#i don't think this will actually even be addressed in-text i'm literally just making up a bad faith reader in my head
Text
Battle Of The Knights Pt. 4: Round 3 -Marc
Pairing: Moonknight trio x Reader
Word Count: 2k
Warnings: nothin- you're safe
Genre: fluff- still just fluff lol
Summary: "So let me get this straight, you all like me, so you each want to take me on a date and let me decide what to do after?" You can't believe the words you're hearing even as you repeat them back.
What happens when the relationships you've built with Marc and his two alters are turned on their heads by a proposition that is anything but simple? How can they expect you to risk blowing up the carefully crafted dynamic you've worked so hard to create? And why do you agree to such an insane suggestion?
***
As much as you'd like to sit and stew on your date with Jake the way you did with Steven, you're starting to think it's best for everyone not to draw this out any longer than absolutely necessary, so the following Friday you text the trio again, this time addressing Marc, with a message identical to the one you sent Steven and Jake.
Marc. Your week starts Sunday. You have until next Sunday to plan and execute a date on a day of your choosing or you forfeit your turn.
Marc almost immediately shoots back an affirmative like Jake did.
Okay.
But it wasn't until the next day that he reached out to give you any information on your date.
Hey y/n, right now my plan is to pick you up at 7 pm on Friday. Is that okay?
You chuckle to yourself as you read the message. He's the only one who asked if his choice was convenient for you. Even if that time didn't originally work you would make it work, if that's what time his plans are for you have no intentions to make it any harder.
Of course! See you then.
You shoot him back your reply quickly. Friday. You just need to make it through Friday. That is doable. On Thursday you remember to ask for a dress code since none of them seem particularly fond of revealing their plans in advance and when you're again told to keep it casual, you pick out a pair of shorts and a crop top for your third mystery date. Marc knocks on your door just after 7 looking a bit frantic when you open the door.
"Sorry I'm a bit late. I brought you flowers." Marc says holding out a bouquet of pretty purple and white blooms.
"Oh, it hasn't even been five minutes, don't worry about it. Give me just a second to set these up in a vase and then we can go. Okay?" You tell him, turning back into your apartment to put the flowers somewhere.
"Sure!" He calls after you without crossing the threshold. You don't actually have any vases lying around so you stick them in one of your reusable water bottles until you can get them a better home. No one's ever gotten you flowers before so keeping a vase in your apartment has literally never occurred to you before this moment. Marc waits patiently at your door until you return. It's strange to realize this but before now you hadn't really thought about it much until now. Usually, the boys move about your apartment as if they live here but through this whole process, none of them have stepped inside. Whether that was something they agreed on in advance or just a subconscious side effect of the temporary dynamic change you're not sure but you're not about to tip the scales for any of them by inviting Marc in. He can wait at the door if that's what he's chosen to do.
"Okay! Let's go." You smile at him once you're done, stepping out and locking your apartment door.
"Do you have your underground card by the way? We'll have to hop on the train from here." Marc tells you before you leave the building.
"Yeah, I've got it. Where are we going?" You ask.
"Oxford Circus." He says.
"Oxford Circus? What are we doing over there?" You ask frowning in confusion. The name of the station does not give you any clues as to what you'll be doing.
"That's all I'm gonna give you til we get there babes." Marc says.
"Fine." You say with exaggerated annoyance that makes Marc laugh as the two of you walk to the nearest underground station. You catch the next train headed for Oxford Circus while Marc asks you about how your week has been at work. Once you're off the train Marc takes your hand as he walks the streets to an unknown destination. After a few minutes, he pulls open the door to a building that you just barely catch the name of.
"Minigolf?!" You gasp.
"I thought it'd be fun, something laid back and low stakes. You know, except for the fact that you're definitely gonna lose."
"I'm gonna lose?! Oh, you are so going down Spector." You laugh.
"Yeah sure totally." He scoffs as you walk up to the desk at the front. The two of you pick your course, get your clubs and choose from the basket of colorful golf balls, yours blue and his yellow, and then the competition begins. You keep score because Marc is notorious for not doing that properly whenever you play games. By the time you get to the last of the nine holes of the course, it's not hard to guess how things will end. You line up what should be your final shot and knock the bright blue ball against an edge of the course that pushes it into the hole.
"HA! That's game baby! You lose." You jump up when it rolls in.
"Hey now, I could totally make this shot you know. It's not over til it's over." Marc defends.
"Even if you do make this shot Marc you're still five up. You can't beat me at this point." You shrug and Marc lines up for his next putt. It takes Marc two more shots to get his ball in.
"Damn." He shakes his head.
"Yeah- I totally wiped the floor with you." You laugh.
"No no, you wanna have the higher number obviously, so I win." Marc says looking at the scorecard.
"I know I've called you an idiot a number of times but I don't think you're that dumb. Or maybe you are if you think that's gonna work." You scoff. Marc slaps a hand against his chest dramatically.
"Ouch! Must you kick a man while he's down?" He sighs.
"Aw poor baby." You pout at him. "I'd feel worse if you hadn't declared that you'd beat me before we even started." You smirk at him.
"How evil." Marc smiles.
"That's what you get for saying I would and I quote 'definitely lose'. Looks like the stakes weren't what you thought they were."
"When did you get so good at mini golf anyway?" He asks.
"Oh I don't know. I don't play that often."
"What?" He blinks at you.
"I'm just good at most things." You shrug.
"I'd do well to remember that then." He hums.
"Yes. You would." You smile and turn to walk back to the desk to return your club and golf ball with Marc quickly catching up to walk beside you.
"So- I was thinking we could get burgers, or if you want something that's more upscale there's an Italian place not far from here that's pretty good." Marc suggests once the two of you have exited the building.
"In the theme of laid back and low stakes- burgers sound great." You say with a slight nudge.
"Awesome, there's a burger joint a couple blocks down that's so good even Steven likes going there." Marc throws an arm over your shoulders as you walk.
"Really? They have vegan options I'm guessing?" You ask.
"They do indeed. Although- since Steven isn't rambling in my head tonight I think I'll pass on the vegan options this time around. Don't tell him." Marc winks at you.
"Your secret is safe with me." You giggle. You've always found it sweet that Marc, despite not actually being vegan, tries to accommodate Steven's lifestyle as often as he does. Jake really can't be bothered- not that you blame him honestly- he's not vegan either, there's no reason for him to go out of his way to choose vegan options but Marc's attempt at consideration is nice. It only takes you about five minutes to make it to the restaurant Marc was talking about and since the place isn't busy when you get there it doesn't take long to get your food once you've ordered.
"I can see why even Steven likes this place." You hum popping a fry into your mouth.
"Good right?" Marc smiles.
"Yeah, I'll definitely be coming back here." You nod.
"Well- sounds like I'm doing pretty damn good tonight then."
"You're certainly better at planning dates than you are at playing mini golf, I'll give you that much." You shrug.
"I think I can accept that as your official assessment." He says.
"Yeah?" You chuckle.
"Yeah! Imagine if I sucked as bad at date planning. Now that would be something I can't recover from."
"I mean- it's not like I'd go home and block you if you planned a bad date." You wink.
"Sure but not getting blocked is such a low bar. I'm aiming for way higher." Marc says.
"You're doing great so far." You chuckle. The two of you joke and chat while finishing your food and even once all that's left is the rubbish you keep talking until eventually the place is getting ready to close and you have to leave. Your train ride back to your apartment is similarly filled with chatter. It's always interesting to you how no matter how long you spend with Marc you never actually run out of things to talk about with him. When you think about it, that actually applies to Jake and Steven too, it's like you can never spend enough time with them. It's nice, having someone, or in this case, a trio of someones, that you don't get tired of being around. Once you're back at your apartment there's an awkward transition from whatever you're talking about to goodbyes- neither of you particularly rushing for the night to end.
"Well- we made it back." Marc says.
"We did. I had a good time tonight." You tell him with a smile.
"That's all I was hoping for." He says. You chuckle and turn your back for long enough to unlock your apartment and then you face him again, leaning forward a bit to give Marc a soft kiss on his cheek.
"Goodnight Marc." You say quietly before stepping into your apartment.
"Wait-" Marc says before you can shut the door.
"Yes?" You tilt your head at him. You can practically see the gears turning in his head before he speaks again.
"When will we see you again?" He asks. You pause for a moment and consider what would be the best answer.
"Soon." You offer. Giving a specific date wouldn't do any good. If it's too soon you'll be pressured to rush the decision, and if it's too far anxiety may eat the boys up before you even get around to giving an answer.
"Just- soon?" His brows draw together in confusion.
"I'm sorry that I don't have a better answer it's just- well I've got a lot to think about here, I need some time to sort through my thoughts." You tell him.
"Sorry- we shouldn't pressure you. It's all so- strange, we know. It's just- well you know how we can be I guess." Marc says. You look at him for a moment, it's not often that Marc's nerves show, but right now he's fiddling with his fingers and you know for a fact that he's more anxious than he wants to let on.
"Before the month is over. I'll text you all." You say in an attempt to ease his uncertainty.
"That's three weeks." He says.
"Yeah, I know. That- should give me enough time to work out my feelings about this whole thing. And- you can pass that message along to Steven and Jake, yeah? Before the end of the month. I'll message you all and we'll meet up to talk." You nod as Marc's shoulders visibly drop slightly. As if having a timeline just drastically decreased how tense he was.
"Okay. We'll be waiting, whenever you're ready." He tells you.
"Goodnight Marc." You say.
"Goodnight y/n." Marc says. With that, you fully enter your apartment and shut the door behind you. Tonight was fun. So was your date with Jake the other week and Steven's before that. You simply enjoy spending time with all of them- which, you already knew. The more you think it over the more you are sure that you're in way over your head, but it's a little late to worry about that now. You have a decision to make. But you also have three weeks before an answer is expected. Tonight you'll just let yourself enjoy the post-date bliss and you'll worry about the decision tomorrow. Or the next day. You'll get to it. Just not tonight.
***
Taglist: @queerponcho @avengersinitiative2012 @stressed-cherry @animechick555
#marvel#marvel fanfiction#marc spector#marc spector x reader#steven grant#marc spector fanfiction#marc spector fluff#steven grant fanfiction#jake lockley fluff#moonknight#moonknight x reader#moonknight fanfiction#steven grant fluff#steven grant x reader#jake lockley x reader
83 notes
·
View notes
Text
FHJY Spoilers || my live thoughts as I watch episode 10
Happy mid season episode! I am saddened by the fact that I work on Wednesdays because I will be late to watch fhjy until the forseeable future. If anyone cares though I plan on buying the adya statuette next week if my finances allow for it :3 also I am so tired rn but I NEED to watch fhjy
Do you guys think ayda will appear in this episode after her statuette was released last week? (Praying)
tttaking over teenage rebellion!
Lucy Frostblade... You were just a girl. You didn't deserve everything that happened to you
"We're feeling bad. But we're feeling... Hopefully positive."
stress isn't always the bed guy
Aelwyn!
big old burned down house
Cottoncandy Bitchfuck
"I'm.... Bored. That's not true. I'm not bored at all. I'm just tired."
Hindesight is 50/50
"Oh I love this. Tell me all about it."
Siobhan is loving Aelwyn rn
"I do sometimes believe in you"
"So Sentimental"
Aelwyn and Adaine are so important to me their sibling relationship is everything
AELWYN AND ADAINE NOT BEING USED TO NICENESS
"Oh, my sweet little boy is sick!"
"just don't tell fab— don't tell anyone my apartment looks like this"
The Gukgak
I'm the Gukgak guy!
"Oh, Riz, you have to sleep, Kiddo." "I can't, mom, I don't have time." Oh Riz....
Framed?
Riz is so exhausted
It's been an hour and a half and his mom has chips and a drink 😭😭
"Mom, you have to be so careful."
"Keep my name out of your mouth." FIG 😭😭
"it's all good, mom"
yulenear
"Fig has like 3 majors now" "maybe 4, i might take a level of wizard."
"Kristen Applebees, believe it or not." "... huh." HWHHWKWNEB
"You both keep my name out of your mouth."
"It's been our month!"
Lola Embers recommended Gorgug's place??
"Mom I'm going to go to Loam farm."
*shrug* "mom." *shrug*
"We're having a rough one." "GOT 'EM."
"I'll do it." Fig cleric teacher?!?!
TAMAGOTCHI. MaryAnn my beloves
The puppet master!
"Ha Ha! Darling Girl!"
Gilear is king for the day
"My mom called you?"
"I don't need a ride to school anymore"
"I believe she's wanted here."
