#truly what's the point without stan he is so Important

[bonefall]

God I am so tired of Bramble fans who refuse to use critical thinking and believe that brambleclaw and squilf are equally bad. Many also hate on moonkitti's video which they most likely haven't even watched or misconstrued points in it. You can like a character without defending all their actions please I'm begging you

And people will sometimes jump to their defense, saying that people just dogpiled them for liking a character the fandom doesn't like, and while that can happen, sometimes people are actually dogpiling them for ignoring abuse and insulting creators with different opinions

(Some discourse happened on Twitter recently about this but it's something I've seen happen before, I'm not specifically talking about anyone)

I'm going to be honest and drop my feelings.

Never have I ever actually SEEN a Bramblefan "get dogpiled" for liking Bramble.

I come out here on my massive soapbox every couple of weeks and drop whole essays on this guy, I chat casually about how important he is to me as a character, both as someone who was abused in a way similar to Squirrelflight AND as someone who can relate to Bramblestar's situation, and before BB got so large and my attention was easier to divide I even ran an AU called Sweet Nothings which had a "big brother" Bramble take in it.

There is no shortage of Bramblestar-related posts around here, yet, I have never, NEVER gotten shit for when I talk positively about Bramble.

In fact, he's commonly cited as one of the favorite cats to see on this blog from my audience. I get praise for addressing him with nuance, explaining how his actions are abuse while also keeping him human, talking about how his life is a painful cycle of self-doubt that makes him double down on his worst decisions. Every time I post about him, I get an influx of comments centered around how my takes on him are appreciated.

What I DO see is people who make art where they try to bothsides him and Squirrelflight, or say something completely false about his behavior, or straightup post DARVO tactics to defend their fav's honor. When someone makes a comment that goes "uhmm? Bit strange innit?" they call it "harassment." Or when people block them, they call that "receiving hate."

OR when someone makes a vaguepost like "Heyyy, DARVO is an abuse denial tactic where the abuser or their apologists Deny the abuse took place, Attack the accuser, and then Reverse Victim and Offender to claim they were actually the person harmed. Bramblestans are playing this out, step for step, and that's bad!" they call THAT dogpiling.

Meanwhile Moonkitti got death threats and was actually harassed for posting Bramblestar Is Worse. To the point where she is hesitant to ever make another video on the topic.

So y'know what? Hot take? The stans don't actually like Bramblestar. They like the vague idea of a sadboy character who broke free from his dad's legacy so they slurp up the framing of the notorious abuse apologist writers, and they get mad when people who have critically engaged with the books don't see what they desperately crave.

How can you really LIKE a character if you can't engage with their actions? If you need to surround yourself in an unpoppable bubble and can't accept anything he's done in the 20+ years he's been active? How can you truly love a man without all his mistakes?

It's sooo hard to be me, Tumblr User Bonefall, the ONLY one who likes Bramblestar correctly. It's rough out here.

#bone babble #Bramblestar #abuse apologia #tw abuse

[bestygogirl]

BEST YGO GIRL: FINAL ROUND

please use this as an opportunity to say why you like a character, not why you don't.

Propaganda under the cut!

Isis Ishtar

gorgeous, very caring sister, strong duelist, and the only woman to ever make Seto Kaiba squirm

anyways. not only as mentioned above is she the first woman to make kaiba squirm, but she was by all means going to beat him if not for the millennium rod's millennium interference. yami marik admits that she's a strong duelist with a strategy that's been working for literal years-- and given that she's not like, a professional duelist, thats pretty impressive

she also recently got some really cool meta bumps and let me point out that an "ishizu deck" now includes obelisk the tormentor-- which we knew she had prior to giving it to kaiba, but i think it only solidifies my opinion that she very much could wield an Egyptian God Card, an exclusive little club for top tier duelists

as a character she presents herself with an amazing amount of poise and grace, shes compassionate and kind and stays with mai and serenity even though she only just met them. shes struggling through living the past 5 years of her life drowning in guilt for her family's tragedy just because she wanted to make her little brother happy and shadi is a fucking liar. shes foretold her own death and marches towards it grimly but with so much love in her heart. and even then shes 20 years old and holds an important position in the egyptian government that typically requires a doctorate degree AND has been dealing with mariks off-and-on bullshit entirely by her lonesome. she also likes to flex her fortunetelling a little which is awesome i think she should do that more that scene where she tells the guy exactly how the stele is being transported was so everything

speaking of shes got such an attitude. "is it your destiny to waste my time?" iconic. never seen before will never be seen again. watch the duel between her va and joeys its so fucking funny

shes excult. shes doesnt flinch in the face of god nor death. seto kaiba and yami marik respect her. shes so sad and so sweet and battle city couldnt have happened without her.

also her parallels with kaiba are what motivate kaiba to give yugi the card he needed to beat marik.

kaiba, in duelist kingdom, was ready to jump off a ledge if yugi didnt let him through to face pegasus while trying to save mokuba out of sheer desperation to save his little brother. he KNOWS what that dedication feels like and the iron kind of will you need to have to make that kind of gamble. isis is being so fucking legit with what shes saying and he respects that and her judgement enough to change his mind and not only watch the duel, but give yugi a card that eventually helps him win, even if he has no real confidence in the odds. but theres a CHANCE, which is the same thing he taught her when he beat her in a duel. the layers its her faith that moves him to act. which is so crazy

anyway vote isis shes my best friend forever and a real rep for all the 20 year olds who honest to god did not sign up for this bullshit

Yuzu Hiragi

The entire show would not work if the cast wasn't obsessed with her, and they're all right to stan her, literally gets Sora and Serena to defect from Academia with her sheer charisma, beat Masumi at their gay little rivalry, Yugo spends a few days with her and is ready to die for her, Yuya is simply just the loudest about adoring her And why not? She is so clever and determined, doing the most work out of anyone to figure out the myth plot. Actively trains to keep up with the rest of cast. Even when the universe is conspiring against her and trying to keep her down, she fucking headbutts Roger and tells him off or manifests to help save the world in the ultimate girlboss team-up that was the Arc V finale. Truly any dimension without her is worth upending.

The mysterious magical bracelet that isekai's her to different worlds, the Can-Do attitude, the cool poses (fusion summoning), the ADORABLE character design, AND she was 1/4 of a world-saving hero in the past?? If it weren't for the meddling writers, she would have been the main character

yuzu is everything. literally the plot of arc v hinges on the fact everyone who meets her become just as obsessed with her. and they are totally right to do so

#best ygo girl poll #final round #yugioh duel monsters #isis ishtar #ishizu ishtar #yugioh arc v #yuzu hiiragi #zuzu boyle

[prodigal-explorer]

I disagree with the idea that basil is unforgivable because the entire point of Omori is forgiveness and grief.

To say that basil is irredeemable is to go against the theme of the game

homie...

hate to break it to you but actually the point of the game being forgiveness and grief doesn't mean that every character should be forgiven. everybody has different standards and morals and values when it comes to forgiveness. some people are able to forgive basil and others aren't, but the people who are able to forgive aren't inherently better or more "right" than the people who cannot. to say that the message of omori is "you should always forgive people no matter what they do to you" is brain-dead.

just because sunny and basil smiled at each other doesn't mean that all that damage was reversed, or that true forgiveness even happened.

the point of omori is not forgiving others.

it's forgiving YOURSELF.

that's why aubrey, kel, and hero's explicit reactions to the truth weren't shown in the game. because it's not supposed to be canon that they forgave sunny and basil. and the lesson is NOT that kel, aubrey, and hero SHOULD forgive sunny and basil.

it's easy for sunny and basil to forgive each other because they both royally fucked up each other and their friends.

what's not easy is kel, hero, and aubrey forgiving them because unlike sunny and basil, they had ZERO CHOICE in the matter when it came to the presentation of mari's death. they spent four years living a lie.

hero blamed himself, believing that he was a horrible boyfriend who caused mari's death by not being there for her and he was extremely depressed for years, which caused him to lose motivation for his number one favorite thing to do:

cook. as a result of hero's depression, kel was pushed aside and ignored by his parents, becoming something like a glass child to them, which led to him viewing himself as less important or worthy of love/attention than hero.

and don't even get me started on aubrey. the whole town turned against her, and nobody cared about her. not even her friends. the only person in the world who truly understood her was mari, and seeing her hung was the worst possible thing to happen to aubrey, a mentally ill little girl who already believed she was bad for everyone who cared about her.

if basil had JUST TOLD THE TRUTH. all of his friends' lives would have been infinitely better.

and i don't mean to like rag on basil without addressing sunny, but i never see sunny stans acting this idiotic and "holier-than-thou". now since you're so up in my business, i will explain myself more.

the biggest unforgiveable thing isn't even basil hanging mari. it's basil blatantly lying, and staying silent for four years, pretending to be innocent, painting himself as some victim, when really, the whole time, he was the reason why everything crumbled and destroyed itself.

it would be fucking stupid to walk out of playing that game saying, "well, aubrey, kel, and hero need to forgive basil for what he did because forgiveness is important."

that's easy for BASIL LOVERS to say because BASIL WAS NOT THE VICTIM IN THE SITUATION. HE WAS THE PERPETRATOR.

and furthermore, the game emphasizes self-forgiveness way more than forgiving others.

things only started to get better for basil and sunny when they started to forgive themselves. sunny's hallucinations were a manifestation of his shame and guilt. and shame and guilt are a result of being unable to forgive yourself. what the other characters did to support sunny was helpful, but it didn't solve the root of the problem. the only thing that really made something go away, the only thing that really brought color back to sunny's world was him letting go of that shame and guilt and allowing himself to keep going forward.

THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE GAME IS THIS: you cannot control how others react/respond to your bad actions. you cannot expect forgiveness out of anyone, and sometimes, you SHOULDNT. but the one thing you can control when you fuck up is how you pick yourself up and dust yourself off. how YOU move on from what you did so that you can grow and become a better person in the future.

and to me, that is a way more relevant, impactful, and TRUE message than the stupid, idiotic, honestly super problematic idea that "we should forgive and forget when people hurt us because they feel guilty". that's not being a good person. that's being spineless and devoid of values. just because i personally have experiences, traumas, and values that make me unable to truly forgive basil doesn't make me a bad person or someone who failed to understand the game's message. so before you come up in my ask box and attempt to shame me and accuse me of not understanding the game, brush up on it yourself, buddy.

#omori #prodigal omori #omori game #omori spoilers #omocat #omori sunny #omori basil #omori aubrey #omori kel #omori hero #hero omori #kel omori #aubrey omori #sunny omori #basil omori #omori basil criticism #omori analysis

[imfromthemiddlekingdom]

When I engage with the Silmarilion fandom it’s always very educational and enlightening no matter what side they’re on regarding Finwe and his sons. But whenever I interact with the HoTD fandom it’s always “you’re condoning XYZ and therefore you’re a horrible person!!!” Or doing mental gymnastics to try to justify whichever atrocities their side committed.

