#when really it shouldn't be viewed that way.. people leave for many different reasons and it shouldn't be taken personally

[odyssean-flower]

Bouncing off of anon’s prior ask… I have a few questions of my own bc I’m curious about people’s take on his character. Also because I’m down tremendously for him but shhh—

What do you think dragon man is like when he’s in love? How does he treat them before and after relationship? Like is it a sudden realization, is he romantic? Hmmm many thoughts—

Ideal traits for a partner/mate?

For Yan Neuv, (because your yandere lil fic with him was lovely!!), do you have any headcanons on that aside from what was written?

Sorry if anything has been asked before as I’m rather new to your blog :)

But yeah anyways I hope that’s not too rambl-y! Ty for sharing your lovely stories and thoughts :333 I’m so excited for him in 4.1 and if you roll for him, I wish you luck in getting him! ❤️

Hi~~ thank you so much for reading my fics! Don't worry about being too rambly or repeating stuff, this is actually very helpful for me as it helps me flesh out my ideas as well 🤗 i apologize if any of this stuff isn't very creative lol

May we all get neuvillette and his weapon (and constellations) 🙏

When Neuvillette is in love (before relationship)

So I think Neuvillette would just be A Mess

He's not very good at figuring out emotions, particularly feelings of romance and love, because he always assumed that he would never fall in love

so when he does fall in love, it takes him a while to understand what he's actually feeling (probably after much studying and discussion with the melusines)

imo i feel like he'd be a bit conflicted bc as the chief justice, he feels like he shouldn't have such personal feelings for anyone, but on the other hand, even dragons feel lonely and want love, right?

he would observe you (discreetly and probably unconsciously), memorizing everything about you. He might unknowingly let the things he learned slip into conversation, causing much awkwardness

he finds himself thinking of you at random occasions and associating certain things with you

he noticeably softens when he's interacting with you. it's obvious to everyone except you two

would give you the most sincere and heartfelt compliments, but it doesn't even count as flirting for him, it's just him being himself

even though the chief justice is known to be reclusive, for some reason he would suddenly start frequenting the place where you work. He doesn't even stay there that long, but just makes some awkward and extremely polite conversation (doesn't show it on his face but he's super nervous and self-conscious)

speaking of self-consciousness neuvillette is pretty self-aware about the difference between himself and humans in regards to feelings. He's aware that he's not always the most knowledgeable about human emotions and behavior, which can cause misunderstandings between him and others, but he tries his best to make up for it

When Neuvillette is in love (after relationship)

congratulations for finally reaching this stage

i think neuvillette would be a latent romantic. As in, he has all the potential, but he's never been in a situation where that potential can be explored

but once he's in a relationship...prepare to be swept off your feet

he loves taking you to all the hidden, secret places only he knows about, like an out-of-the-way coffee shop, an inconspicuous nook with a great view of the mountains, maybe even an underwater ruin he really enjoys

will probably take you out on a boating ride

he also enjoys just spending time with you back at his home (hyv please show us where he leaves. i just wanna know)

basically, he'd prefer to spend time with you privately bc he's well aware of the tabloids and paparazzi and doesn't want your life to be ruined by them

does a lot of preparation for your dates. like, an absurd amount, because he would hate it if anything inconveniences you or makes you feel uncomfortable

will continue to say the most romantic and poetic things with the straightest face you've ever seen

not much pda even when it's just you two. a bit of hand-holding (l e w d), brushing his hand against your cheek, maybe even...forehead kisses???

if you are the one who initiates affection with him, his brain would short-circuit, simply because he's not used to having someone do that for him

likes to hear you talk about your day or just anything in general. would also talk about his own day. it makes for some fun lack of congruence

when he's sad, he'll come to you (vice-versa). you two don't talk much, but simply stay by each other's side until you feel better

when you're happy, he feels happy. and when you're sad, he feels sad as well

would be very protective, but would also respect your personal space

melusines will be your biggest supporters. they act as your go-betweens basically

bonus: i feel like furina will be amused by neuvillette's newfound relationship and will probably try to follow you on your dates. she'll attempt to disguise herself but nothing can hide that giant ahoge. and neuvillette can see right through her anyways

Ideal Partner

i think he'd be drawn to someone with a strong sense of justice, someone who has strong beliefs and sticks by them, even if they clash with his own

he would be the type who would welcome being challenged and debated; he would find it refreshing honestly

someone with a similar temperament to him would work, but he'd also find himself unexpectedly attracted to a more fiery, outspoken person

big bonus points if they're nice to the melusines as well

Yandere Mermaid!Neuvillette

i don't know if you're talking about this one but i'll assume you are

hmm i don't know i feel like i put everything i wanted into that fic

so during your weekly meetings, i think neuvi would have moments where he'd imagine himself coming onto land and being with you there, i think he'd also be grudgingly curious about the human world especially after hearing your stories about it, but his sense of responsibility towards his people and his distaste for humans are strong, so his desire to turn you into a mermaid wins out

the underwater garden: he really did believe you'd feel better and that you'd fall in love with him (or at least act warmer towards him) when you saw it

after that fight (?) at the end: i think y/n kinda gave in because they realized that if they didn't accept their new life and the different morals of the mermaids, they would eventually go mad, since they were never escaping. so afterwards, y/n would throw themselves into getting familiar with mermaid customs (aided by neuvi) and just try their best to forget their old life. would probably be very clingy towards him bc ironically, neuvi is a part of their old life

neuvi, for his part, would be happy to see his mate finally accept him, but deep down he knows that it isn't out of real love and that his feelings will probably never be requited in the way he wants them to be. but he decides not to think about that bc having you broken but next to him is better than having you happy but separated from him

so yeah it's a very warped, co-dependent relationship

#anon ask #neuvillette x reader #yandere neuvillette x reader #genshin impact x reader

[andguesswhat]

I normally don’t do this but here is the thing: Yes, of course it's his decision and yes, of course he's not forced to sign contracts, yadayadayada, but I still feel sorry for him, because to me it looks like he thinks he has to do that and unfortunately doesn't see any other option. And I think the main reason is that he lives in this bubble and is friends with a gay Hollywood star, whose advice he listens to, like you know how you shouldn't play superheroes and stuff.

Yes, I’m talking about fucking Leo!  He may be a nice guy, but come on, he has the creepiest image you can have, he doesn't seem to care, and he doesn’t stop doing that shit. He could risk it, he’s famous enough, and still, he somehow doesn’t.

So what if everyone in your bubble tells you to do it and that it's okay, that it's no big deal, that you let them talk, etc? Kind of works for Leo, doesn’t it? (well….)

You can be intelligent as fuck and not see it. Or maybe even see it and still act differently because all the people around you are driving you to.

And not every action can be rationally justified. Especially not with such an emotional peach.

Because there is definitely an emotional decision behind it, whatever it is.

It's the hope of being as famous and successful and becoming an acting legend.

It’s the fear of not playing along with the studios and screwing things up.

And maybe it's even shame because you're not who the studio bosses would like you to be.

The shame of having dated a married family man who has had to endure kink shaming, whose kink you most likely share, who has fallen from grace.

It can be so many things and everything, in the end it's all human emotions that make you do something like that. 

You can be damn intelligent and still do wrong things.

You may know the damage you are doing, even to yourself, and still think you have no choice.

You do things that you know are not good for your health.

He is intelligent, but that doesn't mean he is in all situations in his life. It doesn't mean he knows what's good for him personally. He can’t even know what's good for his career. There are too many uncertainties and necessary coincidences at play for that. Only time will tell. It’s a game you can either win or lose.

The crux is that he started way too early with this shit, so soon, if he's not careful, he'll be known as a celebrity that can act. Because unfortunately I see that the same way as others: Paul Mescal and co. will be taken as good actors. He will be the actor who dated Kylie.

And it will dull him. Maybe he'll get his act together, but if he continues he'll keep losing his pureness. Because who knows: is he as tough as Leo or is he just hoping to be?

So there of course is always another choice but if you don't see it, what can you do? If you see it but nobody encourages you to take it, what can you do?

