#and most brainwashed fanbase

[kaleidoscope-vol2]

For the love of god, listen to any other artist.

#leave the compound #they are the dumbest #and most brainwashed fanbase #taylor swift #music

[keischreiber]

A reminder that Reiner's main goal to be a hero was not to save the world necessarily, but to be accepted by his parents. It's just... if saving the world is what it took to be accepted, he'll gladly undertake hell or high water just to be the hero that he felt would grant him the love, acknowledgement, and acceptance of the people meant everything to him.

So, you know, as I rewatch his scene with Eren during the start of W. Tybur's speech, I can't help but think about this. And how this could have added why he mentioned that he was a bad person. That it wasn't about the environment he grew up in... but that he was just a bad person. Because, if I factor in his desire, I can feel that at the back of his mind... his own selfishness was the reason why they are where they are now. Why so many was killed, why so many innocent people had to die.

It's not just about being brainwashed.

Because remember, he tell Eren that he just wanted to be a hero, he wanted to be respected. Which is true. And while he didn't say it out loud, making it seem like he wanted to be seen as a hero and respected by the majority, he does want the to be a hero to earn the respect of his mother.

Who never once (at this point at least because it was never shown, and based from her personality, probably never did) told him that she was proud of him for any reason. For coming back, for winning the war, for surviving, etc. The most that Reiner probably had in terms of acknowledgment from Karina would be two things: Him becoming a warrior candidate, and him being chosen as a Warrior.

When I think about how Reiner would have felt during his first meeting with his mom after being extracted from Paradis, I feel like crying. (My tears are very shallow for this man. He gets hurt in any way, I cry.) Because if you look at how he was acting when he told Karina he no longer has the Armored Titan... he looked so scared, even apprehensive about telling her, looked so expectant of rejection, looked so expectant of his mom's disappointment... that he couldn't even look her in the eye. This literally screamed to me that during the time he returned to Marley, his mother could have given him a look of disappointment or a lecture on how they had achieved nothing in those six years, threw him a bit of slack because they at least managed to bring back the Jaw. How horrified she must have looked when Reiner mentions that he might be stripped of the Armor. And despite how, she would not lash out at him, she would give him a look that reflects disappointment.

I still remember that scene where they come back from Liberio and Reiner's looking on at how happy his uncle and auntie were when Gabi came home safe, expressed how proud of her they were.

I feel like... during his entire stay in Marley after the extraction from Paradis, he has never been hugged by his mother.

Which is why, as much as majority of the fanbase dislike Karina (god, even TV Tropes had nothing good to say about her), I'm glad she made it out alive. Because it's her acceptance that truly cements Reiner's happiness. It's the one goal he worked so hard to achieve. IF she had died, Reiner will eventually learn to be happy, but there's always going to be a gap there that no one would ever be able to fill.

#kei's mumblings #I should just call my random musings #The Rambling #reiner braun #reiner #karina braun #karina #aot #attack on titan #snk #shingki no kyojin #character study

[davekat-sucks]

homestuck's fanbase is really making me feel like giving up on the story as a whole... Jesus, I might just call it quits soon. Listening to idiots try to defend how shit Homestuck's story became is too exhausting. It reminds me of when I was listening to lectures of, people who hardly counted as, writers go off about how important it is to prioritize representation over all else. They never realized if you do a terrible job with writing a story, you do a terrible job of representing women, different racial groups, gay men, ext. They don't want to write female characters like they're people who make mistakes and grow. Those authors wanted women to always be perfect and always in the right and her biggest obstacle is that men don't believe in her. You can see that in Star Wars with Rei or Captain Marvel as an example of the mindset I'm talking about.

I liked homestuck because so many of the female characters had challenges and flaws. Aradia, Terezi, Rose... They had amazing stories and their flaws made them interesting.

Homestuck could have been a story about different people who have completely different mindsets coming together for a common goal. Homestuck is just... soap opera drama and shitty teen romance at the end of the story where the characters just wait for the story to finish and most of the audience left. In the epilogue, it feels like all of the characters gave up. I suppose Kanaya did put in effort to find Rose and make sure she is safe, I'll give the story credit there. Dirk wants something too. Dirk's goal is just to close the loop and create the first universe in the first place but all you ever hear people talking about is how his motivations have something to do with the shitty meta fiction gimmick the story has going on. "Gotta keep the story going or else the characters fade out of memory" That is such bullshit concept. Sounds like a justification for why there are so many Star Wars shows now. Sounds like milking an IP. Quantity of quality kind of excuse.

And, for the record, my beef isn't with how the fandom represents it's own headcanons or interpretations of the characters, my beef is with how people talk about the canon. Fandom and canon should be two different things. But people act like the fandom should influence canon. I thought the point of both of the cherubs were to show that is a bad idea. Fanon being in canon feels like it derails the story, even the homosuck part that Caliborn came up with.

I'm getting tired of trying to even find a space in this fandom. It's occupying too much of my freetime now. I have so much nostalgia for homestuck but now it feels like trying to get back on the swings of a playground, too old for this shit. Fuck, I adulted too hard and I outgrew fandom I guess. Shit sucks.

Ah well, at least they fans are having fun. But how much fun can you really have when Rose screwed over Kanaya in two timelines? Kanaya felt like a better character in the epilouge cause she's given a challenge to face that is unique to her and her relationship with her wife. Rose's dad brainwashed(?) her to leave her wife, wow, Kanaya that's some shit. Just sucks that she is getting cucked AGAIN. Is it a universal constant that Kanaya is just going to keep falling for women who don't respect her? Maybe she should have stuck with Vriska. All of this Kanaya Rose drama is a bad sign of what's to come. I think it's disrespectful to the fans that are still sticking around. I'm not really included in this bunch. My horse tapped out of the race years ago. People who are still holding out for hope this story is going somewhere are either the most optimistic people out there or the most beaten down.

It's no wonder so many people who worked on homestuck abandoned ship. Toby looks like he's having a good career and Hussie looks like he's afraid of what he created. Maybe there is poetic justice to be gleaned from all of this.