BUSINESS CLASS FOR CLOACA
"Can I say hi??"
NOOOOOOO NOOO SHE HUNG UP BEFORE FABIAN COULD ANSWER
That's so devastating
Coffee all over the DM screen
Yeah they haven't addressed the fact that fig is cursed
Pussy out, tits away
Theres so much going on
ohhh they might be sacrificing the rats
"I'm wearing a sports bra and a G-string, and I want to be closer with all of you."
Fabian with Mazey is so painful. He's so flustered and awkward I love him
MAZEY TRUSTS FABIAN
"I'm here, for you."
"Kristen was in a mood."
NOO DON'T KILL MAZEY SAVE HER FABIAN
Fried rice
SHE LEANS IN TO MAKE OUT
THIS IS SO EMBARRASSIJG
"Wait, they don't like us??"
"When you think about me, why do you always bring up the ball?"
SHE WANTS TO MAKE SURE HE'S OKAY BECAUSE HE'S ALOne
oh Fabian...,...........
"The legend continues."
"I was going to get a tattoo, actually."
"Even if you weren't maximum legend, I would still wanna hang out with you." MAZEEYYYYY 😭😭😭😭
BOGGY
Absence of divinity???
THE GOD'S DOMAIN CHANGED OVER TIME????
RUVINA'S SIBLING??
The gift is only mentioned in old texts??
"Well I guess I'll go to work."
Basrar is dead
"Literally your circus, literally your monkeys."
Tips are bad
RODEO MODE
THE MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR A SPEECH???
NOOO NAT ONE
Check the soil kids
Lydia mention 🔥🔥🔥
Kristen holds so much hostility for Kalina 😭😭
Oh Lydia...
AV club mention
THIRTY ROLL 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The powerhouse of the cell
Aggression and protectiveness
7 becomes a 21?!?!!
?!?!?!?!?! SOMETHING COMING OUT OF HER CHEST???
22 Arcana, 25 religion
Elemental alignment???
Fiendish things going on
Yellow gold
Kinda like the pride of armor and lemon yogurt
PISS CURSE????
Ratgrinders sticker
"I don't get angry, I think I get sad sometimes" me too buddy, me too
Sometimes a spell comes out and obliterates people
Comedy of errors
Autopilot
Bobby Dawn and Pam Dawn
Bobby Dawn coming to Aguefort sounds like a bad thing
"I'll never let you do that."
"Yours only came back once." *middle finger* Kristen Applebees you will always be famous
A+ in paladin classes!
"Sorry! Get away from me"
Reasons he won't divulge???
A+ in all classes!!!
THREE PARAGRAPH ESSAY? NOOO ABOUT SADNESS AND DISAPPOINTMENT NOOOOO
FIG NAT 20 FOR THE INSIGHT 😭
Zara is gorgeous
The days of Goldenhoard is over 😭😭
"MY GOD IS KRISTEN????"
Oh my god I almost prophesied this when I said Kristen would become a cleric/warlock of Fig.... instead Fig is the warlock/paladin of Kristen 😭😭😭
I'm the closest thing to a prophet holy shit
New god, agreement, todo list
Complicated Women: Lucy Frostblade 😭😭
NAT 20 DECEPTION FOR WANDA CHILDA
Oh my god
"Frick. I'm so sorry." "I'm not." Wanda Childa
GET MY ROCKS OFF TO 😭😭
"I'm off the grid that's why I only have an iPod"
God... Wanda Childa
"Do you want me to get you a phone?"
"I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE"
"I want to do relationships with Riz."
Medal of Wit
LITTLE METAL BRIEFCASE
You absolutely sweetie
29 performance 🔥🔥
GARTY O'BRIEN MENTION 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Naked Kristen. Again.
Oh god Fabian is at 4 at his second roll
"Breaker Breaker, this is Fabian Seacaster, looking for his papa, Bill Seacaster, somewhere out there in the nine hells............"
This is so heartbreaking... Fabian...
Oh Fabian...
His papa.....
He probably feels so lonely
Rage token.....
This rage token is making me take a stress token
Everyone single one has been bad
FABIAN TAKING THE BARDIC FROM FIG
Constitution saving throw???
oh no
oh no
oh no
"I shit myself"
I CAN'T BRWATHE
"I've only been eating leftovers"
UNNAMED BARD STUDENT NO
QUINCY NO
DID QUINCY TAKE A RAGE TOKEN?
THAT'S IT????
oh my god
#fhjy spoilers#fantasy high junior year spoilers#fantasy high spoilers#dimension 20#d20#fantasy high#d20 fantasy high#dimension 20 fantasy high#fantasy high junior year
21 notes
·
View notes
Text
Anyway general breakdown of my thoughts on Scott Pilgrim:
Perfectly solid romantic drama. I'm actually kind of impressed that the story does not feel dated (except in, like, having flip phones) despite it having by now been copied to death. I'd even dare to say it was ahead of its time. A lot of that is purely through the lack of apprehension with which it portrays gay people, particularly gay men, which like, no one was doing in the early 2000s. That isn't exactly praise, and it comes with a lot of caveats, but it's worth saying. The art was Fine. There was some truly repulsive comic art coming out in the early 2000s and while I'm not a fan of the art style, it's not terrible.
Neither Scott nor Ramona are particularly interesting characters on their own, and their relationship is (deliberately) plain and stereotyped. This is somewhat lampshaded in the story, but still a bit dissonant when compared to the cultural impact of * their * relationship on the general Heterosexual Culture. Ultimately, their romance was the least interesting part of the story, which I think Bryan Lee O'Malley knew.
Knives is kind of the obvious emotional core of Scott Pilgrim, and (by Bryan Lee O'Malley's admission) has the most true and complete character arc. She's, in my opinion, the articulation of a lot of the greater thoughts and anxieties held by the author as opposed to Scott, who is a general representation of a (white) everyman. There's a lot I could say about Knives specifically, but it really comes down to Knives being too big a character for her story. Despite all of her development and screentime, her arc feels starkly incomplete. This isn't really * inappropriate * -- the central idea of her character is that she is a child, ergo still developing -- but it does make the conclusion feel more empty than it should.
The way this is most obvious, I think, is the discomfort with which Scott Pilgrim (series) handles The Existence Of Gay Women. Bryan Lee O'Malley is obviously pretty damn comfortable with the existence of gay men, but seems to have difficulty in processing intimate, sexual relationships between women. Knives is (subtly) written as gay from the get-go, but this aspect of her character (despite, arguably, being a core motivational factor to every other aspect of her character) ultimately produces a lot of momentum to have nothing much done with it. By the beginning of volume 4 it's evident that the author has noticed this dissonance and attempted to address it, but ultimately did so ineffectively. What resulted was a strange, forced kiss between an adult woman and an underaged girl that had essentially no lasting narrative impact, and also Ramona Is Gay, Btw, Not That This Will Ever Be Acknowledged Again. (I kind of have nothing to say about the bizarre pedobait in that volume that was subsequently backtracked.)
The last point I'll allocate to this post is how taken aback I was by the pervasiveness of race as a source of conflict in Scott Pilgrim given that I'd literally never seen someone acknowledge race as a source of conflict in Scott Pilgrim. Knives, aside from her conflicts as a gay girl, is also an articulation of the author's anxieties when it comes to race, particularly the perceived inadequacy of Asian men and the vulnerability of Asian women. This, while fairly understated, is very deliberate and very heavily saturated within the text of the story. Just as Scott has a fetish for gay women, he's implied to have a fetish for (young) Asian girls, and while his repeated and specific assertion of physical dominance of Asian boys/men is never brought up in those terms, it's pretty obviously A Thing.
I think this is probably the most interesting aspect of Scott Pilgrim from a "what's this author's fucking Problem" perspective given that Bryan Lee O'Malley has a Korean mother, though I don't particularly want to go into too much depth. I will say the one way in which Scott Pilgrim felt especially dated was in its particular slew of Orientalist stereotypes, which were in themselves pretty telling: Japanese people have scary cyberpunk shit, Chinese people do martial arts, and Korean people are entirely beneath mention. As I was finishing the story I had to wonder how the story might be different if it were made today, specifically in that Korean people are now at the forefront of North American pop cultural consciousness in a way they were not in the early 2000s. I had to wonder the author's relationship to his own identity informed his decision to not include any prominent characters of his own ethnicity.
15 notes
·
View notes
Note
I have, a genuine question for you. Do you acknowledge the racism in the original AYTD or at least know about it? Like how MsKingBean uses slurs and racist stereotypes?
hey, so, i'm a bit apprehensive about answering this because...it doesn't feel like a very geniune question to me, if i'm being honest. "do you acknowledge x thing" is a question that is inherently set up so that i'm meant to answer "yes, i acknowledge that x thing is true," because the alternative is saying "no, i don't acknowledge that x thing is true," which is already framing this interaction as if to disagree with you would be a kind of failure on my part to do some due diligence of engaging critically with a text. and the fact that you say mskingbean89 used slurs in atyd shows me that you haven't even engaged with the text, because that simply...isn't true.
if what you're referring to when you say "slurs" is the anti-romani stereotypes--this is coming from an extra chapter in the bootleg tapes focusing on greyback, where there is a slur used to describe his living situation + he + his family were portrayed as nomadic irish people in a way that was insensitive. people who read that chapter and then went back to the canon story with that characterization in mind rightfully pointed out that it was fucked-up. mskingbean89 addressed those criticisms by adding this note to the beginning of that bootleg chapter:
personally, i think this was a good way to take accountability + acknowledge the mistakes she made with that portrayal. she was a human being who made an ignorant mistake, which then just happened to get absolutely blasted to millions of people--she did not have sensitivity readers or editors looking over her fanfiction, because she did not write it expecting it to reach the level of popularity that it has. to be honest, i am not really sure how she could have better acknowledged her mistake, aside from just....not having made it in the first place. she explains her intentions without acting as though that intent cancels out harm, owns up to the fact that the stereotyping was harmful regardless of intention, and provides resources to learn while also committing to be more mindful + educate herself moving forward. honestly, that's exactly the response i would hope to see from someone who makes a mistake like this one.
i agree with you that people reading atyd should acknowledge + understand the racism regarding romani stereotypes stemming from that bootleg chapter, which is why i think it's great that there is a note literally built into the beginning of that chapter acknowledging it! but i feel as though there's been this like...game of telephone happening online when it comes to atyd, where there are now people who have never even read the story talking about things that quite literally do not appear in the base text itself. i've also seen people acting as though mkb herself did not address these issues when they were raised to her, which is just...patently false.
and so what i'm wondering here is what you're looking for from me when you ask a question like "do you acknowledge the racism in atyd." anyone who actually reads the texts has to acknowledge the racism in that bootleg chapter, because mkb puts that acknowledgment front and center at the beginning. and also like...in the part of the fandom i'm in, in the conversations i've listened to or taken part of regarding atyd, people have acknowledged the issues with that bootleg chapter and the ways it reflects back on the main story. so what do you mean by "acknowledge" when so many people, including mkb herself, have already... acknowledged it? what action are you calling for, and who are you calling for it from?
because like. if what u actually want to say here is that atyd is Irredeemably Problematic and we should all like....shun it? universally agree that it's Bad? then it's just like. it is up to each individual reading the story to decide whether that specific portrayal of greyback in the bootleg chapters is something that ruins the story completely for them or whether they still think the story as a whole holds worth. personally, i feel like i can acknowledge that there are issues with mkb's portrayal of greyback and i need to be mindful of that when reading the story so as not to internalize harmful stereotypes while still finding atyd to be a masterpiece that really beautifully deals with a lot of nuanced issues regarding class and disability and systems of power. this is just part of thinking critically when you read; many famous and beloved works of fiction contain the biases of their authors or have mistakes or issues in the way they portray things that are a product of ignorance. and i know everyone reading marauders fanfiction should understand this, because if u genuinely think that a character being negatively stereotyped means u should throw the entire work in the trash, then none of u would be touching harry potter fanfiction with a five foot pole in the first place.
so, anon - if you have actually read atyd, and there are issues with racism that you have found that i am unaware of, and not just telephone-game twitter posts of people taking shit out of context that you're accepting as truth without bothering to engage with the work yourself--if you want to have a real conversation about it, i would invite you to come to me as an actual person and not an anonymous ghost in my inbox. my dms are open, but when it comes to talking about serious issues, i tend to find it more genuine if the person coming to me actually cares enough and believes in what they're saying enough to say it as themself. and if you haven't read atyd and are just parroting things you've heard other people say online then i would invite you to actually sit down and read the work and form your own opinions on it before getting back to me. i know that might sound harsh, but honestly i'm just completely fed-up at this point with all the bad-faith takes and misinformation that i've seen people spreading about atyd just because they think it's cool to dislike a popular thing.