And even if ... As much as I would love to see him as a lower profile actor in small movies and on stage ... when I think about when I saw him happiest in the last year, the pictures from the shoot in New York come to my mind. Yes, from my point of view, a wrong choice, a stupid commercial shoot, driving him away to become an acclaimed actor, but look at him, he was so happy and proud to work with Scorsese.

And when I think back to the other happy moments that happened a year ago. He was so happy and proud to promote Bones & All, a movie he co-produced, and at the same time he was able to express himself with his stunning outfits and show the world who he really is, without having to define his sexuality.

Why would he want to give that up? Can’t you imagine how hard this is to give up? When nobody can tell you what happens when you leave the path?

So, in the end, he has all my sympathy even when I don’t think his decisions are good or wise, I’m still rooting for him that he achieves everything he wants to achieve and i'm hoping that at the end of the day he rests beside someone he loves deeply and very stubbornly.

#hope this makes sense somehow

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Why the "True Selves" Theory is Insulting

Image for a second that you have a friend who's a bit of a ditz. She's also fun, creative, and sweet. You enjoy being around her, but you've never seen her as more than a friend. Then, one day, a fire breaks out at an event that you and your friend are attending. Your lives are suddenly in mortal peril and the same goes for everyone around you because you can't find the exit. You think that you're going to die.

Then, suddenly, your friend transforms. Not in a magical way, it's just a personality shift, but it might as well be magical because it's like nothing you've ever seen! The ditziness is gone, replaced by laser focus and a take-charge attitude that has everyone following your friend without question. When all is said and done, everyone lives because of you friend. As it turns out, her tendency to get easily distracted means that she's a fantastic in-the-moment problem solver.

Going through that completely changes how you see this girl. You no longer just like her, no, you're now deeply in love with her. You tell a mutual friend about this and they laugh at you, then say, "Don't be silly, that wasn't really her! Her true self isn't that brave girl who saved your life! That was special circumstances that don't count. All that counts is the way she acts when there isn't a crisis going on. It doesn't matter that you've always liked her and enjoyed her company, if you didn't fall in love with based solely on her ditzy self, then you don't really love her."

Most people would call this mutual friend insane because of course going through crazy experiences changes the way we view people! Imagine if you had an allergic reaction and your significant other's reaction was to panic and run away, leaving you to die. You only live because you manage to grab your phone and call '911.' That would understandably lead many people to reassess if this is the person they want to spend their life with just like the opposite experience might make you see a person as a good life partner.

Marinette is Ladybug. She gets full credit for everything she's done in the suit and it's perfectly fine for Adrien to become attracted to her after he sees her in action. It doesn't mean that he only values her Ladybug side. He quite clearly cares for Marinette, he just hasn't seen her in the right light for him to fall in love. (And, if we're being frank, Marinette acts like Ladybug all the time when he's not around or when he is around, but a crisis is going on. She's really not that different from her alter ego.)

Along similar lines, Marinette isn't wrong for being drawn to Adrien's sweeter side more than his over-the-top jokey side. There's a reason why Glaciator ended with her blushing. Compare the end of Glaciator to the end of Origins and, yeah, same energy because - in that moment - Chat Noir was letting his Adrien side out by being more sincere and vulnerable, which are the things that Marinette values most in a romance and the things that he rarely shows while in the mask. It doesn't mean that she hates his jokey side, it's just not going to win her heart when Adrien's right there being sweet and sincere while Chat Noir hides his feelings behind a smile and a laugh.

In fact, it's pretty insulting to Adrien to say that someone shouldn't be attracted to his more vulnerable side. That his sincerity is worth less than his jokes. Almost as insulting as telling Marinette that her Ladybug side doesn't count and she should get no credit for being brave as that's not really her. Loving her only counts if a person falls in love while she's behaving in her most over-the-top, cringe, embarrassing way.

I don't know about you, but I would never want someone to hold me to that standard nor would I hold my significant other to that standard! It's perfectly normal to have things that you don't love about your significant other. In fact, I'd argue that part of the magic of a real, lasting romance is having someone who loves you even though you're not perfect. If you are looking for a partner who never annoys you or does something wrong, then you will never find happiness because that person does not exist.

Now that I've said all of that, I want to add that I do think that marichat, "love both sides" stories can be cute. It's just not One True Path to Real Love. It's totally fine if the square starts dating based on the things that they find attractive about each other and then just continue to be in love as they learn about the other side. If anything, that's normal. Learning about a person is what dating is all about! A good relationship is no different than a good friendship, you just get some bonus perks if you're into that kind of thing.

I'll also note that I'm not criticizing stories where Marinette feels like she's the "real" version and Ladybug is the fake because that's a really understandable thing to be nervous about. Tikki saying that shit? Hard no. Terrible mentoring.

#ml fandom critical #ml fandom salt #adrien deserves better #marinette deserves better #Any time this comes up in a fanfic I cringe a little so I needed to rant a bit after I saw it again #No I will not tell you the fic #I'm only making this post because the issue is so common that I can talk about it without feeling like I'm calling someone out #This is a discussion of a widespread issue not one person's flawed POV

[unforth]

Okay, so over on the business account ( @duckprintspress ) I said that I'd finished reading the newest article about the Hugos by Chris Barkley and Jason Sanford (this article) and written up some thoughts that troubled me. I AM gonna post them, because I feel strongly that there are aspects of this being pushed aside as if they don't matter, and. They do matter.

To be clear, I am NOT an expert. Most of my knowledge second or third hand, but I've been active in Chinese fandoms for four and a half years, have friends in China, am actively studying Chinese, and at least have a (white, Western) point of view a little different from what I've seen in coverage so far.

What's troubling to me here is the minimal discussion of the dangers in China. It's mentioned in passing that self-censorship happens because the placement of the red line is so unclear that no one is sure what will constitute passing it. Leaving aside that that's an intentional design feature from the Chinese government - they enforce when they want to enforce when they want to enforce it - what's not discussed in this article is who was actually at risk.

The Chengdu organizers in China: if McCarty and the others didn't comply, would the Chengdu organizers have been in danger of ruin? Imprisonment? Execution?

The Chinese authors who were removed from consideration: what were the perils to them and their families if they hadn't been removed from consideration?

The Western authors who were disqualified: if they hadn't been removed, what might have happened to them upon arrival in China? Could their safety have been ensured?

This article presents a very narrow view (and extremely important and informative one, but still only) into one aspect of what happened. At the beginning of it, Barkley indicates that this article shouldn't be considered a final word, and that's a point that really needs emphasis: we know now about exactly ONE aspect of what happened. We do not know what was getting communicated to the Chinese organizers, and we do not know what they were doing with that information. We don't even know who those Chinese organizers were, nor who their influencers, stakeholders, investors, etc., were, nor what their goals were.

This article, and many others, ultimately end up reading like the Western organizers were Actors and the Chinese government was an Actor and that everyone else in China involved who wasn't The Man (business, government, etc.) was a passive receiver of whatever these three groups did. Without more information about all those other people (who, granted, NEED anonymity to be safe, but we don't even have anonymous statements), what we know about this situation is glaringly, starkly lacking, and it feels (if I'm being generous in my interpretation) patronizing that all these regularly Chinese people are getting treated as not having agency under the monolith that is Chinese Government And Business Interests (ill-defined in everything I've read) on the one hand and, on the other hand, Very Specific Named Western People Who Get To Have Names, Power, Agency, And Active Participation In Events.

We have no information whatsoever on what risks the Chinese organizers might have been willing to take.

We have no information whatsoever on what was discussed with the specific Chinese people who set this event up, bought ballots, etc., etc.

It's this ginormous gaping hole in the coverage, and while this gets acknowledged a little in this article, what no one seems to be saying is "if people outside China can't get this information for various reasons, perhaps we're not the right people to tell this story" or at least "we're only able to tell a small part of the story and people who have the necessary language skills, information, expertise, and contacts should do what they can to bring more to light." And again, Barkley and Sanford DO acknowledge that, but in ways that read to me as throwaway and incidental (my opinion, only, other people may have found that wording more impactful, I was already getting frustrated by that point and that would have colored by interpretation), and in the end I feel like it prevents them from posing some of the questions that are truly essential to understanding this. (Some of this is likely known, just not by me, to be clear, but these are the questions I'd personally like to know more about before I can draw firm conclusions about what happened.) For example:

Who in China was really behind organizing and funding this?

