mixed reviews on it, BUT- I personally really enjoyed Swarm, because it was one of the first times I'd ever seen that "unhinged obsessed murderous Black fan girl" concept. Tumblr usually loves that shit lmao. Even the "bites you bites you bites you [thing I love]" thing was there. And she liked girls, too. Just saying. I thought it was a fun idea that I'd love to see more of. Y'all gotta give us a chance to be in these roles, to tell these tales. We can do it too, and you'd enjoy it if you tried to understand it!

POINT#5: You are NOT Black!

This is obvious lmao, but if you're not Black, there's no need to pretend. There's no need to think "oh well I have to get a 100% perfect depiction of the Black person's mind". That's… That's gonna look cringe, at its best. You don't have to do that in order to avoid stereotypes. You're not going to be able to catch every nuance because it's not your lived experience, nor is it the societally enforced culture. Just… Do what you can, and if you feel like it's coming off hokey… Maybe consider if you want to continue this way lol. If you know of any Black beta readers or sensitivity reviewers, that'd be a good time to check in!

For example, if your Black character is talking about "what's good my homie" and there's absolutely no reason for him to be speaking that way other than to indicate that he's Black… 😬 I can't stop you but… Are you sure?

An egregious example of a TERRIBLE way to write a Black character is the "What If: Miles Morales/Thor" comic. I want to emphasize the lack of good Black character design involved in some of these PROFESSIONAL art spaces, because that MARVEL comic PASSED QA!! That comic went past NUMEROUS sets of eyes and was APPROVED!! IT GOT RELEASED!! NO ONE STOPPED IT!!

I'm sorry, it was just so racist-ly bad that it was hilarious. Like you couldn't make that shit up.

Anyway, unfortunately that's how some of y'all sound trying to write AAVE. I promise that we speak the Queen's English too lmao. If you're worried you won't get it right, just use the standard form of English. It's fine! Personally, I'd much rather you do that than try to 'decode AAVE' if you don't know how to use it.

My point is, if you're actively "forcing" yourself to "think Black"… maybe you need to stand down and reconsider your approach lmao. This is why understanding the stereotypes and social environment behind them will help you write better, because you can incorporate that Blackness- without having to verbally "emphasize how Black this is"- into their character, motivations, and actions.

Conclusion

We need to reconsider how we approach the concepts of stereotypes when writing our Black characters. The goal is not to cross off a checklist of things to avoid per se, but to understand WHY we have to develop our Black characters well enough to avoid incorporating them into our writing. Give your Black characters substance- we're human beings! We have motivations and fears and desires! We're not perfect, but we're not inherently flawed because of our race. That's what makes the difference!

And as always, and really in particular for this topic, it's the thought that counts, but the action that delivers!

#creatingblackcharacters #character design #black characters #black character design #black culture

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yridenergyridenergy · 2 days

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Hii, i’m big fan of your page. Everyday I scroll you page lol.

And i wanna ask ur opinion, is true that Dir now is more popular than before especially for english speaker fan? I see many english comment in Dir page (IG, youtube, twitter) than before

And peoples really noisy about AI and write rude comment in The devil in me (youtube). Maybe people write that comment because hate the MV. In my opinion, they are like new comer in Dir music world lol.

I think Dir also did video editing in previous video (i’m not sure it’s AI or anything else), like in Glass skin, Rinkaku, agitated.

And about the delay of The Devil MV, i think they are lazy to upload because so much negative comment before watching (lol kidding)

But in my opinion, AI not that cheap and still use money, effort, dresser, makeup artist, time and team for making that MV. So I disagree to people who said this is really cheap, artist thief that no use dresser, make up artist or more worker.

But actually yess, i agree art never can be replace by AI. But hey, this is just MV not art exhibition or art competition.

I feel like why people in this era too focus on something else than main masterpiece.

#sorryformyenglish have a great day!

Sorry for the slightly late reply; I had prepared my reply a few days ago but I'm glad I waited since the promotional edit of the PV was released since. Thank you for your visits!

I'm really not sure whether Dir en grey has increased their fanbase... And shows that play on nostalgia are not an accurate reference, so even if the shows this year were to be sold out, it doesn't mean anything because that could totally drop next time they tour with new material, unfortunately. I think that the European tour definitely awakened temporary fans who could disappear again once the buzz has died down.

Dir en grey's director has definitely used CGI in the past, but you still needed artists to achieve anything. I don't know exactly how the AI that the director used for The Devil In Me works, but the common conception is that you just input requests and the robot does everything for you. It's certainly a lazier way. And no clue how much using that technology costs, but it's not equal to several artists' and actors' salaries, probably.

Sadly, the behind-the-scenes on the Devil In Me video disc did not offer anything in the way of a hint at what the AI is and how they used it...

I'm still of the opinion that maybe it can take Dir en greys videos farther than they've been able to so far, and maybe materialize the director's vision more accurately. But yeah, if everything moving forward is AI-generated, that would leave a sour taste. Already, the Otogi backdrop video didn't seem like something that only an AI could come up with: artists would have done at least the same job, if not better, to be honest.

With The Devil In Me PV, I'll have to actually watch the Netflix documentary on John Wayne Gacy, but I'm having difficulty reconciliating how the lyrics tie in with either the killer's life or the person in the video who is chatting with an AI to try and see inside the killer's mind. That's not what the lyrics evoke to me at all...

