#I know speaking up about it at all is like argumentative anon bait and it's just boring tbh

[statementlou]

I am not sure I understand your tags about Louis galking about F specifically in that latest int.what makes sense to you?that he mentions F?why would that male sense to you even if that is his kid,like donyou know any musician who talks about their kid as much asL does?

I don't follow any other musicians' promos, and I very much doubt any of the other people who are always repeating to each other this as some kind of evidence of something do either, but even if you do and Louis’ is wildly different, so what? What does that have to do with anything? Are you trying to use that to convince me Freddie isn't Louis' kid or something? I feel like this is the equivalent of people telling me that I should believe Louis is gay because he once wore something that had some numbers on it that added up to an anagram that corresponded to the page Oscar Wilde was on in some obscure children’s book, like... why. That stuff is utterly beside the point, is not remotely necessary, and just makes us all sound ridiculous.

And even aside from that, sometimes I think this fandom’s obsession with trying to convince other people of things is its worst quality. Do you actually think it helps Louis to have more people trying to talk everyone on earth into believing he’s gay and is lying, essentially trying to out him every day on the internet to anyone who will listen? Who really cares what I think about Freddie’s parentage, that you have come here to try to show me the error of my ways? Maybe once upon a time, when Louis was locked in a struggle with modest, fans convincing other people of some things was useful to him, but 1) those days are long behind us and he is making his own moves now and I think if we want to support him, we follow his lead: show our support to HIM but SHUT THE FUCK UP to everyone else and let him build the image he wants to, and 2) that NEVER helped in the case of the Freddie mess and is probably the reason things are where they are today, that Louis has clearly made the call that it isn’t possible to end it and he will just be in this kid’s life. It might have been possible to end it at like four different times in the past six years but then it wasn’t, very possibly because people could not just SHUT THE FUCK UP and instead were all up in the media and trying to convince people loudly on twitter that the situation was faked and making it totally impossible! So I won’t be trying to convince anyone why they should believe this that or the other, and this isn’t a discussion that I am interested in continuing- welcome to tumblr, twitter refugees, but consider this your one freebie explainer of why a lot of people won’t talk about this before I go back to doing just that. Meanwhile I will continue to take Louis’ lead and do the things he has responded positively to (rather than those he is actively out there trying to discourage), I will show him my rainbow and smile back at him when he points and beams and I will tell him why he means a lot to me as a queer person if I have the opportunity, but I will also listen when he says, this is what we are doing now. And I will SHUT THE FUCK UP IN PUBLIC about his fucking closet (just like everyone should have done for Kit Conner, if you want an example of why coming after people to do what you want or think is best for them is not cool.)

ANYWAY if you didn’t understand what I was saying, maybe try reading it again without being all activated and defensive like omg does this person think he’s a FATHER I have to CHANGE THEIR MIND, and maybe it won’t be confusing. If you let go of the idea that he is being held captive and forced to mention Freddie, and just watch Louis occasionally mentioning Freddie as a pretty chill way to maintain his closet without having to actually say he’s straight, the way he does it in that interview does make sense to me, yes. He hits a spot where he doesn’t have a good public consumption answer, and then realizes he can get a two-fer out of it by making the answer Freddie! He is saved having to come up with a person out of his actual private personal life- and note that it isn’t just Harry that is erased from his public narrative, it’s EVERYONE except Official Public Friend Oli (and Freddie). Like, we know he texts the twins like practically daily for example, and that he shares music with them early, but he never never mentions them in press. He never mentions ANYONE who isn’t part of the Louis Tomlinson(tm) story and even some of the people who are! So he needed an answer besides Oli and was cornered by not being able to use that one. Then he’s like oh right! I can say Freddie and not only does that solve that problem, it takes care of establishing that I’m straight for another couple weeks, look at me I’m a multitasking king! It’s not that fucking deep, and it’s not that fucking DIRE, it’s just business babes, and more importantly, it’s HIS business to decide how to handle, not mine.

[neversetyoufree]

Hey! In your recent post about Noè and asexuality, you mentioned there being more evidence displaying that Vanitas finds Noè attractive than vice versa. As soon as I read it, I found myself agreeing but when I stopped to think about it I couldn't recall a panel that really suggests that, off the top of my head. This also isn't a view I have seen a lot of other vnc fans talk about so I'd really appreciate if you could expand on it / unpack it a bit more. Anyway, love your blog!

[Image Description: An anonymous tumblr ask. It reads: "Hi! I have just recently found your Tumblr blog and have been loving all your analyses. I only found out about the vnc manga a few months ago and some of your posts have been so useful in explaining some deeper themes/subtext that I was confused about. I was reading your ace Noé post and saw that you mentioned that there is more canon evidence that supports Vanitas finding Noé attractive than the other way around. I was hoping you could expand on this?" End ID.]

First of all, thank you both so much for your kind words! It makes me so genuinely happy to hear that y'all like what I post.

And for anyone curious, here's the ace Noé post that both anons mention.

Now as for your question, that's kind of a difficult one. I said that there's more evidence for Vanitas being attracted to Noé than vice versa (in terms of traditional physical attraction, not blood stuff), and I do stand by that. However, Noé has shown pretty much no physical attraction to Vanitas in non-blood contexts, and more than zero doesn't necessarily mean a lot. This whole post is going to be tiny details and subtext, because "Vanitas is attracted to Noé" is definitely not a major or certain thing.

That said, I do think you can make an argument for the idea.

For starters, let's go with the classic Vanoé bait panel: Vanitas's reaction to Noé's excitement over Paris.

Vanitas is at his most performative in the early chapters of VnC, and though he does sometimes act borderline flirtatious (like when he gets up in Noé's personal space to poke him in the chest), I'm not inclined to give those moments actual weight. It's all too much a part of Vanitas's act to be good evidence for real feelings of attraction.

However, in this particular scene, that argument doesn't hold. Vanitas will play up his flirty persona in order to change the subject when he gets uncomfortable, but there's no reason for him to do that here. There's no need for him to change the subject, and Noé's not paying him any attention. His expression here is just his genuine reaction, not part of a performance made to influence Noé, and it's such a fond reaction!