Why was the decision made to hold the event in China?

What research was done into Chinese censorship before the event bid was accepted, and what impact did the results of that research have on the decision to accept the bid? How much of that information was provided to the people reviewing the bids, and when and how was that information presented?

What is happening that is causing Chinese posts on this topic to be deleted?

What is the danger to Chinese fans who've spoken out? What is the danger to the Chinese organizers of the event? Have they been victims of reprisals, and are they safe now?

WAS this self-censorship or active censorship, and who was ultimately responsible for the decisions to remove the ballots?

There's so much we don't know, and so much that we probably can't find out at all, but the focus solely on Western sources (by Western journalists and interests, who seem to rarely have ANY contacts in China, much less ones capable of providing useful information) has been a huge flaw of virtually every bit of coverage I've seen on this.

China isn't a ginormous evil black box, and I'm getting really tired of reading coverage that foists off explaining what happened there onto "well, acshwally, the Chinese government..."

What I really want is an acknowledgement that had Dave McCarty refused to do this research, there's a very real chance that people's lives could have been in danger in China. And it's all well and nice for a bunch of people in the West to say "they should have stood up for what was right." But the Western Hugo awards committee people are NOT the people who would have been in danger had they taken a stand. They could have sat perfectly safe in countries with more secure freedom of speech, while their counterparts in China and Chengdu had their lives ruined over it.

And I'm not saying that was a factor.

I'm say we don't know. And without knowing that, I'll own I'm extremely skeptical of any conclusions being drawn about what we DO know. And I'm saying that if McCarty and the others knew that was a risk that existed, it could have colored their decision-making process, and pretending that the issue wasn't a factor feels naive at best. Knowing that the event was settled in Chengdu and couldn't be moved, I wish I was seeing more people asking: was insisting that these works be nominated for an award worth risking the lives of people's lives for? If there was active censorship, and McCarty and the others had fought it, could the Hugo awards have possibly have won against that active censorship, and if they'd tried and failed, what would the consequences have been?

Based on this article, I'm genuinely frightened for Chinese SF/F fandom organizers, authors, and fans right now. I've seen what can happen to people in China, and I'll own it's distressing to see how little that factor seems to matter to the people upset about the censorship, all of whom are safe in places that aren't China.

I want to see more discussion of: once the bid for Chengdu was accepted, what were the genuine options left on this topic? Was this censorship an inevitable outcome of holding the Hugos there? Or, as I personally suspect, is what is happening now not the result of the Hugos being held there OR of the censorship that was done by whoever did it, but rather the result of how all this coverage is making China look bad (when we STILL DON'T KNOW IF CHINA HAD A HAND IN THE CENSORSHIP AT ALL)?

I think we're missing way, way to much information for the level of conclusion that I'm seeing people draw based on this article, including myself in the meme I made based on only a surface understanding of the contents of this article.

I'll own, as someone who knows just enough about China to understand some of the risks people there took, this is feeling like a lot of Westerners going "CENSORSHIP BAD! STAND FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!" while sitting safe and sound and ignoring their counterparts in China and all of the Chinese SF/F fandom screaming "THIS IS DANGEROUS FOR US THIS COULD RUIN OUR LIVES."

I'm. Not comfortable with a lot of what I'm reading, including parts of this article. I'm not saying I know bad things have happened or will happen, but I do feel that a lot of people opening their mouths know far too little about China, and do not seem to think they have a responsibility to learn more, to be taking the stands that they are.

#unforth rambles #please don't let this blow up in my face please don't let this blow up in my face please don't #i'm not tagging to relevant tags but i'm okay with people reblogging #if someone actually wants to and cares about my opinion on this topic

[mbslost]

hi. yes i came back for another yapping session, ironic.

i would like to express some of my feelings towards... some interesting things.

1. The Strade nazi drawing

i talked about his before, i am aware, but later (while reading other opinions as well) i got reminded about EP (Electricpuke for those who dont know him). did we all forgot HOW MANY nazi drawings he made? dont you believe that's an influence as well? if i remember correctly, Gato cut ties with him because of his abusive behaviour (there arent many people talking about this but some user are aware about his actions. sadly i wasnt in the community when that happened)

literally there are people calling Gato a nazi when she doesn't support the ideology. why did no one act the same with EP? different standards? the fact he left (probably) for good? still its not an excuse to call Gato a nazi. also she apologised multiple times. again MULTIPLE TIMES. even in the callout post in twt you can see the fact she IS sorry for drawing that. that she REGRETS it

edit: kay found a ss on tt from the user @/gorturic where Gato said this as well

again, she doesn't support any nazi shit :/

2. The way others silence opinions that they dont like

im not saying you should be forced to agree with it, but when you make a callout account, normally, you let multiple people say their opinions over that thing. you can even show proof when you see someone is wrong. thats how argument work, crazy ik.

i start to see that if you defend Gato or just leave the community because the fandom its on thin ice, you'll be harassed and bullied for your choices. first of all, HOW ABOUT WE LEAVE PEOPLE THAT DONT WANT TO ASSOCIATE WITH BTD/TPOF ANYMORE ALONE. good? literally saw multiple users being harassed by this. its THEIR decision, suck it up. also can we stop SENDING DEATH THREATS???

or the fact that if you do have a point, they'll immediately cancel it with the "oh but its not important". it can be if you have some proofs for their misinformation (just like i proved the variety of poc characters Gato CREATED. didnt talk about Ren since he's another story)

3. Lack of proof for the side allegations.

if people noticed mods harassing people sm, why didnt they talk? why arent there ss of their conversations? we dont even know (most of us) what they even commented about (aside of Pussyspieler drawing). or the twt user that was wronged. that situation was like.. kind of a "im more autistic so you should shut up" (i have to add that i asked people on the spectrum about this and that was their point of view) of course the mod shouldn't have said it like that but.. its more of a misunderstanding really.. that doesnt mean you cant be upset. you absolutely can. everyone can react differently so dont harass them for feeling down or for being frustrated.

also the spanish (or mexican idk) users that just copied and translated @/renhanasgf posts with little to no new information. just the same thing. (although they said something of Gato not sending merch to latin America. probably because of the laws back then or the fact that the transport fee would be high af. im still searching for the reason tho so ill need some time for that one).

4. This fandom is messed up

people when fans of horror porn games are problematic 🤯. i agree that some people are being like extreme with their reactions, but no one is perfect here. just like i approached the situation completely wrong, they did the same. of course, now if you go around and be a racist piece of shit, you shoudl just stay off the internet for a while. luckily more approach the "like the art not the artist" thing.

look. you can always block users that you dont like (just like i do to those who are either into csam,thanks for telling me ab this term anon!, or incest). i know. shocking that people can block others.

after all these fandoms are not for the weak. there may be some safe spaces in it as well but... lets be real... its still going to be problematic. if you cant handle the community or how others act around here, then id suggest for you to not have a close interaction with others. like uhm, just, appreciate the content, not every person around here. just be aware of the users, stau safe okay?

5. Will i stop yapping?

not until i will see an agreement in the fandom. Gato is a human, of course she will do mistakes. especially if she's anxious or tired. having hundreds of people around you its hard and i can imagine it. having supoortive people only to wake up with people hating you. i hope she's safe and that she wont have to go to the hospital again. i pray for her well being, and to others that got spammed with those disgusting comments.

im not saying we should forget about this like.. her poor management and emotional way of responding to things, but is it truly worth it? to force a person to apologise just because they tried to fix things?

i also dont think ill stop because i just feel like im the only one that does talk here (trying to even prove wrong on some things). if others do it as well, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TAG ME I WANNA SEE THEM😭 also because most people are still so confused about EVERYTHING. for some reason this drama its only getting more popular on tt for some reason.. which is a big no no since there are a lot of YOUNG people. i believe this should be talked here, and on twitter. (idk what to say about telegram)

ill stop here since my sickness got me. i will edit it later to add or correct myself but *sighs*

please stay safe and try to view more opinions over this. DONT SPAM OR HARASS ANYONE WHO ONLY WANTED TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS. we'll see on Sunday how things will turn out.

