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coffeewithcutcaffeine · 5 months

Note

Not to be nosy but I need to know all about the research behind Vlad being a loverboy 😳

Anon... Bless your soul skdhsksfkskf prepare for it to be stained with my unholy research. I apologise beforehand to any precious people out there who have to bear witness to my lunacy on this blog (I blame the exam period for this). 🙈❤️️

The people-pleaser in me wants to clarify first that my story will include numerous sexual scenes. I write about adult themes taking place in the lives of adult people. Vlad was a father to three or four children (that we know of) and married twice. Also, we know he had a mistress. People have always been fascinated by the connection between Vlad the Impaler and sexuality, man or vampire. It is a natural part of life. Hence why research happened in the first place.

Also, putting a warning tag on this, as well as hiding the rest under the cut because, well... The "top-tier lover boy" theory deserves to be delivered in full detail lmao. Do not read if you think it might irritate or trigger you in any way!

I think one of the most frequent phenomena in media is to portray Vlad/Dracula as a sexually agile and experienced man/vampire who knows how to satisfy his partners in a way that no (or very few) other men can. This stems from the frequently used characterisation that the main male character must excel in bed compared to others. Additionally, we also have the depiction of either a very masculine and virile warrior or a seductive vampire that contributes to it. I believe it is okay to work with this, but his skills would not simply miraculously be given to him. I prefer a great touch of realism when portraying my characters, so I have spent considerable time contemplating how he could realistically attain such *ehm* talents *ehm*.

When I say realistically, it is because Wallachia was a European country with Christian beliefs which influenced every aspect of cultural life, including matters related to sex and sexuality. While there may have been some differences between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church at that time, they likely shared similar views on these matters. In European culture during that period, sex was generally seen as something impure and sinful, intended only for procreation. Any form of pleasure, more adventurous positions, or other performances (insert anything you please here) were heavily frowned upon (like one-way-ticket-to-hell frowned upon). If we do discuss pleasure, it was primarily focused on male pleasure, with little consideration given to whether or not a woman enjoyed herself. That does not sound like an environment where a healthy and enjoyable perspective on sex could thrive or be obtained.

But.

Because Vlad spent most of his puberty and adolescence in the Ottoman Sultanate (he was taken hostage at ten years old and was released at sixteen), he grew up in this environment during a period that, aside from all the bodily changes, is known for sexual maturation and first sexual activities. This means that Vlad would not only be exposed to a different outlook on one’s sexuality at a time when he would actively start to be interested in such things (and the Ottomans’ perception of sex was significantly different from that of the European Christian mindset), but he would also likely have his first sexual experiences here. (Also, this might help explain why I try to establish his character as a man who treats women with respect, and why there are practically zero traces of sexism or misogyny in his behaviour.)

I am aware that there are many prejudices surrounding Ottoman culture, suggesting that it was oppressive towards women, but the reality is that Ottoman (and Muslim in general) women enjoyed more freedom and equal treatment compared to Christian women during that time (not as we imagine in the 21st century, but certainly more equal than compared to Europe). For instance, despite the common belief that harems were exclusively a centre for “female sexual slaves”, not all women in the Harem were there for sex, and some of these women held significant power at courts and even owned property (if you want to learn something interesting about just how powerful the Ottoman women could be, I recommend reading about the Sultanate of Women). During the formative years of a young man's life, when they are more attentive to how others treat women, Vlad would be raised in such an environment.

Regarding sex, Ottoman norms and perceptions did not attach shame to sexuality or sexual activity. They viewed it as a normal and healthy aspect of human life. They also believed that both men and women shared the same sexual nature, emphasising that both genders deserved to derive pleasure from sexual acts, and sexual partners were not held to be more estimable based on gender (many proofs can be found in the Ottoman literature from that period). Also, in contrast to the Christian medical culture which strictly discouraged sex during pregnancy, the Ottomans, following the principles and teachings of Arabic medicine, advised women not to abstain from sex as complete abstinence was not recommended.

As for where he would gain the experience — purely for my fictional version of Vlad. It would be extremely challenging to start a sexual relationship with a girl from the harem as it was a highly protected section of the palace, and being found there without the explicit permission of the sultan often resulted in execution. There were exceptions, of course — the greatest honour a sultan could bestow upon a male guest was to present him with an odalisque from his court. However, I do not think it would be realistic to give a rebellious young man who constantly caused trouble a girl from the harem. (On the other hand, there is some evidence suggesting that Sultan Murad II seemed to have some fondness for Vlad, so... Maybe? I need to figure it out.) A more plausible scenario would be for him to meet a girl in public baths (some historical accounts suggest that certain hammams may have facilitated more clandestine activities), taverns, or other venues. My general idea is that there was someone who helped him explore his own sexuality but also taught him the importance of viewing women as equal sexual partners, as well as how to please a woman and what exactly to do to achieve that.

To conclude this stream of historical facts and sum it up, this environment and outlook on sex, as well as having his first exposure to sex in the Ottoman Empire, would ensure that he learned how to be a generous and respectful lover who was not ashamed of healthy sex and wanted his partner to feel good. Feel free to use this lecture in case it might be helpful!

(Also, just a little bonus note — the Ottomans had a more liberal approach to same-sex relationships compared to Europe, although still complex and a little complicated. During that time, public norms displayed fluid gender expressions, and attitudes towards same-sex relationships were diverse. Ottoman poets openly explored same-sex love, and there were no legal sanctions for such relationships, despite possible negative perspectives from some individuals. I mention this because this, too, might have influenced the degree of Vlad’s open-mindedness towards other human beings. We also know that Vlad’s younger brother Radu had a sexual relationship with Sultan Mehmed II and, although their relationship was exploitative and as far from healthy as it could possibly get, the exposure to a different approach to same-sex relationships could have made him non-judgmental about the general notion of his younger brother’s sexual orientation, as well as understanding of the unhealthy impact the relationship had on his brother as he could see what was healthy and what was harmful.)

Now let me bury myself in a tiny box lmao.

#( oc: if i cannot move heaven i will raise hell )#in today's episode of lin discussing historical figures' sexy times #let me slowly slide backwards into the shadows and hide sksksk

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blooming-magic-glimpse · 10 months

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I am not seeking any validation. I was wrongly portrayed by someone here. So I just wanted to make my stand clear. That's all. What would I gain by being acknowledged as his tf/fs. Nothing.. Nada.

I think it is a bit harsh to judge a person whom you haven't even met in real life. If being honest felt like I was trying to be a wanna be I don't know what to say.

Earlier I said I was feeling all angsty and heartbeat rising up. I took some time off. I needed some solitude to reevaluate my thoughts. Why would I hate a person who has no idea of my existence? The best thing to do is to detach. I felt better after that.

Everyone is reading only the parts they want to read. It is always the case. He is not even my type. I would rather have chosen Namjoon or yoongi who are actually my type if I wanted to "fantasise" as being a BTS fs . We don't even know if they will ever marry at all. So why JK? I am not someone to fall for all that grandiose.

I don't watch his lives nor his videos nor his interviews. Out of all the lives he has done I have seen maybe one ? Still you say I am obsessed with him. Tell me how?

Aww he is so good looking he sings so good he is good at everything, he is the heartthrob of millions of girls. Let me make him my fs. So that I get some leverage. U think this is the case for me?

Why would I want him as my fs. Is it money? I would rather use mine. I would only want things which I can afford. So pls. Is it the status he holds in society? Again no it is not it. Is it the looks, nope. I am sorry. Also pls don't ever fall for looks guys. It is not everything.

Do I spend hours looking at his photos or videos? again nope. Still there is some undeniable pull. I can't explain. Pls don't start picking me on it. I beg you.

I can't say if I have a connection to him unless I meet him right? I repeat I did not talk like yeah I am his tf what about it. I just wanted to write there (on YouTube) as a warning to other girls who might be having similar experiences to be wary of what they are experiencing and to be mindful and now I am a wanna be??

I don't care if the whole world is against me. If I am truthful to myself it is enough. To people still nitpicking on me I have nothing to say. Pls stop trying to portray someone as this and this when you don't actually know them in person. It is easier to point a finger.

On an ending note I will write a poem here

Can I love you?

Not for what you are;

Not for what you were;

Not for what you are going to be;

Can I love you

For just being you?

Oh! Let us rest for some time,

Letting go of all this chase,

On my mind all day;

Can't free myself from you,

You are the drug that keeps me high;

Baby you are my fantasy,

I am too drunk on your love.

It is a lame poem but I wanted to end this post on a good note. Bye!!

Why do you feel such a need to justify yourself anon ? If you wanted to talk privately with me i can answer not anonymous asks privately and my DMs are open.

The reason why people on the blog currently act about you as if you were a wannabe is because according to all the information you have given them anon, you are one. YOU are the one burying yourself deeper and deeper in your justifications. It would have been enough to just read my PSA silently. If you felt targeted that is between you and your conscience. If you are the person I think you are, i told you specifically what behaviors you had and why they would put you in danger. You chose to act dodgy again, not my problem. You chose to come here multiple times, to justify yourself for no reason, to expect emotional labor from strangers.

Im gonna repeat myself again, but i dont give a shit about what you think or dont think yourself as.I dont give a shit wether you are more attracted to jungkook or yoongi or namjoon. I DONT GIVE A SINGLE FUCK ABOUT YOUR YOUTUBE HISTORY EITHER.

What i care about is your actions. And what you did, anon, is repeatedly come into my asks box bc you felt targeted and wanted to justify yourseld repeatedly for things no one accused you of but your conscience. And if you are the person i think you are, your actions are trying to create "hints" inviting people to think you are jks fs, or at least a bts fs. Repeatedly. I warned you of the risk to be harassed or bullied, of falling into spiritual psychosis or obsession. All the cards are in your hands now.

I will not take this matter publicly anymore. You either come talk privately in my dms or I block you, but I will not play this public,guilty telephone game anymore.

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sweetkakashihatake47 · 11 months

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Hello! First of all I want to say I love your blog! It is always nice to find someone to share opinions. I want to comment last anon ask and your answer. I agree with you 100%! But, many of my friends who claim to be very objective in their characters analysis of Naruto, and actually use the word “ship” in a negative perspective, always point me out that canonically Kakashi would never love Sakura romantically. They say that my interpretation is too occ and I’m transforming Kakashi to someone else, someone I like but it is not the one portrayed in the manga. I fell very sad when they say this because actually I really feel that their love potentially would really possible and not just for my headcanons but because I really saw some situation in the manga that makes me think so. I ship them basing on some hint I really got reading the panels, is not like put together people who never met each other. The only one I’m changing is Sakura because in my mind at a certain point she would see Sasuke as a dear friend and no more as a crush, and yes this is occ. What do you think about it? Thank you.

