#apparently fandom culture evolved

[theteablogger]

Why do you think that Andy specifically uses fandom to build cults/manipulate people, rather than more conventional religious or spiritual ideas?

This post is pretty long, but well worth a read, and gives a number of reasons why fandom has been the most convenient avenue for Andy to abuse people. Here are a few excerpted points:

Fandom has an unending, always-increasing, EXTREMELY OPEN supply of victims. [...] In real life, people are very unlikely to come up to you, sobbing, stumbling, and generally in extreme distress, and open up to you about their extensive emotional damage, their deepest, darkest secrets and fantasies, the subjects that are central to their passions, their enjoyment of life, and (in extremity) their willingness to keep breathing for another day - yes here’s the complete list - and their extreme sensitivity to certain stimuli that will quite possibly leave them shaking, their heads spinning, and their minds wide open to all sorts of fuckery - yes, here’s the other complete list. Because that would be giving a predator the keys to the kingdom, and people are distrusting enough in the offline world that they’re hardly going to leave that open for every stranger to examine, digest, and consider at length. On Tumblr, that’s sometimes contained just in the blog header. [...] An abundance of vulnerable teenage girls and naive twentysomethings. [...] A lack of parental supervision. A lot of people in fandom are HIDING from their parents. Excellent! It means the ONLY authority figures are authoritative, wise, kindly BNFs… ones who are so concerned for socially-isolated, mentally-ill teens…

As I noted in my reblog of that post, Andy did add elements of various religions into his cults, especially as a means of explaining how "channeling" worked and why it was a legitimate practice:

Remember, when he was first getting his claws into Abbey, how he went on and on about how a “pagan priestess” told him that elves, hobbits, etc. were real? This was the person who allegedly told him that he was a “Rare Lesbian Paladin” and that these spirits were reaching out and communicating through him. Supposedly the “Great Mother” was connecting to Abbey through Pippin, which makes no sense, and occasionally he would throw in the names of a god or two that was actually worshiped by some past culture.  Apparently this evolved into an actual religious…thing. I hesitate to say “practice” because it doesn’t seem to have been organized at all, but in her AMA, Abbey elaborated a little on the Tolkien-influenced “pagan” thing he was doing with her, Diamond, and Little Sam. She also said that toward the end of their involvement, he was trying to get her into Catholicism.

#andythanfiction #thanfiction #andrew blake #andy blake #religion

[partywithoutsmiling]

Here's a fun idea you said that if he wanted to branch could make his own tribe. well what if he did, where do you think the tribe would live? I'm thinking something like the lash caves from minecraft because underground, and what if that was hundreds of years ago? What do you think folk trolls would evolve to look like? What about their culture? Would the leader position be passed down through bloodline or successes? What would their leader even be called? I feel like it has to be chief. Aaaahahahhah this ideas so funnnnn

Hi!

Sorry for late answer, I had a late shift at work, and that didn't leave me with much energy to do anything but have midnight dinner and then sleep XD

The thing about Branch, and his Folk String- yes, he could form his own Tribe and his own genre of music, but I am unsure if he would. Not at least while he travels, and while the events of the first and second movie are taking place.

First it comes down to the fact that he has no idea that the Strings exists and what they even are- and that knowledge would probably change somewhere around when World Tour happens. Even as he travels through the other territories, the topic of Strings just... doesn't come up, so he has no idea what power he holds in his hands (paws XD).

He also just still feels very connected to his own Tribe, no matter how badly they treated him. Especially after he realizes that Poppy actually missed him and was devastated to see him gone. (And sorry to say but my Branch will always be a bit of a simp for her, he is a lost cause in that)

BUT, all that said, entertaining the possibility of him forming his own Tribe...

Him straying underground once more would be very in character- especially as apparently Rock Trolls are subterranean people, in that most of their dwellings are underground and I do headcanon Branch as having a rock troll blood. So he would have never felt comfortable high in the trees like a full blood Pop Troll, but he also wouldnt want to be without any access to sunlight or plantlife.

The Lush Caves are a good idea certainly- and I raise you the possibility of their dwelling be more like the Hidden World from HTTYD XD

Not to the full fantastical extent as in the movies- but with the definition on whimsy and calm, some bioluminescence and giant crystals would be a great conversation piece XD

Chief being the title of the leader also fits- that, or more specifically Chieftain. Branch definitelly doesnt think of himself as coming from line of kings and queens (He is wrong about that in my headcanon buuut that's for another post XD), and so he would never think to use those titles. I think the position would be hereditary- but definitelly not going to the 'firstborn of the firstborn', but based on suitability. Culturaly, I think that would also be most familiar to any troll who who migrates from the large Tribes, where the leadership is definitelly a hereditary position (I think even Country Trolls, despite the Fandom calling Delta Dawn a mayor, do regard her as their queen).

Now for the fun part, the physical changes XD

Honestly that by itself requires a whole another post, since this need to encompass all of the Trolls tribe by tribe, but let me sum it up based on the Major Genres:

Pop: - Colourful little menaces as we know them from the movies XD - Largely arboreal- that means long tails that compensates for balance, and paws with retractable claws used for gripping onto tree bark - All trolls- apart from Classical and Techno- are in possession of fur, or (as one AO3 fanfic writer called it) in possession of 'flocking' XD - Pop Trolls grow thicker pelt in winter and shed it with the coming summer- but in general, it still grows rather fast for some so those trolls took to shaving it down to keep it need (Poppy is one such with unlucky ancient genes when it comes to that) - Before they evolved to use their Hair to the exten they do now, they largely counted on their own agility and ability to jump from branch to branch, and chipped away burrows into the trees - so powerful leg and arm muscles, and comparativelly amazing strenght for beings so small -They definitelly used to be taller than any non-funk trolls, slightly shorter than Biggie, but with the Pop String creation, their hair abilities and the selective survival of the smallest (after all, smaller trolls hid from Bergens' better), they've been getting on average shorter - They do have small hint of fangs, but are largely leaning towards non-meaty diet, though still very much omnivorous

Country: - Centaur-ish; I know movie depicted them with horse bodies, but I headcanon them more in the way unicorns are in old medieval illustrations, ie Artiodactyls - Long tail hair, almost as luscious as their own hair - Pointier ears, clear fangs on top of their large front teeth (since meat seems to be large part of their diet), but not really paws and claws; I would say they are the most carnivorous of all the trolls, raising livestock both for milk but specifically for meat - (diving into the territory of evolution, if they were hunters of prey, they probably chased them and kicked them to death XD) - All in all, not that different from how movie showed them

Classical: - More fairy-like/Hummingbird-like than in the movies - Definitelly still smaller and glittery, but with the idea their skin is not actually glitter like with Glitter Trolls, but either some kind of scale like feathers, or more durable version of the scales like butterflies have on their wings -Two pairs of wings instead of one, and definitelly beating faster to keep them up in the air - No tail- a rarity out of all the Trolls- and their hair is more like bird feathers/crest, in that it can puff up or lay flatter depending on situation - Most likely nectarivous and herbivorous? Making something like 'honey' from their farming efforts XD - The gemstone in their belly is an accessory and not something they all grow naturally- meant to show the troll is grown and ready to join the Orchestra XD

Techno: - Not much to change there- I just imagine their neon and digital looks came much later after decades/centuries being influenced by their string, they used look a little bit down to earth before that - Omnivorous, with crustaceans and molluscs making up for the majority of their animal protein- and probably necessary source of compound their bodies need to be bioluminescent

Rock: - Being looks wise the most similar to Pop Trolls, there was probably some speculation they both came from the very first same ancestor- before the Strings were created - Their flocking/fur is thinner and sleeker, and they don't grow a thick undercoat in winter, but similar to Pop trolls they have paws with claws- only theirs are not retractable - Their tail is also shorter and not as luscious in fur, used more for display than for balancing - Pointier ears for sure, more visible fangs; as mentioned, I think they are supposed to be subterranean? So most of their dwellings is underground- probably to avoid the volcanic ash on top- but I imagine living so close to the sea, they are largely focused on fishing (their angler ships suggests that they have no issue going underwater), probably hunting whatever critter lives in the cavern bellow, and maybe they are using the advantage of volcanic soil to grow some hardier crops? - Living underground with no direct sunlight for days probably gave them killer nightvision while their colours dulled to make hiding in the caves easier