It had lot of creative ideas and talent. But through it, there are cracks and messes that can't be ignored. Even now, the same kind of messes appear again in present times and I think people are scared to talk about it in fear that the thing they love was not as great as they though it was. We really are suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Even when moments in the series and narrative itself that tells the audience that we were stupid to even care, we stayed because we loved it for what it was back then before the meta shit kicked in. The whole revival of the series so it won't fade away and being comparable to Star Wars is a good way to describe it. The team not taking risks to actually go outside of the Homestuck cast, tell a new story, or even trying to focus on the base webcomic alone that made it popular in the first place. They can't even put more focus on Hiveswap just yet because they know people know Homestuck first before Hiveswap, despite said game could make a better introduction or entryway for people to get interested in the webcomic. I'm not sure what is going on through Hussie or James Roach's mind for all this.

#homestuck #homestuck fandom

[silvermoon424]

If you haven't heard, Idubbbz aka Ian- who was known for making edgy content back in the early/mid 2010s- released an apology video for his old content yesterday. This is following several years of Ian steading moving away from his old persona and adopting a more laid-back, empathetic stance. A lot of people speculate that this is due in large part to his relationship with his wife, Anisa.

Personally, I think it's wonderful to see this kind of growth and change. So many edgy Youtubers from back in the day are basically full-on fash nowadays, with the best case scenario being that they're just the beginning of the alt-right pipeline. So for Ian to say "No, I don't want to be that person or provide that content anymore" is really cool.

But he's in a really lousy position, because tons of his former fans still show up every video to harass him for being a "cuck" or "simp" or saying that he's "L" and "soft" now. A lot of it hinges on Anisa, who has an OnlyFans and (iirc) has always been more progressive than Ian; most of Ian's haters are convinced that Anisa "brainwashed" Ian (gotta love that misogyny, it always has to be a woman's fault).

I know Ian technically brought this on himself by initially cultivating this kind of fanbase, but it's clear that he no longer wants to associate with these people and their toxic, bigoted bullshit. Like with this apology video he cannot make it more clear that he now disavows all the edgy, offensive they initially worshipped him for. Again, I'm a big believer in changing for the better so I love to see it.

#Idubbbz #ian carter #youtube #youtube drama #internet drama

[gacha-incels]

These guys are deep in the coping mechanisms now. It’s funny to see them say things like “men spend the most money on games so they have no choice but to target the male fanbase” when we have seen in real time the huge crash in Limbus Company DAU, MAU and gacha banner earnings since the majority of female fans left in late July. I don’t think it has ever made it back to its previous peak earning months. By their own admission these incels said Genshin Impact is targeting women with both the female and male characters recently released, and the game is making more money than ever. It always tops pure fanservice games like Nikke that pander to men only with their all-female roster of highly sexualized women and gameplay that involves staring at their asses. They are shocked at the amount of women that showed up at a Genshin event in Japan but basically consider them “not REAL fans” like themselves, men who constantly complain and shit themselves over seeing hands in repose 🤏 and spend $11,000 on the world’s most pathetic balloon.

We can also see here the unbelievable level of cope where they truly believe even if women are paying for live events, gacha and merch that it isn’t their money, it’s the money of their boyfriend/dad/male in their life anyway. In their closed off misogynist community they have an excuse for everything so that the world lines up with their backwards ideology. Half of the game’s players are women? Whatever, they only care about consuming products unlike men who actually care about the game. The game is suspected of hiring a feminist and won’t apologize? Whatever it’s for women anyway. It’s always topping gacha earning charts? Whatever, the money women spend is from their boyfriends anyway. I’m not even joking it’s like seeing a cult in action brainwashing themselves, but instead of Lord Xenu or whatever they worship at the altar of misogyny.

#genshin impact #misogyny #korean incel #incel ideology

[thegreatyin]

Hey what are your feelings on

1. lae'zel

2. Emperor

lae'zel is actually one of the best companions in the game and everyone who hates her or says she's just mean fundamentally doesn't understand her character. she's literally the nicest girl in the world given her usual environment and upbringing. she essentially has the exact same backstory as shadowheart in that she was raised in a controlling violent cult and has spent most of her life (including the start of the game) brainwashed by that cult into the person she is today. and yet despite it all she is trying her best to help people. she DID NOT have to save you on the nautiloid and she DID NOT have to promise to take you to what she had every reason to believe was a cure-all for the tadpoles and she goes so far as to defend you and the rest of the party to other gith despite her extremely xenophobic society pressuring her around every corner to do otherwise. over the course of the game she literally had her entire way of life and belief system uprooted from top to bottom and she ultimately decides to deal with it by becoming a hero and dedicating her life to saving others from the same situation she was in. her entire character, at its core, is so extremely dedicated to helping other people even at the cost of herself. she has the same trauma and should get the same treatment and sympathy as shadowheart and you guys just don't like her because she's not conventionally attractive and standoffish at the start of the game but when you actually follow her companion quest and/or romance her she is so sweet and trying her best and she is a TOP TIER companion and i am not going to pretend like she isn't.

the emperor is one of my favorite characters in all of bg3. i know i just went off about lae'zel but god the emperor is so good. he is a LIAR. he is a Bastard Capital B In Bold. he is the deceiver trope played straight from the very beginning and you can't trust a word he says and half of act 3 is practically dedicated to proving just how full of shit he is. he is an awful person who presents himself as a savior and a hero but at the first sign of resistance or hesitation he snaps and doubles down his manipulation in an attempt to control and corral the player into doing what he wants. his first reaction to the player turning down/questioning his sex scene in any way is to gaslight and accuse them so he can shift the blame and keep up his veil of heroism. he encourages them to let go of their humanity and turn themself into a cannibalistic monster while constantly swearing it's for the greater good. he literally runs off to join the netherbrain if you free orpheus. ansur was right all along. balduran died the minute that tadpole took over and transformed him into a mindflayer and the emperor is a shell of his former self masquerading around with the same gravitas and veil of kindness he used to have, but it's gone, if it ever existed to begin with. the emperor is a fascinating example of a manipulative piece of shit done right because even the fanbase can't agree wholeheartedly on if he's good or not but if you couldn't tell my money is wholly in the "he fucking sucks guys" camp. as a character i adore him though.