Hi Anon,

thanks so much for asking me! First of ...Naruto series is not an adult series ...rather one for kids young adults and Teens. So of course we do not see overly romantic or sexual scenes. God forbid! But....and there is a big but....! Kakashi would love Sakura romantically and here is why: Whenever I rewatch Naruto ..and I do it over and over again ..I am stunned again and again ..at how gentle and kind Kakashi is to Sakura. I kind of realized this ...when I began to write a FF for Reader and Kakashi ..where all scenes of Naruto classic beginning are contained in that FF..and there I realized the many occasions ..Kakashi seemed to be drawn to Sakura. And its an ongoing thing ...it does not ...end with Naruto . ..no no! I was literally stunned ...at how much ..Kakashi seeks the attention from her ...first I ...I grew jealous ..out of it! it was ..as if almost ..the reader stands in competition with Sakura ..when it comes to Kakashi. And its fact and canon. I could not believe it at first! In order to write the story as accurate as possible I had to rewatch. That is the beginning ..why I now am highly vocal about Kakasaku. Now ..if you watch it because of the fights and what not ..and are focusing on such things ..or the Jutsus and Chakras ..the arcs ..and the character growth ...you do not realize it. You have to watch it very closely ..and then ..you can see it what I mean. Or write a FF from the persepective of the reader who is part of the series...as in my case. Kakashi says of himself ..that he has many hobbies ..and the official characterization of him says ..that he has many hidden talents ...and that he is rather very domestic. This tells me ..that we dont see the whole personality of Kakashi in the series. When we see him ...being positively surprised of Sakuras strength in the seconed bell test ...and him thinking of the possibility that Sakura could be the better Kunoichi than a Tsunade ...I feel ...that is love and admiration! When we see him ..rescueing her ..over and over again ...not critizising her ....worried about her ...and in the end of fourth great Ninja war holding her ..standing by her side ..stroking her cheek ..touching her ...defending her against a Sasuke ...and it is all canon. He is sooo gentle to her. And to no other woman. That is the point. I feel Kakashi has hidden sides ...that is not shown in the series. We see hints of it. Him aproving of Asumas and Kureneis relationship , him loving to read Icha Icha ..who he himself describes it at one point ( Jiraya interviews Kakashi) as dramatic ..romantic and what not ..tells me ..that he indeed can be wonderfully romantic as well .I also feel ..that when it comes to love ...Kakashi has to have a deep connection to his love interest. He is not the man ..who is just struck down by physical attributes. The most important thing to him in a relationship ..I would say ..is trust and Teamwork. Everyone can be romantic in some way or another. It depends ..how you define romance. Romance can also be ..very simple natural things in our daily life. Next time ..you can go to your friends and let them read my answer to you here! SasuSaku for me ..is the irony pairing. Sakura in my opinion did not grow much...but ..with Kakashi on her side ...she would have! No doubt about it! Conclusion ...of course Kakashi would love Sakura romantically ..its all there ..and its canon! There are so many hints that point in that direction. I hope ..I could help you out ! 🥰

#kakashihatake #sakurahanuro #kakasaku #anonask #myanswer

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writemywaytoyourheart · 1 year

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how do you feel about writing about members ? Does it ever feel weird to you ?

Not really ?

I've kinda answered this a few times before but you might not have seen it so I don't mind saying it again 😊 before I start, I want to make sure the anon that sent this knows that I am not assuming anything about you, you might not disagree with me at all about fanfic and this was a genuine question just bc you were curious. You might not be judging or assuming things about me or fanfic writers. But some people are, so I'd like to address that and or them.

This is my experience, I am not saying this is how all fanfic writers view this or how they feel about this. This is me as an individual and what goes on for me in my brain.

I am not hating/judging other writers/readers in this post. These are my personal preferences and why. Someone might have a wonderful point to say as to why I'm wrong also. I think most writers on here are wonderful and have no ill intentions.

BTS is my inspiration. I think lots of fans can say that. They inspire me personally in lots of ways; to be a better person, to love myself, to advocate for people, to have big dreams. Lots of things. I also happen to be a writer.

Artists use them all the time for their artwork. They make them into cool mythical creatures or as different characters in different ways. And they are praised for their hard work and beautiful outcomes. I think fanfic writers aren't nearly as appreciated and even judged for the same reasons artists are praised.

My characters are just that. My characters. If you read my works, you'll see that it is obviously not an attempt to copy the idols and/or assume how they would act in a story. I don't know them in real life, and I never will.

But I do admire them and how they treat people from what I've seen. I also will occasionally throw in cute things they've said or done just for funsies and comedic relief.

Again, I do not write smut, so that is a boundary I do not cross in my own personal thoughts. For all I know they couldn't care less if people write smut about them, we don't know, and we most likely never will.

We as readers, writers, and fans in general should keep in mind that these are real people and not the characters we read or write about or just dolls dancing on a stage. Perhaps they would react the exact opposite from what we think! We don't know.

Another thing I've mentioned is that I will not write the members as abusers. Yes, I'll write them as fictional beings such as vampires, but that's very different imo. I will never portray the people I love as something they are not when it is in that way.

I'm not sure if you've read my works, nonnie. but if not I hope you give them a chance. Sometimes I think people come over from random blogs and send these messages to a bunch of writers to try and catch them off guard. I've got nothing tho lol, like I said I don't write things that in my opinion are crossing any boundaries. And some people might disagree.

But please don't assume things about me and just send these messages bc you see I'm a BTS writing blog and want to put pressure on me to defend myself. (This is also to past asks and asks I've seen other writers get this is not directed at this specific anon).

I always say that at the end of the day, if BTS were to ever read my works, I'd want them to feel honored and appreciated that they were used for such inspirational and wonderful characters. That they would be proud of the work I used them as inspiration for. I use them because I truly see them as wonderful human beings that I'd like my characters to be like.

But again, my characters are not the members. Take AFTH for example. Jungkookie in real life is not a hitman and is not cold to people. But he has inspired people not to give up, to fight for something they love. Lotus/JK in my story has that trait.

I'm not sure why people get so up in arms about people using them as inspiration, for putting them in a story. I really don't see that as long as certain boundaries are not crossed, why we can't bring comfort to everyday people that gain hope or a break from this stressful world by being in an awesome story with someone they admire and love.

Some people need this little break in life. They look forward to coming home and forgetting that wretched day they had by curling up and putting themselves into a story with someone they look up to. They get to be the center for a moment, they get to be the one that someone loves and takes care of, the one that someone wants around all the time. They get to be the hero, they get to break only to be built up even stronger than before. They get to lose things only to gain so much more. They can escape.

Why can't we just let them do this without judgement? Why can't we let them read or write these things without labeling them or shaming them or accusing them?

Cheese and crackers y'all 🙄

I really think we all need to take a step back and look at ourselves and really think about why we are judging people. Is it valid? Or are we projecting our own insecurities on them when they don't deserve it?

I'm talking about me too guys. I'm human and I make automatic assumptions that I really wish I didn't sometimes. We are all humans and we all make mistakes, we should just keep trying to better ourselves every day. If any idol ever says they are not comfortable with something, I personally will stop immediately if it involves me.

Yeah, so again, I just think we should leave people alone if it's not necessary to call them out. And sometimes it is.

But can we please let fanfic readers have their special thing? Can we let them escape for a moment? Please and thank you.

ILY 💝

-chip

#asks #anon #bts #bts fluff #bts reactions #bts angst #jeon jungkook #kim taehyung #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #min yoongi #jung hoseok #park jimin

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grapecaseschoices · 1 year

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I discovered so many cool ifs thanks to your blog. I must say your taste in characters and stories is exquisite. Do you have a certain type of favourite ROs as in are there some romance tropes that you always go for? I'm a sucker for the emotionally unavailable ROs, so Orion and August have me in a chokehold rn. I'm honestly having so much infamous brainrot after reading that amazing demo. Do you prefer gender-selectable or gender-locked ROs? I personally don't mind either way as long as they're well written and portrayed. And you're so right we need more NB/Trans ROs for sure! Specially more that are POCs! <3

Oh, anon you don't know how much this makes me SMILE! Not so much about my tastes (though I'm smiling on that too, you flatterer :-P) but because of the IFs. I think Interactive Fiction is such a delightful medium with SUCH potential, and I love trying to stuff it into more people's faces.

Oh, man. I've actually been thinking of this -- because I once semi-jokingly said/had the thought that I always go for the characters of color [that's not TRUE, but I feel like I'm more inclined to give them a chance regardless of trope as long as I find the character intriguing enough] because I want to make sure they get love. So, I feel like I haven't really been looking at games/stories through tropes of late -- because IFs haven't yet reach a place where I'm afforded that? I don't know if I'm making sense.

BUT this question definitely took me back, lmao. And it is going to expose why TWC will always be on my neck, as well as that I am a LITTLE bit of a liar (because thinking on this made me realize though I may try and be broad with my interests to support characters of color, my subconious is a clown and likes what it likes werew lmao).

TL;DR I do love the stoic ones. I do love the ones that seem indifferent and/or cold or just So Serious and Don't Have Time For Your Tomfoolery but also have a sense of humor, a sense of justice/loyalty, and can get super soft/flustered for MC (but not just mc but their loved ones:

A du Mortain 🤡

Orion Quinn (Orion chuckling at Rowan's jokes privately? I knew he was the one for me BUT THAT SOLIDIFIED IT. I AM GONE FOR HIM)

August Pierce (letting themselves be suckered into things by their sister, being flustered by MC in a romance??)

Calderon (Andromeda Six)

Elliot (OFNA) - though I haven't gotten far in ofna.

D (atoc)

I love the soft and bright ones. Sometimes they're sarcastic (but to a point. There's a reason why I love the Scott McCalls more than the Stiles Stilinkis), they're mischevious. They don't need to have a dark past but I'm not against it. They're still KIND despite all they've gone through. Their hearts are just so BIG. And if you throw in a bit of friends to lovers? I'M THERE.

F Hauville.

Bash (a6)

I think Victoria might fit here, but more of a hardened shell version (which I wanted to add I feel this type has a lot of subcategories that I also enjoy). A more defiant version, a version who is less impulsive, more in control? idk what im saying. Which I'd also put Ayame from A6 here.

Skye Cortéz from Skin and Scales.

I feel Kiran from Unseelie will fit this.

Those are clear off the top of my head but there are other ones I like. I love characters that have poise but also are cunning (I think A from ATOC would fit here if you need an example; Sabir from the Exile, Straasa from TSSW, Leonie from Reaper's Bay .... that theyre all black is a coincidence -- one I JUST realized wqere lmao), I love childhood friends to lovers as I stated, I love enemies to reluctant allies to friends to lovers, I love second chance romances (or reunited friends that turn to romance). I'm blanking at personalties, right now. I'm sorry.

Oh, negl. Sometimes I go for the 'fuck everyone but you' Villain. I like it when the powerful "bad" guy (gn) is obssessed with MC. Like, not an RO but for an example Falk. Or an actual RO Manerkol from The Soul Stone Wars. Krios from Dying Stars.

Sometimes, but not always, I go for the hopelessly devoted and utterly loyal to MC bodyguard sort like Kai from Reaper's Bay. Devoted and protective does usually get my pitter patter - like John from Made Marian, but like I said not always. Especially if OVERPROTECTIVENESS can be a point of discussion between the pair (ie mc and the ro).

There are other stuff but i am blanking right now.

As for gender, I don't care generally -- but I do tend to shy away if there isn't an NB option when they're gender selectable, and if there isn't I want at LEAST ONE NB ro (more than one) that isn't gender selectable. I like it better tho when it's all gender selectable or like two are gender selectable and the rest are set genders but evenly so.

and yes that SPECIFICNESS -- you make a point I hadn't even thought of: DEFINITELY need more trans/nb options, PERIOD, but please writers and artists should consider having them of color as well!!

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lutawolf · 2 years

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Hi Luta,

Found your blog cuz of "Love in the air" and had been reading through it. I greatly appreciate your reviews and thoughts as it helps me understand more of my own and the portrayed fictional characters' Kink. So Thank you!

I'm still new here and I have never asked any questions. So I'm sorry if anything what I ask about or the way I ask is offensive. Please let me know if I do offend you in anyway.

I am still a little apprehensive of something that transpired in the first episode of love in the air. Considering that Rain is truly clueless of how his actions come off as an invitation for Phayu and even if Rain's 'No' kink had awakened on Phayu's bed....it bothers me that Phayu, being someone who's experienced, didn't stop when Rain said his actual and real NO and instead asked Rain to stop playing hard to get. He then pushed Rain into having to smack Phayu with a pillow to stop. Why do you think that is? I mean....if Phayu had been able to read that Rain is possibly or surely a brat sub, shouldn't he have also been able to tell that the no Rain said at that point was a real NO? Or did Phayu realize it and still push on purpose? Or was that 'no' not a real NO. It did feel like an actual "NO get off me" to me.....I'm confused.

Another question cuz i'm curious. We have established that Phayu is a dom who is extremely sexy and kinky. We also know that Phayu has had quite some or lot of sexual experience. But do you think that all his sexual encounters after discovering himself as a dom could've been with subs? I mean, as a dom, after realizing your preferences in BDSM and kink, would you only choose your partners even if its for a one night stands that fulfill those requirements or would you still just go for quick flings and not mind if the other person may possibly be a vanilla or another dom? Would love to know your take....Thank you!

Hey Hey Anon!!!

I'm glad you are enjoying the reviews and starting to gain a new perspective!