That said, Branch is half and half. Despite his ear deformity, I would imagine they would always be a little pointier than on any other Pop Troll, and he cannot retract his claws (and thus took to filing them down to keep them blunt for safety sake- still sharp enough to help him climb, not sharp enough to hurt) Even if he grew up with his true colours, I'd imagine they would dull as he grew older, going vibrant only if he indulged in the poppiest of songs (or if he performed on stage) He has the tail and the luscious tail-hair of a Pop troll, but his flocking never grows a thick undercoat so he is almost always chilled to the bone in winter, forced to wear padded clothing to keep warm

With the Folk String coming from him, and representing him.... I imagine some of these things would change He'd grow hardier- more temperature tolerant at least- and similar to Rock Trolls, his night vision would grow better. Would any potential Folk Trolls change the same? Maybe? Perhaps more bioluminesce similar to that of Techno Trolls, while their general basic colouring grows more grounded- more into muted pastels and leaning towards greens/aquamarine tones

Culture is hard to pinpoint, as it would be evolving from various established cultures of all the other Major and Minor tribes; who knows what hodge podge it would end up as XD

My mind is full of various headcanons pft- ones that are blanket for all my AUs and ones that are just part of that one specific one- so be on lookout for more regarding that

#trolls #dreamworks trolls #trolls fandom #trolls branch #wanderer!branch au #ask

[thenightling]

Reasons for and against suspecting they may change the ending of The Sandman

Reasons for and against suspecting they may change the ending of The Sandman for The Netflix series:

There is some speculation in The Sandman fandom that they will change how the story ends.  Here are some reasons to suggest it will be changed and reasons to suggest it won’t be changed.

Warning: Here are spoilers and this post is meant for those who already know how the original story ends.  Spoilers below.   

Reasons it might remain unchanged:

1.  Neil Gaiman still wants to do certain key scenes from The Kindly Ones and The Wake. 2.  Gregory’s death and Goldie’s hatching seems to foreshadow Daniel’s ascension.

3.  Lyta Hall still has a baby born of The Dreaming that has yet to be named. (This is Daniel).   And the banishment of Hector’s ghost gives her reason to mistrust and resent Morpheus.   4.  The foreshadowing of The Kindly Ones by acknowledging Desire’s scheme to have The Kindly Ones come for Morpheus for spilling family blood.  The Hecate / Fates also talk about their own darker aspect.   

____________________________________ 

   Reasons it might be changed:

1.  Morpheus’s character evolution seems to be happening faster.

2.   In Sound of her Wings the story no longer ends with Morpheus throwing grain or bird seed to hear the sound of wings and smiling at it (apparently foreshadowing his desire to die). It also does not have Morpheus recite to us the poem about looking forward to and gratefully greeting Death. Instead the story ends with Morpheus happy for seeing his friend. This seems to be a notable difference that it is friendship that makes him smile and appear content instead of “the sound of wings.”  

3.    Though The Fates already referred to Morpheus’s son, Orpheus, as dead in the original version of the Calliope story, the repeated claim of Orpheus being “dead” (as used in the Netflix show) would undermine The Kindly Ones’ future reason for coming after Morpheus.

4.   In episode ten, among the dreams and nightmares Morpheus is working on, along the shore, one looks like an unfinished re-created Gregory.  The re-creation of Gregory could also be a foreshadowing.  However the fact that his re-creation seems to be ambiguous can also be a foreshadowing in and of itself for the original story’s own portrayal of Morpheus’s posthumous existence in Hob’s dream as a dream entity now free of the burden of being Dream of The Endless.

5.  It would be a delicious irony if the theme of “Change or Die” means this adaptation has a change to how that’s resolved and the audience that might be opposed to change has to learn to accept this change.

6.   The Sandman Netflix series has already toned down quite a bit of the more horrific and darker aspects of the story.

7.  The Netflix Sandman series allowed Rosemary to live and be protected instead of killed, as she was in the original story.  So there’s already precedent for a character living who previously was portrayed as dying.  

8.  You know DC has been aching for an excuse to be able to bring Morpheus back to canon. It’s obvious The Sandman Universe writers prefer using Morpheus.  The proof is in every Sandman Universe title. There’s always at least one scene of Morpheus via flashback.   

9.  You know that scene where Morpheus and Hob are discussing King Lear? And Hob seems offended that a production he saw “gave it a happy ending.”  Morpheus tells him that it won’t last, that the great stories always return to their original forms. Here’s the irony.  That’s not actually true. Cultural zeitgeist tells us how stories change and evolve over time. And it was actually Shakespeare who changed the story’s ending to a tragedy and popularized the sad ending. King Lear originally had a happy / hopeful ending.

In the same story of Morpheus and his immortal friend, we also get allusions to Christopher “Kit” Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, which ends tragically.  However when Goethe would tell his own two part version of Faust centuries later, his version would allow for Faust’s soul to be saved and ascend to Heaven where he reunites with Gretchen and Faust praises the “Virgin, Mother, Queen.” (Meant to be the virgin Mary but there are a lot of subtle Paganism nods in Goethe’s Faust so this might be a deliberate Maiden, Mother, Crone reference.)  Yes, I am aware that Christopher Marlowe and his Doctor Faustus were already referenced in the original version of The Sandman (and referenced against in the story The Hunt) but this is a fine example of a story that did eventually get a change and many prefer the change.  (Myself included).         

10.  More opinion than fact:  It would help with the themes of duality if Daniel and Morpheus were allowed to co-exist. Also, especially now, with the pandemic, everyone is tired of things being dark and edgy.  We need more Hope.

#The Sandman #Sandman #Dream of The Endless #Daniel Hall #Morpheus

[rikeijo]

Look what I found again! (I'm really sorry if somebody who doesn't like dramas is reading this...). I don't even know that person, so I absolutely don't have anything against them personally, was just looking at "mappa yoi" tweets this morning. However, I really think that is serious, the stuff that this fandom is doing, rn.... So I'm sorry for another rant.

Yep, I don't like semes&ukes obsessed fujos and I never will, I'm guilty here. If somebody thinks that YoI was made as a p0rn scrapbook for fujos and that they have right to demand from creators to give them more "VicYuu" (seme Victor and uke Yuuri), then that's their opinion, but I disagree. This is the gist of what I always write about YoI fujos - that they were harassing the creators, hard.

That I've said that Sayo and Kubo don't want to make more YoI is because Jp fans are homophobic is simply not true.

Recently, I've written for example, that one likely reason why there was no confirmation about Y&V relationship is because even fans (fujos included) are homophobic and this is true, that they are. It's not just YoI's problem - I really invite everyone who happens to read this to do some research into it, because that's something worth discussing. (My posts about that are tagged "#yoi fandom and fujo culture"). The industry and society are much more homophobic than the West, as well, so of course that's not only the fandom's issue, but I've written about that as well.

Serious question - have you ever seen any Jp article discussing YoI as queer representation? I mean, from the fandom? From anywhere?

Another issue - that Avex was/is at war with YoI fujos is also a well-know fact in the Jp fandom. You may think that they are the only homophobic one, together with MAPPA, but are you sure that you can see the whole picture? Hating on somebody, because you think that they are the villain based on your... Well, I don't even know what's the source for people, who just chose MAPPA to hate, tbh! Because they are the most well-known name to the Eng fandom? All in all, that's nothing new, on the Jp side of the fandom Mitsurou, as well as a few other staff members received the same treatment.

I guess, people who hate MAPPA so much just feel powerless and need to feel that they can bully somebody to feel better about it. I understand being upset, because you have been waiting for so long, but rn it evolved into hate towards the studio and the CEO, based on misinfo. Mappa doesn't even own the rights to YoI. But go on, I guess... In this particular case Otsuka has zero responsibility for the apparent lack of language skills and reading comprehension of anybody in the Eng fandom.

And lastly, I don't think that fujos are the direct reason why the IP holders pretend that YoI doesn't exists. I think there is a mix of reasons, but the most likely direct one, in my opinion, is that YoI + IceAdo's trailer (which many fujos hated because no uke Yuuri 😢) did badly in theaters in 2019. Here's where you can check how many tickets were sold. It was in theaters 2019/01/18~2019/02/07. But each time I say something about IceAdo, I clearly state that this is my own opinion and this time, it's also just my opinion.

