#stop directing hate at real people over fictional characters

[willtheweaver]

A writer’s guide to forests: traveling through the woods

Getting from point A to point B is something that both people in real life and the characters of your story will have to figure out. Whether as a means to get to a plot point, or as a part of the plot itself, travel presents opportunities for the writer.

Hack ‘n slash- Where paths are nonexistent, your characters will literally have to blaze a trail (the ‘blaze’ in this case has nothing to do with fire. Instead it is a trail marker made by carving a mark into a tree. The mark resembles the white patch seen on the forehead of mammals, most often horses.) Being the pioneer is slow going, especially if the undergrowth is thick and requires clearing. Cut bamboo can go through the foot, poison oak and poison ivy can give a nasty rash, and biting insects can make life miserable. And then there is the matter of marking the trail. A character on the run will not want to advertise their location and will do their best to keep their trail hidden. But for others, they will want to mark the trail. Stone cairns, arrows, blaze marks in trees, and even sticks and knotted grass can point out the path to other travelers. This can be helpful to others, but it can also present a danger. Thieves and outlaws can create false trails that lead travelers into a trap or ambush.

Game trails- Animals have their habits. They like to take the same path between places. Over time these develop into trails that crisscross the forest floor. For a character on the run, or those who needs to make haste, these are a tempting choice to follow. But be careful. Some animals are able to traverse terrain too difficult for humans (narrow ledges, near vertical faces, and the gaps underneath fallen trees are not fun places to be). And your characters may encounter more than deer or rabbits. Predator species hang out around game trails as they can be fruitful hunting grounds.

Existing paths and roads- Roads can range from simple dirt paths to paved highways. These will be the most direct routes between the principle settlements in your story. Prosperous areas will have well maintained roads with travelers and patrols using them frequently. Characters may also encounter watchtowers, farms, and inns along the way. Poorer regions, those affected by war, or more remote regions will have less well maintained roads, fewer travelers, and few to no amenities between towns. And if your characters can use the roads, expect hostile armies, outlaws, and highwaymen to use them as well. And where the roads go may be limited to the most populated regions, forcing your characters to leave the path if they want to get to isolated villages, caves, temples, or even a wizard’s tower.

Use the water- Of course, you can have your characters forgo land transportation and use the rivers, lakes, and seas. Rafts, ferry boats, and ocean going ships are all viable options. It should be noted that these are not perfect solutions. Rapids and waterfalls will force characters back onto land until they find gentler waters. Storms can delay or sink vessels, and cold winters will freeze water over. Of course, a frozen river or lake is just an excuse to get out the ice skates. Droughts will dry up streams and small lakes, and recent rains can turn placid waters into unsurvivable whitewater.

Up in the trees- Hate to burst your bubble here, but swinging from vines is something that only exists in fiction. If you try to do this in real life, it will not work out well…provided you can even find sufficient vines or fig roots. Of course, in your story, you are free to do what you want. Nothing is going to stop you…well except maybe for your readers and the critics who will pan you for using what may be considered an overused and unoriginal trope. Other options include bridges, cable cars, or even zip lines.

Taking flight- Of course, the forest will not pose an obstacle if your characters can simply fly. This can be achieved by characters that possess wings of some sort. They could have a winged mount, or they could hitch a ride on a vehicle like a helicopter or ultralight plane.

Underground- If in doubt, take a cue from moles and dwarves. Tunnels can serve the same function as roads, with all the benefits and drawbacks included. Of course your characters will also have to be aware that cave-ins are a real and present danger. These can be natural, or deliberate sabotage. And your characters best hope all the recent tunneling hasn’t awaken any ancient evils from long ago…

#writing #creative writing #writing inspiration #writing guide #writing prompts #writer #writers #writing community #writer on tumblr #writers and poets #writeblr

[pompadorbz]

Honestly, I stopped participating in the character polls in any major capacity after I made my one post about it around a week ago. The tags were deeply aggressive over something so minor and honestly watching people i care about be called misogynists and sent anon hate made it impossible for me to be assed enough to participate. At this rate, I don't care if this post gets hate, because it would only serve to prove my point. These characters are not real and cannot care about your opinions because of that. I said something of this vain in my last longer post about it but for the sake of reiteration: If you are framing your harassment of others as social activism for the sake of making a fictional character win an unofficial tongue-in-cheek tournament that everybody is going to move on from in less than a month, then honestly shame on you. I couldn't think of a more pathetic direction to steer in if I tried. For the record, this applies to any person on any side of any character that was involved at all. I have biases towards certain characters but that bias is not worth extending to those who saw it fit to use guilt tactics and harassment on those who were just trying to have fun. To those who did, you know who you are. Now, nobody gets to win, and honestly, maybe that's for the best. Because whatever winner we would have gotten might have resulted in far worse.

#syd spiels #keeping this off the tags because fuck that noise

[sparkling-pink-lemonade]

Got an ignorant hate comment. Felt it deserved it's own post. It's a long one, and technically isn't doing anything productive as I blocked the person. I just like yelling into the void. Mind the tags.

1) You're funny. I'm agnostic, and wasn't even raised christian. It's like an atheist saying "Oh my god" (this can't be real/that's ridiculous) or "God save me" (I'm doomed). "My brother in Christ", what would normally be a term of endearment and familiarity in a christian setting becomes very condescending and 'holier than thou' if said to any non christian (not just jews). Because of that, outside of a christian setting, it's now a term of sarcasm and mockery to point out someone's stupidity and ignorance. So the fact you jumped into a defensive standpoint, calling someone you know nothing about antisemitic over a post that wasn't even directed at you, tells me a lot more about your insecurities.

2) Yes, you're right! It is perfectly reasonable to not WANT people with an involuntary attraction to real life children to INTERACT with your work. But let me lay out a few things. Stop using that word, it does not mean what you think it means. Being attracted to fictional characters depicted as kids in a form of media that is (at least in a non indie setting) designed, and written by a team of adults, fudging up the looks and behaviors of their characters compared to reality to be more appealing to a wide demographic, is not pedophilia. Pedophilia is a mental disorder, where an attraction to children who can't consent is causing direct harm to yourself or those around you in your day to day life. This usually presents itself as crippling distress for the person with the disorder due to their intrusive thoughts, and fear of losing your friends and family should they find out about your disorder. By calling an attraction to fictional character depicted as children "pedophilia" you are doing what's called pedojacketing. Which is a false accusation against someone in attempt to rally others by appealing to their disgust to ruin the life of another person. It causes major harm by both trivializing a serious and often debilitating mental illness into a "voluntary perversion", while also trivializing the seriousness of child predator allegations by equating the sexual abuse of real, breathing children, to that of fictional story that never happened. Most predators aren't even pedophiles, they are attracted to the power imbalance and control, not the kid itself. But that's not what proship is, it's an ideology that people should be allowed to have their own space to enjoy whatever fiction they want without harassment or censorship. And guess what, that doesn't mean we aren't entitled to your space. If our ideology makes you uncomfortable, it's your right to block us and keep us from interacting with your art.

But get this, consuming and interacting are two completely different things. Consuming means you've looked at a piece of art, you watched a video, read a piece of literature, or played a video game. The moment you post something to the public, and not somewhere with restricted access, you forfeit all right to decide who can consume your media. AO3 is a public website, even if you choose the lovely option of only showing your work to people who are logged in (which anyone can get an account), you can't then decide who is allowed to view your work. When you post media publicly, it is impossible to discern every single person who has consumed your work. At best a site may have a "views" counter, or in AO3's case, hits, but it will always remain anonymous. As such, if you don't like the idea of a proshipper consuming your work, congrats, you will never have to know.

Interacting however means that you've consumed a piece of media, and are now making a public display about your consumption where the creator can see it, that individualizes them from the rest of the crowd. A comment, a post, if the media has a non-anonymous "like" function, or non-anonymous subscription/follow function. Most people are sane, and don't go out of their way to do background checks on every single person that interacted with their work. But if it comes to your attention that someone who makes your uncomfortable is interacting with your work where you can see it, then you have the tools to make it so you'll never be able to see or hear from them again. They will still be able to consume your public work, but now you've curated your personal experience.

But if you're so paranoid and disgusted by the idea that someone you find icky or gross might be able to consume your content without your consent, then you have to take responsibility for your own experiencing it and revoke your consent from the wider public by removing your content from a public platform.

This person was deluding themself into believing that consumption was the same thing as interaction and that the existence of a dni means it was the public's responsibility to regulate their online experience for them, and was getting upset at the realization that they can't regulate a public space the same way as a private one, and that people they don't like will be able to see their public work even if they will never know about it.

#proship #anti mention #antisemitism mention #tw pedojacketing #pro para #anti purity culture #tw antiship #antis being antis #anti harassment #anti censorship #profic #fiction freedom #mental health discrimination #religion mention #long post #ship discourse #rant #vent

[misrepresentedmorallygrey]

PROPAGANDA

Tony Stark

The whole fucking point of this character is that he is an arrogant billionaire arms dealer who realizes that he Kind Of Sucks and consequently spends the next fifteen years trying to Not Suck to mixed but ultimately decent results. On one hand you’ve got the people who act like hes terrible and like I get it I would hate him in real life too but this is a fictional character and you have to admit theres more going here. On the OTHER hand are his legions of fans who insist that he has never done anything wrong ever, he is the smartest nicest little boy who isn’t actually even a little arrogant, and actually everyone who ever went against him even for understandable reasons (incl. very morally upstanding Captain America) is Evil, actually. I say this as a fan of the character: PLEASE you can like this man and have him suck a little at the same time!!!!! I am begging you!!!! Help!!!!