I think what a lot of people aren't realizing is that Mame is a Kinkster and very much a community member. People within the community can easily spot it because there are things highlighted that happen within the community. Things that we don't necessarily talk about or address with vanillas.

The good Kinksters are 100% about safe, sane, and consensual but when you go deep, there is a fine line. In this regard a scene can be safer because others are watching and can step in. Private or life style is a bit different. You can have guidelines and safe words but we are talking high octane emotions going and shit happens and sometimes things go too far. Like how it did with Payu and Rain. Sometimes a submissive has to hit a Dom upside the head.

Now Payu caught the signals that Rain is attracted to him. He even caught that he is dealing with a baby sub. That's it though. He doesn't know the experience level. Normally this would be addressed in guidelines but we are talking movie magic. So all that being swept under the rug for the sake of being entertainment. Therefore we have someone who has been flirting with him and showcasing brat traits which is home dude's type. He makes what he assumes is very wanted advances. Yes, Rain is saying No but it's just like the No Kink. He's tilting his head back, getting hard, and making facial expressions of want. Watch Payu and see how many times he looks up and checks. So nope, I'm not surprised that he missed the hard no. We as viewers saw it but turn at it and look from his point of view. Then Rain smacked him upside the head. Essentially bringing him back and while he teased, he stopped. That is what a good Dom does, recognizes the line cross and backs off. No reprimanded, just step back.

That last question would make this a really long answer. Because there are a lot of variables involved. And honestly I'm not comfortable explaining it because it's things a newbie or vanilla will absolutely not get.

So we'll just address a few points. Dominants don't just fuck submissives but aren't likely to give up their Dominance either. Generally speaking you know before getting to the bedroom if they can take your Dominance even if you're not commanding. Think that controling fuck where the person you were with had full control and you just had to go where they wanted you to. That's a Dom with a soft sub or a vanilla.

Hope this was helpful 💜💜💜

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rrxnjun · 1 year

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stress is deff a bitch but i feel like me and stress are the same now so🤡🤡

it's the 20th of august🤭 nooo that's a bit sad that u couldn't add urs but ur still a king for adding three birthdays in there🫡

WELL I HOPE THAT WONT HAPPEN AGAIN!!🤣 whaaattt that's such a long time oh my but the fact that u still had it is jaw dropping tbh

i don't understand why middle aged women have to be so rude sometimes☹️ wait i completely forgot that accents exist oh my god now thats even worse🥲 YEYY U SHOULD ARANGE ONE IN OCTOBER AS WELL COME TO THE 5SOS SHOW WITH ME/j (i'm heartbroken i have no one to go with so i probably can't attend) (i hope this doesn't break ur heart more cuz i saw ur posts about them sorry if it does☹️☹️hope i didn't cross a line with this joke☹️)

NOT TELLING ANYONE🫢 i look up to u for that cuz i'm still pretty much unable to do i suck💔 SO TRUE THE BEST DESCRIPTION I HEARD OF THEM JUST SOME GUYS!! i was so sad when yedam and mashiho left and i understand the soft spot he is such a lovely guy🥹 being a treasure stan is fun and a heartbreak but glad u admit now that ur a teume 🥲😌 ofc ofc we are sharing😵‍💫 HE IS SUCH A MENACE AND ITS SO FUNNY tbh he was the reason why i came back to tumblr cuz i wanted to see more content and things about him then i ran into the same problem as u that there are not that many writers in the fandom here tbh (or i just can't find them)💔 (sooo if u end up writing something for jihoon i will be waiting🫣)

IT SHOULDNT BREAK UR HEART IM SORRY IT WAS A CRY IN A POSITIVE WAY!!! i think it just means u portray emotions well (?) cuz every time there is a good sad scene in movies or books i just have to fight the tears back even when i was in a good mood before💔 AND THANK U FOR BEING AN AMAZING WRITER AND JUST BEING LOVELY AND READING MY LONG ASS REPLIES LMAO U ARE JUST TOO NICE OF A PERSON💖💕💝 (liebestraum anon💕)

omg 20th august is such a good bday to have im noting it down!!! 😌😌

IT IS the fic was originally supposed to be a part of collab but the writer deactivated and cancelled it but when i asked if i can keep the idea they were ok with it!! so yeah hopefully one day 💓

LOOK lets go to the concert together 😭😭 im like,, half serious and half joking 😭😭😭 i keep telling my mum about it and like the bus tickets to budapest are only 7€ and then i can find a cheap hotel and shit and i have money saved for the tickets 😭😭😭 like. budapest is objectively the closest stop to me ((even tho im still salty there is no vienna then i would go for sure) and i wanted to visit anyway 😌 but my mum doesnt wanna go w me and my dad doesnt either and i have no friends that would wanna go w me either and i am not allowed to go alone so. theres that 😭😭 i dont think ill get to go tbh im still kinda heartbroken but oh well its not the first time :// if i didnt live in such a shitty ass place this would all be easier 😭

girl i think its a miracle tbh but i got the names down. thanking my hyperfixation tendencies 💓💓💓 when i saw it i was so shocked tbh and now i keep getting sad mashidam edits on my tiktok fp and living through the pain LMAO. GIRL my crush on jihoon is getting out of control like genuinely what the fuck is happening to me- WHY IS TEUMEBLR SO DRY THO WHERE ARE THE FICS ??? i found like 3 fics and the rest are like 2 years old headcanon posts its such a struggle 😭😭 do i really have to do everything myself on this site.... (dont feed my delusions but give it a few months and if i dont fall out of them i can see myself creating a seperate treasure blog.....got a jihoon drabble idea the other day but. i will contain myself. so far he's the new main side character of the mark fic im writing 🥴)

awh you are too sweet 😭😭😭😭 thank u so so much !!!! this means the whole world to me 💓 once again was happy to hear from u, hope youre doing well ily xx

#💌ask #liebestraum anon

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frostythefrostedfox · 1 year

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#ReadAnotherBook and stop crying about the idw comics

Please fill in the annexed form so your feedback can be properly ignored and laughed at when the owner of the blog has nothing better to do, which is most of the day anyways. Thank you!

And worry not fellow "too-scared-to-use-my-user", brother of "i-need-anon-to-talk-shit", cousin of "i-couldnt-just-read-another-post-instead", there are other posts underway such as why Techno-Karen is a nothing character; how midtiers manages to please everyone by pleasing nobody, how sonic prime is actually really bad, more metal gear fangirling and much more reviews of games that only I like, like Drakengard.

Also, on an unrelated note

I know who you are, so I am glad to see that despite our differences in opinions, you still come back to read the things I say and bitch about all day long, I really cannot wait for your next comment, as these are the only way I have of measuring the quality of the content I provide, but to show you that I care about the feedback and would love to see more of it, I can complain about another "book", just for you, that's right, all you had to do is ask, so simple! That way you can see that I dislike many things, not just one in particular.

One of the parts that I dislike the most about the Archie Sonic comics is how much they stray away from everything Sonic related, yes, they are a part of a different continuity like Sonic X and Sonic Boom, yet those two still maintain the characters for what they are, while here they become basically the opposite, Sonic being an insufferable annoying cunt with an ego as big as the sun, being obstuse and never listening to anything was quite the shocker, considering that Sonic has never and will probably never act like that in any game, why is Sonic being portrayed as this almighty hero that feeds off social clout and only lives to be praised by the masses as if he was Homelander from The Boys; Archie strayed away in more ways than just the characters tho, one of them was also the topic and the messages of their stories, Sonic was never intended to have a conglomerated storyline, full of political drama and serious real life parallels that would make you rethink the way society acts, yet Archie is full of those, Archie believes that it can make itself "mature" just because everyone is mean and walter white is canon to their universe and there are tyranical leaders, but being mature is more than that, and games like sonic 06 really showed that you can still have a "kid friendly" game while having a mature storyline despite its own flaws, big flaws, in the execution of said game.

A personal gripe of mine is also the artstyle, at times it can look good and fitting, but most the time it looks out of place, wonky and amateurish, most sonic meme reaction images come from Archie for a reason, yet even when it looks good in my opinion, it still has this cartoonish look to it that makes it look very fake to me, but again, this point is entirely a subjective thing as I prefer more realistic artstyles in the media I consume, like the one used in Sonic X and Sonic 06.

I really hope you enjoyed this mini commentary on Archie, I really put a lot of effort into it, I really want people to see that I am able to complain about everything! Mayhaps I'll even make this into a full post about Archie, who knows, but if it does, I want you to know that this was only possible thanks to YOU, if it wasn't for your comment, I would have never realized these things, thanks!

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doctorofmagic · 2 years

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hey i just stumbled across your blog the other day and saw that you’re a doomstrange enthusiast. first of all HUGE respect, second of all, i often find myself losing my mind over their whole dynamic during hickman’s secret wars. how stephen willingly stayed by victor’s side even though he found reed + the other survivors. the fact that he waited YEARS to wake them because his faith in victor and his ability to play god was so strong. idk i would love to hear any thoughts you have on secret wars doomstrange

A-Anon... Oh my Vishanti, I always go feral when someone asks me about them, ESPECIALLY Secret Wars. My apologizes in advance, I'll write an essay (that anon will definitely harass me after that but do I care at this point? nah 😅)

*cracks fingers*

I don't even know where to start because I know the focus here is Secret Wars, so my apologizes in advance for digressing... But I believe their previous history is fundamental to understand their relationship and dynamics in Battleworld. It's not something that was born in that scenario. And this is important because Victor is not the kind of man who trusts easily. Hell, he doesn't trust people AT ALL. He's a man motivated by emotions, despite his intellectual facade. And his emotions are usually twisted. This is why he loves and hates Reed so much and can't bring himself to admit he loves the man, their egos will always represent a threat to his confidence and self-worth because, yes, he IS insecure. Early Victor von Doom is portrayed as a melancholic man who despises himself for being scarred and unworthy of love. In addition, he grew up in an environment of hatred: his family was persecuted due to their Roma heritage by the former baron of Latveria. Both his mother and father were chased to death and even when he could have been loved and healed by Valeria, he decided to cast her away.

The only human being Victor trusts is Boris, to be fair. And even so, it's only because Boris never dared to intrude or disrespect their boundaries. Boris does see Victor as a son but he will never bring himself to act like a father because 1) he's a servant and 2) he will always obey Victor, no matter how twisted his intentions are.

And why am I saying this? Because Victor can't take no for an answer. And he can't trust people fully. But there's a certain wizard who stumbled into his life, and the most important point is, Stephen didn't really care about Victor BEFORE Triumph and Torment. It has always been the other way around. Victor considered becoming Stephen's apprentice the moment Clea left. HOW DID HE EVEN KNOW CLEA LEFT IN THE FIRST PLACE? It's not like Stephen put a sign outside the Sanctum where you could read "I lost my girlfriend and apprentice, we're hiring".

Doctor Strange v2 - Master of the Mystic Arts #57.

So truth be told, Victor was waaay more aware of Stephen's existence than the other way around (Stephen knew of Victor's magic skills before they met but they never really had the chance to meet before T&T, also the man is too busy to bother and go for a visit), and this is how Victor came up with a plan to save his mother and have Stephen's aid without even asking, because he's too proud for that: "Doctor Doom needs no one".

So there goes Stephen, "forced" to live 45 days in the company of Victor von Doom, teaching him magic, and learning Latverian, and unlocking Victor's past on day 1 because Boris was like "I'll tell everything about my master's past while he watches us over the monitor but that's okay because you seem to be a good man".

And this is the moment when Stephen comes to realize that maybe Victor isn't that villain everyone despises. He's actually a lovely man, broken and hurt, but a lovely one nonetheless. Victor allows Stephen to learn about his past, he allows Stephen to live in his castle, he allows Stephen to be aware of his strongest weakness (losing his mother to Mephisto). You see, Victor's thirst for power is one of his most intrinsic traits, and yet, when he has the opportunity to ask for more, he shows Stephen that no, actually, the most important thing to Victor is his mother. And the moment they go to hell, literally, in order to save Cynthia, Victor had tons of chances to betray Stephen and leave him behind. Because yes, he has betrayed his allies over and over again, but not Stephen, for some reason. He didn't allow the demons to touch him, he carried him in his arms even though we were robbed of this moment. And he left a device so Stephen could flee after the apparent "betrayal". This is NOT something Victor would do to his allies/enemies. This moment has been stuck in my mind for years now. Did Victor save Stephen because he saw him as a tool/potential ally for the future or because he cared? The mere fact that Victor doesn't allow the demons to touch Stephen convinces me that the latter is the right answer. Victor became soft towards Stephen, there's no other explanation to that. T&T was the first moment I realized that Victor was a gray character for yes, he CARES when portrayed correctly.

Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom - Triumph and Torment.

And then they have yet another moment of realization during Doctor Strange - Sorcerer Supreme #34 (and Infinity Gauntlet in general). Of course, Doom starts off with a direct assault at Stephen but he immediately retreats when Adam Warlock explains to him what's going on. Because Victor is frustrated when left in the dark (and I'll make a parallel later, just hang in there). So of course he will work with Stephen, but he can't resist the Infinity Stones, can he? So the assault backfires and he's vulnerable. And who else can save Victor but Stephen? Better yet, who else will believe in Victor's good when no one else does?

Doctor Strange - Sorcerer Supreme #34.

I mean, Victor has never EVER said "I am at your disposal" to anyone, he's too proud for that. Stephen has the ability to suppress Victor's ego and make him soft. And can we blame him for it? Stephen is a lovely and passionate man who always believes in people's best intentions. Victor certainly sees him like a fool, but he says that softly. Because he's grateful for that. Stephen literally saved his life and returned the favor from T&T when he could have gotten rid of a threat, of a broken and evil man. He didn't. He believes in Victor.

And then it all comes down to the road towards Secret Wars. Victor is frustrated again because both Reed and Stephen are keeping secrets. He hates it. He hates how Stephen is mean and how Reed plays oblivious because he's aware they're both smart men and they share at least a single bit of respect. I love Hickman's portrayal of Reed and Victor because he doesn't paint them as enemies. There's the old good sexual tension but enough respect for them to dine together without the whole "I'm trying to kill your family while I declare my love for you." And this single panel from New Avengers v3 is perfect to depict how their relationship matured, but also... Stephen is there. Who invited Stephen? Was it Reed or Victor? In the end, it doesn't matter that much because Stephen works an as anchor. He knows Victor and he's not afraid of confronting him (which will be later seen in Savage Avengers). And as I said, Victor hates taking no for an answer so yes, he's frustrated but he can't bring them harm because he loves and hates Reed and he's soft toward Stephen, so he can't really harm Reed no matter how frustrated he is. This is definitely important because it will reflect on their relationship during Secret Wars.

New Avengers v3 #7.

So Victor decides to work on his own to solve this whole puzzle while Stephen has a difficult and painful downfall while dealing with the Illuminati. He goes for dark magic and sacrifices so much in order to save something. It's only when he goes on his own journey that he finds a way toward the answer. And the answer is... well, Victor. Of all people, they meet at the end of the world. And both want to save something. Anything.

New Avengers v3 #33.

AND I KNOW I WROTE SO MUCH JUST TO GET TO SECRET WARS, I'M SO SORRY LMAO

My thoughts on Secret Wars are vast. It seems to me that Stephen at first didn't fully trust Victor, this is why he made sure to build Castle Doom on the place he has found the Infinity Stones (since Battleworld is a patched world, they can only work on Doomstadt). Also the man needs his privacy so he has a private isle to keep his secrets since Victor isn't omniscient. And this is okay because yes, Stephen IS loyal. I like to believe that, the more they lived together, the more Stephen trusted Victor to rule Battleworld. It became something special to them, to the point of Stephen becoming obsessed with his work as Victor's sheriff.

Meanwhile, Victor allowed Stephen to have the chance to take the power of the Beyonders before his turn. As I said, Victor craves power, and yet... The man really prioritized Stephen because he ~trusts~ him. And Stephen couldn't do it, he was afraid of said power. And so Victor became God Emperor Doom. Only this time, he isn't alone. Victor was god before, both in the first Secret Wars and during Avengers - Emperor Doom. He was mad bored in Avengers - Emperor Doom. He was alone and tired of bureaucracy, so he allowed the Avengers to take him down. How did he last eight years being a god then? Well, because he has someone to indulge him now. Someone real from the old world, someone who stands by his side for the real Victor. Everyone else is fake, a product of the multiverse. Stephen is real, Stephen remembers the old world and the things they've been through together. Victor has someone to have petty arguments about the world, he wants to be with Stephen because of their common interests, not because of work. And somehow Victor admires Stephen for being so committed to what they built together. Victor isn't a lonely god anymore.

Secret Wars #3.

And this is SO important because Victor sees how much Stephen gives his whole life to protect what they created together. Yes, he's a bore now but look at his commitment. He's begging Stephen to relax just for once so they can have a good time together. When is Victor ever relaxed?

Yes, yes, he's still depressed for being the only imperfect thing in his perfect world, he wishes he could leave in order to rest. Victor is a sad and tired god now because there's no point anymore. No challenge, no excitement. And the only person who can indulge him is too busy with their world to give him a little bit of entertainment. Still, Victor fully trusts Stephen now. And it's kinda mutual in a sense until things escalate, which is the whole drama of Secret Wars.

Mostly because Stephen wasn't aware that the pod protected the surviving heroes, ~especially~ Reed. He only found out when The Black Order showed up to threaten their world, so he decided to open it. And suddenly Stephen faces a huge conundrum. He KNOWS the heroes won't accept Victor as a god, as much as he KNOWS Victor will go apeshit the moment he sees Reed. And still, he stands by Victor.

Secret Wars #4.

So you see, Stephen never really "betrayed" Victor when he sent the heroes away. He did what he did because he believed Victor was better than pure hatred, he believed Victor wasn't a murderer. Until the very end, he trusted that Victor could handle this situation without succumbing to his twisted emotions. Sadly, Stephen was wrong. Though... I'm 100% sure Stephen would be by Victor's side if the heroes decided to take him down. This is the unspoken words between them and what it hurts me the most. Victor never gave a chance for Stephen to explain himself. He was so blind by hatred that he immediately assumed Stephen would protect them instead of their world. And all Stephen wanted was for them to co-exist peacefully. A fool's dream, indeed. Captain Marvel, T'Challa, Namor, Jane, Reed, they'd NEVER accept Victor as a god, they'd NEVER bend their knees to him, not like Stephen did. Because, again, they don't believe in Victor as much as Stephen does. They won't indulge him as Stephen did. And thus he pays with his own life.

The moment Victor loses Stephen is the moment Battleworld falls. Stephen was Victor's anchor, the only real person who believed in him and supported him and loved what they built together. Victor regrets what he has done. He misses Stephen, he's ashamed of his sin. Owen exposes him. "You think I couldn't smell the guilt on you? You reek of shame, god." Victor spends a whole day with his head raised to Stephen's statue whereas he always looked down on people from his throne. This is how important Stephen was to him. This is tragic poetry at its finest.

Secret Wars #5.

(Tumblr won't allow me to post more pics dang it.)

Victor also struggles to deal with his emotions after that since he feels betrayed. He does want to hate Stephen and see him as a traitor, so why does he stand there? Why does he reeks of guilt and shame? He loved Stephen, and yet he could never bring himself to admit that. Stephen was a snake in his garden, wasn’t he?

So yes, without Stephen, Victor will unleash his repressed emotions towards Reed all over again, and he will lose. I like to think that, when Reed says he could have done a better job, Victor only admits it because he knows Reed would never hurt Stephen. The face he does when Sue questions him...

Victor: Susan, there are complexities beyond even my ability to explain. If you will just trust me as you always have--

Sue: Like Stephen trusted you?

HE'S SO ASHAMED, and gods, Victor never regrets his actions.

They're truly a tragic pair, for Stephen will never be enough for Victor, no matter how hard he tries. No matter how deeply he believes in Victor's heart and potential for good. And yes, despite all that, the fool wizard STILL insists.

Stephen doesn't remember Battleworld in canon since Reed erased his memories of this event. I like to think that either Reed wanted to spare Stephen from a traumatic experience OR Victor asked Reed to do so when he was about to lose. Because, again, Victor cares. This is not canon, of course, just me finding answers.

But does that prevent Stephen from being a hopeless sweetheart? NAUR!! And this is when we have Infamous Iron Man, with Victor apologizing the best way he can, without saying "sorry I murdered you, I'm trying to be better". And then they keep going on their complicated yet lovely relationship in Savage Avengers - in which Victor saves Stephen's life and shows his vulnerable side to him, not to mention a single panel in Hellfire Gala (which I posted at some point, just search for "Hellfire Gala", in case you're interested).

Oof, I think I ranted more than I should. I just really love them and they have SO MUCH POTENTIAL, and such a tragic story. But yes, I'll always treasure their dynamics and relationship because they're basically Marc Anthony and Pussyfoot, Stephen being a lovely and passionate man, trying to bring the soft side of a tyrant who hides in an armor in order to keep people away from his heart. I love them.

Sorry about the long post and thank you for making my day, I'm struggling a lot this week so this helped me so much, thank you 😭

PS: some people are saying really bad stuff about me because I can easily ship both OTPs (and even make them work as an OT3), and they’re on this crusade to portray me as a liar and evil person who wants to ruin their ship, but at this point I’m tired and I don’t give a damn about them anymore. Lemme be passionate about what I love in peace. So yes, please ignore the gatekeepers and haters, they can’t do a thing about it anyways other than whine and act like children. Peace out.

#how can the sorcerer supreme be of assistance?#ask #doctor strange #stephen strange #doctor doom #victor von doom #doomstrange #analysis #marvel comics #secret wars

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drakenxemma · 3 years

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why do you like emma so much? the author depicted her as weak, whiny, only interested in love and always in need of protection, there are stronger girls in the story and emma is the kind of female character we don't need 👎 i hate people who praise her when the character's so dull

Hi, anon... Just a little reminder: in my pinned I expressly said that kindness is very important to me. Maybe it's just my impression and I hope I don't come off as self-defensive, but I don't think the overall tone of this ask falls within the definition of "kind", so please, next time you want to express your opinion I'd appreciate if you'd do it using more proper manners and less misunderstandable tones. Thank you in advance.

Now, I respect everyone's opinions, always, but seriously I don't know what you expect me to say here. The name of my blog is literally drakenxemma, I post about tokrev and Draken and Emma on a daily basis because I love them a not normal amount. What's the point in coming here to spit some hate on a character that did nothing wrong and that I love a lot?

To answer you:

"weak" - FALSE Emma goes through a lot throughout her life and, guess what, she's the strongest because she deals with her own burdens as well as her loved ones' burdens and never loses herself, showing great strength of mind. She's abandoned by her mother, she loses her brother Shinichiro, she sees Mikey gradually descending into pain and darkness and does her best to keep everything together. She won't let all these traumatic events turn her bad, she will stay true to herself until the very end. And this is a form of strength totally worthy of respect, whether you like it or not. Plus, if you think that being strong just means being able to kick and punch (which is a very toxic belief, if you ask me), don't forget that Emma is most likely strong from that point of view too, since, as a child, she took martial arts lessons just like Shin and Mikey.

"whiny" - FALSE When and where? I don't even know what you're talking about here. She literally takes care of the people she loves, she never abandons them and is very loyal to them without faltering. The only instance in which she complains about something is when Draken doesn't give her the attention she dreams of, and it's totally normal and understandable and absolutely consistent with her age and her feelings.

