#fandom commentary

[disney-is-mylife]

I don’t understand why people hate Snow White’s husband so much?!?!? It’s not like he’s a creep or anything.

There are two main reasons: Number 1, compared to the other princes, he's the most boring. The film was made in 1937, it pioneered film animation, so it's bound to not exactly be chock full of Complicated Characters, that's just the way it is. He's a product of his time.

The other is because ....... *sigh* the annoying online spread of misinformation that he's supposedly 28 or 30 or some BS and she's only 14 🙄

(Note: ahead, I'll be ranting at the Haters, not at you @cleverqueencommander ^^")

Here's the CANONICAL truth, peeps: NO AGES ARE EVER MENTIONED IN THE MOVIE. EVER. NOT ONCE. If it's not in the text, it's not Canon. We can only assume based off of visual hints.

Now, that said, is Snow White probably one of the youngest princesses? I'd say so, but only because she has that "baby face" and chubbier cheeks. Let's say she's 15-16. Okay. Have you SEEN Princey Boy's face??

LOOK AT THIS DORK. That is NOT a 30 year old creep, that is a BABY! He cannot POSSIBLY be older than 19!! I'd say he's 17-18, max, but he's most likely ALSO 15-16 like Snow!

Snow White and her Prince embody YOUTH and YOUNG LOVE. The spell literally calls for "Love's FIRST Kiss" to awaken Snow White. Not "True Love's Kiss." FIRST KISS. That goes BOTH WAYS, it's THEIR FIRST KISS.

They are precious babies who are each other's first love and I refuse to hear any more slander claiming "isn't he supposed to be 28??" when that was pulled out of someone's ass to make Disney Look Bad >.<

#Star answers #Starling ramblings #Disney #Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs #fandom commentary #100 notes #200 notes

[noperopesaredope]

"It's not about the CANONICAL chemistry. Canon can go fuck itself. It's about the POTENTIAL for chemistry. It's about the fact that, had things gone just a little differently, had they gotten just a little more screentime together, they would be in a serious relationship."

-- Me explaining rarepairs and crackships and stuff to my sib

#this was inspired by #alenoah #noco #yeah they've gotten popular but they have rarepair energy #you know? #rarepair #crackship #fandom culture #fandom commentary #shipping #shipping culture #fanon #canon vs fanon #jessie x delia #hanamusashipping #every time i remember a delightful and beloved ‘rarepair’ type ship I add it in the tags

[iintervallum]

Sometimes I think about how the dndads cast should be on tumblr, with them having a subreddit(you know how they can be) and dndadstwt being like 10 people, tumblr would be the perfect place for them to see more of the fandom, if they wish to that is. Since quite a lot of people on here are way less honed in on negativity than reddit and twitter.

My edit of this is getting long lol so I'm putting it under a cut

Especially reddit, the people on there honestly I think just get too attached to a specific format or way of doing things, its a common pattern in any long running show fandoms i've been in where its reddit that constantly complains about the "good ol' days" and hate any new changes made. I would sometimes drop in and just see a lot of Scary hate at times, or people getting very irritated with the rule breaking, or just complaining that they're "forcing" the humor. I saw a post like that when i just started s2 and that couldnt have been more incorrect (yeah the piss jokes got a bit much but every other part was golden!...pun not intended)

There were absolutely points where I felt my interest wanning, but I think people would get pretty vicious about it and make a lot of mean spirited accusations. Like if anything the things I really enjoyed about this season was how different it was to s1, the contrast was really nice and i liked a lot of the story choices made, i still think about the apollo four teens and the fucking goof realm episodes, they were amazing. Which is why I remember thinking it was odd that they suddenly started involving the dads from s1 more, but knowing now that Anthony was struggling with people not liking this season as much it makes perfect sense.

Idk if it were just me, but i liked the earlier parts of the season for how the teens were still kind of discovering more about themselves and through gathering each anchor, learning more that their parents are people too, with their own fuck ups revealed and the teens have to clean up after them, so having it shift to be about Willy again was a little odd if i'm being honest(I didnt hate it but a repeat villian is hard to do, and for what its worth i think Willy did get the end he deserved and i loved the finale).

Funnily, in its own way it fits the theme of being a teenager and having to live up to your parents expectations. In a meta sense this being the successor to the first season and it being awkward at points and having issues with its identity is very fitting and just like how teenhood actually is.