Literally a millionaire who started out manufacturing weapons for the military. Was then chased by the consequences of his actions while not making any sort of reparations. Of course stayed a millionaire the whole time. Then did not communicate with the team about making a sentient "suit of armor" that turned into a massive slaughter bot. People claim that this should be excused as a result of PTSD but is his responsibility to seek out help and he most certainly had access to whatever treatment he could choose as a -in his words- "millionaire playboy philanthropist". Then supported an accords rife with human rights violations that he was of course exempt from - and refused to hear any of the others rebuttals to it - like they were not millionaires and did not have access to entire legal teams that would work to exonerate them. Then exposes Clint's family and farm which he had revealed to Tony in confidence and kept secret from any authority to protect them. Then Tony spends the rest of Civil War trying to straight up murder Bucky - ignoring that it had already been established that Bucky had no agency nor autonomy in his time as the Winter Soldier, in doing so ignored the Accords he had advocated for. He then kidnapped a 16 year old child - who he did not tell why he was taking him - in direct contradiction with the accords and then allowed for Steve's team to be held in a maximum security prison with no trial. He then proceeded to refuse any sort of communication with Steve, resulting in a delay of him defending Earth from Thanos' invasion. After this - despite his failure playing part in the deaths of half the universe, and the child in front of him he treated as a son - he refused to rectify his failure because he had a family now - ignoring the literal entire universe who had lost their families. Upon his death he was treated as a hero and the one who saved the universe, despite his actions being that of hubris.

The Darkling

Okay so this guy is the main bad guy of the series. He made “the fold” this barren wasteland of darkness and monsters dividing the land, causing like hundreds of thousands of people to die. He killed his mom. He psychologically manipulated his girlfriend (like, he caused her to hallucinate and a whole bunch of other crazy stuff). He made one of his followers (a young girl) use her body to slowly poison the king over time. He started a cult. He did a LOT of crazy stuff. However, we do see his backstory of him as a kid, and learn that he did all this in the name of equality, so people would stop torturing and killing the ‘grisha’ or the witches/magic users. Later, he fakes his own death and starts a cult worshipping him and acts as the leader of the cult, going by his old name Aleksander. He is a very complicated character. So tell my why everyone thirsts after him and is like “he did nothing wrong” HELLO?! He is NOT your poor little meow meow he is complies please please don’t sanitize him

#misrepresented morally grey #bracket a #did nothing wrong bracket #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #tony stark #grishaverse #shadow and bone #the darkling #general kirigan

[subway-tolkien]

u sure the problem isn’t gonna be izzy stans harassing the creators when izzy doesn’t inexplicably become the main protagonist and love interest of the show bc I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be that

Okay, extrapolating from your ask I’m guessing you are irritated that Blorbo X is enjoying a popularity surge, while you prefer Blorbo Y. It’s not fair that Blorbo X is getting attention that rightfully belongs to Blorbo Y, because Blorbo Y is morally superior in every way. Even worse: Blorbo X is evil, and evil characters are bad characters and the people who like them are also bad. So, you've decided the constructive response is to hate Blorbo X and Blorbo X’s fans for “stealing” the spotlight from Blorbo Y, and the way to do that is with online bullying and snotty, anonymous asks aiming for inflammatory but falling short and landing firmly in cringe.

That’s my theory, anyway, because I felt the same about Krycek being more popular than Mulder for a while, when I was fourteen. I didn't bully people because I wasn't raised like that, but I sure resented them, for no real reason, until I grew out of it and moved on.

At any rate, here's a little remedial lesson in storytelling: the purpose of a villain is to supply conflict to the plot by opposing the hero(s). Villains are also compelling because good villains are complicated people with their own set of morals and motives. For some folks, they are just as interested in the villain’s arc as they are in the hero’s. Additionally, some people enjoy villains more than the heroes or side-characters, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Punishing other fans for enjoying the same show because they focus on a different facet of it than you do is, in a word, stupid. In thirty years of fandom, I’ve never understood the need to target, harass, and bully internet strangers—and the cast and crew of the show!—because of a difference of opinion regarding fictional characters that do not exist. 

This is not unique to OFMD; this behavior is a cancer on every fandom it touches and has gotten so much worse over the last ten years that I barely recognize modern fandom anymore, but OFMD is the latest victim of entitled fan behavior, blind ego, and a distinct lack of critical thinking skills, so I'm focusing on it right now.

I don't know anyone who thinks Stede will be replaced by Izzy as the protagonist of OFMD; you're exaggerating in an effort to antagonize me/other people, but you just sound impossibly young and, frankly, very boring. You really don't warrant a reply, but I seem to have Opinions on this subject and since you felt the need to share yours, you get to enjoy mine. 🎉

Anyway, I've no dog in this fight. I like Izzy as a villain just as I like Ed and Stede as the heroes, and the Revenge crew as the supporting ensemble. I trust David et al to know what's best for their own show. I wish everybody could. I don't care what characters people like or why, I care what characters I like and why. I read the fic I enjoy, I look at the fanart I like. I make good use of filters and blocking. I also know how to scroll past things I don't want to see. What other people like about the show has no effect on what I like about the show, because I don't take other people's opinions of the show personally. Their opinions have nothing to do with me.

Let people like what they like, and step back and analyze why you resent the opinions of one segment of a broader fandom to the point where it threatens your enjoyment of the show enough to drive you to attack strangers on the internet and harass an actor for just doing his job.

We are all on the same boat, heading in the same direction. Stop trying to sink it.

#our flag means death #ofmd #i figured on a frisky little heckler or two #and i was not disappointed

[kindestegg]

Alright, so as per anon's request, let's review everything wrong with the statements made by the person they claim to have messaged on Discord.

First off: "Collector controls who King is allowed to be around, and for how long."

Literally contradicted entirely by canon. Collector does not give a single flying fuck that he's talking to Eda and Lilith here presumably behind his back and in fact only checks when prompted to do so, if anything it's implied King doesn't know he knows but he won't say anything for King's comfort, only caring when it sounds like he may be in danger. There's also a "citation needed" here for the how long bit too, literally at no point in time is it ever stated he's keeping track of how long he spends away from their room. Next.

"Collector is the one who decides what kinds of games they 'play' (...)"

"We've been playing pretend forever, King. It is fun, but, what if we switch it up?"

Again, literally contradicted directly by canon. If anything it's implied it's King who has full control of what they play and Collector is trying to gently suggest something else before getting shut down.

It is correct Collector lashes out at King for telling him to play nicer. I'm not arguing with that. However I will direct you to this analysis of mine that showcases there's more to this than meets the eye, namely Collector's inability to question the Owl House game and expect this to be just how the game is played, not understanding why King is now telling him to stop. This is further backed by the rough and clean storyboards for the same episode and around the same scenes seen here.

Next.

"Collector makes King feel guilty for not being completely devoted to Collector-"

Citation needed. This is not something that is ever shown in canon, I can only guess this is this person's projection and trying to make sense of King's very real care for Collector. Next.

"and setting boundaries with him, and tries to manipulate him into giving up said boundaries (King definitely made it sound like they had the conversation about Francois multiple times before)."

Blatant misreading of canon at best and at worst straight up another contradiction. The scene here depicts a compromise, and I would advise you now to remember these are fictional characters being used for a narrative, and ask yourself first what the writers intended.

"You won't give this to me? That's okay, but can we meet halfway at least?" is basically the key idea here I imagine the writers intended. Reminder every time Collector asks for François it's posed as a question ("can I"), not a straight up demand which is more common for abuse tactics ("let me", "give me", "you need to", as just some examples of more abusive wording).

"And King never looks happy or like he's enjoying himself around the Collector."

Straight up contradicted by canon. Again. (Ok I know technically the first one is a glare but the intention of adding is that they're clearly acting together.)

(Closing eyes happily not made necessary by the game, done spontaneously.)

(Neutral at worst and at best positive.)

(Sitting normally, not panicking even when flipped, again neutral at worst and positive at best. Implied to be a fun activity to share.)

For the sake of not being nitpicked at, I won't add also the rough and clean storyboards, but those also reveal that King was very often depicted being happy around Collector and this was likely toned down in the final version to keep suspense over their relationship. I don't think King would blush at some point at him if he hated him.

"But all I ever see is people gushing about how much Collector 'cares' about King, and how he tries to 'protect' King and acting like it's cute."

Bonus round! Aw, are you talking about little old meeeeeee? That's so cute, but you missed out on all my deeper analysis I'm sure, or haven't been enough attention! Come on, say it to my face, I promiiiiiiiise I don't bite <3

Thank you for giving me something to play around with anon! I've been so bored and antsy with everything going on with my life and the finale just around the corner, so it's a nice shake up to be asked for a good debunking! Can I hang out with the cool kids like mossbag now?

#Commander's orders #im not tagging this im just having fun rly

[trektraveler]

Practically Magic Chapter Five: Times Change

Summary: Growing up in the same tiny mountain town, Y/N Owens and Dean Winchester despised each other. The only thing they ever agreed on was their need to escape. Life took them in opposite directions and neither of them ever looked back. So, when their paths cross over a series of gruesome murders in their hometown it was no surprise that old friction heated up again.

Dean never dreamed he’d be teaming up with a psychic, the FBI frowned on that sort of thing, but he was desperate. When that psychic turned out to be Y/N Owens, Dean knew two things for sure. One, Y/N was the real deal and two, he was in real trouble.

Pairing: Agent!Dean x Psychic!Reader, Dean x Reader, AU Dean x You Characters: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, John Winchester, Bobby Singer

Warnings: Slow Burn, Serial Killer Elements, Witches, Haters to Lovers, Claustrophobic Elements, Murder Scenes

Author’s Notes: This is an AU taking elements from the film Practical Magic and applying them to a fictional world where Dean Winchester is an FBI Agent. You will find parallels from that movie here, some quotes and other elements that capture the essence of the world of the Owens Witches. Hopefully! Additional Author’s Notes: This is a unique reader insert story as I have given the reader a physical description including hair color, eye color and body type. Chapter Five: Times Change Word Count: 4463

“When you find yourself at the center of attention, it’s not that they hate you.  It’s that, well… we’re different” – Aunt Francis Owens

     Dean checked his watch for the third time in ten minutes.  It was very nearly seven o’clock.  You weren’t late, not yet.  Growing up, you had a remarkable habit of being perfectly on time.  Never early and certainly never late.  Sam had been the one to point out that you didn’t wear a watch.  The materials used in most timepieces caused your delicate skin to break out in hives.  It was a curious thing and when Dean asked you how you managed it, you gave a cheeky wink.

