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#and like even if you want to explore the nuance of their relationship and issues Will might have
literallyjusttoa · 1 year
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Every time I see someone even reference Will hating his dad or being really annoyed with Apollo in ToA I swear I go insane.
Will loves his dad! Apollo loves Will! If you want a character with daddy issues literally pick ANY OTHER CHARACTER IN THE RIORDANVERSE!!!! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!?!? LET THEM HAVE A LOVING RELATIONSHIP I SWEAR TO GOD.
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starrylayle · 2 months
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Marauders Fandom > "There is no canon !!" and other rhetorics
Guess who's back in their marauders phase after 2-3 years of being dormant lmao?? ((spoiler its me lol)). Anyways, a lot has changed since 2021 in this fandom so I just wanted to talk about the direction i think it's going.
I remember in 2020-21 the fandom started to boom in popularity on tiktok --> esp with the rise wolfstar + atyd. I remember people were so suprised with remus' characterization as 'rougher around the edges' instead of the 'soft boi' thing, and how that influenced the new wolfstar dynamic. [Just want to add that the atyd characterisation is much more complex than this and its one of my fave fics --> I'm more talking about the fandom at large's reaction to this)
And since fandom is incapable of having two nuanced and characters who are not stark opposites,, their roles were basically reversed and now Remus is the toxic dom alpha male and sirius is the cute girlyboy twink --- which um,,, the oc-ification is so real its embarrassing but whatever (omg don't even get me started on jegulus 💀)). I just assumed these would stay as headcanons. But now we have people saying, that 'we barely know anything abt the marauders in canon' or 'isn't the whole point of fandom to make shit up?' which i have sO many issues with so let me just try and compile my thoughts into dot points for the sake of coherency.
'we barely know anything abt the marauders in canon' ---> First of all, Remus, Sirius and Severus are fully fleshed out characters in the og series -- why do you think people would care enough to create an entire fandom based on their backstories if they were 2d flat characters in canon?? Like bffr. I saw a post on here (forgot who it was by, let me know if u know!) that said, 'I didn't cry over sirius' death in OotP just for ppl to say that we know nothing abt him in canon'. Like, its just mind-boggling to me lol.
'isn't the whole point of fandom to make shit up?' --> Ok y'all. For a fandom to work, there have to be some guidelines, some kind of source material, some point of reference so people can build upon it and make content. I think we can all agree on that. One reason why HP is such a popular place for fandom is the world-building and potential plots/storylines. I see some people argue that jk rowling was a shit writer anyways so might as well contradict everything she says. Now, I don't disagree with that point in particular, Jo is a pretty mediocre writer and a terrible person. HOWEVERrr, I'd argue that it is a lot more fascinating when people expand or work on the concepts in HP. JK Rowling has a lot of great ideas but executes them terribly -- I love when fic writes do this, which prolly explain why I love atyd as it is still very much canon compliant but executes themes on class, disability and queerness that jkr could barely do in subtext. This doesn''t mean I only think canon compliant fics are valid. That's not the case! I think as long as the charcterization is consistent to the character and the particular circumstances/world they're in, its fine! In fact, I love seeing how the same character would function if in a different place! I also love seeing explorations of the magic and magic systems in aus or fix it fics (or even canon compliant ones) that still fit in with the canonnical system that we know.
I guess what I'm trying to say I wish the marauders fandom explored the world and charcterizations more deeply instead of creating shallow oc-fied version of the characters that fit into whatever's trending -- like just write your own book or smth lol -- booktok will eat it up i promise.
Also, kinda related kinda not but um,,, why are we romanticising fascists -- like babe no evan rosier is not your babygirl he canonnoically tortured multiple ppl and became a death eater soo... not saying that I wouldn't want an exploration of his character or even a relationship with barty -- (who's not some cool dairk-haired edgelord but a actually a cowardly fascist murderer with blond hair -- yes the blond hair is important) -- I'd just want them to be portrayed as the not morally good people they are. Like,, if u want to oc-ify a character like pick someone whos not a death eater or has little info on them like dirk cresswell or frank longbottom,,, or ya know,, one of the MANY female characters in the fandom ((This fandom also has a problem with women and sapphic ships in general but that's a whole other issue lol).
I know this 'babygirlification' of death eaters doesn't mean to do this, but it also ends up watering down the themes of oppression, bigotry, etc and leaves us with not nearly as complex characters. Also one of the issues I had with the og HP world is that JK will introduce concepts like wizard racism and slavery and then just like,, not really do anything about it or just have half-arsed redemption arcs whilst not ever actually exploring the root of the issue. And now i feel like the fandom is following in those footsteps unfortunately.
Anyways, i've been rambling for too long so I'll just leave it here. Sorry if this came off as mean spirited in anyway,, I just have a lot of thoughts™ and my family is sick of hearing them lol. These opinions are not set in stone however so I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject! At the end of the day this is fandom and we're supposed to have fun -- so yeah !! thanks for reading if you made it this far!
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ccoffii · 15 days
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Things that I think Might Give Nuance to Eleceed aka I complain
how the fuck has Jiwoo not shown more attachment issues with other characters, like I know he does has at one point with Kayden but it's so infrequent that you forget this kid has basically been neglected his entire life
Can I get a chapter on just his eating habits? Like we don't know much about him other than that he's an overpowered bean. Like can he cook or does he even do it? Does he just live off of takeout and shin ramyun for the majority of his life?? I WANT ANSWERS!!
+ to point 2, failed chance of environmental storytelling but hey if u gotta pump out a new chapter every week that's at least 40 panels I would skip it too.
LET THE BESTIE FUCKING HANGOUT OMFG! never in my life have I seen a friend group as underdeveloped as Subin, Wooin, Jisuk, and Jiwoo... Before u come for my ass I know I'm right because do u remember ANY chapters where their dynamics were explored... and I mean just them I'm srs
Shakes u aggressively The fucking entirety of the payoff of the Jiwoo gets kidnapped and core fucking obliterated arc? Like how the hell is he fine and dandy after that shit? NO, I DO NOT CARE HOW GOOD OF A HEALER KARTEIN IS I WANT TO SEE SOME ANGST!!!
slams papers THEY INTRODUCE CHARACTERS AND SUDDENLY THEY'RE FUCKING DEAD. The fact that some arguably pivotal characters to the plot and world-building cough Sucheon, Arthur, Iseul, etc, etc. cough have not appeared in over like 150 ch tells me WAY too much about the current development and I DO NOT LIKE IT!! Let's explore Sucheon and HIS REACTION TO THE KIDNAPPING THING? Iseul can talk to animals, cool but kayden is a human who basically transfigured into a cat... maybe there is more to those awakened animals... OR FUCKING ARTHUR?? MY GUY HAS NO HARM AND WITNESSED FRAME KILL HIS CLASSMATES AND WAS BETRAYED HOW TF DID THAT FLY UNDER THE BUS
u know what pisses me off is that they aren't actively developing Amyeong (dark) and Jiwoo's relationship and Amyeong's ties to Jiwoo's mother. Also, PERSONALY, I think Jiwoo and his mother should be more awkward around each other considering her job and I've seen videos that the lack of time spent with a parent can rlly just make them a stranger to a child. Plus Kayden knows more about Jiwoo than his mother anyways let me SEE it.
In the end, I just complain out of a slight love for the series, these are things I just personally want to see out of the webcomic that's all. Also, I might have more, I kinda stopped reading it in order after ch 200 something.
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blackrosecoven · 2 months
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Ok actually I might actually have something to say on this. I originally wasn't because the idea of system responsibility/accountability seems like such a no brainer to me I couldn't even think of a response to that thread going around right now that wasn't just "lol, no". Like, if we both have the same information on the topic and that's the conclusion you've come to about it then I simply cannot help you.
I also dislike conversations about things being anti-recovery because there's always nuance where you simply cannot definitively say something is or isn't anti recovery in a way that applies to everyone. I have decided, however, that this topic might actually be dangerously anti-recovery for a lot of people and I'm probably just being a pussy not wanting to poke the hornets nest by avoiding it. So here goes.