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frownyalfred · 9 months

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I am hoping you can help me better understand something about my Zach Snyder feelings, because I know you have enjoyed his work.

I have conflicting feelings and I THINK it comes down to a different imagery language and some unnamed thing in his storytelling. It's mostly the unnamed thing I'm trying to ID.

When I describe broadly the plots, character motivation (obviously as I understand them), and events, I find myself very interested in his movies and what they have to say. Then I rewatch and I don't feel the same way. It feels dark (desaturation or whatever that filter is called), overly dramatic in a way that feels cartoonist or silly instead of meaningful, or boring and slow. There are some engaging moments some that are action some that are pretty or funny. However, few that move/engage me.

I know people often love or hate Snyder but I mostly feel his movies exist, have a few interesting elements but overall if they weren't about characters I was interested in, I just wouldn't watch. I don't hate or love it. I don't think it's the greatest or the worst.

Example of a storytelling concept that I get and liked in theory but not execution. The Martha, why did you say that name moment. Snyder is connecting Bruce to Clark's "humanity" in a way that hits Bruce in a place where he is always vulnerable and is primal/basic. When people mock this scene I have the urge to defend because I understand (in my way) what he was going for, but I can't because at no point in watching or rewatching that scene do I feel that. Even though he rehashed the Wayne's death in the beginning, then connects back to it during their fight about what his parent's taught Bruce. It still FEELS out of place and "falsely" dramatic.

That's all I can think to give as an example and not make this longer (sorry this is long). But if my descriptions click something for you as a writer and fan of Snyder, please let me know. I just don't know what it is about his storytelling and it's annoying to not understand why there is this disconnect.

Thank you for your patience, if you even get thru this, LOL.

I'm not a film major and I am definitely no expert, but I've been thinking about this ask. I agree with a lot of what you brought up, though it is hard to describe what that exact disconnect is with Snyder's films, and you'll get a million different opinions depending on who you ask.

To me, Snyder's DC films always feel like movies that were excellent plots on paper wrapped around a series of interesting and awe-inducing visuals and scores. There are scenes he does well -- one of my favorites being the initial scene in BVS where Bruce runs into the Battle of Metropolis -- almost because they feel like a separate, isolated moment in his script. There are scenes that drag, exposition dump, and feel dark and strange.

There seems to be a disconnect between him, the writer, and him, the director. He's good at both, don't get me wrong -- but there's something missing in between.

People on reddit will tell you the problem with BVS, at the end of the day, is all the plot holes or the cheesy dialogue. I mostly disagree. Especially after seeing Oppenheimer recently, I think Snyder struggles with building and maintaining the pace of his plot and the emotions he's trying to cultivate in his viewers. Continuity is key -- scenes building up on each other, revealing new layers of meaning and importance, leaving viewers guessing only on the least-obvious plot points.

He has all the pieces -- decent dialogue, powerhouse actors, amazing CGI, a script most people wouldn't laugh at on paper -- but they don't quite form a whole.

I did a quick review of some the things I like about BVS, thinking through this ask, and I think it's pretty revealing that most of those things are pieces, not overall themes.

The Battle of Metropolis flashback

Ben Affleck visually as Bruce Wayne

Lex's scenes with the Senator

The score

Kryptonite/Training scene

Lex's entry into Zod's ship

Diana

Bruce at the fundraiser

Warehouse fight scene

Alfred's dialogue

Lakehouse shots

Knightmare scene

As for the Martha scene, my inclination is that it's rarely out of place or strange when written correctly. In fics, I've seen it done very well. But Snyder doesn't use it for what it is -- a climax of Bruce Wayne's anger and misguided actions -- because he never truly brought the viewer all the way along with Bruce.

TL;DR: I don't know either. But I agree and commiserate with you on this. I still enjoy watching BVS and other Snyder films, but seeing other films -- especially Nolan's, which I'm not saying are theoretically better -- makes the difference very jarring.

#zack snyder #batman v superman #bvs #asks #batman v superman: dawn of justice #batman vs superman #bruce wayne #batman #dc #clark kent #superman #long rambly imperfect thoughts #I'm sure people will disagree with me on this but #alas #I am no film major

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uncanny-tranny · 22 days

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One thing that I always disliked about how people approach mental illness was to frame it as a grand battle, a battle you can lose to.

Obviously, this type of thinking absolutely gets applied to people who have gone through cancer, but I leave it to people affected by cancer to articulate how they feel about this, because it's absolutely not in my lane to talk about that part of this conversation. I talk about mental health because people (at least where I am at) also apply the logic to mental illness - especially if one has "lost" their battle.

It especially bothers me because in many cases, people conceptualize battle as something wherein both parties are full participants, that one participant can only win. Do you commemorate and respect the people who lose battles? Often not.

I know that many times, people use battle euphemisms in order to preserve dignity and (somehow) imply that the illness isn't their fault, but I just don't personally resonate with the idea that illness is something you "win" or "lose" at, that winning means something Grand, Big, and it's something which good people achieve. In my personal experience, it can feel like a battle, but it's completely different in how it operates as a "battle."