     “Magic.”

     He took a swallow of beer and tried to ignore the nerves swirling in his belly.  After all, he had absolutely no reason to be nervous.  None at all. You were a childhood friend. 

     And then you weren’t. 

     Now you were merely an old acquaintance.  Whether or not you showed was of no consequence to him.  He had a job to do, and this was… well, he didn’t know what this was.  A long shot?  A courtesy?  A passing fancy?  A terrible idea? 

     He checked his watch again and mumbled a curse.  Seven on the dot.  Unable to deny his own curiosity, he drew back the curtain looking out to the street. 

     “Son of a bitch.”

     You were there.  Standing by his Impala, running your gloved hand over the beautifully waxed ebony surface.  Petting it and speaking softly as if the car was a living being.  An old, dear friend you hadn’t seen in far too long.  A delighted smile lit your face and Dean found himself smiling too.  He thought back to that summer the two of you spent working on Baby.  You knew nothing about cars, but that didn’t stop you.  By the end of the season, you were just as knowledgeable about his Baby as he was.  Better with a socket wrench than Sam could ever hope to be. 

     You stood and smoothed the hem of your coat over your hips; Dean tugged the curtain closed again.  There was enough tension between the two of you without him spying on you. 

     You ran a hand through your hair to tousle the roots and gave the door three quick knocks before you could chicken out.  You’d been talking yourself out of this meeting all afternoon.  Getting mixed up with the Winchesters always went sideways.  But you couldn’t just ignore it.  For whatever reason, the universe had summoned you home.  To be here at this time, with these people.  It was fate, and you would be a fool to fight it.

     The door swung open.  Dean’s broad frame nearly filled the opening.  No tie, his white button down was undone at the neck and sleeves rolled up to the elbow.  His expression wasn’t pleased, but his smile was polite. 

     “Y/N, right on schedule.  As always.”

     You stepped over the threshold, briefly scanning the room as you shed your gloves and coat.  It was decidedly feminine.  Ruffled curtains matched the frilly canopy bed.  Large cabbage roses decorated the bedspread and pillows.  A dainty settee sat near the cozy fireplace and was buried under piles of file folders and banker boxes.  Just as well, as it would be a poor fit for a man of Dean’s build. 

     The whole room was a poor fit for a man of Dean’s build and that had you completely amused.  Mr. Traveling Riverside Blues himself was sleeping in a dollhouse.

  “I didn’t know Mrs. Fitz was still taking lodgers.”

     Dean made use of the tiny closet by the door, hanging your coat along side his.  “A lucky break, otherwise, I’d be bunking with Sammy and Jess.  The last thing those honeymooners need is a third wheel.”

     “Gran mentioned they got married that’s great!”

     “Yeah, he carried Mom’s ring around in his pocket for a year before he popped the question. You know how superstitious Sam gets about that stuff.  Said the moon had to be right.”

     You hid your smile has you pulled the silk scarf from your neck and folded it into your purse.  Your Gran mentioned that too.  Sam went to her for a consolation, a proposal was far too important to leave to chance. 

     “Speaking of Sam, is he running late?  I didn’t see his car.”

     “He’s not coming,” Dean replied as he disappeared into the small kitchenette.  “Got held up at work, so you’re stuck with me.  Want a beer?”

      “Sure.”    

     You silently swore.  At least if Sam was around, he could act as a buffer.  You talked to him just a couple of hours ago and he never let on that he was going to duck out on tonight’s meeting.  Now you were going to have to play nice with Dean all on your own.  Knowing Sammy as you did, that was likely his plan all along.  The rat!

     You sent off a quick text to the missing Winchester.

     “Really?!”

     “Sorry, 😉”

     Dean came back with two opened bottles and handed one to you. 

     You pulled a package from your bag and handed it to him in exchange.

     “Its rude to show up empty handed.”

     Curious, he unwrapped the plain, brown paper and twine.  It was a copy of your newest novel.  There was a sprig of lavender tucked inside the cover next to an inscription.

     Dean,

     I may have lost my shoes, but I never lost my way.  Remember… The star that guides you shines brightest in the dark.

     Always – Y/N

     You felt embarrassment heat your face as you watched him thumb through the novel.  After all this time, it shouldn’t matter what a hard-ass like Dean thought of your writing.  The rest of the world was still singing your praises over your first book when the sequel hit the best seller list.  It sky-rocketed to the top just like your first.  But even after everything that happened, a small part of you wanted his approval.  You hated it, but that didn’t make it any less true. 

     “You brought Henry back; I wasn’t sure he made it after the cave-in.”

     Your head snapped up at the mention of the protagonist from the first book, “You read The Witch in the Well?”

     “Well, yeah.  I didn’t want to be the only guy in the free world who hadn’t.  There was a whole category about it on Jeopardy.”

     “Can you believe it?”  you grinned, still thrilled by it.  “It was crazy.”

     “It was brilliant,” Dean said, his tone sincere.  “You deserve every bit of this success.  I’m happy for you.”

     “Thank you.”

        For a moment, you looked so much like the girl he grew up with.  Guarded and shy with pretty much everyone, but for some inexplicable reason, open with him.  He was never certain he was worthy of your trust.  In the end, he’d proven how unworthy he was.  He was determined to do better this time around. 

     “Are you hungry?”

     “I’m always hungry.”

     Dean chuckled, “Me too.  I ordered in the from the Baker.”

     “Oh, this is an occasion,” you replied.  You slipped off your shoes and sat in one of the over-stuffed chairs by the fireplace. 

     There was a large, low to the ground coffee table covered in more FBI files.  One folder had a few black and white photos spilling out.  Your curious fingers grazed the corner, pulling it out just enough to see that it was an enlarged picture of a crime scene.  That unpleasant feeling that washed over you in that house yesterday was back.  The chill that ran down to marrow of your bones. 

     “Y/N?”

     You looked up with a start as Dean held out a take-out container to you.  If he noticed your snooping, he didn’t mention it.

     You settled the container on your lap and opened it as Dean took the adjacent chair.  As you suspected, it was a poor fit.

     “Tiramisu!”  You exclaimed in delight.

     Dean opened his own cheeseburger and fries, “I wondered if you still ate your dessert first.”

     Your mouth was barely big enough to accommodate the bite you balanced on your fork.   A swipe of mascarpone lingered on lips, and you let out a delighted hum. 

     “Food eaten at the beginning of the meal, by definition, cannot be dessert,” you replied, going for another bite.  This time your eyes closed in appreciation.  “Damn, that is good.”

     “And pancakes at dinner are not breakfast, I remember.”

     Dean watched you with a mixture of admiration and fascination.  He’d never known anyone, man or woman, who enjoyed their food like you did.  It was as if every bite was the most pleasurable experience of your life.  As a kid, it was funny to watch you dive into an ice cream sundae and end up with whipped cream on your nose.  As a woman, it was downright sinful!  The tiny moans of delight were enough to drive a man to distraction.  This was going to be harder than he thought.

     “If this book writer gig doesn’t pan out, you should hit up the Food Network.”

     “What makes you think I haven’t?”  You asked, scraping the bottom of the container with your fork.  “Just last month I had a show offer for farm-to-table, cold-pressed recipes with a magical slant.”

     “You’re kidding.”

     “They called it Curse the Calories.  For witches watching their waistline.”

     “Christ,” Dean shook his head and finished his beer with one swallow.  “How much did they offer you?”

     Your response of a casual shrug had him cursing again.

     “Don’t do it.  You have too much integrity for that crap.”

     Something flickered deep in your dark eyes, just for second before you looked away, “Wow.”

     “What?”

     “That’s two compliments from Dean Winchester in less than an hour.  Things must be dire.”

     The weight he shouldered seemed to double making you wish you could snatch back your flippant words.  A sharp wit was a writer’s curse.  It worked so well on the page, but that wasn’t always the case in real life. 

     Dean took your empty container and his back to the kitchenette and returned with a worn file in his hands.  He sat on the table in front of you, his thumb tracing the worn binding on the file.  The muscle in his jaw twitched, a tell he’d had since his youth.  He was torn on something, trying to weigh the options before proceeding. 

     “Yesterday at the victim’s house you mentioned she was missing her heart.  How did you know?”

     “The same way I’ve always known things, it’s my gift.  Dean… you know that.  You know me.  I understand it makes you uncomfortable, but you aren’t oblivious to it.”

     He shook his head, “That’s not what I mean.  How did you know, exactly?  Did you have a vision of the murder, or did you notice something in the house?”

     Your brow puckered; you’d never really gone into depth about your process with anyone before.  Not even your Gran.  With your family, it was always unspoken but understood. 

     “It’s difficult to describe.”

     “Try.  Please.”

     “Well, it was the feeling.  The physical sensation of blood loss, I suppose.  Cold, lightheaded, drained of lifeforce.”  Your hand went to your sternum in an absent motion, “There was a pain in my chest and a sound… not cutting but tearing.  Wet tearing, like he used a hunting knife.  Brutal.  He likes that part the best, everything else is so precise and planned but the actual cutting out of the heart allows him to be savage.  Barbaric.”

     Dean actually suppressed a shiver.  You had described the killer quite astutely with only a reading, it had taken him and his team weeks to come to that conclusion. 

     “You’re rubbing your chest.  It hurts you, doesn’t it?  It physically hurts you.”

     “Every gift has a price.”

     “Damn it… this isn’t one of your party tricks, where you see someone’s future in your crystal ball and walk away with a headache.  This guy is torturing and murdering women for kicks!” 

     Unable to stay still, he stood to pace and ran a busy hand through his hair. 

     “Pip, leave.  Please.  Go back to Hollywood and get that movie deal.  Write a hundred more best sellers.  Sail around the world a few times, just… leave.”

     “I can’t, not if I know I can help.  It’s that inconvenient integrity of mine.  Besides, you and I here at the same time after all these years?  We’re meant to work together.”

     We’re meant to be together.

     The thought hit you like a thunderbolt and made your heart jump.  Dean was right in his concern about you getting hurt.  The gory details of the case you could handle, it was Dean himself who posed the real threat. 