#sorry for going off. this ask awoke something in me #i love bg3's character writing so much i will literally be thinking about it forever. #ask #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 spoilers #bg3 spoilers #i would've romanced lae'zel in reggie's playthrough if karlach didnt exist tbh. both bc they love mean women that peg them #and also bc i just love her. #also dont bring up omeluum and the 'do mindflayers even have souls' debate because if anything it proves even more #that emperor Legitimately Just Sucks. omeluum is a cool ass dude. he's my bestie. he's my bro. #omeluum is the embodiment of everything emperor presents himself as and everything he lies about being #if they (mindflayers) dont have souls then omeluum is still making the conscious decision to be sociable and eat as ethically as possible #while the emperor is making the conscious decision to Not Do That despite omeluum proving it can be done. #and if they DO have souls nothing changes. he is still an asshole. he is still awful. he can have a soul and that soul can be rotten. #sorry again i don't know where this emperor rant came from tbh #it may-or-may-not be incoherent. hopefully yall get the point im trying to make here

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 30/03/2024

THANK YOU FOR RIPPING

Season 1 Featured on: beatmania IIDX 7 GRAND Also on: GilvaSunner's Highest Quality Video Game Rips: Volume 7: Part mm2wood

Ripped by beat_shobon

Requested by Bumsoldier! @bumsoldier (Request Form)

Its that time again - another Season 1 finale rip! But there's a good reason these keep showing up, as I reiterate with each one I cover - The Season 1 finale was when the team was truly firing on all cylinders to end the channel off with a bang. Planet Wisp Mashup Medley, The SiIvaGunner Smurfs Collab, File Select Fusion Collab, Stone Halation - tons of these incredibly ambitious, full-blast collaborations, that I've written plenty of words about already. In comparison, THANK YOU FOR RIPPING feels almost as if dwarfed in scope, not helped by being a rip of a comparatively niche series. Which is a damn shame - because what beat_shobon has done here is just as much of a loveletter to the entire channel yet expressed through his own individual style in a far more condensed runtime.

First of all though - wow, beat_shobon! It's been since Rolling Start that I wrote about one of his rips, and since then I've learned that he's become a bit of a superstar since his 2016 SiIvaGunner days - notably winning a Vocaloid songwriting contest with the ironically-named Can't Make A Song!! in 2018. The guy has a great grasp on this kind of music, is my point, and both Rolling Start and THANK YOU FOR RIPPING show that off well - but more importantly, I adore how THANK YOU FOR RIPPING still feels as much like a love letter to SiIvaGunner as a whole as it does a flexing of its rippers' muscles. The song used as the foundation for the mashup is GO MY WAY!! from the IDOLM@STER franchise, a song that was immensely notable in Season 1 as the song to supposedly "replace" Snow Halation during The Reboot storyline - see I Saw a Brainwasher Today for a bit more details on this. Its a song that I remember receiving a lot of pushback during that event as a result of those connotations, as a lot of people found it to be even *more* grating of an idol song than Snow Halation was - yet with The Reboot concluded, with those emotions settled, I find that the song has come to represent a sense of...unity, in the fanbase. It IS silly idol music, but we've come to accept it as part of SiIvaGunner, as a result of what The Reboot taught us.

That's far from all that THANK YOU FOR RIPPING contains, of course - the piano in the background continuously plays segments of The Flintstones theme throughout the entire song, as it jumps from joke to joke. Its a bit of a journey throughout the entire channel's life during Season 1: starting where it all began with Vinesauce Joel's reaction to 7 Grand Dad, to a quick clip of Snoop Dogg's "Smoke Weed Everyday!!", a sudden jumpscare from The Bean (I'll get to it someday), then moving into memes prominent in the season's last few months, in the infamous POKEMON GO SONG!!! and The Nutshack theme. All the while, again, those Flintstones-esque notes stay prominently audible in the background, as to keep reminding us of where this whole thing all began.

Perhaps most interesting of all, though, is near the rips end at around the 1:30 mark. Another Vinesauce Joel clip plays, a quite well known one - "WHO'S BEEN DRAWING DICKS?" - but its pitch shifted in a way that may ring as familiar to many of you. It is, indeed, directly referencing the rip "Creative Exercise - Mario Paint", known by its album name as Mario Paint exe 2. A sequel to a prior-made Soundcloud mashup from the same ripper in 2015, this is as of today the third-most-viewed rip on the entire SiIvaGunner channel - and was, to my surprise, also made by beat_shobon. Making that connection, then, drew my attention to another part of the rip just a few seconds earlier, where the instantly-recognizable bellow of "DAY-TO-NAAA!!!" from Daytona USA plays in the midst of the mix. I cannot help but think that this is a direct callback to Rolling Start, as another one of beat_shobon's most celebrated rips - one also made during The Reboot, tracing back to the rip's central joke.

I dunno - there are tons of these little connections to make within the surprisingly dense 2-minute runtime of THANK YOU FOR RIPPING, yet they all work toward the very same emotional goal. Gratitude - a thank you, from the entire SiIvaGunner channel yes, but also from beat_shobon himself, thanking us all for having enjoyed so much of the channel's life. Through thick and thin, through Reboots and Beans, though rips made by people all over the world - we loved SiIvaGunner more than ever before during the Season 1 finale. And its always such a treat to go back to that time and see just how much it meant to even the rippers behind it all.

#todays siivagunner #season 1 #siivagunner #siiva #beat_shobon #iidx #beatmania iidx #the idolm@ster #idolmaster #go my way #thank you for playing #vocaloid #rhythm games #Bandcamp #Youtube

[beautifulpersonpeach]

I feel like the ot7 "love all members equally" became such line pushed from some of the fandom in response to solos acting up and attacking anyone who they thought/think doesn't support the member they stan. It was almost a direct response to the "fake ot7, you're a ot6 or x member anti" that has become such a copy paste attack, so it almost became a copy paste response.

A world where each solo work is as equally supported or successful was unrealistic to anyone not too caught up in stan life. Taking member popularity out of the equation, even Bts songs perform differently and have different success levels depending on the actual song type, the release strategy etc. I think some people forget that despite army being massive they are not a hive mind for one, but also Bts have a lot of fans who aren't actively engaged in online fandom life or stan culture. Casual listeners, people who consider themselves fans, but don't spend any time online in kpop spaces, general music fans who like them. People like to put all their success on fandom, which yes Army play a massive role in, but they end up being very dismissive of the mystical gp people talk about so much. Bts have general music fans as listeners. If army was singularly responsible for everything then every bts song would perform as well as if not better then the previous and we know that in itself isn't true. It was the goto after Dynamite and Butter to treat anything not reaching those levels as a failure. If we can acknowlege their own group songs perform less well (well less well by chart watchers anyway) by being a korean ballad over an upbeat pop song, then that also extends to their solo releases as well. Infact most music artists have songs that hit and songs that miss charting wise despite having their own fanbases to help push them.

