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kaladinkholins · 4 months

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i know I've mentioned my interpretation of mizu's gender a million times on here but i don't think i ever fully elaborated on it.

so on that note i just wanna ramble about that for a bit. basically, it's my reading of the show that mizu is nonbinary, so let me dig into that.

putting the rest under the cut because it ended being pretty long lol. also here have a cute mizu pic of her being happy and most at ease with herself, symbolised by her letting her hair down. <3 ok let's proceed.

okay note that nonbinary is an umbrella term, and applies to a vast range of gender identities, but it's my personal preference to use it as is, simply because i'm not a fan of microlabels. more power to you if you are though, but anyway.

essentially when i refer to mizu as nonbinary it means that i interpret mizu as a woman, but not ONLY a woman. not strictly a woman. she is also a man. she is also neither of these things, she is something in between, while at the same time she is none of these at all. i've said as much many times, but i just don't want people to think that by nonbinary it inherently means a "third androgynous gender" that essentially turns the gender binary into a gender trinary. not only is that going against what the term nonbinary was crafted for (to go against rigid boxes and categorisation of gender identities), but also, not all nonbinary people fall under that category or definition, and that's definitely not the way i interpret mizu.

also, before anyone fights me on this, let me clarify further that gender means something different to everyone. it's not your biological sex or physical characteristics. but at the same time, gender is not mere presentation. you can be a trans woman and still present masculine—either because you're closeted and forced to, or because you just want to—and either way, that doesn't take away from your identity as a woman. same goes for trans men. if you're a trans man but you wear skirts and don't bind or don't get top surgery, that doesn't make you any less of a man. because gender non-conformity exists, and does not only apply to cis people! some lesbians are nonbinary and prefer using he/him pronouns while dressing masculinely, but that doesn't mean they're a man, or that they're any less of a lesbian. neither does this mean that they're a cis woman.

the thing about queer identities in general is that, like i said, they mean something different to everyone, because how you identify—regardless of your biological attributes and fashion or pronouns—is an extremely personal experience. so a nonbinary person and a gnc cis woman's experiences might have plenty of overlap, but what distinguishes between the two is up to the individual. there's no set requirements to distinguish you as one or the other, but it's up to you to decide what you identify as, based on what you feel. either way, by simply identifying yourself as anything under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, you are already communicating to the world that you are not what a conservative, cisheteronormative society wants you to be.

which is why i find all this queer infighting on labels to be so ridiculous. because we're all fighting the same fight; the common enemy is a societal structure that divides us into set roles and expectations purely based on our biological parts. that's why biological essentialism in the queer community is a fucking disease. because by arguing that women are inherently weak and fragile and soft and gentle and must be protected from evil ugly men, while men are inherently strong and angry and violent and exploitative of women, these people are advocating for the same fucked up system that marginalises and abuses women as well as effeminate and/or gay men.

anyway. i'm going on a tangent. this was meant to be a blue eye samurai post. so yeah back to that— the point i'm trying to make is that there's no one way to identify as anything, and everyone views gender in a specific way.

so with that being said, yes you can definitely interpret mizu as a gnc cis woman and that's a totally valid reading. however, interpreting her as nonbinary or transmasc also doesn't take away from her experiences with misogyny and female oppression, because nonbinary and transmasc folks also experience these things.

me, personally, i view her as nonbinary but not necessarily or always transmasc because i still believe femininity and womanhood is an inherent part of who mizu is. for example, from what we've seen, she does not like binding. it does not give her gender euphoria, but is instead very uncomfortable for her both physically and mentally, and represents her suppressing her true self. which is why when she "invites the whole" of herself, she stands completely bare in front of the fire, breasts unbound and hair untied. when she is on the ship heading to a new land in the ending scene, she is no longer hiding her neck and the lack of an adam's apple. we can thus infer that mizu does not have body dysmorphia. she is, in fact, comfortable in her body, and relies on it extremely, because her body is a weapon. instead, what mizu hates about herself is her face—her blue eyes. she hates herself for her hybridised identity, hates herself for being a racial Other. hates that she has no home in her homeland. these are not queer or feminist themes, but postcolonial ones.*