A huge complication of this, is of course, the dissonance between therapeutic and community settings. The two will never line up, they will never wholly agree with each other, and there will always be conflict. You can never seamlessly take advice from one, and apply it to the other, not least of all because neither the community nor the therapists we see make up a cohesive hive mind. There are different goals, different methods to achieving those goals, and disagreements on what those goals should be.
That being said, let's at least explore these ideas in their correct contexts and see if it can at least expand our perception and understanding of them. You don't need to relate to these scenarios, simply try to see the topic from the hypothetical systems point of view.
Therapeutic Setting
The host of a system presents at a therapists office. She is aware of her alters and has good relations with many of them but struggles to manage her day to day life. She suffers from an intense fear of abandonment and has incredibly low self esteem. There are several alters in her system that she is deeply concerned about that have created conflict in her life. One is sexually promiscuous and has ended relationships by sleeping with people other than her partners, one that harms the body and is hostile towards her including strongly negative critical thoughts, and one that is dedicated to permanently ending friendships and relationships by being extremely cruel and harmful to the people she cares about. She is very scared of these alters and wants nothing to do with them, she resents them for what they have done and is scared of what they might do. Her goal in therapy is to create greater harmony within her system, to have better collaboration with her alters and reduce the amount of internal and external conflict in her life.
The therapeutic approach in this scenario would be to remind the host that the alters she is afraid of are the result of traumatic events, and formed as part of a defence mechanism to protect her younger self, but that these defence mechanisms have likely gotten stuck and may no longer be appropriate to help with the problems they seek to solve. These alters may also feel alienated from the rest of the system, they might feel like they are being unfairly punished for trying to help and resent the host for pushing them away and punishing her back. Therefore, the path to resolving this issue is to accept these alters for who they are and what they're trying to do. To be grateful for the help they provided in the past and how much they must care for her to do what they do. To work on the fear and apprehension, because everyone in the system is part of the same brain and so will know if she doesn't really mean it, so that everyone can be brought closer together and work collaboratively towards common goals. After all, they all share the same brain, the same body, and must live the same life and what affects one will affect the other.
Community Setting
The host of a system enters the online system community. They are not the original host of the system, and do not go by the bodies name. They join system discord servers as well as follow many systems on social media platforms such as TikTok. They feel at home in these spaces as they are very alter centric. They, and the rest of their system are encouraged to share details about themselves, write lengthy bios, and differentiate themselves from each other. This works well for everyone in the system because it provides a freedom of self expression that is absent from their real world life. The alters find it very validating to establish their own identities and be treated as their own individual selves. These feelings are reinforced by sentiments shared in their communities that no one should force them to fuse, that fusion is equivalent to death, and that parts language is dehumanising. The system does not feel the need to seek therapeutic support as they are happy as a system and have heard accounts that made them wary of being invalidated by a therapist.
There is one alter, however, that likes to get up to mischief and create drama. They often front momentarily to leave inflammatory remarks, don't abide by community guidelines, and keep getting them into trouble. They post to Reddit to ask for advice on how to stop them when they're someone else and they can't control what they do and are told "your alters aren't different people, they're part of you and so it's up to you to work with them to change their behaviour". Well that doesn't sound right. The alter isn't them, that's the whole point of being a system. They decide instead that there's simply nothing they can do about it, that alter has nothing to do with them and controlling their actions would be like trying to control a random person on the street
Now it's completely understandable why two systems from these two settings would come away with completely different perceptions of what being a system is like. Why one would find the other anti-recovery and the other would find the other invalidating. But there is a key commonality between them, and that is both systems are distancing themselves from the alters causing issues, one through fear, and the other through absolvement.
System responsibility in both cases, therefore, is to accept their role in the conflict as an active participant and seek to resolve it. In the therapeutic setting it's to recognise that the hosts fear and resentment, if understandable, is contributing to the furthering of conflict and reactionary behaviour from the alters in question. For the latter system, it's to accept that as individual and different each person within the system is, they still share one body, share one life, use the same phone or computer, and have the same accounts. That they do not get special rights as a system that singlets do not. That if they want access to spaces where they can all be themselves then they all need to agree to abide by the rules or none of them will have access to protect the other members of the community.
Neither of these are nice or enjoyable or easy things to accept, but, and this is the really crucial bit, if you don't take responsibility for your system or your role in an alters behaviour, then you are consenting to the behaviour by your refusal and whether you accept it or not, others will hold you accountable for doing so.
So what's it to be? Do you want your friends and partners to be hurt and lose your access to spaces that you find so affirming? Or do you want to put in the work to build communication, participation, and collaboration with your system so that you can all enjoy your individual lives together?
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trancylovecraft · 5 months
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What do you think of the new episode of Helluva?
amazing timing! I just got off a discord call about this topic
And jeez.. this is gonna be a rant, prolly not what you were expecting from an ask about the new episode but.. yk.. I'm sorry this wasn't more positive than you probably wanted, But I don't want to lie and I have a lot to get off my chest
If you enjoy Helluva boss then please, You do what you do and enjoy what you want to. And I'm happy it can bring you joy, Don't let me prevent you from loving something you love <3
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So first of all, I bloody hate Helluva boss. I know I've written for it and still write for it but OMG I just don't like it at all and the direction its gone.
Like season one is good, I like it. Its amazing season to start off a seemingly good show with a lot of potential.
The villains are threatening and are set up to become major plot points. Verosika, Striker, The cherubs (which admittedly were the weakest out of the trio, But hey, you can't be perfect)
The conflicts are being set, Aka stolas and Blitzo's toxic relationship and it's struggles. It's got potential for a lot of nuance and oppertunities to explore gay relationships in a more abusive light and I can appreciate that a lot.
Characters arcs have been put into motion with Moxxies inferiority, Blitzo's need for validation and the star prophecy going on with stolas and his daughter.
The animation, The music and the voice acting are all on point with such high profile actors. Ahem ahem.. INVADER ZIM AND BEETLEJUICE!!
It was amazing, A major accomplishment for indie animation and the trailblazer that aet off the youtube animation reinessance.
But then season two comes along.
Right off the bat with the circus its suddenly revealed that stolas and blitzo knew each other from childhood.
This is confusing. Stolas and blitzo knowing each other starts to change their relationship from the toxic transactional it was suppose to explore into a more
This episode could've been great, If it was stella and not blitz. This episode could've explored the begginings of their relationship (platonic)
It was stated by octavia that they at one point liked each other then degraded. This episode couldve shown that and given stella some actual development.
Now throughout the season more issues become prevelant..
The villains that were threatening before have become nothing more than cannon fodder. A monster of the week, If you will. Striker and crimson (we're not gonna get into that episode) were easily defeated by blitz and fizzaroli (ILL GET ONTO HIM) making fun of them and removing all their threatening aura.
Verosika is gone, She might return, Idk tho. The cherubs we'e heard nothing from either. And do NOT get me started on the new villains. (The agents, Crimson, Andrealphus)
The women in helluva are EXTREMELY underdeveloped. There are no girls that stand on their own, Just another limb for the male characters to further their own arcs (Millie is just Moxxies concious, Octavia is just Stolas' reason for staying and Loona is just there tobexplore Blitzo's abandonment issues
Millie especially. The only episode she got out of two seasons is unhappy campers. And even then she had to be a boy to get the praise, It feels like the writers were self aware at that poimt.
Her only personality is violence and moxxie, Thats it.
(I have a lot more to say about Helluva boss, Such as the awful story. The woobification of stolas and Blitzo. The humour. The gay overglorification. Fizzaroli and Asmodeus. The rushed pacing and the non-existant set up)
The newest episode I genuinley disliked, One of my least favourite in the season.
I feel like this was the writers grasping at straws. To make a story and an arc, You've got to set it up.
We had no idea that Fizzaroli was connected to Mammon in any way, We had no hints or suggestion that he was. Nor did we have any hints of his underlying arc about wanting to be free.