It's also perfectly normal for people to have preferences. Nobody loves each bts song equally. People prefer different genres and will act accordingly. Personally I'm more rapline biased so I naturally prefer and listen to their solo music more. On opposite side I've never really connected with Taes solo music prior to chapter 2. Does it mean I hate him? No it just means I have a musical preference.

People criticise army for being brainwashed and mindlessly supporting everything whether they like it or not, then criticise army for not being brainwashed and letting preferences show.

I guess my point is that we can't say Bts have broken through beyond kpop meaning getting on the radar of non kpop fans and then try and pin everything about them at this point onto only their kpop fandom. There's a difference between being a stan and being a fan and Bts don't just have stans they have fans. Look at how wonderfully diverse army can be from race, gender, age etc and you think all those people are sitting on twitter or tiktok? That every single butt that fills those stadiums also has an online stan account? It might come as a shock to solos, but even people whe might like one members solo music won't automatically develop a hatred towards their group and other members because general music fans are not hyper competitive in that way.

It's like Yoongi talks about people seeing the world in black and white, when most people are grey. Stans, certain factions of army, solos etc they see things about Bts, the members, Army and achievements in black and white, but there are many Army or general Bts fans that exist in the grey area and the grey area isn't a hive mind so people need to stop expecting the actions and results of one.

Anyway sorry for my rant, it's not directed at you bpp because I feel like you'll understand what I'm saying. I've been thinking about it for a while and its a topic you've been discussing recently, so it just came out.

***

Yeah, I get what you mean and agree for the most part.

I'll copy-paste what I said in the replies earlier:

"The notion of ‘equal in every way every time’ is a mantra that actually comes from solo stans, that ARMY started mirroring back because in group systems, nuance isn’t well communicated. The reality is that while all the guys are equally responsible for the group’s success and should get similar support over the course of their careers, the nature of that support will likely change depending on year/era/concept etc. It requires us to focus more on ‘equity’."

I don't really blame the fandom because I understand it's easier to say 'treat the members equally' when what you actually mean to say is 'Recognize all the members contribute equally to the group and should get your support if you claim to support BTS within your means, preferences, and ability, no matter how that support looks like. Also, 'support' doesn't mean interloping their team and management to push your own preferences on them if what you see isn't what you like.'

BigHit has always seemed to highlight different members or sub-units of members in different eras, rather than equal focus on all seven all the time. It's like the line distribution discourse: they select different members to use in different ways depending on the song. Someone doing only adlibs could just as much to add to the quality of the song as someone with half the lines. Like I've said, BTS is a team, a utility tool, or a room of weapons that they all decide on strategically using to elevate the whole group from time to time. From my observation it was:

JK + rapline - 2013

Jimin + rapline - 2014 - 2015

Jimin + Jungkook - 2016 - 2017

Taehyung + Seokjin - 2018

Seokjin + OT7 - 2019

Jimin - 2020

Taekook - 2021

JK / OT7 or Chapter 2 - 2022 till date

It doesn't mean the other members were being 'mistreated' during those times either despite the akgaes of those members being absolutely convinced this was happening. BTS is just continuing in Chapter 2 a pattern they've showed throughout their career. All the members' debuts have been of outstanding quality and have been some of the best releases this year. It's clear the members ideas drove the music, concept, and presentation, and they're all reflecting on how to improve based on the feedback they've received. That to me is the most important thing in Chapter 2, and why I simply cannot force myself to be worried for them. That also would not have been possible under a company that's looking to stifle them or limit their potential. It's simply not how these things work here. Jungkook and Seven is the weapon they've decided to use this time and I hope they're successful.

"People criticise army for being brainwashed and mindlessly supporting everything whether they like it or not, then criticise army for not being brainwashed and letting preferences show."

Like I keep saying, it's a myth that people in the fandom are being coerced to support everything BTS releases. The fact is everyone here does what they want, and the overwhelming support BTS gets is because they have that many fans who genuinely like what they put out and want to support it. The results frankly speak for themselves and many narratives from multis, mantis, akgaes, and other k-pop stans, haven't matched the reality for a long time. The only reason it's still spread is two reasons: copium and hate.

*

It doesn't surprise me that the fandom is in this state tbh. I did a poll three months ago asking when people joined the fandom, and it showed ~60% of the responders joined after 2020. And many of these people are in jikook spaces (given I posted the poll on my blog) so I'd assume many could be very heavily biased to one or two members, and that's usually a pre-cursor to becoming a full-blown akgae unless someone actively de-radicalizes themselves. The only limiting factor for that transformation, is time.

I've been getting an ask from an acct for months asking the same thing. It's like they copy-paste the exact same ask into my inbox at the same time every week. I've never replied. One time they slipped up and posted the ask without being anonymous, so I saw their profile. This person was asking me why people in the fandom hate Jimin, how there were many OT6s, how they think I'm one myself, how they didn't understand how someone as sweet as Jimin would have people dislike him much less hate him. I looked at that person's profile, saw their following list filled with self-avowed PJMs whose blogs were more about 'Tedros', 'Payolakook', 'arrogant, selfish, stingy Yoongi and Namjoon', 'useless Seokjin', and 'sweet j-hope' (I'll come back to this), than anything about Jimin, his words, and his art. In fact, j-hope who was initially lauded on one blog as Jimin's only true friend in BTS (it doesn't escape me how he's had the furthest debut time from Jimin), was a fave until someone pointed out how he 'hogs' the dancer position in BTS and that he actually released On The Street close to FACE, and then Hobi became an asshole too according to those PJMs lmaooo. Like, these people just have such a simplistic, juvenile approach to BTS that I'd assume they were children, if not for the fact we see the same thought process play out in our politics - the realm of so-called adults.