(if i missed something out or said something wrong please correct me)

#gatobob #btd #boyfriend to death #tinr #btd2 #i also got tired of this or the multiple hateful messages that i had to delete since there were full of kys #untill then we'll see. i also wish to take a break because i got ill and this axiety aint helping much #whatever happens i wish Gatobob will be safe and will come back without any more backlash. #i do realise that me talking too much wont help either but.. i cant help it. the voices are winning

[captainvulcant]

ATLA Live Action Review

I will preface this by saying that largely I enjoyed watching ATLA and I would watch a season 2, would even look forward to a season 2.

However, I did have a lot of issues with this series, issues which I don't feel can be solved by saying "well it's a different series it shouldn't be an exact copy paste of the original". If their changes are worse than the original then that is a failing, and there was a lot which was objectively worse. I'll begin with:

Dialogue Are these things written by AI now or something? The dialogue was giving me "I forced an AI to watch x hours of halmark movies and write one for me" but for your standard adventure series. Listen, we have had this already in 100s of other series and films. ATLA is so unique, could we not have kept the dialogue to that style instead of the expositiony "It's my responsibility" style basic adventure hero stuff? At best it was dull, at worst it was actively cringy. I felt that Zuko and Iroh's dialogue was better and most engaging, no real issues there, but only on a couple of occasions did I experience the Gaang's characteristics and dynamic that I was hoping for from the dialogue.

Music Would have very much liked to have heard some East-Asian instruments and music style. The bog-standard western orchestra did the same as mentioned above: it's dull, it's predictable, it didn't bring me into the world it took me out of it. I was metaphorically taking a shot every time the orchestra swelled at a dramatic or poignant moment. The exception was the little Leaves from the Vine motif they dotted in around Iroh, that was wonderful. Could have done with more of that for Aang's emotional moments.

Exposition So much exposition. Imo they shouldn't have shown the air nomads being attacked. We should have seen Aang fly off and then seen the fire nation making its way up the mountain ominously (on foot!! why do the firebenders have bending jet packs now??? this defeats the later plot??? why can everyone fly now????) before cutting to black. If they really wanted to show it it could have been in quick flashbacks as Aang makes his way through the air temple, which I think would have made it feel more personal to Aang and more devastating. As it was I was just reminded of Star Wars through the whole thing (so many Star Wars vibes at the air temple it really threw me off). Dialogue exposition also awful. If they had spent less time explaining every single plot point to the audience like we're stupid and more on the relationship between the characters and character development we might have actually felt like we progressed from episode 1 to 8. Which leads me to:

Characterisation I'm considering making an entirely different post for this honestly, but here it is in brief. I think we really lost something in this series, and for that I blame the 8 episode thing Netflix is obsessed with. The actors did a good job I felt, particularly with a script that was more rote phrases and platitudes than wise words and attitudes. We didn't really get to see friendships developing, they were just there. We didn't see the characters grow, and the issues which they faced and overcame in the series (which worked perfectly well!!!) have been changed for no reason. Sokka's dad was disappointed in him?? Why???? We already have Zuko whose dad is disappointed in him. I love Sokka's original character, I love seeing him getting over his mysogyny. You know what might have been helpful, in 2024 where all studies show that young men who spend time online become more conservative and sexism is rife?? Maybe showing that it's ok to change your views, that it's ok to work with and respect women, that people will still love you, and that it's not always your fault when you're taught stupid shit. That would have been useful. Taking away that aspect of his character meant changing Katara's and Sukis, and not for the better!!!! Like jesus Suki, my poor Suki. She's such a cool character in the animation. She has responsibility, she is competent and cool and knows her place in the world, but is also open to the idea of change. Why did they make her so awkward (original Suki is fun and funny as well) and unsure? And more parent drama?? Again??? Do they only have one plot?

I also felt that by missing key episodes like the Northern Air Temple we really missed out on Aang's character from the animation, and the emotional weight those scenes could have brought. This Aang doesn't goof off, he's already learned his lesson. This Aang doesn't struggle to balance his beliefs as an airbender (the last airbender, the only one who can continue them) with his job as the avatar, he's just 100% up for the fighting with no conflict. This is a huge part of his character's original internal struggle (and a massive plot point later on) and it feels like we lost something by taking it out.

Final Thoughts Once again, I did enjoy the series. I got super emotional at some parts, I particularly enjoyed the first 4 episodes. Overall I liked the casting and I think the actors did a pretty good job and I'm excited to see where this will go in season 2.

But, I do think that we are allowed to criticise and compare things. I'm seeing a lot of people on here being like stop over-analysing things!! No, lol. Firstly, this is tumblr, the over-analysing website. If you want a superficial review go to tiktok. Secondly, if I had one thing to place the blame on for my issues with this series it's that it is more generic and dumbed down than a cartoon made for kids almost 20 years ago. I am not alone in thinking that media is becoming very basic and sanitised (while at the same time becoming more explicit and violent? It's like no we can't have nuance or complex issues but we will show you explicit sex scenes and awful violence) and also it all feels the same. And I do think we should be wary of the homogenisation of media.

#natla #natla spoilers #atla live action #atla live action spoilers #natla review

[tellurian-in-aristasia]

Your humble editress is usually quick to say "No, of course Aristasia wasn't a cult!", usually. But sometimes, I feel as if perhaps it was a bit too close to being a cult for comfort. It definitely varied from what you normally might think of as a cult, in that they didn't really recruit, and they usually played all their weird cards first thing, right out on the table. They didn't keep their strange secrets until after you were already invested in them, they wanted everyone to know, right up front, that they were aliens in exile. But maybe not in so many words. They were, of course, very happy to cozy up to girls who shared their interest, and see who were willing to to play their game (see Operation Roriita and their Femmekin/Otherkin blogging), but once they hooked you with their weird ideas, they didn't seem to want anything from you beyond your willingness to engage in long-term life theatre with them. Of course, it's also apparently true that certain girls, with certain positions of power, have allegedly used their spiritual and social power to act out what seems like obvious kinks (viewing it from this century, with what we understand now about kinks, even if it is just a bongo Tellurian's understanding) against seemingly unwilling members of their community who apparently were willing to subject themselves to such treatment because they apparently were lead to believe it was done for spiritual reasons. Maybe it was printed in bongo tabloids, but the events certainly seemed to transpire, one way or another.

To make a long post even longer, I would like to go through many of these and speak a little about my thoughts on them.