For instance this can be done through dialogue or the characters body language. We got none of this and instead this was just pulled out of the writers asses.
I dont care for fizzaroli, I hate him apart from his voice actor. To me, He's boring and just a recoloured blitz.
The whole episode was the setup and the solution. This should not of been the case, This was rushed and this episode should of been the solution of the hinted issue in previous episodes like the one where they got kidnapped.
(That was a great chance to talk about being free, Since yk, They were in a cage and it would of prompted a deeper conversation)
It feels like a reheated angel dust and valentino but platonic im ngl. Besides, Fizz and ozzie's relationship is just not good.
Its too sickly sweet. Im not saying it has to all be angst but a spat or an arguement to prompt the episode wouldve been good you know? All healthy relationships have their rocky parts and it wouldve been nice to see here.
Asmodeus and Mammon just dont seem threatening for demon kings? They take insults and jabs that really degrade their intimidation for the audience yk?
The whole episode boils down to "clown twink gets abused by capitalism"
Overall I ranted too long about this animated show. The episode was not good and the future for this series is looking bleak.
This was a really shallow examination of helluva boss. Im writing this in bed so i dont have time to go deeper into the story structure and concepts portrayed in there
I fucking love mammon tho, He's my husband, Please request him.
-Trancy M. Lovecraft
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sweetshelluvaau · 2 months
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So for your punishment idea, why would the sins, embodiments of seven vices … be punishing those who follow those vices they promote? like for ozzie and rapists for example, ok, you could argue thats more about control and wrath than actual lust, and he could punish val for doing it “wrong.” but what about people who follow “pure” lust - cheaters, promiscuous people, etc.? like if he’s sadistic and encourages people to fall for carnal desires just so he can fuck them up later that could be something, but then why would he not do the same for sa in this case???
Well this wasn't the ask I was quite expecting. I'll answer this the best I can. May not be the answer you're looking for but this is how I'm interpreting it:
Honestly the Sins themselves aren't '100% evil" in my AU. They're not good people, granted, some are quite pieces of work in there own right and have no shame in the actions they take (or even think it's 'that bad' to begin with).
Best way to describe some of the Sins views is kinda like an orange and blue mortality kind of thing. My version of Beelzebub may come across as a sweetheart that'd gladly invite over her daughters friend's or 'Tex for dinner and very motherly, but she's also a cannibal that will devour her citizens in one gulp if they piss her off enough or if their Beelizjuice addiction takes hold of them where it's inversible.
I think another good example is the character of Lucifer from the show Lucifer who also has a bit of a warp sense of mortally where he's not per say evil, but just twisted in what he views right and wrong. Ozzie would turn a blind eye to infidelity and adultery even if he wouldn't engage in it himself (I mean, he both called out and sorta congratulated Stolas in a sick way in Ozzie's) and well Ozzie is kind promiscuous himself so. Heck, he doesn't question most of his fellow Sins actions that much, including the ones he's close to (Mammon and Bee are who he sees as his closes friends and was even in an relationship with Mammon at one point) but when it comes to SA and rape and really anything that involves force, it just enrages him and he'll gladly set you ablaze.
It likely also helps that my Ozzie spent plenty time on Earth fucking around (figuratively and literally) with humans that he gained a bit of humanity himself. His friendship with Sarah from the Book of Tobit, where the bible story was twisted that he killed her husbands because he wanted her to himself when in reality he wanted to protect her from those suiters that forced themselves on her. Of course this did cause issues when Tobias was in the picture where he did almost kill him in a fit of jealousy if it wasn't for Raphael intervening due to he did ended up have feelings for her. One of the few actions he truly regrets.
I plan on Ozzie, along with some of the other Sins, being complex characters in their own right and not falling under good or evil, even if their actions can be considered such. One of the problems I have with Viv's writing is how black and white she made them (and just her general black and white on what's good and what's bad without truly exploring that deeply with Heaven in Hazbin.). Ozzie and Bee are portrayed as completely good and 'unproblematic' while Mammon is an evil prick that only cares about money and exploits people. Greed is bad but Lust and Gluttony aren't? I'm not saying that's what she was aiming for but it comes across that way when Lust and Gluttony can be just as harmful as Greed and Pride. They're called 'sins' for a reason. There's a lack of nuance and complexly in her writing that anywhere interesting she could go with these characters and story, she plays it safe but at the same time she also doesn't? She wants to portray SA as a serious issue (which it is) but the next scene there could be a character being SA'd as a joke?
It's frustrating to say the least.
Anyways I'm sorry I also went into a bit of rant here. I hope this is a satisfying answer and makes sense. It's something I did have to think a bit about for a while.
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thedrarrylibrarian · 9 months
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Several people have been kind enough to let me publish their thoughts on fandom, community, and queerness to celebrate Pride in the Library. Today's piece is a conversation between @academicdisasterfic and his boyfriend, @saintgarbanzo. If you missed it, @saintgarbanzo organized a fundraiser to help support @academicdisasterfic with funds for top-surgery. This fundraiser has met its goal, and is referenced to throughout their conversation.
In this conversation, @saintgarbanzo is chickpea in bold, and @academicdisasterfic is rooney, in regular text.
chickpea: ok baby. let's talk about the gift economy in fandom. it’s something that's part of our politics but many of us struggle with feeling like our worth is tied to our production, even in fandom. has your fundraising experience changed your understanding of those concepts for you?
rooney: Short answer: yes.
Long answer: I think part of what drew me to fanfiction in the first place was a complete divide from capitalism. It’s such a relief in this world of productivity culture. I started writing purely because I loved it and I never thought anyone would read my fics. But then people did, and that meant everything to me. After this fundraiser, I truly understand why the gift economy is so imperative to fandom. People are doing me a favour by donating to my surgery, reading my fics, or writing fics that I love to read. It still feels overwhelming to have as much support as I did. I haven’t processed it at all, I can’t actually fathom it, and I initially had this dread about how I was never going to be able to repay the fandom for what it did for me - it’s not true for all trans men, but for me, this surgery will save my life. But fic saved me too, and I know the same applies to many. When I thought about it like that, I realised that I would do the same thing for anyone here, and it would make me happy to do it. I’d never think they had to pay off that debt. The difference between capitalism and the gift economy is that one is about power and competition, and the other is about the cyclical nature of community. Debts don’t exist, because we don’t give from a finite pool of resources. We give to each other from an endless pool of infinite possibilities.
chickpea: i had that same realization. initially the only way we felt comfortable asking for help was by offering an exchange, but then the exchange wasn't really necessary. everyone just offered up their resources–money but also their time and talent and attention. i go back and forth between feeling guilty/indebted and trying to remind myself that this is how communities are supposed to function and i can feel grateful without feeling guilty. 
you talked about fandom's resistance to capitalism being an initial draw. what about its queerness? my first fandom interactions were very much based in fandom being a safe place to explore queerness. i want to hear about the relationship between your gender realizations and this community.
rooney: You know, I didn’t even think about it in that way - it was more, “I need a queer space, I want it to be a creative space”. It was so apparent to me, even before I knew I was trans, that whatever community I invested in had to have queerness at its core. Back in 2010 when I was figuring out my sexuality, fandom and shipping on Tumblr became really important to me, so I already knew it was there and when I started to explore it, that’s when a lot of gender stuff happened.