* and as a tiny aside on this subject, i really do wish more of the fandom discussion would talk about this more. it's just such an essential part to reading her character. like someone who's read homi k bhabha's location of culture and has watched this show, PLEASE talk to me so we can ramble all about how the show is all about home and alienation from community. please. okay anyway—

nevertheless, queer and feminist themes (which are not mutually exclusive by the way!) are still prevalent in her story, though they are not the main issue that she is struggling with. but she does struggle with it to some extent, and we see this especially during her marriage with mikio, where we see her struggle in women's domestic spaces.

on the other hand, though, she finds no trouble or discomfort in being a man or being around other men—even naked ones—and does not seem stifled by living as one, does not seem all that bothered or uncomfortable navigating through men's spaces. contrast this to something like disney's mulan (1998), where we do see mulan struggle in navigating through men's spaces, as she feels uncomfortable being around so many men, always feeling like she doesn't belong and that she's inherently different from them. mizu has no such experiences like this, as her very personality and approach to life is what can be categorised as typically "masculine". she is straightforward and blunt. her first meeting with mikio, she tells him straight to his face that he's old while frowning and raising a brow at him. she approaches problems with her muscles and fists (or swords), rather than with her words or mind. compare this with mulan, who, while well-trained by the end of the movie, still uses her sharp wits rather than brute strength. this is a typically "feminine" approach. it's also the approach akemi relies on throughout the show—through her intelligence and persuasive tongue, she navigates the brothel with ease. mizu, in contrast to someone like mulan and akemi, struggles with womanhood and femininity, and feels detached from it.

thus, in my opinion, mizu is not simply a man, nor is she simply a woman. she is both. man and woman. masculine and feminine. she has to accept both, rather than suppress one or the other. her name means water. fluid.

as a side note, while i do believe mizu is nonbinary, i also primarily use she/her pronouns but this is a personal preference. i find it's easier, plus it's what the creators use, and because, in general, being nonbinary simply doesn't necessitate the use of they/them pronouns. nonbinary is not just a third gender. it's about breaking the binary, in any which way, and that's exactly what mizu does.

also, i'd also like to mention that one of show's head of story even referred to her with the term "nonbinary", rather than simply "androgynous" (see pic below). and it's possible this could be a slip up on his part, in which he believes the terms are interchangeable (they're not btw), but regardless i find it a very interesting word choice, and one that supports my stance.

so anyway yeah that's my incredibly long rambling post.

TL;DR nonbinary mizu rights 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 congrats if you reached the end of this btw. also ily. unless you're a TERF in which case fuck off. ok i'm done.

#mizu blue eye samurai #mizu bes #blue eye samurai #blue eye samurai meta #sorry if this is redundant btw i just cant stop thinking thoughts :3 #btw i am a mixed* southeast asian who is also nonbinary. just in case that's important context #by mixed* i mean i'm asian+asian but diff ethnicities lol. i dont have a white bone in my body god bless<3 #my whiteness is purely learned thru cultural osmosis + bcs my parents taught me english as a first language (boooo 🍅🍅🍅)#also i live in the global south so i think EYE know a thing or two about being gnc in a society of rigid awful gender roles‼️#so likeee i think its ridiculous that its an either-or thing #mizu can be nonbinary while still being a woman of colour ¯\_(ツ)_/¯#also ummm as much as i love queer themes and gay people i wish people would talk more about the racial otherness / community aspect #as mentioned in the post above #you don't need to read bhabha's whole book btw but just take a look at some of his ideas and you'll get what im talking about #like the fact that the fandom mostly ignores those themes in the story makes me feel like :( :/#cuz to me THATS the thing that spoke to me most and its a shame that its just not talked about enough #i mean i know why thats likely the case. but still.#whoops im rambling again 🤪#fandom.rtf #shut up haydar #meta dissertations.pdf

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sweetpapercroissant · 4 months