#mental health #mental health advocacy #cancer tw #cancer mention tw #i know people use those euphemisms to be respectful and i appreciate that...#...but i think we can do it better i suppose?#and i'm sure people will dosagree and that's the great thing about being people - we have the privilege of being able to disagree #i personally just found it... almost objectifying (not the correct word but that's how it feels) when people apply that to me #so i tend to avoid framing illness of any kind with battle euphemisms. i tend to think of it in terms of fluctuation

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musical-chick-13 · 2 years

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I think people who pick one character from AsoIaF/GoT to be The Protagonist are missing the point, because pretty much all of the characters think THEY are The Protagonist™ and that’s ultimately what screws them over.

(I also want to preface this by saying that that’s the reason I find these characters so interesting, and that this is not meant to insult any of them. I LOVE this story, and this is one of the many reasons why.)

Cersei thinks she’s the Villain Protagonist™ of a gritty drama. Even if it doesn’t make sense for things to work out for her, she assumes they will, seeing everyone around her as faceless idiots serving her narrative. Anyone and everyone will betray her because that’s what always happens in stories like this, so she won’t give them a chance to ever get there. People will move the way she assumes they will; everyone is predictable and stupid and shallow and cowardly. And as such, no one possesses the necessary skills to take her down. If she’s more ruthless and ambitious and paranoid than everyone else, she’ll get what she wants. But that’s not how life actually works, so all she does is alienate those around her, even necessary allies. People aren’t always predictable, not all of them are compliant or subservient or easily-frightened or incompetent. And if you prioritize ruthlessness and distrust, the people who aren’t those things aren’t going to see any reason to keep you around or give you aid.

Jaime thinks he’s a Cynical Misunderstood Antihero. He doesn’t need to work on bettering himself or de-internalizing his violent impulses, because he’s not the problem, it’s society, it’s people’s incorrect assessment of him. Look, he made a friend in Brienne, that must mean he’s not all bad, right? He thinks this story ends in a Public Image Rehabilitation, but he still conflates love with violence, and he still has a fucked up relationship with consent, he’s arrogant to a fault, he still insults Brienne (and just about everyone else) when the opportunity presents itself, and he never bothers trying to change that. And it’s all of this that prevents him from every truly becoming a good person. He’s so mired in this idea of being misunderstood that he doesn’t make a concerted effort to prove that he actually is. People think he’s an oath-breaker, that he has too big of an ego, that he doesn’t care about the people he swore to protect, and he thinks that simply going, “Yeah, but they don’t have the whole picture” is enough in and of itself to prove them wrong because, in a lot of stories, it is. But all his behavior does is cement his reputation as these things.

Dany thinks she’s The Chosen One, which means whatever she does is automatically the right decision. People will accept her rule because it’s hers, she deserves it, it’s morally right. All of her enemies are blanketedly wrong on all accounts in all cases. Her goals supersede anyone else’s because those goals are the way to a Happy Ending, and she doesn’t consider that other people might not see it that way. Many people’s gripes with her stem from gross places like misogyny or wanting to continue keeping slaves, but she forgets to acknowledge that some people’s issues with her might actually be valid. And that The Chosen One is actually a terrifying idea to people outside that person’s immediate personal context. She has three sentient WMDs, essentially. And if she thinks that using them is always morally correct, that the fallout from doing so can’t possibly be a problem because she’s using them and it’s for a noble cause, you end up with what happened in Astapor; and you end up with Drogon killing a child in Mereen and, eventually, her demise at the end of the show.

Sansa starts out thinking she’s an Optimistic Child Hero in a fairytale. This leads to her being held captive at court (she trusted that the authority figures were benevolent), writing a letter to her family that almost comes back to bite her to a deadly degree once her sister finds out in the show (she thought she could solve everything herself via a peaceful resolution), and to her trusting a complete monster of a boy until it’s too late (she thought he was Prince Charming). She thinks that being the Soft, Beautiful Heroine means people will love her and everything will end nicely and neatly, but sometimes instead of “love”, people just take advantage of you. And sometimes their reaction to your beauty isn’t innocent appreciation-sometimes you end up with Littlefinger. (Or Tyrion or The Hound who...let’s just leave it at “they have their own issues,” especially book-wise.) This morphs into assuming that a fairytale-esque betrayal will befall her with every new person she meets. It’s why she defends Petyr after his murder of Lysa, and it’s why she doesn’t leave with Brienne; if she’s going to be betrayed anyway, she might as well at least stick with a villain she understands.

Ned thinks he’s the Noble Hero in a typical fantasy series. He doesn’t consider everyone else’s capacity for cruelty or the idea that honor alone might not be enough. Sometimes there are no perfect choices, sometimes mercy does not give you the end goal you envisioned, and sometimes you can try your best and that can all be undone by one impulsive, unforeseeable action. You can’t honor your way out of ruthless political conflict.

Robb thinks he’s a Romantic War Hero, and thus everything will magically work out for him. His ideals and his marriage will conquer everything. But he broke a marriage promise to a powerful family, and that has consequences. The world won’t bend to his will, not even if he is doing the right thing or has noble goals, not even if he’s had war success, not even if the people at home love him, not even if he’s in love (show) or doing the most honorable thing he can (books). He thinks that being the hero means he can make it through Westeros without having to play the game, and he gets murdered for it.