Looking at that account's posting history, it was clear this person likely wouldn't think of themselves as a solo stan. Maybe just someone with a heavy bias who 'doesn't want to be in an echo chamber', or feels interacting with that part of the fandom is necessary to properly support their bias, or who wants to see frequent updates related to their biases; but it amused me how they could not draw a connection between their actions, their tolerance of hate towards members they don't think are as important/talented/etc as Jimin, and the state of the fandom towards the member they like. Like, do they think they're the only 'heavily biased ARMY' who casually scrolls pages that treat their bias like a god but nitpicks and tear down other members for real and perceived slights? Do they not see how they are creating the very problem they're observing? A lot of people are comfortable with supporting relentless 'criticism' or flat out hate thrown at other members (maybe even a member that person also doesn't like), but then act surprised that someone else in the fandom is just as comfortable with that mindset towards their bias. These people are mirrors of the exact same behaviours they say they hate, just towards the members they don't care about.

It's one of the most curious, hilarious, cognitive dissonances I see in these parts tbh.

But anyway, unless there's something drastic that splinters the ease with which people like this can stay and move around in the fandom, the situation will only worsen towards a full implosion. And if JK indeed gets a nomination, I'll be very happy. For many reasons. But the tantrums and resulting chaos will be a pain. If he doesn't get a nom, the heaving sighs of relief from the fandom too will be a separate problem loool. And then, *gasp* another k-pop act snagging the nomination and/or winning? Might as well become a prepper and plan for Armageddon.

Fun times ahead for the Purple Bloods! :)

#I still haven't responded to that person #expecting the same ask on Saturday morning #like clockwork #lol #bts #bts chapter 2 #keep streaming #jimin #jungkook #jikook #taehyung #yoongi #namjoon #hoseok #seokjin #bts army #bts fandom #fandom behaviour

[cloudbrooksblog]

i am :pinched_fingers: THIS CLOSE to blocking the hazbin/helluva critical tags. its so fucking irritating to read that shit, cause most of it is just nonsense! things that don't matter! "Oh no viv likes the main character and his love interest! is this why people who hate the main character are portrayed as antagonists?" like holy shit its so annoying. the show is called "helluva boss" guess who the boss is.

and then with hazbin hotel, some of the criticism i understand (like specifically the parts about racism are points i can't argue against. cause every POC i see is agreeing with it and im white so like,, who the fuck would i be to say "erm actually" about it) but the other criticism is like... "theres too many stereotypes" "angels theme song is too stereotypical" like ok some things are stereotypes but look at the parts of the characters that you're laser-focused away from. people talk shit about the bad queer rep, but like. idk man, hazbin hotel as a show hasnt come out yet. Helluva boss has some criticism against it i guess, not as much as hazbin... that might be because there's less to criticise, but i also feel like that might be because hazbin isn't out yet lmao.

and this is the thing i hate about the internet, they dont enjoy new media, they analyse it to see if theres anything that annoys them, and then if too much annoys them they shit on it endlessly because shitting on things as a group is fun.

literally people are seeing how a24 is agreeing to the asks of the unions and the first thing they do is post about how they hope vivziepop promotes the show more.

maybe wait until the show comes out! stop making yourself stressed about the future of the show! have a little patience! I know its been "yeeeears" but for fucks sake we GOT a release date. vivziepop never promised a release date before now, and now we have an estimated release date, so why not chill? why feel so entitled?

i swear. whenever a new episode of helluva boss comes out, i race to the socials to just have fun with the community that enjoys the same show i do. i think "oh boy i sure do hope i've gotten here before the haters". if it wasn't like this, maybe i'd be less irritated about the more general discourse, but this is the situation we are stuck with. Do these people realise there's an actual... regular fanbase? Like, there's a fanbase for this show that engages with it normally. We speculate on where it might go, we talk about what we like about the show, and some of the things that missed the mark (in discord servers etc). Then inevitably a viv anti comes in the discord, causes a storm in the "discussion" channel, and leaves declaring that we are brainwashed. chill maybe

#word vomit #hazbin hotel #helluva boss #rant

[jckispam]

Late night ramble about cancelled creators

Oh my god am I so fed up each time someone gets "cancelled" aka exposed as a groomer/creep online. Not because of the discourse, I think the call outs are necessary and should absolutely happen.

I'm fed up because every SINGLE TIME there's someone exposed nowadays, there's always swarms of brainwashed and obsessive fans that will literally reaffirm themselves of anything to "disprove" allegations.

I think it's absolutely mental William Gold still has a fanbase. Lovejoy was an audience of notoriously progressive fans who would champion social justice and call out bad apples. Hell, Lovejoy fans piled on Ash Kabosu each time he made some stupid tweet which needed calling out. Lovejoy fans were willing to call out their own bassist each time he screwed up, where's that same attitude when MULTIPLE WOMEN come forward regarding sexual/physical abuse?

Don't get me wrong, Wilbur Soot and Lovejoy aren't the same thing. I just feel like so many people who were once so vocal for social change and progressive values online were only doing it because they had no attachment to the person they were calling out. But why do SO MANY fans try and excuse obviously guilty people?

The mental gymnastics that some people come out with is insane. I've made fun of disgraced creators in the past, and some pretentious Stan comes along in my replies and says, "um, actually, they made a response, so you should read that before having this opinion".

To any Stan whose only rebuttal to their creator being a horrible person is "see their response"...

That response sucked balls. Big ones.

There's so much gaslighting in these creators' responses to the point where there's almost always someone screenshotting and annotating the gaslighting sentences. It's also almost always the top reply. Hell, I'm looking into an example for a video, it's horrific.

My guess is that the most hardcore stans don't want to have to admit that 1-4 (or more) years of their life was spent supporting a straight up horrible person. These people don't want to admit that these creators who they look up to are horrible people, so they accept literally any response at face value. These people find any response at all "appropriate" and "well presented", even if the actual content is full of gaslighting, manipulation of information or straight up deflection.

So, I guess my point is, when your favourite YouTuber gets cancelled or outed as a creep, actually read what both the accusers and creators have to say. Seriously think for a while about what both sides are trying to tell you. How are they telling you this? Would you come to the same conclusion?

Oh, and one more thing.

Support all victims coming forward.

The fact this has to be reiterated is insane. Some people are so quick to say this, but blindly follow the word of a creator who has, for all intents and purposes, been exposed as a creep and/or a horrible person.