Vanitas has only just met Noé, but here he is so softly entertained by Noé's glee. It speaks to an immediate draw to and enjoyment of Noé on Vanitas's part, and that doesn't have to mean romantic attraction, but it certainly fits well with that argument. Noé is extremely cute here, and Vanitas likes that about him. Make of that what you will.

Even more than that scene, though I think the most explicit moment of Vanitas's attraction is one of his reactions in the bell tower.

In the middle of Noé's speech to Vanitas in chapter 11, he smiles at him properly for the first time. This is also when we the audience first see Noé smile for the outside of a flashback, so you know that that moment is important both for Noé and to Mochijun. And it also makes quite an impact on Vanitas.

Noé tells Vanitas that he wants to stick with him and see out his "salvation" mission, and then there's an extra beat, a panel for just Noé's smile, and only then do we see Vanitas's reaction to all this.

He's so struck! Noé has a huge effect on Vanitas in this moment, even before he's finished his whole speech. His words have a big part of it, of course they do, but the way the page is paced (with an extra, albeit cropped panel for that smile) makes me think that Noé's appearance itself is also pretty key for provoking that reaction. If the way Noé looks while smiling didn't need extra emphasis, Mochijun could've given him the smile in the panel above these where he's speaking, rather than give it its own shot.

Noé looks at Vanitas like this for the first time, and Vanitas's eyes go wide with awe. Because Noé is a goddamned vision. It's even more apparent in the animated version, because the animators weren't bound by paneling constraints and could show us Noé's whole face.

I have had irl lesbian friends tell me how attractive they find Noé in this moment lmao. He's just pretty. So I don't think it's unreasonable to say that Vanitas, in this moment, is affected by how pretty Noé is. Absolutely anyone would be.

It isn't irrefutable proof that he's in love with or generally lusting after the guy, but it is a good argument for a moment of appearance-based attraction, which is something we haven't really seen from Noé toward Vanitas. (We've had Noé staring at him in awe when he does his Book stuff, but never an "oh shit he's hot" moment like this one).

There might be other small moments as well, but these are just the two big ones that I can remember with out combing back through the manga in detail. And though there's no certainty here, these are a pair of scenes that can be read as Vanitas being very struck by Noé's appearance in a way that I don't think we've gotten in reverse.

Any positive number is still more than zero, lmao.

[sehtoast]

would love to please request a fanfic where Homelander surprises Ben with a romantic dinner for an anniversary or something 🥹🕷️🇺🇸♥️💙🤍

Ask and ye shall receive, lovely anon <3

It’d been a whole year.

One full year since they’d gotten together. Something Ben himself expressed that he could hardly believe happened so fast. He wasn’t one to have ever had luck with relationships, nor did he ever think he’d find something like… well, like them.

They’d had their ups and downs. Arguments after some fucked up situations, sleepless nights, bickering over not leaving the toilet seat up, or even something as silly as whose room they’d be sleeping in. But, god, it was perfect.

Even Homelander knew it. Six years with Maeve, a lifetime being toyed with by Madelyn, and none of it– fucking none of it was ever like this. For all the times others have made him doubt their love for him, Benjamin never has.

He feels like the sun is rising in his chest every time he looks at the bug. Every time he hears that voice, it makes his heart flutter. He feels like one of those stupid teenagers in the movies, all love stricken and sappy. But, god above, when that head lays on his chest and he gets to guard Ben’s dreams at night…

He knows he’s home. Knows he’s found what he’s been searching so very long for.

It’s why he tries his fucking hardest to make something special of the day. Plans weeks in advance for the best of the best from Vought’s kitchens to whip up something luxurious and decadent. He damn near slaughters half of them when they inform him of seafood dishes being part of the spread.

”Did I, or did I not specifically tell you miserable morons that my guest is fucking allergic?” He all but bellowed. Of course Ben could eat the stuff in moderation, but he wasn’t about to watch his little love bug break out in hives or get a swollen lip over something so easily avoided.

He was a madman during the assembly. Bossing the florists around, tormenting the staff who converted the main room of his penthouse to a dining setup beyond perfect for a romantic evening. Candles– unscented for his poor senses– a nice, fancy tablecloth, soft music in the background, and a fucking massive spread of everything he knew his little spider likes.

Well, everything he likes that constitutes real food.

He paces while he waits for Benjamin. Checks that the collar of his suit is perfectly straight, practices what he’ll say, how he’ll look at him. Will he greet Ben with charm and poise, or flatout tell his little love bug that dinner won’t be the only thing getting devoured tonight? Should he pluck a flower to hand to him when he arrives, should he–

The sound of his balcony door pulls him out of his thoughts. He does an awkward half-run-half-walk around the corner, an excited smile plastered on his face as he approaches Benjamin’s awe struck form.

Even with the mask on, he can still see the surprised look on his little spider’s face. Before Ben can speak, Homelander is upon him, arms wrapping around his waist from behind, face nuzzling against the seam of his mask as he sways gently.

“My little spider,” he murmurs. “My sweet little Benjamin…”

That earns him a happy hum and a gloved hand trailing through his hair.

“Aren’t you quite the romantic?” Ben smirks. “What’s the occasion?”

Homelander stills and blinks rapidly, brow furrowing once he realizes Ben was serious.

“W-Wait, did you forget?” He asks incredulously, feeling a pit of disappointment gnawing at his gut. “It’s… our anniversary… I- We’ve been together for a whole year.”

He watches with baited breath as Ben tugs his mask free. Normally he’d reach out and ruffle his flattened brown locks, but…

He felt crushed.

How could he forget?

How could Benjamin fucking forget him!?

All of this work, all of this effort and planning and stress, and he didn’t–

“Johnny,” Ben looks at him bewildered, a tickle of amusement forming a grin. “What day is it?”

“Saturday, what does that-”

“Month and day, babe.” Ben quirks a brow, smile growing wider and wider.

