#feel free to scroll by and ignore if you disagree

[sonofatoasterwaffle]

Port in a Storm

“Hey, Buck, could you-“ Hen's hitting the top step when he hisses back “Shh!” 

She glances at Chimney for a sanity check, considering cuffing the back of Buck’s head for that, but he’s sitting on the couch, stock still, Eddie snoring gently against Buck’s shoulder. “Can’t move.” He explains.

Hen has to chuckle. “He’s not a cat, buck” 

She drops into the armchair closest to him, and he stops scrolling his phone with his free hand to look at her. “If I’m a golden retriever, Eddie is most definitely a cat.”

Chim nods like he can’t argue as he takes the seat across from them. “Hates attention except when he doesn’t, very protective over his young, great hair.” He counts off each thing as he says it. 

Hen supposes she doesn’t disagree. “He’s not sleeping at home right now, is he?” 

Buck sighs. “Based on the twitter links he’s been sending in the middle of the night, it seems like no.” 

Eddie, for his part, seems well and truly out. He’s sprawled low on the couch, boots bumping up against the coffee table, head lolled to the right against Buck and his arm slung over Buck’s leg, fingers curled under Buck’s knee like he’s afraid his human pillow might abandon him. “Has he been like this since I went to run flashcards?” 

“I literally can’t feel my arm.” Buck admits, but it doesn’t sound like he has any intention of moving. 

“You gotta feel for the guy.” Chim says, biting into a muffin from a batch someone left earlier this week. “Kid at home, dealing with grief, dealing with us.” 

Hen hums. At least he’s not alone, she thinks, catching the soft look in Buck’s eyes as he glances down at Eddie. She’s not sure if those two will ever realize what they have, but she supposes it doesn’t really matter as long as they don’t give it up. “So, you can’t help me move the medical supplies shipment.” 

“Performing a public service, here, Hen.” 

Chim snickers something about exactly what kind of servicing Buck would like to do for Eddie, but he’s resolutely ignored. Hen supposes Buck’s right. High-strung Eddie is annoying and sleep-deprived Eddie is pathetic and both at once makes her parenting instincts flare up like crazy, so it’s better for all of them if he gets a little rest. Even at the expense of Buck’s circulation. 

Eddie murmurs something in Spanish, nuzzles his nose into Buck’s neck and breathes deep. Buck’s as red as the ladder truck but he still doesn’t move, except to flip Chim off. “Leave him alone.” 

Chim throws up his hands, still grinning. “Easy, loverboy, I’m not coming for your man.” 

And Buck looks absolutely murderous but he’s powerless to stop Chimney from snapping a picture. He does leave the finger up for it. “I could easily throw you.” He threatens when his phone chimes with the inevitable group chat notification. 

“But Maddie would be so sad if you murdered me.” 

“Yeah, maybe you should think about that before doing murder-worthy shit.” 

Eddie stirs a little, and Buck relaxes back into the couch, free hand reaching over to thumb over Eddie's arm, and he immediately settles. “You guys are so gross I love it.” Chim crows, snapping another photo. 

“At some point, he’s gonna wake up, and then you’re gonna have to start running.” 

Hen goes back to her flashcards. Chim’s on his own with that one, she’s not taking the bullet for teasing she didn’t get to do. She gives Buck a sympathetic smile when he grouses “I’m never gonna hear the end of this, am I?” 

“Price you pay for being such a good best friend.” 

Buck rolls his eyes at her intoned best friend. “You’re on my list, too.” 

“Finally.” Bobby says in relief when he sweeps into the kitchen to start prep. "I was about to cut him loose if he didn't chill out." He points at Buck. “Don’t move.” 

“That’s what I said!” 

Also on ao3

#9-1-1 #eddie diaz #evan buckley #buck/eddie #buddie #Hen POV #just a little brain worm that's been squirming around in my head #hen wilson #chimney han #everyone knows they're in love except buck and eddie #drabble #Chimney is me and I am him

[rangercorpstherapy]

To the latest fandom take:

I strongly disagree with the take "new posts are cringe and low effort". Brother (gender neutral), trust me, you shaming them is so embarrassing. Let people enjoy what they want to enjoy. You're not held down by chains with your eyes forcefully open to look at those posts. Just scroll past or block accounts you don't like. Instead of being joyful about new people joining in, you chose to be bitter about what they post. We were all at that age. Stop picking on younger teens. Hell, it isn't about age. Every post, as long as it is not harmful, is valid and as long as its author enjoys it and enjoys sharing, don't stomp on it. That way, we'll get less and less posts. So what that people keep posting headcanons or essays that are "obvious" or were here before? Those people weren't here before. Let them DISCOVER the wonderful RA world for themselves and share that excitement. And if those posts don't satisfy? WRITE YOUR OWN. Thank you, cheff.

However, what I want to draw attention to (now speaking to everyone), is the remark about fanartists. I know some that left or stopped actively creating for the reason that they felt not appreciated. It goes deeper than that. In the world built on capitalism and consumerism, amateur artists (who are also human beings who seek assurance and positive encouraging feedback) and who come to fandom to share their free artwork for fun and for interaction that gives them motivation to go on, are not some machines that come automatically giving content. Consuming their art and using it without even interacting, especially in this small fandom, can feel draining and this is not what the fanartists came here to do. If you look at it through their eyes, would you continue to do art if you felt it hasn't found its audience or if the audience felt passive about it? You do not have to like some art work. I get it, we all have our own taste. But if you do not support artists, especially beginning ones, it's really easy to lose the motivation. And you're robbing yourself. Imagine some artist who would have become great and eventually posted the art you like, is not sharing their art because they didn't feel motivated.

In conclusion. OP of the prev fandom take, I definitely do not agree with your opinion on ra tag and posts. I also don't like the tone in which you wrote your whole ask. But, everyone, I do believe there's a tiny thing that's worth giving a thought in the part about fanart.

All I see lately is people complaining there aren't good posts or that fandom is dying. Babes, if you're not gonna interact with things, either posts or art or fics or whatever, of course the activity is gonna die down. But also I do think that on the other hand, people who say stuff like "we don't have content anymore are the ones who purposefully ignore posts of the newer blogs just because it isn't entirely their taste and then say this fandom is desolated wasteland about to be hit by dinosaur killing meteorite. Valid, you don't have to reblog stuff that you don't want to. But then stop complaining about that fact there isn't stuff and either shut up and move on or contribute yourself.

Pessimism and toxicity isn't what this fandom needs and to be real I am tired of these fandom takes that what is actually bringing this fandom down. Complaints and call outs to toxic and harmful behaviour is valid and shouldn't be suppressed and please, everyone don't ever be afraid to do that. But these shaming takes and asks, is like chasing and biting your own tail and then complaining it hurts. I'd really appreciate it if some of you could refrain from shaming people who harmlessly enjoy stuff. Bye.

x

#rangercorpstherapy #rangers apprentice #ranger's apprentice

[nightgoodomens]

bullshit bingo take of the day i just stumbled upon: "crowley only helps job and elspeth because he doesn't like hell and wants to spite them"

and i'm ashamed to admit it but that gave me severe anxiety. i usually ignore the bad takes but i'm not having a good day mentally and i feel like i'm going crazy so i guess i really need to ask. i'm no delulu right? crowley doesn't do it to spite hell and be rebellious but only because he's kind and selfless and wants to help and protect?

You know, this is the reason why I am cutting myself away from the Good Omens fandom more and more, and I might recommend you cutting yourself a little bit off as well - filter your dash with people who you know post the good stuff, things you love, and don’t look for general opinions etc anymore.

There are still awesome people out there who haven’t forgotten what this show and characters actually are.

I remember when I joined with Season 2 and told myself wow this is the first normal fandom I’ve ever been in - how?! - lmao, no. It is like every other fandom out there where you simply have to find your people and ignore the rest.

At the beginning I felt like it was insane and amazing how everyone got along, bloody hell, people posting opinions, analysing everything, the disagreements were kind, interesting conversations, so many clues being found, general respect, everything worked with canon so people agreed to disagree on little things… most of all so much love for the characters for exactly who they were and for the show for exactly what it was.