Thematically both stories are quite similar. We can find parallels with Rhaenyra and Feanor but even at his worst (Pulling a sword on Fingolfin, First kinslaying, burning of the ships etc.) Feanor had never put a bounty on a toddler (Rhaenyra stating that Maelor should be bought to her dead or alive causing him to be ripped apart. Like hello??!??? How is that ever a justifiable thing to do???). I can find parallels between Feanor and Rhaenyra, sure. But if I’m honest the parallels stop with them being the only child of a kings first wife who’s father then went on to face four more kids with another women. Finwe is ten times the father Viserys was. And literally none of the kids (Feanor included) would ever take their anger out on their siblings child like we see the so called Maegor come again do.

But I digress, I was talking of the fandom. I may get heated talking about whether Feanor was right in his anger at Indis or whether Fingolfin should’ve absolutely demanded more reparations from the sons of Feanor when he crossed the ice. But I’ve never seen anyone in the Silm fandom saying that someone should die because they had an opinion.

But I’ve seen many instances of HoTD fans threatening rape and death on people who think Alicent is not the monster they portray her as, or that Rhaenyra isn’t as ‘girl boss queen slay!!!’ As people say she is. Maybe it’s because HoTD is a TV show and many of the fans haven’t read the books and therefore don’t understand nuance since the TV show focuses so much on Rhaenyra’s manifest destiny arc that team green gets painted as the ‘ultimate’ villain for our girl boss queen Rhaenyra to ascend to the throne since it’s her ‘birth right’.

Not to mention how the whole made up show canon prophecy to justify colonialism means that team black stans are really showing their true colors on what they think is right. Because guess what? The Silm also has what could be said to be as a colonizing story line with the Noldor coming to Beleriand and settling but most fans agree that the cutting up of Beleriand was very much a colonizing behavior no matter what they think of Thingol.

Point is, most HoTD fans can’t hold and intellectually simulating debate over their characters without feeling like said debater is personally attacking them since their entire personality is so deeply entwined with their fav that a critique on them would automatically equate to a critique on themselves. Therefore making it entirely impossible to have a decent conversation on the thematically very important foils that Rhaenyra and Alicent pose to each other (since they still think a good story must have a black and white view of the protagonist and the antagonist lmao).

Media illiteracy in these fandoms truly is a cancer that spreads to even the most level headed and literate individuals. Pick up a book! Understand themes and how foils are supposed to be written without internalizing criticism of your fav as a criticism of yourself! I don’t get mad when people criticize Feanor, nor do I get mad when people say I’m wrong when it comes to my own interpretation of the statue of Finwe and Miriel. It’s called having a discussion and you can only do that when you’re not on the front lines dying for a fictional character who wouldn’t spit on you if you were on fire in front of them!!!

#media literacy #hotd #the silmarillion #feanor #pro alicent hightower #alicent hightower #anti team black stans #anti team black #pro team green #please I’m begging for people in this god forsaken fandom to stop defending a fictional character with your life #cw rape #anti rhaenyra targaryen #anti Rhaenyra Targaryen fans #rhaenyra targaryen #as you can see I despair at the lack of reading comprehension skills and media literacy skills most team black stans have #literally head empty only girl boss slay queen omg she’s such a boss bitch!!!! #if you can’t recognize the flaws in your fav character maybe don’t debate their actions online? #like #a character having irredeemable flaws is like half the reason you like them

[shadowofaghost5]

I’ve been thinking about Stan’s sacrifice in the finale recently; specifically the idea that it should have been permanent, that it would have more weight if it was permanent.

And, here’s the thing. On one hand, I understand. It would have more weight. It would sit heavy in your gut and make you truly understand the things we do for family. On the other hand… Well… I don’t think it would be fitting. Not because it’s a kids show (as if kids aren’t perfectly capable of understanding tragedies), but because the show itself has consistenly been about defying the odds. It was Stan spending 30 years trying to fix an interdimensional portal built with the help of a demon and alien technology despite being a high school dropout and only having one third of the blueprints. It was Ford spending 30 years desperately trying to rectify his mistakes by going against a demon with unimaginable power no matter the cost. It was the kids dealing with countless monsters and people with bad intentions and still managing to win every time despite it all. It played very much with the concept of destinies.

Stan got his memories back at the end because Mabel refused the tragedy the universe set out for their family. Isn’t that such a beautiful conclusion to a show about defying both the odds and the expectations placed on you? Isn’t that fitting?

And I know people will say that it’s unrealistic. But it’s just. Look. I love tragedies. I love writing them, I love reading them. But I don’t understand people who say tragedies are more “realistic���. It’s just that. I think people don’t understand a really important thing about real life: Real life doesn’t give a shit about what you think should happen. Real life doesn’t have happily ever afters, sure, but it also doesn’t have constant misery. Real life doesn’t have stories tied neatly in a bow, it doesn’t have thrilling arcs with grand gestures, it doesn’t care what you think should be the conclusion to something! It might have impressions of those things, sure, but at the end of the day, things just, happen, in real life. An ending filled with kittens and rainbows is just as “realistic” as a tragic one. And as such, “realism”, or at least the way it’s used here, is not a very reliable perimeter when judging certain things in fiction, you know what I mean?

It shouldn’t be so quick, I agree with that. A total erasure like that would take time to fix. And I’m pretty sure it canonically did? But we saw it get resolved insantly in the show since they couldn’t just show us the whole recory without messing up the flow. While that might be frustrating it’s also understandable! I mean, headcanons exist for a reason, and I know for a fact that a majority of the fandom including me pretty much agree that it took a long time for Stan to recover fully; and even then he probably lost some memories permanently along the way.

But the point still stands. A sacrifice doesn’t have to be permanent to be profound. A story ending happily doesn’t mean it’s being naive.

At the end of the day, the show’s ending fit the tone of the show, fit the themes of the show, was navigated perfectly by the characters of the show and was recieved well by the fans of the show. It was consistent and true to the story it was telling. And isn’t that all that matters?

#shadow writing about gravity falls on the year of 2022? It’s more likely than you think #i literally just started writing this like 30 minutes ago with reckless abandon so if it’s not coherent #it’s not my fault don’t blame me #i just had many feelings #gravity falls #stanley pines #stan pines #stanford pines #mabel pines #dipper pines #gravity falls finale

[fizzigigsimmer]

Fargo Season Five: Finale thoughts.

I AM UNWELL. I have never seen a piece of television so beautiful. More of me just rambling and processing my thoughts beneath the cut. Spoilers naturally for the season.

Oh boy. I’m going to start this off by saying preemptively that I know there is going to be a portion of the audience who feels underwhelmed by this finale. In comparison to seasons past, this last episode was surprisingly lite on the blood. The epic showdown and fantastic shoot outs that Fargo has become known for was quite literally skipped over. The feeling is anti-climatic and that won’t sit well with some.

But here’s why I don’t give a shit and wouldn’t have it any other way.

This season wound us up. It brought us to a place where we were on the edge of our seats, so certain that the only way out for Dorthy, if she got out at all was going to be pathed in blood and bodies. We thought that the only way for Dorthy to be free was to rip and tear and destroy all who tried to stand in her way. We wouldn’t have blamed her. What else can she do, in a world that is kill or be killed. Fight or die. Conquer or be conqured.

But that was never the point of Dot’s story. Her story has been about how to live this entire time, and the secret to living is not more death. It’s acceptance and forgiveness. It’s empathy for your fellow man and a helping hand. It’s sacrifice, doing the right thing even when it costs us everything.It’s learning to bear the burden of the unfair, because those sacrifices are rarely made by the people with the most to give and the least to lose. It’s giving what you can, and leveraging the privileges you have for the greater good and learning to appreciate those around you. It’s putting aside our bias to find common ground and appreciate the best in each other. It’s a meal made with helping hands. It’s oatmeal cookies. It’s a buttery biscuit. It’s love.

👏🏾

I will forever love this season for giving me Dot’s story. For telling a story about abusers and survivors without the cinderella syndrome. For showing abuse survivors as they are in reality : complex human beings with flaws, phobias, bias, and toxic coping mechanisms just like everyone else. The only truly innocent character in the entire season was Scotty, a child and that is purposeful. Everyone else is just human, and it’s the choices they make that are important and define their fates.

Roy chooses to be a cowardly monster until the very end and so Lorraine sentences him to a lifetime of feeling the suffering he’s dealt to others. Feeling what it is to be weak and small and violated and at the mercy of the system. We stan a queen.

Lorraine didn’t have to open Dot’s file and hear her truth, or accept it for that matter and at first she had no interest in educating herself about the woman she disdained and tried to discard. But she chose to open that file and reckon with Dot’s past, and not only that she let it change her and how she lived going forward. It changes her for the better in small but significant ways. It saves Dot, preserves her family and allows for the chain of events that lead to Roy getting his just deserts. *Side note, Dot hugging her and her not knowing how to deal with such a kind touch and intimate moment is such a mood. 😆 I laughed out loud.

Indira was laden down by a man who could only love himself, but still she chose to get up every day and try to serve her community. Even when nobody else cared, she cared about finding the truth and helping the real victim in it even if it cost her everything. The only person she didn’t know how to fight for was herself but Dot and Lorraine showed her how. We stan a principled Queen who knows her own value!

Witt. 😭 😭 😭 In a lot of ways Indira and Witt are two sides of the same coin. They are both sentinels. Principled individuals who truly want to serve the greater good. And it’s so meaningful that the two characters showing us what true justice - true law and order - should look like, are marginalized individuals. While Indira’s struggles as a brown woman in the police force are less pronounced for a more internal subplot, the narrative does such a beautiful job of showing us the battle against external powers through Whitt. He is a state trooper. A good and dignified man worthy of his badge and yet his authority is always challenged and he is constantly reminded by those around him that he is less than. There’s a huge emphasis on names and their meaning throughout the season, and the importance of what we call people. But few characters bother to remember his name. He’s called Boy or Son more than any other character on the show. Every time he stands up for Dorthy and goes into battle we’re made aware of his powerlessness despite the badge he wears. He’s powerless to stop Gator stealing evidence. He’s consistently demeaned and threatened, and yet he chooses to bear it all with grace. He chooses to stay his course and help Dot, even when he has the least power and the most to lose. He dies alone, without backup and the last words he hears are Roy’s “Don’t fight it, it’s over now Son.” It’s not fair. It’s not right. But in so many ways he saved Dot’s life. He’s a big part of the reason she gets to go home. She’s the last character to say his name. “I’m looking for my trooper. Whitt Farr.” I cried. Still crying.