Homelander isn’t sure if he wants to resent him more for the mockery or forgetting their special day.

“It’s April fucking seventh. And you forgot our fucking anniversary!” He grits, arms tightening around Ben’s midsection.

How could he?

How could he sit there giggling and grinning as though he didn’t just ruin their day? Like he didn’t forget him, his Johnny, his pumpkin, his fucking boyfriend! Supposed love of his fucking life!

“Wait, you’re serious?” Ben asks, smile growing wider despite the near punishing grip around his waist. “Pumpkin, this is the day you recruited me. We didn't start dating till the end of May, remember?”

What?

Homelander stands dumbfounded, arms loosening, eyes squinting in thought as he runs through the math in his head.

“Babe, d’you really consider the day I joined to be the day we started dating?”

“I-” He began, but stopped when the air caught in his throat.

Ben was right.

That was exactly how he’d thought of it.

“I mean,” he tries again, eyes flitting from Ben’s beaming grin to the table. The music still lingers in the background, trying desperately to set a romantic mood over top of the embarrassing moment.

Ben stares up at him for a while, smile tapering off once he realizes John truly had considered this their anniversary. In a way, it’s touching. Benjamin brings his hands to Homelander’s face, thumbing softly at his cheeks.

“You are so precious.” He says softly, sincerity dripping from his voice like honey. “Y’know what? I take it back. This is our day.” Ben peeks back at the table for a second. “And you worked so hard to make it special, and…”

He presses a sweet kiss to the corner of Homelander’s lips.

“And I love you.”

Words he’d never tire of hearing.

He feels like a fucking buffoon for getting the day wrong, worse yet for the way he almost went off on his little spider.

“They were gonna serve us seafood,” he blurts out, straying away from the subject of his mistake. “About killed the cooks for it…”

Ben huffs a laugh, snaking his arms around Homelander’s neck. He begins to sway just as John had done initially, leading them in an aimless dance.

“Very thoughtful of you to make sure I don’t end up with fucked up lips for the night,” Ben nuzzles against his neck. “Proud of you for not lasering the chef, babe.”

“Mmm,” he hums. “They still haven’t passed the taste test yet.”

After a little while longer, the two sit and eat, bantering back and forth about little things. Homelander would have opted for some nice wine, but he’s always known Ben to be a cocktail kind of guy. A premade drink dispenser holds his favorite: a green tea cocktail. Homelander just sips on milk.

He watches with joy as his little love bug becomes more and more tipsy. His cheeks grow rosy, his smiles are wider, and his giggles get infinitely sweeter. Ben does something when he drinks that Homelander has never quite been on the receiving end of before. No previous lover ever gave him the experience, but Ben..?

Benjamin, every time, without fail, moves to straddle him. Pinches his cheeks and gushes about every little thing he loves about him.

“And you have the cutest fuckin’ nose!”

He can’t help but grin and blush after the umpteenth compliment. Big accomplishment to make The fucking Homelander turn red, but Ben managed it with ease.

“Softest hair, prettiest eyes. Nice teeth, nice ass,” Ben continues, laughter singing through every word. “And you snore cute when you actually do sleep.”

He wants to be offended. There’s no way he snores!

“You make me feel like m’home. ‘N all those weird things poets say make a lot more sense now that I got you!”

Oh?

“Why in the world did I tell them to make that green shit?” He laments playfully, leaning forward to kiss at Ben’s neck.

“‘Cuz you love me!” Benjamin states confidently. States it for the fact it is.

“And who told you that, huh?”

“You did.” Ben breathes softly. “Every morning. And night. And like thirty times throughout the day when you text me to gripe that I’m not wherever you are. And then when you mixed up the date today. And when you bitched out the cooks because I got allergies. And wh–”

Homelander silences him with a kiss, deep and soft. He can taste the sweetness of Ben’s drink on his breath, but it’s the taste of the man himself that consumes him. His words, his understanding of what those stupid little things mean, his love.

“And… again,” Ben gasps between pecks. “By doin’ this.”

That only makes him want to kiss the bug more, kiss him deeper, take all that he can have. To be known is one thing, but to be understood…

He’s found his home.

Found it in the web of a spider.

Found it nestled in the heart of his little Benjamin.

There truly is no place like home.

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

“there's a couple of distinctively misspelled words from that anon. i'm not going to try and call them out, honestly,”

What do you mean by misspelled words? I think not everyone here on this blog is good enough in English! some of them maybe they're trying so hard to spell the words and write them correctly so that we can understand. And you said it already, there's a bunch of different countries with different time zones reading your blog, so not all of them their first language is English. Also not every french is the mysterious girlfriend, Idk about her but she's probably feeling embarrassed after what happened recently when we discovered it was a made up thing.

absolutely, i know i have many readers and contributors who don't speak english as their primary language! and honestly, most of them who mention it outright are actually excellent at communicating in english lol the tumblr mystery girl anon is but one person, so you're right, every french visitor to this blog is not her! after reviewing old messages (i delete a lot of questionable asks for various reasons, but i almost always screenshot them with a timestamp because i like to document everything) i came to believe that she had at least one friend in on the plot who also sent messages to bait. i can't prove it but that's my belief... aaand i realized i had received other asks seemingly unrelated to tumblr mystery girl that i deleted, that were also from this anon. again, a very distinct word that was misspelled is what clued me in.

i spend a lot of time analyzing written communication. so it's second nature for me to read through messages and pick up on little idiosyncrasies that are unique to a particular person, not just anyone/everyone who is not a native speaker. there's other giveaways. there's another anon, who is american.. and i delete a good portion of their asks because they are frequently argumentative and generally just go out of their way to be obstinate. i know ''who'' it is in the sense that i am aware it's a repeat offender, i recognize their syntax. and i can obviously see what state they're writing in from. running a blog where 99% of the contributors are anonymous means you can't just block the people who want to lie (like tumblr mystery girl) or be rude (my american anon pal) so you just kind of get used to them being in your midst lol if anything, it's kind of funny to think we're all just parked here having a chat from different corners of the world.