#mkb is literally a human being who never intended for her story to get as popular as it has#i think the people who villainize her for likes on their twitter posts seem to forget that#and i'm not going to take part in some sort of smear campaign being run by people who brag about not even having read the story#i'm happy to acknowledge issues i find in a work. but i typically do that privately. in conversations with other people who have read it#because as i have said a million times there is never a reason for publicly shitting on fics regardless of how popular they get#it's not like mkb is profiting in any way from her story. in fact she has literally had to deal with awful harassment#and most of the 'critiques' i see about atyd are either bad-faith criticism or things that literally are not true. so!!#here's ur acknowledgment anon but if what ur looking for is for me to condemn mkb....sorry but that's not happening#i love atyd and think it's an amazing work of fiction. and i think mkb did a beautiful job exploring + portraying#many nuanced + sensitive issues. if u read the work and feel differently that's fine!#but that doesn't change the fact that it's fanfic....and that u should address any problems u have with it with fic etiquette in mind#ask#ranting and raving
126 notes
·
View notes
Text
In Defense of Wedding Plan....or Lom, more specifically...
So, I actually don't see a lot of discourse on here about Wedding Plan...maybe I just haven't been on here as much. But also, there are a lot of deeper shows on at the moment that are tackling more ethereal ideas and Wedding Plan is more pulp-y romcom than anything else, so it's not necessarily ripe for deep discussion. But on tiktok where I'm fairly active in the BL community I have seen so much hate on this show. And I understand certain levels of frustration about the choice of storyline, but I also get frustrated because I feel like people are purposely disregarding several things.
(Editors note from right before I post this, I was going to add visuals, but I'm too emotionally exhausted now, so you'll just have to settle for the wall of text.)
I agree that it's not good, or right, or acceptable for Lom to have lied to Nuea. But there's been behavior that acts as though Lom is cheating...he's not in a romantic relationship with Yiwa!! He can't cheat on her. And yes, it does lead Nuea to believe he's at least attempting to cheat, but that's not the same. I recognize that Nuea would not feel great about his feelings towards Lom, both because of their professional relationship and what he is assuming about Lom and Yiwa's private relationship. But that's also a nuanced discussion in and of itself because Nuea knows there's something fishy going on with Lom's engagement. He doesn't know what, but he definitely suspects, I think from as early as episode 2. They go out of their way to set up in episode one his sort of sixth sense about couples with that McDonald's scene. Their intention is for us to see how observant Nuea is.
And watching this most recent episode (episode 6) as soon as Lom revealed that he fell for Nuea at Pai's wedding and said that he watched him, I knew that the comments were going to be out of pocket. It is not weird or stalker-ish to see a person that you find attractive out in the wild and look at them or watch them. That's straight up normal. I have done that. Now do I truly believe it was love at first sight? No, because I don't think you can love a person without knowing them, but this is also romantic fiction and love at first sight is literally the most common trope there is. It's also not weird or gross or stalker-ish for him to get Nuea's company contact info from Pai. If you like someone and you know that your friend has their contact info...asking them is not weird. I'd maybe be a bit iffy on a direct phone number, but a insta or snapchat name, a Line ID, that's not sus...like at all. He didn't hand over Nuea's personal address or something. And let's also remember that Prapai KNOWS Lom. They are friends. He knows that Lom is not a dangerous person, he doesn't pose harm to Nuea.
I'd also like to discuss episode 4/5...the first NC scene. I keep seeing comments about dubious consent or lack of consent altogether, and while I can agree with dubious...it's on Lom's part. When you watch the end of episode 4, Nuea isn't drunk. Like we're not given a clear shot of the table, but you see Lom with 3 empty beer glasses and drinking a 4th when Nuea shows up. Nuea you only see drink one, out of a short, mixed drink style glass, one you'd have like a Rum & Coke in, and the beverage is clear with a lemon wedge, so it's not even clear if it's alcoholic. But even if it was there are 3 total glasses like it on the table, so assuming Nuea drank all three, he'd have had to take them all back to back to back in order to be wasted after that. But beyond the context clues, his behavior does not indicate inebriation at all. He's steady on his feet, he's not slurring, there are no acting choices made that would lead one to believe he's drunk.
The fallout that comes for Nuea after that night isn't because of concerns about consent issues. It's about reconciling a destructive decision. People make bad choices all the time. They'll get caught up in an emotion, an idea, a person, and they'll do something without truly thinking about the consequences. And eventually it's morning and you have to accept the choice you made. Is it heartbreaking to watch that with Nuea? Absolutely. I cried at that scene. Pak did such an amazing job. And Nuea isn't the only one who suffers from that emotional fallout. We see the fear and distress on Lom's face when he wakes up and Nuea is gone. You can see his distress when talking to Nuea's boss. He tries to pull the rich guy privilege BS (which I will absolutely admit I hated), but she's not falling for it. After the boss learns everything, she gives Lom the contact info for Nuea's family, which again pissed a lot of people off. But again, it's not direct contact or access to him. She also knows that Nuea is in a place where he is safe and has a support system around him. Also Lom, while not a super clear thinking dude in that moment, is not a freaking serial killer and Nuea's boss is not an imbecile. She didn't just cave to Lom's puppydog eyes, and it feels kind of dismissive to me for people to act like she did.
So many people were upset that he followed Nuea to Chiang Mai...like...it's the same argument we heard about Pai for several episodes. If those things don't happen, there's no fucking show. If Lom stays in Bangkok and Nuea stays in Chiang Mai until the wedding has happened then the story just ends. And if you feel like there's no redemption for Lom after withholding the full truth from Nuea... why are you even still watching the show? Legitimately why? Because what is your expectation when you don't truly believe there's a way for Lom to be redeemed at all?
And I'll be honest, seeing the pretty dismissive reactions to Lom telling the whole story about him and Yiwa coming to the realization that their parents wouldn't be able to accept their sexuality, it really kind of hurts. I know in a lot of ways it feels easy to believe that the reason they hid it is because they didn't want to lose their inheritance, but have you considered that maybe they do love their parents? At least a little? I know that especially for many people in western audiences it seems easy and simple to say "just leave then" in response to queer people who stay closeted because of their families, but there are always going to be so many layers to that. Especially when you look at through a cultural context lens. It's really just is not that simple. Money creates a lot of privilege, that's very true. But we can also look at real life people for whom that money isn't clearing the way for them to live their life fully openly. You can literally look at PP Kritt and see that despite his privilege, fame, and familial wealth, he is still dealing with consistent societal discrimination.
I also don't love this narrative that Yiwa is being selfish. The arrangement was mutually agreed upon, by both of them. To keep each other's secrets and let Yiwa have her love. Does that seem unfair to Lom? Yeah, but he wouldn't have seen it that way prior to meeting Nuea. He wasn't expecting to ever get anything remotely close to a happily ever after, so it wasn't truly a sacrifice to him when he made that agreement.
And this also circles back to his comment about saying that he wanted Nuea even though he was getting married, because he just wanted that one moment of happiness. Is it a selfish idea? Yes, but to be shocked that a rich, privileged man exhibited selfishness is a bit much. But also, I don't think Lom was expecting to fall for Nuea. Like I said, I don't really think it was love at first sight, but lust. I think the more time he spent with Nuea the deeper he fell. I believe his intention was to have something along the lines of a fling, and that when it was over Nuea would move on from him and find his eventual happily ever after and he would settle for memories. That's part of why I think he withheld the truth even after Yiwa told him it was okay to tell Nuea the full truth. This is a man who never expected to find joy or a true partner but was willing to go to extreme's to help the person he sees as a sister have the opportunity to have her own happiness. But yeah, he's just a shitbag.
And the references to love-bombing...I hate how people have brought that term into the discussion of the last two episodes. So if you're not familiar with the term, it's become more common on social media in the discussion around narcissistic and abusive partners. It generally refers to overwhelming physical displays of affection like gifts and such, especially early on in a relationship, essentially with the intention of creating a power imbalance in favor of the narcissistic partner.
The following are the most common signs of love-bombing:
They give you needless gifts
They’re in a rush to lock things down
They’re always available and demanding of your attention
They can’t take ‘no’ for an answer
They like you better when you’re alone
They over-communicate their love for you
You feel overwhelmed, uneasy or off-balance
These are not things that Lom is doing. Buying McDonalds and ice cream for someone so they know you care...that's not love-bombing, that's at best wooing. Especially when intent is part of why it matters. Lom is doing it to show he cares, to show he pays attention to what Nuea likes, not in an attempt to make Nuea feel indebted to him for said gifts (that total up to about $10). Lom isn't trying to lock things down with Nuea, he's not attempting to force Nuea to choose him. He just wants Nuea to make the decision to either choose him or not knowing his love is genuine. He wants Nuea to be making an informed decision. He does not demand Nuea's attention, at most he requests it sometimes. He takes 'no' for an answer pretty regularly. He doesn't purposely or intentionally try to get Nuea alone. 'They over-communicate their love'...this one seems iffy, but it's not about saying "I love you" to a person, it's more related to presenting that love to others to cement a relationship. Essentially trying to make it awkward for a person to say 'oh well we're not quite that serious'. And that last one...Nuea is reflective and considering of the situation as a whole, but he's not uneasy, he's not overwhelmed. You could maybe argue afraid, but not of Lom, he's afraid of potential future heartbreak. Love itself is scary. Feelings of that depth and strength are scary. Because we all know that even if that love lasts the rest of your lives, the length of your lives is never guaranteed, and loss is ALWAYS a potential outcome.
I'm not arguing that the show is without flaws, all of Mame's shows/stories are flawed. But I do feel like there was a level of expectation that seems entirely misplaced. Like, these same people who love Payu and Rain to death, had nothing to say to the reveal that Payu had orchestrated at least one instance of a run-in with Rain, a person with whom there was a far larger power imbalance, but Lom pursuing Nuea, a grown ass adult who is never afraid to speak his mind to Lom, that's too problematic???
I don't know anymore. I like the show. It has faults, and flaws, and so do it's characters, but Lom is not a fucking mustache twirling villain out to trick and capture poor, sweet, stupid Nuea. And that's kind of how it feels like the discussions about the show have been going.
43 notes
·
View notes
Text
for archival reasons, and because rise has officially ended, i'm coping by looking back at the past two years and thinking about the master utsushi rabbit hole. this is based on a long reply i sent to a mutual but i think it deserved to have its own post where others can read it and i can expand further on certain details. or something. i don't know. i have no idea who will read this but if you do, please enjoy...
the ballad of master utsushi.
he was there regardless.
always watching.
waiting.
i wound up getting attached to utsushi-kyokan (master/instructor utsushi), ウツハン/utsuhan (utsushi x hunter) ship, and finding his Japanese fan community late 2021, and i've been chatting with mutuals and friends i made there since. at that time, capcom had opened up pre-orders for his nui (plushie). this plush is lovingly referred to as "Unui-kun", and people love to take him around and bring him places. here's my Unui-kun in new york city lol
fans love to dress him up and make clothing and accessories for him. had i known just how attached i would become, i would not have set my Unui-kun to ship via surface mail delivery because it took about 2-3 months extra for him to arrive... ;;
but anyway, it seemed that his popularity was growing because they continued to make more merch of him. he seems to have more than any of the other characters.
many of these are limited print/pre-order only, or were from specific events like the capcom cafe features. trying to get his merchandise became crazy, because scalpers started to pick up on how badly people wanted goodies of him?!
just how popular is this guy?! what's with the character tax!!
and how did this even happen... we're playing monster hunter, not an idol game! but i think it really speaks a lot for itself how rise had such colorful characters that you could get attached to. it seems he really jives with many female and queer players, so good on capcom for that hehe. many of the japanese fans i've met are either older women, very often mothers, or gnc, which i found to be really cool. the english-speaking utsushi fans are usually the same, too. the solidarity is real...