I've gotten off topic but my point is fandom is just fandom, and letting it influence the way creators can view their own work is an interesting side effect of the internet and the way we navigate with the media we enjoy or hate. And spaces like reddit are grown in a way to encourage more brutally critical ways of analysing media which has very little consideration for the creator. By no means am I saying that the creators of things should be coddled, heck I literally airing my own annoyances with the podcast in space where i'm uplifting the positivity of tumblr over those spaces lol. I just mean that seeing the more genuine side of the fanbase would be more of a better time for them.

EDIT: (I just phrased things better, fixed the spelling and grammer errors and added more thoughts) The more I ruminate on this the more I think that it would honestly be a good idea. Like I do get the base worry of being too close to the more intense side of the fandom, as people on here are unafraid to gush about the show in ways that can be a little much and theres parasociality and all that jazz.

But it would be really good at least to see some actual genuine positivity, so many people provide their thoughtful meta and theories that even if widely off base are just interesting to read through because of how various different people see themselves in the characters they play. And even the critiques people give are not unkind, they come from a place of wanting to understand the choices made better.

I mentioned this in the old version of this post but having a blacklisted tag that only the people who don't wish their post to be seen by the cast use, something along the lines like how the magnus archives fandom has "do not archive", would be a very useful tool to create a barrier in the fanbase. I know i'm someone who feels very nervous about creators seeing the posts I make. Something like "not safe for dads" could work well or any other joke or pun about it being hidden. I doubt it would be filled with discourse or whatever it would mainly be people hornyposting since i know fandom well enough lol.

#aster.txt #dndads #dungeons and daddies #i think people understandably may not want the creators of things here because it's very fandomy #and that sort of known idea that the creator could be seeing what you post can make people be less honest #at least i never feel comfortable with the creators seeing my posts about things i get shy over it #like idk it's embarrassing lol: they know now how much i enjoy the thing they make #I've edited the post! #Please reblog this version instead its more comphrehensive to my actual thoughts #that arent just a half assed post i put randomly in the main tag #dungeons and daddies podcast #fandom commentary

[matan4il]

Okay, story time.

Years ago I was writing a paper for uni about a queer reading of David and Jonathan, and why it's totally legit (even intentionally invited by the text).

When I started doing my research for it, I discovered that while the queer reading of David and Jonathan is pretty well known in queer circles, there's very little in the way of actual academic material on it, whether we're talking about a literary, religious or historical analysis of the text and this interpretation of it. I had maybe 2-3 essays about queer reading of ANY part of the Bible. And most of ot? Was actually not that great. Very little of it was about anything objective, most of it was just a suggestion for a different subjective reading of the text. Which is legit, but not enough. Most of the time, for an interpretation to be considered legit, we have to show that it relies on something that objectively exists in the text.

And then I found this paper by a guy determined to DISPROVE the queer reading of David and Jonathan. Now when I barely have material that's in favor of a queer reading of David and Jonathan, why would I be wasting my time reading what was written against it? But I'm a weirdo, and I always wanna know the counterarguments that can be used against me, too. Yeah, even if I disagree with them.

AND OMG AM I HAPPY I'M LIKE THAT.

Because this guy? Did a PHENOMENAL job at proving that objectively, the bow is the symbol of masculinity to the ancient Israelites. This is relevant because a biblical verse mentions that Prince Jonathan gave David his bow. I'm gonna say it again, this guy proved that for any Israelite back then, regardless of the subjective place they come from, when they were reading the text, what they would get from it is that JONATHAN GAVE DAVID THE PHALLIC SYMBOL OF HIS MASCULINITY. Tell me that doesn't align perfectly with a queer reading...

So why was this guy, who's trying to disprove the queer reading of David and Jonathan, proving the gay potential of this moment? Because to him, if Prince Jonathan has a symbol of masculinity, that means he's a masculine man, and no masculine man can be gay. Yep, the guy writing this paper was so blinded by his own bigotry, homophobia and misconceptions about masculinity and sexual orientation, that he didn't even realize he was handing me a valuable tool to prove queer readings of David and Jonathan are 100% legit.

Why am I mentioning this now all of a sudden?