I think so many trans people have a more nuanced relationship with their body than is portrayed as the mainstream trans narrative of just being born in the wrong body. I worked very hard before learning I was trans to love and respect my body, and I’d never call it wrong. But reading about queer men fall in love was truly a lightning bolt moment. I’d always felt like an outsider in sapphic spaces - I’m bi/pan/whatever so I do really love women and femmes, that was never the issue - but I realised that I wanted my partners to be perceiving me differently, that I wanted to be treated as a queer man. I think the transgression and fight against purity culture in fandom was so crucial to it - the feelings of displacement and disconnection aren’t articulated the same way in published literature. One of my first fandom friends was @softlystarstruck who writes amazing trans characters with a variety of bodies and sexualities and genders. That sort of representation, of bodies coming together in all those different ways, specifically in sex, made me feel like there was hope - that transness and pleasure aren’t incongruent but born of the same instinct. We have to desire the things that will bring us joy.
chickpea: i love you
rooney: i love you too baby
chickpea: i love that you talked about displacement within queer communities. we've all seen and experienced queerphobia and racism, the demands for productivity, toxicity, discourse that's both helpful and harmful etc. you're someone in fandom who i really admire for the way you acknowledge and navigate the problematic parts of fandom while still focusing on building community in a healthy and joyful way.
can you talk a little bit about being a trans man who consciously decides to stay in hp fandom?
i’ve definitely struggled with my participation here and your fundraiser has brought up those arguments for me again, because we've harnessed this really material and transformative help for you as a trans person, that was carried pretty much entirely by this community.
rooney: Ooft, the big question. 
First off I have to make it clear that I completely understand trans people who don’t want to engage with the HP fandom, because it’s a fucking hard moral and ethical quandary to navigate. But also, I don’t think anyone, including other trans people, should judge those of us who find the inherent transgression of fandom empowering and freeing. That’s my go to answer.
I understand the ethical problems of HP and its fandom. The series is just flagrantly racist. It’s heteronormative, homophobic, and all around “ethically mean spirited”, as Ursula Le Guin so eloquently put it. But it’s still something that I loved, and more importantly, the fandom is so strong not in spite of the series' flaws, but because of them. The more broken it is, the more there is to fix - and we’ve put in Desi Harry and Black Hermione, we’ve written whole essays on why Wolfstar is canon, we’ve taken terrible things like “house elves love to be enslaved” and written complex, thoughtful interpretations of the relationship between oppressor and oppressed. We’ve fucked with it all. Some hasn’t gone far enough, particularly in regards to the way we think about and portray people of colour. But overall, we’ve improved upon something without a single cent from that work going to J.K. Rowling. I find people in this fandom have had a much deeper understanding of the problems in the series for the longest, because we examine it so critically and closely.
No one’s perfect, but we’re all trying - at least, most of us are - and we’re doing things that make the lives of trans people and other marginalised people better. And I’m a trans person who can attest to that, and I know you are too. Universal maxims like “any engagement with HP is transphobic!” don’t even begin to understand what fandom is, what it does, and why it exists. (Those universal maxims also tend to be hugely influenced by Western morality and the legacy of Christianity)
And yes - my fundraiser, and how this community came together to support a trans person in need, really shows all of it in a tangible way. The people here are here to support and uplift those who need it.
chickpea; i often fall into the trap of feeling like if my resistance doesn't transform my oppressors then it doesn't count. i’ve written posts about racism in fandom and a lot of times i still approach it from the position of like, how do i make this palatable, if i just say it with the perfect tone then it will be more approachable and i'll like, convert the racists. i write it with the idea that i have to reach the unreachable. but over and over what i see is that those posts strengthen the people already on my side. and i think it's the same when we're talking about the effects on queer people of engaging with hp. like, a lot of times the argument is that our silly little stories don't translate into real resistance, because people think of "real" resistance as legislative changes and boycotts, as efforts that transform and educate or punish oppressors. and our trans fanfic isn't convincing any terfs that they're miserable pieces of shit. but it bolsters other trans people. it supports us as individuals in this community. i think that the emphasis on whether or not hp fandom engagement translates to "real world" resistance focuses too much on that idea of reaching the unreachable people. we're here and we're doing it for each other, and i *know* it's effective because every queer person i've met in this community has a story of being strengthened by a fic, or a post, or an illustration.
i want to bring it back to joyfulness  in fandom. how has it encouraged you to cultivate more joy for yourself and others?
rooney: Honestly, I think that idea about remembering who we’re actually doing this for is so important. And also I believe we can plant seeds for change through joy. Because here’s the thing - change doesn’t originate from someone signing a piece of paper enacting legislation. That’s an important part, but that person enacts legislation because they represent their communities. Communities who believe joy is possible are stronger, because they have something to fight for. Joy is essential to resistance. I want to reach my community with my words and make them strong. And perhaps then those sentiments will reach further, because we will feel supported by each other and capable in our own lives of challenging bigotry and violence, knowing we are not alone. I am convinced that is how change happens. 
But I don’t just want to be happy so I can fight better. I want to cultivate joy because I deserve it, because I’m a person. Transphobic rhetoric dehumanises trans people, and that disconnect from our humanity can be internalised; perhaps we don’t feel worthy of indulgence, frivolity, the whimsical and beautiful and luxurious parts of life. Fuck that. Every human deserves access to joy. Treating myself cruelly will not change anything about me - depriving myself of joy when I fuck up doesn’t make me fuck up less the next time, and it doesn’t help the people affected by said fuck up. But treating myself well, indulging my creativity and dreaming and desires, actually does change me. It makes me better to the people around me, and better to myself, which means I have more energy for others and myself, which means I give more - it’s the gift economy, it’s cyclical. 
So fandom just makes me happy because it does. I love watching these dumb boys in love. And rather than try and analyse that or judge it, I let myself accept it, and go with it, purely because it’s joyful and life affirming and connects me with the world in a new and beautiful way. It’s really just the power of storytelling, I think - it calls to something primal in us. Maybe it reminds us that we’re humans in this world that wants us to be more like machines.
Fandom makes me joyful because it reminds me of my humanity, I think. With every fic I read or gorgeous artwork it’s like I’m accessing this part of my humanness that I have to keep segmented and separate from my work life, my life where I have to so much of the time be productive and disciplined. Here, I feel all of my flaws acutely and deeply, and all of my wonders, and it’s soul deep. How wonderful to be a human and to feel so keenly - how preferable to a life of trying to stay in the boring, lonely middle.
chickpea: your soulful intellectual rigor is very attractive
rooney: i think that’s my favorite thing you’ve ever said to me.
chickpea: a lot of times i have to frame my self-care and creative work in terms of resistance because that's the only way i can allow myself to have it. but you are so fundamentally right. cultivating joy isn't only for the collective, it's for me. i need to think about pleasure and joy less as a fuck you to the people trying to crush me, and more as a gift. giving yourself that gift of joy really does give that gift to others, and that's such a beautiful, community building action. 
thank you for the reminder that being in community is about engaging with our humanity. it's a perfect conclusion to our whole discussion. humanity is gorgeous and gross and so is fandom and stories are reflections of that, and those reflections are so special to so many of us.
thank you for letting me trick you into processing your feelings. 
rooney: for the record i encourage all of your attempts to trick me into processing my feelings. 
Thank you both for joining me in the Library. I loved what you both had to say about fandom being a gift of joy to ourselves and community being a gift we give to each other. Thank you so much for the privilege of reading your conversation as a way to celebrate Pride in the Library.
If you want more @academicdisasterfic, be sure to check out his work on AO3! I particularly love his fic like the sun came out, because it so accurately portrays the way people who truly love each other treat each other - with gentleness and kindness and patience.
If you want more @saintgarbanzo, be sure to check out his work on AO3 as well! I love Sweeten to Taste because I'm always a sucker for a beautiful food description, and also because I love the thoughtful and nuanced discussions Harry and Draco have in this fic about justice and forgiveness and what we all deserve even when we've been wronged and when we have wronged others.
🏳️‍🌈 Lots of Love and Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈
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lunar-years · 1 month
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ooh, 16 for tl for the love your fandom asks?
16. a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate
ooh love this one. here's a few:
-Roy wearing colors & goofy patterned socks & drinking rose & generally looking the coziest we ever see him when he's with his Yoga mums
-parallel framing of the Sam + his Dad & Jamie + his Dad locker room scenes; even when Sam is desperately hugging Ola, Jamie's #9 locker is in the background!! I mean come on! it's suchhhh excellence.
-OK the Roy and Jamie fan communities definitely give this one it's worthy admiration but I am never getting over the way Jamie's hands during The Hug™️ go from clenched fists to open palms on Roy's back. I could talk about it forever.