Theon thinks he’s an Underdog Outcast Hero. He’ll come up from behind with an unsuspecting War Victory, and that will earn him respect, the love of his family, and a legacy he can look back on with pride. And that mindset leads him to murder two children, to drive away any allies and good grace he had at Winterfell, and the reason that the War Victory he imagined was so unexpected is because it’s completely untenable. He gets more and more desperate and it’s increasingly harder and harder to hold onto the control he’s managed to obtain. He has reasons for wanting this that make sense, and he’s been dealt a pretty bad hand in life, and he thinks that’s and his determination to overcome his personal identity struggles is enough to not only justify his actions, but ensure that those actions will be successful. And then his plan blows up in his face, he assumes he’s been miraculously saved (probably still having something to do with seeing himself as The Unexpected Hero), and ends up at Ramsay’s mercy.

Arya thinks she’s a Badass Heroine in the making, a skilled swordslady and Rebellious Princess who’s destined for more than this stuffy life of politics and dresses and formalities. But rebelling isn’t always enough. It doesn’t help with the Mycah situation, and she still needs to rely on others’ help in getting out of the city after Ned is executed. When she does try to embrace the “fully self-sufficient sword lady” idea while with the Faceless Men in Braavos, she is told to functionally discard her identity completely. She does an unauthorized kill because she, not her assassin-persona-in-training, wants to (though the victim’s identity differs in books and show), which leads to her being temporarily blinded and prevented from going on assassination missions, and outright forced to beg for food in the show. In the show, after being reinstated as an apprentice, she is tasked with killing an innocent person, refuses (rebels), and realizes that this life is one she can’t handle. She goes home, and her heading straight for her sword is one of the things that almost completely ruins her relationship with Sansa. In the upcoming Winds of Winter release, her chapter excerpt has her prioritizing revenge over her apprentice duties, and she remarks that her new identity is ruined with this rebellious action. When you rebel, there are consequences-this doesn’t change just because your intentions are good or because you are or think you are important.

Jon thinks, similarly to Ned, that he’s The Good Guy, that doing the right thing, that following The Code is paramount. He thinks that, because he’s The Good Guy, that doing the right thing with the maximum amount of good for everyone will always be a workable option, and that the heroic option will always yield the best result. This is why he thinks proclaiming his love to Ygritte in the show will end well (because love is good and conquers everything) and is, instead, shot by her several times. It’s why he doesn’t foresee a mutiny in either medium, which leads to his (temporary) death. (Let’s be real, he’s getting resurrected in the books, too, this is the one thing I’m sure of.) Because yes, everything is tense and he’s on bad terms with the Watch, but surely they wouldn’t go that far. It’s rough going, and he has to juggle the needs of several widely different groups of people, but he’s doing the right thing and that will win out; his conviction will protect him, at least for the time being while he tries to manage the bigger threat of the White Walkers. The real fight is with them, the mysterious overarching enemy, not within his own ranks. This is a story where everyone puts aside their differences to fight a greater threat-except for the times when it isn’t.

Even Catelyn isn’t immune, as she assumes that Petyr, since he’s her childhood friend, is invested in solving the mystery of what happened to Bran when he tells her the dagger used in the attack was Tyrion’s. Lysa is her sister, she can’t possibly be suspicious. She thinks the Lannisters are evil, her instincts tell her that they were behind everything, she’s the Protective Mother Heroine, so she must be right. But although she is to a certain extent correct, that’s not the complete picture. And this slightly-misplaced confidence leads her to arrest Tyrion, the retaliation of which is Tywin siccing his forces on her homeland, one of the major first steps in the upcoming political war. Then, her continued focus on saving her children-something that must take precedence because they are her children, and this is her story-leads her to taking Walder Frey’s supposed offer of a fix-it solution for Robb breaking his marital pledge at face value, despite House Frey’s reputation, and despite this neat resolution seeming far too good to be true. She’s so focused on the Lannisters-the Obvious Endgame Enemy-that she doesn’t consider the possibility of betrayal from the Freys. She thinks that the world is giving her a break-because she is so desperately looking for one, because she deserves one, because her family deserves one, and those are reasons enough for her to have one-that she doesn’t even bother to re-evaluate the situation until it’s too late.

Melisandre thinks she’s a Religious Hero, but she ends up burning a child alive and alienating one of her few remaining allies in the process (and Davos was barely an ally to begin with). She thinks she’s Doing What Needs To Be Done to serve her savior, but it hurts Stannis more than it helps him, and he just ends up being murdered by Brienne. This is obviously in the show only (at least at this point), and I don’t know if Stannis is going to burn Shireen in the books or not. Stannis thinks he’s the Lawful Hero, and thus, because according to law he’s the Rightful Ruler, anything he does is automatically excusable; he’s just righting a wrong. And in the process, he imprisons his closest friend, has a hand in murdering his brother (when kinslaying is one of the most universally hated breaches of conduct in this fictional universe), allies with a dangerous woman that much of his own court despises, and, in the show, murders his only child and drives away most of the rest of his remaining team.

They all think that, since they are the main characters of their own stories, that they’re the main character of the larger, overarching narrative. That having understandable reasons or sympathetic qualities or even just having a clear goal that they desperately want, that’s enough to cement their importance. And they think that means that they’re justified in everything they do, that everything will work out for them, that the consequences will be lesser for them than for others, because that’s what it’s like to be the main character. The whole point is that there is not A Protagonist™ and that maybe we should examine why a story needs A Protagonist™ in the first place and what that narrative tradition tells us. When GRRM said he turned down adaptation offers because they only wanted to focus on Jon and Dany, this is why.