I found out that a lot of ppl, including myself, shared a similar experience: they missed out on a majority of utsushi's flavor text in base rise bc they didn't talk to him or the other NPCs very much during village and high rank quests, and therefore didn't even think much of him until after the fact. people double-taking when going through the game again and actually catching on to his antics... I think what really got things going was when they released his DLC voice and learned about his, uh, extremely affectionate lines towards the hunter when it comes to mew mew and blowing a kiss LOL. (the "welcome back, master!" line?!?! there's so much art of him in a maid outfit... and the way he says ace/manadeshi in his sleep at the table?!?! scandalous?!?!) even for me, he got my attention only once i saw the official art of him (realizing "hey he's got a cute design actually") and eventually encountering utsushi x hunter fanart on pixiv. another thing that got me noticing him was brian david gilbert's now deleted tweet about how zac efron and utsushi are the same. thankfully, we have the internet archive to save the existence of this post and i have to make sure people experience this lost media.
once i realized how weirdly close he was to the hunter, the gears started turning
i confirmed that ppl really did notice that it was unusual for an instructor character to refer to his pupil as "manadeshi (beloved/dearest disciple)" in the manner that he does, being so close to them in a way that felt so familiar and warm. he was already popular enough that by valentine's day 2022, fans literally sent real chocolates to capcom addressed to utsushi. i knew about this for a while, but i was shook that they wound up officially addressing that this really happened during the last update video.
after they received his chocolates, they immediately got one of the (female) illustrators on board to quickly draw that really cute valentine's day art of utsushi. the japanese tweet for that artwork had even a little bit more text than the english one…
that "i'll always be watching over you" line…
(and while i'm here, i have to mention the valentine's day art we got for 2023- i made a separate post about THAT.)
we started to suspect capcom caught on to this niche community's love for utsushi, and they started to kind of... troll us??? LOL.
throughout the previews of sunbreak last year, they would start obsessively sneaking utsushi into those chibi artworks. and when npc followers were announced, people were scrambling to find out if he was going to be one of them, but there also was some weird radio silence about him for a bit...
in one of the earlier trailers that showed the elgado hub for the first time, there was a very short part of the clip where ppl could see someone standing in the distance at the corner of the screen. all the utsushi fans went nuts because they were taking a magnifying glass and zooming up at there wondering if it was really him, because everyone wanted him to be there in sunbreak LOL.
of course we'd eventually find out that would be his perch for most of the game! it was only during the final preview trailer before the release of sunbreak did they finally announce utsushi as a follower, as if they were saving the best for last. and sunbreak dropped, we got to see him in elgado and enjoy hunting with him. and it didn't end there. he wound up being featured in two of the short stories released last summer, and we would not forget this incident.
when i think about how easy it is to just play through the story and miss out on following specific out-of-the-way flavor texts, let alone know about all this outside of the game, i wonder if utsushi joining the hunter in the battle against amatsu in the penultimate battle was strange, because he has such a spotlight on him, even being the one who allows you to ride an apex which was normally impossible. if people didn't acknowledge him before, certainly people would love him now.
his final line after you defeat amatsu: it's cute and silly in english... but in japanese, his line and delivery was extremely, almost unabashedly... romantic. many people were shocked because it sounded like a fervent confession.
"I'll say it once more... You are my pride, my beloved disciple."
finally, during the last update video…
we got this line straight from the director LOL. utsushi wound up being his personal favorite character in rise, and perhaps why we wound up seeing more and more of him in sunbreak.
all in all, if you kept up with the flavor text of rise, and if you followed utsushi's dialogue throughout the base game and expansion, the emotional pay off at the end was even better! and it is a shame when this stuff is mostly optional or you have to go out of the way for it, with so much being missable with every bit of progression. but making a monhun where story and character interactions are pushed more… i think they were on to something. it's probably something that could be divisive, but personally I think they should go all in on it more in the future. Rise proved that they could make charming and memorable (not to mention, named) characters... if they lean into it more in a future entry, then i hope they do it in a way where everyone can enjoy it and not feel like they missed out. but I also hope they would make it so that people don't feel overwhelmed with flavor text... it comes down to taste, but i think i have faith that monhun can try making more character-driven stories while still keeping the core of the series in tact.
here are some more miscellaneous utsushi things that i didn't know how to fit in earlier:
he's been featured multiple times in capcom cafe entrees. here's his matcha latte dango drink:
and for the sunbreak stories: a cake based on his fight with rathalos together with the royal guard, and then a drink that represents his... uh, struggle across the ocean to chase the hunter to elgado. because they will never let him live that down. i won't either.
here's a t-shirt of utsushi and kagami you can pick up on amazon right now. kagami was a very interesting arc when he was first shown- he was introduced as a long time friend of utsushi, training together in the past, but eventually parting ways.
his seiyuu in japanese is a sentai actor who loves monster hunter, so essentially, kagami is lowkey like a self-insert for him lol. he's goofy in english because he's voiced by a certain youtuber, but in japanese he takes a different direction of silly because he has a "chuunibyou" edgelord cringe way of talking. it's such a shame that kagami wasn't really in the game itself besides being mentioned in a few mission descriptions because i would've loved to see him interact with utsushi and the hunter, and i wish the royal knights and many of the NPCs had more cutscenes or something. it makes me think, if it weren't for the pandemic, could rise's story and scenario have been something more because of the DLC voice characters like hibasa/monju/kagami? anyway, a popular headcanon is that utsushi and kagami are ex-boyfriends lol (i personally like this one and adapted it for my utsuhan fanfics). but there are even those who ship kagautsu too (although it is rare because people overseas are a little wary of shipping characters who are based on real people).
and lastly, one of my personal favorites... the diseased kyokan shirt. this is from an online capcom shop, and you can use a proxy service like fromjapan.com to order it.
if you read this all, thank you! happy hunting! with the instructor! we love that guy! the guy of all time!
#utsushi#master utsushi#monster hunter rise#monster hunter#idk how to entice people to read the ravings of a madman like this#but inquire within for very cute official cafe items based on utsushi. please perceive them#and contained here is a selection of his merch. they gave this guy so much merch because they knew. they knew.#guy who made capcom so much niche money
36 notes
·
View notes
Note
I really love your post about why the anti-discrimination theme falls flat on TOH.
Honestly, applied to Amphibia, the issue is taken care of. From S1, we saw how frogs are treated and the injustice and inequality in the whole hierarchy. For example, despite being called Frog Valley, there are no frog majors but toad majors like Toadstool and he used to be awful and greedy.
Then we have the toad lords and soldiers who subjugate towns like Grime used to instead of protecting them. And the newts are either annoyingly arrogant like Duckweed or inside their own world, that kind of is explained in how Newtopia looks so fancy while the rest of Amphibia is medieval and surrounded by monsters.
Most importantly, many characters have a point of view or conflict related to the hierarchy and the state of their society. The Dinner and The Three Armies showed the biases of Grime, Beatrix, Hop Pop, Tritonio, and others against each other but instead of leaving it like that to be pessimistic or not addressing it, all Amphibia faced those issues to create a more harmonious and just society for everyone.
Okay so two things first. 1: Context for Amphibia fans is that I did a blog discussing how TOH accidentally discriminates against the demons of the demon realm and only promotes the most human of them, thus making a theme of anti-discrimination... Rough to put it mildly. Link here. 2: I don't think Amphibia explicitly has a theme of anti-discrimination either. It touches on it in ways but those ways are mostly due to one of its other core themes: Community. That's not all surprising either because it's hard to talk about community without also talking about inclusivity to those communities and allowing those communities to at least have a personality.
Now yes, you're absolutely right that the end of the series actually explicitly discusses the actual bigotry that each culture has towards each other in admittedly not my favorite but a fine episode. I actually want to expand from just the literal text though for why I think Amphibia does such a good job at not demonizing any of the races despite the fact that two of them may as well exist to be villainous. After all, the toads and the newts are often adversaries to the main characters. Wasn't that a problem for TOH?
Yes... Which makes it a good thing that the first adversary for Anne is the frogs.
Actually deep diving how Amphibia handles race, inclusivity, etc. like that is FASCINATING. You could probably do an entire college essay based solely on this one aspect because the show actually portrays multiple versions of communities and acceptance into them masterfully. I'm going to only briefly touch on each but I could probably say more on all of them and this actually includes humans as well which arguably might be Amphibia's one stumble on the issue but it's not a big one.
Let's start with that inflammatory line though. Of all the races, the frogs are actually just explicitly the most racist. They are against ANYTHING they don't know. Even other humans after Anne are entirely based on their perception of Anne. It actually takes Anne returning and showing fallibility for Sasha to become her own person to the community who is on par with Anne despite all she's done for them. Before then, the closer you are to her in their eyes, the more acceptable you are. They explicitly state this with Marcy. Otherwise, you're just a weird thing to potentially be purged because you are dangerous for being unknown. This is explicitly something Anne has to overcome, including one episode where she becomes popular by becoming more frog-like through her zits. The Plantars are the closest to being progressive in the town and even Polly can get swept up into mob mentality when the people get ready to take down Marcy (if I'm remembering the joke right).
The upside to the frogs is supreme loyalty to each other. While Toadstool is self serving and selfish, even he eventually figures out that he likes the frog way of thinking. The community you are a part of means the world to you. It is arguably the most important thing besides family. They play at war with each other because no one can actually hate someone in this community. Once you are in, you have the protection of ALL. It's just getting that acceptance is hard.
So even the race we spend the most time with is actually still flawed in some way. It is not perfect. How about the one that theoretically is the most evil? One could argue the Newts but that's more got to do with the combined culture of Amphibia which we only get Andrias as a main show of besides the one episode in the past. I do not want to say Andrias represents all newts, even if his ideas are still obviously in the current culture of newts, hence why I won't say they're the most antagonistic.
The toads on the other hand are fascinating because while they are brutal conquerors and willing to subjugate others, they're also theoretically the most inclusive. They are the closest to a meritocracy in Amphibia. If you can prove your battle prowess and ability to lead, even a gangly weirdo from another world can rise quickly and take a role of power. However, this culture is also part of why they're such a joke/a problem. The passionate rise to the top while the grunts are mostly going to be complacent and the toads still push a "Got mine, fuck you" mentality so that once a job is done, selfishness takes hold. This is why they're good at taking a city but bad at keeping it because they lack discipline because as a community, they don't have either a national ideal to work for like the newts or each other like the frogs. Each one proves themselves but that also makes each of them in competition with one another. It also explains why they're willing to subjugate a people because if they were worth their own lives, they would be able to resist.
Grime is actually the exception here from everything we can see. Beatrix even takes a loss from a frog better than Grime. Grime is different from a lot of Toads though and seems to hold a more personal need to prove himself, rather than that being strictly personal. He gets knocked down lower on defeat and rises higher in triumph. It takes longer than it likely would have with other captains for him to recognize that Sasha's ability to get rid of her guard is impressive and deserving of re-evaluation because he's not willing to admit he's wrong. He is the one toad who will take a city and stay vigilant because he is stubborn enough to not want to lose those gains no matter the cost, hence why he seems to constantly look for a status quote he can keep a hold of rather than seeking endless glory. Sprig challenges that most explicitly and so he lashes out with anger rather than the admiration that he should. The admiration that the toads who Anne first met liked in her when they thought she could be ruthless and strong. Those toads in fact accepted her WAY faster than even potentially the Plantars as Sprig needed his life to be saved first.
Next let's talk about the newts. We get weirdly more time with their society than even the toads but I don't know how much I'd say we actually learn about it which is an issue with Marcy as well. Buuuut this actually is in line with their culture. They're more of a melting pot where they are both more enlightened in that everyone gets a fair shake but they're much more rigid. It's probably the closest to modern America we get where you CAN apply for an important job but you need the connections, open doors, etc. like that to get it. You can prove yourself but it will only get you so far and people will only care so much.
A large part of this is actually in how the newts specifically treat Marcy. Where as someone so high in the ranks for toads would be respected and have friends simply due to being so outstanding, see Sasha, Marcy has a position but no acceptance beyond that. Respect but no friends. They are willing to use her because she is the most useful tool for a job but they aren't going to act like they'reclose with her for that. Not without, sadly enough, a reason to. Olivia keeps her at arm's length, the other advisors don't really seem to actually have a relationship with her but Andrias does because she fits into his plans best if she trusts him.
Sprig also gets to demonstrate this because his interesting worldview gives him a position in the society but no special treatment besides getting that position. He still has to prove himself in all the same ways and while some quirkiness is allowed, you must keep THEIR peace. Even the frogs allow for more individuality once you are in their community. But again, it's a little rough when it comes to the newts because Marcy isn't actually a look into their culture like Sasha is for the toads as she never gets episodes just about her in Newtopia like Sasha does with Grime. I'd be intrigued about what the journal potentially changes about this.