-Keeley's frantic text messages when Jack is ghosting her in s3 and their wider Implications re: how Keeley navigates realtionships & breakups
-Similarly, how consistent the show is in showing Keeley making the same mistakes when it comes to jumping into relationships and struggling with abandoment issues and being alone; obviously the show dropped the ball on concluding that arc well in s3, but the connective tissue is THERE nonetheless across all three seasons and I wish more people recognized it and explored it rather than treating Keeley like she's perfect (or reversely hating the character for being "unrealistically perfect/worshipped/girl boss in the worst way" on the show when for the most part, I don't actually think the canon does that with her.) idk I just wish more people saw her nuances.
-the choice of music for specific scenes on this show goes so hard. Generally, the music direction is off the charts and i have a whole playlist of songs I discovered through the show <3
-switch from KJPR to KJBR that they slid in there without a mention in the finale
Fandom Ask Game
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worflesbian · 1 year
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right okay i dont know exactly how persistent an issue this is bc i almost never go into the tags on this website, but even ive noticed this happening so i feel like that’s justification to make a post about it. the whitewashing of julian bashir as an established Thing not just in the fandom but in official merch has been discussed before, but recently i’ve noticed the inverse happening with martok and b’elanna, a white character and a lighter latina character who people seem to often draw darker than they are in canon. and there’s like. a Lot going on there to unpack.
so this video goes into some detail about the racism baked into the origins and design of the klingons in tos, it’s very informative about the anti-asian stereotypes especially in a 60s context but i feel like it doesnt really cover the way that antiblackness becomes a more significant factor in the next gen era so like. if you didn’t know, the majority of the klingon characters in the next gen-ds9-voyager era are either played by actors with dark skin or Very frequently by white actors in heavy dark makeup. if you look up the actors of grilka, alexander, kehleyr, and sirella for example you’ll see what im talking about like the difference is Stark and these are some of the main recurring klingons across both shows. hopefully i do not need to explain why packing white actors in brown makeup to play members of a species characterised as violent, warlike and animalistic is racist. i say hopefully bc who knows with this website. anyway i’d recommend this video for a wider context on the legacy of blackface in tv!
martok is a rare example of a klingon played by a white actor who, as far as i can tell, does not have his skin significantly darkened. so to see him frequently being drawn with darker skin is uh Slightly Concerning given everything in the previous paragraph! ive even seen art where he’s drawn darker than julian in the same post which... anyway im not trying to blanket condemn reinterpreting the design of alien characters in fanart, but i am asking white fans like myself in particular to think critically as to why, out of all the white characters and aliens on ds9, martok is the one you want to do that with.
because b’elanna is not a white character i think its a slightly different situation, but at the same time she does have lighter skin and i have seen fanart of her drawn much much darker and once again, im not condeming it especially in works ive seen which explore the relationship bewteen her latina and klingon identities, but its something white fans need to handle carefully. in the voyager episode Faces where she gets split into a human and klingon version of her (dont have time to unpack all that) you can see the difference in undertones between human b’elanna and klingon b’elanna (also included a pic of regular b’elanna for reference). the brown makeup is obvious here too and if you can see why it might be racist to attribute a person’s rage and violent impulses to a part of themself that is then personified as darker skinned/more brown, then you might also see some of the wider problems going on here and can understand that this is something that demands a lot of thought and consideration.
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i’d like to reiterate that this is a very complex and nuanced issue, especially considering the intersection of fictional race within the setting and the racial biases operating behind the scenes/metatextually, and i’d love to discuss it more (and to cite better sources than youtube videos when i have the time). but for now i’d just like to say yeah just ask yourself what the implications might be to drawing these characters in particular darker than they are in canon, especially if theyre the only characters you do that for, or you’re intentionally contrasting them with other characters (e.g. b/7 fanart) or yk. drawing a white character darker than a character of colour like ive seen people do with julian and martok.
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pinkandpurple360 · 4 months
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As much as I love Fizz, his character has been inconsistent. And until recently, hadn't thought about the negative aspects of his relationship with Asmodeus. I play devil's advocate with myself all the time and it's torture so sorry if this ramble goes on for too long; I'll do three main points (though it's stuff other people already point out so feel free not to answer if this is repetitive)
-At first it seems like their communication is actually pretty good, but in any relationship, ofc someone is gonna just wanna keep some stuff private. In Fizz's case, he has issues with perfectionism and rejection sensitivity (probably)- that apparently leads him to isolate an be a work-a-holic. While I appreciate Ozzie's way of voicing his concerns and comforting Fizz, it does suck knowing he was either forced to male the Fizz bots (or was making them before he met Fizz). Time line is a bit weird in my head but I assume Ozzie actually met Fizz maybe a couple years after Fizz started working for Mam? Unsure. Regardless, I understand Ozzie's protective nature, but it's overbearing and not the way you should be treating an adult.
-Fizz's insecurity and vulnerability is understandable. Maybe the confidence is a facade, but after ten years? I understand he may feel like a fraud or whatever but I do wish he had more confidence rather than constantly being Infantilized. There are other ways to show off Fizzarolli's more playful/childish side rather than just making him helpless. I mean hey, we see that childish nature come up with RoboFizz, except that version is the more malicious aspect. Just like with Millie, we could see fascination with "childish" things like amusement parks or whatever.
-His relationship with Blitzø. Tbh I think they could be platonic, romantic, or even a QPR (the hype is real), but goddamn it's just another issue of the narrative providing us with angst, which would be great if it were handled a bit more maturely. Personally, I think the shots of "who tops" and "could we make out" are kinda funny? But they're also unnecessary, and I can totally get why people wouldn't dig those jokes.
Looking into the dynamic more just makes me realize Fizz x Ozzie isn't "Stolitz but healthy," it's just another relationship with it's own problems and pitfalls (which is great for nuance) and there's still the unexplored (and unacknowledged) issue of the nuance of power dynamics in relationships
I may just be hopeful, but I really, really hope that the series explores more of the mature stuff as they get into the rest of season two, and begin season 3.
Sorry for this wall of text, holy cow
Everyone plays devils advocate at first don’t worry, its ok to not want to explore possible uncomfortable aspects of things we like and enjoy. For this ship it was hard for me too. But like you said, it’s about complex nuances and possible issues rather than just jumping to ‘toxic’ but the biggest thing for me? It was “I don’t like designing sex toys with your likeness for him-pretty sure you feel the same” Cmon Oz. You still did that. You still designed and built and shipped out these things, knowing Fizz is possibly uncomfortable, how did Mammon force you? Why are they conscious btw Oz…And if it is later written canonically that mammon forced him to do it, that’s a bit lazy. Every character makes mistakes after all.
Fizz hasn’t been too inconsistent up until this latest episode imo. Maybe we just didn’t know his full story. His cute side was hinted at back in Ozzies with that nuzzling. He was most definitely defanged in S2E7 though.
Miscommunication Issues…power dynamics..
“Well today I learned I hate going outside!”
“You won’t have to again.”
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Look at that reaction…that’s not what he wanted to hear. :( that smile was put on. And now that Fizz quit his job, he really doesn’t have to go outside again except for Ozzies nightclub. I don’t know what’s next for him other than becoming Ozzies temporary spouse. The mortality/immortality dilemma is like the biggest elephant in the room right now for these two.
Fizz says that Oz is “someone who understands me”and many times he does, many times they communicate through eye contact alone, but a lot of times especially recently…he actually doesn’t understand Fizz. I love Asmodeus don’t get me wrong but let’s put the spotlight on him for a little bit. Nothing bad about examining some things.
And you’re completely right I mean…he calls him babe, baby, froggy, cutest little thing…and it feels like Fizz has to be very cute and submissive all the time saying ‘pwease’ for Oz to listen to him. This is likely Ozzies first real relationship and it being with someone so low on the hierarchy is making it a bit of a rough challenge for him.