"only interested in love" - FALSE Emma does not only care about romance with Draken. She cares about her brother, she loves her family and friends as much as Mikey does. She protects and helps Hina, she supports Takemichi, she takes care of Mikey and stands up for Draken, etc. And yes, she's in love with Draken and wants to be his girlfriend, she dreams of a love story with him. What's wrong with it? What's the harm in a girl who's interested in love? Let me tell you, this is just another toxic belief: considering a female character "having feelings" as weak and whiny (just because girls are always depicted as more interested in romantic stuff unlike boys) literally means that you unconsciously accepted that much-hated distinction between what's masculine and what's feminine, you're the one falling into the gender roles trap. Can you see where is the problem? The problem is that having feelings and showing them is not a flaw by default, it becomes a flaw when the reader decides that a female character is only valid when she does manly things because said reader actually thinks there's a distinction between what girls and boys should do. This mindset is toxic as hell, it's internalized misogyny and you can't even see it. If you believe (as I hope) that Draken was wrong to think that feelings would make him weak, then you should only accept that Emma being interested in love is not a problem at all. We hate double standards in this house. Boys as much as girls should be allowed to have feelings, with no preconceptions. If a boy has feelings he is not weak, because feelings are for everyone. And if a girl has feelings she is not weak, for the exact same reasons, and also because considering love a "girly" thing is wrong on many levels since what you're saying is that girly=weak which is utterly offensive and ignorant on the reader's part. Does portraying a girl interested in love strengthen the idea that romance is just for girls? Probably, if you can't read with critical thinking. In my opinion it's just up to the reader. Am I saying that the author creates perfect female characters? No, not perfect, they're just good and valid considering the expectations, and also compatible with the setting, the early 2000s gangs, the delinquency environment etc.

"always in need of protection" - FALSE The fact that Draken and Mikey want to protect her doesn't mean she demands protection or anything. Draken and Mikey's will is one thing, Emma's needs are another. And don't forget that, as Mikey's sister, Emma being in danger and an easy target is just a matter of fact.

"there are stronger girls in the story" - FALSE Let's rephrase it: there are strong girls in the story. Each one in their own wonderful way. That "stronger" you used is so so sad, actually. It's as if you're putting girls into competition, which is a big NO. Not even the author does that, why would you? Wakui literally wrote the cutest friendship between Hinata and Emma, even after that equivocal beginning. And Yuzuha, Akane, Senju, all the girls have their own stories and qualities.

"the kind of female character we don't need" - FALSE Maybe you don't need this kind of female character. I very much need a character who makes a unifying force out love, I very much need a character who's strong enough to fight for love and loved ones, I very much need a character who's not afraid to show her feelings, I very much need a character who can cry, I very much need and very much appreciate a character who's strong enough to never let the events corrupt her heart.

"dull" - FALSE Please, re-read everything.

Anon, seriously, I respect the fact that you don't like the character, I am nobody to change your opinion. I truly respect and like different perspectives, it's just that, personally, I can't be in agreement with the reasons given. And I hope my answer was clear enough (I'm sorry, but english is not my first language 🙏🏻). Let me know if you understood my points, I'll try to re-explain if something isn't clear.

#tokyo revengers #drakemma #draken #ken ryuguji #emma sano #draken x emma #g. replies #ask #anonymous

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theliterarywolf · 2 years

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Sam anon again. Many actual voodoo practitioners are happy that the tattoos were removed because they were inaccurate and apparently if you're not from the religion you shouldn't use them, but this still sounds dishonest from Disney to me because the multi-billion dollar company chose to erase a part of specific black culture instead of hiring people to redesign it, which they easily could have. Respect? My ass, to me it screams EW BLACK RELIGION TOO COMPLICATED AND FUSSY TO PORTRAY FUCKING ERASE IT ALL TO MAKE IT MORE PALATABLE TO US AUDIENCES. And I'd like to see if they'll do the same thing with the future Christian references.

Anonymous asked:

Sam's bones were removed because it's considered offensive when those tattoos are done by none-practitioners, so it was to BE respectful. I think Sam being changed is nontroversy

Anonymous asked:

Why didn't Disney I don't fucking know HIRE A CONSULTANT WHO ACTUALLY PRACTICES VOODOO TO REDESIGN THE TATTOOS RATHER THAN JUST REMOVING THEM

Here are the reasons why this whole thing bothers me.

1. Disney originally approved this game in the first place. Yana Toboso may be the creator but Disney had to approve the use of their aesthetics and IPs. So they obviously had to see and sign-off on all of the character designs since this is using aesthetics and motifs from their IPs.

Why didn't they say 'Hey, can you change this?' before?

2. Why didn't the western fanbase try to make this complaint known to Disney/Yana Toboso beforehand? I swear, western fans of things will go out of their way to try an harass an anime studio over Yasahime for 'you're condoning pedophilia, reeee', but actual matters like this just results in 'I'm sorry, I don't know how to use contact information all of a sudden'.

3. Following that last point, it reeks of fans gladly letting a problem fester so they'll have something to complain about rather than making their concerns known in a calm, rational way. I am, once again, reminded of how a section of this hellsite went after Himaruya Hidekazu when in a chapter of Hetalia, he wrote about Emperor Heliogabalus of Rome -- 'The Roman Emperor Who "Lived Life as a Woman" (Though He Was Really a Guy)' -- and rather than contact him to say 'whoa, my buddy, my friend, this is kind of transphobic' (and Himaruya had an open-blog for letters and fanmail that he took in both English and Japanese at the time so they had no excuse), they just sat around and whinged.

4. Disney, you can go above and beyond to make sure that your IPs based on other cultures are accurate and respectful while still being present, but when it comes to anything black or African it's just better to erase anything problematic rather than re-examining and re-approaching? Alright, cool. That's cool.

5. Why is it okay for so much of media to use gaudy sprinklings of Christian and Hindu iconography without research or respect but this is a big no-no and it has to be removed for 'respect' reasons?

6. Are the tattoos not still there in the Japanese version of the game so what is the point?

At the end of the day, they can do whatever they want because, of course, this is Disney and they don't want any controversy and they want to make sure that people will watch the TWST anime they're going to make for Disney+. But I personally think that the whole this is a none-issue that got turned into an issue and the handling of it reads like

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lyricsofravensong · 3 years

Text

The beat of a longing heart

• Jake x MC • hurt/comfort, fluff • ~ 1 675 words + a chat•

• request by Anon: hey, i don't know how to start this ask but... well i got the news that my favorite drummer has passed away and i can't deal with it without thinking about jake comforting MC... i think this is weird and I must be mixing things up, but it's a comforting thought...you are my favorite writer on tumblr out of all the blogs and i am always happy to read your works so if you are accepting requests could you please write something about jake and mc? thank you😢❤️

• Your evening was supposed to be a sad song until the end, but then an unexpected melody appears from the rain.

A/N: Here it finally is! 🌠 Thank you for the request dear anon, I hope you're doing well. 💕 Sorry again for being so slow! 😖

I wasn't sure if you wished for a chat or a written story, so I combined them a little. :) I was really struggling with the editing but this is the best I can offer at the moment and I don't want to make you wait any longer. I hope so much I'm not letting you down and this story gives you the comfort you were missing. 💚

And thank you @dreamer-writer-fangirl for the encouragement! ❤

When you're happy, the beat of the music resonates with your cheerful heart; it dances and flutters in every corner of your body, making you feel powerful and alive.

When you're sad, the lyrics of the songs portray the pain your heart is aching with; they poke and stroke every inch of your bleeding soul, challenging and healing.

The song of your evening starts with a heavy sigh escaping from your lungs. Disappointment burns in your throat, but you swallow it down painfully. It's not Jake's fault that the theme of your day had been nothing but a repeating chorus of a sad song, and it seems like the evening is going to continue the manner. But you can't deny that the absence of his presence is one note more to the chord of your grief.

Rain sets the tune by hitting the roof with a sound that's reaching the rumbling measures of a thunderstorm. The ambience of it is making you even more anxious.

The beat comes in as a pulse of your longing heart, echoing in every cell of your body. Your mind is helplessly out of tune and can't keep up with the racing tempo.

You give up on tears as the rain makes a crescendo that covers the voice of your sobbing. Your thoughts are a swirling mess of unsettling beats, counting every person there is for you to miss. A wave of sorrow floods over your soul and the pouring rain invades your brain until your tears turn to raindrops.

You cry for a long time and the static rhythm of the rain is like a stereo to your feelings.

At first, the careful knocking on the door gets lost in the mixed concert of percussion going on in your head. When it comes again stronger, you sit up slowly. You have no intention of answering it, a single glance at your tear-stained face in the mirror confirms that. You're sure that the intruder will give up quickly since who in their right mind would be outside in that weather. The doorbell rings once and is followed by the uplifting tone of your phone receiving a message.

Your heartbeat drops tragically as you read the text Jake had sent.

Tension builds up as you hurry to the door without a second glance at the mirror. The beat of your heart drums in your ears when you yank the door open. And then - every sound goes silent.

There's Jake, standing in the rain outside your door. His black hair is dripping wet as well as his hoodie of the same color. In contrast to them, he's holding a white plastic bag in his hand, phone in the other. Your eyes meet his and you stare at each other equally shocked. The shaken expression on Jake's face indicates that you look as awful as you felt a second ago.

"I can't stop the rain, but… here I am. Ready to hold you," Jake says and a hint of embarrassment appears on his face. You follow his every move as he puts his phone in the pocket of his hoodie and then - trying to figure out what to do with his freed hand - runs his fingers through his wet hair.

"I hope you're not bothered by me intruding like this," he mumbles awkwardly, making a shy glance towards you.

Words get caught in your throat and come out pitifully feeble, "Or course not, but… how?" Your voice breaks and you have to gasp for breath. "How? Why?"

There's a clear twitch on Jake's face by the tearful sound of your voice. For a minute he looks almost panicked as he struggles to find the next words.

"I was getting this when you texted me." He lifts the plastic bag so you can see the logo of a nearby Chinese restaurant. "Rain offers some cover so it's safer for me to be out. I was so insanely worried about you that my legs just carried me here."

Your mind is gradually catching up with the new tempo of this turn of events. Another wave of tears is blurring your eyes and you slap a hand over your mouth to cover the weird grin spreading on your face.

"And I'm glad they did," Jake continues, pulling the corner of his lips into a sympathetic smile. "I'd hate to think of you being alone like that."

You shake your head in disbelief at this unexpected change of key in the earlier flatness of your emotions. You let out a trembling breath. A new verse in the song of your evening starts when you sprint out in the rain and throw yourself into Jake's arms. You bury your face into his chest and let out the forceful sobs. Jake drops the bag on the ground and wraps his arms tightly around you.

The drumming of the rain fades to the background as you stand in its shower, crying the whole record of your sorrows over Jake. He listens to it quietly and doesn’t let go even when you raise your hand to wipe your nose on your sleeve. Gradually your weeps quiet down along with the rain which is throwing the last separate drops on your already damped clothes. You rest your head on Jake’s shoulder and squeeze the back of his hoodie.

“Have I ever told you why I like the rain?” his voice asks softly beside your ear.

“No,” you sniffle. “I don’t believe you have.”

“I like it because it reminds me of you.”

“Why is that?” You raise your head to look at Jake’s face, forcing him to loosen his grip which he fixes by resting his hands behind your lower back.

“It was pouring when I contacted you for the first time,” he smiles. “That was the day my life changed. For me, rain symbolizes the unpredictability of life. I feel like anything is possible on a rainy day.”

“That’s something you just proved to be true,” you laugh and brush a strand of hair aside from his forehead. Jake stares at your face with such intensity that you suddenly become very aware of your swollen eyes and runny nose. You blush and lower your head.

“I’m sorry about crying so much. I know I look hideous.”

Jake sets his hand gently on your cheek, making you look up at his face again as he examines yours even closer.

“No, you’re still fascinating.” His whisper makes your heart sing with emotions you have never heard so vividly before.

“My face is all swollen and full of tears…” you splutter in loss of words.

Jake’s smile only widens and he wipes your cheeks tenderly with his fingers. “They’re just raindrops.”

You chuckle, “Then you can stop the rain after all.”

Tears of the sky are still dripping from the trees and corners of the roof all around you. They form an uneven rhythm of a harmony you’re now hearing differently; not as an echo of your pain, but more as a ballad for sadness.

But sadness is not the theme of your feelings anymore when you share the Chinese with Jake on the couch in your living room. No food has ever tasted so delicious as this slightly soaked and chill portion of noodles eaten straight from the container, taking turns of using the one pair of chopsticks Jake had with him.

The second verse of your evening is composed from comfort. After the food is finished and Jake’s drenched hoodie is drying on the back rest, you lean against his shoulder and slowly give lyrics for your sadness by telling him all about your previous distress. His t-shirt is wet too, but you forget it when his arm wraps around you, pulling you closer to his side.