#jckistan #rant #jackistan #mcytblr #thoughts #mcyt #lovejoy #wilbur soot #support all victims #cancelled

[dansantcaparet]

In 1997, it was obvious to me that Cloud loved Aerith more than Tifa.

Not until I went online all these years later did I discover (shockingly) that the American FFVII fanbase had been purposely misled by egotistical, pompous, self-righteous nerd boys (who now have egg on their face in-light of the Remake).

If you notice, Cloti’s have been working double-time since the Remake came out. Why is that?

Well, it’s because the Remake is confirming what we have always known since the OG: despite technically being a love triangle, SE wanted most gamers to play their first playthrough the Clerith way. Aerith automatically starts off with more love points than Tifa, and the Clerith date is the “normally occurring” date.

Clerith is the “normally occurring” couple.

So why did Cloti’s decide to launch a campaign to delegitimize Clerith? And how did they do it?

When FFVII first came out in 1997, many western gamers didn’t understand Aerith. She was (literally) foreign to them. Japanese animation was still very niche back then.

Though the Japanese adored Aerith’s spunky personality & pink dress (and saw her as the obvious romantic interest for Cloud), many men in the United States thought her hair was “ugly,” and that her personality was “annoying.” Far too “anime” for their taste. They preferred Tifa — the loyal, more American looking childhood friend — the “girl-next-door.” Plus, her big boobs didn’t hurt, either.

Of course, since FFVII inherently revolves around a love triangle, there is an OPTION to play it the Tifa way.

However, as a kid in 1997, I never saw Tifa as a threat. I saw her as the secondary, optional way to play the game. The girl you would pick on your second playthrough.

When you consider...

—Official Yoshitaka Amano artwork depicting Cloud x Aerith

—Beginning love point totals (you have to make counterintuitive choices to catch Tifa up to Aerith’s automatic 1st place position)

—The non-optional bodyguard agreement

—The “normally” occurring CxA Gold Saucer date

—Numerous flirtatious moments & obvious hints

—Tifa’s constant jealousy

—Promised Land scene non-optionally occurring *AFTER* the inherently variable Highwind scene

—Frequent CxA cameos

—Aerith being the first & last image we see in the entire game

…it is clear Tifa never held a candle to Aerith as the heroine, or as the primary love interest for Cloud.

To put it simply — Aerith was created first by SE. Tifa was created second. Aerith is the primary love interest. Tifa is the secondary love interest. Obvious common sense.

Unfortunately, fueled by their unyielding, irrational hatred of all things Aerith, they successfully sold the myth (for years) that Cloud x Tifa is the official canon couple of FFVII, thereby brainwashing the entire American fandom against Cloud x Aerith.

They reduced & twisted Cloud’s “undying” love for Aerith as “guilt.”

Saying that even though Cloud chooses to live in Aerith’s Church, has his heart broken every time he visits her grave, reconnects with her in Flower Fields (and cameos), and seeks to find her in the Promised Land, it is somehow all due to guilt over the death of a mere friend. Saying that anything romantic shown in the OG is all a result of Zack (ie: attempted delegitimization).

I guess the symbolism of Cloud’s continued love for Aerith, and all the nuances that entails, is too cultured & sophisticated for them to comprehend. Or maybe they are purposely not comprehending the obvious?

Thankfully, the Japanese understand what all of this means. So why don’t western fans?

The only logical conclusion is because of their deep, burning, irrational hatred of Aerith as a character. Always minimizing & downplaying her role as the first & true heroine & love interest to Cloud.

But now, with the Remake perfecting Aerith’s look & personality, and making it crystal clear that these are Cloud’s REAL feelings, and that Aerith wants to move FORWARD from Zack, you are now seeing a significant swing within the fandom towards Cloud x Aerith.

The myth has finally been exposed & debunked.

Due to this, Cloti’s are currently working double-time to try to convince us that their ship is a “slow-burn.”

Sadly, the other side has spent years using Crisis Core & Advent Children to their advantage by manipulating & brainwashing those new to the FFVII fanbase. Pretending as if Disc 1 of the OG never happened. Saying Crisis Core makes Zerith canon, and Advent Children makes Cloti canon. Simple & easy for the masses to understand, right?

So how, exactly, did they convince millions to believe their great myth?

1. Cloud & Aerith only liked each other because of Zack.

Response:

The relationship between Zack & Aerith in CC is officially described as a minor infatuation between two juveniles, much like Cloud’s childhood crush on Tifa.

In the OG, Aerith says her and Zack were NEVER serious, that their relationship is “in the past now,” and that he probably moved on to someone else because he’s a “real lady’s man.”

On the “normally occurring” CxA Gold Saucer date, Aerith confirms that although she initially liked Cloud because of Zack, she has grown to like Cloud for Cloud.

Within the lifestream, Aerith tells Zack that she prefers Cloud’s personality over his, and that she will only call Zack if she gets “really lonely.”

In the Remake, Aerith states she wants to move FORWARD with her life in regards to Zack.

In official sources, Aerith is stated as saying she loves Cloud MORE than Zack.

Cloud is stated to be Aerith’s “koibito” (“lover” in Japanese).

Yes — Cloud adopted some memories & mannerisms from Zack, but he never transformed 100% into Zack.

It is a myth that Cloud & Aerith’s love is null-and-void because of Zack.

CC is a retcon.

Don’t let them use Zack to erase Clerith.

2. Tifa wins by default due to being alive.

Response:

Tifa winning by default due to being alive is why the other side hopes to god Aerith doesn’t live in the Remake.

You may personally prefer Tifa, but in the OG, Cloud himself clearly prefers Aerith over Tifa, and the other side knows it (just look at the Shinra jail cell moment). When Tifa observes Cloud and Aerith falling in love, she flips out in a jealous rage.

Tifa only has a chance once Aerith is out of the picture. If Aerith lives, it is all but over for Tifa.

Even in death, Cloud has an “undying” love for Aerith that will never go away. Tifa knows this to be true and is stated to be jealous of Cloud’s continued feelings for Aerith.

In the AC credits, Tactics cameo, and the Dissidia cameo, it is clear Cloud still wants to meet and be with Aerith in the Promised Land. Denying the common sense symbolism of this is a sign of someone who has a deep-rooted bias against Aerith.