#asoiaf #got #asoiaf meta #got meta #most of this is directly related to everyone deconstructing the archetypes they would represent in other stories #so I'm not sure how much of this is just 'deconstructing tropes' and how much of it is 'Main Character Perception Syndrome'#also obviously this isn't every character I ran out of room and honestly some of them like davos and brienne and maybe even loras #probably don't think they're The Main Character which there's a whole other essay in there about how they're The Good People #I personally think Bran never gave off 'I think I'm the main character' energy but I know haters will disagree with me on that #like...Idk his sense of self-worth kind of went away and he spent a bunch of time trying to get it back and figure out how to get by #in a society that now thought he was worthless. and how to get enjoyment out of life when his goals were no longer reachable #it read less as 'I think I'm more Important™' and more 'I'm just trying to survive man' but also I love bran I might be a little biased lmao #cersei lannister #jaime lannister #dark!dany #sansa stark #arya stark #theon greyjoy #jon snow #catelyn stark #robb stark #ned stark #melisandre #stannis baratheon #I take my life into my own hands by putting actual names in the tags but I talk about these characters and I don't know how else to tag #this to ensure people who don't want to see it won't have to see it #also for anyone wondering where tyrion is on this list: I was too tired to delve into this phenomenon regarding him because it is ESPECIALLY #prominent regarding him. and this post was already so long and talking about tyrion in this context probably would've made it TWICE as long #there genuinely isn't enough space in here to include him but know that I'm counting him too. most definitely #behold! a creation!

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thatswhatsushesaid · 3 months

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the "things i sometimes feel compelled to do 🤝 things i am never going to do because it is just too much fucking work" venn diagram with this in its middle: revisit my old nmj meta with ~updated thoughts~ now that my general feelings towards him have mellowed

#i'm never going to be a da-ge apologist or stan and that's fine lol he's got plenty #but i don't dislike him anymore and that's largely the result of people who DO like him a lot giving me access to their thoughtful meta #i may not agree with everything that they write and that is also fine #but i sure wouldn't have changed my mind about him if they'd shut me out of the conversation the first time we disagreed about something #tl;dr insert my normal tired screed about the overabundance of blocking in fandom spaces #discourse silos suck and i can't see myself changing my mind about this anytime soon #salty peak sect 🧂

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nostalgia-tblr · 3 months

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risking Discourse here perhaps but how do yous interpret "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings"? i know it's supposed to mean what it says on the tin (ie that the creator chose not to use the usual warnings system for some unspecified reason) but since that includes both "this fic is full of fucked up shit but i don't want to spoiler anyone for it" AND "there's nothing in this that would need one of the required warnings, i just can't be arsed to use them" i am wondering if this is a bit like Dead Dove where there's a bit of drift in the meaning at least for some people?

#ao3 #question is for both readers and writers btw #as there's no point in writers all thinking it means one thing if the readers disagree with that consensus #full disclosure: i've only CNTW myself to conceal whether or not someone dies in the end #which i am sure many people would think is twatty of me but that's kind of why i'm asking (in general)#oh and once i used it because i was very unsure if the dubcon had edged into non-con and i didn't want to get caught out by subjectivity #so i slapped some explanatory freeform tags/a note on that and CNTW so i wouldnt get banned if i'd made the wrong call on it #fandom

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septembersghost · 7 months

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some of you have leaned so hard into your utterly empty, intellectually devoid, frivolous language that masquerades as progressive radicalism and sociological purity testing that you have fallen all the way into dehumanization and condemnation of the "other" to prove from behind your screens that you have joined the "correct side" of what is tantamount to hardline dogmatic thinking. if you suppress individual thought, compassion, open discussion, and malign the free press, you are not a progressive, you are a functional conservative in a different outfit. if you have decided that your abstract language and frothy ideals should be elevated above actual human life, and are using said language to divorce it from humanistic approaches to others and concern for their welfare, or worse, are using it to actively harass and frighten them, you are, in fact, the very enemy you claim to be fighting, and you should not be trusted, because your philosophies are built upon sand and will shift with the tides to make sure you are not affected by the damage that you do.

#clawing towards any sense of sanity here you're going to drive me to leave entirely #if you disagree with this yet again i ask you to block me unfollow me and perhaps look inwardly #start educating yourselves through more than misinformation infographics and outrage bait designed to dehumanize everyone #eta: i'm pinning this because you will not break me with your hatefulness and your rancor.#still not here and still running entirely on the queue. still not sure when/if i'm coming back #to the people participating in what i am discussing: we're done here. this is all i have to say to you.#to those who have reached out lovingly thank you. you are true blessings and lights. please take care

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kyouka-supremacy · 6 months

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Do you think that akutagawa will ever join the ada?

Mmmmmmhhhh. I'm not sure, actually.

Character-arc wise, I don't think he should. Although most of that has to do with how I perceive the character and my personal headcanons. It is very much true that Akutagawa is going through a redemption arc, but I think the arc is tending towards reaching a kind of good-ness that is similar to Chuuya's: still working for the pm, but not exactly a villain; doing things that serve the greatest good in the grand scheme of things of how Yokohama's power dynamics work; overall works as an ally to the main characters and is vastly sympathetic to the readers. Most importantly, I don't think Akutagawa would realistically ever be happy in the ada as long as Dazai is in it, so I can hardly wish for him to join. I don't think Akutagawa should directly work under Dazai ever again, but you know, the author probably disagrees with me on this lmao. Because I think what Dazai did to Akutagawa is unforgivable, while the author believes there isn't anything to be forgiven at all.