Jake's presence is a lot like music; without saying much he still makes you feel understood and healed. His comfort is mainly instrumental but filled with so many soothing nuances of warm touches and thoughtful nods. He is the melody your evening missed. He is the lyrics for your love and the stereo for your desire; resonating stronger than the drumming of the rain. He makes you believe that just like music, your feelings are also made to be shared with your loved ones. And as you let your head fall to his lap and turn on your back to meet the softness of his eyes, you realize that this one you love very much.

Rain starts a new solo on the roof with full force as the song of this evening comes to the bridge. Jake bends down to you, his intention written clear on his face. Still he stops hesitantly right above your mouth, pausing the music just before the beat drops. But your heart is singing and you hit the play by reaching your hand behind his head and pulling him down to your lips. The kiss launches a full symphony inside you and every note makes you yearn for more.

On a short rest between kisses you caress Jake’s cheek and say, “Now I hope it will never stop raining.”

“I thought you hated it,” Jake points out.

“Not anymore,” you mumble while your attention is drawn to the way Jake’s mouth forms the words he speaks and how his lips are tuning into an amused smile.

“What made you change your mind?” he asks.

“No one in their right mind would go outside in that weather, so you have to wait here until the rain is over.”

When you're in love, music understands your every feeling; the fluttering happiness, the aching yearning, and the healing comfort. All the lyrics tell the story of the two of you, of every smile and tear you’ve had.

A perfect harmony is formed when two beats of two longning hearts meet each other in a beautiful duet.

This song of your evening does not end yet, the music of your hearts continues beating in the calming dusk of a rainy day.

_____________________

It was actually raining every time I wrote this. 🤭☔

#duskwood #duskwood everbyte #duskwood jake #duskwood mc #duskwood fanfiction #duskwood jake x mc #iamjake #my writing

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thinkingisadangerouspastime · 3 years

Note

Hi, first off I ship Zutara and I come in peace. I was pointed your way by a friend when I asked for people who ship kataang who are nevertheless willing to hear different views. I have lurked on blog a week and finally got up my nerve to ask how you or any other Kataang can deny that the last part of book 3 was completely Zutara but then stopped abruptly with no buildup? You can finesse tone on text so I'm not being sarcastic or bitchy, it is a serious question (1/5)

In The Southern Raiders, Katara realizes she has been wrong about Zuko. In Ember Island Players, she realizes Aang is not as mature as she thought he was, and in the finale, Katara does not care a whit that Aang is gone. I am serious and as someone who is no Aang stan but likes him, I’m actually annoyed by how little anyone cared about his disappearance. It went from “Aang’s gone!” to “Okay whatever, let’s find Iroh so he can kill Ozai.” (2/5)

Katara was all over Zuko (honestly, again not being a jerk) in the finale until for whatever reason, she wasn’t. She was giving him a pep talk about Iroh, she was going with him to Azula, she was healing him and saying he saved her not the other way around. I genuinely don’t get why this isn’t seen as romantic. I will grant you that Zuko would not have allowed Azula to kill anyone but I feel the point here was Zuko realizing his life was pointless if Katara was killed. (4/5)

And then literally at the end, Mai shows up after Zuko not talking about her at all for six episodes and declares herself Zuko’s girlfriend. And Katara kisses Aang after being annoyed with and by him arguably since The Southern Raiders. I get that Kataang “won” and I’ve made peace with that, but ... I can’t understand why Kataang shippers are okay with such a crap story. I swear on my gmom [sic] if they’d done this for [Zvtara], I’d be mad as hell. So I don’t understand, I really don’t. (5/5)

As always, I shall begin with a disclaimer: anon, you do not have to agree with this post. No one has to agree with this post, as it is strictly my own thoughts on the subject matter raised here! As per usual, I will not be putting this in the main tags - much less the Zvtara tag! - because I have basic fandom decency, lmao. If you (the general you, not anon specifically) do disagree with this post, that is totally fine, I simply ask that you are polite in expressing your disagreement (if you choose to do so at all! no one is expected to, lmao. i promise).

Alright. Formalities are out of the way!

I’ll admit I giggled a little bit when you say you lurked on my blog for a week, because I’ve actually talked about this subject numerous times in the past! I just found it funny you hadn’t stumbled across any posts about it yet, lol. So, as a heads up, know that I will be providing several links in this post since - again - this subject and related subjects have been analyzed a multitude of times before. I highly recommend reading them all! Mostly because I don’t intend to spend forever restating what’s been said over and over and over lmaooo. I will provide the resources, but it is up to each individual to take advantage of them.

To begin: your ask actually contains a few logical fallacies, anon! I do not mean this as shade or to belittle you - I fall victim to this issue all the time myself. Anyone who writes analyses or participates in debates does! Humans are imperfect and often like to cut corners to reach a conclusion. It is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about because - as the existence of your ask in inbox indicates - you are willing to learn more. So kudos to you, my friend!

Alright. So what logical fallacies am I talking about here? (For the record: specific definitions of logical fallacies were taken from here.)

1. Hasty Generalization.

“A hasty generalization is a general statement without sufficient evidence to support it.” Numerous claims are made in this ask that I have absolutely no doubt you believe to be true, anon, but there really isn’t any concrete evidence to support it! I will go into more detail later, of course, but let’s quickly look at one example:

“In Ember Island Players, [Katara] realizes Aang is not as mature as she thought he was…”

For the time being, I will ask but one question: from the show itself, not fanon, how do you know this?

2. Causal Fallacy

Ah, this guy. My own worst enemy, tbh! “A causal fallacy is any logical breakdown when identifying a cause,” of which there are several types. “One causal fallacy is the false cause or non causa pro causa (‘not the-cause for a cause’) fallacy, which is when you conclude about a cause without enough evidence to do so.” In your ask, you claim:

“I will grant you that Zuko would not have allowed Azula to kill anyone but I feel the point here was Zuko realizing his life was pointless if Katara was killed.”

Again, for the time being, I will ask only one question: from the show itself, not fanon, what led you to believe this statement?

“Another kind of causal fallacy is the correlational fallacy also known as cum hoc ergo propter hoc (Lat., ‘with this therefore because of this’). This fallacy happens when you mistakenly interpret two things found together as being causally related.” In your ask, you claim:

“Katara was all over Zuko (honestly, again not being a jerk) in the finale until for whatever reason, she wasn’t. She was giving him a pep talk about Iroh, she was going with him to Azula, she was healing him and saying he saved her not the other way around. I genuinely don’t get why this isn’t seen as romantic.”

I will ask one question: from the show itself, not fanon, why would you believe these are indicative of romance? (Consider the context the show is situated in, too - e.g. the war, Katara being Azula’s only available match in skill, etc.)

The reason I bring up the issue of logical fallacies is again not at all to make you feel bad, anon!! You were simply trying to express your point to me and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to do so. See, your ask actually presents a larger fandom trend:

Misconstruing fanon as canon.

What you have offered to me, anon, are fanon conclusions. To clarify: there is absolutely nothing wrong with fanon. I adore fanon interpretations (an example I have used in the past is Kuzaang - like, I don’t care that there’s no canon basis! I do what I want lmao!), but a line has to be drawn between exploring fanon interpretations and expecting everyone to take that fanon as canon. Again, anon, this is not your fault! It is not any one person’s fault, lmao. It is an issue of fandom as a whole, and all of us fall victim to it.

With that in mind, I will break down the different components of your ask. I will also do my best to be brief - as aforementioned, I and others have analyzed this issue numerous times before, lmao. To avoid confusion, it would be best to read through each or at least most links as they are provided!

Firstly, there are two posts I have made in the past that almost directly answer your overarching question here in this ask. Please read them prior to continuing, as I will occasionally reference them:

This post explains how Zvtara was not built up from TSR/EIP-onwards, and how their supposed “canon enemies to lovers arc” is a completely fanon construction.

This post explains the issue of the “canon Zvtara” rhetoric from rabid zkers (and you, anon, are absolutely NOT one, in case you were worried).

Alrighty. With that out the way, let’s get into it!

“In The Southern Raiders, Katara realizes she has been wrong about Zuko.”

Gotta start by saying that TSR is not about Zuko. TSR is, first and foremost, about Katara. Katara does not realize she was wrong about Zuko, because here’s the truth - she wasn’t wrong about him. Zuko did horrible things to the Gaang. Katara was not wrong to hold him accountable for that. What Katara does realize is that holding such rage so close to her chest is bad for her. This rage was not solely anger against Zuko, either; it was of course about Yon Rha, too, but it was also anger towards Kya and Katara herself. Essentially, TSR is where Katara realizes she has to forgive herself. Zuko is only one part of her journey (similar to Aang’s role in the episode, if a different end of the spectrum).

This post explains how TSR was fundamentally about Katara.

Additional resources about TSR:

This post explains Aang’s comments to Katara in TSR and how Katara herself recognized their validity.

This post explains why both Aang and Zuko were important to Katara in TSR.

This post is an extensive breakdown of Aang and Katara’s relationship within TSR.

“In Ember Island Players, [Katara] realizes Aang is not as mature as she thought he was…”

You provide no context for this claim, so I’m going to work with the assumption this is about their reactions to the play itself and the infamous kiss!

There is something important we must keep in mind when discussing EIP: the play they watch is literally imperialist propaganda. It is meant to demean the entire Gaang, and indeed it does exactly that. You mention Katara and Aang specifically, so I will recap what I have explained before about their depictions in EIP: Katara, an indigenous woman, is hypersexualized and portrayed as overly emotional (and thus “irrational”). This reinforces the Fire Nation sentiment that women of the Water Tribes are less intelligent and less suited for “responsibility” than Fire Nation women. Aang, a pacifist and the sole survivor of genocide who is also canonly the male character most comfortable with femininity and spirituality, is portrayed as a flighty, airheaded woman (this is a well-known imperialist tactic meant to emasculate the target, seeing as masculinity was often equated with power in fascist regimes; thus, they effectively belittled Aang before the FN audience). This reinforces the Fire Nation sentiment that the Air Nomads were foolish, weak people who deserved to die.

In other words, of course Aang and Katara were upset about how they portrayed in the play. It is understandable that tensions would be running high and consequently that mistakes (we all know the one) would be made.

This post explains how EIP belittles each member of the Gaang (and why the play is not indicative of Zvtara).

This post talks specifically about EIP and their portrayal of Aang and Katara.

Now onto the kiss. As everyone knows and no one has ever disagreed with, Aang was wrong to kiss Katara. Point blank!

But what people do misunderstand is Katara and Aang’s feelings regarding the kiss. Given your above quote, I assume you believe Aang kissing Katara supposedly made her realize that Aang wasn’t as mature as she once thought. On the surface, this seems like a logical conclusion! But digging deeper reveals… well, there’s nothing that indicates this conclusion at all. Even jumping ahead to the finale, when Zuko has doubts over Aang’s return, Katara demonstrates her faith in Aang (although of course she’s nervous - I won’t deny the obvious, lmao) as she says, “Aang won’t lose. He’s gonna come back. He has to.”

In other words, nothing in canon suggests that Katara believes Aang is immature because of what happened in EIP. She still trusts in his return, as she did even before she knew him (and arguably is more confident in him now, given the 60~ episodes of them growing closer). Furthermore, when Aang does disappear, Katara doesn’t have an outburst about how “immature” it was for him to “run away again.” The viewers know Aang didn’t run away, of course (fans who insist he did are not worth arguing with, anon - they don’t understand the show, rip), but that is a luxury the rest of the Gaang is not afforded. And yet even though Aang has vanished off the face of the planet, Katara still believes he will save the world. If anything, that signifies the utmost confidence in his skill and maturity!

To go back to the kiss itself, this post explains the true source of Katara’s conflict in turning down Aang (hint: she says it herself in the episode! you know, the whole war going on) and why the EIP kiss did not sink Kataang’s relationship.

Additional sources about EIP:

This post explains how the EIP kiss was resolved through narrative parallels.

This post explains how the EIP kiss is so often blown out of proportion.