Cue in a few months later and everything is negative, characters are monsters, or pathetic, or whores/sluts/dogs, trolls everywhere, so much hate, and anon hate, canon is non existent, everything; the story and the characters and every scene are fetishised to the extreme and have nothing to do with what they have been portrayed to be, and actually apparently we were all wrong and Good Omens is an extremely hardcore sex show after all, and the metas are now how it proves that they should be in an extreme dom/sub relationship - yeah the two guys who’s whole story is that they need to be set free. Crowley is treated in a way that makes me feel sick at this point because people talking about the horrible things that should be done to him and saying it would be good for him actually makes me shudder. It is scary how so many people talk about sensitive topics that they don’t understand at all. Some takes are actually horrifying at this point and I hope they don’t genuinely have such opinions in real life when real people are involved. And the fans acting like such things are absolutely normal and this is how majority of relationships out there are like are frankly worrying me. Aziraphale was completely stripped off his personality too. So much to unpack about this insanity but I don’t want to dig into it. Not everything should be normalised.

In a way I wonder if there was an influx of fans who never watched the show, just know it from fics/fanart.

I was getting extremely angry about these things but I finally let it go and just blocked, and blocked, and blocked. Now I barely see anything like this. I had to step away from AO3. I scroll the dash a lot less. And I simply started focusing on other things again.

When it reaches the moment when you cringe seeing Good Omens because people ruined scenes for you - step away. That’s when I knew I have to start blocking and filtering because I didn’t want to start associating the show with cringe - it doesn’t deserve it.

Just find your circle of likeminded people. So this fandom brings you joy not a headache. And ignore the rest.

#NightGoodOmens answers

[evillittlebirdie]

Refuge: Tav/Rolan

Lia and Cal deserved better.

One day, they would have it. Lia and Cal could have stability and the resources to pursue if Rolan could provide for them. Most importantly, Rolan needed to protect them. And not let some flitting hero come in to save the day. Instead of Rolan, Tav was the one to save his siblings from Moonrise Towers. Tav even saved Rolan when he went out on his own. How he hated that sweet, clueless look on her face when he lashed out at her. That damn, lovable, dashing rogue did what Rolan couldn't do and she did it without breaking a sweat. 

And if Rolan needed to go through Lorroakan's education to ensure his competency, then he would. 

***

"Wrong." 

But Rolan knew he was right. 

"Master, I do not mean to disagree with you, but-"

Lorroakan raised his hand, and a sudden gust of wind left his hand. Rolan lost his footing and fell on the floor. His head hit the wood, causing a sudden ache. Lorroakan walked over to him, standing over the tiefling. "Now, I'll ask you again. What can disable an animated armor?" 

"Sussar Bloom," Rolan replied breathlessly. Even if Tav hadn't regaled her story of exploring the Underdark, he would have known sussar bloom was the correct answer.

"Wrong," Lorroakan repeated. Lorroakan delivered a vile, physical kick to Rolan's ribs. He could feel the trauma spreading along his side. Rolan let out a cry before scrambling to his knees. That was a foolish move. 

Once Rolan moved to his hands and knees, Lorroakan stepped on Rolan's left hand. Rolan hissed in response. Each move to pull his hand away caused Lorroakan to dig deeper into the extremity. 

"If you scratch my floor with your claws, I will personally rip every one of them out," Lorroakan threatened darkly. Rolan stopped moving, keeping as still as a statue. 

"I am your Master. And I am always correct. If I say the sky is purple, then it is purple. If I say that you are a pathetic tiefling, then you are not fit to lick my boots," Lorroakan pontificated, twisting his heel more and more into Rolan's hand.

"Master," Rolan struggled to speak despite his aching head, bruised ribs, and trapped hand. "I only just-"

Lorroakan interrupted him, "I don't recall asking you a question. I merely reiterated the reality of your situation. If you have an issue with my teaching methods, you can leave. You can hawk cheap magical items and whore out cantrips like the pathetic performers in the street. I'm very sure that you'll support your family that way." 

The facetiousness of Lorroakan's words dripped like venom from a snake. Lorroakan moved his boot from Rolan's hand. Instantly, Rolan stretched out his fingers and wrist. He could barely move. The pain shot from his dorsal up to his elbow. 

"You're welcome to resign if you don't want to be my apprentice. And you'll be just another refugee in this city taking up space," Lorroakan said, stepping back from Rolan. He gestured toward the study's door, "There is the exit. Go, and you'll be free. And I'll see to it no other wizard on the Sword Coast will take you on. You'll be lucky to find a job sorting scrolls in a library. However, if you decide to stop being a brat, you can get started on reading and memorizing the fifth volume of Fringe Philosophy." 

Rolan's eyes darted to the door and then to Lorroakan. The wizard had walked away, leaving Rolan on the ground. He walked to his desk and sat down. There was no further direction. 

Lorroakan didn't need him. There was a line of eager apprentices willing to subject themselves to his methods. Rolan was replacable. And Lorroakan knew that. Rolan swallowed bile and his pride. He stood up on his feet and ignored the stars in his peripheral vision. He walked over to the bookshelf to pull out the book and started reading.

***

Rolan should have met Cal and Lia for dinner hours ago. The night was pitch black and most shops were closed for the day. Rolan had been in Baldur's Gate long enough to know his way through the streets. The alleyways were dangerous, but private. He didn't have to hear the words of anyone passing by. He could lean his body against the stone wall and concentrate on the throbbing sensation on his belly. His fingers ran down his side, wincing as even the featherlight touch grazed the spot where Lorroakan kicked him. 

Lia and Cal were worried about him. And yet Rolan could not bring himself to face them. 

The drunks were stumbling on their way home. The barkeepers were hollering, "Last call!". Sex workers had claimed their clients. Thieves had successfully stolen their quota from witless victims. 

Rolan traveled through the streets, subconsciously rubbing his wounded hand with his healthy one. He couldn't face his siblings. Yet he could not return to the tower. 

"There you are!" 

Rolan pulled his staff off his back, putting himself in a battle-ready stance. Anyone who approached him in the middle of the night in an alleyway was looking for trouble. But instead, he came face to face with Tav's cheerful, pleased expression. Rolan could not control his reaction. He jumped back from Tav's body, almost knocking himself back into the alleyway. "Must you always sneak up on people?" Rolan asked, stilling his rapidly beating heart. He returned his staff to his back.

"I was worried you'd run off or something. You don't exactly like me," Tav stated bluntly, looking over the man.

Rolan swallowed uncomfortably. It wasn't that he didn't...like Tav. He just wished she would mind her own business. And stop showing him up. Otherwise, she was lovely.

Now, where did that adjective come from?

"Cal and Lia asked me to find you. You were supposed to have dinner with them about eight hours ago," Tav pointed out, shifting on her feet. 

"Well, you can tell them I am fine. I just...I was busy," Rolan gave a poor excuse, knowing that Lia and Cal would give him an earful when they finally got him alone in a room. 

"Ah, yes, busy hanging out in alleyways. Not even a nice alleyway. This one smells like piss. Don't tell me you're searching for ingredients for potions or whatever magic crap you wizards do," Tav rambled on, her eyes still on Rolan. 

That would have been a much better excuse. 

"Can't a man walk around a city? It's not like I was in any danger," Rolan commented, lashing out in self-defense. 

"No, we just have a serial killer roaming the streets. Other than that, Baldur's Gate is as safe as a garden meadow," Tav replied sarcastically. But her sarcasm was not biting. It was in jest. She gave Rolan a small smile, "Look, I know you can take care of yourself-"

"You must not. Given your rescue mission in the Shadowlands," Rolan pointed out. 

"Noted. The next time we find ourselves surrounded by shadows, I will wait patiently until you ask for my help," Tav stated, rolling her eyes playfully. She was still smiling. How could she still be smiling? "I'll just relay to your siblings that I found you and you're okay. And I'll leave you to..." She looked around the alleyway before setting her hands on her hips, "Whatever...sulking...wizard...male...tiefling shit you are busying yourself with." She avoided eye contact with Rolan before she commented, "You know...if you ever wanted company on these...brooding outings, I'm free."

Thoroughly insulted, Rolan responded bitingly, "I don't need a bodyguard."