Gator. Gator, Gator, Gator, Gator. 😭 I will probably do a longer post about this someday when I’ve fully processed it all, but for now… I was fully expecting for Gator to have a “last moment act of goodness” through killing Roy, and probably die himself. My Billy girlies know what I am talking about. I’ve seen it over and over again in books and movies. I have talked about this many times over the years in multiple fandoms, but our society loves to write “the human villain” for their capacity to emotionally hook an audience. But they have no idea what to do with that humanity once it is written, and that’s because we ourselves barely know how to live once we’ve been at our lowest and done our worst. We don’t know how to forgive ourselves or others, and we don’t know how to heal and move on. We’re afraid of the work required when you live past the redemptive moment. We resent the work required and the loneliness of it. It’s boring and difficult and messy and it never seems to end. It’s so much easier just to write characters who either choose not to change or die sacrificially. But we need more than that. We need to see and to believe that it’s worth it - clawing your way through the dark, searching for light - doing the right thing and learning from the pain of yesterday. We also need to know that we will find someone waiting on the other side for us, who sees that struggle and believes in our potential. This is what Billy Hargrove deserved. This is what anyone who has ever been abused and abandoned deserves. This is what everyone who wants to change and chooses to do it deserves.

Ole. What a phenomenal use of magical realism this character is. He is the man who has swallowed the sins of mankind for centuries. He’s carried the burden of our atrocities and our most inhumane impulses until he forgot his name, his place of birth, or even how to dream. Until he became a function of the system. Tit for tat. Eye for eye. The man who ensures that the debtors pay their debts. A soldier. Until he became a code and forgot how to be a man. His use of the third person as if he is narrating the life of All Men from some position outside himself is so profound in the face of the truth he finally shares with Dot and her family. A truth he’s probably never shared before. He echos Gator’s character in a fashion. He’s a soldier who doesn’t know how to dream, a victim of an unjust system, but deep down he yearns to be better.

The old woman whose house he invades is never named, simply called “Mama Munch” and we see how he takes on an almost childlike role with her. She asks him what he wants, and the answer is pancakes - reminiscent of Scotty’s love of all things breakfast for dinner - and it’s of course deeper than pancakes. He wants to feel a mother’s love and a child’s ability to take comfort in it. But he can’t. Because he has invaded her life, and even when he guards the door the war gets inside. She’s abused by an ungrateful child and then killed on her own front step. Ole came to Dot’s house to continue the cycle and perform the only function he knows, but Dot reminds him that he can choose. He can choose to stop swallowing the fruit of the poisoned tree. He can choose to remember beautiful things. He can choose mercy. He can choose kindness. He can forgive and he too can be forgiven.

Dorthy Lyon’s story was always about more than survival of the fittest. It was about more than the fight to live on and get back to the people who loved her and find a safe space for herself. Her story was about rejecting the lie we’ve all been told since birth.

That life is like a prison. You’re born and then you’re shuffled into groups, separated by class and race, and within those groups the strongest rise to the top. And until death it’s an endless fight to take take, and hold onto what you take.

Dot’s story presents us with an alternative viewpoint. That life can be devastating, but it can also be beautiful and it all comes down to who we choose to be.

#fargo #fargo s5 #fargo spoilers #gator tillman #Dorthy Lyon #reaction #And that my friends is how you WRITE A SHOW

[honoviadakai]

Diaboys at a Carne Asada with Hispanic S/O/Reader: Mukami edition

Ruki:

The moment you tell him your family invited them to the family Carne Asada, he’s already mentally recalling any and all books he might have in his library about Hispanic culture

The ever well read eldest Mukami son will NOT attend any sort of event without proper preparations sooo…I’d give yourself a week in advance…minimum

He’s also gonna learn the language as best he can

He’s not gonna be 100% fluent but he’s gonna sound like he is and that’s what’s important to him

Once you both arrive he’s met with generally well reception

At least from the women in your family

He’s handsome, well educated and quite the gentleman from their perspective! So don’t be surprised if they start gushing and even asking when you two plan to tie the knot

Now the men in your family…that’s a different story all together…

Depending on how they are, at best they’re indifferent about him and at worst they wanna mess with the “smart boy”

For the love of all that is pure and holy in this world, keep an eye on him so he doesn’t verbally tear someone a new one! 🙏

He’s also not scoring a lot of points with the kids in your family.

He might indulge them in a board game but if they wanna play a physical game like soccer, he’s probably not gonna do it so your cousins think he’s a little lame

He won’t drink beer, it smells too cheap and gross for him

Flat out will not partake in most of the stuff the men do

For example

If they start talking about cars, at best he’s gonna start expositing the history of how cars came to be

They wanna talk about farming? He’s gonna teach them the entirety of this history of agriculture from EVERY culture

Yeeeah…he’s not popular with the guy and some of the kids…

BUT! As stated earlier, he’s a hit with the women in your family!

He’ll help with any cooking and cleaning that anyone needs help with

Might show off and make a few dishes of his own that will be an instant hit with everyone

The dotting and fawning the other women are having towards him might be annoying to a good chunk of your family though

This guy unfortunately radiates too much rich white boy privilege to be truly accepted

Honestly bringing him is so dividing amongst your family that you’re better off bringing him every other invite

Kou:

Hooboi

This one’s gonna be fun 😈

This idea comes courtesy from @magnificentkidclamclod and I couldn’t agree more with her

The second you get the invite, sit Kou down and teach him about Selena (and really any Hispanic artists you can think of)

By the time the day ends, he’s a Selena Stan, memorizing her songs and dances and even thinking of writing a song of his own to honor her

If you show him a document about her life, keep an eye on him cuz the moment he finds out she was murdered and said murderer is alive, he’s gonna try to find her and start shit

As much as we’d all want him to…don’t, we don’t need a bloodbath on our hands here

Now to the party itself

If any family members of your family like J-pop…well I hope you liked hearing while it lasted, cuz the second he walks in, expect loud screams/squeals

He might get swarmed so help him by clearing a path and making it clear that he’s just here to enjoy the event and that he’s taken

He’s not very helpful in the kitchen or anything but your family thinks it’s kinda funny how useless this pop star is in the kitchen so they won’t complain

They’re also gonna tease his low spice tolerance but you and the younger kids will console him

He’s a hit with the kids since he’ll play with them and even perform silly little songs and dances for them

He doesn’t like beer, he prefers sweet, fruity cocktails

He might get teased for them but he’ll probably take the opportunity to drink some humans under the table as petty revenge

He’s gonna score some huge respect points with the men in your family

Now when it comes to the women, expect him to be an official member of the Chisme circle by the end of the night

He. LOVES. It.

It’s not only a good way to learn more about you and your family but it gives him a good space to vent with a genuine support group

This is a good thing for him but it’s kind of a weird thing for you

The reason is because he’s gonna know things about your family before YOU

Someone got a promotion? He knew hours ago

Someone went through a nasty break up? He sent them a gift basket days ago

Someone died? He had the funeral planned months in advance

It’s more than a little off putting…but you don’t have the heart to take that from him 😔

Now he’s canonical a pop idol, so there is no doubt in anyone’s minds that he’s gonna SLAY on the dance floor

But he’s surprisingly very good at singing along to songs, especially Selena songs

Don’t be fooled though, he doesn’t really understand the language, he’s just listened to the songs enough times to know the lyrics word for word 🤣

He’s not gonna learn the language fast but given enough time he’ll learn, eventually

He’s definitely gonna be someone your family hopes you bring at EVERY event

Yuma:

Yuma “Big Bear” Mukami…

Oh he’s gonna be welcomed with open arms

Now before he goes he genuinely might not go because it’s “too much of a hassle, I have gardening to do ya know!”

Tell him there’s free food, alcohol and if the even is gonna be at a ranch, tell him there’s animals and crops

He’s gonna change his tune real quick

Once he goes, he’s gonna have so much fun!

The moment he arrives…everyone is in awe at how big this dude is…it’s gonna boost his already huge ego

Expect him to flex and bost about his monstrous size, he’ll even put kids on his shoulders and spin them around for fun

Your family is gonna LOVE this rowdy man

Big dude in this case means big alcohol tolerance, he’s gonna drink your dad, uncles, grandfather and your neighbors under the table. They might end up adopting him by the time he wins 😆

He’s also very helpful in the kitchen and with cleaning.

He understands the importance of helping out to do hard work so if he sees your mom or someone else needs help, he’s getting off his ass to help

ALL the kids love him and want him to play with them

This dude is gonna become a human(vampiric) jungle gym so don’t get upset if your little cousin and siblings don’t wanna share him because he’s the perfect playmate for them

He’s not as good a dancer as Kou but you bet your bottom dollar he can throw down a good hoedown at least

His dancing style is powerful, aggressive and oddly sexy

Don’t be suprised if some of the women swoon over him

He’ll also help out with any crops and livestock

Hell, he’s even gonna share/swap farming/gardening advice

You might not see him again for a while once he starts talking about this tbh sooo…go get some food ^^;

Speaking of food, this guy eats like it’s the last meal he’s ever gonna eat

He’s also got a high spice tolerance that’s only rivaled by Azusa so the family will be impressed

They won’t be impressed with his Spanish skills but he’s stubborn and absolutely wants to learn for your sake and boy howdy does your family respect the effort

Honestly by the end of the night, it kinda feels like your family loves Yuma more than you 😂

Honestly they’re more excited for you two to get married that you two are soooo hop to it!

Azusa:

Oh Azusa…

Sweet little Azusa…

This one’s…gonna be tricky…

On one hand, you know how oh so sweet this man is and you know that he’d never intentionally hurt your family

On the other hand…it’s Azusa…

….

Listen, you gotta lay down the law with this guy

He’s a sweetheart that loves you with his whole undead heart but you NEED to let him know that he’s not allowed to play with knives or hurt himself in anyway on purpose

Even with a warning and some prep time, your family might not be super positively receptive to him

He’s tiny, looks frail(they bandages don’t help) and he speaks a tad slowly

Honestly your family might initially think he’s terminally ill or something

First thing they’re gonna do is sit him somewhere warm and give him a BIG plate of food

Ofc he’ll accept it gratefully, he’s gonna ask for hot sauce though

You told him about your tia’s extra spicy salsa and he really wants to try it

At first your family advises him not to, but he insists that he can

So they reluctantly give him some…

And he loves it! Hell he’s not even sweating!