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i don’t get the appeal of an incest ship if you’re only ever going to focus on the good romantic feelings and not the icky negative ones. the resentment the feeling of being trapped shackled wanting out and away from the person who knows so much too much about you since before you even knew to not allow it but at the same time you can’t imagine living in a world without them being away is like tearing a limb a piece of your soul you will never again be complete without them. no one else will ever understand you the way they do no one else will ever get so deep under your skin and you may hate it but you hate the thought of them not being there even more you can’t stand to see anyone else get to a part of them you didn’t and even worse when they get it before you. you push and you push and you push but when they let go it’s like you’re free falling and it doesn’t matter how far away you run you will never be far enough away because you carry them inside you everywhere you go. you tell yourself you want nothing more than to get away but they’re the only home you will ever have and you won’t ever let anyone get that close you’re already moulded to only fit in perfectly with them and you didn’t have a choice but this is who you are. there’s nothing you could do to make them let you go but there’s nothing you could do to make them let you go. you want to be so close to them you want to merge your bodies into one you hate how crowded you feel when they’re in the same room like they’re sucking in all the air and there isn’t any left for you and you want to get away so you can just breathe but you don’t even want to breathe in the air that hasn’t passed through their lungs first you hate that you feel this way you wish you could claw it out of your veins but then who would you be without it without them you want so much and it’s so ugly and you’re ashamed of how raw that need is how you want every part the good the bad the human you wish none of this had ever happened you feel dirty you never even had a chance to find something else be something else but then you look over and you love them so much so much and when it comes down to it nothing else was ever going to be enough for you anyway.

#and this is all still just one type of the different dynamics possible #and even then i haven’t covered everything #it’s all just one tight hot mess of feelings. and it’s so good #there is still much much more and i wanted to write it but it was just getting so long #this isn’t targeted at anyone person or fandom but i have recently noticed an increasing trend of (that is probably just my dash tho)#treating incest ships as primarily romantic and. that just takes away everything that makes them so engaging in the first place #to each their own i don’t believe in telling people how to enjoy their fiction but i just don’t understand it is all #you do you i’m not judging or huffy about it or anything. and obviously i’m not talking about #making fluffy feel good posts/art/stories etc about your ships #but treating these ships the same way and looking at them mainly through the lens of romantic relationships #will just leave you with a huge part of them missing #and you can’t really understand their dynamics and their interactions without that very important context (they were family first)#which is also the foundation of their relationship #.txt

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electric-plants · 5 months

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cyno: that’s alhaitham over there, i feel very normally towards him

cyrus: …o-kay? he seems very…put together i suppose

cyno: great so you agree he’d make a good match for me and approve of me marrying him

cyrus: what—

cyno: i’ll go propose right now, thank you for your blessing

cyrus: you’re….welcome??

#genshin impact #genshin incorrect quotes #haino #cytham #cyhaino #cyno #gi cyrus #alhaitham #important context that i think this would happen when haino isn’t even dating each other or anything #cyno talking to alhaitham for the first time in months: hey do you want to get married? i already got my father’s blessing for you #alhaitham: oh yes let’s go then #saving alhaitham the effort of getting approval/letting his family know about his relationship/planning a wedding #AND asking alhaitham out all in one go #cyno is the KING of efficiency😤#haino incorrect quotes

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graedari · 28 days

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Indulgent doodle page of Fin-Tastic Aquarium :)

#graedari doodles #dishonored #dh #Fin-tastic Aquarium AU #daud (dishonored)#thomas the whaler #custis pendleton #morgan pendleton #aramis stilton #grim alex #alexandria hypatia #emily kaldwin #corvo attano #digital art #ipad #apple pen #procreate #there are so many layers to the first two drawings ashdoaha im sorry anyone who wants context #custy im gaykissing you for endearing me to the twins and opening my third eye to how funny they are <3333 #hydria gaykissing you for endearing me to alex and hypatia and vasco i will draw vasco soon enough for you to rb too prommy <333 #the aquarium/modern au ive made can be so important to me #don't worry about the drastic difference in how i draw daud now #i did a face study and realized i was drawing his entire face shape wrong asdkasjdals #but ask me about the fin-tastic aquarium au #your fav probably has a spot in it somewhere #im working through most of the cast now that ive played quite a bit of dh2 #graedari dh #graedari loves queue