(Here are the numbers if somebody is interested:

Part I

25025 seats/ 6906 tickets sold 25626/4430 25041/2461 24966/1124 24358/917 24356/1096 23201/859

Part II

19263/4449 17475/3625 14693/2283 17822/1022 17721/858 18176/1125 17291/828

Part III

11452/4834 9653/4684 9815/3697 11608/1992 11003/1726 11732/2033 11087/1980, each part is a different part of the TV series, but you can see that the distributor reduced the seats by ~60% in the last week. So yeah, a nice boycott.)

Most importantly, pretending that you know the industry more than the people in the industry, won't change anything - I'm talking about internet randos hating Otsuka CEO, because clearly he LIEEEEEES. Embarrassing~~

#yuri on ice #yoi fandom and fujo culture

[maristelina]

✦ Mikoto's Song Titles, MeMe and The Selfish Gene, DID and Double

A common point of contention to support the 2koto Theory are the song titles, MeMe and Double. I believe this is such a face value take (of having only 2) and removes nuance and context from Mikoto.

Milgram already shows a high level of understanding of word play, references to pop culture and knowledge. I want to believe the trivias and translations this blog and the fandom has been sharing would attest to that!

MeMe and how the music video reference itself is strongly implied to be inspired by the Selfish Gene. It can be an allegory about systems function.

✦ MeMe and the Selfish Gene

In exploring the allegory between the concept of memes, as introduced in Richard Dawkins' "The Selfish Gene," and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), we must first establish a basic understanding of both concepts.

Memes, in the context of Dawkins' work, are units of cultural information or ideas that propagate and evolve through a process similar to natural selection. They are thought to be "selfish" in that they compete for the limited resources of human attention and memory, driving their own replication and transmission across generations.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a mental health condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities, or "alters," within a single individual. These alters often have their own unique sets of memories, behaviors, and even physical manifestations. The individual with DID may switch between these alters, experiencing a disruption in their sense of self and a discontinuity in their personal narrative.

At first glance, the connection between memes and DID may not be apparent, but a nuanced allegory can be drawn between the two by examining how both involve the propagation and competition of distinct entities within a shared system.

In the case of memes, this shared system is human culture, where ideas and concepts compete for attention and replication. Similarly, in DID, the shared system is the individual's mind, where alters vie for control and expression. In both instances, the entities within the system (memes and alters) have distinct characteristics and are influenced by external factors, such as social or environmental pressures.

Moreover, both memes and alters can be seen as adaptive mechanisms in their respective contexts. Memes evolve and adapt to become more effective at spreading within human culture, often by appealing to our emotions, values, or cognitive biases. In DID, alters can emerge as coping mechanisms in response to severe trauma, allowing the individual to compartmentalize and distance themselves from the traumatic experiences.

While there are certainly differences between memes and DID – such as the former existing in the cultural domain and the latter within an individual's psyche – the allegorical connection lies in the idea of distinct entities competing and adapting within a shared system.

By examining the similarities in the dynamics of this competition and the driving forces behind the propagation and expression of both memes and alters, we can better appreciate the complex interplay of factors that shape our culture and our individual identities.

Hopefully this will help understand why MeMe is such an important title for his debut.

✦ Double, Language and Wordplay

While the Double MV is currently not out, I want to talk about how Double can also be read as

2 1+1 2+1 x2

Depending on the context. There is a lot of hints of x2 throughout the tarot card deck. But that's for another thread.

✦ We will end this analysis here for now. Please look forward for the next part!

#milgram #milgramtranslations #milgram analysis #milgramtheory #milgram theory #milgram translation #kayano mikoto #mikoto kayanao

[jeonqkooks]

I seriously don't get it. Like, you can be a fan of an actor or a director and it doesn't mean you automatically love every single movie they've ever been in or made. You can talk normally with other fans about what you loved and what you didn't. And *gasp* you might have different opinions because taste is subjective! And just because it's not your type of movie doesn't mean you won't give it a chance or not be excited about the next one.

Why is the attitude towards BTS so different? Hell, sometimes they don't even love the work they put out or change their minds on it as their tastes evolve. You can support and love JK and wish for his happiness and success without vibing with every single thing he does. And it's ok to talk to each other about it without it being classified as a personal attack on the artist. The whole point of art is to provoke thought and discussion!

i think the reason why the attitude is different toward bts is bc kpop fandoms (and maybe this fandom especially) are toxic as hell 😭 the kpop fandom culture sucks and i think we can all agree on this. literally anything less than absolute worship is considered “hate” and (as you said) “a personal attack on the artist”, which i think is stupid as hell because ??? make it make sense. 😑

yeah i don’t know why it’s such a “controversial” thing to have an opinion that’s different than the majority of the fandom, an opinion that doesn’t include always screaming about how much you love bts and the thing they’re doing. i say bts but honestly i only ever see this kind of stuff happening with jk. 95% of the discourse i come across is jk discourse.

i am literally a jk stan. we all know that. if i love a thing he does, i’ll proudly say it. i can yell about how much i love Stay Alive all day long. you guys KNOW how much this blog used to revolve around jk. clearly i am not “out to get him” and i am not lurking in the shadows with my little rat hands waiting for him to release new content just so i can dunk on him. 😑

as a fan and a literal consumer of his music, i am allowed to have certain expectations. he doesn’t seem to be going down the direction that i would’ve liked, and that’s perfectly fine. you do you, boo 😗 if it’s not my taste, then it’s not my taste. but i’m still allowed to have my opinions on this and i’m still allowed to express them.

expressing my disappointment does not mean that i hate him or i don’t support him anymore. it’s as simple as that, but apparently even that is still a very hard pill for a lot of people to swallow. “but they see everything!” okay lol i can guarantee you (not you anon, just people in general) that bts are not creeping on my tumblr blog and taking notes of every single thing that i’m saying about them. even if they are, i can still guarantee you that they do not care lol. me not listening to a song/album literally will not affect their streams at all. it will not affect their revenue in any way. jk is still a multi millionaire whether or not i listen to or buy jjk1. he does not give a shit about me because he does not know i exist lol.

with that said, a big reason why i am PISSED is because of the fans. jk doesn’t care about me, do you think he’s crying in his room because i said i didn’t like a song? do you think that he - a 26-year-old grown ass adult and global superstar with 10 years of experience under his belt - cannot handle criticism? do you think he’s a baby in an adult man’s body or something that you feel like you personally have to defend him against any and all criticism? that you have a duty to make sure that he doesn’t hear anything less than positive that people have to say about him?

if your answer is yes, then, well, idk what else to say to you lol.

but if your answer is no, and you still come after people for having different opinions, then lol sorry i think you’re weird 🤷‍♀️ why can i only speak my mind when it’s something along the lines of “OH MY GOD I LOVE IT SO MUCH. ALBUM OF THE CENTURY”? when i say something as simple as “i’m a little disappointed by this. this isn’t something i really vibe with,” i’m considered a hater, an anti, and told to shut the fuck up? why can i only say what i really think when it aligns with what the majority of the fandom is thinking?

i am not attacking jk by not being into his music. i am not attacking jk stans by having a different opinion than they do. i am literally just being honest about what i think, my opinions which only affect me. what is so hard to understand about that lol

another point that i would like to touch on is when people say things like “but why can’t you let people enjoy it?” erhm. i’m not going into people’s inboxes and screaming in people’s faces “I DON’T LIKE IT, SO WHY DO YOU? YOU SHOULDN’T LIKE IT EITHER!” 😑 if my not liking the music ruins your fun, if it genuinely hurts and upsets you, then maybe you should take a step back from all of this and reevaluate. if you are hurt by an online stranger having a different opinion than you about something as simple as MUSIC (which is subjective to everyone’s personal taste) made by someone you will never know, then i don’t think the internet is for you, honestly.

#this was longer than i intended lol #but thank you anon for giving me a chance to say this #hope you have a good day/night 🫶 #anon #answered

[onewomancitadel]

I have received news from the front (Twitter discourse) that talking about abstract characters 'deserving' xyz given narrative outcome as a given consequence of thematic intentions and not just simply what a character should flatly 'deserve' emotionally is apparently 'anti-empathy'; the spirit of the original criticism was to reject overly punitive approaches to characters through narrow moral reasoning and to consider their higher emotional purpose (and character needs), which I find an ironic criticism. I don't think the notion that characters 'deserving' something on the basis of narrative needs is actually anti-empathy at all - it doesn't preclude an emotional response to their arc, but you can't reason based on whether this character you really like should be rewarded just because you like them or punished just because you hate them. What feelings are elicited when things contrary to your deeper desires happen? What are the things that need to happen?