Chanting Chanting is used within the religious aspect of Aristasia/Chelouranya, but the religious side was never particularly pushed to any real degree. Instill guilt about not living up to potential This seems to be something that comes up a bit when ex-Aristasians (particularly of the Second Life era) tell their stories, and mostly it relates to feeling guilty that they're not really living a racinated life outside of the internet. No happiness outside of group The idea that the rest of the world was in an eclipse, and the world outside of Aristasian hearths was The Pit is a big one. Almost everything about the modern world was deemed disgusting. Forbid critical questions about leader The leaders (if that is what you could call Miss Martindale and Miss Langridge) had so many different personas it was almost impossible for them to have answered any critical questions about them. It's very possible that whole people have been invented, for the purpose of deflecting questions about who really founded Aristasia. Information deliberately withheld Now this is one that doesn't seem to actually have been a thing. Aristasians seemed to play all of their strange cards right at once. They wanted you to know they were aliens. If you didn't like that, you were free to leave. When, how, and with whom you have sex dictated While Aristasians generally didn't seem to care about your relationships outside of the group, it was indeed stated that if you were to be a full, inner circle, Aristasian, you were expected to give up relationships with em-ee-en. The old Artemis zines also have a lot to say about how intimacies between women shouldn't be regarded as "sex", and that "sex" should mean gender. So there is a lot of redefining what sex even entails in Aristasia, and more importantly, what is and isn't sexual. Which has lead to some behavior that is distinctly sexual in Tellurian life being regarded as nonsexual within Aristasia. This blurring of lines between sexual and non-sexual has lead to, to put it very lightly, misunderstandings. Encourage only good and proper thoughts This seems to be largely a Chelouranya idea, but encouraging their members to always be sweet and happy was important. Some emotions deemed evil See above, and also see this old Poppitops comics. Outsider vs insider doctrines Aristasians vs the rest of the world was a central theme to their lifestyle. There were a number of names for non-Aristasians, and even different Aristasian words for mundane objects. It was generally regarded by Aristasians that there was a war on, and they were fighting for the winning side. Instill fear of outside world See above. Control information at different levels within group This is something that they didn't really practice. While there was definitely the idea of inner and outer circle Aristasians, there seemed to be no secret information that would be revealed to the inner circle. New name/identity Creating a new identity was a central core of being Aristasian. If you decided to use your Tellurian name, you were at the very least encouraged to choose if you were a Blonde or a Brunette. Many Aristasians had many different names, identities, and even sexes. Distort information to make it acceptable There was a lot of information bending within Aristasia. Reading Aristasian musings often feels like it's very obvious that they're working backwards from whatever point they're trying to make to make it fit around their world views. This ranges greatly from science denial (for there's no belief in evolution in Aristasia) to their own history revision (They only ever got involved with all that Silly Monkey stuff to make money to fund their embassies, but also what they did wasn't Silly Monkey stuff anyways, because, remember, what they did wasn't sexual) Impose buddy system This one is a little bit vague, but pairing up blondes and brunettes or forming communal households was always a priority with Aristasians.

So, while it may seem like this Bingo card has a lot of marks, I still don't necessarily think that Aristasia or Chelouranya was a cult. I think that it was potentially a very toxic community, with some toxic views, run by some girls who maybe were not suited for running a community, members were free to leave if their faith in the game wavered, were not really expected to give up anything besides aesthetics, and were not actively recruited. However, I was never part of any Aristasian circles, so perhaps I'm very wrong about this.

I would like to make special note that I'm speaking strictly of the Aristasia that later transformed into Chelouranya, and not at all about the Filianic, Madrian, or Deanic religious community, which have made much effort over the decades to distance themselves from whatever Miss Martindale and Miss Langridge were doing after about 1982.

#BITE model #aristasia #aristasian #note from the editress #aristasian cult #aristasia recruitment #life theatre #filianism #chelouranya

[buckymilf]

When there's a discussion on whether Steve's ending was good or not, there's one thing that actually bothers me, and it's when people say that it was always meant to happen because it was already planned and the entirety of Steve's arc throughout the movies was purposely made to have that ending regardless. Like, that's just not true.

The creators confirmed a few times that the script for Endgame had a lot of changes and that they had different versions for the movie. I'm pretty sure that the Russos said at one point that in one of these versions Steve died during the battle and was decapitated. Steve dying was an option, and probably one that was going to follow through because it would just be easier and it wouldn't leave the public confused after previously stablishing a good and understandable enough explanation for time travel. It would also save Marvel from now having to explain what happened after Steve came back, the comment in FATWS about people believing that he's on the moon, and having to keep everything vague enough for the possibility of Evans agreeing to come back.

But the evidence of this ending definitely not being planned years before it's the movie itself. If Steve was really meant to end up with Peggy, they wouldn't need to bring her up so many times during the movie, it shouldn't be necessary to explain again and again how much she means to him, that's something that the audience should already know. When there's Civil War discourse people argue about who's right, the political perspective of Tony and Steve, whether Steve should've told Tony about his parents, or if he shouldn't have dragged the other avengers to battle, whatever, but I've never seen people question why he's so intent on defending his views and protecting Bucky from the government, because in CAFTA and CATWS the audience got to see and understand that Steve acts based on what he thinks is right and that Bucky is important to him. It's stablished, and so in Civil War people don't need flashbacks of the 40's or constant reminders to understand Steve's actions.

If Steve talked about his friends that were gone with the snap in the group therapy session, if the compass was replaced for a wrinkled photo of him with Sam and Nat or if he paid attention to SHIELD'S basement when he went to get the capsules and saw traces of Zola's work, and even then, ended up going back to the past, many more people than it did when the movie came out would get really upset about his ending. I mean, one of the main reasons why some people didn't believe the spoilers when they were leaked on Reddit was Steve's ending making no sense. Of course they had to try to make it seem like not getting to be with Peggy was Steve's biggest regret, because what the audience knew about them together was that that she was kind of the first woman that paid attention to him, she kissed him once, then told him that he had to live his life because she already had, and then enter his new love interest. If his ending was meant to be like that and was really planned in advance, we wouldn't need constant reminders of her character and their relationship, and in the previous movies it would've been clear that Steve hadn't moved on and that him being in the 21st century was still his biggest problem.

At the end of the day is media, you can like it or not, but there's no need to try to justify the way that a multimillionaire company fucks up characters' storylines and characterisation.

THIS 👆👆👆 FUCKING THIS 👆👆

you know what i think it's the sickest part? if they wanted us to belive that peggy was the most important thing in Steve's life, enough for him to comeback to the fucking segregation era, that they were always "mean to be" why would they made him kiss her niece???

it's clear that marvel just wanted the most heteronormative ending possible for the character, even if that means ruining his entire arch, beliefs, and ignore the best mcu trilogy aka the Capitan America one.

#Yes I'm STILL salty about endgame and this anon ROCKS! #anti endgame #steve rogers #steve #anti mcu #anti steggy #captain america

[papirouge]

your reblog of that pro-life post about "but what about 12 year olds forced to carry their rapist's baby" just reminds me of how much "pro-choice" rhetoric revolves around cases where, ironically, a woman doesn't actually have much of a choice in seeking an abortion

poor women, women who live in countries where maternity leave and postpartum/perinatal care and childcare are horrifically expensive, women who face severe pregnancy complications... not sure women are being allowed to make free choices here, a lot of this is just financial and medical coercion. the people who trot out "women were aborting before feminism" stuff cite the fact that women aborted in the past primarily because of resource scarcity and I'm just like. fam that's not a good argument for abortion. that just tells me women's needs are never really met and people don't care that they aren't. the same thing happens when women are aborting their very-much-wanted babies because they're afraid they can't make ends meet post-birth. and with the way so many women are mistreated in the workplace after having children, and the extreme costs of childcare in certain developed countries, this fear isn't unfounded. but it's not a good argument for "abortion at any time, for any reason" in the same way using late-term medically-necessary abortions isn't a good reason to have unrestricted access to abortion. many people really don't want to view this critically and it drives me crazy

The thing is, I think many pro lifers would agree that's a good compromise to have a law enabling abortion only for rape, but pro choicers wouldn't. That's how you know how fake they are for constantly bringing those rape situations up.

And I've said it several times but feminist pro choicers never came around the inconsistency of making totally acceptable to question *some* choices (over the fact they're rooted in "systemic misogyny" i.e plastic surgery, make up, shaving, etc ), and how some "choices" are not - such as abortion.

