read the username.

DNI IF YOU ARE...; under 21 (i'm sure lots of y'all are great i've just encountered too many sour apples), a vivienne apologist, or someone who is generally incapable of respectfully and maturely engaging with criticism. i barely use this account anymore so don't bother following me.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

i hate when vivziepop stans come into critical-safe spaces and want to start slinging around insults and complaining about our opinions 😫 for people who love to complain about the critical viewers ruining the show and not letting them enjoy it, they sure do find ways to insert themselves into our spaces and be around us. "if you guys don't love the show then don't watch it??!!😡😡😡" errrm if you hate that we have criticisms about your beloved fiction, block and leave us alone 😭 the only one that can ruin a piece of media for you is YOURSELF, by letting your brain be bothered by it.

and if y'all (vivzie stans) are still able to defend vivienne's overall mid writing and questionable choices then obviously critical viewers aren't ruining it for you enough. if we were really doing that you'd be joining us in criticizing the show instead of continuing to obsessively and aggressively support a grown woman who is more than capable of targeting critical accounts herself (as proven by the many twitter receipts people have shared) 🤢🤢

edit: re-pinned this because it's like all the annoying vivzie stans are coming out of retirement lol

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

the person who sent this ask is messy as hell. how is bringing drama and fan outrage to a creator's face (and after they've been so vocal about disliking the fandom) supposed to be helpful or supportive? i think by now gooseworx is well aware of how controversial her show is, she doesn't need anyone to tell her what she's doing that the fandom is going to upset about. i'm not even a fan of gooseworx but i've always hated this... leave these grown ass strangers alone!! if you're gonna support them do it normally and just say "i love your show"!!

gooseworx even responding to this ask in the first place is so... messy. 99% of it is shit talking the fandom that's criticizing her poor writing, which makes it seem like she wants to agree without verbally contributing to the conversation by platforming it. and does she know what 'fluff' is? because something being 'fluff' doesn't mean it isn't important information to the context of the characters.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

once again my bestie is real as hell.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

i think it's safe to say that the next time we find out some kind of creator is friends with vivziepop we need to just minimize the amount of attention we give them. that's the real cautionary tale here.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

"now let me die in piece" when you're the one willingly, actively posting about the show and engaging with/adressing the fandom post-finale has the same energy as saying "i'm so tired of the haters, i'm sick of it!" and then constantly addressing and even pandering to the haters.

[baydoors9000]

How's it possible that Rebecca Sugar was able to get Ruby and Sapphire to have a wedding and combat censorship and corporate breathing down her neck but Gooseworx could only squeeze in implied queerness in TADC?

She mentions Ribbit's pronouns are she/they but that was revealed in a tumblr post and need I remind you of her words:

Then, nobody ever uses "they" for Ribbit, including all merch descriptions released after the finale. Nothing is ever said about Zooble and Gangle's relationship except a little sneak peek of them having sex but didn't Gooseworx say this:

Gooseworx has made herself into an unreliable source. How does a YOUTUBE show only have implied queerness and not explicitly stated queerness? To get around censorship? WHAT CENSORSHIP?

Are we allergic to the terms non-binary, trans, lesbian, gay, etc? Why does it all have to be 19 layers of symbolism and clues??

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

because i've gotten a few corrections on the "stella and striker being homophobes makes no sense" thing being inaccurate as it was apparently never said that they were homophobes (i dug into it again and can't find the tweet where i swear vivenne had said so, only finding morgana's "you think they'd be found at pride?” tweet), i want to double down and point out how what morgana said was validly interpreted as conveying that they're homophobic, and that even if what she meant was "they don't like crowds"... that doesn't make sense either.

you're telling me striker, a character who we were introduced to as being involved in numerous crowd events would have a problem with attending pride?

stella, who has been protrayed as a socialiate and loves being the center of attention, wouldn't be at any kind of pride event? and how is it that stella and striker are the only two of the whole cast that wouldn't attend pride simply for the fact of not liking crowds? octavia is highly introverted but she's always in pride merch. loona isn't as socially adept as she'd like to be and doesn't do well in big groups from what we've seen but she's been in pride merch from the start.

for striker and stella to have not been included in ANY bit of pride merch (because the parade merch isn't the only kind that gets dropped, there are also individual pins and shirts and such that aren't connected to the parade standees or posters) combined with what morgana initially said, gives me the full impression that we're supposed to take these two characters as homophobes- either that or their sexualities haven't been decided yet... which is fucking crazy when CHAZ and ONE NOTE MAYBERRY got sexuality confirmations before them.