[rubysunnday]

artemis and apollo

Requested by Anon - Hello! I love your bridgerton sister fics! I totally get if your too busy with requests but I would love a fic where the sister is put in some kind of danger (a guy is harassing her or something) and her big brothers save the day

A/N: this isn’t a part of my 1.5K celebration but I’ll shove it in with them. I throughly enjoyed writing this.

It was terrifying.

Eloise was with her - and complaining about it every other second - but that didn’t change just how terrifying it was.

Everyone was looking at her.

Which, considering she was a Bridgerton and was, apparently, the ‘Diamond’ of that season, was understandable. 

It was still terrifying.

“They’re not going to eat you, Y/N,” Colin whispered, a cheeky smile on his face as he leant closer to his sister.

“They might,” Y/N replied, shifting fractionally closer to Colin. She felt safer with her brother’s around (mainly because they intimidated any man who came within five feet of her). “Men could be predators. In fact, I think they are.”

Colin chuckled and grabbed her hand. “Stop panicking. I won’t leave your side, ok?”

“Unless Mother makes you,” Y/N replied, ever the pessimist. “I just... I don’t trust people I’ve never met. Especially men I’ve never met before. It’s a woman thing,” she added, noticing Colin’s slightly blank look. “I trust you and Anthony and Benedict to look out for me but once I’m engaged in a dance with a man, there’s no escape.”

Colin nodded. “Message received - do not leave you alone with strange men and do not let you dance with strangers.”

Y/N elbowed her brother in the stomach and he let out a grunt that turned a few heads. Colin coughed but straightened his waistcoat and cleared his throat.

“I think that was slightly unnecessary,” he muttered.

“I disagree,” Y/N replied haughtily. “I think it was entirely deserved.”

Y/N let out a soft sigh and tried not to let her disappointment at being forced to attend the ball obvious.

“Oh, hello,” Colin whispered into her ear. “Prince Nikolai is coming this way.”

Y/N perked up. Prince Nikolai was a distant nephew of Queen Charlotte and, perhaps, one of the sweetest men she’d ever met. Whilst Y/N and Nikolai had reached an understanding that neither one wanted to marry the other, they were still good friends and often danced with one another at balls to pass the time.

“Miss Bridgerton, Mr Bridgerton,” Nikolai greeted.

Y/N curtsied. “Your Royal Highness,” she said, standing up. “How are you tonight?”

“I’m very well, thank you Miss Bridgerton.” Nikolai looked at Colin. “I was wondering if you I could do you the honour of being your first dance tonight?”

Y/N smiled and nodded. “Of course, Your Royal Highness.”

Y/N took her arm out of Colin’s and accepted Nikolai’s. She gave her brother a brief, fleeting look as she headed for the dance floor and Colin gave her a reassuring smile in return.

“I do hope you don’t think me to forward, Miss Bridgerton, but I’ve heard some rumours regarding the Earl of Suffolk.”

Y/N closed her eyes momentarily. “Oh, yes. Him.”

The Earl of Suffolk was a presumptuous, prick of a man. He thought himself better than everyone else and assumed he could have whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

Y/N, being the diamond of the season, had attracted the Earl’s attention. He’d put himself forward as a potential suitor and had even proposed and whilst a more naive girl than Y/N would be attracted to his title and money, Y/N suspected something wasn’t quite right with the Earl.

All it took was Anthony and her mother to ask around before discovering that the Earl’s ex-wife had died under mysterious circumstances two years previously. They'd only been married a year and it was rumour that his wife was barren.

Anthony had immediately put his foot down and refused the Earl’s proposal. Y/N had been grateful for her big brother but with the Earl still lurking around - and apparently very angry at the Bridgerton's - Y/N dreaded running into him.

“Did I speak out of turn?” Nikolai asked, looking at her in concern as they slowly danced around the room.

“No, no,” Y/N said, shaking her head. “My brother, Anthony, took control of the situation but something tells me that the Earl isn’t going to give up so easily.”

“If there’s anything I can do to assist you, please let me know,” Nikolai said, flashing a smile at her.

The song ended and Y/N smiled at him. He escorted her off the floor but was immediately overwhelmed by the debutantes and their mothers.

The mention of the Earl of Suffolk had put Y/N back on edge. She kept to the side of the room as she tried to make her way to her brothers, keeping her head down and hiding amongst the numerous guests.

She spotted Benedict in the corner with Eloise and turned to go in his direction when she spotted the Earl obviously looking for a Bridgerton. He spotted Benedict and began marching over to him with a furious expression on his face. Not wanting to be caught up in the argument that was sure to follow, Y/N turned on her heel and headed outside onto the terrace.

Outside was significantly cooler than inside. The sun had only just set and the moon was lighting up the terrace in a cool glow. Dotted around the terrace were numerous fire pits that lit up the gardens and provide enough light for an unchaperoned walk around. There were also a few footmen and servants outside including a lone violinist who was playing a soft tune.

Taking a chance - and assuming she would be watched by the few people and servants outside - Y/N descended the stairs to the garden and walked around it.

It didn’t have tall, sprawling hedges, merely short ones dotted with flowers or bunches of holly. There was a beautiful statue of Artemis set in the middle of the rose garden and Y/N found herself staring up at it in admiration.

Y/N and Colin were both big fans of the Greek mythology. Colin, being a man, got to study it in detail at university and upon his arrival home had imparted everything he knew on to his younger sister.

The two had spent hours together reading numerous stories and staring at paintings of the gods and goddesses.

Y/N had found herself relating to Artemis. The goddess of wild animals, the hunt, chastity and childbirth, Artemis had become a symbol of protection to Y/N and she’d tried to model herself on the myth.

“Miss Bridgerton, there you are.”

Y/N froze. She closed her eyes and forced herself to turn around and look at the Earl of Suffolk.

“My Lord,” she said, forcing herself to curtsey to the man. “What can I do for you?”