ANWAYS, for the last one we have the Thai community and humanity. Or more so the former. I don't know if there's a unifying concept for humanity as a whole, which is befitting the treatment of the trio's mix of perspectives as well, but more a theme of optimism. That people may be lazy and a bit self serving but most people's hearts are in the right place. That they care.
The Thai community is the only one I really want to talk about because Thai Temple is admittedly one of my favorite episodes of Amphibia period. As someone who grew up in Alaska, I actually related to Anne not seeing the beauty of her culture really well. There's a highway in Alaska that sandwiches you perfectly besides mountain cliffs and the ocean and it is GORGEOUS. Aaaand I stopped caring about it because it became routine. I closed my mind to it. Like nature will accept you though if you are willing to give it the time, so is the Thai Community at the temple. If you show interest, interest will be shown back. That's why the Plantars are easily adopted into it because the people there want to share who they are, they're probably just not used to people actually being interested.
There's more I could say that dips more into the community aspects but how they treat Anne, Oum and Bea are a different subject (all of it positive and makes me sad as a straight white dude who doesn't keep religion honestly) but yeah, I hope this shows how Amphibia looks at acceptance, community and how different people treat those who are different in varying ways. Like I said, this is also still mostly scratching the surface as probably a lot more could be said about each. Even the original ask brings up how the walls of Newtopia cuts the newts off from nature itself while somewhere like Wartwood has to live in harmony with it.
End of the day though, it's still almost an incidental biproduct that no one in Amphibia feels half baked. Every society has a purpose and role to its storytelling and that helps make it a more cohesive work with a lot less accidents than be interpreted in awful ways. Seriously, if you have not watched Amphibia, GO WATCH AMPHIBIA.
I can guaranty the show will accept you, even if you don't love it like me.
======+++++======
I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!
I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past.
I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead.
If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.
A Twitter you can follow too
And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.
14 notes
·
View notes
Text
My take on 2x06 & jealous Brett because I just remembered I have social media and I can tell this stuff to people other than my fiance
Inside job s2 spoilers / Breagan my beloved / PLEASE DO NOT REPLY WITH HATE i can't stand negativity
- My overall take because I am a very organized person (I am not)
Whether I liked the episode or not really depends on the actual meaning behind it. The plot and structure were excellent! Ron and Brett's little rivalry was hilarious and I felt Reagan's anxiety all the damn time. I really enjoyed it and I always appreciate Andre's screentime <3 However, there is some stuff that just... Doesn't make sense? The ending is what I would call... Not rushed, per se, but forced.
I found the episode funny and cool (and stressful if you relate to Reagan or Brett in any way) and really worth it! But that's it. It's like they were trying to build a really sad and shocking climax for Reagan's relationship with Ron, but using a filler episode as the conductor. The whole episode focuses on Brett and his negative feelings towards Ron to end up with Ron and Reagan taking a break from each other. Which is not a bad way to focus on the story, but I feel like if they wanted us to focus on Reagan and Ron ONLY they would've made the episode only about them, and make the Brett/Ron argument shorter and less crucial for the plot.
I also feel like the conclusion (Ron deciding that maybe work is too dangerous for them) makes sense! But Reagan's? She says something about balancing work and their relatioship, and it makes sense too, but they don't really show how work affects their relationship in specific.
Another thing that just feels odd to me is Brett's behavior. Of course, this whole post is to defend my view as a Breagan shipper and you might think that I'm just gaslighting manipulating girlbossing you into thinking he was jealous, but I couldn't care less about people's opinions (that's a lie, I kin Brett). I genuinely think Brett was acting weird and definitely not in character if it's meant to be seen as only platonic. I didn't even ship Breagan this much until I finished the season and without having them in mind I still thought he was acting a bit too strange.
Aside from the ending and Brett's behavior (which I will address now), the episode is really good! One of my favorites for sure, and it's not even because Andre has more than three lines (It really makes a difference, though).
- The ending and how it made my girl Reags dirty
Let's start off with the ending, just like when you find an interesting movie on TV but you're too tired to watch it from the beginning so you just enjoy what's left without context!
Ron's conclusion makes sense, but Reagan's "We will find a way to balance our lives and jobs" just... Doesn't. You may not agree with me about Brett being jealous, but this is something that's been bothering me for a while and I know I'm right.
Ron decides, after being chased by his girlfriend's coworkers, realizing that her BFF doesn't like him and that Cognito is darker than he thought, that it's not a good idea to mix work and love. Which is fair, to be honest. He literally saw clones of Hitler and organs of babies, like, I wouldn't feel safe there either.
But it's not what Ron thinks about Cognito and work that bothers me, because nobody would want their girlfriend working there. What he thinks is completely valid and although I didn't like the fact that he ghosted Reags (dude just text her my girl was literally begging you for a proper answer), he has the right to want to step out from that world. What truly makes me angry is Reagan's search for the perfect reality in the last episode.
I know what's the point they were trying to make: Reagan is a workaholic and wouldn't be able to keep a stable relationship with Ron.
Which makes a lot of sense and it's not out of character at all! God knows Reags has been obsessed with Cognito and being the boss and changing the world for forever. But the show doesn't give us an explicit example of that.
I know. We aren't dumb. We read between the lines. We get Reagan. It's inside the subtext and her entire persona. Easy to see, easy to understand, doesn't need to be explicit.
This argument would work if it wasn't because there's no subtext! We don't see (not even ONCE) how work is more important for Reagan than Ron. In fact, it's the opposite. Every time she has to choose between work and love, she chooses love:
Date with Ron >> Their mission in Rome -> Rome on fire
Desperately trying to convince Ron to work for Cognito and forgetting about actual work to a point where you would think she wouldn't get anything done if Ron was there with her -> Zombie apocalyspe (that was on Brett but she was the one forcing him to get along with Ron so-)
Being scared to lose Ron in one of the timlines >> Actually saving the timeline (by this I don't mean she didn't care about the timline and the others, but she was pretty much focused on not losing Ron. Which is valid and pretty damn romantic so go girl!!!)
(This is not Reagan slander, by the way! She's been through A LOT and deserves to be selfish. I support women's rights but most importantly I support women's wrongs!)
So how the hell my girl (at the end of ep 6) gets to the conclusion that they couldn't balance both things? She was doing pretty well until the Halloween party, and it didn't even get in between their relationship, it just proved Ron's point about the work not being safe. Which, again, makes sense, but doesn't really get in between their lives in the same way the last episode says.
Episode 6: Work is dangerous and it gets in between our relationship. We have proof. Here's a whole episode putting Ron in danger to prove it.
Episode 8: Work gets in between our relationship because Reagan would put work first. Which makes sense due to her personality, but we've been proving otherwise the whole damn season!
Just stick with one reason or develop both of them but don't change them!!!!
We suppose Reagan would be a workaholic girlfriend if Ron worked there due to her personality and ambition, but we don't actually see it? And it's not really that important and y'all must be thinking I'm reading too much into it, but I just think an explicit confirmation of Reags caring more about work than for Ron would've been great. The different realities in which she treats him like shit aren't out of character but feel odd, considering that she's been choosing him over work multiple times this season. Man, just a little tiny example I'm not asking for much.
Maybe it would've been different if she hadn't gotten that promotion. Maybe she would've been happy with Ron. I know those realities are focused on the possibility of changing the world she didn't have before Ron asked her to move in together, but... I don't know. As if she didn't care for her job before the promotion, y'know?
Basically, for me the whole workaholic thing appears out of nowhere and doesn't make sense with the Ron/Reags dyamic we've seen.
And this whole thing is connected to episode 6 because I think that episode would've been a great moment to introduce both points of view: Reagan prioritizing work and Ron not finding their jobs safe enough.
- The writers' decision and how I would've written the episode because I apparently have too much free time in class to think about this
The episode is great, but I don't understand why Brett is the protagonist here. If the conclusion is meant to be about Reagan and Ron taking a break from each other and asking THE question ("Is work getting in between our relationship?"), why is Brett the one we focus on through the episode?
If it's meant to be just a slight dislike and just not getting along with Ron, why is it so damn crucial to the plot? It's not just Brett wanting to be friends with Ron in a silly, little, sitcomy way. It's Brett wondering WHY he feels like that towards Ron. It's Brett wanting to support his BFF's boyfriend but not being able to do it for no reason whatsoever. It's literally Brett provoking the reason why Ron decides to take a break from Reagan.
Whether it is meant to be romantic or platonic, Brett is technically the reason why Ron acts like that in the end. He even makes a whole zombie apocalypse happen! Just because he didn't like Ron! C'mon it's absurd to think that's strictly platonic. This plot has been going on for years in thousand of different sitcoms: F/M best friends! One starts dating someone! The other doesn't like them! They don't know why! Wow, turns out they were in love the whole time and didn't realize they were jealous.
Classic trope for best friends to lovers.
But yeah, let's say it's platonic. Let's say Brett's reaction to Ron is just a silly plot device to make the guy realize Cognito is dangerous and even the simplest guy with the most innocent intentions could cause an apocalypse.
Why make the episode focus on Brett, then? If his feelings for Ron aren't that related to his relationship with Reags, why are those the ones to make them question their rellationship?
If it's just platonic then I find the episode a bit unnecessary.
If they wanted to show us how work affects them, and not only Brett, why wouldn't they make an episode about that in specific? It isn't that hard.
I personally would've kept the same plot: Reagan trying to convince Ron to work for Cognito using the team's opinions and views on their work!
They go to Brett and everything's the same. They don't get along. It's uncomfortable. But it stays there. Brett makes some comments about how fun it is to work for Cognito but accidentally reveals how dangerous it is, and Ron starts getting a bit worried and confused because... Where the hell has been his girlfriend working?
Then they go to Andre, Gigi, Glenn, Myc... Basically, individual meetings with each. Funny sketches. All of them fuck everything up by talking about work and how it actually is and Ron gets scared with every experience he hears.
And meanwhile, Reagan gets caught up with work! There's drama everywhere! Something something someone died. Something something the Hitler clones scaped. Something something Kanye West is a nazi now and we need to end him. Something somehing zombie apocalypse.
That way we see Reagan sort of neglecting her relationship with Ron because of work, and Ron realizing how dangerous it is.
It doesn't need to be all about Brett. At all. The ending is still the same.
So why would they make Brett the main plot point, wondering why he acts the way he does, if not to be important later? Not to mention that his character is reduced to this from this episode to the end.
- Reasons why Brett could dislike Ron and why I think they don't make sense bc this dude would get along with fucking Mussolini
"Ron made fun of Brett's interests and was lowkey mean to him!"
Brett is a pathological people pleaser, and as the pathological people pleaser I am I can confirm that that wasn't the reason why he disliked Ron. Brett likes everyone. Everyone. No matter what they do. It's not even... Like, like. It's just having to see the best in everyone because he wants to be able to get along with them so they don't hate him.
Making fun of his favorite music? Drinks? Comedian? That's soft compared to what half of the people he knows say to him. Literally you could meet him for the first time, tell him that Friends is a shitty sitcom and he would literally tell you that you're right and then cry while watching the finale.
He's constantly putting other people first and swallowing his opinions and pride, so why not sharing the same opinions as Ron would make him dislike him? It doesn't make any sense.
Besides, Ron wasn't even mean or intentionally hurting Brett. And even if he had been, Brett would've probably been the one apologizing, too. He has encountered horrible people through his life and you're telling me that Ron, his best friend's boyfriend, is the one that makes him dislike someone for once? Not buying it. Doesn't make sense.
"Brett is just worried about Reagan."
Literally doesn't make any sense because Ron hasn't shown any signs of being a bad boyfriend. And if that was the case and Brett was just being an overprotevtive best friend, it would've been explicit. There's no need to hide it in the subtext. And it wouldn't even make sense for the last episodes.
"Brett has abandonment issues."
Yeah, this one's true I can't fight against this one. However, it doesn't prove anything. He can have abandonment issues and still be in jealous. It can be both!
"He's just scared of losing his best friend."
Once again, yeah, true. But it doesn't make sense to me! The reason why Brett is so obsessed with Ron is because he can't figure out why he doesn't like him. If it was meant to be platonic they would've just said so explicitly and it wouldn't have been the main plot.
"They just don't have chemistry."
Ron is like a sad boy version of Reagan with religious trauma, there's no reason why Brett wouldn't like him. They do have chemistry! Brett is the sun, Reagan is the moon, and Ron is an eclipse! (not in a bad way like- I hope y'all have seen that friendship dynamics pic because otherwise this doesn't make sense but I swear it's really cute).
They end up having chemistry and getting along! But only because Ron gave Brett a reason to like him, which Brett has never ever needed before.