That's why they're hellbent acting like abortion was a "life saving" procedure and that pregnancy kills, because they can rationalize this inconstency by saying "we shouldn't question access to abortion because it saves lives!!". But the thing is, they have absolutely no idea whether women resorting to abortion do it for health reason. And if health was the reason women should access to abortion, then pro abortion should be okay with enabling abortion ONLY for health reason - but they don't 🙃 we're basically circling back to the beginning of this post lol

Those women do not care the slightest of women's health. Otherwise they would acknowledge that abortion is not harmless and actually have long term effect on women's health/future pregnancies. They're just moving the goalpost. Remember how a few years ago they were saying that fetus weren't humans? now that they realized how stupid and unscientific this argument was, they're now making contrived nonsensical takes about how humanhood is different from personhood💀

#let's not forget the gotcha type of clapback à la “EVEN THE BIBLE SAYS LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION !!!” First #that's not true. #second not every prolifer is Christian so... #pro life #answered

[inactiveblog2023]

Hey. Different anon than the one that sent the caelum x gavin ask, but i still wanted to stop by and say thanks. Im a caelum shipper too, and it was nice to see someone say they dont ship caelum without being like… confrontational or shame-y about it, yanno? We all interpret and play with these characters in different ways, it was nice to see someone who disagrees with us without even implying that we’re morally corrupt or something for our views on these nonexistent characters. You seem like a chill person, and a good addition to have in the fandom. I hope you have a good rest of your day 💕💕💕

Hello anon

I'm really not a fan of purity culture or people that think they can police people's ships.

There was a fic a while back with the main pair being Caelum with some other character. I never read the fic and only know about it because posts about it were making the rounds on tumblr, but apparently the author got a lot of hate from the fandom. The 'justification' being that Caelum is described as innocent and 'like a child' in the canon and so people think that he actually is a child and shouldn't have sexual content written about him. And that just... doesn't make any sense to me.

Firstly, as far as I know, Caelum's age has never been officially revealed but it's pretty damn obvious - to me, at least - that he isn't a minor, because he was David's 'imaginary friend' when David WAS A CHILD, and David's now an adult which means Caelum is at least the same age as him, if not older.

But even if Caelum was a child... So what? He's a fictional character! He can't be hurt by anyone or anything because he isn't real. So so what if people ship him with other characters, or write him into filthy smut or other adult situations?

Fandom is supposed to be safe place for everyone, and honestly I'm so disappointed in the Redacted community for literally bullying someone into taking their fic down, and even potentially leaving the fandom altogether and/or being too ashamed or afraid to ever share their work again.

If someone doesn't like certain ships then they shouldn't read fics with that ship. Tags exist for a reason, and it's the readers' responsibility - not the author's - to avoid subjects and themes that they might find triggering or upsetting.

Dont like, don't read. It's that simple.

I'm not sure if you're old enough to remember what fandom communities used to be like before, anon, but from what I've heard from older writers I follow, fandom used to be a lot more tolerant of different creative content. But now it's filled with people who have holier-than-thou attitudes towards creators whose works they deem are 'problematic' or 'wrong'.

It's partly the reason why I'm not active in the Redacted discord server. There are too many 'rules', and too much censorship, and too many people that turn to bullying when they see someone creating something they don't like.

I'm going to stop ranting now. I hope you have a good rest of your day too, anon

#asks and answers #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom #purity culture #purity wank #anti culture #fandom police #shipping

[girderednerve]

well i'm upset about book bans & i work in a library & can't shut up y'all're welcome

book bans & challenges (which is the technical term for when someone asks us to pull a book; it doesn't mean that the book is removed) have been an issue in american libraries for basically as long as there have been libraries, although there was a massive spike starting in ~2021 as the far-right seized on libraries as a new front for the culture wars. as a result there are some very established ways of handling & talking about book bans in the library field

these include the 'right to read'/'intellectual freedom' as articulated in the library bill of rights, which was first adopted by the american library association in 1939. it basically says that libraries believe that all patrons have the right to access information that interests them, irrespective of its content. the thinking at the time was that libraries should take a neutral course and not police the content they provide to patrons; as far as i know, this point at the time was more directed at fiction than nonfiction. (one of the other things that has been happening more, at least at my library, is that we're accused of having an unbalanced collection & suppressing conservative viewpoints if we decline to buy, e.g., anti-vaxxer screeds that contain rank misinformation; i don't think that was as much of an issue back in the day but i may be completely wrong.) in practice, this approach means that we make no comment whatsoever on what content is banned or why; if you look at a banned books week display, it will often include books like huckleberry finn ("challenged" when one parent of color asked to have it replaced with another book on their child's required reading list; not a literal example) alongside gender queer (target of a nationwide transphobic astroturfing campaign; literal example). things may be different elsewhere, but that's my experience of how libraries traditionally respond to book bans, i.e., they neglect the content, character, & effectiveness of 'bans' in order to talk more neutrally (&, in my view, ineffectually) about censorship as a negative social pattern devoid of any context. frustrating! we also never include prison book bans, although these are absolutely fucking dire.

the other major way we talk about book bans is via a set of talking points which were established by the late 90s, and possibly earlier. most challenges center on materials for children and young adults. the recommended language in reaction to a parent who objects to a book is to say something like "the library provides a wide range of materials for all different kinds of families, as we try to serve our whole community. we leave it to parents to decide which items their children should check out. parents have the ultimate responsibility for what their children read, and we support their right to make those decisions." you're also supposed to apologize for their negative experience, etc., and try to let them vent to you without agreeing or promising them anything. if they're really mad, at this point you refer them to whatever your library's reconsideration process is, usually some kind of offical-looking form where the patron has to write in their name, contact information, the title of the book, and the reason they object to it; most of them also ask the patron whether they've actually reviewed the whole thing in full. many people drop the matter at this point (fewer now that they've been handed canned scripts by m*ms for l/berty!). not entirely sure how it works at school libraries, but probably similar.

my problems with this general approach are that a) obviously it isn't going to appease someone whose objections are grounded in the belief that LGBTQ people shouldn't exist or whatever and b) i actually do not believe at all that parents should get to decide what books their kids check out of the library. sorry! i get it when your kid is really little and needs help finding & reading books in the first place, but by the time they're old enough to visit the library by themselves (so, for us, say 10 or so) they're old enough to have their own interests & information needs irrespective of their parents' opinions. i imagine that this is very uncomfortable for parents & i am capable of experiencing sympathy but also, i have met plenty of kids who are in weirdo homeschool groups & do not know anything about their own fucking bodies, much less what a happy gay life might look like. i get that this rhetoric is meant primarily to be placatory, but i think it matters what we say & what we believe beyond the customer service script. maybe other libraries have more robust discussions about ethics in youth services (my library system seems bent on ignoring that youth services requires anything other than storytime & the occasional cute craft for the under-10s).

anyway i keep making myself absolutely fucking miserable thinking about all the kids in the world (many!!!!) whose entire idea of what sexuality & romantic relationships look like are built on what their parents & the people who go to their church do, & how vulnerable that leaves them, how hopeless it must feel. i knew about gay people but i didn't feel like i knew myself, that i could live as myself, until i found out i was gay. i hate to think that a child is toiling away under the crushing weight that i used to feel, thinking that they have to grow up & marry a man who drinks too much & makes them afraid, or a woman who will never understand them, or otherwise live totally alienated from who they are, & are kept from even the glimmer of another life. it feels so openly abusive, so obviously intended to control & victimize. 'you can't choose another life because i won't even let you see the idea of one.' and what, i'm supposed to tell that patron that i believe they're right, their children belong to them? i can't do it, man. can't do it. kids can read whatever they want & if something makes them uncomfortable they can stop reading & talk to their peers or a trusted adult about it. a library book is plausibly the safest way to come across content that makes you uncomfortable as a kid. the risks are so fucking low & the benefits (in terms of understanding yourself & the world, having a safe, recreational retreat, getting to practice intellectual agency, etc.) are so, so high. i'd rather pitch my tent there than try to make some kind of mealy-mouthed compromise

the other part of this, obviously, is that the freaky fash aren't actually arguing about library books so much as they're making a loud argument about public space. libraries' physical collections provide vital access to lower-income people & children, but more people than ever have smartphones & are perfectly capable of reading whatever they want on the internet. there's no reason whatsoever for us to insist on taking all of these challenges at face value, it's a losing game.

anyway i'm upset & spinning my wheels about it. if you got down to this end of this please tell me a fond memory of using the library as a kid if you feel so inclined <3

#vocational awe diaries :')

[hiveswap]

Ok sorry to do this again despite admitting I don't know shit the first time (I'm the "isn't it both" anon) but I had some more thoughts.