Furthermore, Cloud and Tifa are in an established “family of friends,” share zero romantic moments, have tons of continued jealousy, fighting, and sleep in separate rooms. Plus, Barret returns to living with them in DoC. Tifa is never upgraded to anything beyond “childhood friend.”

Cloud & Tifa only have the possibility of being a thing if Aerith is out of the picture. Aerith is #1. Tifa is #2. The other side better pray to god Aerith doesn’t live in the Remake.

#clerith #cloud strife #aerith gainsborough #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

Just heard about styles unreleased song and honestly the only thing that still surprises me is how he got all these women brainwashed, he is one of the most disgusting male celebrities out there but still he gets no backlash, look at celebs like kanye west, justin bieber, matty healy etc. get constantly dragged through mud (rightfully) for the way they treat women while styles who does even worst than some of them (i'm not well informed but i believe the worst thing bieber did (publicly) in the last couple years was not dress up for his wife's event, still he got called mysoginistic and idk what else) stays untouched, i swear i can't understand how all these women (younger and older) willingly decide to close one or both eyes when it comes to him and if it wasn't enough they go preach his verb to anyone everywhere so he appears to the world as this kind and genuine guy (maybe a bit dumb) but with 0 bad intentions and genuinely worried about women rights. I'd say white privilege but bieber and healy as many others are as white as one can be and often get "tortured" by the general public, so i just can't understand, styles could totally fit in that group but somehow he gets a free pass for every shit he says or does, like WHY???

Bieber, Healy, Kanye etc. say what they say and do what they do on their own volition. They stand behind their words and actions no matter how cringe. They are people with actual personalities, faults and all.

Harry never says or does anything. Ever. For his entire solo career, the only things he says are scripted for him, because Harry’s scrubbed image (heavily scrubbed on Google searches) cannot tolerate a single criticism. “Harry Styles™️” is a mirage created by an industry oiled by marketing. He’s a blank slate, the Ken doll of the music industry.

Sometimes, an inevitable impromptu answer comes out of Harry that creates viral moments for sounding incredibly vapid and privileged (“Sexuality is fun”), ignorant (“These things don’t happen to people like me”), or inane (“Camp is about fun,” “A movie that feels like a movie”).

His fans forgive him because he never acknowledges anything, and the industry rushes in to smooth things out for their money guy. Fans bicker amongst themselves, but it is all static noise. The public hears Variety, Rolling Stone, People, who say Styles walks on water.

The bits of personality we see in his songs show Harry to be self-focused to the point of pathology. Not only did he feel like the victim in a woman’s abortion story, but he wrote and recorded at least one, perhaps two songs about it?! He was so brave?

For the anons in my box insisting that the song ‘Kiwi’ was about Louis’ baby, do you not see how creepy and unethical, not to mention incredibly invasive, deranged, obsessive, in writing a song about someone else’s child? What kind of person does that? And what kind of weird adult songwriters would help him?

Even writing a song about your partner’s most private, painful moment (Kiwi, possibly High Tide) and making it about you, a world-famous superstar? And making a music video starring kids? What kind of asshole does that??

I used to believe these insane theories when I was a Larrie, and I regret the excuses I made for Harry because I wanted to believe in a happily-ever-after story. Knowing everything about Harry’s solo career since, I feel deeply humbled by Sony’s power. Fans really are incredibly malleable.

That’s probably the answer, anon, as to why the crowd hasn’t turned on Harry. Harry is cooperative, compliant, and complicit, and Harry loves money more than he loves having a personality.

Industry supports him, and industry will always be more powerful than a willing, young, idealistic fanbase. As long as he’s the cash cow, industry will never let Harry down.

Thoughts from a friend:

The way singing Kiwi energized Harry ... gross. If it’s about a partner he got pregnant, gross, cruel and demeaning to the partner. If it’s about Louis or Liam’s situations, gross, cruel and demeaning to Louis, Liam, their respective partners and sons. The fact that fans think of Harry as sensitive is perhaps the biggest joke of all. There is no sensitivity there. High Tides is callous and cold. His fans are angry because they know it’s awful. His lyrics about women, unscripted comments, behavior, sense of humor show insecurity and self-focus, and a frat boy level of maturity. There is zero sensitivity in Harry Styles. TPWK applies only to him.

#high tides #harry styles

[thewebcomicsreview]

So are you aware of the webcomic "Lease Bound" by, er, 'Rusty Hearts'?

Essentially, imagine Sinfest if Tats was an Australian woman who literally believes that cis lesbians are the perfect beings and cis men and anyone related to them are inherently evil violent trickster spirits.

She's previously gotten kicked off of Patreon for drawing three trans women as lumpy cis men in piss-poor drag, physically attacking her sweet naive protagonist (and bonus: the ringleader of this gang is literally the "Greedy Jew" stereotype).

Now, lacking attention and money, she's turned the most recent pages of her comic to attacking trans people again for the sake of pandering to her tiny fanbase: depicting any and all AFAB people as childish, brainwashed gnomes pandering to (again) a trans woman drawn as cis man in drag, who is simultaneously large, intimidating and angular but also weak, pathetic and needy.

It's...fascinating to watch a person's mind crumble in real time.

Yeah, I reviewed it. She started putting her URL on pages right when all the anti-trans stuff started, which kind of gave the game away as to why she was doing it. Say what you will about Tats' increasing nazism, but at least it's an ethos. Rusty is just trying to get clicks by being an edgelord.

#Lease Bound

[capcavan]

It’s me again! I loved your thoughts on Jack and Sheena! I always see so little of him and it’s always “he’s a homophobic asshole who is bad at exy and jealous of Neil for getting Kevin’s attention” but I genuinely think there’s so much more to that. I feel like he did want to be a Raven and he wants to see the mighty Kevin and Riko. Now for his personal issues with Neil I think it’s something like he hates how everyone adores Neil because he believes he’s a better player who has worked SO much harder then him. He’s memorized all the Raven exercises and pushed himself harder than anyone. He deserves to be recognized. In my personal opinion (which I can’t wait to hear your ideas on him) I believe that he hasn’t gotten away from his abusers and is still actively in a situation where he has not gotten over his problems and that’s why he’s so angry all the time. He’s an amazing player and one that stuck out to Kevin Day. He is probably so excited to meet his idols and play on a team with them. Only to be disappointed at how different it is from what he pictured. Sorry for the ramble by the way!