"It's just a plot device lmfao stop looking this much into it."
Maybe???? But idk I would like to be a screenwriter someday so looking into things a lot is my thing.
- Brett and his people pleaser soul slowly breaking through the episode
Canonically, Ron is the first person Brett has ever disliked. Which might be an exageration because this boy tends to say stuff like this a lot, but as far as we know it's canon. So, having that in mind, we know that Ron is actually the first person to make Brett panic over not liking someone.
It's completely normal, he just wants to make Reagan happy. Everything he does is for Reagan. Can we PLEASE remember that he's doing this for Reagan? Because I think we don't talk about it enough.
The thing about Brett not liking Ron is that Brett doesn't know why he dislikes him...
Despite being a horrible father and boss, Brett likes Rand! We've seen them interacting or, well, at least we haven't seen Brett hating him. Brett likes Myc despite being a total asshole to him and the others, and he probably is the only one (except Andre) that considers Myc to be a real friend. For literal no reason. Brett still likes his bullies. He likes his shitty family. He liked Reagan although she treated him like shit in the first episode.
And maybe it's not like, like. But it's enough to make him have a normal life with them and be able to to be of service for their approval (istg this guy's just like me fr).
So why's this any different with Ron? Maybe the writers were just trying to make this a plot device and forgot about Brett's inability to hate people. But is that really what happened? Why make it the main plot of the episode, then?
And why make Brett ask himself why he didn't like Ron?
If it was because of not sharing interests or being mean or whatever (something tangible) it would've been obvious. But he spends the episode asking himself that. It's not just a silly little dynamic, it's Brett actively wondering why he doesn't like his best friend's boyfriend.
In fact, the first time he finds out about Reagan being with someone else he's excited for her! He's happy! And I don't want to project my neurodivergency on him, but maybe the fact that Ron was just an idea and not someone tangible for him yet made him unable to picture him as a threat. And when he truly is there, he finally has someone to be jealous of.
He ends up having a soft spot for Ron, but it's only because he explicitly gave him a reason to like him. And then the last two episodes his whole character is reduced to missing Reagan, projecting on a golden retriever they have to kill, and sacrificing his happiness for Reagan's.
Yeah, totally platonic! As if this clearly wasn't the same exact plot of every romantic comedy to ever exist.
-B plot and parallelisms through the season because I've rewatched this like three times already since it came out. I need therapy. Please help me get out of here.
You thought I had forgotten about Rand's plot??? Well, jokes on you, I was waiting for the parallelisms!
I couldn't care less about the B plot in this episode. If I'm being honest I found it funny but didn't really understand the reason behind it until the last episode and after rewatching it a couple of times.
B plots are often meant to be the juxtaposition between character arcs, parallelisms or just funny little stories to make the main one softer. This time it's the three of them.
Basically, two boys fighting for a girl. That's it. That's like the whole plot. Tamiko comes to the conclusion that work is what made Rand such a shitty and crazy person. Do I really need to say more? Like I'm genuinely tired of writing and the parallelisms with this subplot are pretty much obvious.
Then we have more parallelisms in the finale!
"I had everything. I had my job, I had power. I know it's a fucking cliché, but it's true. You don't know what matters most until you lose it." - Rand about Tamiko and Reagan, 2x07
Brett is well aware of how much he loves Reagan, but maybe not in what way exactly. Her dating someone else might just be that thing that tells him: "Yes. This is it. You're losing her forever. She's gonna move out and be with another man and you're going to be abandoned again. She doesn't love you as much." And I don't know if they're going to keep up with this thing next season, but it wouldn't be weird to follow this statement.
Although I know this quote is meant to be about Reagan and Ron and probably about her regretting not moving with him next season, so the Brett thing is just a theory.
"You can't just hit a button over and over and expect a relationship to go back to the way it was. And I know it's scary to give up control." - Reagan about her parents and her and Ron, 2x07
Once again, obviously about Reagan and Ron. But would it be crazy to think this could be about Brett too? Like wanting constantly to go back (after finding out about Appletone) to when it was just Reagan and him. Talking to the dog as if he was Reagan. Missing her. Wanting her back. The thing about Brett is that he doesn't hit any buttons to go back because he cares more about Reagan's happiness than for his own. But yeah, I think it makes sense.
"And I got this. All I care about is that you're happy." - Brett to Reagan, 2x08
"And as long as the person you love is happy, maybe you can be happy later." - Reagan about Ron, 2x08
"Thanks for sticking by when no one else did. A good leader wouldn't drag their best friend into their dad's bullshit. I don't know if we'll ever get back to our realities, but I've seen yours and it looks good. If I succeed I'll see you again. But if not... Good luck, Brett." - Reagan to Brett, 2x07
"I searched a thousand lifetimes for the one that would make you happiest. And you'll find it one day. Just... Without me. [...] I'll miss you, Ron, and I know it were possible, you'd miss me too." - Reagan to Ron, 2x08
Do I need to say more or....?
They both parallel each other so damn much- And to be honest, maybe it is unrequited. It probably is unrequited. But it could go both ways someday! Let's be optimistic.
-"I listen to Accidentally in love from the Shrek 2 soundtrack every day!!!!" Brett. Love of my life. Is it the vibes or the lyrics?? IS IT BECAUSE THE VIBES OR THE LYRICS????? ANSWER ME BRETT HAND-
"So, she said, "What's the problem, baby?" What's the problem? I don't know. Well, maybe I'm in love. Think about it. Every time I think about it."
"How much longer will it take to cure this? Just to cure it, 'cause I can't ignore it if it's love. Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing bout love."
The writing team choosing the song Brett could mention while starting an uncomfortable dynamic with his best friend's boyfriend: What about a song about falling in love accidentally and not being able to stop it?
Okay so maybe it's not THAT specific. Maybe they just wanted a silly little song from a silly little movie so people would look at Brett, smirk and say "haha he's just like me fr". But?? Is it really?? As I said I want to be a writer and I wouldn't choose something as important and cool as a character's favorite song (okay maybe not FAVORITE CANON but he loves it so) just for the memes. It has to mean something, c'mon.
-Why I think Breagan wouldn't destroy the show (as some of you say) and actually would make them one of the most powerful couples ever (this has absolutely nothing to do with my love for coworkers to BFFs to lovers)
I do agree with a lot of you: We need more M/F platonic relationships. However... Have you ever considered that Brett and Reagan are just... Not really that platonic anymore? It's not the first time we've seen this. Mostly in sitcoms! Jim and Pam from The Office, Jake and Amy from Brooklyn 99, Nick and Jess from New Girl, I can keep going... And going... I kin Brett I know about sitcoms!
Reagan loved Ron. She truly did. But it's true that he needed a normal life and she was... Midnight rain. Sorry, Taylor Swift reference. But!! Reagan would end up choosing work and it doesn't mean she doesn't love Ron, it's just that work is equally important to her and knew he wouldn't be happy if they stayed together.
But it could work with Brett. it works with Brett. Because if they dated he would understand Reagan's priorities. He would be always there for her. And he wouldn't try to keep her away from danger (he would be worried sick, ofc, and always would be there to help) because he knows Reagan wants that.
They work well together and their dynamic is sweet, a bit cliché and easy to build. Maybe it's the easy path but that doesn't mean it's necessarily bad.
As an aroace person I love platonic dynamics, but maybe this is not the one we need!! Or maybe it is, tbh I couldn't care less because either way I trust the writers to give us a great relationship development, whether it is romantic or platonic. But idk I would like to see more of Reagan with the other guys and Brett with Gigi! Maybe Andre and Gigi? It would be great not to rely on just one platonic friendship.
And by the way, there's also this possibility of them being completely platonic and Brett not being jealous. Maybe he's just a good best friend that feels a bit worried about his friendship and that's all! If you don't agree with my opinion, that's great too! Just respect everyone's points of view on this because I've seen a lot of hate towards breagan shippers and it's a completely harmless ship!! <3
If there's any mistakes just know that english isn't my first language and it's like 3 am here right now-- Thanks for reading!!!! <3
#god this took so long#you make a silly joke with a silly edit on tiktok and then end up writing a whole essay#it could've been longer and i still have stuff to say but i'm tired#anyway breagan canon#or not! maybe just platonic breagan! that's cool too#i just want them to be soulmates in any way#breagan#inside job#inside job season 2#reagan ridley#brett hand#ron staedtler#ron x reagan#brett x reagan
115 notes
·
View notes
Note
Hello again!
Okay I'm just here for a chat (if thats okay) (i think you're lovely!)
There are some stuff about the show that really bother me you know... First of all in season 4 What Happens to John Watson.. like he is simply characterized by loyalty right it is who he is, then HOW does he cheat on Mary?! (Okay granted that his heart was elsewhere... ahem. But he's just not someone who would cheat)
Also i think Mary shouldn't be a villain... i know she possibly looks like it messes up Johnlock but i think its the opposite actually. I think John is bisexual and his love for her was real but she was basically a Sherlock substitute who looked like him (John)! Plus, she was there when he was at rock bottom so. But what doesn't make sense is her shooting Sherlock in the chest?! What's up with that!
Okay but the Weirdest part is in the last episode when Sherlock has to choose between John and Mycroft and finally choses to shoot himself... BOTH John and Mycroft do Nothing?? HOW
AAAAA the Last Season was SO much angst.. i think this fandom saved me <3
In my head It was love at first sight... and then slowly falling head over heels crazy in love with your best friend and all of it culminating in the most beautiful TV Romance.
(okay im sorry i think i ranted a bit)
Hi Lovely!
Inbox is always open for a chat (even if it takes me a long time to get to it, LOL), so no worries!
Let's address each of you things one by one:
What HAPPENS to John Watson – Your guess is as good as mine, Lovely, and it's a lot of the reason a lot of us can't take S4 seriously. It feels so OOC for John to cheat on Mary with ANY other woman, other than Sherlock (hence it being part of the Alibi theory, this part of it referencing SHERLOCK as being the one John is actually texting in the night), so many of us just don't think that S4 is what it appears to be on the surface. Of course, it could all just be a coping mechanism to deal with how dirty a beloved series did it's fandom, but we take what we can get, honestly.
As for villain Mary, I have to respectfully disagree, only because I believe that I think they were setting her up in S3 to BE a kickass antagonist for S4. Amanda ALSO thought they were going that route for a bit until (my speculation) things went sour with MF, AND they built up her character as a psychopath imho. Then they made her character attempt a piss-poor redemption arc that just... really soiled S4 for me because I firmly believe that John would have NEVER forgiven Mary for trying to kill Sherlock after seeing what it did to him the first time.
But to your point: John is bisexual, yes, but I don't think he's biromantic. I think he's homoromantic, and it's VERY played up in the series that this is the case: his blasé attitude about ALL his girlfriends, but pouncing around the close men in his life like a puppy? Heck, if Lestrade was single, I have NO doubt John would have taken his chances with him too, LOL. John is horny. That's literally the gist of it. He likes sex, he doesn't care what hole it goes in, just as long as he gets it. But I do think he forms VERY strong attachments to men in his life, and in turn he gets hurt, so he pretends he's not into men because it's "just easier" (you can read more posts about my and others' thoughts on John's sexuality here). He was with Mary because he was lonely, and Mary played him like a fiddle. She knew what John liked, and played that up. I believe it's even explicitly stated she knows what John likes. They only knew each other 6 months, CONVENIENTLY just before Sherlock was on his way back? Even ANDERSON picked up on Sherlock making his way back to London. I believe she was a Moriarty plant to see if John knew Sherlock was for-real dead, and she herself enjoyed the game and stealing and keeping John for herself away from Sherlock was part of that game upon the return. So yeah, I really have a hard time believing she OR John actually loved each other. I dunno, again, personal biases and readings of the series, apologies, LOL. I spent a LOT of time analysing Mary's character arc. But I WANTED her to be the big bad for S4, and it just... fizzled and died.
And finally, on your point about the weirdness of John nor Mycroft opting to stop Sherlock, yeah, have to agree with you there. TFP was a goddamned clustereff of WTF moments and mischaracterizations of literally every character on-screen. The only character NOT in character was Eurus and that's literally because they didn't know what to fucking do with her. TFP was so dumb. I have a hard time believing any of it actually happened the way it did on-screen. But yeah, S4 was a big disappointment for everyone including the actors. I think they only people who thought it was great was Mofftiss and that's because they love the smell of their own farts. I can't believe that they GENUINELY thought TFP was going to be Emmy-worthy (for those unaware, they initially planned to nominate TFP for the Emmy, and instead chose TLD, I believe, after the poor reception of TFP, and acted like they were always going to nominate TLD lol).