     “You and me in the same place is just a coincidence, Y/N.”

     “I thought you didn’t believe in coincidence.”

     “Times change.”

       November 10th, 2005

     You sat on the brick retaining wall outside the shop class entrance.  You swung your restless legs and chewed nervously on your thumbnail.  The bitter wind blew down from the mountains and stung your cheeks.  Winter was just around the corner.  Snow had fallen a few times already but melted away when the sun rose.  Soon it would come to stay, and the little town of Silverton would be cut off from anyone without four-wheel drive.   

     The rest of school had been let out an hour ago, but Dean was still inside.  Serving detention. 

     Suddenly the metal door swung open, and a group of teenagers burst through.  Bringing up the rear was Dean.  Clad, as always, in his father’s leather jacket.  It was a tad big for him, but you could see that he would fill it out in time.  His jeans had one knee worn through completely and his biker boots were scuffed at the toe.  In the past few months, he’d developed scruff on his chin.  A fine blonde that looked nearly gold when the light hit just right. 

     He’d always been a bit of a dreamboat, but he sure hit his stride in his senior year.  All the girls whispered about him when he passed them in the halls, giggling when he graced them with a wink.  But that was just big kid stuff to you.  You and Sam teased him about it relentlessly, only to have the older brother shake his head with a sigh. 

     “You kids will understand when you’re older.”

     You were skeptical, but every now and then you felt a tiny flip in your stomach when he was around.  It was odd.  It never happened with Sammy. 

     “Dean!”

     He stopped with a grin, “Hey Pip!  What are you doing here?”

     You hopped down from the wall and ran over, “Waiting for you.”

     “Obviously, I mean what are you doing out here in the cold?  It’s freezing!”

     “I didn’t think you would take so long.  Why were you serving detention?”

     He lifted a shoulder, “Meh, I was late getting back after lunch.”

     “You’re always late after lunch and they always give you detention, but you never go.  So, what gives?”

     “See you tomorrow, Deanie!”

     You looked over your shoulder to see a pretty brunette waving as she got into her new, shiny Mustang.   

     Dean instantly straightened his slouching posture and waved back, “Have a good night, Sweetheart!”

     You snorted a laugh, “Lisa Braeden?!  Seriously?”

     “What do you know about it, Pipsqueak?” he returned, pulling your purple, stripped stocking hat down over your eyes.

     You pulled the hat back up with a huff, “I know she’s a cheerleader.  And all the cheerleaders use their tongues when they kiss.  Marcia Armstrong said so and her mom is the cheer coach.”

     “Oh, well if Marcia said so.” 

     A disturbing thought suddenly occurred to you, “You don’t tongue kiss, do you?”

     Dean chuckled and slung his arm around your shoulders, “Come on, let’s get’s out of here.  We can hit up O’Malley’s on the way home for a hot chocolate.”

     “Oh my God, you do!”

     “One day you might not think it’s so bad, Y/N,” he said, walking you to the Impala. 

     You tossed your backpack into the back seat and slid into the passenger side while Dean got behind the wheel.

     “Maybe, but I still don’t think you should do any kissing with Lisa.”

     “Why not?”

     “Because she called you Deanie in that annoying, little girl voice,” your nose wrinkled in disgust.  “If she had self-respect, she wouldn’t do that.  You should never degrade yourself just to get a boy’s attention.”

     Dean smiled as he pulled out of the high school parking lot.  At thirteen, you already had more integrity than most adults he knew.  It set you apart from your classmates.  Yet you didn’t let that pressure to fit in force you to do things that went against your conscience.  If it was wrong, it was wrong.  End of story.  Maybe it was your upbringing, Viv was much the same.  The code of honor the Owens’ lived by. 

     It was one of your many qualities that he admired, and he hoped you never lost it.

     “So?”

     “So what?”

     “You didn’t read it, did you?”  You asked, crestfallen. 

     “Of course, I did.  I promised.”

     Your big, brown eyes widened in anticipation.  “And?”

     Dean pulled up in front of the tiny coffee shop and parked.  “I loved it.”

     “Really?  You’re not just saying that?”

     “I read it five times.  Seriously, I don’t know how you did it, but I couldn’t leave it alone.  That part about the Indian scout and the arrowhead.  I mean… wow.”

     You practically beamed at the praise.  You’d dreamt of becoming a writer for as long as you could remember, but you never let anyone read your stories.  They were so close to your heart that you couldn’t bear the thought of them not being well received. 

     “So… you think I have a shot at getting into the Young Writer’s Conference?” 

     “Keep writing like that and you’re a shoe in.”

     “Thanks Dean, that means a lot.”

     The two of you got out of the car and headed towards the shop.  The huge windows framed the familiar scene.  Teenagers from every class were crammed inside, making good use of the free internet and bottomless sodas.  It was the most popular hang out in town for anyone under the age of twenty. 

     “Out of curiosity, why didn’t you have Sam read your story?  Seems more like his kind of thing.”

     “I wanted a real review, and I knew you’d give me one.  Sammy’s too nice.  If it sucked, he’d never say so.”

     “Couldn’t you just click your heels together and make him tell you the truth?”

     You frowned, “It doesn’t work like that.”       

     It always struck you as odd that people who were not born to the craft simply assumed that witches popped out of the womb automatically an expert on the intricacies of magic.  Like you just twitch your little nose and poof!  Perfection!  Everything you could ever want at your feet with a simple flick of the wrist.

     The Owens blood flowing through your veins gave you a sixth sense with which to observe the world, but it did not provide you with the ability to interpret it.  That came with study, practice, and time.  A witch’s magic grows and matures as she does.  Half natural born talent, half hard won skill.  A process as painful and chaotic as any other adolescent experience.

     You were hot and cold at once, the very pressure of the air on your body almost unbearable.  There was a ringing in your ears like you’d been in a bell tower at noon and time seemed to stop.  Life around you halted, people froze in place.  Cars stopped in the middle of the intersection.  The clouds ceased their trek across the sky and the autumn wind stilled.  It was stranger than any dream, but there was a familiarity to the sensation.  The world slowed and amplified. 

     Your gran taught you about something called chakras.  The spiritual energy centers within the human body.  A lone wolf howled in the distance, and you felt as if those points of energy lit up like a Christmas tree!  You were aware of every cell in your body, thrumming with life and power.  Plucked like the string of a guitar. 

     When time suddenly resumed, you were thrown to the ground by the force of it.  The pavement scraped your palms when you caught yourself, landing on hands and knees.  You were vaguely aware of Dean talking to you but couldn’t concentrate on him.  You were consumed by the sharp pain in your chest.  It radiated out to your shoulder and down your left arm. 

     “Y/N?!”  Dean was kneeling beside you, completely freaked out by the look on your face.  “Hey, Pip… talk to me!”

     You whimpered and curled in on yourself, the pain was agony!  Like nothing you’d ever experienced before.  Tears ran down your cheeks and all you could do was suck in air as you tried to ride out the pain.

     Dean watched the color drain from your face, and he panicked, “Stay right here… I… I’m going to go get help!”

     That jolted you out of the pain cycle enough to respond.  You grabbed the sleeve of his jacket like a lifeline.  “No!  No, don’t go!  I need you!” 

     “Y/N, what’s wrong?  Tell me what’s happening,” he begged, smoothing the hair away from your face. 

      You closed your eyes and concentrated, reaching down deep like your gran had taught you.  It took a lot of effort, but something clicked inside, and you understood.

     “Bobby.”

     “What about Bobby?”

     Your eyes reflected your fear along with absolute certainty.  “He needs help.  He’s hurt!”

     A crowd began to gather.  Several kids who had been studying and laughing with their friends in the coffee shop were now in a huddle around you.  Curious about the spectacle on the sidewalk.

     Sam rushed out and joined his brother at your side, “Dean, what happened?!”

     “It’s Bobby!”  You sobbed, your voice rising in urgency.  “Go now, before it’s too late!” 

     You were having a vision.  It took Sam all of thirty seconds to recognize the signs, but he’d never seen you caught in one so intense.  “Go, I’ll stay with her.  Go!”

     Sam and Dean were always in sync.  They communicated so much while saying very little.  Dean didn’t hesitate, he jumped to his feet and raced down the street towards the sheriff’s station. 

     Sam wrapped his gangly arm around your shoulders while shocked whispers rippled through the swarm of teenagers.  You buried your face against Sam’s shoulder and wept. 

     “I want my Gran.”

     You didn’t go to school the next week.  Vivienne closed her shop and canceled all her appointments.  Although the whole town was buzzing with renewed interest in the Owens family, the only person who dared seek them out was Sam Winchester. 

     “Hey, Ms. Viv.  I’ve got homework for Y/N.”  Sam said softly, kicking the floorboards with his shoe.

     The corner of Viv’s mouth lifted, but her eyes remained somber.  He was nearly as tall as she was now, growing up so fast!  What she wouldn’t give to keep you all children for just a while longer.

     “Sweet boy,” Viv ran a fond hand over Sam’s unruly hair.  “Come in.”

     She directed him to the tower.  The majestic turret that jutted up in the middle of the rambling house.  The top deck was an observation space, complete with a telescope and rolled up maps of the constellations.  When you were little, you and Sam had sleep overs there, pretending it was the mast of a pirate ship or an abandoned castle.  Better days long gone.

     “Hello, Sam.”

     Your back was to the door, so he nearly jumped out of his skin when you spoke.

     “Y/N.  Hi.”

     You turned and tilted your head sadly, “I scared you.”

     “No,” Sam rushed to reassure you.  “I’m just jumpy.”

     You studied your best friend with new eyes.  You could see his hesitation, but no fear.  Same old Sam, honest down to the ground. 

     “Looks like I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

     “You missed a few quizzes, and we started reading Great Expectations in Lit class.  Nothing major, though.  I can help you get up to speed.”  His smile was hopeful, “Do you think you’ll be back on Monday?”

     “I don’t know,” you chewed on your bottom lip.  “There are still a few things I need to master before I can go out again.”

     “Witchy stuff?”

     “Yeah,” you muttered, unsure how much you should say about it.  You weren’t even sure how much he would understand.  It was all so strange.  “Hey, um, how’s Bobby doing?”