“I wondered if we might have a word?” The Earl said, stepping closer. “It’s just... your brother -”

“The matter is settled, Your Lordship,” Y/N said, stepping back. “My brother made my wishes, and his, very clear to you.”

The Earl tilted his head. “Do you think yourself... better than me?”

Y/N sighed softly, not wanting to take the bait and incite the man. “I think I should head back to the ball.”

She tried to walk past him but he snatched her wrist and pulled her to a sharp halt.

“Let go of me!” Y/N exclaimed, trying to pull away.

“You will marry me, Miss Bridgerton,” the Earl snarled, pulling her closer. “Because you will have no other choice.”

Y/N felt herself panicking. Panicking so much she wasn’t sure what to do. She tried to wriggle out from his grasp but his grip was tight and painful.

The Earl held her tight against him and Y/N did the only thing she could think of.

She kicked him in-between the legs.

The Earl grunted and immediately let go of her as he fell to his knees.

“Y/N!”

Y/N turned around saw her three brothers running towards her from across the garden. She quickly made distance between herself and the Earl and all but flung herself into Anthony’s arms as he reached her side.

“Are you alright?” He asked, looking her in the eye.

Y/N nodded even though her entire body was shaking. “Yes, I am now.”

Anthony nodded and gave her a quick squeeze. He handed her over to Colin as he and Benedict approached the Earl with matching steel cold looks on their faces.

“Are you sure you are alright?” Colin asked, tilting her head up to check she wasn’t injured.

“I’m fine, Colin,” Y/N promised, resting her head on his chest. “A little shaken but still in one piece. He didn’t get far enough to do anything,” she added.

Colin hugged her to him tightly and kissed her head. Y/N turned her head slightly and glanced behind her at the statue of Artemis.

The sound of a fist hitting someone’s face turned her attention back to the Earl and she tried not to look too pleased at the beating his face had taken from her two brothers.

“Come on,” Anthony said, shrugging his coat off and wrapping it around Y/N’s shoulders. “Let’s go home.”

Y/N reached over and grabbed Benedict’s hand as Anthony guided her across the garden and towards the side gate. Her three bodyguards protected her from anyone who was watching and soon they were walking down the front stairs to their carriage.

Benedict helped Y/N in and then sat on her right, Colin on her left. Y/N, who usually nagged her brothers about personal space and forced them to sit opposite her, said nothing. She shifted down in the seat and dropped her head on to Benedict’s shoulder, pulling Anthony’s coat tighter around her shoulders.

Anthony climbed in and sat opposite them with unhidden fury on his face. He glanced at his sister and it all disappeared, replaced by a soft and concerned expression.

Y/N smiled at him and nodded once. She reached out her foot and bumped his leg with her toe, reassuring him a bit more.

Benedict moved fractionally closer to Y/N and she felt herself feeling ever so thankful for her brothers.

Just like Artemis had Apollo, Y/N had Anthony, Benedict and Colin to protect her until her dying day.

[my-mt-heart]

I'm the anon from yesterday who said AK's comments about the show are vanilla. You questioned what I meant. Basically, I find her trite when she's interviewed and asked point blank questions, even after episodes have aired and there has been major shifts in characters and or relationships. It's just absolutely frustrating thatnshe just can never seem to lay it out and speak the facts. It's always a dance. Anyhoo.... I'm not going to waste anymore time on being annoyed with her. I want to ask you if you A) think Daryl will address Connie when he admits his love for Carol (meaning he shoots her down BY NAME so there will be no gray area) and B) tells Carol it was always her. Personally, I think it is imperative that Daryl explicitly end any speculation that his heart lies somewhere other than Carol because in order to have Caryl move on together, the show needs to stop playing up both sides and show one has substance and the other was just a manifestation in Carol's mind because she didn't think she was good enough for Daryl. In fact, I want to hear Carol say those exact words. Your thoughts?

Kang might be taking a page from Gimple's book in that regard, but also? I don't think it's that uncommon for EPs to be coy in interviews if not to avoid spoilers then to let each fan preserve their own personal experience. Personally, I believe in right and wrong answers, so I totally hear your frustration lol

A) I've been predicting a bait and switch since the start of 11B. The look Daryl gives Connie in 11x10, not coincidentally witnessed by Carol, has to amount to something and since it's definitely too late to keep teasing the non-existent Donnie romance, the next beat has to be Daryl making it clear who he really wants to be with. Frankly all he has to do is speak in the affirmative. For example, if Carol's argument is "But Connie," Daryl's can be "But you." And maybe he gives some vague indication of what his relationship with Connie really is and why it's different, but from that word salad interview, I got the impression that a crystal clear distinction won't ever be made. NR made it sound like he has no idea what his relationship with Connie is supposed to be. But we, the audience will know what it's not when Daryl chooses Carol. That being said...

B) I do think we will get explicit acknowledgement of how deep Daryl's love for Carol goes. He isn't settling for her. He isn't just discovering his feelings. He isn't writing pros and cons lists for Carol and Connie to see who's a better fit. Carol is who he wants and has always wanted. I would really love his confession to run parallel to a flashback of when he first became conscious of his feelings (probably within that six year time gap), but definitely not holding my breath for it lol

I think Carol's insecurities will be addressed in dialogue. Something like "But I'm too broken," and maybe that's where the conversation ends before they undergo some brief period of angst/drama/some mission. Then a few eps later, it'll be picked back up, this time with Carol ready to put all those insecurities behind her.

[nmikaelsonimagines]

Trapped: A Klaus Mikaelson Imagine

Request from Anon: Can I get a story where the reader is a Salvatore and they are with Klaus but their brothers reluctantly set a trap for Klaus and use them as bait. You can make up the end. I love your writing!!!! 

Hope this is okay for you lovely, and enjoy x 

“You alright, love?” Klaus could tell there was something wrong with Y/N, a slight tremble in her voice telling him all he thought he needed to know.

“I’m fine, Klaus. I’ll see you soon, okay? I love you.”

