#not sure whether to tag this as the fandom or not

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Phantom Grin

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam

Summary: Bruce Wayne visits his son's grave on the night of his resurrection. Will it change Jason's fate, or is it all simply inevitable?

Chapters: 6/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain

Relationship(s): Jason Todd/Original Character

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Jason Todd Has Chronic Pain, Jason Todd is Disabled, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Resurrected Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne Get Along

Chapter Six: Storybook

Later that night, he crept downstairs and ran into Dick. Dick smiled at him, and as he opened his mouth to speak, Jason gestured for him to stay silent. He waved his hands, with fear written all over his face, and Dick took him by the arm, and they went back upstairs. "What's-." Jason gestured for Dick to keep his voice down. Dick nodded and looked at Jason's backpack. "What's wrong?" Dick asked.

"Not safe," Jason whispered, "Help me."

"Help you leave?" Dick asked. Jason nodded. "Why? What happened?"

"Dad... Don't trust Dad," Jason whispered.

Dick looked at Jason, and it was obvious that Jason was planning to leave with or without his help. "Okay, listen to me... Jason, we can get out of here tonight if you don't feel safe," Dick whispered, "But as far as I know, Bruce would never hurt you—."

"Not safe, Dick," Jason interrupted.

"Okay, after we leave, will you help me understand what you mean?" Dick asked. Jason nodded. They crept back downstairs, and Dick took Jason out to the car. Jason felt a tingling pain like electricity, running from Jason's head to his shoulders. Nerve pain. After nearly a month of tests for his persistent headaches, his doctors realized that was the cause of Jason's near-constant pain. He slumped down in the seat and closed his eyes.

"Pain?" Dick asked. Jason nodded. "Is it bad?" He started driving away from the manor, and Jason shook his head. A lie, but he didn't want to risk Dick taking him back to the hospital. "Jason? What did you remember about Bruce that's so bad you wanted to run away?"

"Hitting me..."

"Are you sure it wasn't your birth father? I know Willis—." Jason pressed his palms against his eyelids. "Jason, you never really talked about Willis, but he hurt you..."

Jason lay his head back. Dick sighed. "Jason, do you trust me?" Dick asked.

"Don't know," Jason replied honestly. Dick nodded.

Dick didn't know what to say. He couldn't stop Jason's pain, and he couldn't fix his memories. There was nothing he could do, and Jason needed help. The boys drove outside of town, and as soon as Jason drifted off to sleep, Dick stopped at a hotel and checked in. He didn't do so because he believed Jason's memory. Dick did it because there was no use in stressing Jason out any more than Jason already was. He came back to the car and woke Jason. "Jason, wake up," Dick whispered. Jason sat up and followed Dick up to their room. Jason climbed into bed, and Dick sat on the other bed, watching the tv. Jason lay curled up. Bruce called Dick and Dick sent a text in reply. Dick deleted the message immediately after sending it.

Dick sat awake the whole night, trying to figure out how to help Jason. When Jason awakened, he curled up in a ball facing Dick and mumbled, "Help?" Dick nodded.

"Yeah... Help," Dick replied, "How'd you and Cassie get along?"

Jason gave Dick a thumb's up. "I feel like you two would've gotten along either way. Jason, do you trust me now?" Dick asked.

Jason didn't answer. He wondered if he could trust anyone. Jason felt lost and alone in his own mind as he thought about Dick's question. An answer wouldn't have meant anything. He could've lied if he wanted to. "Who's Robin?" Jason asked.

Dick lay on his side facing Jason. "Robin's who I used to be, who you used to be, and now there's another. Jason, I could tell you everything I know, but it's up to you to decide whether or not you believe me," Dick whispered, "I'm not going to lie to you."

"Tell me?" Jason asked.

"I'm going to tell you a story... This story's true. It's yours, and I want you to pay attention," Dick whispered, "When Jason Peter Todd was twelve years old, he stole the tires off of the Batmobile and made Batman laugh. Jason, at first glance, was rough around the edges, he was temperamental, impulsive, and some would even say he was impatient. Batman didn't care. He saw something in Jason, and he took him home.

There, Jason got to know Bruce Wayne, the man behind the mask. With every passing day, Bruce grew to love Jason more and more, and Jason started to love him. Bruce made Jason feel safe. When Jason felt safe, he showed his true self. He was compassionate, warm, and some would even say charming, but I wouldn't go that far.