I think it's a little static sense of storytelling, too. It's not like characters stay one thing or another, and as they evolve over the story, and do the things they have to do, they evolve beyond your first impression. Maybe you think a villain doesn't 'deserve' redemption, and then you watch it evolve onscreen and come around to it. Maybe you can scarcely believe the corruption of the hero and find their fall painful. Maybe that's the point.

The point of discussing 'catharsis' in storytelling, and not just vindication, is that it encompasses a spectrum of emotion which acknowledges the transformative feeling of storytelling - that isn't just about whether it makes you feel good or not. That's one type, and sometimes, yes, you want that; sometimes that's hard-baked into the genre expectations or the flags we get about character or narrative stakes. That's the intelligible system of storytelling. But if a character's ending is disputed from what they deserved on an individual reader/viewer level, the story could be anything if it's divorced from the aims and intentions of the storyteller. Everybody lives and all the bad guys die. I mean, sometimes you need a story where everybody lives... there's always a time and a place.

Sometimes, though, I think people have lost the good art of longing. We're delivered such cynical endings in popular media cultural moment after moment, and denied the catharsis of real tragedy. I feel such pain and longing for Paul Atreides and the story he could never have, by design. It's very powerful, and it hurts a lot, but it's done successfully and in a way that I cannot deny it's the only appropriate story, for the world he's in and the purpose he serves. It's not a 'shock'; there is a terrible weight on him from the moment he's introduced. The gom jabbar is no mere task to be overcome but a demonstration of the pain he can bear. Literally. In two senses. (To bear, as in withstand, and to carry). It's a massive cast of gloom over his story.

Sure, I think we can get a little abstract with the whole 'narrative criticism' thing; storytelling is storytelling, and at its barest components we feel what we feel. That's the magic. But on the other hand, once fandom (and relatedly media) discourse begins playing the narrative criticism game to condemn naughty, naughty villains and the apologists who love them (or valiantly defend Characters Who Didn't Deserve to Die), you do actually need to start asking questions about what basis you can start saying who does and doesn't deserve to live or die or go to space jail, and start digging deeper into what ideas these characters service. It can seem mechanical, but only when you get too close and forget what it all serves, which is that higher purpose of the story proper. We can talk about absolute appropriateness not just in subjective feelings, but in that world the story inhabits. Maybe, sometimes, the unfairness is the point. *shrug*

I'm still reeling from this position being called 'anti-empathy' though. That's a new one. I think empathy is one part of the picture here, and probably something that people miss as much as they catch it. Lol.

#redemption arcs #narrative cynicism #naughty naughty villains and the apologists who love them #I just wanted to use the Doctor Who .gif it's my favourite #just this once everybody lives 🥰 glimmer in the dark

[dumbledore-and-grindelwald]

Grindeldore: Revisiting the Dragon and the Phoenix

The Dragon and the Phoenix being connected to Grindeldore is something that exists within the fandom for years. But I read recently a series that uses this binary for the main ship so I have thoughts.

The Dragon and the Phoenix in Feng Shui are Yang and Yin; the perfect couple; the perfect balance. They are forces that can be both complementary and opposing.

The Dragon represents vigilence and strength, while the Phoenix is prosperity and success.

The Dragon is water and the Phoenix is fire.

The Dragon devours, collects and possesses. The Phoenix purges and leads to rebirth.

_________________________________

Albus’ connection to the Phoenix was always apparent. Fantastic Beasts made apparent Gellert’s connection to the Dragon. We have the blue fire and his magic shaping into dragons in CoG. We have his connection to water and to the way he uses it to resurrect and ‘possess’ in SoD. We have the G on his Car being carved as a dragon that moves. It is also interesting that the moment that makes Albus have the hallucinations of Gellert hurting his family in DH is connected to him drinking a liquid and then he can only feel better by drinking water, which puts him in an even worse situation. 

_________________________________

As I mentioned above the two beasts are both furthering each other, but they can also hinder each other. The negative aspects of the dragon probably come from the biblical adaptations. The phoenix, which is supposed to be a creature of beauty from the first paradise, represents the prophetic visions of rebirth and of resurrection, which is by extent connected to Christ. The Dragon on the other hand, being the great serpent or the Leviathan, evolves to encompass negative connotations. This is interesting in itself. gellert, with his golden curls and the temptation he represents leads Albus to being ‘kicked out of the garden’ in a sense by having to carry guilt for the rest of his life.

_______________________________

I think that GGAD encompasses elements from both cultures. The emphasis on repent and remorse is definitely christian, but the fact that it is used for the character that represents the dragon and reshapes him to be again a partner worthy of the Phoenix turns us back to the Feng Shui approach.

#Albus Dumbledore #gellert grindelwald #fantastic beasts #Harry Potter #grindeldore #the phoenix and the dragon #grindeldore meta #harry potter meta #fantastic beasts meta

[gofunkee]

Fandom Culture

What is Fandom?

When referring to the group of individuals who support a specific celebrity, sports team, hero, or TV show, use the term "fandom." You are a member of the Boston Red Sox fan base if you are the club's president. These shared interests can range from specific works of fiction, genres, hobbies, sports, celebrities, or other cultural phenomena. Fandoms often form communities, either online or offline, where fans engage in discussions, celebrations, and various activities related to their shared enthusiasm.

Who has the world biggest fandom?

HARRY POTTER HAS THE BIGGEST FANDOM IN THE WORLD (Bewakoof, 2023)

If you have never been a part of the biggest fandoms in the world, you might want to join one soon. Because these communities are so much fun and give you a sense of pride in loving a TV series, game or novel. Often, the biggest fandoms engage in a variety of fun and creative activities that has been organize by the biggest fandom communities such as :-

Posting artwork

playing trivia games

Sell merchandise

Online discussion

Meet and greet session

Posting articles on sites

and many more ! ...

Fans representation in a media and public

The fan is redefining itself more than before. After being advised to "get a life," fans are now well-established in modern culture and are talked about in terms of their influence, strength, and capacity to act as sociocultural agents. Seeing Fans challenges this apparent relevance and poses a thought-provoking query regarding fans' role as cultural influencers: Do modern media outlets view fans as more than just nutty, obnoxious ardent supporters? By incorporating a range of narratives from fans, acafans, and media professionals regarding how fans are viewed in the media and popular culture, this anthology provides a nuanced answer to this query. (Bennett, 2019)

In their introduction, editors Lucy Bennett and Paul Booth explain that the collection explores the "multifaceted, complex, and sometimes contradictory" aspects of fans, emphasizing that "fandom is constantly evolving". Indeed, the arguments by the collection's contributors are multifaceted, complex, and contradictory. By turns reinforcing and repudiating each other, the collection's twenty-five chapters situate authors in conversation, granting readers an understanding of where fans are positioned in the current cultural landscape.

Why do we study fans?

The majority of people have a passion. If not, they almost certainly know somebody who does. Even though we all have a general understanding of what and who fans are, it still begs the issue of why it is necessary for us to learn more about this phenomenon. Why does our comprehension of modern society depend so heavily on the questions we ask about the music, television shows, and artists we like? At the end of what will go down in history as a violent century propelled by swift social, cultural, technological, and economic change, and with the twenty-first century poised to follow the same trajectory, how can an emphasis on enjoyment and entertainment be justified? What benefit can the study of fans offer a world that is experiencing conflict? ethnic conflicts, widening inequality, political and reli-gious violence, and irreversible climate change, among other disasters? (Gray, 2007)

Fandom as community

Fandoms epitomize a unique community dynamic, forming around a collective passion for a specific interest, be it a book series, film franchise, TV show, or other forms of entertainment. Rooted in shared enthusiasm, these communities forge strong bonds among fans, fostering a sense of belonging.