Tav huffed frustratedly, "Not as a bodyguard, you ass. As a friend, a companion. Maybe someone who would guide you away from the alleyway and to a restaurant instead. At least the smell of piss comes from the beer. For an intelligent man, you are an idiot."

Rolan quite had it with being humiliated. "I don't have to stand here and listen to you berate me. Maybe that's why I want to be on my own," Rolan snapped before walking by Tav, leaving her behind in the alleyway. As he took a few steps, he mulled over what she said to him. 'away from an alleyway and to a restaurant instead'. He frowned, bemused, before turning back to Tav. 

Rolan smiled, amused, at the sight of Tav already beginning to climb the walls of the alleyway. She was taking her leave. 

"What did you mean exactly, by taking me to a restaurant?" Rolan inquired. 

Tav paused her hand on the shingle of the nearby roof. She stared down at Rolan, her smile now returning to her face. "You know...you and I haven't had a proper conversation. I thought forever that you hated me."

Rolan could feel his cheeks warm, "I...I don't hate you." 

"Well, I know that now. Your siblings made that clear."

Rolan fully blushed now. Cal and Lia teased him mercilessly. Whenever Rolan muttered about Tav, they giggled. They called it 'schoolboy love'. 

"That's why I suggested a restaurant. We could have a proper conversation. And if you don't like me, then at least you get a meal out of it. My treat," Tav offered, now swinging her body back and forth on the edge of the roof. There had to be a story behind Tav's comfort with Baldur's Gate. 

"Well, I suppose that we could..."

"I'll take that as a yes!" Tav called out, her voice loud with excitement. "It's a date. I'll pick you up from the tower tomorrow. No backing out. It's a date," She beamed before hopping up on the roof. And within seconds she disappeared into the night.

Between the events of the day and night, Rolan was swimming with emotions. Maybe it was some rational part of him that allowed him to smile. He rubbed his hand again. The pain had lessened. He would be able to write with it soon. Rolan could only hope to please Lorroakan and be free by the time Tav arrived for their date.

Wait...

What...

"...A date?"

#whumptober 2023 #no.7 #“I paced around for hours on empty; I jumped at the slightest of sounds.” #radio silence #alleyway #“can you hear me?” #bg3 #rolan/tav #abuse tw #fanfiction #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 fanfiction #bg3 rolan

[jahayla-parker]

King Of My Heart : Nikolai Lantsov x Reader Series

Part 2

For warnings, descriptions, and previous parts, see series masterlist here.

“What scent Princess y/n?” One of the Lantsov servants asked respectfully. She held a small scroll that had a list of different scents. “There’s vanilla, or lavender, amber, sage” the servant began. “Or perhaps a eucalyptus or lemon? Or we could have one custom made-“ She suggested.

Y/n smiled appreciatively. “Honestly, love,” she said warmly. “I appreciate this, but I assure you, you mustn’t go through all this trouble or these formalities,” y/n assured her. She knew the servant would likely still not have an option to behave any other way, but at least she could offer. “Any scent is fine,” y/n promised, “whatever is the easiest for you will work quite well”.

Nikolai wandered up, eyeing y/n. He smiled kindly to the servant before turning to his betrothed. “For what?” Nikolai asked, feigning curiosity instead of attempting to find a new topic of insult.

“I am needing a new bar of hand soap,” Y/n stated briefly, not otherwise addressing Nikolai’s presence. “Miss s/l/n was just assisting me in locating one, as I’m not familiar with this wing of the palace quite yet,” she added, smiling graciously at the servant.

Nikolai raised an eyebrow. He slowly turned towards y/n more, standing slightly between her and the servant now. “There’s hand soap in the bathroom already, Your Royal Majesty,” Nikolai mocked.

The servant attempted to stifle their gasp. They were shocked that the Prince had intentionally misused the Princess’s title. Their frightened but curious eyes glanced between Nikolai and y/n as they waited for their orders.

Y/n faked a smile and laughed softly at Nikolai to throw the servant off the scent; pretending as if it were an inside joke. When she saw it seemed to work, y/n smiled softly at the servant. “Thank you miss s/l/n. Please feel free to choose whatever scent you’d like, truly,” she offered, signaling the servant was free to leave the couple.

“I’m well aware of that fact,” y/n hissed, turning to Nikolai after the servant left. “I will be needing my own,” she explained casually, walking away from him.

“Seriously?!” Nikolai laughed. “You’re so spoiled you need your own soap?” He questioned with an eye roll.

“Charming, Your Royal Majesty,” y/n snarked, glancing over her shoulder at Nikolai. “No, I’m needing it since I don’t know where your hands have been and I prefer not to,” she feigned a shiver of disgust as she turned her face forward again.

“Whatever,” Nikolai groaned. “I came to get you as-“ he began.

“As you missed me?” Y/n teased. “I’m afraid I cannot return the sentiment,” she dissed, continuing to walk down the long palace hallway.

“We have a meeting to attend,” Nikolai argued, ignoring y/N’s remark.

“You,” y/n stated, turning around to face Nikolai. “You have a meeting to attend,” she disagreed, nodding her head in the other direction from where she was headed.

Nikolai rolled his eyes in frustration. “They’re expecting-“ he argued, already tired of having to explain their royal responsibilities to y/n.

“And I’m sure you’ll be able to charm your way through their disappointment of my absence today,” y/n smirked. She turned from him. “Now, I must be going”.

Nikolai went to the meeting. But his mind was elsewhere. Despite his best attempts, Nikolai couldn’t help but wonder where y/n had ventured off to. He scolded himself for not focusing on his responsibilities. Even more so for being distracted by her.

Nikolai told himself his wondering was simply because he was frustrated y/n ditched the meeting. Even to himself, it didn’t feel like whole truth. But, it was all he could come up with.

After over an hour of suffering through the boring meeting, Nikolai decided to leave early. He offered a generic excuse, saying he was sorry but had other responsibilities to attend to. Once Nikolai slipped out of the room, he began to wander in the direction he’d last seen y/n heading.

Nikolai’s lips parted as he checked another room. He’d peeked in through the doorway of an old office space his parents long abandoned. He wasn’t sure why his parents ever discarded its usage.

It was still a nice room. The floors were polished high-quality wood paneled. The walls were hand-painted with gold accents. Hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room was an enormous and elegant chandelier. The window faced one of the palace’s gardens and let in some warm lighting. The light from the window, even at this hour, was enough to delicately shimmer off the edges of the crystals on the chandelier, increasing the glow of the room.

But, Nikolai’s eyes weren’t focused on how beautiful the room was. He could only see how disgustingly radiant y/n looked. As much as he hated to admit it, Nikolai was in awe of the girl before him.

Y/n was only stretching at the moment; having already finished for the evening. She had changed out of her ballgown and was now in her athleisure wear. It was a plain pair of skin-tight leggings and a long sleeve wrap top. Nothing fancy, yet modest and flexible enough for y/n to dance in.

Nikolai hadn’t seen this soft side of y/n before. His eyes first took note of how her hair was tied up in a sloppy top knot. His eyes then noticed the causal, relaxed and comfortable, clothing she’d opted for. Nikolai couldn’t remember a time in which he’d seen her so relaxed.

As far as he could remember, Nikolai always saw y/n in her royal attire, her hair done flawlessly, makeup applied presumably by her family’s servants, etc. In other words, he was used to her Princess persona. Nikolai hadn’t ever seen her like this. Saints, he didn’t know this side of her existed. Did he?

Just as Nikolai began to try and think of any other rarities like what was before him now, someone tapped his shoulder.

Zoya had seen Nikolai standing in the doorway of the office-turned-dance studio. She smirked as she noticed the Prince was obviously watching y/n rather closely. When Nikolai turned to her in reaction to her tapping on his shoulder, Zoya nodded her head to the hallway.

Nikolai risked one last curious glance at y/n, forcing a fake grimace he hoped Zoya didn’t see through. He cautiously closed the door, having been holding it open just enough to peek his head in. Nikolai didn’t need y/n knowing he was there. Much less that he had watched her cool down and stretch. Nikolai knew what y/n would assume and mock him for. And that’s not what happened. He wasn’t enamored by the sight, he was just curious. After all, shouldn’t Nikolai know what his future wife was up to?