     Sam blew out a breath as he flopped down beside you on the padded window seat.  “Onery as ever.  He keeps flirting with the nurses, so they’ll give him extra pudding cups and granola bars.  What he really wants is a burger.  Even tried to bribe me to sneak in a blue plate special from Don’s Diner.” 

     “But he’s okay?  The surgery went okay?”

      “He’s okay.  He quit smoking and he asked Dean to get rid of all the liquor in the house.  I think the heart attack scared him straight, you know?”

     “I’m glad he’s better.”

     “What about you, Y/N?  Are you okay?”

     You shrugged, “Its all new, I just have to get used to it.  Gran said its like someone with bad eyesight who suddenly gets glasses.  The world looks different now, it takes time to adjust.”

     Your gaze dropped to the pile of books and papers Sam put on the bench between you.  A familiar notebook was sticking out of the stack.  You pulled it out with a frown.

     “Ah, Dean sent that along.  Said he was finished with it.”

     It was your story, the one you had him review for you.  “This was his copy; I gave it to him.  It was a gift.”

     Sam saw the sorrow build in your brown eyes, and he hated it.  He had seen it when you were passed over in class or rejected by the other kids.  It killed him every time.

     “He’s just a little shaken up about Bobby.  Just give him time and he’ll come around; you know how he gets.”

     Sam was trying to be kind, you knew that.  But it was no use.  You could sense things you couldn’t before and there was no going back.  You couldn’t unsee this new world any more than you could stop drawing breath.  Loss of innocence was part of growing up, or so Gran said.  You never imagined that embracing your power would mean losing Dean. 

     A single tear slid down your cheek as you looked out towards the horizon.  “Yes, Sam.  I know… times change.” TAGLIST: @deans-baby-momma @muchamusedaboutnothing @peterpangirl21 @ficbreaks @teresa-67 @sacriceria @verytoadpapersoul @heartbreak-of-a-marauder @savspersonalproperty @deanwanddamons @jenwinchester40 @perpetualabsurdity @starryeyeseunbyul @sexyvixen7 @katsbratsupernaturalwhore @agirlwithdemonblood @jerkbitchidjitassbutt @imthedoctorlove @roonyxx @smellingofpoetry @deanwinchesterswitch @thinkinghardhardlythinking @pink-sparkly-witchly-witch @barewithme02 @deadlynightshadeindustries @jc-winchester @mrswhozeewhatsis  @kinderoutoforder-blog @lyarr24 @aphorism-146 @onlinecemetery @allonsy-yesiwill @myeagletoadmaker @panicking-outside-the-disco

#dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester fanfic #spn fic #jensen ackles fanfiction #supernatural #dean x reader #dean x you #jensen x reader #jensen x you #agent!dean x psychic!reader #agent!dean x reader #practically magic

[razzithold]

Honestly it does get on my nerves at times to see so many mean-spirited memes and complaints whenever a character that is largely shipped with another character by fanon later is canonically set up with someone else and the part of fanon that had that specific ship loses their shit and decides they're going to shit on whoever "ruined" their ship so to speak (usually a female character getting shit on so there's an underpinning of misogyny).

Like it's okay for ships to not be canon. You can still ship what you want regardless of canon. If you hate a ship you hate a ship, you don't necessarily need a moral justification every damn time, doesn't mean you should harass anyone.

Also, just because a character gets in a relationship or marriage or such doesn't necessarily mean they're blocked off from all other romantic and/or sexual relationships, polyamorous relationships exist as do open relationships.

Are you allowed to feel upset if something that was teased gets snubbed in favor of a different relationship? Sure. Are some of the fanon interpretations spawned due to queerbaiting? Often. Take that up with the writers and the companies restricting what they can and can't publish but don't take it to the level of harassing people over fictional characters. If a piece of media keeps going in a direction you don't like, you can choose to stop consuming and engaging with that media, it's okay. But also I do understand continuing to engage with media out of spite because of that good ol sunk cost fallacy and wanting to know how it ends. If anything that gives more fodder for people to write fix-it fics.

TL:DR is canon ships aren't endangering your ability to ship whatever the fuck you want, if you wanna ship the main character and a random background character that shows up in one scene rather than the canonical marriage, go for it, just don't harass real people over this fictional media.

#razz rambles #this is about loz btw #getting annoyed with people's jokes that sidlink is dead because sidon is in an arranged marriage #like you can still ship it why do you care about canon #it's nintendo did you really think they would in game confirm a largely fanon ship? #they refuse to even confirm ZeLink even with the overwhelming evidence #rambles #3am ramblings #also let link be polyam he can be with zelda as well as other characters at the same time if they're all communicating with each other

[sleep-deprivedracoon]

It seems like there is no escaping the JD vs AH trial anywhere. All my socials are flooded with the trial. My fellow university students are talking about it. My internship colleagues are talking about it. Everyone has their own opinion on this case. Fair. We're entitled to. It's a sensational case about 2 celebrities who want to sue each other for defamation with the central theme of the case being domestic violence. It is being televised for the whole world to watch and lawtubers and lawyer influencers are milking the shit out of this case. Even meme pages get heavy engagement on the memes related to the case.

I watched the case proceedings multiple times to get an unbiased view on it. I must say that AHs lawyers seem under prepared for this case. Who's side am I on? Johnny Depp's. I do believe that the op-ed was written with malicious intent.

I might lose followers for this opinion but I wanted to voice it out. This case has shed light on male domestic violence. Whether the abuse was mutual or the relationship between AH and jD was toxic doesn't change the fact that he was also abused. Men can be abused too. At workplaces, among acquaintances, by their families, by their spouses. It is time that we helped them instead of mocking them for not being man enough.

Also, just because I am on his side, doesn't mean that I am okay with everything that is happening

1. Can we stop shipping him with his lawyer? They're real people. Not fictional characters. This affects their dynamics as business partners. He is her client. They might be good friends. But shipping them? Really? Isn't she spoken for? Would you like to read about your partner being shipped with someone they're working with?

2. Can we not involve either parties children into the picture? Johnny made it clear that he doesn't want his children involved with this. Why are people calling out his daughter for not openly supporting him? She could do so in private. Do I believe AH is getting death threats? Absolutely. Do I think someone threatened her baby? Yes. These children of both parties need to be separated from the issue. They're children and the issue is with their parents, not them. Keep the children out of this.

3. Hating on witnesses is not okay. They maybe terrible witnesses with terrible personality but it doesn't make it okay to direct an online mob at them. Did some of them commit perjury? Maybe. But that is for the court to decide. Taking the law into our own hands and subjecting someone to abuse over social media is unjust.

4. The same goes for lawyers, judge or jury. If the case doesn't favor your party's interest. Do not direct any hate to the parties involved. They did their job. Whether the decision was justified or not will be decided by AH or JD and they will file an appeal. We are supporting these figures and not fighting their battles for them.

You guys can argue all you want in the comments of this post but I truly believe that we've been acting like a lynch mob. For a case who's central theme circles around abuse, we sure as hell have no problem subjecting others to different types of abuse over social media.

#justice for johnny #johnny depp #johnny depp vs amber heard #amber heard #depp vs heard #depp v heard trial

[shinidamachu]

Sid, I know you’re mostly an InuKag blog and this probably isn’t your area of expertise, but as a POC the discourse surrounding Kikyo - and by extension InuKik as a ship - really bothers me.

Seems like all anyone can focus on about Kikyo as a character is stupid Iove triangle shipping discourse, if she is hated or called out it’s generally only for that reason and that reason alone. Otherwise if people aren’t hating her because “she gets in the way of InuKag,” she’s treated as this cool girlboss who’s a tragic figure and simply misunderstood, now this is not to erase the complexities and nuance that is inherent to her character, but it kinda bothers me that she’s not called out more for her actual crime in actually being really low-key racist? Like personally she’s one of the most problematic characters in the franchise to me.

The way she treats Inuyasha throughout the anime and manga she acts like she’s doing him a favor and gives off strong “I can’t be racist, I have a black friend/bf!” vibes. She treats him as one of the “good demons” constantly comparing him to the full-blooded ones saying how he’s not like *that* because he has human blood. She straight out just asks him if he ever just thought of stopping being biracial essentially, telling him to throw half of his identity and race away and get rid of his problematic “ethnic features.” She is literally Microaggressions: The Character.

And I know IY is fiction and demons aren’t an actual race that exists in real life, but I’m of the belief that fiction does not exist in a vacuum, it influences and informs reality just like reality informs it. The whole “demons vs humans” conflict that is at the center of the narrative and a hanyou’s place in it feels like it’s meant to be a direct allegory/metaphor for racism between different ethnic groups out in the real world and how mixed people are often caught in the middle. Inuyasha to me reads as a very POC-coded character with very distinct physical features alien to the dominant human society that he is judged for constantly. And maybe I’m just being overly sensitive but it feels really wrong that shipping drama is people’s biggest issue with Kikyo when they’re kinda ignoring this big 5ft pink elephant in the room? I mean tons of other fandoms are always ready to decry and call out the racism inherent to their franchises so why doesn’t the IY fandom? (Though the callouts of Sunrise over whitewashing Shiori in Yashahime was a good start)

InuKik’s whole relationship in general is just really uncomfortable and has these weird racial power undertones to it, I mean Kikyo is a respected village authority who is a Miko in charge of protecting the village in demons, so literally in the position of a “cop,” while Inuyasha himself is a poor, disenfranchised minority youth who’s discriminated against day in and day out and Kikyo basically takes it as her task to play white savior and try to “rehabilitate/civilize” him society, all while she clearly has the upper hand and holds all the privilege between the two and yet she wants to play little miss “woe is me” and pretends or even dismisses the fact that she has any privilege at all? That her and Inuyasha “are in the exact same position???”