Jason became Bruce's Robin. They were nearly inseparable... Then came Dick. He could've been far more understanding when he met Jason, but he was upset with Bruce. Dick felt he'd been replaced, but things eventually smoothed out between the three. As Jason got older, Bruce started noticing how strong Jason's emotions were. Jason's compassion was often paired off with rage. He was harsh in his dealings with wrongdoers, and it frightened Bruce. He couldn't control Jason, so he asked Jason to take a step back for a while, not realizing there was much more going on.

Jason was looking for his mother. He ran away from home searching for her, and Bruce came around and tried to help. Jason found her. In the process, he crossed a horrible man, a man that would later kill Jason.

When Jason died, Bruce's heart broke. He put Jason's costume up and tried desperately to pack away the hurt that came with it. Bruce never wanted to live in a world without Jason... But he had to go on because his city needed him to." Dick took a deep breath, and Jason closed his eyes. Pieces of the story came together for him, and they felt real, but he wasn't sure. Jason couldn't cry. He didn't have the words to explain his tears. He lay there, staring at Dick, who stared back at him.

Dick sat in silence with Jason like that for what felt like hours. "Jason?" Dick whispered. Jason nodded. "We love you. I know you don't know that for sure, but we do. None of us want to lose you again."

"Dad?" Jason asked. Dick nodded.

"Yeah, especially Bruce. Jason, I'm gonna ask you one more time, and then I won't ask you again. Do you trust me?" Dick questioned. Jason nodded. "Then let's call Bruce and let him know you're okay."

Jason nodded. "Mor-ning?" Jason whispered. The word felt unnatural on his tongue, and the corners of his mouth twitched. He knew he didn't get the word right. Dick smiled and nodded.

"You had it... And yeah, we'll call in the morning," Dick replied, "Go back to bed. I'll be here if you need me."

#fic #phantom grin fic #batfam #Jason Todd #Bruce Wayne #Dick Grayson #Alfred Pennyworth #Barbara Gordon #Tim Drake #Cassandra Cain #Jason Todd/Original Character #Canon Divergent AU #Jason Todd Has Chronic Pain #Jason Todd is Disabled #Barbara Gordon is Oracle #Resurrected Jason Todd #Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating #Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne Get Along

[oneeyedoctogod]

Disclaimer: long, extremely personal rant. Yes, it's also about mdzs and Jiang Cheng but mainly, it's about me trying to deal with my own trauma when I'm being hit in the face (metaphorically) with it by putting my feelings into words. The posting is so I don't erase it and force myself to forget about it.

You know it's funny, but as I was trying to sleep (and failing. Badly. It's 2:38 am.) I kept on finding myself thinking about why I didn't like Jiang Cheng. Because you see, it's rare for me to dislike a character that much, to the point I actually have blacklisted all his tags and avoid any fics that talk about him positively.

(Again, this is an extremely personal post about my own feelings. This is not meant as a rebuke if you love him. On the contrary. Keep doing what sparks joy. Just, you know, far away from me.)

I have a funny history with the mdzs fandom. I first started watching the donghua when it started airing back in... 2018? 2019? Can't remember for sure. Then I was left hungry for more because only the first season had aired, and it ended on a big cliffhanger. I saw it was an adaptation, so I went looking for the source material... and found the manhua (I was used to japanese animation at that point and thought that was it). The manhua was also being fan translated, and despite being extremely different (and confusing for poor past me), ALSO left me on a cliffhanger. I was desperate and saw someone pointing out there was a novel! I finally found it, read it in a few nights, and loved it. I read a bunch of fics, enjoyed myself, met and befriended people. Then I moved on after a while. I remember, distinctly, that I wasn't a big fan of Jiang Cheng but that I could at least stomach him in fics.

Last December, I felt the urge to reread some mdzs fics. I read some popular ones and, after falling into the animatics and amvs rabbit hole, decided to rewatch the donghua. Except for some reason, Jiang Cheng's character rubbed me wrong. I remembered not liking him much but he wasn't that bad in the fics so I couldn't see why he was so distasteful in the donghua. I'd been warned that the donghua wasn't that faithful (my own memory was extremely hazy), so I just shrugged it off. Maybe the people behind the donghua weren't fans of jc?

I saw there was an official translation of the novel and, by that point, DEEP into the hyper fixation, I bought all four available volumes and read them. At the same time, I was still reading fics. It was fine after all, I already knew the story.