“Love you too. See you soon.” Hanging up the phone, Klaus smiled in the way he always did after speaking to Y/N. She was the girl he loved, and she made him feel things he had never felt before. It was a shame that she had such overbearing brothers, but if there was one thing Klaus Mikaelson was up for, it was a challenge.

The Salvatores were always trying to put a spanner in the works when it came to Klaus’s plans. He had hoped that dating their sister would stop that, but apparently not, with them always thinking he was a threat. Y/N had told him about the amount of times they had asked her to split up with the hybrid; at first, it was irritating, but now, now it was just funny.

Y/N would never leave him. She loved him too much.

But no, there was something definitely wrong with her. He figured he would find out when he saw her in a few hours. She had told him to meet her at the Mystic Grill, and so, a slight swagger in his step, he made his way there.

“Is this really necessary?” Y/N gestured at the ropes binding her to the bar stool. “I mean, it’s not like I’m going anywhere. You’ve basically trapped me.”

It wasn’t the first time Y/N had felt trapped, always stuck in the middle of whatever was going on between Damon, Stefan and Klaus. Always the one being used, and forever growing tired of it.

What was happening now was not her choice. Her brothers had used Bonnie to bewitch her, to keep her as bait for her Mikaelson boyfriend. They had made her call him, made her tell him to meet him here, where undoubtedly, they would attempt to trap him.

Attempt being the key word.

“It needs to look like you’re in trouble, Y/N.”

“I am in trouble. My brothers have kidnapped me and decided to use me as bait against my boyfriend, who, by the way, is probably going to rip you to shreds the moment he realises what’s going on. I-”

The door swinging open stopped her from speaking.

“Klaus.”

“She’s right you know. I am absolutely going to tear you apart.” Klaus had been listening at the door for a while now. The idea of her brothers, the people who were supposed to love her, sinking so low and using her against him made his blood boil. They deserved to die for that, deserved to die for hurting Y/N.

Klaus took a step forward, resisting the urge to laugh as the Salvatore brothers adopted fighting stances. He had Elijah destroying the magical contraption that the two idiots had got their hands on to catch him, so now, all that was left was to rescue Y/N.

“Klaus, don’t. Just untie me, and then we can go home.”

He looked over at Y/N. “Please, Klaus.”

“Y/N, they-”

“They’re still my brothers. They might be complete morons, but they’re still my family.”

“Y/N, we can take him.”

“Oh shut up, Damon. We both know you can’t.” Klaus did laugh this time, the image of Y/N scolding her brother, obviously fed up, cheering him up no end. “Just get me out of this, and we’ll forget this ever happened. Deal?”

The brothers looked reluctant as they accepted their sister’s proposal, and in only a few moments, Klaus had the love of his life back in his arms.

Only once Klaus had got her home, did Y/N launch into her tirade.

“I can’t believe them. They’re just ridiculous. I mean, did they actually believe that was going to work? That I was suddenly going to help them trap you? I can’t believe that I’m related to them. And you know what they told me before it all? That they didn’t want to do it but they had no other choice. Bullshit. They always have a choice and they always make the wrong one. I’m so fed up of-”

Y/N stopped, calming down as Klaus walked over to her, taking hold of her shoulders and kissing her on the forehead.

“It’s over now, Y/N.”

“But it’s not, is it? Because I’m always going to be here, trapped. Stuck in whatever stupid argument you two are involved in.”

“Well, then I’m just going to have to keep on rescuing you until they realise it won’t work.”

“And how long will that be for, Klaus?”

“After what you said to them today, not long.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Klaus pulled back, looking straight into Y/N’s eyes. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

“Well then, there’s your answer.” Klaus smiled, and Y/N returned it. She felt safer with him around, always had, always would. With him, she didn’t feel so trapped, Klaus having the ability to wash all her worries away. “Come on, you need some rest.”

He took her hand, leading her over to the bed.

“Klaus, stay with me.”

“Always, Y/N.”

Masterlist

[i-want-my-iwtv]

Greetings! I have been following these novels for many years and there is something that makes me uneasy about other fans and not so fans.

What do you think that in 2021 there are still people who deny homosexual romantic relationships in VC?

It always amazed me that this aspect of the story was in doubt for some, even when Loustat (and others) exists.

The worst thing is that this doesn't happen with straight ships like Lestat / Akasha, there are no crazy arguments or doubts about the "romantic attraction" between them, is extremely hypocritical. I know the author is also responsible for the confusion due to her past actions, but the source material should speak for itself...

valid thought or simple homophobia in disguise? Will the new television series clear up the doubts?

Sorry to ask anonymously but internet discussions scare me 🙇‍♀️

Hello!

I have to say right at the start that you're right that internet discussions can get scary, and your being on Anon could be bait for an argument. I talked this over with @monstersinthecosmos and others, and I’m going to respond as if this is a good faith question, for the sake of other ppl who might be too shy to ask. 

Short answer: Have your own opinions. Even the author can't tell you what to think. If you want to find others who share your opinion, hopefully they're out there. Go to the #vampire chronicles tag. Find ppl through fanfic/fanart/etc. of ships you like and strike up a conversation!

I tried to be brief below but a novel-length essay could be written in response to this. I don’t presume to be the authority on anything, I’m a fandom old, and this blog is generally about reducing stress, considering different perspectives, Ship and Let Ship, promoting fanworks and enjoying each other’s company as it relates to this book series, and other non-VC things that catch my eye. I’m not a paid spokesperson for Anne Rice or anyone else. BUT, I do think that the author’s comments are relevant at times, so I’ll be including some from her.

I’ll also tag @annabellioncourt and @gothiccharmschool, if they would like to weigh in on any of this. (These two, and @monstersinthecosmos, are also welcome to edit my post for length if they would like to do so, if you want to edit my post, please ask permission privately first, off anon).

OK now for the long answer. THIS GOT LENGTHY. Get a drink and settle in. Or scroll past. 

Trigger warnings for talking about homophobia and “gal pals” meme later on.

(Hit the jump for this, cut for length.)

I have been following these novels for many years and there is something that makes me uneasy about other fans and not so fans.