“… and in the finale, Katara does not care a whit that Aang is gone. I am serious and as someone who is no Aang stan but likes him, I’m actually annoyed by how little anyone cared about his disappearance. It went from ‘Aang’s gone!’ to ‘Okay whatever, let’s find Iroh so he can kill Ozai.’”

As I already touched upon, Katara didn’t need a soliloquy to emphasize her connection to Aang once he disappeared. She trusts that he will return. She says so herself. I guess I just don’t understand how you got from Point A, Katara has consistent faith in Aang, to Point B, Katara and the rest of the Gaang didn’t care about Aang’s disappearance. It’s honestly a bit more like Point A to Point Z, lmao! If you would like to expand on your logic here, I would love to hear more!!

There are a few specific aspects I want to note about your rationale, though. You argue the Gaang moves from ‘Aang disappeared’ to ‘let’s find Iroh,’ but the Gaang actually went from:

1. Aang disappeared!

2. They search the entire island for him.

3. Okay, they couldn’t find him, so they track down June and have her try to find Aang.

4. June says to them, “No, I mean he’s gone gone. He doesn’t exist.” (And she clarifies to Sokka that she doesn’t mean dead, either - she means Aang has totally blinked out of their world.)

5. Only after all of this do they decide to track down Iroh.

The Gaang cares immensely about the fact that Aang is gone, and you could actually argue they waste time by trying to track him down. They don’t give up until June essentially tells them that some Spirit World shenanigans were involved. Even if you don’t think they reached that specific conclusion, I have to ask: What else were they supposed to do? They were told Aang didn’t exist! How are they supposed to fix that?

Well, they can’t. So they do the next best thing: they find Iroh, the man who knows Ozai better than anyone and is also one of the most talented firebenders in the world. In my opinion, that’s a very logical step to take.

I’ll be blunt here, lol: in my opinion, nothing of what you listed in your ask is inherently romantic.

Okay. I am going to assume you’ve read the first two posts I linked earlier (“Zvtara did not have an E-L arc” and “the ‘canon’ Zvtara of rabid zkers has issues”), because I do not intend to rehash everything they contain, lol. Consequently, I presume you realize by now that there was no canon romantic interest between Zuko and Katara.

And as I always say, just because there wasn’t a canon romance doesn’t mean people can’t take fanon routes! Of course they can! That’s the entire point of fanon! But fanon is not canon, and I am strictly referring to canon in my discussions.

You claim Katara was all over Zuko, which in itself I don’t think is an accurate assessment, because she doesn’t really do anything with Zuko outside the three points you bring up (other than the June gag, which I addressed in one of the aforementioned linked posts). So I’ll go ahead and break down each instance you provide!

1. “[Katara] was giving [Zuko] a pep talk about Iroh”

Katara asked Zuko if he was okay. She asked him if he was genuinely sorry. She reassures him that Iroh will forgive him. That’s… all. Not to diminish the significance of this conversation, but it’s not exactly an intimate, romantically-charged discussion (unless fanon-ized). But on that note, let’s tackle the canon significance of this moment!

Katara knows firsthand the challenge of forgiving Zuko. And she knows that Zuko understands how hard it was for her to forgive him (note: Katara’s anger was totally justified, and anyone who disagrees is probably a rabid Zuko stan lmao). She also recognizes that Zuko is terrified it will take Iroh the same struggle to forgive him that Katara went through. This scene is not related to romance at all. It’s about compassion. It’s about Katara and Zuko’s friendship having progressed, slowly but surely, to the point where she’s not afraid to extend empathy to him anymore (seeing as the first time, beneath Ba Sing Se, did not go so well; you know - Aang died and all). It’s about Zuko recognizing his own fallibility (and the audience recognizing how much he’s grown). He questions how he can even face his uncle after all he’s done to the man, which is a far cry from his entitled attitude in TSR, where he demanded to know why Katara didn’t trust him when everyone else had forgiven him.

To make this moment, this moment about Zuko’s relationship with his uncle who is all but a literal father to him, this moment of vulnerability, of guilt, of remorse, of growth, to claim this powerful moment is about a nonexistent romantic relationship? In my opinion, that is incredibly reductive to what this scene is supposed to signify. And again, there is nothing wrong with people exploring such a possibility in fanon, but in canon? Nah. It doesn’t track.

2. “[Katara] was going with [Zuko] to Azula”

Don’t forget that at first, Zuko planned to take on Azula alone. He doesn’t request Katara to accompany him until Iroh tells him that he’ll need help. As such, Zuko’s immediate agreement with Iroh is reflective of his personal growth (Book 1 and 2 Zuko would have argued and insisted he didn’t need any help). It also demonstrates, however, that Katara was not obsessively on Zuko’s mind. He doesn’t choose Katara until Iroh points out that Zuko will need assistance in taking Azula down. This means that Zuko’s choice of Katara to join him is a tactical decision, not an emotional one. And by all accounts, it’s a damn good decision! Zuko witnessed firsthand beneath Ba Sing Se a) how powerful Katara was (e.g. that wave after Aang died) and b) how Katara was the only one who could take on Azula*.

Of course, besides the fact that Katara was the only match for Azula, who else was Zuko going to choose? Sokka and Suki, while talented in their own right, were no competition for Azula. Toph, while the greatest earthbender in the world, was needed to metalbend the airships. Katara was the only (and the best!) option.

Also, on their trip to face Azula, the only thing they talk about within their three lines of canon conversation are Azula and Aang. Not exactly a romantic flight, lmao.

*Zuko never saw Aang fight Azula on the drill.

3. “[Katara] was healing [Zuko] and saying he saved her not the other way around”

Actually, this is what the transcript says:

Zuko: Thank you, Katara.

Katara: I think I’m the one who should be thanking you.

You’re right about how their lines refer to them saving each other, but you posit it as a romantic moment, when the lines are actually pretty straightforward. Zuko thanks Katara as she heals him from the partially-redirected lightning strike, and Katara thanks him for trying to redirect the lightning away from her and in doing so saving her life. In terms of canon, there’s nothing romantic about this, lol! (Which I talked about extensively in the E-L post, if you need to reference it again.) The reason being is that you have to take the show itself into context when you do analysis. If there was no canon romantic buildup between Zuko and Katara, why would these lines in canon (not fanon! fanon is free rein, lmao) be interpreted through a romantic lens?

Well, they wouldn’t be interpreted as such. Plain and simple.

“I genuinely don’t get why this isn’t seen as romantic.”

Because looking through a canon lens, they aren’t romantic. That’s all. You are of course welcome to view them as such through a fanon lens!! It’s just about recognizing the line between canon and fanon.

“I will grant you that Zuko would not have allowed Azula to kill anyone but I feel the point here was Zuko realizing his life was pointless if Katara was killed.”

I asked earlier what content in the show itself led you to believe. I have wracked my own mind, and I cannot think of anything that would point to this conclusion. Zuko was in Katara’s good graces for 5 episodes. That’s 8% of the show. Not exactly a lot of time for Zuko to start believing his life would be pointless if Katara was killed, is it?

This post explains the improbability of Zuko having a crush on Katara within canon.

This post explains how Zuko’s racism towards the Air Nomads in TSR and the finale is, well, exactly that - racism (and not a sign of a crush on Katara).

And, of course, as has been said a million times, Zuko taking the lightning for Katara out of romantic interest would completely undermine his redemption arc. Since it has been said over and over and over, I will be brief: Zuko taking the lightning is significant because it is a selfless act (one of his only in the series), and it directly parallels his selfish act of choosing not to intervene when Azula killed Aang with lightning beneath Ba Sing Se. This moment demonstrates Zuko’s growth, how he has learned to accept unconditional love from Iroh and the Gaang and Mai and even Ty Lee and sure, even from Appa and Momo, too. To make this moment of pure selflessness about a nonexistent romance? To force a fanon romance in replacement of canon redemption and canon platonic significance?

Such a decision speaks wonders about a person’s priorities, in my opinion, as well as how amatonormativity impacts them.

Furthermore, Zuko’s choice cements Katara’s position as his surrogate sibling, as she is Azula’s primary foil. Zuko chooses the sister who heals over the sister who harms. I won’t go too much into it here, because it has already been talked about extensively before! Thus, I offer you this post that explains how Zuko and Katara - in canon - are positioned as surrogate siblings as well as Azula’s role in this matter. I also offer this post that lays out through screencaps how Zuko and Katara - in canon - treat each other like family.

Additional sources about the final Agni Kai:

This post in part discusses fanon misinterpretation of the final Agni Kai and why such a lens is not true to canon relationships.

This post explains why the final Agni Kai is not intended to be romantic.

This post explains how the final Agni Kai is primarily about Azula and how reducing it to be a big Zvtara moment is detrimental to both her and to Zuko and Katara themselves.

“And then literally at the end, Mai shows up after Zuko not talking about her at all for six episodes and declares herself Zuko’s girlfriend.”

This point could probably get a post of its own, lol, but fortunately I and others have already written a few! I will link them below - first, however, I question your choice of “declares.” Technically, yes, Mai does say outright that it doesn’t hurt how the new Fire Lord is her boyfriend, but your phrasing implies Zuko resisted her proclamation. When… he doesn’t. In fact, he embraces it, asking if that means she doesn’t hate him anymore (read: he asks if they’re back on good terms again). Zuko clearly doesn’t have a problem with the girl he loves wanting to be with him again - so why do some parts of fandom so adamantly insist he does? (Not you, anon - I am referring to the rabid fanoners, lol.)

Also, regarding how Zuko hasn’t talked about Mai for six episodes, we’ve gotta be realistic with this assessment in terms of canon:

1. It was the crux of the war. They were either going to live or die. There was no time for romance at this point! Sokka and Suki weren’t professing their love on the battlefield, lmao, so it’s not exactly strange that Zuko didn’t bust into a monologue about how he missed Mai. I think they were just a little bit distracted by the possible end of the world, lol, and all that jazz.

2. Zuko probably thought Mai was dead. He knows what Azula is like. He knows his sister doesn’t have time for people who get in her way (Aang can testify to this, lmao). So can you blame him for not wanting to think about how the girl he loved had died (to his knowledge) to save him?

You gotta cut the kid some slack, lol. Anyways! Additional sources about Maiko:

This post breaks down the notion of Maiko and “deserve.”

This post rationalizes through a canon lens why Mai’s arrival at the palace surprised Zuko.

This post is the mother of Maiko metas, explaining in tremendous detail why their relationships works, is relevant to canon, and was well-implemented for what its role was.

“And Katara kisses Aang after being annoyed with and by him arguably since The Southern Raiders.”

What in canon has led you to the conclusion that Katara was annoyed with Aang? What specific moments from TSR to the finale made you think Katara was annoyed with Aang and remained annoyed with Aang? Are there any, or are you thinking about fanon interpretation? (Canon vs fanon strikes again!)

In TSR, Katara explicitly thanks Aang for understanding her perspective. Nothing there is indicative of annoyance (and as in the links provided earlier, she was not angry at Aang/Zuko/etc. so much as she was at herself. well, she was a little bit angry with Zuko, lmao). In EIP, Katara is understandably angry at Aang’s decision to kiss her, but Aang completely backs off, and we see in the part 1 of the finale that there are no hard feelings or weird tension between them. Katara in fact actively expresses concern for Aang after Zuko sporadically attacked him when she demands of the firebender, “What’s wrong with you? You could have hurt Aang!” Even when Aang and Katara do butt heads later in the episode as Aang tries to think of a way to defeat Ozai without killing him, Katara doesn’t stay frustrated. Like I said - when she and Zuko are flying to Azula, she demonstrates her unwavering faith in Aang through her belief that he will return. So… where is the annoyance that you feel was present?

With all this mind, i.e. looking strictly at canon, Katara wasn’t annoyed with Aang during this time. Thus, Katara kisses Aang because she loved him. Because he backed off and gave her the space she needed to make a decision about if she wanted to be with him (hence Katara being the one to initiate the kiss). Because the issue was never about if she reciprocated his feelings (they both knew they loved each other) but rather it had to do with the war. At the end of the finale, the war is over, and there is nothing that prevents them from being together. Simple.