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Ozzies smiles are so cute they hurt 😔 Kronk energy sometimes with this guy.
There is some choices made to not communicate about stuff. Not because Ozzie is abusive, he is actually not, but because there are things they don’t talk about when they really should. And secrets between them. Even if they’re badly kept.
wice now it seemed like Ozzie side stepped Fizz’s worry and anxiety over the status of their relationship being exposed. And he says “I don’t care both times” it’s always “I” and this implies he used to care yknow? We’re just kinda lucky Fizz turned out to be ok with both of these decisions. Imagine if the crowd got angry at Fizz instead and accused him of being a gold digger (which was written in the magazine from Oops)
Fizz and Blitzos relationship is something Ozzie definitely doesn’t get. And to be fair it is the most complicated one in the show. Blitzø isn’t just ‘that guy fizz hates’ and he knows it. His former bestie lifelong enemy then recent hero sortve rekindled friend blitz is a mystery.
Idk if it (blitzfizz history, power dynamics of class) will be explored without Ozzie and Stolas’ feelings being shoved in there some way. Or striker saying stuff then just getting punched out of the way for asking too many questions. I wish they could have a break from them. And like you said, comparing relationships never really works cause everyone is different. I’m not sure where they’re going with this but I can’t help but hope the pairings don’t stay rigidly stagnant. Right now they feel forced and set in stone.
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whitmanic · 2 months
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I love hearing all your thoughts on RvB! I was wondering if you had any thoughts on Agent Connecticut (CT)?
Thank you! I enjoy thinking about these weird little GI Joes :) I will always take questions/shooting the shit about rvb in my inbox :D
As far as CT, she's... kind of difficult for me. I have a lot of issues with her character on a writing level. While on the surface I quite like what's set up-- someone who's very clearly against what PFL is doing, whistleblowing, working with insurrectionists, sowing discord and suspicion in PFL members, etc-- she's just... Unfortunately written very flatly.
To put it simply-- she feels like a rough draft of a character, and it makes a lot of her scenes that would and should be narratively impactful/rewarding just... Not.
A lot of it is Rooster Teeth's misogyny, obviously. They have a hard time writing women who are empowered and not just flattening them to 'badass bitch,' and CT most definitely suffers from this. But the biggest issue is the leverage of her relationship with the insurrectionist leader as structuring it as a flattened love story. I think it takes away a lot of her agency. Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with prioritizing or showcasing a romantic relationship-- York and Carolina's is usually my go-to for how Rooster Teeth does it right, but even there, you can see how a lot of the romantic narrative beats are the underlying text to support the actual PFL plot, rather than framing the romantic plot over the insurrectionist plot. I... Have a hard time putting this into succinct words, but there's just something about CT's storyline that really, really, really doesn't read well. It attempts to leverage her attachment to this man over her attachment to... Doing? A? Good? Thing? (Not to mention, I'm still really unclear of what the Insurrectionist goals even are.)
What could be a really fascinating portrayal of a character who is trying to navigate the truly heartbreaking, difficult, morally-grey aspects of revolutionary thought, her genuine care for her comrades, and her romantic love interest just so often is... like I said above. Flat. A rough draft. There's not a lot of nuance, or a lot of thought, and any depth here gets relegated to plot. That's the problem. CT doesn't have a character, she has a plot device. She is a plot device. At all points, every time we can get more from her, we get her regurgitating the parts of the plot RT wants us to get out of the story. She's... Kind of just a lazy Physical Moralization Of the Story?
Here's what they do right-- I really like the subtleties in her and Tex's relationship dynamics. Leaving the thumb drive in Tex's locker. CT's genuine concern and desire to let Tex navigate and figure out who she is. The righteous anger involved in that action, and their relationship. I don't know if I want that aspect to be explored more-- When you have a character like CT who just... spells out the plot for you, it's nice to have these subtle moments that don't try to wack you over the head with an ice pick about how to read the text. CT often seems to be used to spell the plot out to people, which I find to be more than a little demeaning. (Then again, I guess I can't fault them for having a fanbase that is probably not as invested in like. Media Literacy on the whole. lol. but that's mean.)
I think there's something genuinely heartbreaking in CT. Her relationship with Wash is fascinating, and I find the moments of her genuine frustration and the futility of trying to break through soldier mentality to be interesting. There's the bones of a really cool character, here, but it just... She just... Ugh.
If you can't tell, the construction of her character just frustrates me to no end, lol. So I'm sorry for this mess of a text, but this is a rough draft in and of itself, because trying to dissect her character is just... It's like staring at a brick wall that's been graffitied to say MAYBE THE DIRECTOR IS A BAD GUY, GUYS? ALSO I'M A WOMAN, DID YOU KNOW THAT? and it's just, simply put, kind of disappointing.
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speak-on-it · 4 months
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I've been reading a lot about the Stolitz dynamic and wanted to add my take
I'll admit to a level of ignorance. There are some things that, at least on a conscious level, had not considered or thought about. With some posts bringing these issues to my attention, there are a few things I'd like to add.
I absolutely agree that the relationship (if you can call it that) needs to be handled better. As much as I love Stolas, there are some glaring inconsistencies and problems with his character that have not been addressed so far (some could be chalked up to character flaws and trauma; ie, thinking he has a good memory, hypersexuality, etc)
The dynamic between him and Blitz has the potential to be really interesting, and I do think there are some ways their "relationship" is getting better. Stolas does try to initiate conversation and leave the door open for Blitz to reciprocate (however I think Blitz's disinterest should be taken into account)
However, I can't ignore the way Blitz is so uncomfortable with Stolas' hypersexuality. There are times where he reciprocates, however Stolas more often than not pushes Blitz outside his comfort zone. While I think this is a result of Stolas being sexually repressed (for more than a decade), and not having adequate support systems, it's not an excuse to treat Blitz like a sex toy.
We do see Stolas try to be better, like in Ozzie's, how he tries to start a conversation and is more respectful of Blitz's boundaries, and in Oops, how he wants to help Blitz be more independent and not rely on their "arrangement". Once again, there are some issues. 1) Stolas has long treated Blitz poorly, and Blitz has a right not to accept apologies or reciprocate. 2) How Stolas talks about Blitz in Oops; not addressing him by name, and Asmodeus having the immediate assumption Stolas is asking for a love potion (or something similar).
In order for Blitz and Stolas' relationship to legitimately improve, I think three main things need to be accomplished; 1) Communication; talking about their class differences, setting clear boundaries, and addressing their own problems, 2) Stop the commodification of Blitz's body; even before- from the circus, to Bee's party, to Stolas, Blitz is constantly having his bodily autonomy and independence undermined, 3) Space; these two need to learn how not be codependent in their relationships, whether its with friends or family members (we're already seeing some steps in this direction).
Of course, the class difference and lack of nuance when writing these issues is really frustrating, but I think giving the team time to explore these issues in depth is worth waiting for. I mean, season 3 is greenlit (allegedly) and that means more time to explore character arcs and take audience critique into consideration.
Idk man, I just genuinely want to see the series improve. I could be giving these characters too much credit, and I think I missed a few things, but these were the main things I wanted to write down.
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cows-quack · 1 year
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It’s hard to judge a sentai because each season is a wildly different experience imo. So whenever I try to think of a tier list I have a hard time stacking one over the other because of it.
If I had to pick a way to rate it, it’d be under categories so here are my favorite so far for different reasons.
Best Writing: Shinkenger & Go Buster
The writing in Tokusatsu in general is always weaker in the final arcs and the pacing isn’t always ideal. But in these seasons I found they had just the right amount of foreshadowing and build up. The final arcs were also great.
Funniest/Funnest: Zenkaiger & Donbrothers
If we’re being honest new seasons can take a while to get into. It’s normal since you’re just getting used to the characters. But with Donbrothers and Zenkaiger i was looking forward to each and every episode and I didn’t want it to end. I still don’t. I miss them.