Anyway, yeah, it was full of angst, though my reasons for it are probably different than everyone else's, LOL. But the fandom IS fantastic, and that's why we stay here, and why I choose now to curate fandom content. Makes me happy, and keeps me out of drama, LOL.
Thank you so much for giving ME the opportunity to chat and rant! It's been so long since I've done mini meta, and posted my thoughts about everything. I like chatting.
Hope you're having a wonderful day, and sorry again for the delay! <3
#steph replies#chatting with lovelies#sherlock all seasons#the mary problem#my thoughts#sherlock mini meta#my meta#who is john watson#john's sexuality#s4 shitposting#salty steph
27 notes
·
View notes
Note
i am so sorry u had to deal with that anon, i hope you are feeling ok! :’) it sucks how shippers make their own reputation bad by not accepting another perspective/opinion :/ and to go to this extent over a fictional ship is just… something else😭 i’ll never understand how some can’t just enjoy their ship in peace and always have to prove it is canon and fight everyone else who doesn’t think like them, as if you can’t enjoy a ship otherwise?
anon just reminded me why i never took an interest in any levi ship, and i probably never will. i sooo wanted to say that i didn’t understand why anon suddenly started to hate on levi x oc shippers, but it’s obvious bc most oc’s are depicted as women and that is against their ‘canon’ ship and beliefs about levi😭 why care so much, levi can be whatever sexuality you want seeing as nothing was confirmed, so just take a step back, touch some grass and let people enjoy whatever they like :’)
anyways, once again im sorry u had to deal with all of that i can’t even imagine how tiring or frustrating it must be to always be attacked/asked about the same things constantly. i love your levi posts and i feel like you really analyze him very well! happy holidays :’)
Thank you so much, truly.
I've said again and again that I have nothing against any ship or shipping group. People can ship Levi with whoever they want. But these people who harass me over it, then accuse me of "talking" about it all the time, but the only reason I talk about it is because they're the ones asking me about it.
The thing is, is I just want to talk about what's in the actual story. Levi has no love interest in the story, either directly acknowledged or even implied. Everything this person sited as evidence or "proof" of Levi being romantically interested in Erwin, I addressed to the best of my abilities. They didn't want to accept it, and then they accuse me of being a hypocrite, trying to claim that all of my analysis posts are based on the same, speculative, inconclusive and flimsy material they base their beliefs on. As if breaking down text, expression, sequential order of panels, and patterns in the text and past character behavior is the same as taking an off-handed comment from Isayama in an interview from ten years ago or whatever and using it as proof of some super secret hidden romantic interest between Levi and Erwin. You can literally look at every post of mine analyzing AoT and find evidence supporting, pretty damn concretely, my conclusions in the actual text. And I'm hardly alone in that. There's many, many great AoT fans who write brilliant analysis posts about the manga/anime, using only the source material. But these people can never point to a single panel or word bubble or piece of text that supports this notion that Levi was in love with Erwin, or anyone, for that matter. They need to site promotional material to try and back up their claims, and extrapolate meaning from the panels and texts which isn't, in any discernible, concrete way actually supported by the text and panels. They literally need to twist Levi's words and actions in the most absurd, nonsensical, illogical manner in order to make it fit. That isn't how Isayama operates as a writer. Even when there's subtext, there's a clear, undeniable line between it and the action on the page. That's what analysis is based on, after all. There has to be a viable, evident reason for drawing certain conclusions.
Levi holding the serum against his chest, or touching Erwin's hand when he took the serum from him, or him thinking of Erwin when wondering who he could revive, none of that is enough proof in and of itself to support a romantic interest between them. I tried explaining to this person what those things actually indicate within the story. The last two don't mean anything. It's just how the panels were drawn. But the first, if this person had paid any kind of attention to Levi's actual relationship with Erwin, and how Levi regarded Erwin, and the reasons he was so loyal to Erwin, would understand that he thought of Erwin in that moment because he regarded Erwin as the leader that humanity needed, and that humanity's future was dependent on Erwin's survival. It's the entire reason Levi tried to stop Erwin from going to Shinganshina in the first place. I come to all of those conclusions based on the actual text and what we know about the characters leading up to that point.
I explained all of this to this fool in my initial reply to them, and they accused me of "brushing them off", lol.
Anyway, whatever. But thank you so much again for your support. I just can't seem to get away from these people, haha.
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
(This isn't the same person as estranged childhood bestie. That one is actually keeping in touch with me more lately.)
I had a friend I was really close with starting in middle school and through college. Even so, we were always pretty different. She's normal, has normal interests, is highly likable and pretty much had no one who disliked her. I've always been odd and nerdy and bad at interacting with people. But she never acted like there was anything wrong with me, even though all her friends definitely thought I was weird as hell. We bonded over having depression and anxiety. I have two particular memories of this: her holding my hand and leading me away from a crowd when I had a panic attack at Warped Tour, and breaking down at her house after her birthday party because my relationship was hanging on my a thread and I'd been pretending to be ok all night.
After college, we drifted apart a bit, as it often goes with school friends once you're adults. The gulf got wider when I moved to the boroughs, after the pandemic, and when she got a new boyfriend. I havent met her boyfriend as we just were never able to really make plans happen again. Still, I asked her to be a bridesmaid for my wedding.
She agreed, but only really showed up for my shower. I got the vibe she just didn't really feel like coming to the boroughs for my bachelorette party and anything else. A week before my wedding, she told me that she was having problems with the house ahead just bought and she was extremely stressed and couldn't be a bridesmaid. I told her not to worry about it...I said she didn't need to give me a gift, I said I'd happily pay for her hair and makeup, I just wanted her to be there, she literally didn't have to do anything but be there.
She agreed again, but a few days later told me she just couldn't. OK. I wasn't going to push, I wanted her to be ok, I got that she was in a tough spot, so I let it go. But ultimately, she didn't even come as a guest. She didn't even come to just the ceremony. She didn't text me the day of or anything.
I sort of accepted this as the end. I was pretty hurt that she didn't show up at all, even after I told her she didn't have to do anything, I just wanted to see her. It felt like there was some other reason she had that she didn't want to tell me. But it is what it is. I figure maybe it was weird of me to want her as a bridesmaid after we'd drifted so much.
Since then were exchanged pleasantries on social media for birthdays and stuff, but otherwise nothing. A few months ago, she got engaged.
I'm not certain yet, but I think I'm invited to her wedding. She posted about sending her save-the-dates and the next day, my former neighbor texted me to say they had a letter that got sent to my old address. I assume it's the save-the-date, because my friend doesn't know I moved.
I feel really conflicted. I don't rely want to go...not out of a petty "Well you didn't come to my wedding so I should I come to yours", but because I really am just kind of hurt and I feel like she's only inviting me out of a sense of obligation. I don't know how to say 'no' without seeming like it's just pettiness, and frankly I don't feel like it's worth telling her the real reason. I'm not mad at her, just sad, and kind of resigned about our friendship. I don't know what excuse I can give. I don't know if I should just go, show my face, have dinner with all her friends who always though I was weird, and quietly leave. Or maybe I should just decline, say nothing, and hope that that solidifies the end so neither of us have to pretend anymore. It feels shitty, but so does the idea of going. I don't know her fiance at all, and sometimes I wonder if he convinced her not to go to my wedding. I have no idea. I don't really know her anymore, either.
Ugh.
Sorry. I had to put this somewhere.
4 notes
·
View notes
Note
What if Charles over hears you ranting about something/ someone over the phone and he thinks you’re talking about him and then he’s all sad and deeply into this floaty/subby headspace thinking you don’t want him anymore and then after a while of him literally walking on eggshells around you, you find out and make him feel all better !! Because subby!Charles deserves the best.
You guys know that I'm always up for torturing Charles, so this is perfect I love it.
Maybe you're ranting about a friend who wont leave you alone and wants so much energy from you? Charles misses the part of the conversation where you say the friend's name, so he assumes you're complaining about him, about how he's always following you around and texting you and needing attention.
But you would never, EVER, say that about your subby boy. Charles can be as needy as he wants. Always.
In fact, a big part of why you're annoyed with this friend wanting so much of your time is because you want that time to go to Charles. No one else deserves the amount of time that Charles gets. Charles is your top priority and you dont want to be distracted by someone else.
Except Charles doesnt know that, so he thinks he's the problem.
And his little heart just breaks, because he thought you loved how needy he was? He thought you enjoyed looking after him and hearing about his day and giving him cuddles and forehead kisses.
Were you... were you lying? Do you not want him anymore?
He falls into this sad, subby headspace, curling up on the bed crying softly. He thinks that you must just be pretending to like him, that you want him gone, that you're going to kick him out soon. He curls himself around your pillow, wanting so badly to go find you for cuddles and reassurance but being far too scared that that will only make you upset with him.
He doesnt know what to do. Normally when he feels like this he goes straight to you, trusting you to take care of him, but now he's feeling this because you dont want to take care of him.
That's you find him, crying in the bed and hugging your pillow.
You have no idea what's happened, but your sweet boy is crying in bed so something must be very wrong. You get into bed with him, pulling him into your chest and trying your best to calm him down.
He hugs you tight, thankful for the comfort even though he doesnt know if you actually want to give it or not.
When you ask him what's wrong, he just sniffles and ask you if you want him to be less needy. You frown, beyond confused by that question because you always make sure to praise him every time he expresses his needs.
You try to comfort him, telling him that you would never be upset with him for being needy and that you love taking care of him.
Except he doesnt tell you that he overheard you? So you don't realise he thinks you lied to him.
So he tries his best to not be needy over the nest few days. You're so confused, because usually he's always coming to you for affection and comfort.
Until one day you confront him and then he admits that he overheard you. Maybe he even begs you to give him another chance? Promises that he can manage to be less needy.
Your heart breaks when you realise that Charles has been feeling this for days, that he genuinely thought you would complain to a friend about him being too needy.
When you tell him it was about someone else, that you would NEVER ever say something like that about him, that actually you wanted this one friend to give you some space because you didnt want to be distracted from looking after your good boy.
He starts crying again when he hears that, but this time from relief? It's almost overwhelming how relieved he is. He couldn't handle the thought that his dom didnt like how much attention he needs.
He's extra clingy for the next few days, looking for extra reassurance and praise.
(And also he wants the name and address of the friend who was overwhelming you so that he can hunt them for sport because no one, and I mean NO ONE, gets to be needy with you but him)
38 notes
·
View notes
Note
the thing is that with his bipolar diagnosis, it makes sense that yellowjacket manifested from a failed suicide attempt or at least a very severe depressive episode because for a lot of people, manic episodes are actually a defense mechanism against depression. I don't know much about the different personalities situation & I think the writers just thought it would be a fun storyline or something but if we read it as psychosis or even schizoaffective disorder, it's really interesting. I wish they addressed how fucked up the marriage was though.. iirc janet said something in busiek's avengers run but hank never addressed it, which is so wrong.
i mean, initially they describe hank as schizophrenic, but the actual way they describe hank creating a completely new identity from an accident / trauma more closely replicates what we now understand to be DID, but obviously as time went on, as our understanding of mental health developed this became pretty much not a thing outside of this issue, but obviously it's good to contextualise where writers were coming from from their poor and sensationalised depiction of schizophrenia & hallucinations.