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driftingballoons · 7 months

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Caught being incredibly normal in pet store

#original art #ok context—it was the first time being in a pet store since moving #And where we were from they had really strict regulations on animal imports #So you couldn’t buy geckos/snakes/most lizards #And I’m not looking for a pet BUT when I saw the store I realized #Oh my god #those animals ARE allowed in this state #So I wanted to see #got excited when I found the reptile section :3

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meirimerens · 7 months

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straight up not respecting some of the alleged p2 characters' ages as they were given on the VA's papers bc you're telling me this is a 27yo man on the left & a 35(!)yo woman on the right? you jest. this woman is in her 20s at most. she doesn't have a wrinkle of age on her face. just worry. i know men age like milk this is taking the piss. i know patho 2 is the "hot blemishless 20something white(-passing) women" game but at this point own it. don't try lying to me. she doesn't look a day past 29. got friends below 25 with more winkles. in the first half of the 20th century too. where would she be getting her anti-aging serums.

you're telling me this woman who's a chronic worrier, dealing with chronic pain, who smokes like a locomotive to cope is allegedly 5 years Older than this guy who's been drinking himself to sleep for like 5 years.

(mike's mic voice) don't piss me off

#alledged(?) VA papers? would love to have a peep. might go wander VK if i can make the trek #sorry for getting heated over p2 yulia again. it's no secret i vastly prefer her design in p1 #but this is aggravating. chrewly.#i know why that is. i knooooowwww why that is. it's because people in the team (coughs) (coughs) & in Media in general cannaeeeeee stand to #create women who actually look over 25. even women who are supposed to be older.#which while a media Trope/problem across media and genre it's not helped with a certain writer's. hmmm. alleged proclivities.#i would respect her being 35 if you have her to me looking 35. her skin is as smooth as 10 yrs younger Lara with one (1) slit #between the brows that just seems to come from her being a thinker & a worrier. nuh-uh!#ah hell naw!!!#i'm profoundly a p1 ages truther except for most of the kids + rubin. i know men age like milk but that guy is Not 23.#also p2 27yo daniil vs 30yo twins They Have Naht met at first year uni with that timeline. & it is important for me that they do.#most of the kids being averaged to ~15 real to me though. we all been here.#neigh (blabbers)#some of the ages on it make no sense [not just yulia but also like. aspity. who looks like a 20something & is actually ageless/5yo]#& while i can guess it's for like The Vibes / voice acting direction i assume it would make more sense to give the actual age & then add #like context to why they would sound older because that's something you might(?) need to know... would really want to see that with my eyes

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iknowwhereyousleepatnight · 9 months

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mikami!!!

#death note #death note fanart #mikami teru #my art #for context i drew him twice in two different styles to compare speed/efficiency in each. why? idk #this was the second one i drew. i actually sketched this one first but actually lined/colored it second #i drew this one faster than the other one. i think it was like an hour to an hour and a half #which is kinda weird because the other style is much simpler #i have a theory though that i spend more time on line art for my cartoony style than other styles #not necessarily because there are more lines but because with such thick lines i need the shapes to feel perfect #and i have very specific tastes in my shapes #shapes are very important to me so they must be very specific or i will be very irritated #this has nothing to do with anything anymore #if you’re reading this i love you #unless you’re pronoun-note in which case you should really change your views on L’s ass. or else.

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acheronist · 2 months

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the amc show would be perfect to me if they had included literally one (1) single scene where peglar was writing in his journal. prior to the Him Dying etc.