If your impression is that there is evidence of homosexual romantic relationships, I agree with you! Perhaps it’s more complicated than that (other terminology like pansexuality, bisexuality, etc.), but still, I don’t think that validates us as “real” fans. Ppl disagree about books and characters all the time. We have a very contentious character (who shall not be named)(and there’s really more than one, let’s be honest) who some readers absolutely adore and make fanart/fanfic/meta of, and who other readers absolutely detest with such a passion I wonder if they don’t get pleasure from just hating them. Holding a certain opinion about a character or the story doesn’t disqualify you as being a fan, IMO. I might not personally want to interact with someone for my own reasons, but that’s a personal preference, which we can all have.

What do you think that in 2021 there are still people who deny homosexual romantic relationships in VC? It always amazed me that this aspect of the story was in doubt for some, even when Loustat (and others) exists.

I think that in 2021 there are still people who doubt/deny homosexual romantic relationships in real life. For a lot of reasons. For VC:

A lot of more mainstream/casual fans only saw the movies, so their experience might be influenced by the movies, in which Lestat/Jesse and Lestat/Akasha is a legit ship, and his turning at the hands of [REDACTED MALE CHARACTER] was non-consensual.

Or these mainstream/casual fans read the books a really long time ago, and don’t remember them well, the first few of these books are 30-46 yrs old

Adding on to #2, some writers, possibly including Anne Rice, had limitations. She had editors back then, and listened to them.

The lack of explicit penetrative sex scenes for the vampires in canon (or it’s just not very pleasurable, see Pandora...). If you require that for a relationship to be a real homosexual romantic relationship, you’re possibly being aphobic, though; ace relationships exist as well.

Adding on to #4, she was capable of writing explicitly sexual books, but she did it under a pseudonym “A.N. Roquelaure” between 1983-2015, 3/4 of them published between ‘83-85. 

On including sex scenes, please read this bc ppl need to know that she had this experience bc of her sex scenes, Cry to Heaven was published in 1982, preceding TVL (1985):

BTW, just gonna leave this here re: Anne’s opinion of movie!QOTD, and I include it not to trample anyone who enjoyed it, so I’m sorry for that in advance, but I want to show that she didn’t buy into the changes they made to the original story:

To add on to #4, Anne has said her vampire characters do not have sexual relations with each other or with humans (although there are scenes where they simulate it as much as possible). Sorry these are such low-res old screencaps, I couldn’t find the original posts again to make a new ones:

I’d also say that Anne did come up with her own ideas about their physiology and origins, and I think she made the choice that they don’t have sex as yet another pleasurable thing (sunlight, food, wine) that her characters have to GIVE UP in order to have immortality. She implies that blood sharing is more intimate anyway. 

But since we are talking about VC specifically, I would say that movie!IWTV went as far as it could to show Lestat/Louis were in a real romantic relationship given the limitations of that time period in 1994. I would hope that we can do better now.

The worst thing is that this doesn't happen with straight ships like Lestat / Akasha, there are no crazy arguments or doubts about the "romantic attraction" between them, is extremely hypocritical. 

I haven't seen arguments doubting the romantic attraction between Lestat/Akasha, which might very well exist and I just haven't seen them, but according to Anne Rice, Lestat is bisexual (for all we know, Akasha may be bisexual, too, being married to a man does not prove an orientation). So that could be biphobic/panphobic to say that his being in a relationship with someone of the opposite gender is purely straight. There’s probably a whole discussion that could be had over the term “romantic attraction,” as well. Ppl can be attracted to ppl, without it being a complete relationship.

My opinion about Lestat/Akasha is that it was an abusive relationship, where she kidnapped him, kept him drugged and sleep-deprived, and love bombed him like a narcissist would, when she wasn’t threatening to hurt/kill his loved ones. It was portrayed in movie!QOTD as loving, I suppose, but that kind of manipulative relationship can look loving on the outside. From my reading, he was notably stressed at the big meeting with the coven, trying to broker a peace that would keep her from killing any of them.

As far as no one arguing about it, there is some fanart of Lestat/Akasha, but that’s to be expected from the QOTD movie, and bc ppl are fans of Aaliyah and Stuart Townsend. 

I know the author is also responsible for the confusion due to her past actions, but the source material should speak for itself...

I think Anne Rice has always confirmed that her ships are not straight, and that fans SHOULD let the source material speak for itself:

She has also supported gay marriage rights, here’s one example:

And I think for some readers, the source material does speak for itself. There were hundreds of comments on this one post, but I chose 2 for brevity. 

valid thought or simple homophobia in disguise? 

I don’t think it’s necessarily homophobia when ppl say Lestat is straight when he’s with Akasha or in movie!QOTD, it’s their own interpretation. It’s certainly possible to ship Lestat/Akasha (or any other straight ship in VC) and NOT be homophobic. It’s also possible to be both a Lestat/Akasha and Louis/Lestat shipper:

Will the new television series clear up the doubts?

Probably not! If ppl aren’t buying it from canon or from the author herself, they’re going to keep shipping what they like. Even having explicit sex scenes isn’t enough to convince some ppl.

Whether or not they’re believable in the slightest, there are articles about “2 men can have sex and not be gay” online, and there’s the old meme:

Even being married and/or co-parenting/having a child isn’t enough.

^Just Gals being Pals (from the webcomic Book of Adam) by Adam ElIis @adamtotscomix

I haven’t read these but it was easy to find them:

I’m sorry I can’t end it on a hugely positive note, there’s too many landmines to step on. I’ll put this here again:

Short answer: Have your own opinions. Even the author can't tell you what to think. If you want to find others who share your opinion, hopefully they're out there. Go to the #vampire chronicles tag. Find ppl through fanfic/fanart/etc. of ships you like and strike up a conversation!