Because sometimes the haters and anti's of a fandom are actually precisely like that guy, and it both amuses me to no end, and also makes me wonder if they realize how much their efforts sometimes backfire, and instead of destroying my love for and belief in a ship, they actually end up reinforcing it.

If you ever feel down because of haters in your fandom, just remember this.

#david and jonathan #fandom #antis #haters #bible #gay #homosexual #bisexual #bisexuality #homosexuality #fandom commentary #fh #buddie #mileapo #queer #gay couple #haters are so funny and they don't even know it #gay man #lgbt #lgbtq

[biblioflyer]

Bad Dune Takes are the Mind Killer

I'm going to type up some more robust thoughts on Dune part 2, but I've seen some subtle bad ideas circulating that are drawn from shallow readings of either the films or the books or both.

First off, anyone who swallows the Bene Gesserit propaganda about their eugenics program needs to be pushed back on. They are NOT sorting humans from animals. The function of the Gom Jabar test (I will look up the proper spelling later and edit it in), doesn't even really seem to have anything to do with the metaphysics of the setting so much as its testing for self discipline. This is something that is nature AND nurture.

The dirty truth of the matter is that no one is a true Tabula Rasa, we do inherit some tendencies genetically, but barring a serious developmental disorder, those are tendencies. Tendencies can be ameliorated, if not even outright disappear in the noise of lived experience and explicit education.

If Feyd Ruatha can pass the Gom Jabar, you know its not actually testing for merit, its testing for a specific set of traits that the Bene Gesserit find useful.

Those traits are part of the ingredients they are seeking for the Kwisatch Haderach (yes, I know, I'll edit it later) but here's the kicker!

Major book spoilers ahead

While this is probably not exclusively the Bene Gesserit's fault, all of these secret societies, all of this obsession with bloodlines, and perfection is a time bomb. Paul is not a white savior. Paul is a labradoodle. He is an incredible endgame of generations of effort but he's a symptom of a broader problem that he himself vaguely glimpses and his son, Leto II, sees in all its terrible truth: the Bene Gesserit and their ilk are reserving autonomy for themselves, perhaps even at the genetic level, and trying to breed complacency into "the commons." The ones they regard as "animals" unfit for and incapable of self direction. People who are only fit to be ruled.

Sound familiar?

Its feudalistic "divine right of kings" merged with eugenics.

AKA fascism.

Paul and Leto II become despicable tyrants and authorial fiat would seem to indicate they are trapped by a sort of accelerationist framing of the problem. The end result of the millennia of power brokering in the background by all of these secretive societies and open monarchism is a humanity that is doomed. One way or another, it will be snuffed out. Whether by a total war, plague, or collapse of civilization.

This is why I say that the Bene Gesserit endgame is labradoodles. Pretty? Yes. Companionable? Sure. But like many, many, many designer breeds very, very lacking in genetic diversity.

This is what selective breeding gets you. Its why Leto II foresees the need to provoke a "Great Scattering." To ensure humanity exists in so many places, in so many different genetic and cultural forms that it cannot be subjugated by even the most charismatic and supernaturally powerful tyrant - not even by himself - and incapable of being extinguished by any plague or natural disaster. Because consolidation into too narrow and tight of a socio-cultural-political footprint means when (not if) that civilization screws up epically, it brings everyone down with it.

So if Roddenberry believed in the end of history, as expressed by the Federation: a society that is not incapable of error but IS capable of introspection and correction in the wake of error such that it is extremely unlikely to collapse from its own errors and contradictions. Then Herbert seems to be positing that history has no end. It will be one damn thing after another for all time and his implicit solution is that we desperately need diversity: genetic diversity and cultural diversity otherwise a self anointed superior sect of schemers and intriguers will get us all killed in the end by making us docile and homogeneous in order to make us more useful: to them.

Herbert also is suggesting that events like the Fremen Jihad is a likely bit of blowback from such consolidation. That human beings (the very same the Bene Gesserit regard as animals) naturally crave autonomy, dignity, and the essentials of life and if you press these things, the result will be a socio-political nuclear explosion.

I don't know if Herbert was an accelerationist. But it doesn't really matter because this leads me to the second bad take:

The Jihad and the Golden Path are not good, actually. Authorial Fiat dictate that they are necessary because authorial fiat dictates that human civilization in Dune has become so consolidated and bent to the whims of shadowy schemers that any attempt to wrest control away and return it to "normal" people, if indeed that is even possible given the technologies and superhumans running around, will result in such disorder and chaos that it be, functionally, genocide even if it is not genocide in intent.