Zoya waited until she and Nikolai were down the hallway more before she spoke. “Your parents, the King and Queen, promised Y/n a private space to use as a dance studio,” Zoya informed him impassively. “Similar to what she had at home. Well, her former home I suppose,” she added, her tone more sympathetic now.

Nikolai nodded his head slowly. He knew Zoya had caught him watching her. Plus, this conversation kept Nikolai from having to ask y/n or spy on her again for more information. And, at least Zoya seemed to think it was just because Nikolai was confused and curious. Which he was; that’s all it was. Or at least that’s what he kept telling himself.

“Before you ask,” Zoya stated, straightening her back, “I don’t know why y/n wanted the room when we already have an established ballroom”. She sighed quietly, glancing towards the engraved door that led to where y/n was. “That being said, while you’re evidently too stubborn to see what’s really going on around here,” Zoya groaned, eyeing Nikolai up and down. “Don’t ruin this for her. Whatever reasons you believe you’ve got for your displeasure with y/n, it’s been arranged for her to be your wife. Let her have this one thing,” she ordered.

Nikolai squinted, slightly insulted by Zoya’s insinuation. “I wasn’t-“ He attempted to argue.

Zoya rolled her eyes. “Nikolai, I’ve known both of you long enough by now. I’m no fool,” she sighed. “I don’t understand the alleged hatred thing between you two”. When Nikolai went to respond, Zoya waved him off. “Nonetheless, it would be wise to not entirely piss off the woman who very well might be the future queen of our country”.

While she’d never say it, Zoya also didn’t want Nikolai upsetting y/n for y/n’s sake. She was friends with both the Prince and Princess. As such, she could see through this charade of hatred they claimed to have towards one another. Zoya refused to meddle in the matter, but she also didn’t want y/n to suffer if Nikolai did truly hold even just enough hatred to deny y/n of this one luxury.

Nikolai scoffed, “Vasily is the Crown Prince, Nazyalensky”. “Not to mention, I’m not cruel enough to do anything about,” he waved down the hall, “whatever that is”. “We all need our break from this lifestyle”.

Zoya rolled her eyes, “your brother will likely be killed by one of his mistresses before he ever becomes King”. She smirked as Nikolai laughed lightly. “Yet, I’m glad to hear that. After all, seems she knows of your method for dealing with such a needed break,” Zoya winked.

Nikolai ran a hand down his face and groaned. “Reminds me, I need to figure out how she knows of that,” He sighed. Nikolai shook his head, “Nonetheless, I should head to my chambers for the evening. Last thing I need is y/n coming out and worsening my headache”.

Zoya closed her eyes and sighed in irritation. Yet, she waved him dismissively. “Go on then sobachka,” Zoya laughed at Nikolai glancing around before flipping her off.

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[g0ldgauntlet]

I do not feel sympathy for Michaela Laws.

This is sort of a vent post (and likely the only post I'll ever make about Yansim since anything else I could say has probably been said by several other people), so feel free to scroll past this if you're not interested.

If you are, then proceed below. (Tw for grooming)

A few days ago, Michaela Laws resigned from her role as Ayano Aishi from Yandere Simulator after learning that its developer had groomed a minor. I want to first make clear that I am glad that she left, and she did the right thing by leaving. However, all I could keep thinking was one thing: Why did it take her this long?

So many people already knew about how horrible Alex Mahan (aka Yandere Dev) was. Surely someone must have told her-

Oh wait.

I found out that multiple people did, in fact, tell her about his past actions. Her response was to defend him, and then she doubled down on defending him when she was informed of the more current actions that Alex had committed at the time.

If you don't believe that's her, the post is still up on Tumblr via this reblog and here. Michaela knew about all of this as far back as 2017.

I find it most interesting that in these screenshots and posts, she referred to everyone who despised Alex as "anti-dev masses," and she ignored the things he said and did because she is, in her words, "an intellectual who can separate fiction from reality."

She even claimed that the people telling her that he treats women differently (which he does) are "sexist," even when said people told her that he very well could have hurt other people even if he was nice to just her.

The cherry on top of this is her unironic usage of the term "SJW," which tells me everything that I need to know about this. And you know what? Her saying in her resignation tweet that she still hopes that the game gets completed makes perfect sense to me now despite how out of place it feels compared to everything else. If she believes in separating fiction from reality, then she likely believed that she could still separate content from the creator.

In Alex's case, I strongly disagree with that notion, but what feels more contradictory is this other statement in the tweet:

I did not join to be a defender or arbiter of anyone's actions outside of the project.

However...That is literally what Michaela did. As I said, she defended Alex because of the "rumors" being spread about him.

She doesn't get to cry on Twitter about things turning out like this when she willingly claimed that Alex was only getting so much bad attention because "people don't like him."

She was the one who said "don't believe everything you hear." It was her who downplayed Alex's actions as "mistakes" or "accidents," and she claimed that he is "just a guy trying to make a game and be a game developer."

She doesn't get to backtrack now and pretend that she didn't knowingly defend Alex and stick by him for six more years after the making of that Tumblr post.

It took her six years and another minor after sisefs getting hurt for her to acknowledge what most people who knew about Yandere Simulator already knew about this man - That he is a terrible human being.

To be clear, I am not putting any blame on Michaela for what happened to the victims. I do not believe that she could have known about the current victim, or even the past one at the time of when the information came to light. Also, I do appreciate her giving support to all of the victims involved and correcting her previous statement since some (myself included) thought that she was perpetuating victim-blaming. However, that is as much benefit of the doubt that I could possibly give her. As for everything else? I cannot do that, and here's why:

It is my belief that she was well aware of what she was doing, and she either didn't see anything wrong with what Alex did or just didn't care until she finally realized how badly this all reflects on her now that Alex has been shown up-front once again to be an awful person (I also believe that this is connected to the backtracking in her resignation tweet as well).

Basically, my frustration comes from how far things had to get before she finally decided to denounce Alex and his actions.

She made her choice. Given that she previously claimed that she does not care about trying to look better and said that she would delete attempts to "sway" her about Alex, it seems clear that this was also the hill that she was willing to die on. Well, look where that got her. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how she didn't expect that a terrible person with a rightfully terrible reputation would end up doing something even more terrible, and that she was willing to ignore everything up until now. I don't understand how she didn't think that this would also negatively affect the game by association of the developer, but at this point, whatever happens to the game doesn't matter nearly as much as what Alex has done and likely will continue to do since it's been proven time and time again that he will never change as a person.

So no, I don't feel sympathy for Michaela Laws. I don't feel bad about her saying that she stuck with this game for almost ten years despite sticking up for Alex and sticking by him for six of those years. She did this to herself, and Yandere Simulator is probably something that she will be connected to for a long time since she is well-known as the voice of the game's main character. She could have left sooner, but chose not to and made it clear that she didn't want to until the truth had to be shoved right in front of her face.

So for that, Michaela only has herself to blame.

Edit:

I would like to add this Twitter thread that proves the point I was making here.

Michaela, three years after the Tumblr post I linked, straight up admits that she doesn't care about what Alex does, and she accuses a victim of Cryaotic (another groomer) of lying.

Even if Michaela apologized for the latter bit, it just goes to show that she was more than willing to ignore what people told her about Alex and still stand by him and the game.

This whole thing is a recurring trend with her. Had Alex not been exposed again, she probably would still be defending him even now.

She isn't sorry about being a part of the project at all.

And if she isn't sorry, then I don't feel sorry for her either.

#gold's rambles #yandere simulator #yansim #yandere dev #michaela laws #honest to god i seriously don't know what she was expecting #yandev being horrible again?? what a shocker #vent post #grooming

[guccibootyellow]

I don’t usually reply to stuff like this but I’ve had a couple of replies in general and I’ve had people message me privately that I’ve ignored. I’m only going to say this once (just because I know what the su and bellow fandom can be like and I really don’t want to get into it or start anything).