So you see, I don't pretend to be able to guess what the author has in plan for Akutagawa's character, really! I don't think he should join the ada, but I don't feel like I can completely exclude it as a possibility either. The character development is still ongoing. And as I already mentioned, his outfit change in the last episode could, among many other things, be an indicator of a switching of loyalty, so you know, right now everything is possible! If anything, we know that canonly there is a universe were Akutagawa is fit for the ada. But if you ask me, like Dazai dying in Beast means that he'll live in the main timeline, Akutagawa being in the ada in Beast is telling of how that's not his place in canon.

#I loved this question‚ thank you for asking!!!#I was going to say. I'm not sure the ada would take him in (because of all his crimes). But scratch that they took in way worse #But seriously there's several ada Aktgw fics out there and they just... Don't sit right with me.#Because for how I see it he'd never be able to find happiness in it #Because Akutagawa is never going to get over Dazai. Seriously peoples. He isn't.#And for Dazai manipulating Akutagawa is like a second nature so he'd keep doing it in the ada too.#I'd dare say he'd do it even involuntarily??#But it's just. Their relationship is far beyond saving #But of course feel free to disagree with me on this!!!#ryūnosuke akutagawa #bsd #bungou stray dogs #people asks me stuff

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prowerprojects · 6 months

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The reason why Omega is the last of the E-100 series is because Eggman most likely used either a Goose, Swan, or a Cassowary Flicky.

No matter what way you look at it, Eggman used one of the angriest small creatures in existence to power him.

I genuinly don't believe Omega is or ever was powered by a flicky. I mean he debuted in Heroes, a game where none of Eggman's robots were powered by flickies. Eggman was probably perfecting alternative means of power at the time.

#I have more points for him not being powered by one currently but I do believe he never was in the first place #also I think he's the last because it's the last letter of the alphabet?#not sure what a goose would have to do with it #sorry I hate disagreeing with people when they send me asks. I really appreciate it!#but I'm not budging on this one #project.txt #project.ask #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #omega #e123 omega #e 123 omega #e-123 omega

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supercantaloupe · 7 months

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beginning to not have fun with these opera bracket posts tbh

#some of you guys are being really mean honestly. and i think that's really pathetic and unnecessary.#'why are people complaining about us voting for the Objectively Best Operas' cause it's not about what's Objectively Best #(there literally cannot be an Objective best if people are this argumentative about it....cause then it's.....subjective....)#it's about what You Personally Like More. every poll is literally titled 'which do you prefer' not 'which is Best(tm)'#which. sure sometimes we like things because we think they're the most well crafted works available #but also sometimes we like things that are just. fun. not necessarily Artistic Masterpieces. but they're enjoyable #and there is no moral or intellectual superiority attached to which opera you like best #for gd's sake.#'why are you people taking this so personally and whining about everything' well you are saying that people should be banned from #Watching Opera and or that you would like to kill someone/yourself if your choice doesn't win #or that people are literally brainless troglodytes for voting against your taste #and like #idk #i think it's valid to be upset about that?#'have you noticed that the people who Complain are Objectively Wrong' how do you say this with a straight face #and still feel comfortable up on that high horse of yours?#whatever i guess. you guys can have fun pretending that the forza or don carlo guys are making out or whatever #but it's just. unnecessarily mean to pretend like anyone who disagrees or has slightly different taste is Stupid and Wrong #i wanna talk about me #it's probably obvious that there's a particular post i'm referring to with this but i'm not gonna link it #because i don't want to directly get embroiled in anything. don't fucking @ me to argue i will honestly just block you #you can reply if you want guess but if you're rude or weird. watch out.#it's yom kippur. i have bigger things to focus on than fucking bitichfights on tumblr over the most pointless popularity contest yet devise

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thats-a-lot-of-cortisol · 4 days

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Aspect of Order: Primordial & Present-Day

One of the first deities, part of what is known as the Primordial Triad. It created the planes alongside the Aspects of Chaos and the In-Between and held dominion over the Material Plane. It embodied order in the way nature has order: the life cycle, gravity, the tides, the surety that the seasons will change, the patterns that appear in flora and fauna alike, the symmetry of pinecones and butterflies. It was associated with the night as a time of quiet preparation where the world rests, and when one can see the remains of creation in the darkened sky. It is said that the two moons of the Material Plane are its eyes, watching over its creations.

All three members of the Primordial Triad are referred to with "it", so ancient and unfathomable that applying a mortal, transient concept of gender to them seemed almost blasphemous.

Almost.

The modern-day conception of Order is quite different. Though she still reigns over the night and natural laws, her followers have placed her at the forefront of the creation process, reducing the In-Between's role and rejecting Chaos altogether. Though most present-day cultures think of her in this way, many of them do not emphasize her: she is an invisible Over-God, keeping the other deities and forces in line and maintaining cosmic balance from behind the scenes. In places where she is worshipped heavily, however, she is placed at the forefront of the pantheon. In those cases, worship of deities with overlapping domains is either illegal (ex local gods of justice) or considered secondary to her (ex the god of the Wilds). The worship of smaller, local deities is usually discouraged or suppressed over-all in these areas in order to encourage a more structured, uniform religious practice. While both aspects of Order championed paladins, Primordial Order also championed druids and rangers while Modern Order champions clerics.