[apanict]

Really tired of seeing people act like trans woman jax was "obvious if you have media literacy 🙄" and talking down to people who didn't get it. It wasn't obvious. It wasn't even obvious to me, a trans person who was actively looking for the signs because I already heard it was "confirmed" before seeing the last episode. It wasn't even obvious to my trans fem wife who thought they were trying to hint that he was actually a trans man considering LEEROY was presented as a man. They were extremely cowardly with the hints. The most obvious one was when jax told ribbit about his macho dad and was cagey about what he had told his mom to make her mock him. Everyone talks about the bow thing like that was great rep and not the most vague confirmation. That's not even considering the fact that "bow on head = girl" is just straight up gender essentialism.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

once again i am questioning why stella and striker are homophobes and are never included in pride merch, while pretty much every other villain in the show is some form of queer (the vees, crimson, andrealphus) or, a straight ally (adam).

i can kinda understand making stella a homophobe but it isn't really conveyed in her writing and i REALLY don't get why striker is a homophobe because he would be perfect ace-spec representation of some kind (he is heavily implied to be sex repulse or autosexual, imo).

tbh, it doesn't even make sense for the hellborns, of all character types, to be homophobic. angels i would understand because of the whole "christians against gays" thing. sinners i would understand; it makes sense many would carry the homophobic beliefs of their upbringing/time period over to hell. how and why is homophobia even a thing for hellborns?? especially when so many of them are queer to begin with??

if there were more homophobic villains in the show i don't think it would be as odd. but with characters like vox and crimson (characters who periodically and trope-wise have every reason to be homophobic) not being homophobes and literally no one other than stella and striker being stated as such, i question why exactly they're homophobes. does vivienne just not want them in pride merch for some reason??

note: i am NOT pro-homophobia!!! this post is not to say the show should promote homophobia!!! it is to say that the two homophobes in the show SHOULDN'T be, because it feels like a claim made only to avoid putting them in one of the show's most profitable merch lines!!!

[alex172006]

How did you get so many things wrong????

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

Like? Genuinely curious as to what you think is objectively wrong here. Striker and Stella are confirmed homophobes. Vivienne said that's why they're never in any Pride merch. So that's true.

Every other villain in the show is on the queer/LGBTQ+ spectrum. Very easy to check yourself.

Everything else is me explaining my opinions of why Stella and Striker being homophobes feels odd and out of place with the show to me, and seeking clarity on why the two of them, of all characters, were chosen as the homophobic ones when characters who would make more sense as homophobes both lore-wise and portrayal-wise are just completely cool with the communities.

If you don't like what I have to say you're free to block me or otherwise disengage. This is the second time you've reblogged one of my posts with a vaguely critical comment with no attempt at actual conversation or elaboration and I get the feeling you're just trying to nitpick my complaints because you're a fan of the show.

[alex172006]

The only confirmation we have from someone (not Viv) is that Striker and Stella don't like going to parades because they are extremely loud. https://x.com/sophfandoms53/status/2060476646361080159

This is true, however you forgot that Crimson is homophobic and you said that he is queer (no proof for this)

Stella's brother is gay, she doesn't seem to hate him for being gay, she just dislikes the way he treats her (read: criticism against her bad decisions) and Striker is just tired of people constantly mentioning sex jokes in moments where they shouldn't even be mentioning them.

I am sorry.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

I can no longer find the tweet where Vivienne said Stella and Striker are homophobic. It was most likely deleted after backlash (something that isn't new for Vivziepop) because I remember the discourse surrounding it and I remember seeing the tweet myself.

Crimson is NOT homophobic. He literally had a "congrats you're gay" session for Moxxie in the episode he first appeared in. Is he ignorant? Yes. He has a stereotypical view of sexuality, seeming to only be able to distinguish gay from straight, but there is no showing of him having any issue with Moxxie (or anyone else) over his sexuality nor was anything ever said about him being a homophobe.

I did mistakenly call Crimson queer; upon double-checking he has not been listed as having any sexuality. That I admit I was wrong about.