I’m well aware, canonically, this may be the case but coming onto a bellow blog where I’ve made it clear I hc them as a couple and all the scenarios that this might include, I don’t appreciate being told I’m being icky or gross or wrong (as mentioned in private messages bc of what I’ve shared) for a harmless hc that you can by all means scroll past or unfollow me for. Let’s not do this please, guys.

If I don’t personally agree with someone, I don’t make people feel bad or message them to specifically disagree with personal hc’s or perspectives. I just leave it be because it doesn’t affect me and it doesn’t matter (they’re not real people; it’s just harmless fun). Please give me the same courtesy and stop replying or messaging me just because you don’t agree with me.

Feel free to mute, block, or ignore. But please don’t start making moral comments or messages on my posts or to me personally just because I hc something differently to you or express my ships differently. You know I’m a bellow shipper; this is what this blog has always been. You know I post or talk about nsfw, seriously and as a joke. Please don’t make comments when you know this is the case.

I don’t want to argue; I don’t mean to offend. It’s just that I’ve seen this happen a lot with the su fandom and I’ve been in multiple fandom spaces enough to know that this doesn’t need to happen. I’ve also been in this fandom enough to see how su fans treat each other.

Like I said, if you don’t like me or my opinions, feel free to ignore me. But don’t come to me personally and start making comments. I’m not sure what you get out of it but I’ve had this a few times now (not just this reply) when I don’t usually so please respect my space. I’m respecting yours.

Thank you so much 😮‍💨🙏🏼

#bit of a long post sorry but i needed to get this off my chest #i’ve had this blog for around 5 years and it’s always been a safe and happy space #pls let’s just let everyone have their space and leave it be if they’re not harming anyone #don’t make me regret having this blog bc this is the only bellow centric space i have left #just want to share my thoughts and share other people’s and leave it there #don’t engage if you don’t need to or want to #personal #bit of a rant

[mhaynoot]

heyyyy ive gotten a few followers recently and i feel like i should do a few disclaimers. i like spod content. i dont care about anti or proship discourse because both sides feel like they're just turning into gotcha and harassment movements against each other. like just dont harrass people. block, scroll and move on. i think harassment over what someone likes in fiction and fantasy is bad. i think its the same as video game causes violences arguments, ignores how horror had been a space for feminine and marginalised groups, and these types of arguments that fiction will cause abuse / other real life crimes and harm is victim blaming. its also a thinly veiled villainisation of female fantasy and another campaign against things teenage girls like because teenage girls will always be fucked over by society.

i dont mind if its not your thing or that you have squicks obviously. if i make you uncomfy or you disagree with my opinions, feel free to unfollow and block me 🤝

#ha rants #spod mention #god im so nervous posting this yeshh

[safety-pin-punk]

hello! i saw someone point out that the blackout (the indefinite version, anyway) would isolate a lot of disabled ppl during disability pride month & what would hurt tumblr most is actually not buying any of their stuff, not blazing posts not buying ad-free stuff like that, instead of a blackout. so uhh heads up i guess lol

Hi! Thank you for pointing this out, I’ve seen a few posts like this and I just haven’t gotten around to addressing these things on my own blog, though I guess nows the time lol

1. I do not plan on doing an indefinite blackout. Only the 48 hour one. This has actually aligned with me wanting to take a break from tumblr a bit anyways, and at least this way I’m kinda supporting a cause (even if it may be in vain). Its kinda funny, I think this is the same weekend I did my own ‘blackout’ type thing last year when I took a trip to Gettysburg. So yeah, I do not plan on doing a blackout indefinitely, because a) I do like tumblr and the people I know on tumblr and b) that would be a very shitty thing to do basically just during disability pride month. I do like how poetic it is though that the 48 hour blackout is at the end of queer pride and beginning of disability pride though, it feels like we are standing in solidarity as the torch is passed, ya know?

2. I disagree with not buying their stuff hurting them more. Think about it, this site is already unprofitable from people NOT buying those things. Most people dont pay to use this website to begin with, so ‘boycotting’ it wouldnt do that much. However, they do make money off the ads, if you click the ads, the more ads you see the higher the chance you click and engage them and the more revenue they make (especially with how broken mobile is and it gets wonky when you try to scroll past and sometimes you accidentally click them). If we do blackout for 48 hours, thats 48 hours they cant make money off of us seeing ads or engaging with ads, and I think that would hurt them more than just boycotting buying stuff that most people ignore anyway. Alternatively (or rather in conjunction with the blackout) I also think we should be leaving 1 star reviews on the app stores

#mail tag #blackout #tumblr blackout

[multiplicity-positivity]

Any advice for a past anti-endo becoming pro-endo? I find myself slowly drifting away from friends who consider themselves anti-endo and I wonder if maybe I'm doing something wrong. I understand endos aren't perfect but they aren't as bad as people make them out to be. Sorry if this is too discoursey for this blog, feel free to ignore if it is!

hey - we don’t mind answering this, but we’ll do so under a cut to spare our followers from the syscourse. followers, if syscourse upsets you, please scroll on without clicking to keep reading.

so first of all, that’s great that you’re having a more open mind about plurality and endogenic systems! accepting and embracing different forms of plurality can help bring us closer together as a community :)

we’re sorry it’s been causing you to drift away from your friends as a result… syscourse is a complicated and nuanced topic, and it’s hard to find anyone who will agree with your syscourse beliefs 100%. we know pro endos who still maintain friendships with anti endos, and we do believe it’s possible to maintain positive relationships with those who disagree with you without wavering in your beliefs.

i suppose some general advice we’d like to give for a previous anti endo who’s changing their ways is:

1) trust yourself for validation, not other pro endos.

if you are open and accepting of other kinds of systems, that is excellent, and you are doing the right thing. many in the pro endo community may struggle to accept folks who have changed their ways. there’s lots of “once an anti, always an anti”, “syscourse unaligned/neutral just means anti”, and “anti endos are a hate group” sentiments online. and those who genuinely have these beliefs likely won’t trust or show kindness to those who have been anti endos in the past. so don’t be too discouraged and please don’t go back to being anti endo if you’re not accepted in the community by other pro endos. we ourself have been shunned by much of the pro endo community for being “syscourse unaligned,” so we know personally how that goes. but that hasn’t stopped us from listening to and supporting endogenic systems to the best of our ability.

2) stay out of syscourse, at least for a while

syscourse is dangerous. discussions (on the rare occasions there is one) are often emotionally charged and can get very heated very quickly. so many individuals on all sides of syscourse truly believe that their opinions are the only right ones, and everyone else needs to change or leave the system community. so if you’re learning more about endogenic systems and trying to be a pro endo, it may be wise to just stay out of syscourse and support nontraumagenic systems from the sidelines. one way you can do this is by…

3) following common pro endo tags

“#pluralgang” in general is pretty accepting of all systems. there’s also “#endo safe,” “#endo friendly,” “#endogenic,” “#pro endo,” “#nontraumagenic,” and “#nontraumagenic safe.” you will see the occasional cross post which doesn’t belong, but for the most part, these tags are by endo systems and supporters, for endo systems and their supporters. following these tags can help you feel less isolated from the community!

4) know when to set boundaries and draw the line

it’s well known that the pro endo community (and the plural community in general, honestly) has issues with racism, particularly concerning “tulpamancy” language, which has been condemned by many buddhist systems of color. it is possible to be pro endo without condoning the racism that exists within the community! please make an effort to listen to, center, and uplift plural voices of color in your discussion spaces. it’s possible to believe in tulpamancy and be pro tulpa systems while not standing for their choice of language use. please don’t be accepting of all practices and terminology at face value; when you hear marginalized groups voicing their concerns, listen to them and take them seriously. there are plenty of other terms to describe these systems you can use besides “tulpa” - our system uses paro/paromancy/paromancer, which is not a term bastardized from vajrayana buddhism and tibetan culture.

5) think critically about what you see online

as with any community, there can be bad actors, and there can be ableism. please put your thinking cap on when reading others’ posts, especially posts made by endogenic systems that discuss did/osdd and other dissociative disorders. learn how to spot misinformation and disinformation. try to understand when posts are slightly misguided, and when they may have ulterior motives to cause harm to traumagenic systems. there are accounts out there run by people who will make bigoted, hurtful, and untrue statements regularly, but since they do this eloquently and with a cheery attitude, they often go unchecked. make sure you’re being careful when engaging with the pro endo community, to try and avoid interacting with those whose intentions are to harm disabled systems.