For many, the idea of fandom may be most readily associated with the television series Star Trek and the Trekkies who led letter-writing campaigns to extend the series and attended conventions where they met the actors and creators of the series. Fandom, however, might find even earlier origins in the Lisztomania frenzy over the pianist Franz Liszt, the fans of the Sherlock Holmes detective stories, die-hard sports fans, or even the music fandoms of Sinatra, Elvis, or the Beatles. (Romano, 2015) Fandoms evolve over time, adapting to new releases and shifting interests, while also confronting challenges and conflicts that may arise within the community. Yet, the enduring appeal lies in the inclusive and vibrant nature of these communities, where diversity of perspectives and a shared love for a subject contribute to a rich and dynamic fan experience.

Fandom as participatory culture

Fan culture, or fandom, is a term which describes communities built around a shared enjoyment of an aspect of popular culture, such as books, movies, TV shows, bands, sports or sports teams, etc. Fan cultures are examples of participatory cultures. Participatory cultures involve fans acting not only as consumers but also as producers and creators of some form of creative media. Though most fan cultures, including sports fans and fans of music groups, have elements of participatory culture, media fandom in particular encourages creative expression and artistic production by its participants. (Jenkins et al, 2009) First and foremost, fans don't merely consume content; they actively produce and extend it. Through fan fiction, fan art, and other creative expressions, enthusiasts contribute their own narratives and interpretations, expanding the universe of the original work. This participatory creation adds layers of meaning and depth, turning fans into co-creators of the cultural phenomena they love. Participation within fandom extends beyond creative endeavors. Online platforms, social media, and fan conventions serve as hubs for discussions, debates, and collaborations. Fans engage with each other, sharing insights, theories, and critiques. This collective discourse fosters a sense of community, with individuals contributing to the ongoing narrative of the fandom through their discussions and interactions. Fandom conventions exemplify participatory culture in action. These events go beyond traditional forms of fan engagement, providing spaces where enthusiasts actively participate in cosplay, panel discussions, and interactive experiences. Attendees become not just consumers but contributors, shaping the direction and identity of the fandom through their active involvement. (Jenkins et al, 1992)

What of fans activism?

Fan activism, forms of civic engagement and political participation growing out of experiences of fandom, is a powerful mode of mobilization, particularly for young people. Building on 40 interviews with members of two organizations representing different configurations of fan activism, this article discusses three emerging elements that are key to the experience of membership in such groups. We suggest that the strength of fan activist groups builds on successfully combining these elements: two that are common to fandom, shared media experiences and a sense of community, and one that is traditionally ascribed to volunteerism and activism, the wish to help. (Vilenchik, 2012)

Anti fandom / Toxic fandom

Toxic fandom is a buzzword that has been used in recent years by journalists, news outlets, and others to identify popular culture fans who engage in behaviors that are considered negative and unacceptable. These behaviors can range from impassioned negative responses to a reboot of a particular pop-culture property to bullying other members of a fandom or those involved with the creation of a movie, TV show, video game, song, or book, to antisocial behaviors such as making death threats, rape threats, or doxing (publishing a person's private information). Most toxic fandom activities take place via online community websites or social media, especially Twitter, although they can also be seen in other places, such as fan events and conventions. (Vinney, 2022) Moreover, toxic fandoms can harbor discriminatory attitudes, contributing to cultural and political controversies that fragment the community. It is crucial to recognize that such toxic behaviors represent the actions of a vocal minority, and efforts to promote respectful dialogue, discourage harassment, and foster inclusivity are essential for maintaining a healthy and enjoyable fan community. Creators and platforms play a pivotal role in setting clear guidelines and addressing toxic behavior to ensure the overall well-being of the fandom.

REFERENCES

Fandom frenzy: Exploring the biggest fandoms in the world. Bewakoof Blog. (2023, May 23). https://www.bewakoof.com/blog/biggest-fandoms-in-the-world/#google_vignette

Gray, J. (2003). New audiences, new textualities. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 6(1), 64–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877903006001004

Kwon, J. (2019). “seeing fans: Representations of fandom in Media and Popular Culture,” edited by Lucy Bennett and Paul Booth. Transformative Works and Cultures, 29. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2019.1568

Mfigueroa. (2019, March 5). Fandom. Tools, Publications & Resources. https://www.ala.org/tools/future/trends/fandom#:~:text=Fandom%20refers%20to%20a%20community,book%2C%20or%20a%20sports%20team.

Subcultures and sociology. Grinnell College. (n.d.). https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultural-theory-and-theorists/fandom-and-participatory-culture/

Person, Henry, & Jenkins. (2012, November 13). Textual poachers: Television fans and participatory culture: Henry J. Taylor & Francis. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203114339/textual-poachers-henry-jenkins

#mda20009 #fandom #digital community #harry potter #educational purposes

[kaijuposting]

The Precursors: what's been said about them?

The Precursors of Pacific Rim are some of the most enigmatic beings in the story, and very little is known about them, aside from them having a hivemind, creating the kaiju, and being aliens from another universe.

Pacific Rim: Man, Machines, & Monsters contains a little information on them. According to the book, Guillermo del Toro wanted their appearance to convey "alien madness" - apparently, just looking into their eyes was supposed to be a terrifying experience. (One can't imagine this is very effective on a fandom that thinks beetles and isopods are adorable.)

The book also goes on to say:

"When I was a kid," says del Toro, "we used to catch these bugs in the pool. They had a translucent, hard shell and you could see their organs. I wanted the design to evoke that. Wayne Barlowe and Keith Thompson worked the final design. We gave the Precursors elements of ecclesiastical royalty, dividing them into cardinals and bishops."

Concept Artist Keith Thompson added decadent touches to the Precursors that resemble the trappings of French nobility from the pre-revolutionary era, such as high heels made of cartilage and bone, and pompadour head growths. "The Precursors weren't going to be just a great eye candy reveal," says Thompson. "They had to be part of this world that was behind everything that was going on in the movie. They have this heavily developed civilization that you only get a little hint of."

Visual Effects Supervisor Jamie Price says the Precursors were among the more interesting challenges for the visual effects team. "There's kind of a blurry line between the Precursors and the environment and the Kaiju themselves. It's almost like the Kaiju evolved out of the environment, and the Precursors, as they work on their machines, are almost organically attached to them."

In September of 2013, Travis Beacham posted about the Precursors' biology and culture on his blog. According to Beacham, the Precursors are a highly complex civilization with a variety of socio-physiological distinctions. Human categories like "male" and "female" fail to describe it on any level. They do have what can be thought of as cultural "genders" and biological "sexes," but both are clumsy, insufficient analogies.

Now, all of this could have very unfortunate implications if handled badly - many queerphobes like to claim that queerness is "bougie decadence" and something that the good, honest working class just doesn't have time for. But in the right hands, this could be a very interesting thing to explore! We're talking about an entire alien civilization with alien genders (if you can even call them genders)!

Of course, this might require admitting that the Precursors aren't inherently evil, that they're just an alien civilization that seems extremely weird to us humans, whose leaders just so happen to think that xenoforming an inhabited planet is a good idea (seriously you guys, there's other planets!). What if some of them could be talked into going to another planet? What if there was an entire rebellion in Precursor society?

But I digress!

So, yeah, that's what I've been able to scrounge up on the Precursors so far. It's not much, but I think that what there is, is actually pretty interesting!

#pacific rim #pacrim #precursors #pacific rim lore

[shwoo]

🌵🍰 submitted: sorry theres so many, there were too many good questions! 📝, 🫂, 💕, 🌵, 🩷, ⌚

Oh, awesome, thanks! I... may have written too much in response.

(Bugsnax ask meme)

📝: Who is your favorite Grumpus to WRITE FOR?

This was hard! I'd say that Floofty is the easiest/most comfortable to write. There's something about their narrowly focused worldview and accidental rudeness that makes writing them feel very natural. The deliberate rudeness I do have to think about, though.

But the most fun is probably Clumby. I enjoy the contrast of a grumpy, pragmatic character with a ton of trauma and conflicting loyalties who wants to do the right thing, but isn't necessarily going to be nice about it. I'm speculating on some of those character traits, but I'm not pulling them out of nowhere.

Also, Chandlo, Snorpy and the Journalist are really fun to write as a trio. I think the Journalist has just enough in common with both Chandlo and Snorpy to bring out sides of them they wouldn't normally show to each other directly.

🫂: What grumpus would give the best hugs?