To your last point, having queer family members sadly does not stop people from being homophobic, the same way being queer doesn't automatically make you an ally. I'm not saying I personally think Stella nor Striker are written as homophobic, as I explained in the parent post. My question is why it was ever stated that these two were, and why they haven't been included in any Pride Merch drops if they aren't.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

once again i am questioning why stella and striker are homophobes and are never included in pride merch, while pretty much every other villain in the show is some form of queer (the vees, crimson, andrealphus) or, a straight ally (adam).

i can kinda understand making stella a homophobe but it isn't really conveyed in her writing and i REALLY don't get why striker is a homophobe because he would be perfect ace-spec representation of some kind (he is heavily implied to be sex repulse or autosexual, imo).

tbh, it doesn't even make sense for the hellborns, of all character types, to be homophobic. angels i would understand because of the whole "christians against gays" thing. sinners i would understand; it makes sense many would carry the homophobic beliefs of their upbringing/time period over to hell. how and why is homophobia even a thing for hellborns?? especially when so many of them are queer to begin with??

if there were more homophobic villains in the show i don't think it would be as odd. but with characters like vox and crimson (characters who periodically and trope-wise have every reason to be homophobic) not being homophobes and literally no one other than stella and striker being stated as such, i question why exactly they're homophobes. does vivienne just not want them in pride merch for some reason??

note: i am NOT pro-homophobia!!! this post is not to say the show should promote homophobia!!! it is to say that the two homophobes in the show SHOULDN'T be, because it feels like a claim made only to avoid putting them in one of the show's most profitable merch lines!!!

[alex172006]

How did you get so many things wrong????

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

Like? Genuinely curious as to what you think is objectively wrong here. Striker and Stella are confirmed homophobes. Vivienne said that's why they're never in any Pride merch. So that's true.

Every other villain in the show is on the queer/LGBTQ+ spectrum. Very easy to check yourself.

Everything else is me explaining my opinions of why Stella and Striker being homophobes feels odd and out of place with the show to me, and seeking clarity on why the two of them, of all characters, were chosen as the homophobic ones when characters who would make more sense as homophobes both lore-wise and portrayal-wise are just completely cool with the communities.

If you don't like what I have to say you're free to block me or otherwise disengage. This is the second time you've reblogged one of my posts with a vaguely critical comment with no attempt at actual conversation or elaboration and I get the feeling you're just trying to nitpick my complaints because you're a fan of the show.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

Why Jax Is Nuanced Trans Rep But NOT Good Trans Rep (and what the difference is)

Hey guys. Not my usual content but I've been observing the discussions surrounding Jax being transfemme and I've gotta say... I agree with the people who say he's not good representation. Interestingly though, I haven't seen anyone discuss a particular reason as to why this is, and that reason (amongst others) is what I want to share.

Before I get into my explanation, I want to state that I am a transgender person! So to anyone who may find this and think I'm a cis person trying to speak over the trans community (which is an accusation I'm seeing flung at anyone who disagrees Jax is good representation) I am not :) I also want to state that while I believe I am correct, I understand I can not impose my beliefs on anyone. If you finish reading this and you still want to think Jax is good representation for whatever reason, you have every right to do so! All I ask is that you respect my perspective on this and don't attempt to change my mind, because as a trans person I am capable of deciding for myself what I believe is and isn't good for our community.

Now... One of the biggest reasons I've seen people claim that Jax isn't good representation is because his story is too ambiguous. Unless you are a transfemme looking for solidarity in characters or someone who keeps up with what Gooseworx says (because all the nearly-explicit confirmation of Jax being transfemme is of course not included in the show; sound like a certain creator who also likes to leave important character context out of the show?), it's easy to miss that he is supposed to be perceived as transfemme.

While everyone else's issues are made clear in a way that doesn't leave their issues up for debate (Gangle's issues with self-confidence and masking, Zooble's issues with body image, etcetera), Jax's conflict as a character struggling with his gender identity isn't ever truly touched on outside of Episode 9- and even then it's done in a way where Jax being transfemme is not the only interpretation. From the perspective of people out of the loop, I've seen assumptions that his conflict was with breaking the norms of masculinity and learning how to express himself without being seen as weak, assumptions that he grapples with his sexuality (in other words, a closeted gay man), even assumptions that his struggles are the same as Pomni in which he is acting the way he does due to inner conflicts of being seen as a child.