And sure we could talk about misogynist double standards and how it’s unfair I’m suddenly interested in “cancelling” her character when Sesshomaru himself is also a big ass racist, but see the difference is is that at least Sesshomaru is an upfront, out-and out open racist. Neither he nor the narrative ever attempt to paint him in the right and openly criticize and give him comeuppance for his racist attitude in life which he has to actively learn from. Kikyo on the other hand is imo the much more dangerous type of racist, she’s the insidious “covert” racist, who might not even realize they’re being racist but has internalized a lot of toxic societal messaging regarding certain skin colors (Or I guess in IY’s case, supernatural powers and animal-like physical features) and so overtly looks down on POC and does a lot more institutional harm to them than a KKK-style racist like Sesshomaru could ever do. She’s not a self-aware racist, which imo is the much more dangerous type.

Anyways sorry for going off on this long rant to you like this, it’s just always bugged me that the fandom seems to overlook this major flaw and problematic connotations surrounding Kikyo’s character when this is an an extremely important issue that deserves to be talked about more and has much more serious implications than any petty shipping debates.

I'm gonna preface this by saying I'm not white either. However, this doesn't necessarily make me an expert on the subject by any means. It's definitely not my intention to speak for every people of color in the fandom. I'm simply sharing a personal opinion.

Of course Inuyasha is fiction and demons aren't an actual race, but as you so pertinently put it: fiction doesn't exist in a vacuum. It influences and informs reality and, in return, reality equally influences and informes fiction.

Inuyasha's predicament is a very clear representation of racism. Just because it doesn't get called out by name, it doesn't mean it's not there. The prejudice, the discrimination and the ostracizing he went through certainly are.

The unfair way in which he has been treated might have nothing to do with his skin tone, but it's deeply associated with his status as a half demon, something he can't nor should naturally change. For an allegory, it can't get more explicit than this.

In that sense, it matters little which real life minority we think Inuyasha was coded after. What's really important is recognizing that his half demon heritage carries an undeserved stigma. It shaped who he is and how he's perceived by others. As a result, everything concerning his demonic blood will inevitably rise very real racial issues. That's why Kikyo comes off in a bad light.

She initially spared Inuyasha's life because she didn't see him as a half demon, but as a half human. And then she got into her head that, due to their shared loneliness, they were not so different — completely neglecting the fact that said loneliness came from totally different places.

Like I've said before: Inuyasha didn’t choose loneliness. Everyone else chose to isolate him. Kikyo, on the other hand, isolated herself. Both Kaede – as the village priestess – and Kagome – as the new guardian of the Jewel – proved that it's more than possible to fulfil their duties while still mantaining deep, meaningful connections to other people. Kagome in particular relied on those connections for her power to grow.

And so Kikyo had the option to simply drop everything if she so desired: pass the Jewel on, stop using her powers and start fresh somewhere. She had the option to ask for help, to let people in.

At the same time, all the reasons why she doesn't are completely understandable. It makes perfect sense for her character, fleshs out her personality and it makes her interesting from a storytelling perspective. What she didn't have was the right to compare her situation to Inuyasha's, who didn't have the luxury of choosing.

Of course, having a little sister who loved her to death and an entire village worshipping the ground she walked on aren't impediments to feeling lonely or depressed, but it's still way more than what Inuyasha ever had at the time.

Kikyo's sorrow doesn't take away from the fact that she was privileged and therefore, could never speack to Inuyasha from a place of parity. Presenting herself as his equal is a false equivalence and the way the scene was framed made it look like Kikyo was asking Inuyasha for sympathy when the goal was — or at least should have been — showing him compassion and understanding.

In that sense, suggesting to use the Jewel to turn him into human is just awful. Not only would it be a selfish wish, but also there's no way for us to know exactly how it would backfire, only that it would. Inuyasha was being used to test a theory that would have failed. Spectacularly.

Sure you can. You're half human, after all. But if it was used to turn you into a human... the Jewel would be purified and would probably cease to exist.

The repetition of the word "human" emphasizes said circumstance. Also, notice how it gets confidently associated with "purity", while such certaninty is not applied to what could happen to the Jewel, which would only "probably" cease to exist.

Not to mention Inuyasha canonically hates being human. It's bad if Kikyo doesn't know that fact, because it shows just how little they actually knew about each other for two people who are supposed to be in love, but for obvious reasons, it's even worse if she does know.

One might argue that her intentions here were good. Adopting the "we're not so different" approach was her way of reaching up to Inuyasha and turning him into human was mutually beneficial in theory. Regardless of what her reasoning was, though, the point is that she never should have done it in the first place. It was highly insensitive at best.

And even if you believe that Kikyo didn't have an actual issue with Inuyasha's demonic features — which is as valid an interpretation as any — there's no denying she wasn't too fond of them either, otherwise she wouldn't have jumped at the chance to get rid of them. She liked Inuyasha despite of who he was, not because of it.

The situation gets even worse when you realize that this arrangement isn't mutually beneficial at all. Hypothetically, Kikyo would be free of her duty, becoming an ordinary woman with a human Inuyasha by her side, which was already everything she wanted. But what about him?

Inuyasha is the one making all the compromising. He was the one putting his life — the one his demon father died to save — on the line. He was the one sacrificing his powers, his physical appearance and his father's legacy (because he wouldn't be able to wield Tessaiga as a human, even if he didn't know about its existence yet). Inuyasha being a half demon was the living proof of his parents tragic love story and he was turning his back on that not because he thought was what he wanted — like becoming a full demon, for instance — but because someone else suggested it to him.

What was Inuyasha getting out of it? "Acceptance" from villagers he didn't really care about and who would only be friendly to him because he wouldn't look like himself anymore, while still being racist to other demons? An "official" relationship with Kikyo, even though there isn't really a good reason as to why he couldn't have that without forsaking a part of who he was, since relationships between demons and humans, though rare, already existed and he eventually got that with Kagome?

Unless, of course, Kikyo's offer to live together was conditional. Which raises the question: what was Kikyo giving up, apart from things she wanted gone anyway? And what would have happened if Inuyasha refused to go with her plan?

Because it was one thing to kiss him in secret — like the anime-only scene in the docks — or after she was technically dead and had nothing to lose, but it's a totally different thing to own up to that relationship without the prospect of using the Jewel to change him. Unfortunatelly, her character isn't written well enough for us to draw our own conclusions based solely on canon material.

The point I'm trying to make is that despite the narrative portraying Kikyo's suggestion as a selfless act on her part, she would be the only one actually benefiting from this deal long run. In the end of the day, it was more about her needs than his, because the kind of acceptance she was offering Inuyasha wasn't the one he needed, which Kikyo should've known.

Inuyasha going for it isn't the proof of love Takahashi — and part of the fandom — tend to paint it as. It's a proof of desperation: desperation that Kikyo would walk away if he told her no. Desperation to belong somewhere. Anywhere. Remember: Inuyasha had his mind set on becoming a full demon literally a few days prior.

That's why this ship was build to wreck, with or without Naraku. There were no trust, no intimacy, no honesty. They barely knew each other. Inuyasha put Kikyo on a pedestal and was constantly trying to act like someone he wasn't to please her (restrained, apathetic and unsure). Their whole relationship was based on loneliness and idealization.

All of this is to say that the way Kikyo treated Inuyasha's heritage is a defining trait of her character and, by extension, of Inukik as a pairing. And although it is possible — even preferable — to call out her behavior outside the shipping discourse, it's also perfectly understandable that both things will blend together because Kagome and Inukag are direct paralells to Kikyo's actions in this regard.

Trust and acceptance are recurring themes in Inukag's relationship and the lack thereof, in my carefully curated fandom experience, is the biggest source of Kikyo and Inukik criticism and it circles right back to those racial issues. Sadly, the closer we ever got from the narrative challenging Kikyo's perspectie on the matter was having Inuyasha end up with Kagome, who had an opposite worldview.

Obviously, there are still people who will make this solely about the love triangle and there will always be, but as far as I can tell, they're mostly casual anime watchers nowadays, not at all comparable to how it used to be back when the ship war was still raging on.

I dislike Inukik and Kikyo is one of my least favorite characters not because I'm an Inukag shipper or a Kagome stan, but because as an Inuyasha stan and someone who appreciates themes and character growth, I can't get behind it even if Kagome never became a part of the equation.

And I believe a considerable amount of people who share this feeling think the same, we just don't express it more often because... Well... You said it yourself: I'm mostly an Inukag blog. And I'd much rather focus on the things I love instead of the ones I dislike.

You see, the Inuyasha fandom is old and the Inuyasha material is older. Inevitably, some part of its content did not age well and inevitably, someone has already pointed that out. It's understandable, though, that some people would chose not to engage the discussion in exchange of peace of mind. Especially with the "let people enjoy things" trend going on.

I think your frustration is completely valid and strongly encourage that you keep the discussion going on your blog if voicing your opinions and experiences will make you feel better. Particularly, I'll be avoiding the topic unless prompted by asks such as this one, in which case I'm fine talking about it.

Fandom is my escape from reality and using my recreative time explaining to the white people in it why certain dynamics portrayed in the show can be considered problematic in a racial level feels exhausting and it's not really my — or any other people of color's —obligation to do so if we don't feel up to it. Especially when there's a huge chance of backlash and of people reducing valid points to ship wars.

It's funny you shall mention the Shiori incident because, unlike Inuyasha, the sequel doesn't have the "test of time" to blame for its poor "creative" choices, since it's from 2020. I distinctly remember calling out the blatant white washing her character suffered, along with the sane part of the fandom and either got ignored because people thought we were overreacting or straight up got told that we were only speaking up because we didn't like a specific ship the show portrayed and that what Sunrise did was fine because Shiori's dark skin is, and I quote: actually orange. So yeah.

That being said, I have reservations about comparing Kikyo to a cop because, personally, I've always thought the priestess occupation — at least as it was originally portrayed in the series — had more to do with medical and spiritual care than with mantaining law and order. Plus, cops tend to do everything in their power to keep their authority and privilege intact, while Kikyo was willing to give that up to become an ordinary woman, but I do see where you're coming from.

As for the double standards, Kikyo isn't the first female character to fall victim to rooted misogyny and unfortunately won't be the last. Kagome herself gets hate for sexist reasons, often from the very people who reprove it when the same thing happens to Kikyo. However, I feel like claiming misogyny is the only reason Kikyo gets hate is not a completely honest statement.