Well, apparently not Snorpy. Probably Chandlo or Gramble. Out of the characters with long arms, Chandlo is the strongest, and the most affectionate, although the Journalist's stance on affection is unclear. And Gramble has long arms for his size, and likes hugs so much that even his character description mentions it. So definitely one of those two. As long as Chandlo watches his strength.

💕: What's your favorite ships? (Either Canon, Non canon, or canon x oc!)

I like all the canon ships, but my favourite is Chandlo and Snorpy. They're two of my favourite characters (Nearly half the cast is my favourite character), and they complement each other so well. Now that they're communicating a bit better, they're probably going to be unstoppable.

I don't have any canon character/OC ships, but my favourite noncanon ship is Filbo and the Journalist! I ship it platonically, but I also enjoy the romatic version. Filbo and the Journalist are two more of my favourite characters, and I think they should be best friends and be extremely supportive of each other forever.

🌵: Thoughts about Cactriffy?

I have the unpopular opinion that it's not really sentient, and that Wambus or Triffany are the ones moving it around. Triffany uses it as a weapon in the final battle, so I don't think she's that bothered by it. I can't remember if Triffany puts it down before going to the ship, or if she just puts it away, and I guess it's weird that it's on the beach on the end if it's the second one, Possessions are kind of flexible in this game, though.

I don't know what's up with the letter you get, but maybe someone sent it as a prank or a joke after they saw the Journalist take an interest. Maybe Triffany.

…But if Wambus isn't creative, then who was Cactriffy has a favourite Bugsnak????

🩷: What's a fandom headcanon that everyone agreed on that you love? Do you have any of your own headcanons you wish to share?

I don't think there's any headcanons that everyone agrees on. Not even the one about Grumpuses hatching from eggs. Speaking of oviparous Grumpuses, I really like that headcanon! Grumpuses already canonically have some cool non-human traits (their giant sock puppet mouths…), and eggs open up some more points of difference. I like the idea of Grumpuses being bear relatives who re-evolved egg-laying, and their scientists being really confused about where they fit in at first. And maybe their pop culture sees egg-laying as a prerequisite to being sapient.

For a related headcanon, I think the natural history of their planet is similar to Earth's, but the ancestor of placental mammals kept colour vision, result in its descendents developing bird-like structural colour. So being brightly coloured like the Grumpuses is not uncommon among other mammals. Also, other animals tend to have the muppety noses and ping pong ball looking eyes, but the limited movement in the lower jaw is a Grumpus trait specifically.

⌚: what do you think some of the grumpuses were like before events? (I.e. as kids, as teens, etc)

I think about this a lot, but a lot of it's more about family circumstances than personality. Probably the most fleshed out is that the Journalist was a super weird kid, which was fine until they hit their preteen years and the social rules tightened up. They didn't realise things had changed, and kept making animal noises and cornering people to tell them about the latest Mothgrump sightings, until they lost all their friends and became a social outcast. Their parents were also different kinds of social disaster, so they couldn't do much to help.

After a few years, they focused really hard on observing people until they'd learned how they were expected to act. It didn't help them in high school, because everyone already knew them and they weren't very subtle about all the observing, but it did help in college. By this point they were wary of forming close relationships, but they had a lot of friendly acquaintances.

They seem kind of detached in the game, at least initially, so I was expanding on that and also being self-indulgent.

Also! I wrote a fanfic where it comes up, but Chandlo was skinny as a kid and bulked up so he could protect others better, and Snorpy had selective mutism as a result of being picked on for the way he speaks. Chandlo helped him get over a few years later, after finding out from Floofty why he was so afraid to speak. Floofty themself was pretty similar to how they are as an adult, just less experienced and less jaded.

A little later on Snorpy had a crush on every boy. Except Chandlo.

#Bugsnax #Floofty Fizzlebean #Clumby Clumbernut #Chandlo Funkbun #Snorpy Fizzlebean #Bugsnax journalist #Gramble Gigglefunny #Filbo Fiddlepie #Cactriffy #Triffany Lottablog #Wambus Troubleham #🌵🍰 anon #Normally I'd screenshot to preserve formatting but with Windows 7's emoji support that would actually strip formatting #I should probably upgrade at some point before Steam stops working

[autumn-foxfire]

The heck kind of leaks did I wake up to 😭 Catch me at 3am going nope nope do not- as I read about quirks evolving, also whats up with the world going to hell and Compress and Geten having a casual chat in prison saying they have plenty of time?? Geez, comedic duo I did not see coming. But bless: no phoenix quirk. But also: I dislike the dunking on Touya's narrative that makes him the masterpiece Endy always wanted. I pray fandom doesn't clown Endy for that because it would just be annoying. That's not the reason I wanted Touya's worth and life to be respected. And then the GETEN HIMURA, dammit. I was hoping the obvious fire/ice quirk wouldn't always lead to a family connection but here we are. These Todoroki's and their issues smh. I hope the memes and jokes about Japan being talked about as "entirely other" like one would consider the worldbuilding of a fantasy manga when considering culture isn't too bad out there. It's a real place, with real people living even in your country, and so many concepts are actually spread all over every asian country not just that. Hell, I've had hispanic friends tell me so as well. I say this because apparently some people are treating the concept of Touya being "first-born" and the weight it holds as "yeah just a thing Japan does" I get in this interconnected global world we like peering into other countries and cultures we don't understand and shrug it off like a strange other society far-removed from us, but I don't think people in the west realize how universal this is + the cousin marriage thing regardless of how squicky it is. I understand, but maybe tone down blowing up at other asians and shaming the entire concept in front of their faces? Some of those people might have their parents wanting them to get engaged to their cousin, or might know friends and family who are, and that kind of behavior when Geten is a DISTANT cousin, not even 2nd or 3rd or 4th with different lineages beyond the main family line is, kinda insane. You're absolutely free to find it problematic or even disturbing, I as an asian had that concern as well, just PSA to not over-react in a way that makes people familiar with those cultural practices feel bad. (also again....distant, Geten is so freaking distant. It's so trivial, if you find that disturbing, think of how someone marrying their 3rd or 4th cousin might feel? thinking "that" was far-removed enough that they would be okay with it and here's the internet flipping tables over Geten whose even further removed from the main family.)

Sorry for the really late response, nonnie.

Honestly, I can't say that I'm all that surprised that Hori took the route he did now that it's been awhile and the knowledge of the chapter has sunken in.

I still think giving Dabi an ice quirk undermines his story and I don't really know what the point of it was other than to shame Endeavor (while also spreading the message that only if he had abused his son more he would have realised he was "perfect" which is very icky even though it was unintentional).

As you said, Touya being the "perfect" son shouldn't have been why his life was respected by his father.

As for Geten being a Himura... Oof to all the people who shipped him with Dabi firstly (not that they still can't but fandom can be quick to attack other ships with problematic elements like these).

Personally I'm not really sure why Hori made that so because it does little to offer commentary on the story anymore, especially as he's done a terrible time at effective worldbuilding.

But I do agree that fandom needs to be careful when approaching topics like this. It's very easy to look at the story through a western lense and be rude to other cultures because of that. Yes, there is real reasons why incest is frowned upon such as the biological issues it has however you can discuss it in a way that's respectful and not insulting (sadly a nuance that fandom has not mastered).

God, what is it with Hori putting complicated themes in his story but not handling them satisfyingly.

#bnha critical #thanks for the ask!! #and I apologise for such a late reply

[ao3feed-tomarry-harrymort]

the toiling triumph of reflections

the toiling triumph of reflections

by transformativetransgender (rivkael)

As soon as Voldemort apparated away, Harry could tell. Nagini could too, he knew it in how she began to coil more firmly around his body.

Remus seemed to steel himself. “Harry, Harry now is our chance, we can-”

Nagini let out a loud hiss, neck arching into a powerful S-shape as she anchored herself on Harry, and he winced. She was heavy, and her coils were tight. He knew she meant to be protective, but… “Nagini, you’re hurting me,” He told her softly, lifting his hand that wasn’t trapped beneath the heavy snake to run down her back. “I’m not going to go with him, but please-”

He couldn’t even look at Remus, terrified that the man would have a disgusted expression on his face, shock and horror evolving into hate - he’d seen it hundreds of times before.

(Harry leads a revolution. Voldemort patches his broken heart.)