When a queer/trans character in your show is THIS ambiguous, it's safe to say they're not great representation, because their story is not being represented on screen in a way that is open and meaningful. Yes, I know creators have done this before under bigger networks to avoid censorship, which I dislike but understand. With Gooseworx working under an indie company I see no reason why she couldn't have leaned more into openly portraying the story of one of her MAIN characters instead of having him spend most of his screentime being an unreasonable asshole.

So that's two issues- ambiguity and improper buildup/exploration. My big issue with Jax being transfemme is that the kind of character he is is reductive to the image that the trans community needs right now. If you live in America or any place with major anti-trans movements occurring, you should well understand the image that transwomen (I switch to transwomen but transfemme is still applicable) face from conservatives and transphobes. If you're not aware, let me be the first to tell you that to these people, transwomen are seen as a danger to cis women (whether physically or socially) and will always be seen as masculine no matter how fem-passing they are.

I wonder who fits that description- a danger to cis women and perceived as masculine... Jax. It's Jax.

I have heard people say they like that Jax is an asshole because not every trans person is a good person. This is true. This makes Jax a nuanced portrayal of a trans character.

This (and the previous issues mentioned) does NOT make Jax a good portrayal of a trans character.

A good trans character is a character that does not perpetuate the stereotypes against trans people when it isn't really necessary. A good trans character has their transness visible in their storyline, whether it's in a casual way (such as in a trans character being out and comfortable with their identity) or in a serious way (as in their struggles and experiences are made clear to the audience even if not to other characters). An exception can be if the trans character is trying to pass as a gender, but if this needs to be handled even more delicately and still with visible, unmistakeable context to their transness.

EDIT: As I proofread, I want to add I am aware of the argument people have made in which they claim Jax doesn't need his transness to be visible because he is closeted/not aware of his identity yet. This is true ONLY IN RELATION TO THE PEOPLE IN HIS UNIVERSE. The people in reality- us!!!- should have gotten time to really see Jax's inner conflicts and turmoils past a few scenes in Episode 9.

So yeah... this is why Jax is NOT good rep, but rather just a nuanced portrayal.

I understand Jax is based on Gooseworx's experiences and self-perception. I also know Gooseworx has said Jax is not a good person and I respect her for admitting that instead of trying to make excuses for him. However, I believe Jax could have been better trans rep in an isolated series about himself (especially since it seems that's what the show wanted to be a good chunk of the time anyway) or better yet, if Gooseworx had just made an animated biopic about her experience as a trans person where she would have been able to thoroughly explore the themes and content she wanted to without having to worry about other characters.

Gooseworx said herself the show got bigger than she expected and she wasn't prepared for it, so I don't think she put much forethought into the way certain writing decisions of hers would be taken. I think she has the potential to write good stories and I would love for her to feel inspired enough to create again (because as a writer and someone who hopes to run a show I sympathize with her in some ways), but if that day comes I want her to do it with much more forethought to her audience.

TO SUM IT UP: It bothers me how many people are propping Jax up as "amazing trans rep" and such similar appraisals without acknowledging the flaws in his story and the stereotype he enables. I don't believe there is nearly enough positive, open trans rep in media (let alone animated media) for us to start giving flowers to the downright harmful portrayals.

I don't have much else to say on the matter. If you've read this far and agree with me, thank you for listening! If you've read this far and don't agree with me but still see where I'm coming from, thank you for listening! if you've read this far and don't agree with me and want to send some kind of hate comment, don't get too attached to the idea of a response because you will immediately be blocked! I don't have time to entertain people who can't have their attachment to a character without acknowledging their flaws.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

once again i am questioning why stella and striker are homophobes and are never included in pride merch, while pretty much every other villain in the show is some form of queer (the vees, crimson, andrealphus) or, a straight ally (adam).

i can kinda understand making stella a homophobe but it isn't really conveyed in her writing and i REALLY don't get why striker is a homophobe because he would be perfect ace-spec representation of some kind (he is heavily implied to be sex repulse or autosexual, imo).

tbh, it doesn't even make sense for the hellborns, of all character types, to be homophobic. angels i would understand because of the whole "christians against gays" thing. sinners i would understand; it makes sense many would carry the homophobic beliefs of their upbringing/time period over to hell. how and why is homophobia even a thing for hellborns?? especially when so many of them are queer to begin with??

