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7/31/12 10:13There are very few things in my life worse than waking up at 2 in the morning with a migraine. I guess the bright side would be the possibility that, having started the day with such compound awfulness, things can only get better?
Like, I wake up, curse a bit because of course I'd get a migraine the day I have to attend a long-ass talk at the uni. Of course. And then, internet is:
1) Wrong. You guys, listen, highly idealized, 'perfect for each other/carefully matched' pairings* only work on paper. And even then, it depends on execution. Kataang, for example, was executed in a decently enough way that I can handwave their future together and generally not care about them; Maiko, otoh, was so poorly executed that it inhibits my liking of it, which is saying something when considering that on normal circumstances it would have been textbook kink button for me, as it is the pairing has me disliking both characters when together (Kataang does as well, to an extent, but it's not quite as eye-twitch worthy as Maiko) even though they are two of my most dearly beloved bbs (throw Katara into the mix and a non-wedding of some kind for Mai and Zuko and I'm all set, tho. THREE WAY OF MY HEART). If your argument is that the characters 'belong' together because they were crafted for each other, then I'mma not even gonna let ya finish because that is not good enough for me. I can't get emotionally invested simply because the text tells me to do so, that's not how it works.
I have absolutely no problem filling in blanks (see: MY LONG-WINDED HISTORY OF NON CANON SHIPPING), but if those blanks are left there because of poor story-telling, lazy narrative, illogical character progression or whatever, then I refuse to do your job for you. Say, Arthur and Gwen have suffered plenty from lazy story-telling and general lack of self-awareness on the writers/producers' end, but they tug at my heartstrings and their actors have enough chemistry and talent to sell me the pairing even if their bosses seem to think 'the selling pitch' is redundant, they make each other better and that is actual personal growth right there, which is, I think fundamental for any kind of healthy, long-term human relationship. This is a case in which I don't mind headcanon-ing my way through the sea (it annoys me, but it doesn't stop me from sailing the fuck out of the ship) because the ship I'm sailing is sturdy enough to weather the stormy routes of facepalming some narrative decisions toss it into.
I kind of think this point got away form me, so it's getting chopped here.
2) Disappointing. Though, in all fairness, this one isn't so much a case of the internet in general as this one (two?, I think they're two) artist being excellent, knowing all the right ways in which human bodies/proportions work, having the knack of shading, knowing how to express facial expressions (yes, I'm using the same word twice), and producing these pieces that are simultaneously the sexiest, classiest, most explicit, tenderest, naughtiest drawings, BUT never having drawn for my OTP. I almost cried when I read that she's not into it and thus will produce nothing for it. The disappointment comes in because she's drawn EVERY SINGLE OTHER PAIRING POSSIBLE, canon and not, crossover, het, slash, femmeslash, all of them, whether she actively ships them or not.
Now, this is not to say I didn't favorite a few, because I did; as stated above, she's incredibly talented and her work is endlessly evocative and downright amazing, but still. My heart breaks a bit.
3) And last, but not least, gross. Which is nothing new, but hey, it still stings. Not going into details here because it's triggery and it's not like I've processed it enough to have an actual opinion that's not CAPSLOCK RAGE, which would not be worth your or my time. So.
I really, really need this migraine to go the hell away! Maybe my reactions to the above points would have been a lot more measured (mild indifference, most likely, at least in the two first points) IF MY BRAIN WEREN'T TRYING TO BEAT ITS WAY OUT OF MY SKULL.
*In fiction, okay? In fiction. Though I'd argue that, irl, the high levels of idealization we seem to want to have in our relationships more often than not wind up being a huge, major burden on the idealized party (or the relationship in general, if it is the case), and when the bursting point is reached, and it will be reached eventually, everyone comes out muddied and scratched and bleeding and just, it's not worth it. Trust me. Hopefully the lesson will be learned and the couple will go on to be stronger because of it, but that's not generally the case, when these things happen breaking up and moving on is usually the result. Which is a good result, mind, just not the one a fictional otp is expected or dreamed to have.
Of course, if this is the type of things you like to watch/read/listen about (not the breaking up, I mean, but the happy times of perfect lovey-dovyness) then be my guest, it is your enjoyment we're talking about here, just please don't use that argument against other pairings/shippers who work/prefer different dynamics. Or, rather, use it in your own internet corner, there is no need to tag your hate. THERE IS A SPECIAL LEVEL IN HELL FOR HATE TAGGERS, OMG.