By then, I had realized something was a little wrong with the characteristization. Some of the tropes given to Wei Wuxian rubbed me the wrong way. I looked it up a little (remade a tumblr, found amazing meta, the rest is history) and figured "Ah that must be cql fics. That's the problem."

And yes, that's true. In part.

The other problem lies with the particular way some people write Jiang Cheng. I'll be clear again: I have nothing against those people. Most of them I don't know and I'm aware this is very much a, shall we say, "me" problem. It's why I avoid the positive Jiang Cheng content. I don't care if you keep writing it so long as you keep it away from the canon jc tag.

But whenever people write Jiang Cheng and completely erase his crimes and abuse of both Wei Wuxian and Jin Ling, I feel it like a slap on the face.

Last Monday, I saw a therapist and talked about her about many things (I did warn this would be a very personal post). Part of it was my mother and her treatment of me and my brothers. And after barely a few words, she said, very simply "Oh so your mother abused you."

I already knew that. I use those words myself to describe my history with her. But the validation is always nice to hear, you know? Especially because so many people try or have tried to brush it off as "nothing." My own mother did, both about her own behaviour and when I was being abused by other people and tried to seek her help. Hell, even I still do it sometimes.

And I think that's why I hate Jiang Cheng so damn much now. His canon self is... Well, I'm not a fan, but he's a well-written antagonist. But dear gods, I've seen so many people brush off his canon characteristics to make him into a more palatable character, the loving uncle, the funny tsundere brother, the ace guy who hates mushy romance (let me tell you, as an ace person I am also real fucking tired of homophobic characters being hc as ace)... Even the ones who mention his bad parts feel the need to immediately add his achievements, as if they don't dare speak badly of their fave. "Yes, he tortured Wei Wuxian, but he also sacrificed his core to save him!" "Yes, he hit and verbally abused Jin Ling, but he also lovingly raised him!" "Yes, he tortured and killed innocent people but he also has trauma and had to lead a sect when he was so young!"

And this feels familiar, every time. This feels like the people telling me "Yes but it's not that bad" or saying "Yes your mother gave you panic attacks but she made sure you didn't fail at school" or "Yes but she made you love reading" or "Yes but she gave you so much, don't be selfish" or "Yes but she was here for you when you were depressed" or "Yes but she has it hard too" until I fell in the habit of saying "Sure, my mother insulted me and threatened me financially and there was a long, long time I was convinced she didn't love me... but."

Always that damn BUT.

So you might be able to understand why I have a hard time with Jiang Cheng when people pull the same shit all thenfucking time. I'm working on it because I'd rather not be stuck feeling anxious about a silly purple grape just because he happens to be fandom fave in my current hyperfixation but in the meantime, I have to deal with it and it's... annoying. To say the least.

(I'm going to insist here: I know that Jiang Cheng isn't my mother. That's not the point here. I am fully aware he's a fictional character and that me feeling that way is something I should be working on. I am. And I'm not telling people to stop writing positive content for him. This is just me trying to put into words my complicated feelings for a complicated character. And ranting, a little bit, about badly tagged fics I admit.)

It's easier on social media. You just block the characters tag and, if people bother you about it, you block them. Friends being friends, I just need to tell them "I don't feel comfortable talking about this character" or "let's agree to disagree on this interpretation" and because my friends are the best, they agree and we move on.

Fanfiction is where the problem lies.

I know why people erase the 'hard' parts, or at least I have a good guess. It's easier that way. Fanfiction is about having fun! It's about writing about your blorbos the way you want to! I don't want to police anyone's content. I'd just like it if people tagged their OOC and stopped trying to make me feel as if I'm the one who misread the book because I don't feel like erasing the canonical abuse this character did or because I don't like that they keep putting down my favorite character to uplift theirs.

I'm not sure how to conclude this. I should be sleeping honestly.

Let's try this: if you read this to the end, congrats I guess. I want to reiterate I don't care if you make Jiang Cheng into the most loving, best brother and uncle ever. Just be aware of what you're erasing first. And tag your goddamn fics.

#screaming into the abyss #not sure whether to tag this as the fandom or not #let's go with no #we'll see tomorrow if i feel differently #feel free to reblog so long as you stay respectful #this isn't about hating on people #this is about me working through my problems so that trauma doesn't color my view of a character #if i dislike a character i want it to be because i find them obnoxious #not because their fanbase remind me of my mother #gods I'm tired and I'm sad

[ahsoka-in-a-hood]

Sorry to gatekeep but some of you haven't watched the clone wars and it shows.

