I got this message from someone a few days ago and responded privately, but I thought this was good tumblr etiquette to share. I will be tagging any shipping stuff related to Armand and Marius as “#mariusxarmand” so that it can be blocked.
It’s absolutely totally okay to ask for a ship to be blocked. I can’t accommodate all tagging requests (like this pomegranate post that someone wanted OP to tag as gore, and I see both sides of the issue, but I am human and can’t tag everything), this one seemed very reasonable.
I won’t ask others to tag shipping stuff related to Armand and Marius as “#mariusxarmand” (you can if you want to) but it would be nice if you could comment/reblog this with any ship names you do tag, maybe it would be helpful for this anon or others to block other ship’s shipping stuff they do not want on their dash.
It’s okay to have fictional characters do problematic stuff. Really, it is. Fictional characters are there to tell a story; not to be perfect paragons of virtue.
“Yeah!” some people will say. “It’s fine as long as you show that it’s problematic!”
And I’ll say: No. You don’t need to always do that either. We can’t expect writers to point out every moral misstep a character makes.
It’s okay to have characters do something problematic, and it’s okay to assume that the readers can see why it’s problematic on their own.
The number of notes on this that say “No, you have to moralize, because readers are stupid!” is… disheartening. So what? We have to treat everyone like toddlers just in case someone happens to get the wrong idea about some fiction? If random fanfic (or any other semi-anonymous online content, for that matter) is a major determiner in someone’s life, they already have bigger problems than any fic could affect.
How about this: if someone pays me to write, they’ll get a say in what I write. As long as I’m writing for my own pleasure for free, I will write what I want.
Another suggestion: if you need moral guidance, stop reading fan fiction and turn to victorian children’s literature! Very helpful in encouraging good morals in the young!
I too love the same things about Daniel as you, his unflinching persistence to get what he want is originally what first attracted me to him especially since I was very weak willed when I was younger. But now, though it may have seemed different in the ask, I feel a more maternal instinct towards him rather than a romantic interest, I’d rather see him safe than as my sweetheart. It’s very interesting to watch opinions and feeling towards characters change, like for example how you feel about Claudia. Sorry if this isn’t making sense I tend to ramble
One of the great things about fiction is that we can revisit how we feel about characters at different points in our lives. I know I felt differently about Claudia as I got older. I think I had an idea of what she felt when I first read IWTV, but as an adult I can better understand how devastating it must have been for her, and how frustrating for her ‘parents’ who were unable to help guide her in any significant way re: the fact that she would never physically age ;A;
With Daniel, I admit he’s not one of the characters I engaged with as much as others, so I can’t really speak specifically to your comments about him. You may change your opinion again as you get older, too. I always liked that he seemed to fly by the seat of his pants, and was ballsy enough to just keep asking for what he wanted, knowing Armand wouldn’t give it to him. That even in his darkest moments, he demonstrated an inquisitive nature, and was obviously capable of giving/receiving love. That’s inspiring, at least to me.
He’s one of the first VC characters (Jesse is another one) who we get to spend significant time with in canon as a mortal, and get an idea about what it’s like to get involved with vampires; it can’t be easy to just sit down and be quiet when you have one of these supernatural beings fixated on you!
I feel a more maternal instinct towards him rather than a romantic interest, I’d rather see him safe than as my sweetheart.
^Awww, this is lovely! With fictional characters, we can have it both ways, at different times in our lives, in different parts of canon or in fanfic, we can feel more protective, and in others, we might feel more of a romantic attraction, and sometimes there’s an overlap, it’s fluid.
I think this is why real ppl call their lovers/partners/significant others/etc. the endearing “baby,” or variations of that, it might come from a need to protect someone they see as precious as a family member. Marriage brings ppl together into being chosen family ❤ And of course the vampires maker/fledgling relationships bind them physiologically like family.
Anyone have that quote from Lin Manuel Miranda (I think?) about exploring things you’d never want to do in real life through fiction, and exploring the worst parts of your psyche?
don’t have anything in common with me anymore, and are bored by the things i post
feel obligated by whatever personal reason you may have to keep following me, even if literally any of those above things apply
this applies to mutuals as well. your dash should be your happy place, so no hard feelings and i wish you the best in life
I’m adding here that I don’t actually check my followers list ever – I only ever check the number if I’ve had a rash of new follows – so if you’ve got any anxiety about offending me, don’t worry, because I literally won’t see. Your dash is your safe and happy spot, and if my content doesn’t jive with what you want to see…that’s fine with me.
I-want-my-IWTV 