That immediately impresses everyone and makes them less tense so they’re more comfortable with him being your lover

He’s gonna scare your little cousins though

Not because he’s being mean or hurting them

It’s cuz they asked him to play soccer…

The kids accidentally kicked the ball in his face and made his nose bleed, but Azusa didn’t even react much and even asked if they wanted to do that again but harder

This unnerves the kids but he’ll remember your words

He’s gonna try to be playful and act silly for them, it might not work for all of them but some of the kids will like him at least

He helps out when he can but…he’s just really accident prone…keep an eye on him when he’s washing dishes…please

He’s gonna drink with the men just to be polite, but he honestly doesn’t like beer

But if it’s to make your family happy, he’ll happily choke down the bitter beer

The men can tell but they honestly think it’s sweet that he’s enduring drinking with them just to keep everyone happy

They’ll eventually stop him and offer him some horchata or jamica instead

Azusa isn’t good at fast paced dancing, slow dancing is more his forte so get ready to be swept off your feet 😉

His Spanish skills….well they’re abysmal at best

He’s gonna eventually learn basic phrases like “Mi nombre es Azusa” or “¿Donde esta el baño?” But that’s about all he’s gonna know for a few years

Spanish is tricky for him so be patient

Over all your family does like him…but they think he’s odd…very sweet! But very odd…

Be careful when bringing him because he’s the one between the Mukami’s that might accidentally let them know he and his family are vampires

#Diabolik lovers #dialovers #ruki mukami #kou mukami #Yuma Mukami #azusa mukami #mukami brothers #Mukami family #Ruki x reader #kou x reader #yuma x reader #Azusa x reader #Ruki x y/n #Kou x y/n #Yuma x Y/n #Azusa x Y/n #hispanic reader #Hispanic s/o #carne asada

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE CHARACTER SONG Vol.2 GRATEFUL★DEAD ★MARCH by Sakamaki Kanato Mini Drama “The Serenade Danced with Jealousy”

Original title: 嫉妬で奏でるセレナーデ

Source: Diabolik Lovers CHARACTER SONG Vol. 2 Mini Drama

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Kaji Yuki

Translator’s note: Honestly I have an insane amount of respect for all of the Kanato stans out there because it couldn’t be me, lol. Huge props to all of you for keeping up with this purple gremlin and his jealous antics. Honestly, you could be breathing air and this boy would be pissed because HOW DARE YOU PRIORITIZE OXYGEN OVER HIM. >(((( Rejet was smart to hire Kaji Yuki as his VA though because that man is talented as hell and the only redeeming factor to this character imo. 

“...There you are.”

*Rustle*

Kanato approaches you.

“I gave you some alone time since you told me there was some important business you had to take care of, so I got curious as to what you could be up to, only to find you lost in thought in your own room?”

*Rustle*

“Hm? You hid something behind your back just now, didn’t you? ...Show me. ...You know what will happen if you say no, don’t you?”

*Rustle*

“This is...an organ? I’ve never seen it before. Hmー”

He paces around you.

“You got your hands on it without my knowing...and tried to hide it from me on top of me?”

*Thud* 

“Did you truly believe you could get away with that?”

You apologize.

“Teddy...Did you hear her just now? This girl seems to believe that all she needs to do is apologize and she’ll be forgiven. She must be letting the fact that her blood is somewhat special get to her head. That’s only logical explanation. ...Ah! I just had a great idea. Give me that, please.”

*Rustle*

“Come on, hurry!”

 He rips it from your hands.

*Rustle*

“...Heehー Now that I take a better look at it, I have to say that this organ is a work of true art.  It’s made from glass. However...It’s an eyesore. I cannot believe you would prioritize this thing over me.”

*Rustle rustle*

*SHATTER*

“Fufu...Fufufu...Well, would you look at that! That’s one less annoyance in this world to worry about! I bet you must be happy as well?”

He halts right in front of you.

“My mood has somewhat improved as a result after all. ...Now don’t ever make me go through extra trouble because of your unnecessary behavior. That being said...Ahー Poor little organ...It met such a cruel fate because it ended up in your hands. It’s all your fault, because you turned a blind eye to me. Fufufu...Anyway, this is the end.”

He walks to the door.

“Let us go to my room. I do not want to stay here another second.”

*Rustle*

“Hey...Why won’t you move?”

He walks back up to you. 

“Are you that sad about what happened to that organ?”

You explain.

“Eh? It was supposed to be a gift for me...? ...Please safe me the horrible excuses. You cannot fool me with those lies. It doesn’t make sense to give gifts on a random day, does it?”

You try to defend your case.

“You are insistent...that you’re stating the truth? Then why don’t you tell me why you wanted to gift it to me?”

You explain.

“It played a beautiful melody so you wanted me to hear it too? That hardly counts as a reasoning. Besides, did you truly believe that i would be happy with such a gift?”

He picks up one of the glass shards. 

*Cling*

“This stupid thing...”

*Shatter*

“It breaks so easily, just like this. ...It’s nothing but a bunch of trash. ーー I don’t want it! How come you just don’t get that!? Stop doing things I never asked you to!! ...Haah, haah...Hah...I thought I had made myself very clear at this point, but it seems like you still fail to realize. In which case, I shall teach you one more time. ーー The only thing someone like you can do for me...”

Kanato bites you.

*Sluuurp*

“Nn...is to donate your blood like this...Mmh...”

*Sluuurp*

“Nn...”

*Sluuurp*

“Hah...Trying to do anything beyond that point is nothing but presumptuous...Hahn...”

*Sluuurp*

“Mmh...Nn...”

*Sluuurp*

“Nn...Nnh...Exactly...All you need to do is be at my mercy like this, forever...I won’t let you show interest in anything or anyone else...Having you be meek and obedient to me makes me much happier than any gift ever could...Do you understand?”

*Rustle*

“If you do not want to upset me any further...Then please forget about that silly little organ already. All I want is for you to only ever have eyes for me, pay mind to my words, and offer your blood to my fangs...As every cell of your body craves for me and only me.”

*Sluuurp*

“Mmh...Nn...”

*Sluuurp*

*Gulp*

“...Hah.”

*Rustle*

“...Hm? Why would you flinch all of a sudden? ...Ahー I injured my hand? I suppose it happened when I picked up one of the glass shards earlier. However, I won’t die from bleeding a little.”

You frown.

“Hm...Are you worried about me, perhaps? ...Fufu. Right. This is all your fault, so you do something about it. ...At this point, you should have plenty of experience dealing with blood, don’t you? ...Come on.”

*Rustle rustle*

“...Fufu...Fufufu...That only tickles. Come on, part your lips wider and lap up the blood...Fufufu...Fufufu...Ahaha...Ah-aah~ You still don’t know what to do, do you? ...You really are a silly girl, aren’t you? In that case, I suppose I’ll have no other choice but to take tonight to teach you more thoroughly. ...Right, Teddy? Fufu...”

*Rustle*

“Are you listening? You should do it like this...”

Kanato shows you.

“Mm...”

*Sluuurp*

“Hahn...”

*Sluuurp*

*Gulp*

“Mmh...Nn...”

*Rustle rustle*

“...Hah. ...Once again...If you ever wish for something or someone other than me...Nnh...I will never forgive you...Mmh...Never...Understood? Fufu...Fufufu...Ahahaha! ...Nnh...”

*Sluuurp*

*Gulp*

“Ah...”

*Sluuurp*

ーー THE END ーー

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #kanato sakamaki #diabolik lovers translation #diabolik lovers drama cd #drama cd

[lemonhemlock]

Something that's been weighing on my mind.. As a team green stan through and through, I tend to defend Alicent's actions. But I'm trying to make sense of this: Aegon is opposed to be King but he has no choice in the matter. He's forced into a position that will eventually lead to his demise, after suffering as a cripple with burns etc. Alicent was also forced to be Queen, she was put thrust into the role with little regard to her mental well being. Both of them had no choice. Is Alicent doing the same to Aegon as was done to her? I mean I know Alicent doesn't have a choice, war and all, and Aegon doesn't have a choice either unless they submit to Rhaenyra, but seeing as what's in the future for Aegon, and his complete unwillingness to rule, isn't it just repeating what Otto did to Alicent, through Aegon.

I hope this makes sense it's been nagging me and you're so good at extrapolating logic in the show and books and rationally (and objectively) giving an expressive opinion without the bias of teams. :)

Green greetings, houseicedragon, and thank you for the vote of confidence in my abilities. 😅

I think that, externally, it does seem like that - that Alicent is doing to Aegon what Otto did to her, perpetuating the cycle of abuse etc - and, from a practical point of view, the effects are more or less the same. But, at the same time, there are important distinctions to be made here.

I have spoken extensively by now as to why I believe Rhaenyra's claim to the throne to be weak (as always, I have the succession for the iron throne and bastardposting tags for anyone interested). This creates a fundamental split when it comes to assessing "right" or "wrong", at least for me, in that I really cannot take the blacks seriously.

This is partly authorial fault, because GRRM tried to eat his cake and have it, too, by inserting two distinct Anarchy knock-off plotlines: one with Rhaenys and one with Rhaenyra. The problem is that, if he really wanted to have a proper Matilda stand-in, he should have went with Rhaenys, since she, like Matilda, had the stronger claim. The eldest daughter and only child of the first son vs her cousin: it's almost literally Matilda v Stephen, but one generation down, because they are the king's grandchildren, not the daughter/nephew.

But, for some reason, George decided to hold off on the Dance (maybe because Daemon would have been perceived more readily as an all-out bad guy by opposing the female claimant). Instead, he went with Rhaenyra, to whom he gave a very shaky claim. Many fans, even greens, are reluctant to accept this, but I think we should try to appraise this succession crisis through the lens of the actual historical events that inspired this story. I am not speaking of what-ifs, I am referring to genuine developments in our real-world history, not some hypothetical scenario created to uphold random biases. So, for the fictional Dance of the Dragons, instead of daughter vs nephew, we now have the ridiculous situation of daughter vs son, which no one in 12th Century England would consider seriously. It's hard to tell whether this was just an oversight or whether George actually intended to make a point that Rhaenyra was truly delusional. But it's important to note that he has Stannis, the rightful king in the main series, specifically denounce Rhaenyra as a traitor. So that must count for something.

Now, coming back to our in-universe scenario. After Queen Aemma dies, most, if not every lord in Westeros with a daughter would be interested in advancing said daughter as a potential wife to King Viserys. This is not evil in and of itself. It's pretty normal behaviour that would happen in any situation, even in real life history. Otto is not doing this because he intends to place Alicent and her future children in a life-threatening situation and invite suffering and despair upon them. He (and every other lord in the realm, like Corlys, like Jason Lannister) fully expects that Alicent's son will naturally supplant Rhaenyra and become King, no question about it, no further drama. Viserys just killed his wife trying to get a son out of her; from Otto's (and everyone else's) POV, it would be really fucking bizarre for him to refuse to formally acknowledge a potential son of his as heir.

What causes this entire mess is precisely Viserys' refusal to do just that. He is a man of half-measures. He wants to keep Rhaenyra as his heir, but he still marries another woman and has children by her, therefore weakening the claim of his preferred heir. For the other characters surrounding him, this is irrational behaviour. I cannot stress this enough. This never should have happened in the first place. When Aegon survives his infancy and Viserys still pretends like Rhaenyra will succeed him, Otto is forced to re-assess his position and make a new cost-benefit analysis, because he realises that his daughter and grandchildren are now in mortal danger. Why? Well, because they have the better legal claim. He is not bullshitting Alicent when he tells her Rhaenyra will have to put her (male) children to the sword if she wants to secure her throne. Again, this was not something that he expected to happen. He couldn't have read Viserys' mind or understood that his guilt over Aemma's death was so great that he never budged from advancing Rhaenyra's claim.

So, at this point, Otto and Alicent are kind of stuck, actually. Sure, Alicent is only in this position in the first place because Otto placed her here, but Otto couldn't have foreseen that Viserys would cause a succession crisis. Temporary heirs are a thing, even in ASOIAF. Aerea was both Maegor's and Jaehaerys' heir for a while, for example, but no one expected her to actually become Queen if these kings had any sons of their own.