Not pictured: the force being exclusive OR Yoda jealously guarding jedi teachings

(that was the first episode btw)

Youngling: How did he break the ice? Yoda: Only water made solid was the door. Easy to break if you have the will. ( chuckles ) Youngling: You-you said we would be trapped. Yoda: Not by the cave you were but by your mind. Lessons, you have learned. Find courage, you did...

Not pictured: Yoda teaching jedi children to accept his "dogma" without question.

(this is one of the pivotal coming of age ceremonies in a young jedi's life and it specifically includes a lesson on not blindly trusting authority)

#some fandom salt #these are just two things off the top of my head #jedi #the clone wars #not sure whether to tag ahsoka show but it sure is what prompted this

[nostalgia-tblr]

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

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

[cat-clawz-art]

Hey its the end of the year and for the first time I think I'd like to do an art top ten for 2023!

Here's my top 10 of 2023:

1. Vavoom-sorted-art's DTIYS

Dec. 12 - 130 notes

2. Suptober Day 2 Pumpkins

Oct. 2 - 125 notes

3. A & C as Bert and Ernie

June 27 - 92 notes

4. The Wall Kiss

June 12 - 77 notes

5. Lover Boy

June 25 - 40 notes

6. Aziraphale's Apology Dance Animation

July 30 - 36 notes

7. Crochet Aziraphale and Crowley

Oct. 27 - 30 notes

8. A & C Tangled AU

Dec. 21 - 29 notes

9. Crowley Treble Clef Snake Sticker

Aug. 7 - 29 notes

10. Aziraphale and Snake Crowley Sticker

Aug. 11 - 28 notes

#theres a couple that i was kinda sad didnt make it onto this list :( there were also several that I was very glad didnt make it on too xD xD #i thought a top 10 arts of 2023 would be fun. even though I only had like 20 fandom ones so its not like its choosing a ton #its a good way to recap my stuff at least #2023 #art #top 10 #not sure whether or not to tag destiel because it only made it to one top ten spot rip xD #bad-art-tm #aziraphale #crowley #ineffable husbands #good omens #tumblrtop10 #happy new year yall

[grandorderconfessions]

#I'm not sure whether to tag this as criticism or not so just in case #fandom criticism #I'm sorry that you've encountered that a lot anon :( #it takes a lot of effort to block all the people who are weird about caeneus unfortunately...

[aliferousdreamer]

also alicent hightower

ooh this is a good one 🗡️💚

x

thanks again!! :D

#now my opinions on alicent go back & forth...... i'm still not sure what i think of her & she's definitely not a fave of mine #i do really really like emily & olivia's portrayals of alicent & the depth their performances give her are both fantastic!!!!!! #i guess sometimes i feel really sympathetic & other times i feel so frustrated with her (especially adult alicent) #also sometimes i like how she's written & other times i don't like how she's written............ idk i like her character but i'm conflicte #like a lot of the time i can't decide whether the writing for her is more complex or more contradictory #also to be transparent i lean more towards team black so i do have that bias & i tend to be more critical towards the green characters #i do think the fandom can be appalling towards her: e.g. she was forced into marrying viserys as a child & *somehow* that was her fault?!?! #the misogyny directed towards her character is WILD because there's a lot of legitimate criticism you can have for her #but fans jump straight to the vilest most misogynistic insults & act like she's evil incarnate #idk i'm looking forward to seeing how my opinions change in season 2 because i'm sure they will #ask game #ask games #my asks #my ask #my answers #my answer #house of the dragon #alicent hightower #hotd fandom #house of the dragon fandom #house of the dragon spoilers #tv show tag #tv shows #hotd #hotd spoilers #spoilers

[the-acid-pear]

I never tried the option myself bc it'd probably mean skipping the Reason You Suck speech at the end (fire for speedrunners though) but I Love that you can frame your Phoneys in 3, especially so if you've already killed the previous two. Like yeah couldn't send you off to die so i'll let the goverment do it for me 🧸 like its just Peak evil imo.