Ancient theologians debated whether or not Order and Chaos were two aspects of the same being (ironically, there was no question that the In-Between was its own separate force). However, following the iconoclasm that effectively forced Chaos out of the pantheon and created the modern conception of Order, such lines of thought were considered heretical, and then blasphemous.

The iconoclasm did have an unintended consequence, however. Crying motifs appeared in some art of Primordial Order around that time, particularly in the areas that resisted the iconoclasts more intensely. Some scholars believe that it may have been a direct reaction to the event: Order mourning the loss of its counterpart. Others have argued, however, that the lack of such motifs (or equivalents) in depictions of the In-Between prove this wrong. After all, why would it not also be grieving?

#irredeemed project #<- the working tag for this for now #i've been working on this project off & on for a couple years now #and the primordial triad has had a chokehold on me the entire time #i dont have names for any gods but the in-between (i think i'm gonna keep erasmus)#because i'd gotten stuck and wanted a clean slate. if i name a deity i feel like it has to have a solid form of some sort #and not all of them will #i'm not doing these in any sort of order. i have two other pages done #one of them is for a goddess that i've also been turning around in my head this entire time #i dont have many of the actual historical events fleshed out or any plot points for the 'present day' of the world #so stuff is going to be vague for a moment #i fucking. love the idea of writing/drawing about the world from the perspective of the people who are in it #so historical eras/distinct art movements across time & cultures/theological debates that people disagree on #and how that last thing works when the gods are undeniably & obviously real in some way #im sure the 'right' answers came through in this but that's okay b/c it's just to get my thoughts out of my head lol #worldbuilding #my art #character art #brainstorming #fantasy worldbuilding #my post #worldbuilding project #fantasy pantheons #the mortifying ideal of being known (talking about a creative project online)#hopefully this makes sense and isn't too silly lol

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hadesknockedupintheunderworld · 30 days

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How would the Prime Tails polycule first date go?

You know, I'm not quite sure what their first date as a whole group would be

Like in all honesty, their real first date is probably something like hanging out at one of Tails' labs or the Grim and just playing games before making dinner together

But if they decide to properly reveal their relationship in a bit more public manner to friends or community members, I think some people would consider their first date the date where they all go out to like a cafe or an amusement park or something.

Well, here's what I'm thinking, just for context. I don't think all of the members of the polycule are hesitant about revealing the relationship, and I can see Sails or Nine assuming that one's first date has to be something more traditionally well known as a romantic first date. Nine is a member of the polycule I can see as having to have a buffer period of getting used to all this before he can feel comfortable being clearly on a date in public, but I can see Tails as someone who doesn't subscribe to the idea of the traditional first date.

So I think because of this their real first date would be more casual. Planned, yes, but ultimately not meant to be public or exciting. And frankly, even if it is just hanging out at the lab, fixing up some stuff, making food together, playing board games or video games, while there will undoubtedly be some hiccups along the way and plans thrown out the window, I think they'll enjoy it in the end.

However, if they decide to make their public first date (when more people know about the relationship) something like going out to a restaurant? Yeah that has the potential to be a disaster. For some reason that sonic boom episode "My Fair Sticksy" comes to mind. So all I can say is that Amy probably gets them a reservation at a nice restaurant, Mangey's not dealing with the change of clothes very well (he's trying), Sails is trying his best to "act proper" and remember the "manner lessons" Amy probably gave them all, Nine is performing to the T, except he's not controlling his expressions as well as he thinks he is (so he's largely got resting bitch face. Partly because he doesn't want to be here), and Tails is trying to play damage control.

I think that kind of "first date" would end up in the group leaving early, Tails leaving a fat tip, and the polycule eating street food together under the stars instead

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic prime #saitaininegy #tailscest #tails the fox #miles tails prower #nine sonic prime #miles nine prower #nine the fox #sails sonic prime #miles sails prower #sails the fox #mangey sonic prime #miles mangey prower #mangey the fox #anon interview #sorry this one was a bit rambly #I'm not quite sure if I got this all across well‚ but they all have different ideas of romance‚ how they should make their relationship #publicly known‚ what a date is to them vs what the ideal first date should look like‚ etc #I tried to answer as best I could‚ but the truth is that I feel like they'd all disagree on what their first date really was and their #relationship will not come out publicly as planned (with certain people learning before others too)#So in reality it's all complicated and a mess #but if they had to plan out what they're calling the 'first date'‚ it probably goes more like I said in the post #And if anything‚ I think this polycule kind of started and developed over time with all of them hanging out rather than them deciding to go #on dates‚ so they really would have different ideas on what was a date and likely have technically gone on dates together before they were #officially dating (just not calling them that)#i just be ramblin #it's complicated #Thank you so much for the ask though anon!!#If you have any other questions regarding them or their relationship‚ feel free to shoot me another ask!!😊

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bumblingbabooshka · 4 months

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Everyone needs to start getting way weirder (read: hornier) about this moment so I don't feel so alone.