(my assumption for yellowjacket is some writer thought he was boring, suggested they kill him off, someone else who liked hank a little more said they should just give him a new superhero identity again, and by combining the two you get the yellowjacket arc. this is purely speculation, so if anyone else has an interview where they talk about this more, let me know)
but yeah, to me, YJ in contemporary comics being caused by hank attempting suicide, failing, and struggling with mania & psychosis makes like. more sense than writers might think & fits in with hank attempting suicide in other comics. like, hank attempting suicide being the catalyst for YJ makes a lot of sense to me and i'm kind of suprised it isn't canon, but whatever.
this is also where hank, by being a product of the 60s and evolving as understanding of mental health & further research evolved, has kind of become like one of the most authentic depictions of mental health i've seen in comics. because i can imagine hank like, getting diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia back when that was still on the DSM, with him describing himself repeatedly as having hallucinations and generally describing symptoms of schizophrenia during Double Feature, and with how much hank being paranoid is a part of Season One. and I can imagine hank getting rescreened after they remove it in the 2000s, and getting diagnosed with loads of different things, which is why we see him taking various meds for depression, PTSD and anxiety throughout the 2000s, until eventually in 2010 getting his bipolar diagnosis. it's a common thing for some people to have issues with diagnosis or getting misdiagnosed or having multiple diagnosis' at once and i think though it wasn't intentional hank having such a varied history with "what's wrong with him" ends up being a really authentic piece on how diagnosis is more complicated than others think.
and yeah, marvel and fans need to do more to talk abt how fucked up that wedding was. i said it before and i'll say it again, the text is before janet and hank get married hank genuinely believes he is his own murderer and he is not hank pym. like canonically he is suffering from a massive break in reality and is having an episode where he's experiencing psychosis and can no longer remember who he is. that is not a man in my opinion in a state where he can consent to getting married. and throughout their marriage, while i love janet, we do see her repeatedly dismiss his issues as being a simple matter of insecurity. she actively ignores parts of him that are clear issues with his health, and at one point literally says to him "you look sad, start smiling more". hank's wellbeing and his health are actively dismissed and belittled by avengers and by janet, but that would of course come at the price of acknowledging hank as anything other than an abusive asshole, so you know.
ultimately what i love about hank is how unmarketable he really is. his mental health issues are ugly, they are obvious, they have ruined some of his relationships permanently, they have a big impact on how he lives his life and what kind of person he is, he has attempted suicide directly because he struggles so much with his mental health and with the impact it's had on him, and yet, the thesis statement on a lot of hank led comics like double feature, like season one, like avengers academy, like avengers a.i., like tales to astonish vol 3, hell, even slott's mighty avengers, is that hank pym is an inherently good person who helps others to the best of his ability. and that's more powerful than either fans or writers seem to appreciate and it just sucks that such an accidentally authentic mentally ill character has the parts where he is genuinely powerful or good be ignored bc of an arc that came out in the 80s like it just sucks a lot.
31 notes
·
View notes
Note
all the angst regarding austin x priscilla actress!reader has me thinking… how would the press tour + vogue photo shoots etc etc go between them? in your head are they back together by then?
i'm working on like ten different things and i already answered the vogue part kind of in another ask that actually came in after this one. but! i actually wanted to address the rest of this. tw: sexual mentions, arguably what comes close to an anxiety attack maybe? possessiveness to a degree?
so consider! maybe they are. in my head, they're back together come cannes. post cannes for sure. but maybe you know they aren't. maybe i've got an au where they are and maybe i've got one where they aren't. but we're- for the importance of this ask and not ally au's this au into like a billion other au's- assuming that yes. they are. and they are. well it's complicated.
the first part of the press tour, the part before it's actually really a press tour officially, the met and cannes are a mess. the met is spent with you wanting to avoid austin because that's what you've been doing minus the phone calls and the texts and the blocking his number because he called you drunk because you had the audacity to go on a date and wear a dress and got fucked. badly, but you got fucked.
except you're supposed to do your job and what do you always tell yourself. you're professionals. so you get close and lean in when cameras are flashing and austin's hand ignites a shiver in your body when it's just sitting on your back. "you cold, little dove?" is all that gets murmured in your ear before you shudder once more. and there's a closet ( that i used for another fic ) and you walk him in there by the wrist and you leave in the same car.
"i don't want to go to bed with you unless you're there in the morning, lil dove." "i'll be there in the morning."
not all mornings, but that next morning. except you scare him half to death when he wakes up and you're not there because you're grabbing your pjs or something from your own room. when you come back he's herding you to the bed and just peppering you with kisses. you're both a little emotional and it's- it makes it so you don't talk to him again until cannes. you think maybe it's been fixed but he doesn't call you either and you're so horrible at asking for what you want that you just let it sit. or at least if you talk it's not about what happened. and it's probably over text.
except now you're so touch starved because you got a taste of him again that he spends half the photocall trying not to touch you for fear of your reaction and the other half of it and everything else actively making sure he's got some form of hand on you.
that night though? that night the dam breaks. you try and not call him, because you can do this. you can be fine without him. you are fine without him but this is the most he's touched you and all you literally want is him. that's all you've honestly wanted for a year because you've missed him. not just daddy. you've missed austin who'd take pictures of you and tell you how beautiful you'd look in the bath with bubbles all around. you've missed daddy who always made sure you were clean after sex even if "it's fine, daddy you're just gonna dirty me up again.".
so you call. you're on your bed, curled up into yourself as much as you can be and you call. maybe in some universes he doesn't pick up. but in this one, he does.
"dove?" silence because he's calling you dove and what are you doing calling him like this. "i can hear you breathing, little dove." a sniffle then. "talk to me, dove, don't- be a good girl and talk, baby." the sniffle has turned into a soft cry until. "daddy i'm sorry. can i please come to your room, please. i know everyone will see me but i need to see you."
austin doesn't say anything for a long while and you're not paying attention to the noise in the background. "you're not leaving your hotel room, little dove." and you start to fully sob swallowing the pleas that threaten to spill out before you hear a knock on your door. "open up. i'm not letting anyone see you like this."
you make up after that. there's issues with the vogue shoot, none really for the vman shoot but every other press event? he's handing you water bottles, food, has his hand on you somehow in every single second. you two wasted enough time for the year-ish you were separated. why waste more now? you start going to therapy. so does he. you go together.
he asks you to marry him at the end of the press tour. it should feel rushed and you almost pass out when he asks. "i like a courthouse better than vegas, daddy."
maybe you do both.
#austin butler x priscilla actress reader#austin butler x reader#austin butler x y/n#austin butler x you#this is what i was working on before my body reminded me caffeine and naps are note equal. it was a good nap though. so no complaints.
97 notes
·
View notes
Text
I've been bumming (mood swinging) the past few days and yesterday I had to call in cuz I was literally too weak to move which made me feel like the biggest loser in the world. Then a*** announced he had to go to practice for his mini tour this weekend so I was left to downspiral, which is fine cuz I'd rather that than punish him with my depressed mood, but all I can think about is how in 5 hours it will be 9pm and in 4 hrs it will be sundown and then tomorrow will come and I dread tomorrow.
I got home and just started working on being productive. Like doing ANYTHING. And I baked and cleaned and organized - I love my apartment so so much. I love getting to decorate it and claim it and make it my own space. I've chosen to modify it as much as I want and worry about putting everything back later and just accept that I won't get my security deposit back. I wish I was there more often. I desperately pray for another lockdown cuz I just want the time and space to be home and work on what I want to work on, because I have so many projects and ideas and I feel time dwindling!!!
And I think what may make it perfect is if I could come home to A* everyday.
I texted him and asked if he wanted to come over cuz lately I've been going over there which is feeling too routine and I wanted him to see the work I've been putting in and the giant TV I mounted. It was an evening that saved me. We played zelda and I made us pesto pasta and tbh I felt so cute in my apron cooking us dinner and watching dragons and slaying in my living room and staying physically close with him. I showed him the collar with the lock I got and he wasn't opposed to carrying the key... which felt like a dicey thing to bring up.
I asked him if he thought more about moving in. "I've been thinking about it. I'm pretty much down to move in here." I was surprised to hear that actually, and so I asked about things like any concerns we might have - I addressed the bathroom (attached to the bedroom with no fan 😅) and how we need to work on directly communicating when we need to be alone.. that was pointed at him cuz I've had to drag it out of him/read his subtext which I'm not gonna have energy to do 100%. I asked if he ever lived w a partner before and he said yes and I confirmed if it was tbe crazy one, which it was. And I asked if he thought I was crazy and he said no and laughed. Genuinely didn't know the answer to that question haha.
I also mentioned that he hasn't really seen me in a full blown manic episode but he has seen smaller ones, and my medication has me stabilized so I don't know if that's a likely possibility. I also had to bring up my 4am scrabbling, running around the house cleaning and moving things around - it's totally compulsive and a stress reliever I think.... I dont know how I'm going to be able to remove that from my routine... he was quiet.
Then we started talking about decor and I think that our styles would go well together! He said he thought I had a better sense of what looked good but I like his sense of decor and am really excited to continue nesting together! I offered to tone down the whimsy like juuuust a little but I still want goofy stuff around.
The thought has been making me happy and hopeful all day. I just have to keep auditing if I'm 100% certain about it all and think thru possible regrets n stuff. And I get a little anxiety thinking about like, what if the move-in day was tomorrow... I think the anxiety is rooted in the fear that he would regret it and lose interest in me. Or that I would realize just exactly how our lives work with 2 separate space. Idk, but he seems happy when we talk about it, and happy when I joke about us getting married, and he pulls me in to kiss my forehead all the time and I turn to find him smiling at me when I'm moving across the room. I feel so cute and lovey-dovey and silly when I'm with him. I was so serious and cautious when we first started dating. But he seems to love this side of me too
2 nights ago I went over to his after class and we were both so tired. It was a super windy night with a storm encroaching and it had been hailing on the other side of town. It was eerie and my favorite kind of nighttime atmosphere. After we watched a movie he started to rub my shoulders and slowly ran his hands over my chest and gently pulled me back against him and leaned in to kiss my neck and I didn't realize just how sensitive and erogenous that spot was and right as I started to sort of shake at the sensation, a huge wave of thunder shook the house. I couldn't make it up.
6 notes
·
View notes
Note
If Velvette does join Clara and Kiki’s relationship it will be a very very very slow process. It won’t be immediate, Velvette has to first actually apologize/make it up to Clara for how she treated Clara. Like Clara knows how much Velvette was hurt in her life but that still doesn’t stop or exactly excuse the fact that Velvette hurt Clara. Everytime Clara and Velvette broke up more often or not Clara was the one crying in the end often leaving Clara to self destructive tendencies and Velvette never actually meant any of her “apologies” she gave to get Clara back, they Weren’t even apologies. they where really more like some text about how “she’s sorry that Clara got soo upset over literally nothing (it was always about something), and they should meet to take photos or she needs something and to come to the vee’s tower with the items at a specific time” Velvette kinda just expected Clara to come back to her so she never actually tried and Clara did always come back. Clara was probably emotionally abused by Velvette, there allows going to be that fear of does Velvette actually care this time. Clara put everything aside for Velvette even if it did come to the expense of Clara own mental and physical health. Apart of Clara sure, will always care about Velvette but there still the damage. Kiki for her part has heard the many awful things Velvette has done to Clara and seen how uncomfortable Clara got when Velvette was trying to get her back by mass amounts of affectionate/attention, Kiki has work hard to help Clara through the emotional trauma Velvette left. I feel like Kiki wants make sure Clara feels comfortable at time too. I also feel like Clara emotional state, if they do add Velvette will be a big factor. But also Velvette has to prove that it not to piss off anyone in Clara’s family anymore, she really in it because Velvette wants to be in a. Relationship with them, not because it will benefit her in anyway or the vee’s. I feel like Clara would try to keep some distance at least in the beginning. Velvette will actually have to work for Clara’s and Kiki’s trust and they most likely be some hard boundaries.
Do I like the idea of Velvette joining Clara and Kiki’s relationship? maybe I’m still on the fence about that. But you can’t just forget that Clara and Velvette was toxic, that there are many things that Velvette has to improve on before Clara even will feel safe in an another relationship with Velvette even if Kiki is there now.
Oh yes, absolutely, anon! I think all of that is a given. None of Velvette's behavior was justified, and the awful things Velvette did to Clara when they were together definitely need to be addressed before they can truly heal. But if anyone in Hell can be redeemed, maybe not in the going-to-Heaven sense, but in an unlearning toxic behavior sense, I think Velvette would be a good candidate for that. Even though she is a part of the Vees, they really don't seem to give her the credit or the affirming type of attention that she needs. She's a means to an end more than anything, and she has some sense of duty there that overrides everything else in her life, so she needs to learn to balance those things better.
And maybe at first it's not a dedicated partnership like Clara and Kiki have. It is heavily implied that Velvette is also involved with Vox and Valentino. And she's so popular, I imagine she has no shortage of interested partners. I'm not sure how Velvette would handle that moving forward, other than maybe starting a casual thing with Clara and Kiki to test the waters, and maybe it becomes more serious later on. Like you said, it's going to be a slow process. Old wounds would not heal immediately. There may be some lingering animosity and fear. Maybe there is a reluctant friendship that turns into more, and they kind of gradually become a throuple.
Yes to everything you said!
#hazbin hotel#helluva boss#clara hazbin hotel#kiki helluva boss#velvette hazbin hotel#vox hazbin hotel#valentino hazbin hotel#the vees#ask#anon#fan theories#velkira
3 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
idiotwithasword
Your local unhinged librarian
crazysorafangirl
Just Breath
pleasesavejasontodd
pleasesavejasontodd -> hotdadslade