if there were more homophobic villains in the show i don't think it would be as odd. but with characters like vox and crimson (characters who periodically and trope-wise have every reason to be homophobic) not being homophobes and literally no one other than stella and striker being stated as such, i question why exactly they're homophobes. does vivienne just not want them in pride merch for some reason??

note: i am NOT pro-homophobia!!! this post is not to say the show should promote homophobia!!! it is to say that the two homophobes in the show SHOULDN'T be, because it feels like a claim made only to avoid putting them in one of the show's most profitable merch lines!!!

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

adding onto this, i just learned lute- a character who completely idolizes and revolves around adam, a straight ally- is a homophobe. cool, so i guess any abrasive character that vivienne doesn't want to put in the pride drops can just be a homophobe and it doesn't need to make sense within the context of the story.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

once again i am questioning why stella and striker are homophobes and are never included in pride merch, while pretty much every other villain in the show is some form of queer (the vees, crimson, andrealphus) or, a straight ally (adam).

i can kinda understand making stella a homophobe but it isn't really conveyed in her writing and i REALLY don't get why striker is a homophobe because he would be perfect ace-spec representation of some kind (he is heavily implied to be sex repulse or autosexual, imo).

tbh, it doesn't even make sense for the hellborns, of all character types, to be homophobic. angels i would understand because of the whole "christians against gays" thing. sinners i would understand; it makes sense many would carry the homophobic beliefs of their upbringing/time period over to hell. how and why is homophobia even a thing for hellborns?? especially when so many of them are queer to begin with??

if there were more homophobic villains in the show i don't think it would be as odd. but with characters like vox and crimson (characters who periodically and trope-wise have every reason to be homophobic) not being homophobes and literally no one other than stella and striker being stated as such, i question why exactly they're homophobes. does vivienne just not want them in pride merch for some reason??

note: i am NOT pro-homophobia!!! this post is not to say the show should promote homophobia!!! it is to say that the two homophobes in the show SHOULDN'T be, because it feels like a claim made only to avoid putting them in one of the show's most profitable merch lines!!!

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

the other day i saw a tweet vivziepop made where she said "we got so far into writing we forgot about vassago! you guys barely know him, i can't wait for y'all to learn more about him!"

get ready for vassago to get shoehorned into an arc/role that would be perfect for a more developed character to take part in, just because vivienne made too many paper dolls and can't keep track of them all!!!

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

my thoughts on this specific blitzø pride pin... the merch overall seems to be pushing his tux fit (thank god) but yeah. i find it interesting that despite the fact that moxxie has been displayed as proud of his feminity numerous times there's yet to be a single pride drop where he's in so much as a skirt (iirc) meanwhile blitzø gets one??

(my point isn't to say that only bi men can wear skirts or whatever someone might try to twist my complaint into btw, it's just that blitzø being the one to get this portrayal when moxxie is RIGHT there and blitzø isn't even shown as having a particular affinity to articles like skirts is weird)

also chaz, barbie and mammon so far have ONE piece of individual pride merch for this year (meaning not counting posters) and it is a sticker. i can't really complain about less chaz, but for barbie wire to literally be the main character's sister and one of the few wlw-relationship-centered characters the overall universe has cast a spotlight on, and for mammon to be one of the three confirmed asexual characters... yikes.

marthaberry, as much as i hate them as a pairing because of how fanservicey and "shutup and take it" they feel, isn't included at all (unless i glazed over them) which says a lot about how much vivziepop cares about spotlighting sapphic relationships if there was any doubt left.

overall? once again another pride drop that is a mess. not just character design-wise but overall art-wise. it's a mess of lines and color schemes to the point where it's hard to stare at the posters let alone certain pins/standees too long.

i like beelzebub's standee and pin though. she was the only goated drop in this entire line tbh (which is disappointing as someone who usually likes octavia's merch). moxxie and millie's were okay too but their merch feels very plain compared to everyone else's...

[chaifootsteps]

No Kendra in the pride poster, but fucking Chaz is right in the center.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

i've heard complaints that barbie wire and kendra didn't get any merch... what's up with that? one of the few wlw couples in the show and they weren't included? um??