Also - Tuvok....this is WILDLY funny. Tuvok is SO cringe I love him, he's the worst guy ever. Absolutely 0 hesitation to, IN FRONT OF EVERYONE, straight up go "Hey, first officer? Sorry for cutting you off in the middle of this life-or-death situation but I just couldn't help but notice that I, Tuvok, made a suggestion and you didn't follow it? That's literally never happened before. Did you not hear me or..?" There's literally not even a good reason for him to object it's straight up ONLY because it wasn't his idea.

#I'm telling you Tuvok gives such a wonderful 'spoiled know it all' energy <3 #Has Janeway NEVER disagreed with you????? HEHEHE #Oh anyway yeah Chakotay making Tuvok call him sir is hot #But more importantly - people who say Tuvok has no personality beyond 'Vulcan' simply aren't paying enough attention #like I know we sort of get SCRAPS as the series goes on but he DOES have a distinct personality to me #It's not only that he speaks up here rather than following orders - its the REASON he gives which is #'Why aren't you doing what I say? Janeway would never do this. =_=' (& the fact he does it in front of everyone)#It implies that he thinks his plan is better just because it's his plan (as otherwise he'd surely bring up a more facts/logic based #complaint) - He's ANNOYING and he's arrogant and he's clearly very close with Janeway #and he deserves to get punched <3 and I love him so much.#voy #How CONFIDENT was he that Chakotay would be like 'oh sorry Tuvok you're absolutely right' that he INTERRUPTED him to bring it up in front #of EVERYONE????? TUVOK!!! GIRL YOU ARE /DELUSIONAL/ ~!!!#I can literally see Tuvok writing a 'and everybody clapped' ass fanfic in my head as we speak...he and the doctor have this in common #the only difference is that Tuvok would never explicitly write that while the Doctor absolutely would and he'd be like 'this is the height #of my genius' and I unfortunately find all of that endearing

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musical-chick-13 · 4 months

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3 and 5 for the fandom asks please!! 🥰

3. Do you anticipate writing for a new fandom this year? Which one?

Several things on the Giant WIP List are for fandoms I've never posted fic for! (Like, for example, Noir (2001) or Chainsaw Man or DN or obscure Dutch opera Sunken Garden.) But being WIPs, I guess this would mean that I have still, technically, already written something for those fandoms. So if we're talking about "Do I anticipate starting anything brand new this year for a new fandom," then for my own sanity I think the answer is going to be "no." (Though I did write a completely unrelated Christmas fic in like. Three days at the end of last year, so...never say never..........)

5. Which WIP is first on your list to complete this year? Will you post a snippet?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (<-not laughing at you, this is the sound of me crying).

Okay. So anyone who has been following me for the past like. Few months at least. May have heard me talk about something I keep calling "The Fic That's A Lot." This is the first thing on the WIP list I'm trying to complete because I've been trying to do that for the past... actually I don't want to look at how long I've been working on it, we're going to move on.

Those who have borne witness to the saga of me trying to finish this will know just how much of. A Challenge. This has been for me. It's, ultimately, a character study of 11 and River (and, by extension, their relationship) that takes place after they're already married, but it is the most...unconventional, we'll say, thing I've ever written. I don't want to elaborate too much, just because the premise itself is full of some very specific trigger warnings (MUCH more so than my usual fare of things like intense grief or discussing the particulars of intrusive thoughts). But the closest thing I can reasonably give to a summary (which...I know you already know this because I've been screaming to you about it for the past God-knows-how-long) is that River breaks her ankle, and from there spirals a series of events that make her husband go, "Sure hope this doesn't awaken anything in me" and her go, "Yeah, this has definitely awakened something in me." Lmao, let me see if I can find a passage of this that a) I haven't already posted and b) isn't completely deranged.

The sound of the chamber orchestra tuning their instruments shakes her out of her musings, and she remembers something that’s been prodding at her brain since she realized what was on the live feed. “How are you accessing this footage? I thought the workshop was a closed event. Airtight security.” His only response is to smirk, eyebrows darting slyly up and down. Which can only mean he’s done something very difficult, very clever, and-given his lack of elaboration on the subject-probably illegal. That last one sparks a wicked sort of thrill in her, one she’ll have to fully unpack later. “And they say I’m the bad influence.” His face snaps into something oddly serious, like this inconsequential piece of banter is an affront to something. (Affront to what, she has no idea.) “You’re not,” he says.

new year fanfic asks

#are--YES THEY'RE WATCHING AN OPERA OKAY. SHUT UP. I GOTTA MENTION AT LEAST ONE (1) STAGE-RELATED THING IN EVERY FIC IT'S A RULE #there was another relatively unassuming passage I could have put but it was in the middle of a narratively-pivotal conversation/the #major emotional turning point of the story and I didn't want to risk accidentally giving too much away #I also want to clarify that I'm not being oblique and secretive because I think this is an embarrassing thing to write about or think #everyone is an inherently delicate flower or something #I really REALLY just want to make sure there are as few moments as possible for people to accidentally have a Bad Time #due to the aforementioned trigger warnings #(obviously that's still a risk regarding me actually posting the fic and having to at least mention specific warnings but I'm trying to #minimize that risk overall)#multi t(ASK)ing #The Fic That's A Lot #this also...I think it's a particular take on their dynamic that a fair amount of people are going to disagree with. but. what can you do.

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