To answer your question, Alicent is kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place here - she can't let Aegon do whatever he wants because she first and foremost wants to keep him alive. I think that's pretty understandable behaviour from her part. Sure, you can argue that there was no need for Alicent to become Queen; she only did so at her father's behest, but her life could have taken a very different turn, if not for Otto's ambitions. However, in Aegon's case, the Hightowers don't really have much of a choice anymore - they can't prioritise Aegon's personal preferences because this is a matter of life and death. It's honestly not even about personal ambition, like in the first situation. If push comes to shove, the lives of Aegon, Aemond, Daeron, Jaehaerys, Maelor and Otto are on the line. That's a lot of people. At this point, that crown is going on Aegon's head whether he likes it or not.

And this narrative would have carried out this same way regardless of who Viserys' second Queen was, whether it would have been Laena or anyone else. The fact of the matter is that, if Viserys wanted Rhaenyra to succeed him, he never should have remarried in the first place and he never should have had additional male children.

#ask #houseicedragon #succession for the iron throne #the anarchy tm #dance of the dragons #otto hightower #alicent hightower #aegon ii targaryen

[ohifonlyx33]

PEOPLE (sherlolly stans) WHO KNOW MORE ABOUT SHERLOCK (sherlolly theories) THAN i DO PLEASE TELL ME IF I'M CRAZY, JUST MISSING SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION, OR IF THIS IS LITERALLY ME STATING THE OBVIOUS (It's been a long time since I watched the full episodes without skipping any bits, so I might be missing context):

After Mary dies and Sherlock is trying to "save John" he starts spiraling. Or so it seems. Now I'm not saying he did or DIDN'T have a relapse (I genuinely don't remember enough, but I do think he was high when he was with "Faith Smith" since he thinks he made her up and misses her disguise). But I DO know, he went to John's therapist to ask her "what to do" as if he were gathering information (recon on John). And then when we see him acting insane, he clearly scares Mrs. Hudson enough for her to take him right where he knows John will be... and of course he lets her. Just like he wanted. And he planned ahead by calling Molly. All the cards seem to play out just as Sherlock wants them to. And that's basically the WHOLE POINT of the episode... Sherlock "predicts the future" by doing research and pulling some strings.

And since the episode is called The Lying Detective and it's literally about Sherlock lying so John will come to his rescue... one must ask about Molly's involvement. He confided in her last time he needed help faking his death. So what does she know, if anything? Molly comes and seems somewhat confused about what is truly going on and genuinely upset at John's news and apologetic that he is there... but also skeptical and unsure and hesitant... 2 weeks prior, Sherlock probably wasn't entirely clear with her on what to expect... just that he'd need her help. Maybe help with a ruse.

But what are the chances here that once he got in the ambulance, Molly started to grill him on details, until he told Molly his plan... or at least her part. What if he asked Molly to exaggerate or lie or make it sound like he was dying? Molly lied to everyone for 2 years... he knows she's capable of it, and trustworthy with a secret... I always wondered why Molly didn't actually do anything more to try to stop Sherlock.

What if he convinced her that John really needs to believe it? What are the chances that she was upset for other reasons 1. being asked to lie to John about Sherlock's death (again) is painful 2. realizing Sherlock is playing a dangerous game he was playing with a serial killer. 3. the thought of Sherlock + drugs scares her.

On top of that, Sherlock really drives it home in front of John...

And as he walks off, unhindered by Molly.... he glances back at her, resolute but almost apologetic... and she gives him a concerned but knowing look.

#tld meta #sherlock #sherlock theory #sherlolly #molly hooper #sherlolly meta #sherlock x molly #molly x sherlock #the lying detective

[cellsshapedlikestars]

Don’t worry about answering this is you don’t want to. I know you don’t like fandom wank. But, if you feel like it, do you think someone could make those endpoints work? Bran as king and Jon at the Wall even though there’s a big old hole in it and Dany deliberately burning King’s Landing before Jon or Arya kills her, is that an ending any writer, no matter their skill, could sell to the hardcore fans? I don’t think the fandom would accept it even if GRRM wrote it.

lololol I deleted my post already anon, so for those of you who didn't read it - I was once again whining about how d&d fucked up the last bunch of seasons and every character. it's not a new take, just something I was high thinking in the shower, so I deleted it bc it wasn't productive.

But I'll answer this, because I think it's interesting.

In short - no.

(Beneath the cut for a longer explanation and just a whole bunch of my ranty thoughts. pls remember I am no asoiaf scholar and I haven't studied every aspect of the books or read every meta. These are just my opinions.)

Longer - at this point, too much time has gone by, there is literally no way George can please... probably even half of his fanbase, no matter what he does. From what I can tell, the fandom too divided and there's so much hatred between stan groups (which I do find ridiculous, but it is what it is). People have cemented their own ending in their heads after decades of the fandom existing without an official ending, and I can see a lot of them not liking that they're wrong. Some people have spent 30 years with their theories, it's sunk cost fallacy. Case in point, the show ending being written off as fanfiction by a lot of fans.

which, tangent, I get. I GET why d stans don't believe the ending, because it was so poorly executed. I truly do understand their denial, because the show gaslit the audience for soooooo long that she was the girlboss hero and then seemed to do a 180 at the end. What was that post I just reblogged the other day? I don't hate villains, I hate when the narrative tries to convince you the bad person is actually good.

now, you asked if anyone could make those endpoints work, but I don't actually think most of them are the real endpoints? I think they were D&D giving up and not trying, or going for Shock Value™. But for fun, I'm gonna go by endpoints I think are most to least likely, and my thoughts on how they could happen and how D&D fucked them up.

Bran as king: Confirmed by grrm. How he'll make this work, I have no idea. I genuinely didn't see it coming tbh. I thought the "bittersweet" ending would be Jon being forced to take the crown in KL. like it's a good ending for everyone else, but for him it's misery. I'm sure grrm has his plans, and I'd be interested to see how he pulls it off. This end point does not disappoint me and I'm not mad at being wrong, but I can see a HUGE swath of people HATING it. specifically D stans.

D&D blew this hard. They cut Bran out of an entire season, making him seem to the audience like a lesser character and not important. They made him a robot. Why am I rooting for show!Bran? Also, I will never, ever get over that line - who has a better story than Bran the Broken? I don't know Tyrion, literally everyone else?? JON DIED AND CAME BACK TO LIFE. ahem.

(as far as I'm aware, Bran as king is the only ending grrm has confirmed?? correct me if I'm wrong.)

D as the big bad: I guess grrm hasn't officially confirmed this, but... he's sort of confirmed it, riiiiight? He compared dragons to nuclear weapons. The show has her as the villain (poorly executed or not). When I gave hotd a shot, literally the opening lines were about the Targs bringing themselves down immediately after name dropping her. Seems pretty solid to me. D&D just refused to commit to her villain arc because they didn't want to alienate their audience that they'd gaslit into thinking she was the hero, and they were seemingly obsessed with Shock Value™ twists.

Dany burning KL: I think the burning of KL is going to happen, and it seems like Dany is the only one to really do it? Unclear how it will happen, I'm sure people have theories. What the show didn't have was Aegon, so who knows how he'll factor in.

Arya sailing west: I think there's a lot of foreshadowing for it. It fits her nature. I think this is very likely to happen and I guess D&D handled it ok. They did ruin her character, though, by making her a literal mass murderer. But yayyyyyy feminism I guess.

Theon sacrificing himself for Bran: Theon's was the only arc I think the show did well. They ruined it at the end by having Theon literally throw himself onto the Night King's sword, which was so fucking stupid, but the arc itself is poignant and fits his character. While he can't ever redeem himself to Robb, he can redeem himself to Robb's siblings, and considering he once pretended to kill Bran, I think this is solid.

Cersei and Jaime dying together: this was my theory even before the show ending, and I think it fits their characters. They cannot live without each other, no matter if they hate each other. They're too deeply entwined in each other. Now, I personally wanted Cersei to be taken captive and put in the black cells to be publicly burned later, and then Jaime shows up and mercy kills her and then himself bc he can't live without her.

But I guess getting bonked on the head by some avoidable rocks is also a way to do it

Sansa as QitN: I'll be honest and say I hated this ending because she ended up alone. Sansa, who has wanted nothing more than family and safety since book 1, ends up completely alone. Even Brienne, her sworn shield, leaves her. but she's a queen, so yayyyy feminism I guess.

I can see her as queen, but I can also see her ending up as queen regent for Rickon, because I'm not totally convinced Rickon dies? like in the show he just randomly shows up and gets captured by Ramsay and it just feels like that isn't his arc in the books. Maybe I'm wrong. But I could see D&D having the endpoint of Sansa as regent, but they killed Rickon off already for Shock Value™, and so they went oops! and made her queen.

Now, there is a part of me that thinks she will not be queen or queen regent, because how does one break off and declare independence from their own brother? Feels like that would destabilize his rule and not give people much faith in him. It just seems really strange to me, but I guess it could happen, since Northern Independence is such a huge theme and it would be weird if it didn't happen?? Does Bran just let her secede? And it doesn't make Dorne or the Iron Islands try.... That's the part in the show that literally did not make sense to me. Sansa was like bye, I'm taking the north, and no one else spoke up about that.

I'd be totally fine with her as queen (if she has someone!!) but I can see a gooooood chunk of the fandom absolutely hating this. surprise.

Brienne as Kingsguard: while I like it for narrative purposes, because she deserves it, I just can't see her leaving Sansa, if she becomes as close to Sansa as she does on the show? If Sansa is queen, I could see her as Sansa's Queensguard. But what does she have in KL? The south didn't ever respect her, why would she want to go back. I think D&D put this in so they could have the ending shot of her writing in the book about Jaime for the shippers

Jon at the Wall: the only reason he went to the Wall in the show was because Grey Worm demanded it? And then left. So. You know, real enforceable. So stupid. Genuinely the worst writing of all the endings, I think, the logic made zero sense there. Now, that could be because they'd written themselves into a corner, but knew Jon ended up at the Wall, and had to force it?

But to me, it's like - what was the point of his resurrection, then? In the show, he doesn't even kill the Night King (we'll get to that). He kills D, sure, but... He's also the reason she succeeds in Westeros to begin with. So what, he gets resurrected, causes havoc, fixes the havoc he caused, and then is sent away to a Wall that serves no purpose anymore? WHAT PURPOSE DOES THE WALL SERVE. The Others are defeated, there's a big ol' hole in it, and they've allied with the Free Folk to an extent. How does the Watch continue on?

I guess he could self-banish. I know the show sort of makes the implication that he goes off with the Free Folk, but in the books, he doesn't really like FF culture? He's appalled by a lot of the violence in it. I can't see him wanting to live that way.