… i miss stacey 🥺
Best “rival reds” sentai: Lupinranger Vs Patranger
To be fair, I’m biased because lupat was the first sentai i ever watched and boy did Keichiro/Kairi compel me. Honorable mention to Timeranger, it was good but the red/red aspect was a little lacking imo.
First sentai to make me cry: Toqger
If you watched toqger you know what im talking about.
Most lovable reds: Zyuohger & Boukenger
Akashi and Yamato are great reds for very different reasons. Yamato is a real sweetheart and he’s got a lot of nuance as a character. His kindness is what draws his team to him but they’re the ones that wind up helping him open up about his issues and learn to move past them.
Akashi on the other hand starts off as an asshole. That was so funny to me. I had never seen a red willing to threaten his teammates like that (sorry Masumi). He grows a lot during the course of the season but throughout it all he’s a great leader. Also a wonderful mom.
Shinken Red is also a great red.
Best Polycule: Gokaiger
The core of sentai is the power of friendship. And with Gokaiger one of the most appealing aspects is their relationship and there’s no doubt in how much they love each other as a team and probably more. Definitely more. I don’t even need to ask if they’ve explored each others bodies, we all know they have.
Also the way they fight as a team while tossing weapons to each other? Amazing.
Best power up suits: Dekaranger
Dekarangers was a very good season. In terms of episodic adventures it was very good and the fights and crime scene investigations were also interesting. The power up suits also made a lot of sense and it was nice to see the whole team wearing it and not just red. Biggest downside is that DekaSwan barely fought at all. It was a huge missed opportunity.
Best fighting progression: Gekiranger
A pet peeve of mine with sentai was that they all instantly knew how to fight, the moment they donned their suits. With Gekiranger that isn’t the case. They’re all constantly training including the villains. It was honestly refreshing to watch.
I have to mention Gokai green here. He had a hard time grasping the basics of fighting and ended up with his own unique fighting style which really stood out to me.
Shinkenger and Go Buster had their own training arcs which i also enjoyed but Gekiranger stands out just a little more.
Blind to its flaws because of a ship 🫣: Hurricanger
There’s inflation, there’s egg nonsense, there’s probably other stuff i blocked out… but yousuke/ikkou is too good. How can i say there’s anything wrong with this season? I can’t. For ikkou and yousuke im keeping my mouth shut.
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spaceorphan18 · 6 months
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Okay guys! I have watched all of Hearstopper -- as picked by you!
And here are my thoughts!
I'm going to put it under a cut -- Idk if people are worried about spoilers? Idk.
My overall, quick thoughts are that I liked it! It's a well done show, and I'm glad that there's a celebratory LGBT+ youth show that isn't reliant on trauma porn in the way that Euphoria is. (I haven't seen Euphoria - but based on what I do know, it'd be too much for me.)
I think, though, I have some complicated feelings about the show, though, more so concerning my place in life and less about the show itself. But I guess some reflecting is at hand.
I liked the first season more than the second. Part of it, admittedly, might be because I spent the whole day binging it. And sometimes that's a hard thing in general. I had a nice day -- and as afternoon slipped into the evening, it kind of felt like one of those relaxing days where you curl up with hot cocoa on a snowy, winter day. It's comforting. I enjoyed my day - but it was probably too much by the end of it. I was getting antsy about moving on, so that's on me, and my issues of not being able to parcel things out.
I think the other part of it is the realization as the second season was playing that I've spent the last thirty years watching some kind of variation of the stories being told. And while I think it's great that Gen Z has this, and that the LGBTQ+ community has this, I feel like I've seen it all before. This isn't a criticism of the show -- it's more so that I don't think I'm invested in these kinds of stories anymore. It's kind of interesting, in a way, that it doesn't matter sexuality or gender or what age you're growing up in, there are some themes that are universal.
Alright - so some more specific thoughts:
I do like the Nick and Charlie pairing. They're very sweet together, and I think the show does a good job of exploring it as a growing, awkward teenage relationship.
I also like the way they've handled Charlie's eating disorder. I usually hate eating disorder story lines in media -- and this one was handled in a really nuanced way, and I think that's really cool.
I think one reason I didn't like the second season as much as the first, though, is that the first is a real exploration of Nick and Charlie -- with everyone else as a supporting cast. And the second season kind of falls into the pitfall of being a little too bloated as they try to expand on everyone. As well as -- making it about everyone coupling off and less about the friendship. Don't get me wrong, they make sure to show everyone as a supportive group, and that's great, but friendship dynamics just didn't factor as much, and I hate when shows get so caught up in romantic dynamics that that's all it focuses on. Plus, Nick and Charlie almost got pushed to the background of their own story.
I have never read the graphic novels or the web comic so I have no frame of reference -- but Charlie's sister is straight out of a comic strip. I don't know if that works as much on screen, but man you could tell. (I felt that way about early Tao, too.)
The family dynamic stuff of the second season was... fine. But, I really do love Olivia Coleman as Nick's mom. She does a lot with a little.
I like Tao and Elle as characters (and really like that being bi-racial and trans is part of her identity but not her whole character), and while their romance was telegraphed early on, I can't say that I'm all that interested in it. And I feel like across all media, the cliche of one person wanting to choose their career and their romantic partner has to deal with that just feels... tired.
(Honestly - I think there's a story here about how you think you are in love with someone - and you try to date them only to find out you're better friends, is a more interesting angle, but I knew it wasn't going to go that way.)
I do love Tao's mom though. She is a delight and I love her.
Okay, here comes probably my most controversial opinion. I really wasn't a fan of the f/f story. The problem is, unlike Nick and Charlie who get to be nuanced, real characters. The girls identities and story are completely tied to the fact that they are lesbians. They really aren't developed outside of their lesbianism and I find that really unfortunate. I'm glad there is a lesbian couple on the show - I feel like they're underserved in media as a whole, but I really just don't like this story line or these characters very much.
That said - I'm really glad that there's so much f/f friendship on the show, and that there are a lot of instances of females supporting each other.
And then there's Isaac. I really love him as a character, and I absolutely LOVE that they put asexuality on the show -- seriously, as someone who is borderline asexual, it's so, so refreshing to see a teen going through a lot of what I went through as a teen. My one problem is that as the show erases a lot of the friendship dynamics for romantic ones, Isaac gets a little lost. Isaac is on his own? Oh that's fine -- he has his books. Geez, c'mon show. Let him have one conversation with one of his friends about how he feels -- and less of his melancholy, balcony brooding. (Again - there were definitely group scenes where they made sure he was included - but let's face it, Isaac is still a third tier character.)
Okay, and then there's another big issue I had overall, which, again, is less to do with this show, and more to do how certain things are portrayed in teen media. I really kind of hate the notion that your troubles will be your troubles until you find a magic partner who makes all those troubles go away. The world... just doesn't work like that, and you will have so many people in your life who will love and support you, and I wish these shows didn't zero in on romantic relationships to save or fix you. I know the narrative wasn't trying to do this -- but sometimes I roll my eyes when it feels presented that you aren't worthy of being you until someone romantically interested validates you.
The kind of background love story of the two teachers I found amusing. They're both great minor characters -- I would totally watch a show about them. The rugby coach, too, is a fantastic character. I'm glad the adults in this show aren't complete buffoons.
Overall, the show, on a technical level, looks really good. I did love the little added animations that popped up -- in a way to show the graphic novel origins.
So yeah. Look. This sounds like I hated the show when I really didn't. It is very sweet, and I am looking forward to a third season. But I'm being nitpicky of things I've seen over and over in teen media for the past thirty years that, honestly, did detract my viewing pleasure. That said -- I do think stand by what I said earlier in that it's something great for people who are of the correct age, and who are experiencing these stories for the first time. There are so many worse alternatives that I enjoy the fairy tale-esqueness of this one.
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marvelstars · 6 days
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Hello,
This isn't exactly a question, but just something I’ve felt like saying for a while. I just wanted to let you know that your posts about Palpatine and Anakin’s relationship are really refreshing. Speaking as a die-hard Palpatine fangirl, I have to say it is very rare to find anyone who realizes what a complex character he is and knows that he has a human side. So many of even his own fans simply like him because he’s (supposedly) pure evil, and that makes him cool. So thank you for your great posts and for actually understanding him.