#luly talks #i do relinquish in the pain and the agony but dont get me wrong the thought of any of them 3 getting jailed makes me SO sad #rog esp since he's the one im writing about and the biggest nerve wreck #gingi voice they'll be the last one to pick the board game for prison-game-night.......... #actually yknow i wonder if rog would end up almost believing it after all when you try to gaslight him for the shits and giggles #(as in: telling HE was victim of the bite of 87 and the like) he tells you to not do that bc his brain is already scrambled or something #so there's a chance perhaps he'd believe it if he had everyone constantly accussing him of it? #not like it'd matter much i have no hopes for the dsaf justice system i know its been 35 years since jack got framed but still #i just remembered when the option popped up i said ''god im really becoming steven 😭'' #first time i made the joke too was when i said ''imagine your boss sucks so bad you turn suicidal'' no clue what the context was #OH YEAH JAKE SAYING HE'D RATHER FUCKING DIE THAN KEEP WORKING HERE yeah. poor guy. #anyway im derailing my own post again uhhh. yeah. yeah i dont trust any phoney is avoiding the death sentence #dsaf #roger jones #dsaf roger #btw just for the sake of yapping longer i truly cant decide whether harry or jake would survive better in the enviroment #probably jake to be honest. I mean Harry has a lot of experience inside freddy's but he didnt really live outside it muhc #jake is so confrontational though #hey did you guys watch the hit movie felon? sure that guy wasn't framed but. i feel like jake would end up w that attitude #except for. you know. everything else that happens in the hit movie felon. #hey actually forget about this game go watch the 10/10 movie Felon from 2008 starring Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff #because its one of my all time fave movies and probably the saddest i've seen #not bc there arent movies that are more tragic but bc no movie was able to break thru my walls of idgaf and make me cry anyway #yeah you thought i couldnt bring up my movie fixations on my different fandom posts well you were WRONG in fact #im gonna go tag my other post i left untagged yesterday bc my ass was Cooking

[thrilling-oneway]

Also shout out to the person who said in the tags of that airi post who said that half the debates in this fandom are over gender or sexuality because that’s true and it pisses me off immensely

#all the debates over whether VBS is gay coded or not and that their fans are biphobic if they don’t like m/f vbs pissed me off enough to #make me leave the fandom one of the times i left it. it’s also the reason I dont really like interacting with the fandom anymore LMAO #the thing is I don’t think it really matters lol #like mizuki is canonically trans but no one else is and I genuinely don’t get why people get so heated when ppl don’t have the same gender #hcs as them like it’s a HC not everyone has the same one as you. obviously this happens with airi a lot but with the boys being hc’d as #tfem as well? like I’ve seen people get SO up in it about them being called boys and it’s like full respect for your HC but #…they canonically are? #sexuality is a bit more complex bc while nothing is canon there definitely ARE things implied and since nothing is canon I don’t think it #really matters what ur HC is but at least be able to recognise what’s in the game? like kohane and minori showing attraction to multiple #girls but never to any guys. or an being canonically interested in kohane romantically or bad dogs being implied soulmates #and like it doesn’t matter what you ship or HC but loads of ppl try to claim this doesn’t exist for the sake of winning internet arguments #which is just So stupid #specifically i see this in the wxs fandom a lot over ppl HCing them as not mspec. especially with rui like ive seen loads of arguments #caused by people pointing out that he is actually gay-coded and then people trying to counter that. usually with shipping as evidence lol #and like sure ship him with emu or nene who cares but the coding is there so maybe don’t pretend it isn’t #this fandom is weird there’s like two sides to it of ‘everyone is bi and if you don’t HC that or like m/f ships ur biphobic’ and then #there’s ‘every character should be exclusively gay and if you disagree ur homophobic’ #both of them are wrong #also i doubt clpl gives a shit about any of this #tag ramble over this fandom annoys me

[pinkrangersarah]

rvb final season announcement and rwby volume 10 storyboards

camp camp season 5

#pretty sure this is gonna pop up in the tags whether i actually tag it or not #i remember the cc fandom well #and i'm telling you this is a JOKE #i'm as equally horrified as i am curious #bc imo season 4 was so terrible there's no way they could do worse #i'm also very curious about these supposed new va's?? #i didn't read the whole post #but i think some characters #like max and nerris #are now going to be voiced by actors who are the actual ethnicities of those characters #and i'm losing it over max being the exact same shitty 10 year old #only now he sounds like baljeet from phineas and ferb #just imagine baljeet saying 'fuck' with the same passion as max