So, even tho being ex eastern bloc is defo relevant for certain analyses of current situations, I don't think it should play too hard into tryna determine whether a country you aren't from can be considered eastern Europe (tho i think it's valid to bring into it if it's about your own country probably? I am not a politically versed person) and one of the reasons I say this is that my mum is from Saxony which was part of the GDR.

The family had been preparing to leave for years and eventually did so a few months before reunification (kinda hilarious tbh) and I myself grew up in (former) western germany (tho i was born years after reuni anyway) so I never lived in the GDR or even in any former GDR states myself but my mother has always shared a lot of stories but that's besides the point.

And like... nobody is calling the ex GDR states (let alone germany as a whole) eastern Europe. There's even ppl who consider us western Europe (I think we're pretty firmly central but tbh western vs central as a distinction isn't as important (bc I do know central vs eastern carries a lot more weight n stuff) so I don't really care) despite part of our country having been eastern bloc. So when people (specifically non ex eastern bloc folks, you're obviously fine) use it as an argument it feels hypocritical.

And obviously ex GDR states had the support of other german states so it was much easier for them to recover but imo the modern day economics are way closer to helping determine whether a country is eastern Europe? Not geographically obvs but in my mind (feel free to correct me) eastern european is kinda like asian in that it shouldn't be an important distinction going by geography but in terms of politics and dynamics and stuff it very much is and it matters.

Like, eastern europeans, at least within Europe, dunno how true it is elsewhere, are kinda oppressed? Like, if I meet a western european (esp an english person) they're prolly not gonna be xenophobic to me when I tell them where I'm from but if I was like Belarusian or something, they might. And then there's the economic stuff and also like social progression.

I've heard a lot about eg LGBT rights in Hungary and stuff like that and no shade or anything ofc, especially to the LGBT ppl living there such as (i think?) yourself and the other Hungarians I follow, but it does feel a lot less progressive.

Things aren't perfect here either or anything but they're getting better, we've had marriage equality for same sex couples (not (all) nb or intersex ppl tho) for over half a decade, forced trans sterilisation was declared unconstitutional 12 years ago and we're finally getting that self-determination bill put into place next year and then I can get that d. D stands for diverse in this case, it's our third legal gender (tho we also have "none", none gender can't get married)

Meanwhile transitioning in Hungary was outlawed three years ago and there's plenty of other countries where it's still a struggle and all in all it just feels kinda... distinct? Like how scandinavian (or nordic in general) countries feel like they're on a different economic and societal level from us(excl), the latter especially in regards to sexism, education and incarceration but also other stuff.

Obvs there's always so many factors but it's always felt to me like they were, forgive me for simplifying, the "higher" tier of europeans in at least those areas compared to my life in central Europe. Grass is always greener somewhere I guess. But I'm gonna get back on track.

So even tho geographically it's hard to argue that Hungary isn't central Europe, I think it might be politically. And it's not the only country that feels like this to me, like eg Romania is geographically southeast but politically I personally view it as firmly eastern tho obvs I'm no authority.

Anyway, sorry this got so long lmao I have not been awake for long yet and my brain's a little squished lol. Hope this wasn't a completely useless read, sorry if it was. Keep on keeping on 👍

Oh hi i got scared for a sec when i saw that i got a whole block of text. I'm not really up to politics talk rn, but what you're saying makes a lot of sense to me!! Though i havent seen anyone consider romania central before, i've always thought of the border between us as the edge of central europe. Probably because of the timezone difference ngl

#asks #ask

[teaveetamer]

I just wish more people in the Fe3h fandom had the introspection to understand that we all like different characters and that it’s near impossible to try and convince people to love a character that they dislike due to personal biases that they hold due to past experiences. Example:

Edelstands, please stop trying to convince me to adore Edelgard when she reminds me of my covert narcissist father. It’s pointless to try and convince me to think of her differently when my perspective of her is affected by my own experiences. I respect you like her, now respect that I like Dimitri. Know that I, an asexual, biromantic woman, haven’t been brainwashed by internalized misogyny, nor am i thinking with my ovaries. I don’t harass and stalk you to convince you to like Dimitri simply because I see something in him you don’t. You have your reasons for liking Edelgard, and I have my own opinions and criticisms of her, in the same vein that you have your opinions and criticisms of Dimitri.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Honestly I think a big problem with fandom these days is that so many people forget that everyone here is just a person, with our own history and feelings which impact our opinions and views of stuff. And that's completely fine, until certain members of the fandom start trying to make their own experience everyone else's. Like no, I don't particularly care if Dimitri reminds you of your sister's abusive boyfriend, because he reminds me of something completely different and positive. No amount of screaming at me that he's an abusive boyfriend and I'm just too stupid to see it is really going to change my lived experience or make me dislike him.

And honestly? You shouldn't have to explain what exactly you do or don't see in a character in order for people to just respect your opinions. It is quite literally nobody's fucking business if, for example, I have some negative feelings about a ship because it reminds me of a past friendship of mine. You shouldn't feel the need to justify your dislike of something by baring your soul to complete strangers on the internet and they shouldn't need to "approve" of your reasons for liking or disliking something before they'll leave you the hell alone. It's become way too normalized in fandom to let bullies walk all over us and force us to share our deep personal details with them in the hopes that it'll appease them and they'll leave us alone and let us enjoy what we enjoy without getting harassed. They don't actually care and they'll keep moving the goalposts so you're never justified in their eyes.

#Edelgard Discourse

[bookwyrminspiration]

How did you start your writing and how did you get to where you are now? I'm also a writer and was wondering if you have any advice, because I admire your writing style and want to get better.

That's very kind of you and I'm flattered you're asking me for advice, Nonsie! Smiling like a silly goose over the compliments. I will do my best to answer :) My answer is also a little wordy (to no one's surprise), so under a cut! Hopefully some of it is helpful!

I started writing more seriously around middle school. I'd written random blurbs for English when I was 8, but nothing serious. Then when I was 12 my English teacher saw how much I read and introduced me to NaNoWriMo, which I've participated in ever since.

So essentially, I was an incredibly inexperienced writer--but avid reader--thrust into this huge project as one of my first serious ones. Which I completed, but like any new writer it wasn't quality. I shudder to think of my wattpad during that time.

Then I'd pretty much abandon all writing until Nano came around again and I'd do the challenge again without a plan, which wasn't high quality. Very all or nothing mindset that didn't help much

To get to where I am now, writing with more confidence, cohesion, and thought, it's been a lot of exposing myself to writing and practicing with consistency. The more you write the more experience you have and the more you learn. It was through writing badly that I learned what my strengths and weaknesses are. For example, I learned if I don't have a direction for my story, even the most vague idea, I'll end up writing in the most random directions that don't help my story at all. I need some idea of where I'm heading.

Advice! I've overexplained everything and this is what helps me, but every writer is different so if you write differently that's entirely okay!

One: You've heard it before, but it's true: writing and reading go hand in hand. Exposing myself to others' writing gave me the sense of what I liked and wanted to do. Remembering that what I read, even if it's professionally published, isn't infallible really turns reading into an educational opportunity.

For example, find a scene from a book you like, or a fanfic, and read it like you're going to edit it. Not just grammar or technicalities, but think of the flow, if the words roll of your tongue, if anything feels repetitive, if the descriptions really bring it to life or if you're left with questions, if it fits the characters, how you'd reword something and why. Be nitpicky. Doing that helps you learn to engage with writing in a way that's critical and constructive. You're viewing it as something moldable and reworking it, which is what you want! It prepares you to engage with your own work like a project and remember that no writing is perfect and everything is crafted and shaped

Two: Write for you. Writing is infinitely easier (but not necessarily easy) when you enjoy it. You are your first audience and the most important one, so you want your story to be one you are genuinely passionate and interested in. For me, this meant monsters and messages about caring, characters who love each other as family all interspersed with fun moments like Sophie saying Jeepers Creepers for some reason

It's fun and rewarding to receive feedback and encouragement, but it shouldn't be the only reason you write. It's vital to learn to love your writing and story on your own because feedback isn't a guarantee. I told myself before I started the wings au that I was writing this for myself, no one else. It would be nice if other people liked it, but they weren't why I was doing it. Which is why I was able to get through it all, because engagement ebbs and flows but my commitment to myself stayed solid.