Hi Thank you :)
I am glad you like my take on Palpatine, I believe he is a character not very explored by the fandom or even official media, he is usually characterized as the evil Emperor which is ok, he is fun, that´s a completely fair take for him because Lucas did write him that way in the original trilogy even if he gave him some nuances but he wasn´t truly explored until the PT.
What I found fascinating about him were the layers Ian McDiarmird and Lucas managed to give him in the prequel trilogy, this doesn´t mean I believe he was right or that he wasn´t the main villain of star wars but he was still human and it´s interesting to explore the story from his pov, because while I believe what he did, he did for power obviously, his character needed to have other talents to be able to fool so many characters in the prequel trilogy and become such a respected politician even by the founders of the rebellion and members of the Jedi Order but I especially like to explore his relationship to Anakin, the character closest to him in both trilogies.
For example, I always found interesting Sidious relationship with Padme in the first movie, he wasn´t just Naboo´s Senator but also Padme´s political mentor, he underestimated her and expected her to give up inmediately, which was a mistake and that was how she, along with Anakin, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon managed to stop his plans of starting a civil war for at least 10 years but he didn´t do so again, and despite the fact that he doesn´t have warm feelings towards her, I believe he respected her as a political rival.
He is the ultimate sith lord but he also is someone who likes art and seems to be able to read everybody around him like a book, you can´t do that if your understanding of people is superficial, he understands human emotion and motives, and more than his powers in the force,I believe his manipulative skills are by far the scarier part of his character, because he truly managed to get the political support of the Jedi Order and Bail Organa in the Second movie, you can´t do that if you don´t work with issues the republic already had and had causes those groups would support.
Finally his relationship with Anakin is openly toxic, is about him grooming a little kid to become his perfect apprentice, a little kid that comes with a prophecy that says he is going to stop his plans and maybe become Palpatine´s killer but this grooming took him 13 years of his life, you can´t spend years of your life espending time with someone and not be a little bit attached, Palpatine didn´t have family left or children of his own and Anakin was a trusting, loving kid starving for affection, you can be evil all you like but the fact that in ROTS novel Anakin knew Sidious pastimes and admired his political skills while also feel the need to defend the Jedi Order from him, the fact Palpatine knew exactly what kind of ship models Anakin liked, that he took time to mentor him in politics, tells that despite the horrible manipulation taking place there, there was a little bit of genuine feelings from Palpatine towards Anakin which unfortunately also came with a need for control, because Palpatine is a sith and they are possesive in their love.
The fact Palpatine calls Anakin Son while Anakin thinks of him as family and in the end the Emperor uses all the skills in the force and his personal resources to keep Anakin alive after Mustafar, that is something I don´t believe he would have done for Dooku or Maul and he raised Maul, which has it´s own implications.
The fact they are not only master and apprentice but subtly have called each other family directly or indirectly, it adds a whole other layer to them as main antagonists and villains, the fact Lucas point blank said Vader still loved the Emperor on ROTJ, despite the fact he made him fight his Son and it makes sense, you can´t spend 20 years of your life supporting someone you thought as family/leader and not have feelings about it as much as a sith you may be, that goes for both of them, this nuance tells that you can be a villain, commit evil acts and still have this little space for humanity and need for contact that not even the Emperor was safe from. He only let down his guard for Vader in ROTJ.
I just find it fascinating how between Anakin´s loved ones Shmi, Padme, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Rex, etc Palpatine was one of them and that while it was the result of manipulation and grooming, it also had some genuine elements. I could see a time travel story in which Anakin/Vader Post ROTJ tries to do for Palpatine what Luke did for him and be serious about it while also doing everything in his power to stop his plans from happening.
This kind of nuance is hard to get from a story like star wars with the main villain yet Lucas, Stover and Ian managed to do so and I like to explore the implications of this and I believe that´s what makes Palpatine cool as a character.
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aphantpoet · 1 year
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Queer rep is not a vacuum
There is so much debate over what is and is not queer rep and it seems to change with each new show. For this I’m going to explore four series that I’m personally a fan of and break down their rep individually ;LOK, SPOP, TOH and Arcane. I will do it this way because Queer rep is not a vacuum.
It is first important to understand the perspective I’m coming at from this: so Yaama, if you don’t know me I’m a queer [Enby and Demi sexual lesbian]and indigenous [Australian] writer; I mainly write about queer people for queer people. I also want to say that I am not bashing any of these series, I love them all.
1. Korrasami
Korra and Asami have a slightly rocky relationship when they first meet but they become fast friends. Both characters are confirmed Bisexual and their relationship is far more obvious from a  queer perspective. They are far less explicit than other shows on this list but that is due to studio censorship.
The ship itself is really sweet. Both women are close and support each other with Korra writing to only Asami at one of the roughest times of her life.
This ship, being the first queer rep in Avatar, followed by Kya being confirmed as a lesbian, gets a lot of flack for being too subtle and not built up enough. As much as I do not like Some writers on the Avatar team, I do genuinely believe they were trying their best here.
The ship itself isn’t problematic and came at a time when there was little rep in mainstream media, let alone kids media. While it has it’s issues, it is some of the first rep kids in my generation saw. Sue me, I’ve got nostalgia.
2.SPOP
This is a contentious one but it cannot be denied that SPOP was full of Queer rep. Spinetossa, catradora, None of the princesses were straight and Double Trouble.
SPOP is unashamed of it’s queer rep and as world where no one is straight, no one is homophobic. This provides escapism that we as queer people sometimes need.
While Catradora has it’s criticisms, it’s a beautiful ship that underpins the narrative  and drives the plot. to call it “toxic” or “abusive” ignores the nuance of the story.
Spinetossa is a solid relationship that provides fluff and comedic relief in the darker episodes. they’re background characters but the nature of their relationship is clear from the start. they’re always together, they wear chokers with each other's colours . From the get go, before we even hear the cute nicknames we know they are a unit. 
Double Trouble , while  stemming from a problematic trope, is a solid character with complexities and comedy gold to spare. While the trope of making nonbinary characters non human is dodgy at best in a show where cis characters are also not human they don’t stand out too much so they can have a pass.
3. TOH
TOH is also unashamedly queer, Eda, Raine, Willow’s dads, Lumity, Edric.I’ve also seen commendations on the Neurodivergent rep  but that’s not my place.
Disney was obviously trying to censor things earlier on but around late season two A Dana stopped giving a shit and good for her. We got Edric having a partner, to quote his sister Emira “ After he accidentally sent  a love poem to THEIR mum”. Love that for him. The first Lumity kiss and them getting together and everything after it.
Willows dads’, minor and cliched as they may be do not come of a tokenistic, a nice change from other shows there the Mc’s best friend’s queer parents is often some of the only rep.
And Raine, a nonbinary person, who while not quite human isn’t an alien/robot/demon/spirit. They’re also a prominent character and their relationship with Eda is just a delight.
Cool Aunt Lilith, AroAce queen and all the flags in season three and it’s only the first episode.
there are some issues with Luz dating her friends ex bully but they address it and smooth it over.
4.Arcane
The biggest thing to come out of Arcane was CatVi/Violyn. I’ve seen some people ship Caitlyn and Jayce but that’s a small group.
Both character’s are confirmed as lesbians.While I love Luz I do find that lesbians do often get left behind in representation or claimed as Bi when they aren’t.
there’s not much else in terms of queer rep for Arcane but it’s very clearly a world where homophobia isn’t an issue.
The CatVi relationship is also important to the story and builds up over the first season. the show isn’t concerned with it but it’s nice to see.
All this to say, Queer rep isn’t a vacum, just because one series shows wholesome queer people and another shows messy,complicated queer love does not make either superior to the other. To put wholesome queer relationships over messy ones perpetuates respectability politics. Both can be good queer rep, both can be bad queer rep.
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