6) try not to waver in your beliefs

if you end up having conversations about syscourse with your anti endo friends, you may find that they spend time trying to steer you back to disliking or disbelieving endo systems. having a few talking points to help you stand your ground could be really useful. some of our go-to statements are:

- other people know themselves and their experiences more than i ever will.

- just because someone’s personal or spiritual beliefs are not provable by science doesn’t mean that they deserve to be disrespected.

- policing other people’s identities and lived experiences is never a good look.

- for the most part, endogenic systems do not claim to have dissociative disorders and do not take up resources allocated for traumagenic systems, contrary to popular belief.

hopefully these things can help keep you on track. you’re not doing anything wrong by coming to a better understanding of plurality and choosing to listen to and respect nontraumagenic systems. remember we’re not the end-all-be-all to syscourse and the pro endo community! we’re just one system who’s been around the block sharing our ideas.

we seriously hope that soon you can find community with likeminded people. thank you for making a genuine attempt to learn more - we see you and appreciate your efforts in trying to change for the better!

🐢 kip and 💫 parker

#syscourse #pro endo #anti endo

[herwrittenuniverse]

Thoughts on Rayllum Post S4

Last week, I posted a chapter of my story Lunation and got some pretty divisive comments. It got my wheels turning and before I knew it, my fingers were flying, and I ended up writing something small an essay on Rayla and Callum's communication at this point in their journey.

I'm going to put it below because I feel like people may disagree (which, by all means, you are free to do so and keep scrolling without reading). Click below to read more.

Are you sure you want to read?

There's still time to turn around!

Alright then!

Also, please feel free to sound off in the comments or reblogging.

Edit: Adding this one because I feel like this blog is making its rounds and it needs to be said. Let me make this 100000% clear that this post is not to blindly defend Rayla in any way. Her actions (lying/leaving) in TTM were awful (and I talk more about that below). However, this post is a reaction to some comments on my story - comments that made me realize that there are those in the fandom that believe her actions are (especially to Callum) unforgivable - that no matter what Rayla does, says, or thinks in future seasons, she will forever be at fault for leaving, and doesn't deserve to reconcile with Callum.

Original Post:

I didn’t realize how much of the TDP Community takes serious fault in (ahem, hates) post-TTM Rayla. Last week, I posted a chapter of Lunation (a fanfiction/character study of what would happen if Rayla and Callum actually talked post S4) where Rayla and Callum try to talk about things. In my story, Rayla realized how much she truly hurt Callum, and while she attempts to explain herself, she ultimately apologizes, realizing her actions hurt Callum more than she could ever imagine. Callum, who is still blinded by anger and repressing a lot of his feelings, lashes out at her. It makes them both explode and nothing is settled between them (until later chapters - but that’s a different post).

Obviously, I am just a fan, and I am using this work as a creative release. But I take pride in proper characterizations - I want to be sure each party member is behaving like they would in the show. And, on top of it all, I am spending my free time putting genuine love and devotion into something purely because I enjoy it.

But many of the responses on the chapter really left me scratching my head, and quite frankly, made me…sad. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that is not the issue - I understand you can’t please everyone. I was genuinely upset because people seem completely ignorant of the absolute trauma Rayla has been through. Readers called me biased towards Rayla (with no sympathy towards Callum), called Rayla toxic, said they want Rayla to "truly regret her decision and actually apologize," calling my interpreted apology disingenuous because I used her family dynamic as one reason why she would leave to protect Callum (and honestly, likely also because she didn't grovel at Callum's feet). 

I am not saying what Rayla did in TTM was right - actually, I think the opposite. Rayla’s response was definitely not healthy, and it wasn’t correct, and there were more plausible options. Yet having been through trauma myself, I understand Rayla’s actions. When TTM begins, we see how Viren has taken away literally everyone Rayla has loved - every parent she’s ever had,  including (in a way) Ethari, who is not dead but is forbidden to see his foster daughter due to the fact that she is a Ghost. 

Rayla left to protect literally the last thing that she loves in life - Callum, and probably Ezran too (but remember, she saw Callum encased in ice along with her parents and Runaan in TTM). Through Seasons 1 - 3, Rayla is self-sacrificing, rash, and guilty - her choice to leave, while not right by any means, aligns with her character that we have all seen through Seasons 1-3. 

Again, was her decision right? Nope. Was it correct? Absolutely not. But those were Rayla’s actions, and at the time, she felt it was right and justified, which again fits into her character. In S4, we see Rayla come back empty-handed, and frankly, that shows growth. She realizes that her attempt was fruitless, and hence returns. It sure looks shitty to Callum because she has nothing to account for - and at the beginning of S4, he seems justifiably hurt, angry, yet still hung up on Rayla. So yes, Rayla’s return is incredibly hurtful to Callum - but let’s not forget that it was likely also hard on Rayla. She is both a prideful and honorable creature, so returning to Katolis empty-handed had to be one of the hardest things for her to do, especially with nothing to account for. No one likes to admit they’re wrong, especially about something as big of a decision as that. That is not to take away from Callum’s pain - it is just as hard and traumatic for Callum. But I think members of the TDP Community are forgetting that it’s hard on Rayla too. 

And Callum’s ire is understandable. However, my interpretation from S4 (and from his short story 'Inheritance') was that for two years, he stuffed down all his feelings and made everyone around him miserable. At this point, those around Callum have been dealing with him wallowing for two years - and now, the love of his life is here, in front of him, and he is still choosing not to address anything with Rayla. He is withdrawn, and has been for the past two years. Rayla's return is essentially forcing him to finally process what has happened. That’s why I decided to explore Lunation. S4 gave us no resolution with Rayllum, and it had the gears in my brain going. 

Some people are also saying that Ezran and Soren should be loyal to Callum because they know him the longest, and that they should be more angry with Rayla (both in the show and in Lunation). Yet I see Soren and Ezran as mediators, both in the show and throughout my story. Yes, they’ve seen their friend/brother desperate for nearly two years because of Rayla (which I’m sure gets tiring in itself). Now Rayla is back, but Callum is not taking any means to move communication forward. This is plainly addressed when Ezran and Callum speak in the Drakewood (“Lots of things are hard, like magic. But you figured that one out.”) and when Rayla and Soren speak on their ‘adventure’ (“When you left, you hurt him - real bad.”). It is natural that Ezran and Soren are not going to have the same bitter response to Rayla that Callum had because A. Their love/relationship with Rayla is different, and they have likely already processed what has happened. B. It is not in their nature to be inherently angry or bitter (Ezran, especially). C. I would like to think that, at this point, they want to see Callum happy. I am sure they were angry and mourning Rayla in their own way, but Callum would be the most affected by Rayla’s departure. 

Let’s also not forget…that Jack DeSena (when being interviewed about S4) himself said that Callum repressed his feelings during the two year absence, and dove into magic. 

And again - in case you didn’t read the first or second time I said it - Callum has every right to be angry. But remember, these are conflicting emotions that Callum is suppressing. He loves Rayla deeply, but is also angry and hurt. Still yet, he hasn’t talked about it or addressed it, even at the end of S4. A person who is withholding all these feelings is going to act angry, bitter, moody, and likely lash out - we saw evidence of all of this in S4. 

But…those of you who are anti-Rayla seem to miss the fact that Callum is still in love with her. He never stopped loving her - not ever in these two years. But he still has these repressed, unspoken emotions that are going to burst through, and that is what I wanted to explore in Lunation.

I deliberately made their conversation drawn out and slow, starting right from Through the Surface (my fanfic that takes place before Lunation). They’ve been slowly getting there, bit by bit…because if you’ve ever tried to repair a relationship (especially one where both parties are hurt), it takes time. That’s one reason why I liked S4, as Rayllum wasn’t addressed at all. Why would it? While it was disappointing to Rayllum fans, it was a perfectly normal response. It is not realistic for a couple to just pick back up after two years and pretend like nothing happened. 