This post explains how Katara’s feelings for Aang develop throughout the series (and were not neglected, as rabid zkers like to claim, for some reason? again - you are not one of them, anon).

This post also covers Katara’s interest in Aang throughout the series.

“I can’t understand why Kataang shippers are okay with such a crap story.”

I mean, you definitely don’t have to ship Kataang. It may not be your cup of tea, and that’s totally okay! But as the above links demonstrate, Kataang was a fantastic story. It was well-implemented into the narrative from Day 1. The soulmateism is unparalleled!

Also, it’s worth noting that A:TLA itself was essentially pre-written. The writers knew how the story would end from the get-go, including that the show would end with Kataang. A few Zvtara gags were thrown in to add a sense of “who will Katara choose?” drama as the show aired, but Zuko and Katara were never planned to end up together. One reason so many newer fans are fine with Kataang from the start is that there’s no tension of waiting a week for a new episode when you can watch all 61 episodes straight through on Netflix, lmao. It’s even more obvious now than when A:TLA was airing that Aang and Katara will end up together, if that makes sense. (Although I talked about this in the E-L post linked earlier, so you probably understand this point already, as it was explained in detail there!)

All of this is to say that Kataang is not a “crap story” in terms of writing (again, personal taste is a different matter) because it was woven in from the beginning and had powerful narrative significance! (Kataang represented numerous complementary components of the series, such as yin and yang, push and pull, air and water, Oma and Shu, etc.)

Now. If you really and truly want to understand why Kataang shippers like Kataang, anon, consider reading some Kataang fanfics or exploring some Kataang headcanons. I read fics involving Zvtara more regularly than you might think, lol, because… well, it’s just a ship. I understand the appeal of romantic Zvtara and I can actually appreciate it when it’s well-written! I’m sure if you’re willing to put in just a little legwork (you don’t need to go the whole mile, lmao - ‘tis just fandom), you’ll realize why people like Kataang, even if it isn’t exactly your thing. You have the range, anon!! You got this!

I hope I managed to answer your questions, my friend! As always, you do not have to agree with anything I have said here. It is totally fine if you and anyone else disagrees! Everything above is simply my own perspective on the matter. Thank you for taking the time to read my response and all the different links I provided! I hope it has expanded your understanding of the subject at hand!

#i spent all day writing this lmaooo #TWO WHOLE HOURS SPENT COMPILING LINKS #amy answers #anon #amy analyzes

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mittensmorgul · 3 years

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So for the most part, I outright reject the finale. But I do think, in light of the whole "Jimmy was supposed to be in the bar, and Dean was disappointed by that because his perfect heaven would have Cas in it" just makes me all the more convinced that the final episode was some kind of djinn dream. Like.... There's no other explanation in my opinion. If Dean's perfect heaven was supposed to have Cas, and he tragically gets faked out by Jimmy (????? Why tf would jimmy be there anyway), it just proves that it's not ACTUALLY heaven. That, along with he El Sol beer he's drinking is all the evidence I need. I think after 15x19, Dean and Sam got whammied by some monster, and are stuck in a hallucination, and that's what we're seeing. (My headcanon is that it's actually The Empty doing it, because it knows if it doesn't keep Dean and Sam occupied and spinning in circles, they'll invade the Empty to save Cas. So its trying to prevent that) :)

Hello, anon friendo! I am gonna start by offering the socially distanced version of a high five, because yeah... There is just so much to unpack here, and you provided such a succinct and all-encompassing series of statements to start from. Thank you!

*flings open array of questionable suitcases*

First off, Congrats on having rejected the finale. I know a lot of folks are still struggling with that one, for many reasons. But you have hit upon so many of the points I’ve been trying to make about the finale since it aired. I’d just like to start with some of the assumptions I’ve heard from folks about the finale that make it impossible for me to consider it fully honestly canon. Because so much about it just makes no goshdang sense... like... not at all...

One of the biggest issues I have surrounding the reception of the finale in parts of fandom is that it portrayed a “happy ending.” The show itself spent the entire final season telling us that a gravestone marked Winchester was not and never would be a happy ending (thank you Becky Rosen-- words I never thought I’d say, but honestly and most sincerely meant). Let’s break this down a bit.

Starting from the assumption that “heaven was fixed” so that characters could have true free will there, making it satisfying in any way that Dean died so young and never got to truly experience happiness during life, I would like anyone who has adopted this attitude to then explain Kansas the band. I mean... explain that in any satisfactory canon-compliant way. (hint: you can’t. it makes zero sense in canon, if heaven is truly reformed and “happy” with everyone in possession of free will.)

Which brings me to Misha’s comments about Jimmy being in the Roadhouse. Why, if heaven were truly fixed, would Jimmy ever in a bazillion years attend a party for Dean Winchester? If Heaven were truly a “happy” ending for Dean, why introduce this element of eternal tragedy and heartbreak to his heaven experience? Why taunt him with the eternal loss of Cas-- even if you don’t think he reciprocated Cas’s romantic feelings, he was canonically the best friend Dean ever had, and being forced to exist forever in a place where he had everyone else he ever cared for except for Cas? Is frankly horrific.

How the actual fuck is that a happy ending, in any sense of the word?

How is this the sort of heaven that Dean would’ve made for himself before it was “fixed?” At least in the memorex heaven, he could’ve lived in oblivious peace with Cas, even if it was always just his own memories and not ~actually Cas~. I honestly think that would’ve been happier than the abject tragedy of what we did get, and what we would’ve gotten had the original script played out.

All of this kind of makes me wonder if they ever even actually defeated Chuck. Like... it feels more like Dean got pulled into the Empty at that moment with Cas and Billie, and everything else after that point was the Empty’s endless experience of sorrow and despair we knew it subject its charges to. So that’s one potential for what could’ve actually happened. I mean, everything about the finale was sorrow and despair, you know? Dean didn’t even get to enjoy his pie at a pie festival because Sam smashed in in his face. How is any of it happy, in any way?

Because if that was actually heaven, there wasn’t actually any free will (because why tf would Kansas the band have chosen to put on that concert? why tf would Jimmy have been there, just to torment Dean with the taunt of Cas returning to him only to have that hope snatched away again? It’s cruel. It’s, in fact, a source of intense despair).

The djinn theory could also work, and I’ve read some excellent fix-it fic using that as a premise. But that doesn’t really explain what happened to Jack (and Amara, since she was in there with them) after hoovering up Chuck’s power, you know? I think the simplest explanations in canon are that Chuck actually won via the unified power of Light and Dark being transferred into Jack and effectively using him as a vessel. With Sam and Dean convinced they’d won, they effectively stopped resisting Chuck’s story for them, and using Jack’s understanding of humanity and the Winchesters specifically, Chuck finally was able to implement a version of his story that the Winchesters would just waltz into without thinking it was supernaturally influenced at all. Going bigger and bigger with monsters and cosmic troubles hadn’t worked, but going so small Sam and Dean would barely even notice the influence-- even with the incongruous reappearance of a vampire that appeared in their lives once, for like two whole minutes 15 years ago, and an unsolved case from the journal from more than 30 years ago that John had never even linked to vampires at all.

At this point, I need to mention that I’m watching 10.23 as I type this up. An episode in which we confront the Mark, along with Death, and Dean’s despair, where he learns a version of the truth (but by no means the full truth, or even accurate truth in some respects) about Chuck’s Story, Amara/The Darkness, etc. That would unfold more fully over the next five seasons. And what was the case Dean took in this episode? Vampires. LOLOL omg this show is nothing if not horrifically consistent, yes?

So because of this, I went haring off through my own blog looking for a post I made a long time ago about the symbolism of how various monsters are used on this show (because again, consistency). I got sidetracked by other posts in my monsters tag, including this from after 15.09 aired, which feels particularly awfully relevant. This was my reaction to Chuck’s Story he showed Sam in that episode, about what the future would look like should he successfully trap Chuck with a Mark, and which... yeah is basically exactly thematically consistent with what we saw in the finale, right down to a cheesy twist on vampires. Read the whole post right here, but this is the part that reached up and punched me in the face:

this is how Dean personally reacts when he loses Cas. We know how he reacts when he loses anyone else– think about what he did when Charlie died. He went on a murder rampage against the Stynes for killing her. When Mary died he broke some furniture and went full bore toward both resurrecting her and stopping Jack. But without Cas, Dean loses the will to fight. Sam has… always been different. He referenced Jess in 15.04 to remind us of how he was after she died in the pilot episode. Just like John, he picked up the revenge mission and ran with it. But for Dean, Cas is different. Without Cas… Dean gives up.

Because... Dean gave up. Sure, he and Sam weren’t overrun by vampires in the end. Chuck knew they’d never stop fighting the monsters, one way or another. The only way to get Dean to give up is something Chuck hadn’t quite figured out yet... maybe not until after 15.17, after confronting Cas in the hallway of the bunker, after absorbing Amara’s power, knowledge, and perspective on Dean.

Chuck needed Dean to give up, and honestly? Pushing Billie to clear him off the table and send him (and Cas, that pesky angel who never did what he was told) to the Empty would’ve been a direct way to deal with that... pretty much akin to having one sibling locked in a cage forever, yes?

Also, still looking through my monsters tag, I’m reminded of 14.15, and still cannot differentiate the version of Heaven in 15.20 from what was done to the people of that town. This... is not... paradise. This is actively what Dean has been insisting is the OPPOSITE of paradise since like… 4.22… No ending where Dean was a “Stepford bitch in paradise” ever had the possibility of being “happy,” at the core of things, and this “fixed” version of Heaven just doesn’t hold up to any degree of inspection. Something is seriously wrong here. https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/183465650390/so-can-we-talk-about-this-monster-of-the-week-for

And since I was unable to find the post I wrote who knows how long ago about Monsters and how they’re symbolically used on Supernatural to represent larger themes in the episode, I’ll just attempt to sum up what Vampires have been used for. Revenge. Vampires are always, in some way connected to themes of revenge.

(and hooray, I found at least a post adjacent to the one I’ve spent the last four hours trying to find... https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/187207052080/i-obviously-did-not-think-this-through, where I mention that shapeshifters are about revealing hidden truths (mostly about Dean since most shapeshifters are connected to Dean), zombies are about grief and the inability to move past it.)

So why... why at the end of their road is the monster that comes after them-- literally FOR REVENGE for something that had never been blamed on Sam or Dean to begin with, from season 1, directly connected to John’s revenge mission and the first time they learned about the Colt AND the first time they learned in canon that Vampires were even real... like... this feels very specifically like some kind of layers-of-meta levels of shade on them, you know? Vampires are for revenge, so what vengeance exactly is being visited upon Sam and Dean in this episode? If not Chuck’s entire story for them itself?

So yeah, 100% agree, something is incredibly rotten in the finale. And I am sick to effing death of people trying to convince us that anything about this was “good” or “happy” or “satisfying” in any way. Or even “how it was always supposed to end” with Dean dead bloody, as if the entire back half of the series hadn’t been suggesting that a true win was the subversion of all of Chuck’s story for them, and Dean finally being able to have his chosen family all alive, happy, and chilling on a beach somewhere watching the sunset. Nothing will ever convince me that the ending portrayed in 15.20 wasn’t exactly how Chuck thought he “won,” rendering it entirely irrelevant to the rest of canon, unless all of canon was ultimately the tragedy we’d been encouraged to believe would be firmly defeated in the end.

Folks, you can’t have it both ways.

#spn 15.20 #chuck's process #if this was the 'happy' ending for dean they sure did fail big time to make it actually happy!#it makes me feel sick thinking that dean's happy heaven ending was more like an eternal pit of torment #like actively tormenting him and taunting him with the fact that cas was truly gone forever #like wow they went all the fuck out to make it clear that even in heaven #dean would never be allowed to respond to cas's declaration of love #like... it's the most hurtful and hateful thing the show could possibly have done to us #and it still fucks me up knowing there's people who think this heaven was a 'good' ending for dean #like... fuck that entirely and with extreme prejudice #i feel like i have not been emphatic enough about my absolute hatred for this episode in these tags #but sadly there are limitations to expressing the actual feelings i'm feeling in the english language #sometimes the only effective word for these feelings involves velociraptor screeching #Anonymous

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