#(SORRY 2 SAY) his death + bridgens death by extent lack a certain narrative punch because there's no context about why the journal #was so important in the first place #which i get why they couldn't spend the screentime on a secondary bg character. but RAAAAHHHHHHH

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bloomingsalma · 2 months

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i think one of the most disappointing things is to see that your childhood friends have grown up to represent the kind of people you're disappointed in

#had a friendship break up w like one of my entire friend groups of six ppl?#found out that one of the girls in our friend group had sent screenshots of our private conversation about smth I was hurt over #to a gc with our other friends (but not me ofc)#and they all proceeded to talk shit about me :// I swear the way my stomach dropped when the friend I was having the convo w #sent me screenshots of what our mutual friends were saying about me #she knew how much it would hurt me but still did it just to prove a point (though I'm certain she misrepresented our conversation + my word #to them considering she blocked out what she had initially said to them lol)#my stomach hasn't dropped like that since high school #which is exactly where I thought we left this kind of deceitful behaviour. like how are you guys twenty one and still sending screenshots #and talking bad behind only one (1) friend's back when you know she can't defend herself in that space #I immediately texted our collective gc to explain a text she had sent but failed to give context for #then told them if I'm as selfish as they say I will leave this friend group. and then I left that gc #I also texted two friends who I knew were talking shit and I sent them the screenshots that first “friend” sent and pointed out how #she blocked out what she said so I'm suspicious that she skewed our conversation so they (the two other “friends”) should be wary #I told them I understood it was fair game to stoop. this low considering neither of them tried to reach out to me to hear my side #or defend me + my privacy #for context: the original argument was me voicing out that I was upset bc that first “friend” had invited and planned with with our friend #group an event that landed on my birthday without checking in with me if I was planning to spend time with them that day #and she kept defending herself and saying she didn't know I'd plan smth (probably bc my bday is two months away lmao) and she said #the event they'd be attending is just as important and necessary as being there for my birthday?? it's literally just a party her brother #(who none of us are close to lol) is DJing at. and I brought up how I'm their close friend (not her brother) and it's not fair to call #it equally necessary. but I suspect she skewed what I said greatly considering all of our friends started calling me selfish and unfair #but yeah v v crazy and hurtful and just astonishing #salmaspeaks

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owlf45 · 3 months

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Sometimes I think about that delulu commenter who purposefully left a dick comment on my Mei/Momo fic about how Mei is satan and the evilest character of the series and how she ruined everyone’s chances of being a credible hero at the Sports Festival and how Momo had no chance to succeed because she “only got 87 hero internship offers, which is clearly lacking”, and this commenter is so notorious for their bad opinions that several readers of mine instantly recognized their bad rhetoric

Anyway. I wonder just how delulu that guy is these days,,,

#they wrote a villain momo fic btw #this is not necessarily important context but I should note that that’s how the commenter felt about momo #that momo was completely ruined from the first sports festival and could never recover and no one ever let her succeed so she’s a villain-#now. whoops!#anyway if anyone writes momo in a way that explores her growth after her shortcomings this commenter instantly gets mad #bc how dare people learn and grow #and not immediately be good at everything #it was a lil funny #‘momo ONLY got 98 sports festival offers’ bitch the main character got 0 what are you talking about

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skitskatdacat63 · 8 months

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Boy King Seb :D

#thank you to Grace for the idea of making his chivarly collar red bull instead <33333 #he was gonna have both collars but then making that one made me suffer so no not today #this was a lot of fun but also made me suffer. but i keep looking at it and being like AAAHHHHH BABY!!! BABY BOY!!!!!!!#can you believe i tried to do this in one night? i cant #i stopped and came back to it and was like 'no way you could do this in one sitting at 1 am'#this is kinda the ascended form of that very first sketch i made for this au! concentrated boy king sebby!!!#i say to myself i need to take a break from drawing complicated things but youll prob see a nando version of this in less than a week ;;;#okay about the drawing(i wrote good tags and then tumblr deleted them so these are a bit inferior AGH):#this is typical pouty seb but is also referenced off a specific pic from AD 2009(beloved)#its very important to me how emotionally open Seb is. im not sure the specific context of this. maybe after a triumph?#but instead of being that typical stoic serious detached kind of ruler; i like him being openly emotional(think AD 2010)#its important as well for his dichotomy with nando and how they choose to portray themselves #seb is very assured in himself and his rule vs. nando who is more insecure and bitter about his #so nando takes strides to portray himself in that more stoic calculating way bcs he feels like it helps him legitimize himself better #whereas seb has absolutely no care for outward public image and shows how he feels and is loved for it(nando hates it but loves it)#not that nando cant be fun and whimsical!! but to me he always seems a bit more mysterious; like i can never tell his true thoughts tbh #anyways i feel like ill finish 10 more drawings before i end up posting the lore pt 2 LMAO #its just a lot harder to organize and layout compared to part 1 which was just an explanation #pt2 would be a mix of more world building/characterization/anecdotes ive talked about with mutuals(LOVE YOU GUYS!!!)#i have a *lot* of ideas (gotta whip out my notes app every once in a while to write down stuff abt it) just hard to put into a coherent pos #sebastian vettel #f1 #formula 1 #f1 art #formula 1 art #f1 fanart #formula 1 fanart #catie.art.#*ill prob make a process post later if anyone is curious!! its fun to write abt my process and influences and such #boy king au