Brai.me: don't get me wrong, I like Brai.me. I think it's cute, in fanon. In canon, I think Brienne is too good for him. I don't see their relationship going romantic or sexual. I think Brienne is who Jaime desperately wants to be (but Cersei is who he keeps being pulled back to). Them having sex was 100% for the shippers

Jo/ner.ys: I'm putting all the punctuation in that. don't need them finding me somehow. Anyway. I don't think this happens, at least not as a true romance. They're on opposite continents and there's not a ton of time left, but more than that - and I know I've said this before - I can't see Jon "hates seeing people burned alive" Snow falling in love with D "loves to burn people alive" T. Could it be a political thing? Maybe, but I also could see her having an alliance with Aegon.

I think there's 2 possible reasons for this being in the show and presented as an actual romance. 1) it was supposed to be that pol!Jon theory, but they chickened out (same with jonsa & a love triangle, I think they chickened out bc of the incest. I think now with hotd being incest central and fans loving it, they wouldn't balk anymore). 2) just the spectacle of it? people have been theorizing this for years, why not give it to them? see above, brai.me

Tyrion as Hand: bleh. I know the fandom loves him and he was clearly D&D's fave, but grrm has said Tyrion is the most morally gray character, and I can't see him letting Tyrion get everything he's always wanted, you know? People think asoiaf is grimdark, but I can't imagine grrm punishing Jon with banishment while giving Tyrion a cushy position with lots of power.

I've read the theory that Tyrion ends up at the Wall, which I like thematically, but again, WHAT PURPOSE DOES THE WALL SERVE. Is it just a penal colony at that point?? someone smarter than me, tell me.

Grey Worm & Missandei condoning/encouraging D: hated it. Take the only characters of color to have speaking lines (i'm 99% sure) in the last season and turn them vengeful and murderous (especially grey worm). Throw their characters under the bus to absolve D of blame

Arya killing the Night King: no. he doesn't exist in the books, first, and even in the show it made zero narrative sense. It was just a Shock Value™ twist. You thought it was gonna be hero Jon, hmmmmmm? WRONG. I've said it on here before, but my hope is that it's Sam that brings down the Others in the book somehow.

.

Did I forget anything, anon? This probably veered wildly from the point of the ask, but oh well, it was fun. (I had a jonsa section in here at first, but then I remembered this is show canon ending stuff and that was not canon sorry fellow jonsas. I obvioulsy want it to be the ending bc the shipper brainrot is real, buuuuuut...)

#cellsshapedlikeasks #my thoughts are probably very disorganized #and this is rambling #oh well

[messymindofmine]

 I have so many thoughts about 4x12 and I still don’t know if they’re completely coherent. I absolutely loved it. I loved the communication between TK and Carlos and the growth we got.

I know that a lot of people were upset with the promo bc we see Carlos resorting to his old tactics of deflecting and avoiding important conversations. It’s ok to be upset about that. The truth is we have seen Carlos regress in a way this season. As much as I love the development we have seen for him this season, I think people are allowed to be frustrated with him at certain points. In fact, this season is actually the first time I have ever seen people be truly upset with Carlos over anything. I’ve said this before but I really do think that Tarlos needed to have a conflict where Carlos was the one who was unequivocally in the wrong in order for a lot of people to understand that Carlos has always had flaws. What we see in Carlos this season has always been there. But just bc people get upset with him at certain points does not mean that they don’t want to see his character develop or that they only want him as a support for TK or whatever. People are allowed to be frustrated and say that TK deserves a partner who is honest with him and willing to have important discussions. Carlos kept his marriage secret from TK for their entire relationship and we never even see that being acknowledged as wrong. People were understandably upset about that. But then they were satisfied after 4x02 bc we got to see them talk and we saw Carlos open up to TK in a way we’ve never seen him before. But then we see him become all cold and distant towards TK after Iris goes missing and we see TK drowning in guilt that he doesn’t even deserve with nobody to tell him that he did nothing wrong. In the end of the episode, Carlos straight up lies to TK about spending the night with TK even as TK is sitting at home feeling terrible. Carlos did hurt TK with his behavior. We should be able to point that out. Yet we never see that being acknowledged either. So people were upset about that as well. But then we had TK and Gabriel team up and rescue Carlos and people were happy again. The thing is though that we never see TK’s feelings being acknowledged at all during that time and I think that fed into the frustration over that scene in the beginning of 4x12 for a lot of ppl when we saw the promo. In that scene, it was like Carlos was still resorting to his usual avoidance tactics even after everything that happened earlier this season and I can understand why that would be frustrating for people. Especially since any time we have seen a conflict between Tarlos in the past, there was usually equal blame to share yet TK was the one who bore the brunt of it. This goes all the way back to 1x02. Carlos is the one who crossed a boundary and refuses to acknowledge that even as TK tries to (albeit not in the best way) explain that. Yet people were raging at TK then. This continued throughout s2. And then we had the breakup in s3. People were raging at TK even before we knew what had actually happened. And then the fact that Carlos had bought a home for them without talking to TK about it was almost completely overlooked. But Carlos gets to express his hurt without any acknowledgement of his own role and we see TK express his regret while we don’t see any of that this season with the marriage or with Carlos’s behavior in 4x03. It didn’t help that even the writers refused to acknowledge that Carlos had done something wrong by keeping his marriage a secret for so long. I suspect that this latent frustration also fed into the frustration with Carlos in the promo scene. Fortunately, the frustration towards Carlos seems to be pretty fleeting and calms down quite quickly. The hate against TK just doesn’t seem to go away. And I don’t think we can just write it off as TK stans only wanting Carlos to be perfect and not caring about his development. If that were the case then where are all the comments about TK not being good enough for Carlos coming from? Or how TK is so selfish? Or how Carlos should have made TK work to earn forgiveness after the breakup? Presumably that’s not coming from TK stans. I do think that there are people who are upset that Carlos’s flaws are being dug into this season but there have always been people who bristle at even the vaguest criticism towards Carlos. I’ve seen people express their discomfort over Carlos being a police officer get attacked. It honestly feels like Carlos is one character that we are just never allowed to criticize at all and I truly don’t think you can just write it off as TK stans wanting Carlos to be perfect. That being said, I am really tired of people trying to pit TK and Carlos against each other. A relationship is not a competition and TK and Carlos have no desire to compete with each other so it makes zero sense for fans to be doing that.

I absolutely love how we got to dig into Carlos’s insecurities more this episode. It’s important to remember that even though Carlos is a very important character, he isn’t really a *main” character in the way that TK and the other 126 members are since the show is ultimately about the 126. That’s why it’s taken a bit longer to really delve into his character. Although, they did start doing that in 2x04 and have continued throughout s2 and s3. But this season is where we are really getting into it. Really they could’ve just as easily made TK be the one not wanting kids and I suspect people would’ve been just as (if not more so considering how people are already so quick to lash out at him) upset with him but I like that they had Carlos be the one not wanting kids bc it actually does make sense. I suspected that his hesitancy to be a parent had something to do with his relationship with his father and that’s exactly what we see. I think it’s very poignant that Carlos says he’s never actually spoken aloud about this subject when he was talking to Andrea. This is what happens when someone spends their whole life feeling like they’re not allowed to express their emotions. Carlos clearly grew up in an environment where heavy topics were not talked about and talking about feelings were not encouraged for him. For someone who is quite a sensitive person, this would be a very painful thing to grow up with and it has clearly left a very deep mark on Carlos. And realistically speaking, it may not be something that ever really goes away. He may always struggle with opening himself up and talking about uncomfortable topics. But that’s ok as long as he’s at least willing to try bc a relationship can’t work if one person just refuses to even try to communicate properly. In the promo scene, TK does try to talk about it. He’s shocked that they haven’t had this discussion and is trying to get Carlos to talk about why he doesn’t want kids but Carlos just keeps deflecting. TK is also reacting to his own insecurities in this scene and that made it even more difficult. Even the reasons Carlos listed for not having kids were blatant excuses since he doesn’t even like to sleep in or travel and this likely fed into TK’s insecurities. Even Andrea called him out on this in the end. Both were struggling to communicate properly in that scene and that’s a totally normal thing. Even the most well-adjusted individuals are going to behave in less than ideal ways sometimes and even the strongest of couples are going to have moments of miscommunication and disagreements. Sometimes it’s not about who’s right or who’s wrong. Both TK and Carlos are completely valid in this case, they just weren’t able to communicate their feelings properly in that moment. But then they decide to take a break and seek out help from others. This is particularly a moment of growth for Carlos bc he seems to have sought out Andrea for help. This is the same person who didn’t even tell his parents he had a boyfriend not that long ago and has grown up feeling like asking for help was a sign of weakness. And I think this is actually the first time we see Carlos’s tendency to avoid being blatantly pointed out. Carlos does try to deny it but Andrea doesn’t let him. And we see Carlos finally admitting something he has never even spoken out loud before. I can see how seeing Owen and TK would make Carlos reflect on his own relationship with his father. However imperfect of a parent Owen is, there has never been a time where TK hasn’t felt like he couldn’t go to his dad for help. Nor has there ever been a time where TK hasn’t felt safe in expressing his emotions to Owen. And when Owen is present in TK’s life, he’s actually a pretty great dad. Neither Owen nor TK are at all afraid to be affectionate with each other even if they’re in public. Owen also gave Carlos the support and approval that he has always yearned for from Gabriel. Carlos specifically says that he didn’t even have a relationship with his dad until 2 years ago so while he may feel better about where he and Gabriel are at now, it doesn’t just erase the hurt and the distance between them that existed for so long before that. And it’s not very realistic to expect Gabriel to change completely now. Realistically, he will probably never be able to get to a point where he’s comfortable expressing his own feelings and being affectionate in the way that Carlos wishes and that really sucks. Even if Carlos does get to express his pain about how Gabriel’s behavior after he came out affected him and Gabriel apologizes, thing may not automatically be fixed between them. However, that does not mean that Gabriel can’t still let his son know that he’s proud of him. After all, he did it in 2x08 and in 2x12. And Carlos may never get to a point where he is completely comfortable opening up but the fact that we see him trying in this episode shows that he is capable of growth. If he can at least stop avoiding important conversations then that will be tremendous growth. He opened up to his mother in this episode and realized that he needs to be honest with TK about why he’s so hesitant to have kids. And he does just that. And TK immediately accepts it and him bc TK loves him no matter what. TK knows Carlos’s heart, all he needs is to see that Carlos is at least trying to be open with him. And as soon as Carlos does, TK happily accepts it. You can see the way it looks like Carlos had had a heavy load lifted off his shoulders at the end as they embrace bc he finally feels like he can let that pain go a little and still be loved and accepted by TK. And he even offers up a compromise. As funny as the whole lizard thing is, it says a lot about how Carlos who was so against the idea of having a lizard in the home initially actually went and got a lizard for TK. I’m actually glad that this conversation was left open-ended and not necessarily resolved. Carlos may well change his mind at some point or he may not. Either way it’s fine bc he knows that he’ll have TK by his side no matter what. And TK knows that Carlos not wanting children isn’t a reflection on how Carlos views him. That was the actual root of his feelings in this episode. He took Carlos’s behavior at the beginning as Carlos thinking that TK would make a bad father. And then we see him expressing his fear to Owen that Carlos doesn’t think TK would be a good father bc he’s an addict. This is a perfectly legitimate fear bc it’s something people deal with IRL. There are lots of people out there who fear that won’t be good enough partners or good enough parents bc of their addiction. I’m glad that this was brought up. I also like that Carlos’s parents apparently know about it and are supportive. I especially like that we get to see Carlos say that he believes in TK’s recovery with all his heart. That is so important bc no matter how much TK may doubt his own strength and his own abilities at times, Carlos has never had any doubts whatsoever. 