I'd say this argument would hold a lot more water if Kikyo hadn't constantly belittle and actively tried to kill the female protagonist — who had been nothing but kind and understanding towards her — over jealousy, or if her post death existence wasn't literally based on feeding off of miserable women's souls.

The double standards regarding Sesshomaru are real, but it had little to do with gender and everything to do with context. Kikyo was a fallen priestess. One the narrative asks me to believe is in love — or at least loved — a half demon. Sesshomaru is a racist demon who despised his half demon brother and humans alike.

So when Sesshomaru takes a little human girl under his wings and acts somewhat respectfully towards Inuyasha, that's a huge deal to me. But when Kikyo, who is already dead, gives up her "life" to save the child she was planning to sacrifice for the greater good and treats Inuyasha with dignity, my reaction will naturally be "alright, what else is new?" Swap or even their genders and my feelings will remain the same.

It's not a crime having higher expectations for her than for an actual antagonist when the narrative insists on sweeping the bad things she has done under the rug and focusing on how she is still as good as she has always been because, in that case, doing good deeds is not some extraordinary feature, but rather the bare minimum.

Sesshomaru's bad actions were openly and correctly portrayed as bad. He was forced to face his limitations, his weakness and his loses. That made him grow as a character. And if I criticize Sesshomaru, people will most likely ignore me or agree instead of try and justify his actions with his daddy issues. Kikyo being armored by the plot didn't do her any favors in this regard.

Besides, if we're talking double standards, I frankly don't think some people would be as willing to look past Kikyo's mistakes — Sesshomaru's too, for that matter — and ship her with Inuyasha if she wasn't so pretty. And honestly? That's fine. No one needs an actual reason to love or hate a character.

Lastly, it's not like I don't get Kikyo's tragic backstory, it's just that a huge part of why it's tragic in the first place is because of the choices she made. Naraku was detrimental to her fate, yes. But Kikyo's appeal is that she wasn't a passive person to whom things just happened to. She had agency to make decisions for herself.

People like Inuyasha, Sango and Kohaku had way worse than her and definitely not by their choice, but they never used their traumas as an excuse to be cruel. And I'm not saying this is a competition. Kikyo's pain it's just as valid. I'm just saying that, given these circumstances, in a fictional level, it's way harder to relate and empathize with her character.

And it's not like I didn't want to stan Kikyo. On the contrary. She's beautiful, cunning and interesting. I have a long list of powerful, unapologetic, morally grey female characters that I love and most of them were a bigger treat to my ships than Kikyo ever was to Inukag. The difference is that they were well written.

Kikyo's entire concept is fantastic, but the execution was abysmal. It's very clear to me that Takahashi didn't know what to do with her and it's a shame to see so much potential get wasted. I don't mind her characterization at all. She should be flawed and controversial. It's the lack of character development and satisfying redemption arc that I take issue with, if the narrative is gonna sell her as a changed woman worthy of our sympathy.

Anyway... if you want her complexities and nuances done justice, I've heart the Sesskik fandom is the place to be. They actually acknowledge her flaws, hold her accountable for the things she's done and explore very interesting sides of her personality.

I didn't mourn Kikyo's death for a second. But I mourn the character she could have been every single day.

#Holy fuck I feel like I owe you a new keyboard #Thank you for passing by #And thank you for your patience as well #This has been sitting in my inbox for a while #But I felt like your question deserved a more complex answer #Also don't feel sorry for ranting to me #I actually enjoy when people go off over a topic they have strong feelings about #Especially when they put it as respectfully and politely as you did #Sidmailing #Also please you guys don't use this post to start anything alright? #I won't answer #This is just my opinion not an invite to debate

[storkmuffin]

it might be worth considering that

1) the people silver chooses to make fun of are not people who tend to be vulnerable on the crew, they are largely people who are on the vanguard/we see otherwise being treated with respect. Nothing indicates that they face real consequences - is it dumb and immature, yes, but largely Silver is the one who gets hurt over it.

2) I know it's different with fictional people, and I'm NOT saying you are bad or causing harm or anything, but I do think it might be worth reflecting on that while you're saying only neurotypical people bond over people being tortured, you, a loudly professed neuroatypical person, are the ONLY one I've ever seen actually rejoice in Silver being tortured, and you certainly seem to bond with people who agree with you about him.

All I'm saying is things might not be as clear cut as you are making them out to be.

Oh dear. A John Silver stan that broke into and read an #anti john silver tagged post and got upset. Please don't read those if you're a John Silver stan. Abide the tags. Those posts so tagged will make you unhappy. Also, consider blocking me.

I'm taken aback to be called "loud". I suppose this means I've been much more impactful, at least on you, than I expected. Again, consider blocking me and not reading my tagged posts.

I have not rejoiced in John Silver's torture or maiming, loudly or otherwise. I said I didn't feel the sadness for his plight that the show (the acting, the set up, the direction, the music) insist that I feel and that disconnect made me want to stop watching the show altogether.

You're also missing the point of my recent post. I was trying to understand why I - me in particular- found this character that does in fact have very devoted hardcore stans so intensely off-putting well before he commits his unforgivable finale actions. I have found my answer.

And you're wrong in the rest of what you've said. Silver doing that does have consequences that reverberate through the story, for one, and for another, the bonding through singling out and humiliating people is harmful and repellant. Being wounded can be an internal invisible event. You probably take pride in being able to bear humiliation and be "fine" when something like that happens to you, whereas I object to the very act of intentionally causing humiliation. And John Silver gets punched, yeah, but he doesn't get hurt at all by creating that environment- he wins.

Oh, and - People I've become friends with in the Black Sails fandom don't monolithically agree with me about Silver, for one, and for another, I don't bond over hating Silver. Mutuals and I have bonded over loving the characters we love, loving the show overall, and some very open minded people just like having someone on their dash who says something new about the show.

I've had this said to me on tumblr before in a different fandom with much less civil discourse- You're The Only One I've Ever Seen Do/Say XYZ (disapproving in neurotypical). It's very cute that this is the weapon you reach for on the microblogging site in a fandom for a show that stopped airing six years before I found it. I'm not original enough to be the only person who ever thought any thought so if I felt it strongly enough to say it there's probably a lot of other people who felt it too. Again, abide the tags, friend.

#black sails asks

[louiskechi]

alright let’s get this over with

here is a basic summary of all you could possibly need to know about me before you go starting something with me (this will be updated as i see fit)

-trans rights are human rights. this is not up for debate and is a block on sight if you disagree. same goes for black lives matter, and any other basic human rights that people somehow take offense to.

-xenogenders, lesboys/girl gays, mspec lesbians/gays, and all other non traditional or contradictory labels are valid. you can continue being angry that you aren’t allowed to fit queer people into strictly confined boxes all you want, but the long term goal of the queer movement should always be to break down restrictive labels and emphasize being who you are. this applies to neopronouns as well, obviously. all good faith identities are valid. full stop.

-transandrophobia is real. to deny that transmasculine people experience a unique type of transphobia tailored by bigots to specifically target our experiences is complacency. if you engage in hierarchical structures to organize the oppression marginalized people experience (i.e. saying things like “tme people need to shut up for once” when discussing transphobia) is reductive and only divides the community.

-self diagnosing is valid. not everyone has access to psychiatrists, let alone ones who will give a proper assessment. it’s also worth mentioning that both the medical field and the government have a lot of ingrained ableism, which can bar you from access to jobs, and can cause you to lose legal rights and bodily autonomy. (did you know getting an autism diagnosis can prevent you from getting a visa to most countries? it can even get you placed on a mandatory DNR!) accompanying this, i do not care what a system’s origin is. as a plural person, i couldn’t give less of a shit. if you say what you’re experiencing is plurality, i will believe you. trying to determine who “is and isn’t actually plural” does nothing but give fuel to those who will fake-claim us no matter how much proof we provide. you are helping divide our community and prevent mentally ill people from getting support that could save their lives.

-proshippers are annoying as fuck and i hate you all. no, you are not “just anti harassment,” in fact it’s a favorite hobby for quite a few of you. i do not identify as “anti ship” but having an integral part of your identity being that you think shipping a grown man with a child is fine tells me something about you that you somehow haven’t realized about yourselves. and no, you being a trauma survivor does not absolve you of abhorrent behavior. at this point it’s not even the content itself that worries me, it’s the relationship you people have with it. you can’t even handle the most mild criticism or discomfort about it. quit bragging about how uncomfortable you make everyone and really evaluate yourself.

-lolicon/shotacon is pedophilia. if you have some sort of objection to that you should really be looking up direct translations of the words you choose to identify yourselves with. terminology aside, no matter how much you try to insist “fiction doesn’t always effect reality,” that fictitious drawing of child rape is certainly effecting the reality of your now-erect cock. consider checking yourself before you get checked into a correctional facility.

-paraphiles deserve understanding and recovery. you are not going to eliminate things like pedophilia and zoophilia by arresting them, or worse, killing them, for feelings they can’t control. the solution to these things is easy access to therapy so they can work through those feelings and hopefully be rid of them one day, or at least no longer be a threat. most paraphiles do not want their paraphilia much less to act on them, and even those who do will not benefit from incarceration.

-the way some of you engage with fictional characters is disgusting. no, vriska serket was not a “girlboss” for telling the person she physically disabled to “apologize for being cr*ppled.” no, you do not think valentino is “just a really interesting villain” when i can see you talking about how sexy he is in the scene where he rapes the protag, followed by woobifying him and never addressing his actions at all. please get off the internet. it is genuinely disturbing the way you talk about these characters and it makes me deeply concerned about how you would act if you ever learned to shut off your computer. and yes, it is that deep.

#trans rights #black lives matter #xenogenders are valid #etc #im too tired to write it all out again #fuck proshippers #argue with me if you want

[unpopularfanopinion]

@i-hate-proshippers-and-radqueers

Stop comparing and equating fiction to real life abuse and trauma. Because fiction, even if using real people as its characters is not the same.

And I am not defending predatory behavior toward minors. I am defending fiction. I am defending fantasies.