The Jihad itself is also a consequence of the Great Man relying on people who only see a sliver of the overall project and interpret it through their own prism. That prism being one of anger, resentment, and a desire to see others conform to their worldview in order to ensure they are never again under anyone's boot.

Authorial fiat dictates that by the time Paul is born, there's no way back. No way to unwind all of this mess. The systems and structures are too complex, too interdependent. The Bene Gesserit, the Face Dancers, and everyone else I'm forgetting have too many contingency plans to fall back on. Not even a psychic can pull the Jenga pieces of civilization out delicately enough to restack them without the whole thing coming apart, not if he has to rely on millions of people with an axe to grind against the civilization he's trying to reform, a civilization that spent millennia trying to subjugate the Fremen or drive them into extinction.

But I maintain accelerationism is bad. You're not psychic. I'm not psychic. There's no Kwisatch Haderach lurking in the background to see what comes next. If you burn it all down, there might be a flourishing of dignity and freedom on the other side or it might be extinction because some other "cabal" will just take over and do the same things only meaner and dumber.

So if not accelerationism then what?

Federationism.

Introspection always. Seeking reform and equity before the power structures get too entrenched that gambling on a Great Scattering following in the wake of genocidal messiahs start seems like a good idea.

I'm not dunking on Dune to build a motte and bailey around Star Trek. I love Dune, but people tend to fixate on icky parts and call them good, when the whole point was don't let society get so bad you need to cross your fingers and hope the God Emperor is secretly an enlightened genocidal tyrant who is waiting for you to get restive enough to strike him down as part of some harebrained scheme to generate so much historical trauma it inoculates humanity against tyranny for all time.

Which of course, is a false premise. Herbert may or may not have known this in the mid-20th century, but we live in a world where 5-6 generations later, everything we were supposed to learn from and never repeat about tyranny, fascism, eugenics, and being disinterested in how and why there came to be fighters in difficult to pronounce faraway lands who seem to be rather upset with us, is now a thing that has to be taught and can be disputed and debated.

#dune part two #dune part 2 #dune #dune spoilers #star trek #scifi ethics #golden path #fandom commentary

[tentacletenshi]

If you insult your own creative work, you're also insulting anyone that likes it. Unintentionally, inadvertently, but nevertheless it's what's happening.

Other people have posted about this before, but I just have to say it again because I just encountered it and it really saddens and frustates me.

I was reading a fic and loving it. Absolutely delighted by it. It was hitting all the right notes perfectly to me. I was half composing, in my head, a gushing comment to leave when I finished reading the chapter.

Then I get to the end note and the author says of their work, "this is stupid, but..."

It doesn't matter what came after the but because at that point all the happiness I'd gotten from reading the fic immediately fuzzed into shameful hurt. All enthusiasm to comment faded. I left a kudos. I tried to still comment, even briefly, and utterly failed.

All I heard in my head was, 'this is stupid, so you're stupid for liking it.'

I know that's not what they meant. I know self depreciation is a learned behavior. I know it's a defense mechanism.

But so is going quiet when it feels like someone is insulting you for liking something. It comes from being mocked for showing enthusiasm for 'odd' interests, especially repeatedly during childhood.

I know the author likely wants comments telling them it isn't stupid. I really want to be encouraging. I'd really like to help them through their apparent lack of confidence.

But instead, my limited spoons are being spent assuring myself that I'm not stupid for liking this fic. I now have to remind myself that the happiness I felt reading it isn't something to be ashamed of.

The author couldn't overcome their own self confidence issues to post their fic without insulting it. So now I can't overcome my own self confidence issues to comment.

We're mutually at fault here, perhaps. But regardless it's a sad shame.

#fandom #ao3 stuff #fanfiction #special interest #spoons #mentally exhausted #mental health #fandom community #fandom commentary

[horizon-verizon]

Twitter was a mistake. No, actually, Humanity was a mistake.

I’m not joking, this is the very first time that I saw white-on-white blood purity and classism in action.

I assume the user is white because of the obsession with having Nordic features for “Nordic” Targs...who actually model more from Mediterraean/Hellenistic cultures.