[skyisgreen-grassisblue]

gonna return to my roots and start rbing httyd books stuff again bc i started rereading (relistening) to em earlier and it was strangely therapeutic

#found new interests that were at the forefront of my mind for a while #and they still are #but damn i still adore these books #holding them gently 🥺🥺 all my little #scrimblos and skrunklies #i hit return too soon #httyd books #? wasnt sure whether to tag w that #but im back baybee (possibly) #and my layout has stayed the same no matter what LMAO #oh also #i missed the fandom too??? #i both love and hate small fandoms bc on one hand #we’re like a little happy family #on the other hand theres limited fan content to be delivered into my waiting arms :( #< untalented individual

[kdsburneraccount]

Thinking about that one anonymous StephBron author on AO3 (neutral)

#pretty much every time i check that page they have something new wtf #not sure whether to be scared or respect the hustle or a bit of both #the nba rpf iceberg (or something) #send asks for more strange phenomena observed on the 'mens basketball rpf' fandom tag on ao3 #nba #ao3 #nba rpf #rpf

[savrenim]

re: "out of pocket"-- the ask is about a specific idiom that to my knowledge originates in AAVE that refers to specific behavior, as in "jan's out of pocket." basically, you have a homophone for this idiom here, and they're asking about a separate meaning.

oh WILD, I have never heard that phrase before, good to know

#it looks like a lot of other people in the tags are also going 'it's an expense that insurance doesn't cover' bc turns out it is in fact #a formal term ; your out-of-pocket expenses vs your deductibles #I'm curious whether or not they came from the same root bc p sure the money one is decades old #the linguistics fandom

[nostalgia-tblr]

I get so annoyed at the comparisons of Lokius to fluffy ship Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens) because they have nothing in common. And there really should be more fic exploring the abusive dynamics of Lokius. And ok, I admit I don't like cutesy ships like Ineffable Husbands much either way, but it's such a shame Lokius has so little tasty fucked up content and most fics are boring fluff. And people like OW so much they hardly ever make Mobius the perpetrator. I've seen fics were Ravonna made them do it or another Loki (usu. President) or EVEN TVA!Loki were the perpetrators and those options just rub me the wrong way. Lokius fandom is so quick to make Ravonna irredeemable (but not pure bean Mobius) and the power imbalance is not on the favor of the Lokis (the abuse and literal torture excused from Mobius while Sylvie gets called abusive for calling Loki a clown and trying to complete her life's mission... smdh).

The main issue, I think, is that "the Discourse" is so fraught and neverending that people either hate Mobius and everything connected to him and so they won't write about him anyway or they're on the defensive and don't want to cede what they see as too much ground to hostile takes. (They're not the only ones doing this but this is today's topic and I don't want to digress as much as I usually do.) That plus - the bane of my own existence in so many fandoms tbh - if you're into something enough to identify/be seen as "a shipper" of it then you probably favour fluffier takes on that ship. Which is valid of course, etc etc, but it means there's not many fic people around who are willing to spend the necessary time and effort on Dark Lokius. I mean, I'm fairly into the idea and I still haven't (really) made any fic of it so I am Part Of The Problem myself (I do have a couple of in-theory-WIPs but I have a lot of half-written fics and they won't all get finished). With me that's partly because I fear the reader glancing at the rest of my fic in that fandom and going "oh well OF COURSE she doesn't like lokius and wants it to be Wrong and Fucked Up," even though I fuck up a lot of pairings that I am very into.

Of course with me not being into fluff generally the dominance of that genre here means I read less lokius than I otherwise would and so the problem sort of self-perpetuates.

(Side-note on Ravonna, the comics canon (such as it has been relayed to me) seems to have massively influenced fandom's takes on her because I don't think she was even all that evil on the show? You could take her "brb off to find Free Will" as her having rejected the system and planning to bring it down some other way - which indeed I did until I was told no she's just a baddy. As Mobius's superior she's presumably more awful but what we see doesn't necessarily prove that. (Also there's only 22 - 22!!! - Mobius/Ravonna fics on AO3 and I have to ask HOW THE FUCK?? because I definitely detected a vibe there and refuse to accept that nobody else did. They had a vibe!!!))

BUT I DID DIGRESS LIKE I SAID I WOULDN'T. Added to all that is that the sylki and lokius shippers have become set against each other so again nobody wants to give anyone any extra ammunition for "actually your ship sucks" takes on tumblr by spending "too much" time on the nastier subtexts.