As for the people who are upset about Carlos saying he doesn’t want kids bc they feel that it ruins their fantasy of dad!Tarlos, remember that the beauty of fanfic is that you can give yourself what canon isn’t giving you. There are plenty of wonderful dad!Tarlos fics out there already. Even if they end up never having kids on the show itself, it doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy the idea and write or read fics about it. 

I’ll be honest, I actually do agree with Carlos about them not having kids at least for now. After all, not having kids is a decision you can go back on if you so choose. You can’t go back on the decision to have kids. And if you do have kids before you felt ready, then that can lead to a whole bunch of other issues. And as we see, TK wasn’t even really upset about Carlos not wanting kids so much as he was about the fact that they never talked about it. He felt that it was a poor reflection on their relationship that they didn’t and that the reason they didn’t is bc Carlos thought TK would be a bad father. As I’ve said before, this is not a situation of who’s right and who’s wrong. Both Carlos and TK are completely valid. Also on a more personal note, I would much rather see them just be a married couple for at least a couple of seasons. They’re both very young and they have time. Now that the conversation has at least been opened up, they can always revisit it later on if they want. 

All of that said, the only thing that I want to say is that I hope people can take this episode as a reminder that just bc things look a certain way in the promos doesn’t mean that it’s the way things are actually going to transpire. We were told right from the start that all roads lead to the wedding so maybe we should just hold onto that instead of getting caught up in our knee-jerk reactions. Because the thing about knee-jerk reactions is that they are fleeting. The problem is when we start sharing those reactions online, other people see them and have knee-jerk reactions of their own. The next thing you know, everything snowballs and people end up getting their feelings hurt. Fandom is meant to be an escape, it should not be a source of stress. People are allowed to feel however they feel in the moment but it’s also a good idea to remember that how we feel in the moment may not be how we end up feeling later. And remember that the whole point of these promos is to incite a reaction so of course they’re going to give us the most dramatic stuff and not let us know about the resolution until the episode itself. I honestly do wish that they would stop releasing Tarlos promos all together at this point bc I actually get stressed out by them too. But since that’s probably not going to happen, the best advice I can give to everybody (no matter what your feelings are) is to just take a deep breathe and remember that we don’t know the full story. After this episode, I think it’s safe to say that we are getting meaningful development and we can trust the writers to provide us with good character growth even if the storytelling is questionable at times. After all, this episode was hyped as a top 5 Tarlos episode and people were so skeptical about that after the promo yet that’s exactly what we ended up with

#911 on fox #911 lone star #911 lone star s4 #tk strand #carlos reyes #tarlos #owen strand #andrea reyes #gabriel reyes

[bestygogirl]

BEST YGO GIRL: SEMIFINALS

Match 1

please use this as an opportunity to say why you like a character, not why you don't.

Propaganda under the cut!

Isis Ishtar

gorgeous, very caring sister, strong duelist, and the only woman to ever make Seto Kaiba squirm

anyways. not only as mentioned above is she the first woman to make kaiba squirm, but she was by all means going to beat him if not for the millennium rod's millennium interference. yami marik admits that she's a strong duelist with a strategy that's been working for literal years-- and given that she's not like, a professional duelist, thats pretty impressive

she also recently got some really cool meta bumps and let me point out that an "ishizu deck" now includes obelisk the tormentor-- which we knew she had prior to giving it to kaiba, but i think it only solidifies my opinion that she very much could wield an Egyptian God Card, an exclusive little club for top tier duelists

as a character she presents herself with an amazing amount of poise and grace, shes compassionate and kind and stays with mai and serenity even though she only just met them. shes struggling through living the past 5 years of her life drowning in guilt for her family's tragedy just because she wanted to make her little brother happy and shadi is a fucking liar. shes foretold her own death and marches towards it grimly but with so much love in her heart. and even then shes 20 years old and holds an important position in the egyptian government that typically requires a doctorate degree AND has been dealing with mariks off-and-on bullshit entirely by her lonesome. she also likes to flex her fortunetelling a little which is awesome i think she should do that more that scene where she tells the guy exactly how the stele is being transported was so everything

speaking of shes got such an attitude. "is it your destiny to waste my time?" iconic. never seen before will never be seen again. watch the duel between her va and joeys its so fucking funny

shes excult. shes doesnt flinch in the face of god nor death. seto kaiba and yami marik respect her. shes so sad and so sweet and battle city couldnt have happened without her.

also her parallels with kaiba are what motivate kaiba to give yugi the card he needed to beat marik.

kaiba, in duelist kingdom, was ready to jump off a ledge if yugi didnt let him through to face pegasus while trying to save mokuba out of sheer desperation to save his little brother. he KNOWS what that dedication feels like and the iron kind of will you need to have to make that kind of gamble. isis is being so fucking legit with what shes saying and he respects that and her judgement enough to change his mind and not only watch the duel, but give yugi a card that eventually helps him win, even if he has no real confidence in the odds. but theres a CHANCE, which is the same thing he taught her when he beat her in a duel. the layers its her faith that moves him to act. which is so crazy

anyway vote isis shes my best friend forever and a real rep for all the 20 year olds who honest to god did not sign up for this bullshit

Yuzu Hiragi

The entire show would not work if the cast wasn't obsessed with her, and they're all right to stan her, literally gets Sora and Serena to defect from Academia with her sheer charisma, beat Masumi at their gay little rivalry, Yugo spends a few days with her and is ready to die for her, Yuya is simply just the loudest about adoring her And why not? She is so clever and determined, doing the most work out of anyone to figure out the myth plot. Actively trains to keep up with the rest of cast. Even when the universe is conspiring against her and trying to keep her down, she fucking headbutts Roger and tells him off or manifests to help save the world in the ultimate girlboss team-up that was the Arc V finale. Truly any dimension without her is worth upending. - The mysterious magical bracelet that isekai's her to different worlds, the Can-Do attitude, the cool poses (fusion summoning), the ADORABLE character design, AND she was 1/4 of a world-saving hero in the past?? If it weren't for the meddling writers, she would have been the main character - yuzu is everything. literally the plot of arc v hinges on the fact everyone who meets her become just as obsessed with her. and they are totally right to do so

#best ygo girl poll #semifinals #yugioh duel monsters #isis ishtar #ishizu ishtar #yugioh arc v #yuzu hiiragi #zuzu boyle

[sneezemonster15]

Hello, sorry but I just wanted to rant about some things.

Regarding the Hetsuden, I just saw a SNS shipper on Twitter saying that they can’t “defend” Sasuke anymore and that he’s “over”. Other SNS shippers also said that he’s ugly. Why do they need to “defend” Sasuke when the said Sasuke they’re talking about is not even canon. He’s a fanon character from a SS shipper’s fanfic. Like yeah Sakura Hetsuden sucks but it’s annoying to see some SNS stans taking their frustration and hating on Sasuke himself. Like for me I just rather say that’s not Sasuke in the first place(because he isn’t) and will try to stay away from that SS shipper’s fanon version.

I also remembered that up until even before Hetsuden came out, I’ve seen multiple SNS stans hating on Sasuke. Have you seen these types of behaviors too from SNS stans or is it just me?

Hehehe. You know, I saw some tiktoks that were recced to my Insta account and it was hilarious. A lot of fans think Sasuke's character has gone downhill from Shippuden and that he has been totally nerfed and to underline it, they were making comparisons between Shippuden and Retsuden. 🤦

Like that scene where Sasuke struggles to fight the 'dinosaur' (a dinosaur, 😒) was compared with the scene where he fought the hachibi in Shippuden.

But like most casual fans, some underinformed SNS as well, don't categorically know what canon or novel or filler is. Most fans are anime only, so they aren't well versed with the categorizations and differences. All they are concerned with is how Sasuke is shown in anime, and all of it is subject to their judgment of Sasuke's character. You can certainly enlighten them and tell them the difference.

Man like doesn't Retsuden Sasuke have TWO hands? 😑

Most fans don't really pay attention to the details. Or even some of the more overt stuff.

Yeah plenty of SNS hate Sasuke. Some others have a very problematic and skewed understanding of his character. Like no seriously, some SNS maintain that he didn't suffer from trauma or PTSD. Because that would make him weak and he isn't weak. Smh. When the whole manga has consistently and necessarily featured major themes of war and resultant trauma and PTSD where several characters have suffered from it. It's the basis of the isolation and discrimination suffered by many important characters and their arc which contributes majorly to the plot. Like honestly, some fans unfortunately have a very limited and shallow understanding of how trauma and PTSD work. What's problematic is that they spread misinformation about these very significant issues regarding mental health. This needs to be addressed. Some SNS blame Sasuke for when he betrayed Naruto and abandoned Konoha. They only think from Naruto's pov but dismiss Sasuke's own very properly and detailed established pov.

Selective reading. Ignorance.

Lots of SNS don't see or stubbornly stick to their only partially examined theories for a complex character such as Sasuke and most of it is in response to Sasuke stans. Both Naruto stans and Sasuke stans can be silly. It's always this juvenile tussle - Who's better? Sasuke or Naruto? Who did the bad stuff and who did the virtuous stuff and where do they stand on the goodness scale.

These SNS judge them on the basis of easy binaries and keep an embarrassingly simplistic point system to attribute 'virtues and vices' to Sasuke and Naruto's characters and talk morality in just loose, underexamined terms without truly understanding the context. Every one suddenly and righteously becomes a philosopher, psychologist and ethicist in this fandom. Lol.

It's all very silly. It's important to ground these characters in their lived reality and established characterisation and then judge them while being cognizant of their worldbuilding and existing narratives of visible themes and concepts in the manga such as idea of a nation, war, loyalty to the nation, justice, individual vs collective, revenge, systemic oppression, systemic marginalization of a community, systemic bigotry and neglect, corruption, left inclined ideologies, existentialism etc.

If Kishi has featured these themes so visibly and stressfully in the manga, it would be remiss of fans if they simply ignored it by saying ignorant things like - it's just shounen, it's only meant for kids, Kishi isn't that smart, there's no deeper meaning, it's only entertainment, etc etc.

If you don't know about these themes, you wouldn't be able to recognise them. But those who do and have seen them in other works or media, even lots of Japanese media Kishi is influenced by, will identify them. Just a matter of experience, perception and information. Fans will differ in their capacities to identify these themes. If one is truly curious and reasonable, they will imbibe it without personal bias. Those who prefer to live in their echo chambers won't. You can't help those who don't want to be helped.

Yes I know some SNS who are either Sasuke haters and those who are Naruto haters. Both silly. But I don't really interact with them. They are quite visibly biased.