#Twitter #ASoIaF twitter #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #fandom discrimination #asoiaf fandom #fandom commentary #fandom critical #fandom classism

[amateur-selfshipper]

Maybe this is a hot take but I don’t think Monty would be a jealous lover. IDK I just feel like it’s not very well-supported by the text other than the /assumption/ that that Monty killed Bonnie* and that he wants to replace Freddy**.

And based on what we see of his behavior in Security Breach, it’s fair to assume that Monty also isn’t a mean animatronic. While Roxanne’s words become downright mean as the game goes on (showing that her insecurities can lead to her being hurtful even though it’s not how she treats/thinks of others 90% of the time), Monty’s lines still mostly take on a reassuring tone even though it’s evident that he’s growing frustrated. And no, I don’t view taking one’s anger/frustration out on inanimate objects is inherently a sign of aggressive behavior towards others.

*Ruin and Help Wanted 2 have made it clear that the exact circumstances of Bonnie being decommissioned are incredibly suspicious as well as the narrative around it that Security Breach established (ie, the idea that Monty did it).

**People usually cite the Freddy cutout that’s halfway in a trash bin at the end of Monty Gator Golf ride, but it’s more likely that this was more foreshadowing to the headless Freddy prototype (same with Freddy’s body and head being separated by Monty’s music whirlwind immediately after).

#TLDR; I don’t think the fanon assessment of Monty as a jealous and/or mean guy has a basis in canon #I could’ve posted this on my main blog but this was brought on by getting annoyed at x Reader fics #Going into this fandom as a Monty fan sometimes is like being in the trenches #Monty Gator #Security Breach #FNaF #Monty Gator x Reader #Character Analysis #FNaF Analysis #Fandom Commentary #Fanon Critical

[aptericia]

btw if someone tells you not to tag their art/fic/etc as ship and you do anyway, that is a violation of their personal boundaries. They are not attacking you, they are not policing what you can enjoy or how you enjoy it, they are giving you a very specific and easy-to-follow instruction on how to avoid disrespecting them. It doesn’t matter if you disagree with their taste; if you do something with another’s work that they explicitly told you NOT to do, you are being an asshole :)

It’s not your work, it’s theirs. It’s not about your “rights”, it’s about their comfort.

#ramblings #sorry if this comes off as rude I’ve just seen posts saying the opposite and I want to make my stance very clear #(context for this post is that I am working on an analysis of two characters who are often shipped together) #fandom commentary

[disney-is-mylife]

Describe Eugene, Shang, Aladdin and Naveen's personalities. I was looking for their personalities on Disney wikia and it seems like it was removed.

Aladdin is kind, so incredibly kind (because my boy gave away his hard-earned stolen bread to a couple of kids, he is so precious OKAY???), but he's also crafty, cunning, courageous, and, secretly, deeply insecure. Those insecurities stem from his "street rat" status, and when he falls in love with Jasmine and finds out her identity, he's terrified of being unworthy of her. His disguise as a prince is not a deceit in his mind, but rather a necessity, because how can any lowly street rat be worthy to even speak to the princess, let alone court and marry her? But he takes it too far when he backpedals from his promise to free Genie and snaps at his friends, because he's terrified of losing Jasmine. Aladdin is flawed, but ultimately pure-hearted and will always apologize for his mistakes, and set things right. He's also romantic AF, holy shit, because I mean, when has Disney ever topped the majesty of the magic carpet ride during "A Whole New World," amirite???

Shang is rigidly responsible and honorable. He is a man of tradition, no-nonsense, and strict but not cruel. Despite his stiff exterior, he's surprisingly patient, allowing "Ping's" mistakes to carry on far longer than anyone might have expected before he finally told "him" to go home, but then changed his mind when "Ping" made it to the top of the insurmountable pillar in camp. Shang shoulders the pride and burden of his father's legacy, and though it doesn't truly "bother" him, the weight is still very much felt. He is a soldier and a captain through and through, where even the horrific death of his father and his father's massive army does not stop him from completing his mission. But he still takes the time to honor the tragedy in a brief, but poignant ceremony. Even when Mulan's identity is revealed, Shang's deep sense of honor overcame his traditional values, where he chose to spare her life to repay her for saving him from the avalanche. When Shang's soldier exterior is not full-front, he's an incredibly socially awkward dork, but thankfully Mulan, with a lifetime of feeling out of place herself, handles it with grace lol.