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chirpsythismorning · 1 year

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People keep posting in the tag like WHERE ARE THE LEAKS bc we keep talking about it.

To be clear, there are no leaks. And I feel like it’s disingenuous to keep humoring stuff that we know for a fact is false. Like it’s 100% false and there is no room for speculation.

And then on top of that not giving the full context of the situation that led us here, because a lot of fans just popping in obviously don’t have that context. They hear the word leak and they get excited and then it just spirals to something that complicates things even more.

To be clear, there was one account on Twitter that is known for having sources and getting leaks. This one account said they got a spoiler in their inbox. They did not share that source nor the spoiler. That’s where the supposed leak ends. That’s it.

Since that happened, fans have been unhinged making claims they have a source too.

I understand being misinformed because you don’t have all the information. And that’s why it’s harmful to humor stuff as if it has an ounce of validity when we know it doesn’t, creating confusion.

If there was ever a leak, it’ll come from a source directly, and it’ll likely end up on the Hawkins AV Club on Reddit. IF you want leaks, join that sub and wait it out. THEN if and when something happens, there will likely be a list of leaks based on what comes from that. THIS is when there will be fans saying they have a leak, when really all they have is the leak the sub has. If fans said they had leaks in the past and they ended up being accurate, it came from that sub, not from their personal source. And so that’s my issue with taking claims fans have sources seriously rn, bc there are no leaks for them to even claim they have. They’re just trolling and using the past of having leaks that weren’t even theirs in the first place, as an excuse for why they magically have some now. But they don’t.

And seeing fans take these claims seriously, when its coming from people very intentionally mocking bylers, like it’s hard to watch.

It’s not a matter of maybe it’s true maybe it’s not. It’s not true. And spending time confusing people over it as if there’s a chance it could be true, is going to make this hiatus miserable bc we are clearly struggling to think critically about what’s worth our time, as if it’s worth confusing other fans over, based simply on just wanting stuff to talk about.

Of course we’re bored and lacking content. There is still plenty of stuff we can do that doesn’t involve falling for stuff specifically made to mock us by antis.

And now people elsewhere are saying the leaks came from byler tumblr, which isn’t even true, and we’re getting shit on for something that wasn’t our doing in the first place. We get enough hate as it is for simply shipping byler, and now we have to deal with claims that we are making up stuff. People are going to think and say what they want about us, but I dread that we’re giving them ammo to criticize us even more for stuff that we never started in the first place.

#byler #pls pls pls do not spread stuff unless you are certain it’s true #you’re creating a paradox of confusion #if you have a source and you’re very confident in it #by all means share #but otherwise refrain from starting a game of telephone #where now we have to explain the context to every person that comes on #bc they’re misinformed based on that false speculation #like idc if ppl hate us bc we ship byler #but I do not see why we have to add liars to the list #like it just looks so bad and embarrassing for us when that’s the last thing we need #and the thought of this reaching important people from the show…#that bylers are making shit up…#like it would be humiliating that if the first time they acknowledge byler tumblr it’s to say that we’re lying and creating fake leaks…#worst nightmare actually #we are smart over here and we deserve credit for the good shot we’re doing #not for creating and spreading fake leaks

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