Words: 4204, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of reflected in our eyes

Fandoms: Harry Potter - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Underage

Categories: M/M

Characters: Harry Potter, Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Nagini (Harry Potter), Remus Lupin, Dobby (Harry Potter), Nymphadora Tonks, Kreacher (Harry Potter), Fleur Delacour

Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Severus Snape/Nymphadora Tonks, Fleur Delacour/Bill Weasley

Additional Tags: Romance, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Angst, Revolution, House-Elf Rights (Harry Potter), House Elf Culture & Customs, Telepathy, Platonic Cuddling, Touch-Starved Harry Potter, Touch-Starved Voldemort, Dark Magic, POV Alternating, Mental Health Issues, They are all Traumatised, Flashbacks, Panic Attacks, Mentions of Myth & Folklore, British Myth and Folklore, House Elves are Brownies, Past Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48189037

#ao3feed #fanfiction #tomarry #harrymort #tomarrymort #transformativetransgender (rivkael) #the toili

[knowlesian]

i’ve sort of debated whether i wanted to hit post on this and despite the fact that i have clearly now done it: i am honestly still internally unsure!

i am painfully aware that the target audience for this message is more likely to roll their eyes about ‘woke fandom’, ignore my actual point, and get back to creating alternate histories surrounding why they’d prefer one of ed’s ancestors floating alone on a raft to wherever the fuck, instead, because for them: this isn’t emotional. this is fun.

but this was part of what i really wanted to say in that ask about “hey, stop saying māori. honestly if you just stop pointing out these things entirely and shut up about race unless you talk about it in ways that make me feel good that would work out great for me” the other week, and it will not leave me mentally alone until i do it.

(which, again: that was what the ask actually said. exact wording being the thing that defeats unintentional racism is a weird reverse uno card that gets played a lot in these situations, so to be clear that was not the verbatim word choice. however, asking people to stop referring to ed as māori leads to the question: what do you want me to call him? because we all seem to agree: ed is not a white man. 

so what then? you want me to say ‘brown’ and leave it there? ‘i guess some sort of polynesian?’ or, given the strange insistence on race blindness here, is the goal to get everybody to pretend race doesn’t factor into social dynamics? because unfortunately, that’s a thing only white people get to do. not because the rest of us don’t want to— but because the world will not let us.)

i’m not māori and ed’s story is so culturally specific and influenced by that history that pretending i can do anything but see an echo of myself in him would be silly, at best: but i do have that echo.

i’m from the united states, where we also have a long and lovely history of genocide both literal and cultural towards our indigenous populations. 

it’s the cultural part that gets me really fucked up on a personal level v a justice one, when i see the shadows of myself reflected in this adjacent lane. white people stealing indigenous kids and raising them to be nothing but white is not just a part of my ancestral history; it’s how i got adopted. 

when my birthmother started the process the race math was done, and it came up with: ooooh yeah, sorry. this one’s a little bit too much Not White, send ‘em through the tribal system, it’s the law.

and then some legal fuckery happened. for reasons i both don’t want to and don’t feel comfortable explaining further, a box saying ‘nope! just white!’ was checked on some paperwork: i went home with a white couple. 

i have known all my life two things, because i was told them over and over:

- that i am so not white, it took a crime to bring me home

- and that since they did that, all i am is white. 

(i grew up when the us was OBSESSED with the idea of being a melting pot, and my mom used to like to tell a story about how when i was young, people would come up to her in public all the time and ask ‘what i was’. apparently i wore my soul a lot more clearly on my face those days and now, i pass so well white people like to say “no! but look at you! you’re just white!” when i clarify the particulars here.

so, so very many white people often wanna tell me i am also white in the same way they are, very very much. and from white people who i thought didn’t roll like that, too! they’ve got a great-grandma who is 1/4 cherokee they tell me— why always cherokee i want to ask, but never do? i’m not cherokee, do you not know any other tribe names orrrr???— and it never stops blowing my mind.

anyway, the punchline to my mom’s story about people asking her what mixed race baby shop she found me in was her saying: ‘they’re my CHILD, THE END THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS’ because in this story, she was a hero. this was not a story about gross racists. this was a story about how evolved she was for knowing my heritage didn’t actually matter.

when i say this show helps me handle the tension i feel, trying to urge well-meaning white people to Get With It, i so often mean ‘i want to love my family and be honest at the same time, this is so fucking hard what do i do and where are my people???????? i feel like maybe they’re not here’.)

so i get it: for white fans, this is Just Intellectual. they’re focused on the dates and times, and as far as they’re concerned the ravages of empire are a thought experiment; for me and many others, this is what made us who we are. 

seeing ed, a māori man with a mother who believed the lies the world told her and a white father who didn’t see the problem with any of this means a whole fucking lot to me. (and oh lord! don’t even get me started on why his dynamic with izzy is partially so fascinating to me because i can see myself in them both, depending on how i split my life experience between emotional realities and systemic advantages.) this show is the thing that’s gotten me to fucking ask myself “can i... even say i’m white passing? is that me lying, or is that me decolonizing my own fucking brain?” 

(my therapist: also very thankful. she keeps joking about sending the creative staff fruit baskets.)

so yeah anyway. this is just an emotional attempt to explain why the ed thing sucks from my adjacent lane, no big conclusion except:

i honestly don’t even care if white fans think i’m right? i just wish they would consider the deeper implications of the refusal to accept ed could be māori, and what it does to those of us who see ourselves in this show not simply because it’s Gay Pirates, but because it’s Intersectional Pirates.

#SO YEAH. #still feel a little weird about being this open but hell #i have said bits of this in the comments might as well

[astaroth1357]

Ok but like, what if MC's fandom starts to make ships with MC and the guys. Just think about the ship wars, the fancams, the fanarts, the absolute CHAOS when the brothers find out. It would be even worse if they start shipping MC with the undatables, one day everything is normal and the next day there are ship wars fighting over MC x Barbatos vs MC x Solomon (who are both very smug about it)

The MC's Fanclub are… Shippers?!

Perhaps… The italics blurb has been fulfilling its greater purpose all along…? Perhaps in its state of existential angst, it has in fact developed a plot of its own… An arc of introspection and self-discovery in which its own longing for purpose has forged a meaningful identity… It now has… a story…

Lucifer

As if they couldn't get any MORE frustrating…

He's not an otaku. He's not a part of ship culture. He's not even sure why anyone would care about who dates who around this school, but apparently it's a big deal to some people...

He only became aware of their interest in him and the MC's relationship through some very… subtle clues…

Like the groups that would follow them around in the hallways with their phones out.

Or the multitude of fan rumors about their relationship that Satan spams him with from time to time just to irritate him.

"MC refused hug from Luci in halls today!! Are they bout breakup??? 🥺"

"Tots got pic of kiss today!! Relationship upgrade??"

"IS ARE MC+LUCIFER SECET LVRS?!? PLEASE RESPOND"

It only got worse after he found out the MC gets shipped out a loooooot….

If he had to pick his least favorite ship, it'd be MC x Mammon. He can kind of see it with any of his other brothers (admittedly, Levi is also a little mystifying) but the idea of them ending up with Mammon makes his skin crawl...

He once found a drawing of the MC and Mammon in an… explicit position in one of the classrooms and he was so disgusted that he wouldn’t even touch it. He just set fire to the paper outright. Disgusting...

Mammon

Shipping, eh…? More money making opportunities!

Has some passing idea of what shipping is from Levi and, from what he knows of it, shippers eat cutesy couples stuff right up!! If all he's got to do to make bank is to look all couple-y around the MC then sounds like a win-win to him!

He'll happily pose for a photo or two (paid in advance) of him throwing his arm around the MC or something. Want him to hold their hand? Sure thing!

But since this is still Mammon we're talking about, the second MC actually starts getting into any of it he'll still turn into a blushy, stuttery mess...

For WEEKS the headline picture on so many of their fans' blogs was an image of him turning beet red while the MC kissed him on the cheek. (A fan really got their money's worth there... 😏)

Though he doesn’t exactly like the MC getting shipped with other people, he'll still totally sell pictures of any of them together. He almost paid off an entire credit card with the money he got from the t-shirt sales of the MC and Satan!

If he had to point to one ship he doesn't like it's either MC x Asmo or MC x Levi. His opinion, but Asmo won't treat them right and they could do waaay better than a shut-in. Like him. Ship the MC with just the Great Mammon, got it?