Um... well, the tl;dr is just that varying strands of The Discourse tend to push people away from spending much or any time on the darker lokius readings and that's a damn shame because as of this moment the pairing is tagged in 3,426 fics on AO3 and I feel like that means it could easily cope with a few more stories where it's to some degree fucked up. Bring on the Stockholm Syndrome, damn it, there's more than enough fluff to make it all better with afterwards :D

#replies #mobius #dark lokius #there i have a tag for it now so i should finish one of the fics #once again a fandom is failing to cater to MY needs and frankly that's very inconsiderate of it #i do get the appeal of the hugging and such but honestly the torture aspect was more interesting to me because WTF #i can get Tender Boyfriends Kiss Each Other Tenderly almost anywhere u kno? #the unique selling point is that oh my godddddd he has so much power over those variants literally life or death this could go SO BADLY #also LBR we all know at least one Loki variant has at some point just openly offered Mobius sex in exchange for their freedom #whether he accepted the offer is another step of course but the temptation is there #“oh yeah sure i can get you a meeting with the time-keepers... but first you have to help *me* with something...” D: D: D: #also can we talk about how Mobius died and woke up in a world populated entirely by Lokis and i'm not saying he thought he was in heaven bu

[nimblermortal]

Anthony Bridgerton Should Get CPR-Certified

a thesis by Nimblermortal

1. All his Issues stem from watching his dad die in front of him from bee sting while he stood by helplessly. While Regency medicine is probably not up to producing epi pens, having something he knows to Do would likely help him feel less helpless.

2. He has arranged his entire life around taking care of people and Doing Things for them. He clearly feels more secure and in control when he can be in charge of the action. Regardless of how he got there, being in charge is a secure position for him.

3. He vastly overreacts to anyone else having a medical event, especially a bee sting. This is understandable given 1, but again, he should have something he can Do rather than freak people out by overreacting.

4. When rescuing Kate from her fall off the horse, he takes an unresponsive person who has suffered a fall AND HE MOVES HER. This is incorrect! He then carries her bridal style with her head lolling about. This is more incorrect! He then announces she has a cut on the back of her head, which he has been applying pressure to, in direct contrast to the facts of the situation. He does not in fact know how to apply first aid.

5. He is then scared off when the doctor arrives and there is nothing more he can do. He cannot bring himself to return. Given 2, he would likely feel more confident if he could give a more full report to the doctor (who he would know to summon out to the field to where he has put Kate in the recovery position and covered her from the rain).

6. His siblings have hobbies and accomplishments, but Anthony just has his accounts. He needs something to occupy his time which will help him feel accomplished.

In sum: Get that boy some medical training.

#not sure whether I want to tag this with the fandom or not

[assignmentimprobable]

I could preface this by saying I hate drama, or I usually keep my mouth shut but like. Nah. I just want to say that y’all need to stop plucking people’s posts out of their very limited and isolated contexts to make rallying cries. Some people are dead serious about their takes of questionable nature, and other people are likely posting it with the intent to joke around. Just because you’re annoyed by it doesn’t entitle you to air people out who are otherwise minding their business and doing their own thing.

#burn book drama #I am here for the shitposts and meta- not a full timer by any means #but like this habit of policing other people’s little fun interactions for the sake of having something to put them on blast? #that’s annoying behavior. now YOU are annoying #the queerplatonic GooseMav thing is likely just a placeholder for male friendships with an intense intimate component #that doesn’t cross into romance but many ppl would take as shipping fodder #I’m like 99% sure that’s what people are referencing when they post that #Yes. it’s just friendship. it’s under the umbrella. *Here* #but outside in the grass and cars and buildings or whatever. straight people do not include these in their definitions #and those definitions touch us by default whether we like it or not #this isn’t actually that deep but I kind of just feel like all of this is a bigger issue with fandom practice in general #this is the ‘let’s experiment with ideas and formats’ box #why are you complaining when people do that!!! #is it annoying and formulaic when you see a trope repeat itself outside of the established characters bounds? yes #but like barring people perpetuating heinous shit like the racist practices that permeate all fandoms #or people being plain disgusting (like genuinely gross) and bad faith in their engagement #what the fuck have you got to complain about on some large platform? #it’s funny and maybe even affirming for some people to say what’s really on their minds #but you’re recreating the echo chambers and flame wars you complain about #why is this in the tags. why am I bad at stringing this into a post.