Naveen is at first glance a charming but deadbeat womanizer who's bad news lol, but his time as a frog with Tiana brought his good traits to full view. He's the yin to her yang, and as he gains a sense of responsibility, he doesn't lose his core: a man who LOVES life to the fullest. He is a man who lives in the moment, taking things as they come, and rolling with the punches (although yes, he's also quite a bit naive). Life is too short to not love music and dancing and romance, and Naveen embraces that fully -- although, perhaps too much lol. Once Tiana becomes a part of his life, he learns he can still passionately adore life (and teach Tiana to do the same), but this time with a focus: living the best life he can with the woman of his dreams. He's no longer living just for his own pleasures, but for the sake of another, so much so, that he happily transitions from Womanizer to Drinks His Respect Women Juice Daily, from Ladies' Man to One Woman Only. (And if that ain't the ultimate fantasy, idk what is)

Eugene is similar to Aladdin, mainly in the insecurity and baggage department, except the biggest difference is that Eugene romanticized the life of a thief so much he became "Flynn Rider," thinking he was Robin Hood, when he's just a regular robber. Unlike Aladdin, who stole food in order to survive in a world that refuses to employ him, or Robin Hood, who gave away his riches to the poor, "Flynn Rider" became greedy and desired a Dread Pirates Roberts retirement a la tropical island, rather than doing good with his thievery. "Flynn" is sarcastic, jaded, carefree, and backstabbing when it suits his purposes; Eugene is awkward, easily flustered, and surprisingly honorable. Meeting Rapunzel and confessing his true identity brought the earnest orphan boy back. Once Eugene is fully himself again, he's a thousand times more likable, despite "Flynn's" charming exterior, and becomes a true hero when Rapunzel is taken away by Mother Gothel. The very hero he once romanticized as a child was never in a book, but in his heart.

#Star answers #Starling ramblings #anon #Disney #Disney Princes #Aladdin #Aladdin character #Mulan #Shang #The Princess and the Frog #Naveen #Tangled #Eugene Fitzherbert #fandom commentary #20 notes

[blood-and-pizza]

I have been in FNAF fandom long enough to see Michael go from the gray-skinned, mostly featureless, sarcastic bastard Mike Schmidt introduced by Rebornica, to the inexplicably sexy Michael Afton 3D model people currently accept as canon and make tons of suggestive artwork of.

Shit's wild, man.

#fnaf #fnaf fandom #mike schmidt #michael afton #fandom commentary

[tadpoledancer]

as an autistic I'm really tired of people headcanoning every autistic character as aro or ace because it just comes off infantilizing as fuck

#fandom commentary #this is specifically about #donnie rottmnt #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #like i get why people hc him that way but yall hc EVERY autistic character that way #i get extremely touch averse at times too but like come on #its a pattern

[cooking-with-hailstones]

Fandom as a cocktail bar: a somewhat overwrought metaphor

I've had a realization about being a multi shipper

I treat fandom like a bar, and I personally love trying new drinks.

This metaphor is about to get really extended so bear with me lol.

I usually go for beer - not a cheap mass produced one, I like a craft beer. One that was made with some creativity, with good quality ingredients. I'll take a beer when I go out, or when I'm home and unwinding after a long day. I love sampling beers anytime I go somewhere new. (Read a new fic author)

(In this metaphor zelink is beer. I even make my own beer! And zelink is the only fanfic I've ever seriously written)

I also love gin! Gin (another ship -let's say Revalink, or Sidlink) is delicious and I love drinks with gin. I don't drink it every day or even every week but when I see it on the menu at the bar, I'll definitely order a gin cocktail. Especially if it's a bar (author) I've read before and I like what they do.

Rum (another ship - eg zelgan) maybe isn't my favorite, but there's a few specific cocktails made with rum that I really like. I don't like rum and coke (ship in xyz situation, trope) but I love a mojito (same ship written in a different dynamic - tale of two rulers, you continue to have me in a chokehold)

There's lots of other drinks that I'm curious about but haven't tried very much. Schnapps? Jaeger? Tequila? Absinthe? All very different things I'm curious to try more of. Also if my friend home brews something I'm gonna try it to be supportive and give them feedback.