Leviathan

… Lowkey super active in the MC shipping community but is a self-shipper to the extreme.

Like, he never uses his real name on anything (and would probably die from embarrassment if anyone ever found out) but a lot of their fans probably know a couple of his aliases.

He does everything from mod forums, runs a couple blogs, even anonymously posts his own work of him and MC that are totally not his secret fantasy dates or AU versions of themselves, shaddup.

It’s a lot easier for him to keep his involvement secret because he’s hardly at RAD, but the few times he does show up he tries to keep an eye out for anybody prowling for pictures so he can get in a good pose and save the image later.

Mind you, his version of a “good pose” rarely gets more spicy than linking pinkies, but even then he’s still lit up a Christmas Tree throughout.

Naturally, he’s also not a big fan of any ships that aren’t just him and MC and he can find a reason to be jealous at almost anything. But he keeps a special corner of hate for MC x Mammon and MC x Diavolo. Like, the first one doesn’t even need an explanation but MC x Diavolo?? Really??? Do those two even talk?? (please, please, please make sure they never actually talk because a guy like him versus literal royalty? He’d lose MC for sure….!! 😫)

Satan

He hates to actually agree with Lucifer on something, but their fans are starting to get out of hand...

Knows what shipping is in concept, he may have done it once or twice to characters in his books, but he was kind of surprised how it could evolve into such a… group activity?

He was pretty quick to pick up that the MC’s fans had a bit more interest in them together than they did when they both were apart…

I mean, those hideous shirts that Mammon was pedaling were kind of a dead giveaway…

Considering he finds their fanclub all rather annoying, even without their bizarre interest in his love life, when they started actively meddling with him and the MC he was ready to smash some heads.

No. He will not stop for pictures. No. What things they do together is none of your business. No. He has zero interest in seeing your explicit fanart and if you don’t start running that will be the last question you ever ask.

He DOES, however, appreciate the cringy “annoy Lucifer” ammo. They could keep that up for a lifetime... 😏

He doesn’t have a least favorite ship because he doesn’t care about any of this, leave him alone. (That’s a lie, it’s MC x Lucifer. He pokes fun at Lucifer, but he can’t stand it either. Big shock, I know 🙄).

Asmodeus 

Oh he is shamelessly a part of the community, are you kidding?? 

He could practically call “Shipping the MC” one of his favorite pastimes. He’ll openly gossip with their fanclub about who they’ve been with, who they’re seeing, who’s got a chance, etc… He lives for this shit!

He’s the only person who knows that Levi is also in the community and what his aliases are (not because he told him, but because Levi’s not as subtle as he thinks he is… Who else would call themselves “SupremeRuri666” and speak mostly in outdated chat lingo?) but he doesn’t out him because he thinks his very obvious crush is kind of cute. 

Plus, Levi needs the outlet waaaay more than him…

Doesn’t stop him from constantly trolling him and getting into arguments over who the MC would be better with though (the two are “virtual nemeses” as far as Levi is concerned).

Appreciates all forms of expression that comes out of the community (especially the saucy kind 😏) and will happily feed into his own shippers without a care in the world.

Truthfully, Asmo will say that there isn’t a ship he doesn’t like but if someone mentions one that he thinks is kind of “eh,” he’ll just add himself into the mix. “Oh, you like MC x Barbatos? Well how about Asmo x MC x Barbatos? That sounds loads more interesting doesn’t it??”

Beelzebub 

Oh, Beel… Sweet, sweet Beel… Beel doesn’t even know what their club is doing…

Because Beel has a reputation of being pretty protective of MC - and against the fanclub in general - the club keeps a healthy distance… but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to sneak in some picture or make a SHITLOAD of fanwork about them.

Between classes and practice Beel is a busy guy, so sometimes he just doesn’t notice that there’s people hiding behind trees when he’s out with MC. 

Honestly, his complete ignorance of it all makes it even cuter because when he acts sweet, it’s not just for the camera. That’s the real deal.

Mammon was the one who eventually let it slip that there was even shipping happening and Beel was… kind of creeped out because isn’t this stalking? But also kind of weirdly happy(?) that MC x Beel was so popular… Very conflicted boy here.

He never actually acknowledges the community, though, and just keeps on being Beel (which still gave the fans more than enough material so all’s well that ends well?)

Beel genuinely doesn’t have a least favorite ship (because he believes the best ship is whoever makes the MC happy) but his second favorite under himself is probably MC x Belphie. They look very cute together...  😊

Belphegor 

Ride or die, Beel x MC x Belphie. 

Just kidding (kind of), Belphie isn’t into the shipping but if asked he’d be pretty okay with that one.

His campaign against the MC’s fanclub and their attention stealing ways means that he found out about their shipping thing only slightly ahead of Beel when Mammon was trying to get pictures of them napping together…

Honestly, he couldn’t care less if a bunch of weirdos were weirdly invested in their relationship, but he’s not about to let Mammon just make a quick Grimm off of it. Belphie makes sure that he gives him NOTHING to work with. 

Since Mammon is the main dealer, the shippers in both the MC fanclub and Belphie fanclub aren’t nearly as well fed and pretty desperate for anything... You best believe he plays that to his advantage (because it’s okay if he does. He’s not Mammon).

Really helps that MC x Belphie is legitimately a very cute looking couple, carried by Belphie’s cuteness alone if nothing else. Add an adorable MC and you reach levels so cute it could actually melt people into puddles of goo... They could be a registered weapon.

Least favorite MC ships are any that don’t involve him or Beel. Any others may as well just not exist, he won’t even acknowledge them. MC x Who? Yeah, that’s what he thought.

#i guess this is a series now #wasn't expecting that #obey me #obey me shall we date #shall-we-date-obey-me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me headcanons #obey me scenarios #obey me suggestions

[kenganparadise]

I just wanted your opinion. is there anything you don’t like about kengan asura and baki?

Thank you for sending in this question!! I love it when people send in questions! And well sure! Even though kengan ashura is my favorite there’s still things I don’t like about it. The same with baki. I guess I should say I much prefer Kengan Ashura over Baki.

Quick warning- some of these are unpopular opinions, some of these are a bit controversial, I really hope I don’t start a war- apologies in advance. I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m nitpicking.

TW: MENTION OF ASSULT

I’ll start with my problems with Baki-

I really don’t like it’s treatment of women. Even though I know it’s a male dominated manga but Keisuke Itagaki’s treatment of women has been less than subpar. The few women in baki are abused, r*ped, and used just as plot devices. The only two female characters in baki I actually like is Kozue because she’s somewhat of a rounded character and Sabuko Tokugawa because she’s genuinely interesting and has a very awesome power. I wish we could see more of her.

This issue has less to do with the manga itself and more to do with the fandom. It’s the glorification and idolization of Yujiro. I really really dislike Yujiro, that is very apparent. My main issue is due to his treatment of women. He is an abuser and r*pist. he’s got no redeeming qualities. Yet I’ve seen he’s endlessly defended in some parts of the fandom (mainly Reddit) I don’t really understand, maybe someone can help explain. The character has somewhat been ruined for me.

Kengan Ashura/Omega-

The PLOT ARMOR. I’m pretty sure everyone already knows about this so I won’t go into detail. I don’t really have that many problems with Kengan. It is my favorite manga of all time so maybe I’m looking at it with rose colored glasses. In Kengan Ashura women are treated a little better.

I do wish there was more diversity with bodies (Also with Baki too) it’s not much of a problem, more like a wish. In our world everyone’s body is different, there are so many unique body types and structures, I believe that should be celebrated. I don’t really like that in pop culture/media/anime there’s only a few body types at are portrayed. it seems in both baki and KA everyone’s bodies look the same- but this isn’t really a problem for me more of a hopeful wish.

One thing I LOVE about Kengan ashura is the unique characters. I seriously can’t get enough. Personally I LOVE Daromeon art style. One thing I adore about KA is all the unique faces, especially Sekibayashi and Yumigahama. I love the character designs so much. I also loved seeing Daromeon style evolve and change.

Sekibayashi’s original design- personally I love the way his body looks-

Here is Seki in the later chapters- I really loved seeing Daromeon’s style grow and change. He’s such a talented individual-

#kengan omega #kengan ashura #kengan asura #baki dou #baki the grappler #grappler baki