Wow, this post got long. tl;dr ::kicks tuesday::
Like, I wake up, curse a bit because of course I'd get a migraine the day I have to attend a long-ass talk at the uni. Of course. And then, internet is:
1) Wrong. You guys, listen, highly idealized, 'perfect for each other/carefully matched' pairings* only work on paper. And even then, it depends on execution. Kataang, for example, was executed in a decently enough way that I can handwave their future together and generally not care about them; Maiko, otoh, was so poorly executed that it inhibits my liking of it, which is saying something when considering that on normal circumstances it would have been textbook kink button for me, as it is the pairing has me disliking both characters when together (Kataang does as well, to an extent, but it's not quite as eye-twitch worthy as Maiko) even though they are two of my most dearly beloved bbs (throw Katara into the mix and a non-wedding of some kind for Mai and Zuko and I'm all set, tho. THREE WAY OF MY HEART). If your argument is that the characters 'belong' together because they were crafted for each other, then I'mma not even gonna let ya finish because that is not good enough for me. I can't get emotionally invested simply because the text tells me to do so, that's not how it works.
I have absolutely no problem filling in blanks (see: MY LONG-WINDED HISTORY OF NON CANON SHIPPING), but if those blanks are left there because of poor story-telling, lazy narrative, illogical character progression or whatever, then I refuse to do your job for you. Say, Arthur and Gwen have suffered plenty from lazy story-telling and general lack of self-awareness on the writers/producers' end, but they tug at my heartstrings and their actors have enough chemistry and talent to sell me the pairing even if their bosses seem to think 'the selling pitch' is redundant, they make each other better and that is actual personal growth right there, which is, I think fundamental for any kind of healthy, long-term human relationship. This is a case in which I don't mind headcanon-ing my way through the sea (it annoys me, but it doesn't stop me from sailing the fuck out of the ship) because the ship I'm sailing is sturdy enough to weather the stormy routes of facepalming some narrative decisions toss it into.
I kind of think this point got away form me, so it's getting chopped here.
2) Disappointing. Though, in all fairness, this one isn't so much a case of the internet in general as this one (two?, I think they're two) artist being excellent, knowing all the right ways in which human bodies/proportions work, having the knack of shading, knowing how to express facial expressions (yes, I'm using the same word twice), and producing these pieces that are simultaneously the sexiest, classiest, most explicit, tenderest, naughtiest drawings, BUT never having drawn for my OTP. I almost cried when I read that she's not into it and thus will produce nothing for it. The disappointment comes in because she's drawn EVERY SINGLE OTHER PAIRING POSSIBLE, canon and not, crossover, het, slash, femmeslash, all of them, whether she actively ships them or not.
Now, this is not to say I didn't favorite a few, because I did; as stated above, she's incredibly talented and her work is endlessly evocative and downright amazing, but still. My heart breaks a bit.
3) And last, but not least, gross. Which is nothing new, but hey, it still stings. Not going into details here because it's triggery and it's not like I've processed it enough to have an actual opinion that's not CAPSLOCK RAGE, which would not be worth your or my time. So.
I really, really need this migraine to go the hell away! Maybe my reactions to the above points would have been a lot more measured (mild indifference, most likely, at least in the two first points) IF MY BRAIN WEREN'T TRYING TO BEAT ITS WAY OUT OF MY SKULL.
*In fiction, okay? In fiction. Though I'd argue that, irl, the high levels of idealization we seem to want to have in our relationships more often than not wind up being a huge, major burden on the idealized party (or the relationship in general, if it is the case), and when the bursting point is reached, and it will be reached eventually, everyone comes out muddied and scratched and bleeding and just, it's not worth it. Trust me. Hopefully the lesson will be learned and the couple will go on to be stronger because of it, but that's not generally the case, when these things happen breaking up and moving on is usually the result. Which is a good result, mind, just not the one a fictional otp is expected or dreamed to have.
Of course, if this is the type of things you like to watch/read/listen about (not the breaking up, I mean, but the happy times of perfect lovey-dovyness) then be my guest, it is your enjoyment we're talking about here, just please don't use that argument against other pairings/shippers who work/prefer different dynamics. Or, rather, use it in your own internet corner, there is no need to tag your hate. THERE IS A SPECIAL LEVEL IN HELL FOR HATE TAGGERS, OMG.
Wow, this post got long. tl;dr ::kicks tuesday::