There's also so many great non alcoholic cocktails that are super creative and tasty. And yanno, sometimes I've got a lot of work to do or I need to focus and I don't wanna drink alcohol (get super sucked into/emotionally wrecked by a story) but I still want something delicious and complex that isn't gonna mess me up, and also that I can serve to kids!

Now me personally, I absolutely LOATHE super salty or savoury drinks. Olive martinis? Bloody Marys? Eugh no thank you. But boy HOWDY some folks LOVE those drinks and yanno what? Even if I think Bloody Mary's are gross as hell I still want the bar to serve a bloody Mary to those who want one. Especially if the bartender loves making them and is really good at them. That's awesome!

Some people are much more picky about their drinks. Some people will not (or cannot, for several valid reasons) drink Jaeger. Or sherry. Some people might HATE anything with gin and think I'm crazy for liking gin so much, but, hey, to each their own. Some people really don't like beer and don't understand why everyone's so obsessed with it and why it's freaking everywhere. 😝

There are lots of delicious and creative drinks to suit everyone's tastes, young and old, sweet tooth and spice fiends alike. Let's indulge a little, shall we?

#fandom #fanfiction #multishipper #multishipping #fandom commentary #Emily talks #just been a metaphor I've enjoyed playing with recently #i think it works #thanks for bearing with me lol #alcohol cw #alcohol mention #home brewing #cocktails #beer

[biblioflyer]

Discovery 5e3 first reactions

If you had told me in the early days of season one with its Expanse knock off aesthetics and edge that Discovery would deliver an exemplar of a truly great Trek story, I'd have been deeply skeptical. Yet here we are.

I'm authentically surprised I'm in this good of a mood after the credits rolling on an episode of Discovery. This was a good episode. It was a very Star trek episode!

After the bleakness of Picard, its really refreshing for a Trek show that is not Lower Decks to be leaning into core themes of mercy, adult relationships that are nuanced rather than histrionic, and really hitting that sweet spot between action adventure, sciency goobledygook, and human idiosyncrasies.

I was really, really happy to get a Culber-centric episode. The character is great, even when its not entirely the character. I really ought to look up the actor and try to see more of his work because he's one of the big standouts for me in this series, along with Doug Jones. It was a good use of the Trill personality exchange plot device.

Saru and T'Rina's subplot was likewise nicely executed. I really like this take on Vulcans where they are subdued but not entirely flat. The crisp "handsome and erudite Saru" was a great touch.

This is at least two instances in the same episode where my meta theory about the Federation, that its superpower isn't that its perfect but that it is full of people who will immediately course correct when they realize a mistake, seems embodied by its characters. This time in the form of Saru and Burnham.

I had a theory about Burnham as well that I think may be on the money as well. That through a mix of intentional planning and reacting to some of the more thoughtful critiques of the character, Burnham's arc has been to first bounce between the extremes of denial of emotion through her Vulcan upbringing, then have to do a crash course in managing emotions after abandoning that Vulcan conditioning. The version we see of Burnham in season 5 is a Burnham who is well balanced. Someone who is informed by intuition and feeling but not ruled by it. A lot like Spock in his later years after he had fully integrated and reconciled his Human and Vulcan natures.

Which is poetic. I think Sarek, while still not winning any father of the year awards, would have been pleased to recognize that his children, well Michael and Spock at least, well able to bridge Earth and Vulcan. Even if they had to strike out on their own and figure out for themselves without his influence.

Booker is interesting too. In a lot of ways I think he's being set up for the arc that Han Solo should have had. Namely growing into responsibility, being nostalgic for aspects of his old life, yet realizing that he's not that person anymore. Which does make me think that ultimately Booker and Burnham will reconcile on account of Booker making peace with his new life and role and it happening to be one that makes a lot more sense in Burnham's world, having decided to lean into Starfleet.

Rayner is definitely a torch carrier for the Jellico tradition but like Jellico, I suspect that he's going to find his own way to relate to the crew. His "speed dating" approach to meeting the crew is painful and stilted, but its a bit like ripping a band-aid off. Tilly isn't wrong that "professional distance" is not a great way to persuade a crew that they can trust your decision making. This is a crew that has gone a long time without a hardass on the bridge and not particularly fond memories of the last time their boss was aloof and prickly. A lot of Rayner's expressions do suggest to me that he knows what he's doing and is playing the long game with Discovery's crew.