#ask #sns #hetsuden #naruto #sasuke #uchiha sasuke

[septembersghost]

Sorry for sending so many negative asks and you don’t have to answer the last two, or if you want to you can answer what I said about Gen Z on here. I had a hard year last year and can honestly say watching the Elvis movie in theaters, Austin’s great performance, and getting into Elvis helped me get through it. It just sucks going online for the past year and reading nothing but hateful and negative comments about Elvis and Austin on the internet, especially from holier than thou Gen Zers who have no problem stanning people who are way worse :/

going to begin with this screenshot i saved the other day, that truly just encapsulates a lot to me:

also this gif my friend chelsea shared with me of el banishing haters for us. 😊 begone!

i have a lot to say to this and am unsure where to begin, so allow me to start here:

I had a hard year last year and can honestly say watching the Elvis movie in theaters, Austin’s great performance, and getting into Elvis helped me get through it. <- first and foremost, WITH ALL MY HEART, this is the point. this is what's important. that experience belongs to you, and it's BEAUTIFUL and meaningful, and there's nothing that can or should take that away from you. i am SO glad you had the film and austin's stunning performance, and then discovering more in e himself to help you. the value in that is unbelievably special, and it's unique in all of us who discover that solace in art and hold onto it in our own ways. the film has come to mean more to me than i can express in silly little posts here, and i haven't had that for a long time.

i'm so sorry you were having a hard time, i understand in my own way. i didn't expect to even make it through last year myself. there is a particular depth of connection and some measure of healing that came with this that i can't explain except to say it exists on some spiritual level. idk if you were here when i wrote a post on the night of the grammys, but there's a significant part of myself that i'd been without for a long time, and maybe didn't even fully know was missing, that e almost immediately set back. as if that broken piece of stained glass mosaic was there, but had been knocked out of place, and when it was restored, the picture was more whole again, and i could breathe a bit easier. like a bridge over troubled water. you don't know what's lost 'til you find it! i sincerely hope that you're doing better now <333

i have to cut this because it's long. 💗

i don't know where exactly you're reading negative comments, maybe i've just been very fortunate to avoid them since i've encountered them so rarely and block the few i've seen immediately (and anyone who has anything negative to say about aus is deranged on some level, when he's unequivocally humble and kind in every interaction he has. the only things i've seen about him are inane voice comments, and not only is that not funny, and was never funny, it's also clear anyone who thinks that has never listened to a clip of elvis speaking for two seconds in their life, as they sound nothing alike! i hate that something which should only have been joyful and made him feel proud has made him self-conscious because the media can't ignore trolls on the internet. austin is such a genuine soul). regarding elvis himself, he was certainly a complex human being, but he was unquestionably a GOOD one. it takes so little time to discover exactly who he was and all that he stood for, all he did.

it's like i read a story yesterday about how, when he performed at the houston astrodome, the owner told him he didn't want black people onstage and to leave the sweet inspirations behind, and elvis was like, absolutely not, they're included or i walk, period. and then he had had them driven in a car around the arena so that everyone could see them. it's such a typical story for him (standing up for people he loved and what he believed in with a delightful dose of king shit defiant behavior). it's why it's so easy to dispel ANY claim of racism because he was distinctly anything but, and there are countless stories recounting why.

you said: To add to my comment, I can’t stand reading most zoomers opinions of Elvis because the takes are almost always misinformed and hateful yet they worship artists like (he who shall not be named, I sent you a previous anon about him) 🤷‍♀️

speaking as your millennial elder sister here, i assume they either erroneously believe he somehow mistreated people of color (could not be less true), "stole" his music and/or misappropriated culture (absolutely not the case, and if anything, he succeeded in BREAKING a lot of barriers), or the situation with priscilla. i've addressed cilla before, but anyone making that into a more salacious situation than it was is not HEARING her specifically. they victimize her without listening to a word she says about the life that is HERS. about things that were in place before they got married, about the love they had for one another. they victimize her without her consent and i find that really upsetting. they're also not hearing any of the other women he was ever romantically involved with who have shared about him extensively, nor the women who were around him platonically who adored him. or they're listening to GROSS unfounded lies perpetuated by alanna nash, who i'm on record despising. did he have some ingrained patriarchal concepts? sure. he was a white man born in 1935, but none of those ideas were outrageous and it's not fair to even weigh that against our social mores in 2023, when we've been without him for 46 years. he had tremendous respect and love (not merely in the physical way) for women. he had tremendous respect and love for PEOPLE. i think of myrna saying elvis would've loved her just the same, no matter what color she was, because of who he was. it's infuriating for that to be taken away from him by people who don't even bother to do their research or try to spend a moment lending him compassion and understanding.

not to play the whatboutism game, but the person you mention has FAR worse and actually credible allegations, and yet that gets waved off all the time. i could name...a number of very famous men who have concrete abuse allegations or stories of very dark/disturbing things, and it simply gets ignored. i could mention someone who's oft-revered who was also a misogynist, racist, antisemitic homophobe and gets very little criticism. it's crazy to me that elvis gets any of those accusations when there's documented proof of his charitable work for black people (and literally growing up with and attending church with and learning alongside of and befriending and defending!), for jewish people (including being a shabbos goy as a child!), his generosity and care for others, and so on. someone sent me an anon the other day saying they feel like people online hold him to an unfair double standard (and they referenced a different famous musician who is far more problematic), which i responded to here. the fact of the matter is, a lot of it is rooted in caricature and parody and unfair jokes/stereotypes, some of which is incorrect judgment of elvis as a human being, some of which is this idea that anyone from the south must be stupid and racist, which is wildly unfair. remember: YOU KNOW MORE THAN THEM. i KNOW it hurts and is depressing and feels bad to not be able to fight back and defend him and prove his worth to everyone who discounts him, but that's on them and they don't get it, which is their loss. tbh anyone who doesn't get it can fuck right off. you know what he means to you.

the thing about elvis is, he had this...all-encompassing need for connection and understanding, and there was some part of him always seeking that. be that spiritually, and in his deep faith and interest in many avenues of philosophical study/thought, or in his approach to love of any kind. he didn't want to be just one thing to people, he wanted to, in some way, be everything. which maybe is too much for anyone to strive towards, but it was in his essence. chelsea also recently told me elvis was very interested in all the different definitions of love - the greek words, storge, philia, eros, agape, etc, and i personally feel a strong connection to that because that's always captivated me too, not merely the differences, but the way they inform each other. how we express love in this world.

el having a temper or making some mistakes in his life does not negate the artistry he possessed, nor, on a much more personal level, the amount of good he did and heart and soul he shared with people. loved ones, family, romances, fans, he had this boundless sense of love.

which brings me to us. i mean it when i say i believe it would mean everything to him if he knew how many new people, ESPECIALLY young people, are discovering him and embracing him and remembering him.

going to quote chelsea again: "it's like the people who find him are the good ones, you know? the thoughtful, loyal, interesting ones who see him as a full person. which is all he ever wanted."

i believe, without question, that he would love us so much. i believe he was meant for us to find him. i believe it would touch his soul to know he's had an impact on us, or helped us make it through, or healed something in us in any way. that would be worth everything to him. and he's so alive in our hearts, and i know he's going to stay there. that's what has the meaning, that's what remains.

to repeat this post from the other day:

i was having a discussion with tam like five minutes before this tweet was posted, about the people who dismiss him or belittle him not understanding the truth of who he was, not loving him for the whole of him the way that we do, so when this was tweeted, it felt almost like a sign from the universe. no matter how loud the clamor of denial, WE know what that love truly is.

you decide where to put your love. you know what restores your spirit. that matters through everything. i believe he reached out to and moved austin for a reason, that that performance was meant to happen. and deep in my heart, i believe there's some light of his reaching back that sparks in ours.

#anonymous #letterbox #elvis presley #i was a dreamer #i love him sm :( #and ilyyyy and all my e besties. you are wonderful 💕💕💕 #i keep typing burned and not shined bc of if i can dream aklfdkjlfdg #* #NOT THE MUSIC CHOICE CHANNEL PLAYING 'LET IT BE ME' AS I POST THIS he's so. haunting me everywhere! daily! i hear you hi e <3 #sail on silver girl; sail on by #there must be lights burning brighter somewhere

[acourtofthought]

Yeah I think I need a break from anything Sjm related, especially acotar. Ever since acosf came out this fandom has become very draining.

Hopefully, I get the strenght to leave this fandom and move on from Sjm books entirely. Tricky, since I fell completely in love with some of her ships and characters but I don't like the route she takes and I honestly doupt Gwynriel and Elucien's books will be great, even though they have so much potential. Nessian had great potential too, but you saw what Sjm did with them.

Even though I've met great people here, there are also too many loud stans who scream under every comment section and post nasty tweets about others and fictional characters because they can't stand the fact that not everything and everyone will go their way. Very annoying.

My mental health has gone so bad (so much is going on in my life) I I feel a different kind of rage whenever I see an El/riel art simply because some nasty El/riels really don't deserve to have those artworks. I actually didn't have anything against El/riel but it's stans had managed to make me hate it in a total of 2 years. Also Sjm picked the worst year to release Acosf and then immediatly piss off because 2021 was when my mental health started to sink so low. Not only did I start having ship preferences but thanks to acosf I started hating some characters like Rhys, which is a struggle now because I can't read any sjm books without getting pissed whenever he shows up and I don't like it. I miss the days when I was just a casual reader enjoying my free time.

It's absolutely draining to have to defend your ship, characters and even yourself and also to calm down whenever seeing any El/riel content. I think I really need to move on from Elucien and Gwynriel first before I can truly let go of anything sjm related. I'm at least grateful and proud that I never had and would never engage in any kind of toxic behaviour. I also don't like the author and what she does with her books.. based on the interviews, livestreams, what she's written and the rumours I hear, she sounds like a mean person. Idk how I can explain it but yeah..

I'm so sorry that you've been overwhelmed with your mental health struggles but I give you credit for recognizing things that are triggering for you. And as sad as I am to see fellow Elucien / Gwynriels leave the fandom, I think it's very smart that you are prioritizing your health and well being over all else. The fandom can be entertaining and it can be enjoyable to chat back and forth about a series that's sucked us all in but, it's not real life. It's not what's going to matter when we're hopefully old and gray and surrounded by our grandchildren. At certain points we've probably gotten more invested in what happens to these characters than the author herself (considering how much time we put into thinking about them 😂) and I do think it's important to check ourselves and remember they really don't and never will exist. What is real, however, is the way you feel every day and how your feelings than translate over into your relationships with friends and family. And if ANYTHING feels like it's becoming a negative influence on that or even yourself, it is time to walk away. And maybe, when SJM releases the next book, we'll all have answers that will make the fandom a little more approachable and less toxic. We won't have to spend our time arguing what will be and can instead simply discuss what now is. I'm sending you a lot of love and positive thoughts, hoping that you find the strength to leave (if that's what is best for you) and that it gives you the peace you've been missing as of late ❤️