And if you want to go for hypothetical how would you feel being the parent of a teen who tries to commit suicide or succeeds because a bunch of purity cultured conservatives harassed them over fiction about ANOTHER teenager! Because guess what! It wasn't full grown adult women writing the "high school girl sold to One Direction" back in the 2010's.

Just like the people writing the fics you're most mad about aren't predators or pedophiles. They're those people's fans, the majority of whom are teens or minors themselves. Going through puberty and trying to figure themselves out. They don't need sex-negative, purity obsessed conservatives like you giving them hang-ups over their sexuality. Or are you under the delusion that teenagers don't experience sexual attraction, sexual desires, or sexual fantasies until they hit age 18 and it's all turned on like a switch? Ot just think that how it should work so you'll harass and shame any teenager who acts otherwise.

There is literally no difference in the content you are attacking on Ao3 and the content conservatives are attacking(which if you looked at what conservatives are trying to ban would realize is not all LGBTQ content, some of it is heterosexual) in regards to whether it is CP, or pedophilia, or created by pedophiles. The only different if that you like and approve of one, and dislike and disapprove of the other.

You actions and behavior don't stop being that of controlling, bullying conservatives just because you think it's different when you do it. if anything that just demonstrates the very conservative "Rules for thee, but not for me" attitude so common with conservatives

#antis are conservatives #and cowards

[hahahax30]

Honestly, reading Lili Elbe's *actual* memoir, I have come to the conclusion that the Danish girl's author is more fucked up than I had thought.

He treats Lili's sporadic nosebleeds as a fantastic aspect of the story, as if her intersex condition had granted her a mini uterus in her nostrils, when in reality it was most likely a result of the anxiety/stress her dysphoria brought in (literally a two-minute search will tell you you can bleed from stress and anxiety), because they were only present when 'Einer' came forth, never when she was embodying Lili; with Lili everything was happiness and tranquility. And he doesn't even *mention* the 'mysterious fits of depression [...] and violent pains [...] disconcerting fits of sobbing' (a direct quote) that came with those nosebleeds, and which he would have somewhat explained them when, physically, Lili was fine. Instead he just implies the nosebleeds are there because she has rudimentary ovaries, and that's low-key infuriating.

Not to say that he completely sexualised Lili's childhood? The only actual thing she did as a child was get into fights to proof she could be 'like the other boys' and play with her sister's dolls when no one but her sister was looking. She didn't have a friend whose penis she gawked at 24/7 nor who tried to assault her at like 11.

Just, please, I wish I could get the Danish girl out of the market and erase it from existence. Or at least have a preface written by one of the numerous trans women (which I'm not lol, but I'll leave one under the cut) who've rightfully complained about how horrible the book is, because I know the Danish girl gets randomly recommended to people who have had no contact with trans people in their lives in order to 'understand' trans women, and that's fucked up.

By Gwen Sund:

I hate this book on so many levels. I will say one good thing. It is a very well written book. The prose is lovely and the author does a good job with descriptions. His handling of the characters and parts of the plot though are pretty offensive. I will not go too far into the history and how inaccurate this book is because as the author mentions in his afterwards Lili Elbe is the only character based off of a real person. Everyone else is completely made up. It's okay that the story isnt' true to life, but that opens up an entirely different terrible can of worms that I'll get into. The order of events is different, how things turn out is different. This is "Base on a Real Event" in the same way Exorcist 2: Bazuzoo Boogalu is based on a real event. There will be some spoilers, so if that bugs you stop reading here. Just know I can't recommend this book in any way. I barely recommend the movie, but at least that doesn't have as many issues.

My biggest problem with this book is the handling of Lili. This author made up pretty much the entire story, so even if there might be historical context for some of the details he still chose to describe Lili the way that he did. I am a trans woman and I found his handling of her to be one of the most offensive that I have ever read. He treats her being trans as multiple personality disorder. Since he chose and created so much of the story I'm not going to give historical leeway on this. He chose to do that. Trans people do not experience their identities that way. We are the same person before and after transition. It's not like a demon possession story where over the story the demon slowly starts taking over. It would have been so much more powerful to have Lily come to terms with herself and her past. Have her find a way to love herself in her own skin. Something more true to the trans experience. This story is nearly entirely fiction, so there's no reason why the story couldn't be told in a more positive supportive manner.

And that point ties into another thing. This book won the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction. For one the author is cisgender so why didn't the award go to a trans author. They existed. Susan Striker, Jennifer Finney Boylan, Kate Bornstein, and Leslie Feinberg were all actively writing in the year 2000. And that's just a few trans authors at the time. There were plenty more. On top of that the book is very bad at showing the trans experience. It is a slap in the face. I can't even say 2000 was a different time and Lambda Literary has moved on from that because after the Danish Girl movie came out they worked with this author again to help him set up a trans charity. They support this story. They still support it. That sucks. I hate it.

One more thing with the handling of Lili is that she has no agency in this story. People keep making decisions for her, they move her around, they treat her like a child, and they make medical decisions for her. The only decision she makes in this book is the one that killed the real life Lili. Some how Greta is treated like she's supposed to be this super supportive partner, but she just controls Lili to death. There's a part in the book where Greta starts telling Einar to become Lili constantly. Not to be supportive but because Greta has become famous for painting Lili and she constantly wants Lili to model for more paintings. What in the world is supportive about that? Greta literally uses Lili for personal financial gain to the detriment of Lili's mental and physical health. Multiple times Lili asks to stop and is told to stay put.

While we're on the topic of Greta let's just talk about how weird that character is. She is very loosely based on Lili's real life partner Gerda. She was a famous painter that was part of the Art Nouveau movement. She is an important painter in history and for some reason she is turned into this bland concerned straight lady. She is so much more than that and I suggest anyone reading this maybe look up some information about her. The end of her life is sad as hell, but the real life Gerda is so much more interesting that Greta.

Speaking of endings I don't understand why the author changed Greta's true life story so much that she gets to live happy and rich while Lili still ends up sad, lonely, and probably dead from having a uterus transplanted into her. Why the hell did he go out of his way to give so many of the cis characters happy lives only to keep the trans character's sad ending? Why? That's awful. That isn't support or visibility. That is voyeurism. "Look at the old school trans woman that thought she could give birth and died. Oh isn't that weird?" Screw that. If everyone else gets happy endings then cut the last chapter, and have Lili exit the story with the guy that asked her to marry him. Have them go off to New York and live to be happy. This is fiction, give fiction Lili the chance to be who real life Lili didn't get the chance to be.

I hate this book. I hate how many awards it has gotten. I hate that so many cisgendered people have made money on this story. I hate it. I don't necessarily hate the author, I just hate this story. Why did I make myself read the entire thing?!

#lili elbe #david ebershoff #man into woman

[weiwuxian]

I really should stop looking at other people’s opinions on to my star 2 bc it’s making me a bit sad to see how people are talking about the show and the creator. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and no one has to like a show, but I’ve seen some kind of disrespectful statements on multiple social media platforms. Some people have been quite mean to the director and are saying she’s ruined everything and no viewers wanted what this season was and that’s just not fair (or true). Again people can have their opinions, but I wish they wouldn’t be so rude to someone who has quite clearly put a lot of effort and love into telling a very compelling, heart wrenching, and well executed show.

I do think some BL fans, may be used to the typical BLs which quite honestly still have a lot of shallowness to them due to simply lack of resources and care put into the making of them. The shows are quite simple and the issues aren’t very complex. I have also seen a growing trend in online fandoms over the past years of people being genuinely upset that fictional characters do not act in healthy logical ways, even though that’s not even how real life works and that would make for an incredibly boring story.

No one is required to like the show, or like Jiwoo, or agree with this thought process, or even want them to get back together. But I’ve felt increasingly disillusioned with online fandom for tv and movies over the past few years in particular. If a character isn’t perfect how dare you like them and want them to get a happy ending, if a pairing isn’t the wet dream of a couple’s therapist you shouldn’t want them together and it’s bad writing if they get/stay together, if a storyline doesn’t go how you want then how dare the writer/director go in that direction no one could *ever* like that writing choice and it’s ruined everything. Everything is just SO extreme and so polarized and people seemingly don’t want to just let other people enjoy things if they aren’t (and sometimes vice versa). It’s just exhausting.

Despite all that I’ve loved this season a lot, I wish we got Jiwoo’s perspective a little earlier, but I’m not too worried about pacing issues. I think these last two episodes were really well done and the last two are gonna have a running time of like 76 minutes, so I think there’s enough time for a satisfying resolution, whatever that is (I’m still rooting for them to just talk and get back together lol). I feel like it’s pretty typical to pack a lot into the tail end of any story, and can be done well and I trust this show to do it well. Looking forward to next week!

I'm with you 😔 I try to look through the tag often to reblog everyone's gifsets and support text posts, but I can't do it right now. The take I've been seeing about how this is a bad story now just because some people don't like it leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. And I'm saying this as someone who really hates sad endings and will be beyond heartbroken if tms (my feel good drama!!) doesn't have a happy ending. A story isn't bad just because some people don't like it, that's not how it works. And yet.

You're absolutely right that fandom has become quite extreme. And the more I think of it, the more I'm like... tms2 isn't even that tragic. Yes, we're all suffering, but this is because we're so attached to these characters. But in reality, what's happening between jiwoo and seojoon is a very mundane story of broken people who were in a relationship before they had time to do some healing and I've seen in the same story in real life multiple times. People are acting like this suddenly became a novella with absurd and unnecessary angst which is so far removed from the truth.

Like. I get it. S1 had such good vibes and it was so light and it was such a feel good show and people are right that this is the reason we all fell in love with it. But I hate the idea that the writers owed us the exact same vibes again and, because they didn't come through with that, then they've fucked up a perfectly good story. It's objectively not true. The storytelling this season is so grounded and captivating and heart-wrenching and overall very smart. The story doesn't want to make us happy for 10 episodes, it wants to make us think and feel and that's valid. Sometimes I wish some people would just be honest and say they hate people suffering from mental health because it's what some of these posts sound like anyway.

#asks #anon #sorry i took some time to answer #hope you're having a good day anyway despite this <3