And ultimately, that is the point of Lunation - to show that relationships are messy, are not linear by any means, and that in order to make it work, there needs to be communication, and communication is freaking hard. 

As a bonus, for those of you insisting “But Rayla hurt Callum! Rayla doesn’t deserve to go back with Callum! How can you ever go back to someone who has hurt you?” To you, I say this: it is painfully obvious that you have not had any complex relationships, life experiences, or the ability to empathize. It seems like you’ve never had someone you hurt (or they hurt you) terribly , only for the love to remain ever present. Truly, it must be nice to live on a plane of reality where things are so black and white. But in my reality, life is not black and white. Life is messy, and love is the messiest thing of them all. 

And, on top of it all, these are fictional characters that do not exist, and I (along with several other creators) am writing fanfiction out of free will and my love for the show. I don’t get anything out of this process (including writing this rant/blog post). So if a person doesn’t like my interpretation of these characters and this story, that’s cool - but you can say your opinion kindly and without aggression, or simply close out the tab and decide not to read. 

And hell, write your own damn story if mine makes you so angry.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

Feel free to sound off in the comments.

#the dragon prince #tdp #rayllum #tdp rayllum #samuel seabury #free thoughts #my writing #blog

[seek--rest]

I'm nosy and I also love enabling people to rant, so tell us the reasons why you think spideychelle and irondad hate Peter (I kinda know with irondad tho). Anyway, go off, rant away!

I should give a disclaimer since people lack the emotional fortitude to scroll by opinions they disagree with: this is just an opinion, based on years of being in both of these fandoms and what I’ve been witness to.

To me, there are large swaths of both irondad and spideychelle that do not seem to give a shit about Peter Parker (and as a result, Spider-Man).

IronDad is a bit more obvious to anyone who has been around fandom for a bit. It’s in the name; the inordinate focus of 80% of IronDad fics are about Tony: his fears, his worries, what he thinks about Peter, how his life has been changed from being around Peter. If it’s a whump fic, it’s about how Peter being hurt harms Tony. If it’s a “team” fic, it’s about how Peter can defend/support/have so much hero worship for Tony. If it’s a “family” fic, it’s about Peter is Tony’s long lost son and how that affects him or how learning how to be a Father figure matters for Tony— not the literal orphan who watched his uncle die and is raised by his single aunt, Peter Parker. Even in fics that are in Peter’s POV, you can throw a dart and hit a fic that will most likely be revolving around how Peter fits into Tony’s life compared to the other way around. And if you wanna argue about this, ask yourself— how many fics can you think of that genuinely and truly have Peter’s life and friends at Midtown that don’t debase them into memes or complications where Tony shows up as a cameo one-liner, compared to the alternative?

If you can name those, but you can’t give specifics for the alternative— that gives you a picture of how imbalanced things are.

Spideychelle is a bit trickier, not just because it’s a smaller fandom (which is its own issue and in large part because of IronDad utterly consuming MCU Spider-Man fic which is a problem because he is fucking Spider-Man and should have enough fic and a presence to not be ALWAYS subsumed into Tony Stark’s life but I digress), but because this is not just giving a shit about Peter— but more not giving a shit about Spider-Man.

Not that irondad is free of these tropes (which so much of irondad being starker lite is a topic for another day), but spideychelle focuses on the romance: the getting together, the smut, the relationship, etc. Spider-Man is an obstacle and not in the fun story way. It’s an annoyance, something to be overcome, disregarded or completely ignored because what people really want is tomdaya rpf the romantic journey. It’s far more likely to shoot a dart and find a fic that revolves around the feelings and the relationship between the two of them, with the Spider-Man aspect of who he is being something delegated to a one line reference to patrol or exposition of how Peter “used to prioritize” the city over MJ but “chooses better now” which— sure. But in a vacuum, if the focus is just constantly smut, constant romantic yearning, constant hyperfocusing on either Peter and MJ (because fuck Ned, Flash, May, or literally anyone else right?) that also tends to be no powers or Spider-Man as a non-entity, then I have a hard time believing that people actually give a shit about Peter. Peter is Spider-Man, if you remove that from the equation, he’s just another romantic love interest for the MC the writer projects on.

(And that to me is where the blatant hypocrisy comes in because the sins of irondad are long and many but spideychelle fandom being pretentious as hell, claiming to truly love Peter MORE than irondad, only to ignore Ned and Flash and May in the same ways that IronDad does is ridiculous. IronDad is terrible about Peter’s side characters— and terrible in deeply misogynistic and racist ways, full stop end of story. But spideychelle, while not always or explicitly racist and misogynistic, is really no fucking better if Peter’s best friend doesn’t exist except to give Wisdom or May becomes “MJ’s sole maternal figure” like�� do we not all see the connections here)

It’s why my ultimate Thought is that both fandoms have a lot of great strengths but also are absurdly hypocritical about the other in ways neither seems to be self aware about.

IronDad focuses so hard on Spider-Man that Peter Parker doesn’t exist; at best, he’s a flingy little hero that the Avengers can fawn over or a wise cracking whump target that Tony can worry over and at worst, he’s an OOC sobbing little sad sack that couldn’t breathe without Tony and needs cuddles with him and him alone to survive the big bad world. When it comes to Peter’s life, world, friends, family, internal motivations, the focus of the story isn’t Peter as an end to itself— it’s Tony.

Spideychelle focuses so hard on Peter Parker that Spider-Man doesn’t exist: at best he’s a sarcastic little flirty shit that MJ has always been deeply obsessed with and has never known love before until he came into her life or an awkward idiot who can’t form a sentence in front of her and at worst, he’s just a white guy with a dick that sees MJ as another hole. When it comes to Peter’s life, world, friends, family, internal motivations, the focus of the story isn’t Peter as an end to itself— it’s the relationship (not even MJ as a person, which is somehow even worse).

It’s disappointing not just as a Peter Parker fan but also to the detriment of both Tony and MJ— both of whom are characters that have so much potential and are both debased into the most basic and bland characterization they can be that are almost co-dependent to Peter Parker.

Now before someone gets themselves into a snit, I’m not saying fics that combine the best of them don’t exist. Clearly, they do. I love reading them. But they’re not the default— in both “sides” of fandom— and it’s why I’ve been constantly frustrated since 2019 that Peter Parker is the one connecting thread to these two aspects of fandom.

It should not be so fucking rare for anyone to give a shit about Peter enough to see him as that focus, that even when TALKING about MCU Spider-Man— the fandom isn’t even fucking about him, it’s about these relationships.

#seek speaks #i just know someone is gonna read this and say #‘seek is so mean about what people like she’s trying to run fandom’ #girl go to therapy how is that even possible #if one person’s opinion can ruin you that badly that really is a you problem #you have the backbone of a chocolate eclair #‘let people enjoy things’ and I enjoy thinking critically about what I love so #cause let’s be clear: I love it here #I love fandom #/eye/ am still creating the works that I want to see and reading extensively #can you say the same?

[lettersiarrange]

Kind of surprised I have to make this post, but as a PSA, I don't agree 100% with everything I reblog

Sometimes I reblog things because I think they're an interesting perspective I hadn't considered before, but want to think more about. Sometimes I reblog things because I agree with the overall point even if I disagree with the phrasing of some things or minor points. Sometimes I reblog things I'm still making up my mind about, but that I thought added value to a conversation. Sometimes I reblog things whose ideology I align with but that take a completely different approach than I would.

I'm not going to write out a whole thesis in the tags on every post about which sentences I agree with and which I don't. I think if you've been following me for a while you know my values and what I'm about, and it's fair to assume that perspectives that show up over and over again are things I really do fully agree with. I'm never going to reblog something I fully or mostly disagree with without commentary making that clear, but if I see a post that makes a good point but that I have some more nuanced feelings about during my Mindless Scrolling Time, I might reblog it without putting on my Academic Hat and deconstructing every bit of it in my reblog. Maybe I'll bring it up to a friend irl later if I have a lot of Thoughts.

The only thing you should assume I agree with 100% without question are posts I write myself. And even then, if the post is more than a year old, I may have grown and changed some of my opinions since then.