No need to apologize I love hearing that! It's funny to see how different people give depth to the background characters. Jack is really more of a concept for fanbase. Can't really blame people for simplifying him like this we haven't really got much to work with and sometimes people just need plot device to be mad at it's nothing personal, jack really is riko just with even less screen time and even less content lul. You will have the most fun when you wont rely on others to portray him the way you enjoy developing him, characters like this are basically fandom co owned oc's so it,s better to not get too hopeful about others creating content exactly the way you like it. But I love reading stuff like that! we have one thing in common then my jack is def disappointed upon meeting the boys , but as i sad Riko was already a success story to keep things interesting Jack will sadly get opposite of that treatment in narrative. Not everyone can or want to be helped, Foxes were not happy to meet jack , dressed red and black and referring to Riko as Raven king to other man's clear discomfort. But hey .. if Riko could go through it and be tolerable then there sure is hope for Jack .. right? Jack is the worst kind of sport fan - the one who often doe snot even attend the games instead favouring meetings few streets away fights under bridges and needles violence in name of beloved teams. I think a lot of blood got spilled in name of ravens over the 39 years the team was around they just attract people like this. Jack was perfect example of it, perfectly brainwashed by nests ideas and had not even set a foot inside, Tetsuji woudl have been proud, Riko and Kevin wan to vomit. For Riko it's first time truly seeing how brainwashed by raven propaganda people could have become. Jack life was not easy, he comes form military family, his home has set of rules written on a wall both for behaviour and for looks, Jack was not allowed to wear red not allowed to paint his eyes black or dye his hair - things many raven fans did to fit in. Jack was supposed to get drafted but due to his health conditions it would never be an option which led to his father treating him like lost cause waste of space, Jack going to military was the only worth and hope the man had for this boy. It's okay Jack never cared, getting thrown out of house meant freedom and lack of attachment no need to look back He headed to Palmetto got involved with social services this way meeting Renee when she was volunteering, and then down the line wymack. yes yes it was all planned Because now he was in foxes (fuck foxes) with Riko Riko who was much shorter than on tv. Riko who was captain of ravens, the strongest and best team, the person who never allowed other to mistreat him, fierce and dangerous, Jack wanted to be just like that<3 Sadly Riko was not all that any more. And instead of breaking it it just fuelled Jacks obsession, because with good few inches over Riko he started fantasizing about overpowering him, wouldn't this put him at the top of food chain? Jack is the reason Arron does not use slurs any more Arron would never want to sound the way this guy did when referring to Arrons brother and his boyfriend. Jack is the reason Nicky profoundly apologized to Neil and ... Matt over the things he done to them in the past and started therapy with new doctor not connected to rest of them because.... because of Jack so yeah anon I will most likely not give jack redemption or even happy end Riko is my boy for that , but it's not because i dislike him or the idea of him but because i just find him more interesting this way , he need to fill the Riko shaped slot in my doll house.

#aftg #riko moriyama #all for the game #andrew minyard #aaron minyard #nicky hemmick #jack aftg

[johannawesterling]

You spoke nothing but cold FACTS. I was an active part of the fanbase for a while on twitter and I think most people can objectively say that Helaena/Aemond fans were one of the worst groups on there and constantly made themselves the victims. No one would have an issue with headcanons if they didn’t try so hard to tell people they’ve totally misunderstood Aemond as a character, that there will somehow be enough time to include a convoluted, pointless plot twist that adds ZERO to the show (since he already has his own arc in Harrenhal), and that everyone who criticized this theory is a “hater” who’s “harassing” them. They make Helaena’s death about some forbidden love with Aemond rather than about the grief of a mother losing her child in a sickening manner. Most people who dislike this theory don’t even care about something as trivial as “ships.” It’s about solid, consistent storytelling and it’s fine to have fun with characters but to act as if people who don’t agree are ignoring “subtext” when they haven’t had a single conversation is wild.

I was totally fine with H*laemond before. It weirded me out less than L*cemond (in a show about incest, ya gotta pick your battles). But then the behavior began to change and when folks were getting jazzed up about Alys and getting excited when the rumored castings were getting out, other folks were just being so darn rude about her - calling her a "hag" and saying she "brainwashed" Aemond, etc etc. (Never mind the fact that AEMOND had more power in the relationship from day one.) And so because of that, I started hating the ship and being so annoyed by it. Especially with the whole "Subtext" argument. H*laemond was not a thing in season 1. There was no "subtext", there were no "hints" about them. There's no forbidden love. The dinner scene was about Aegon being insulted by Jace taking Helaena to dance - that is lifted DIRECTLY from the book. Helaena's line about "wanting something you can't have" had nothing to do with herself - it was about Aemond wanting the throne. Like, jeez, the show spells it right out for you. But nooooo.

I feel like a broken record on repeat lol.

#answered #anonymous #anti helaemond

[taehyungfirst]

woah? https://twitter.com/wintertaeta/status/1723173671618130109?s=46

I think that’s a good thread, everything said it’s true, most of the things that exist now on twitter are from Tae biased people. I remember back in 2019-2020 (2020 mostly quarantine period) twitter was full of Taehyung big accounts, sure some of them heavily focused on his visual, but a lot of them helped in spreading news about Taehyung so it was good.

Then twitter muted the name, company rarely /RARELY/ released a Taehyung bangtan bmb and then we got the awkward narrative with Tkk, the 2020 “vibe check” jokes, and so on other nasty rumors. They had a huge impact on how the fandom view Taehyung and how they react to the things he does. I remember when Sweet Night broke Adele AND Psy record, the company didn’t really acknowledge it (even though it was legendary) and if you dared speak about how the company was ignoring it, you got ratioed and people calling you anti. Anti of what exactly? I don’t know.

So yeah, before, you could tell armys were really ot7, now most of them hide behind a little seven to subtly shade a member and I don’t think the fandom will last until 2025, I think it will crumble before that and it will be ruled by akgaes (I mean, most fanbases are alr run by them and they alr brainwashed people into not caring for Tae so).

#i liked the interpretation of that clip i actually forgot about that clip it was nice rewatching it #i don’t think bh putting the clip where he gave up on a game had a second meaning but yeah #taehyung #ask #sorry for the rant