I'm really excited to (hopefully) finally see the Tzenkethi. I'm really, really hoping for a Larry Niven tribute. Its been a minute since we've had anthropomorphic felines and someone desperately needs to atone for the film Kilrathi. Wow. I have not thought about Wing Commander in a long time. l feel like I need a shower.

#star trek #star trek discovery #discovery s5e3 #discovery spoilers #spoilers #michael burnham #Doctor Culber #fandom commentary #scifi ethics #Saru #cleveland booker #Wing Commander #Kilrathi

[hopeymchope]

Honestly, anon is beginning to think "fandom culture itself" is the problem, rather than just Puella Magica fans. Modern pop culture fans just seem to have very warped moral compasses in general. The Once Upon a Time fandom makes excuses for Regina Mills raping a man, a man in the FE3H fandom threatened to lynch anyone who doesn't like Edelgard (and the Edelgard Discord agreed with him), the Star Wars fandom excuses the Sith's racism, and the New Vegas fandom has Caesar's Legion apologists.

I hadn't thought to throw this into the same pit with "People who think Hiyoko Saionji did nothing wrong," but... no, you're right, it's totally the same pit. (I also didn't realize I was tipping my hand quite this blatantly about which side I'm on when I posted that poll, but... hoo boy, am I EVER on the side you presumed.)

It's not like Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion was subtle about the conclusion's implications. The voice acting, the visual presentation, the dialogue, the music, everything was VERY VERY SUPER-DOUBLE-PLUS OBVIOUS about this being BAaAaAaAaAaAaAaD.

But the utterly fucking bugnuts Reddit PMMM community somehow sees it the entire OPPOSITE way, and any post to the contrary is shouted down, gets zero upvotes, etc. Every post about how you-know-who is purely heroic and entirely justified gets tons of upvotes, everybody else gets told they don't fucking get it, and it is fucking INSANE.

I didn't know Regina raped a guy?! WTF and WHY TF??? Like I've said before, didn't watch a lot of that show.

Edelgard is highly problematic by design. That's like, her whole thing. It is both the appeal and the anti-appeal of her character/narrative — the "by ANY means necessary, kill-your-friends-if-you-have-to" way she sets out to make her world (theoretically?) better. If you try to make her non-controversial, you're missing the whole goddamn point of the narrative. I don't know why anyone would WANT that. You're just killing your babies.

And speaking of "Why would anyone want that": Why would anyone ever excuse the fucking Sith's ANYTHING? They are murderers and oppressors. They are legit rotting from the inside-out due to embracing darkness so hard. They are so known for betraying and backstabbing each other that it's literally built into their own rules of operation! And there are people who think these are the heroes?

#anti-hiyoko saionji #fandom #fandom commentary #anon #asks #wtf #puella magi madoka magica: rebellion #puella magi madoka magica #pmmm #star wars #once upon a time #ouat

[horizon-verizon]

Found this piece of art on Twitter:

Now you may ask, "Where are Baela and Rhaena?"

This was the artist's response:

And this is my thought towards that:

Just goes to show how Baela and Rhaena have been relegated to the side for not being the "right" sort of Targaryens by even the black fans of this series. (Double irony through puns)

Then when we see those criticisms of the artwork, you see people who come to the artist's defense:

I already pointed how how the artwork was conceptually lacking and how this lack made the artwork doubly discriminatory and unfair.

But it's strange to see these people defend the lacking based on...."manners" as if we should wholesale swallow messages of art and literature without any sort of criticism. These people did not bother to consider if said Criticisms were constructive or had points, they immediately went: it's the artist's prerogative to have their work unanalyzed or criticized (even though they published it themselves) in any way (that's the rub) just because they worked hard on it. The immediacy of the shut down comes with a flawed judgement, becoming something like censorship itself.

Was Twitter a mistake?

#baela targaryen #rhaena targaryen (daemon's daughter) #rhaena targaryen #hotd fanart #hotd #house of the dragon #asoiaf fanart #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #rhaenyra targaryen #fandom critical #fandom commentary #asoiaf fandom #hotd fandom #hotd twitter #Twitter #hotd racism #fandom racism #asoiaf racism #hotd race #asoiaf race #baela and rhaena #rhaenyra and daemon's children #daemon's children #rhaenyra's children