Three: Leave yourself notes! I cannot tell you how many times I've forgotten things because I assumed I'd remember them. What I like to do is at the end of every writing session, include a few notes to myself about where I'm intending to take the story next and what important details there are. I like to put them in [brackets] so they're easy to find with a word search

Here's an example of one I used in the process of my recent keefitz sick fic: [gets fitz outfit. Complaining about closet mess he made. Silly clothes combo. Gulon bedsheets. Cuddle. Talk. fitz sleep]

This was set right after the shower and was a really simple breakdown of what I wanted to remember. Not everything was used--they don't cuddle, and the outfit isn't super silly, but it gave me what I needed so I wasn't lost when I came back to the story

Four: Don't reread your writing all the time! It's easy to fixate on the moment, but if you keep rereading/focusing on small details you'll get stuck and lose sense of the big picture. I didn't reread any of the wings au chapters until they were done and I could look at it as a big chunk. A lot of the times the problems I thought I saw at the micro level were completely undetectable or not even there when I read it as part of the whole.

Sometimes details will be important, but sometimes you just gotta keep moving! What I'll do it look at the last few sentences and the notes I've left myself and that's it. I don't distract myself going back and rereading things.

Five: For more efficient writing sessions, rely on your future self. When writing you can get stuck trying to get something right. But you'll look at this again in the future, and future you can improve things and help present you out!

You don't have to make the sentence perfect right now, you don't have the find the best word, you don't have to remember that specific fact, you don't have to stop and consult references immediately. Future you can do that!

What I do is leave things in [brackets] for me to rethink or fact check later. An example might be something like this: Sophie kicked up a flurry of pink petals from her carpet [are they pink?]. I've got the detail down, but I don't remember off the top of my head the color of her carpet! The note is a reminder to me later to check that so I don't have to do it in the moment but am confident it will be checked. It's very helpful and I do it literally all the time

Finally, write! The best way to get better at writing is to write. No amount of talk will be better than actually committing and putting words on the page. Be consistent to actually allow yourself to grow. Doesn't have to be a lot, but writing is a skill! I'm still learning and developing myself, and I will never be done learning. Writing is something I will continue to practice and get better at the rest of my life, and I can't wait to see how my writing changes!

Some of it is getting older and more knowledgeable in general--I know more fun words to use in my writing than I did when I was 12. And some of it is practice and learning the art of writing :)

This was a lot of words kinda thrown at you, but hopefully all the explanation helps give context and helps answer your question! I love writing and talking about writing, so I'm always open to conversation on it. I have complete confidence in your abilities and wish you successful writing sessions!

#quil's queries #nonsie #writing advice #writing tips #this is a mix of specific things I do and more broad things like mindset #writing can be a lot of work #but also so so rewarding #i'm sure I could say a whole bunch more but these were some of the first things I thought of #happy writing nonsie! #we can write together in spirit :)

[noctomania]

Parasocial relationships.

I wanna talk about them.

What are they? Wikipedia says: "Parasocial interaction (PSI) refers to a kind of psychological relationship experienced by an audience in their mediated encounters with performers in the mass media, particularly on television and on online platforms."

While this did exist technically for decades it's really only recently become more of a mainstream term and that's primarily bc of social media platforms that continue to push the boundaries of what is personal and what is public.

With technology being where it is we are finding so many issues that are side effects of these advancements. People filming others in public spaces wasn't seen nearly as big an issue in the past as it has become now partially bc of how technology has advanced so you aren't carrying around a tape recording video camera like they did when video cameras were stil relatively newly publicly accessible tools (as opposed to tools of an industry). It is also impact by how we interact online. And this stems back to the dawn of the internet.

When the internet was first being birthed into people's homes it came with a lot of freedom. It also had a lot of holes. Internet safety became a huge topic in the 90s that for some reason faded almost entirely. Back when i was growing up you were told not to talk to strangers online on the same level as don't get in a car with a stranger. It was for good reason too, the internet was a much easier way for those who wished to do harm to find a way to do so. It's only gotten worse.

Nowadays there is two factor and secure passwords and encryption that can help protect people but that's bc the threats have gotten to a point where it's a danger to governments. No amount of passwords or authentication is going to eradicate the human error. And the human error is what people count on when they are trying to do something they shouldn't.

All that said i think it's clear how there are a lot of different factors that play into this: safety/security, technology, boundaries, etc. Parasocial relationships have grown with technology. Back when Hollywood was the end all be all, back before the internet, famous people could have more of a buffer. This isn't to say those parasocial relationships weren't happening. They were very different though.

Imagine if your favorite YouTuber or tiktoker or internet personality did nothing but movies and the occasional late night show interview that if you didn't have the tv on at the right time you missed it forever. That sort of division between creator and audience gives the audience room the breathe and recalibrate back to reality. Social media platforms thrive on interaction even if it isn't positive or good.

I think creators are going to need to incorporate some different techniques in order to communicate better with their audience. "Why not the audience just change their behavior?" Idk have you tried getting hundreds or thousands or millions of people on the same page as one another? Yeh it's a little cumbersome. Artists have had to adapt before and it's literally part of being an artist. Communication needs to be clearer.

This isn't just about people who don't log off. It's being aware of how many different people there are and how everyone is going to see something different at different lights of the day you know what i mean? Like even ONE person can view a video at one point of the day feel one way about it then view it again later with a completely different perspective on it.

Now if you as an artist want fo leave it open to interpretation (🙄) fine, but you then give up your right to dismiss complain or judge any of the interpretation.

However, if you communicate clearly what you are doing and why it will serve you in the end bc you will always be able to go back to that and say see this is what I'm doing what I've been doing this is my intention and you cannot take that from me.

Creators have got to really think about their intentions and the impact of those intentions on others. Your intentions can be harmless, but the side effects you didn't consider could be harmful to you or someone else.

On the other we do need to do work on the audience side OBVIOUSLY. We need to really start investing in educating YOUTH on psychology. I'm not saying like cognitive development theories or anything extreme. But having conversations about relating to one another is something long overdue in our public schools.

We also need to rethink what socializing means today. Let's not conflate internet friendship with parasocial relationships. Lots of kids cannot connect with others in their life and being able to connect with anyone even if they live half way across the globe can literally save their life. Let's nurture that while keeping in mind that though there are risks we can do what we can to lessen the risks without destroying the ecosystem that is being built. We can teach kids that a relationship is a two way street and that just because someone says that they love you doesn't mean they know you.

I think the region it may get really muddy is live streaming. Because there is typically a central figure, the streamer, and then the audience. While streamer may interact with the audience individually directly in ways we haven't seen in media typically before, it's still not the same as bonding with someone in real life. All it really is is a quieter live show like you would see on stage, except everyone in the audience has blinders and a gag on and can only applaud by spelling it out one letter at a time.

However, there are friendships and bonds made between streamers and some audience members. I haven't seen it cause issues necessarily, but i wouldn't be surprised if it does.

This is mostly a brain dump. Im nearing the end of my shift so I'm ending this also my mind is scattered so idk what else i had to say. I just need to go to bed ASAP

[holyshit]

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#unpopular opinion anon: #sorry i would normally publish but i just don't want to put someone's name on my blog so i hope you understand why i'm answering in the tags #but yes i completely agree! #i think in general it's very odd to send anon hate to anyone.. it's just not necessary #it's not going to change anyone's opinions to get an angry anon in your inbox #but i think some people do it because they take it to heart and take it as a personal attack when someone leaves #when really it shouldn't be viewed that way.. people leave for many different reasons and it shouldn't be taken personally #i can be as annoyed as the next person when someone leaves and then spends their whole time shit talking larries #but arguing with them about it isn't going to change anything #so it's best to just not engage and let people live their lives #and this goes both ways as well.. it's equally as useless and stupid for ex larries to send us rude messages #i ultimately wish people would just leave each other alone lol #asks