Just wanted to put that out there because I've gotten a few asks recently that say something to the effect of "I can't believe you really think x" (referring to a post I thought had an interesting perspective I hadn't seen articulated in that way before), or "wooww, [quotes a line from a post that's referring to a specific approach I wouldn't take, but respect the right of other people to]". Like sorry but if you have an issue with the way a post is written or the choices of the person writing the post, consider taking that to the OP??

If you want to come into my askbox and start a conversation in good faith abt something, that's fine. Please do definitely tell me if you feel like I've reblogged something that's part of a broader context that doesn't seem in line with my values but that you think I probably am not aware of. Ie, I reblogged a post with terfy undertones without realizing, or I reblog something that I think is just being critical of the government but is actually contextually part of an anti-voting strategy/discourse. It's ok to say "hey I was surprised to see that on your blog, I didn't think that aligned with your values"-- maybe I'm missing context or am still figuring out how I feel and would welcome other perspectives.

But I'm not going to take responsibility for how other people phrase things or the choices they make with regards to how they live their values/politics. People coming into my askbox mad about one sentence of a post I reblogged, assuming I agree with the post 100% and would say that myself, without making an effort to educate/discuss in good faith, will be ignored.

Surprise surprise, reading something and thinking it would be valuable for other people to read too is not the same thing as endorsing the entire text uncritically by default.

If you want to know how I actually feel about something, feel free to politely ask.

#i hope this doesn't come off as dickish #mostly I'm just... baffled... that people assume i agree with literally everything on my blog 100% #if it's on my blog i think it's interesting and probably worth talking about #that doesn't mean its 100% perfect or 100% representative of my own views or actions #i'm obvs not gonna reblog something that's like *let's commit hate crimes!* #but i might reblog something that i feel hmmm about but think is a good addition to a larger conversation #and i had assumed that was understood #but i guess not #again: friends are welcome to express concerns if they feel like I'm endorsing something out of line with my values or theirs #but reblogging something is not- for me- complete and uncritical endorsement #it's more like. hey. let's think and talk about this.

[skrunklybf-archived]

this one's for the tumblrinas (gender neutral) with mommy/daddy issues (just a useless vent post feel free to scroll)

do you ever feel a strange urge to try to "repair" your relationship with your parent(s)?

i'm not sure if it's a product of mania, or maybe depression, or some strange mixture of both, but every now and then, there's this weird sense of "a second wind" where, completely unprompted, i feel like i can have a normal relationship with them.

sometimes i want to call my mom and tell her about a book i enjoyed, even though i know she wouldn't enjoy it herself. or sometimes i want to just sit and have coffee with my dad and talk about useless things we know we'd disagree on, like the news.

it's weird, though, because of how unwilling and entirely apprehensive i am to show any sort of emotion around them. anyone who's been around me for any meaningful length of time knows i tend to shower and smother. if i like you, i need you to know that i like you, because people like knowing that they're liked, and i need people to feel like i've given them something. i need to feel useful. but i don't have this need with my family, even though i still need their approval, it's like i've created this character specifically for them, and i can't deviate from it. to act different would spur questions about myself and my mental health and my feelings and things i can't talk to them about because it's just too prickly.

i spent a lot of my youth wishing for what my friends had with their families, or glamorizing what i saw on TV even though i know they're false situations, dramatized stories, probably products of some team of writers with their own set of issues. i know it's wholly unrealistic to imagine everyone had a life where they were given room to grow and develop and discover how to be a person. i also know that you tend to shed that weird shiny glaze as you get older and most people claim age "opens your eyes" to things you were too naive or ignorant to see before.

i used to have such a bleak outlook because people told me all the time that the things i longed for were pure fantasy. it became a weird precedent that everyone hated their families, nobody received what they needed, and it was normal that people had to develop themselves in their own time, in some form of second-wave puberty where you're less restricted by familial ties and, more often than not, generational trauma.

but sometimes i get peeks into such genuine relationships that i wonder if all these broken interactions and years of longing really had solid ground beneath them. sometimes i get to be privy to these tidbits of other peoples lives and i get caught between thinking nihilism is normal and thinking i'm broken.

anyways this was a pointless ramble <3 have a good day

#tw mental health #tw family

[ghosttownwherenoonegoes]

This is a vent, feel free to ignore me.

I randomly started thinking about gatekeepers in this fandom and it pissed me off all over again.

Why do some people think they get to dictate who is and isn't a metalhead? Do they not realize that that kind of hostility towards newbies in both the Eddie Munson fandom and newbies to metal music in general is what ultimately kills a fandom because it drives away new activity? Or do they want this fandom to die out because new people are getting turned away? Do they really need to feel that superior to someone?

And the irony is: if you're actually GENUINELY a fan of something you WANT AS MANY PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT IT AS POSSIBLE!

If you *genuinely* love metal music you're gonna be sending song and artist and playlist recs to anyone who will listen.

A *lot* of people - especially young people - got interested in metal music after/because of Eddie, and who the fuck cares?

I first heard metal music because of School of Rock.

At this point I think the only thing that will satisfy these fucking buzzkill gatekeepers (which, do they also not realize that they're the type of metalheads that the rest of us FUCKING HATE) is if you were born ON STAGE at a fucking METALLICA concert.

ONLY THEN CAN YOU CLAIM TO BE A "TRUE" METALHEAD!

Gatekeepers just move the goal post every time you get close enough that they can no longer gatekeep, so even being born at a metal concert or even being conceived at one wouldn’t satisfy them! They just wanna make others miserable because they have no joy in their lives other than bringing others down, which is reaaaally sad and telling about the kind of people they are. Because you’re right! Who cares how you got into something??? You’re into it? Great, wonderful, share it, spread it!!!! Enjoy yourself!!! The rest of us do!!💖💖💖You’re so right!!! I agree with everything you’ve said here! I don’t really have much to add beyond the fact that it makes me angry as well.

ALSO ALSO, do they realise that not only are they the types of metalheads that the rest of us hate, but also Eddie himself would hate metalheads who gatekeep!!! That’s literally the very thing he stands against.

“Oh, I love Eddie and metal so much BUT IF YOU DON’T DO IT THIS WAY - “ congrats, Eddie would hate you!!!🙃🙃🙃🙃

School of Rock is such a kickass film!!! So many important messages in it. Eddie would love that film so much, and the soundtrack!! He’d have thrived with a teacher like that!💞

(To be fair, I haven’t seen any gatekeeping on my dash, I only see others talking about it, so I suppose I follow different people or something, or it just goes over my head because if I even vaguely disagree with something, I just eye roll and scroll past without reading the rest of it😅)

[momtaku]

Hello Mom, and Merry Christmas! I once vented here as an anon about having bad experience in the snk community and dropping the manga/anime as a result. You gave wonderful advice, but I still feel like I need to vent further. I can't seem to let myself avoid the negativity no matter how hard I try. I could try to block people, and yet I end up unblocking them just to see what they post about this one thing I disagreed with. Or I simply selectively look for things that might bother me? I do this until the community experience becomes unbearable, and I leave the community altogether. The problem is that my intention is to actually better my experience by considering new or opposite ideas, but the latter ironically worsens it for me? I want to love a piece of media and ignore all the negativity that comes with it. I really do...

Deliberately looking for things to be upset about seems like a common enough past time these days. I don't want to point fingers at twitter, but points finger at twitter I know that if I want the adrenaline spike that comes with anger, I can click a trending topic and I will see people sniping and tearing at each other in real time. Although for sure, I don't even need to click a trending topic. If I scroll my own tl long enough I will be made aware that someone somewhere said something exceedingly stupid, and that people are indignant about it. At that point of course I need to go see what started the drama so I can feel indignant as well.

Our lizard brains like emotions. Emotions make us feel things and feeling things is an integral part of our being. The opposite of feeling things is feeling nothing, which is the most terrible feeling of all.

I'm not above seeking out things that I know will upset me, and god knows I love a good debate, but I guess I'm lucky in that my brain vastly prefers the adrenaline spike that comes from being happy. That translates into my free time being spent with people I like and genuinely enjoy.

Anyway, I know you're venting anon, so you aren't looking for answers. Good thing because I have none to offer lol. I hope you had a great new years! Thanks for the ask.

#chatting with friends #fandom things