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

So, this may sound weird, since I don't ship ZK, but I think the reason some dislike EIP is because they realize it was the first part of a busted enemies-to-lovers arc. EIP was part one, where Zuko and Katara see how others see them, and it weirds them out. Yet, Zuko insisted on sitting next to Katara and Katara pushes Aang away, suggesting there might be something there that they don't want to acknowledge. (1/3)

The first part of the finale was Part 2, where June reiterates the "Hey you're with your gf again!" Zuko and Katara deny it, but there likely should have been an undercurrent of 'Why do people think we're together? Do we act like it? Should we be? S/he is kind of cute.' During this time, Zuko defers to Katara and despite Toph likely being more helpful, asks Katara to be the one to take down Azula with him. (2/3)

Last part of the finale should have been the money shot, Zuko taking lightning for Katara, and in a parallel to CoD, Katara healing him. Dante Basco is right in that there probably should have been a kiss at that moment and the end scene of the gang at the Jasmine Dragon with Zuko and Katara shyly proclaiming their interest in each other. (3/4, sorry I have one more)

Again, ZK is not my ship, but EIP seemed to set up a ZK endgame that jumped the tracks at the end. By all the "rules" of a good narrative, Zuko and Katara should have ended up together, otherwise EIP should never have been countenanced or storyboarded. Full disclosure that I'm not a huge Kataang fan either, but Kataang was done a disservice by having EIP exist. It either should not have ever gotten written, or the ZK enemies-to-lovers arc should have been concluded. (end)

Disclaimer: I don’t care if someone ships Zvtara. Never have, never will. If the takeaway you (the general you, not anon specifically lol) get from this post is that Zvtara is “bad,” then I’m going to assume you didn’t actually read anything I wrote, because that is the farthest thing from my point here. Also, this post is strictly my personal response to these asks. I don’t expect everyone to read this and be like “YEAH” lmao. I am sure some people have different opinions, and that is a-okay!

In short, I think we will have to agree to disagree, anon.

Do some people consider EIP the beginning of a busted enemies-to-lovers arc? Of course they do, they’re “rabid zkers” who wear Zvtara shipping goggles 24/7 lmao. EIP couldn’t have been the beginning of an E-L arc because such an arc was never in the cards for them in the first place! Katara forgave Zuko in the previous episode. Trying to cram a romantic relationship into five episodes after months of hatred between Zuko and Katara would have been awful writing (and thus probably would have been a decision mercilessly criticized until the end of time, lmao). So it’s honestly better that Zvtara gets to spread its wings in fanon instead (much less pressure)! Also, realistically speaking, Katara and Zuko probably still had so many issues to work through in their friendship. Like yes, she forgave him and recognized he was trying to do better, but that doesn’t erase what Zuko has done to her and her friends. There is still plenty of forward progress they need to make before romance can even be considered between them. If that makes sense?

Also, let’s be real: EIP and bit with June afterwards were 100% ship bait. Just an attempt to add to the “drama” of who Katara would end up. A technique only effective while it was airing, for the record, because if you watch the show straight through, it becomes glaringly obvious that Zuko and Katara’s relationship - while gorgeous - was always meant to stay strictly platonic within the canon timeline.

Anyways. I’ll try to break down your ask one piece at a time!

“Zuko and Katara see how others see them, and it weirds them out”

Yes, they are definitely weirded out! The transcript says, “Zuko and Katara inch away from each other, slightly uncomfortable.” Which is just a longer way of describing that they were weirded out by the depiction of their relationship in EIP, lol. However, the play is not how others see them. The play is the Fire Nation’s imperialist propaganda, meant to demean the entire Gaang. I talk about in specifics how the entire Gaang is belittled here, but this is the key stuff I noted about Zuko and Katara:

it’s important to situate that and more importantly situate eip zuko and katara’s relationship within the context of the show. the fire nation is an imperialist country. the southern water tribe has suffered heavily beneath them. we know from “the headband” that fire nation individuals are fed pro-imperialistic propaganda from birth; that combined with zuko and azula’s degrading comment of “peasant” towards katara demonstrate very clearly how the fire nation views every other nation - put simply, they are superior and everyone else is inferior. that attitude is therefore reflected in the eip play:

- katara, an indigenous woman, is highly sexualized and portrayed as overly dramatic and tearful, because the fire nation objectifies women not of their own people and views them as less intelligent and less emotionally stable

- she is thus paired as having a “romance” with zuko in eip because naturally, via fire nation logic, zuko would be able to “score” an “easy” woman of one of the water tribes

- furthermore, the eip “romance” between zuko and katara emphasizes zuko’s position as a traitor to the fire nation; the implication is that as a traitor, he’d only be able to achieve a relationship with a “lesser” woman, e.g. a woman not of the fire nation

That is not how other people truly view Zuko and Katara’s relationship. That is how the Fire Nation depicts their relationship in order to degrade and dehumanize Zuko and Katara. To misinterpret that as “evidence” that Zuko and Katara should have been together romantically is… disturbing, in my opinion. (I really try to stay far away from zkers who use EIP as “proof” of supposed Zvtara interest in each other like honey that is imperialist propaganda please don’t 😭).

If you want to talk about how other people actually view Zuko and Katara’s relationship, look at the Gaang, who were around them most of all! They never tease the possibility of romance between their friends. Why? Because within canon, there wasn’t one. Simple!

“Zuko insisted on sitting next to Katara”

Nope! This is all the transcript says: “Zuko [Removing his hood.] Just sit next to me. What’s the big deal?” He doesn’t even mention Katara! Zuko is literally just like I’m already sitting. Why do I need to move? lmfao. It’s no thoughts head empty for our favorite firebender 😂

“Katara pushes Aang away”

I’m assuming this about the kiss, which I’m going to make a post about in the future because I am TIRED of the tomfoolery. Anyways, I’ll keep this brief - yes, she does push him away. She does not deny that she likes him. For Katara, the issue is the timing: “This isn’t the right time.” Both Katara and Aang know they like each other, plain and simple (which is why Aang doesn’t ask if he returns her feelings - he asks if they’d be together, because he knows their feelings are mutual). Katara pushes Aang away because, as she says, they’re in the middle of a war. She’s already seen Aang die once. He might die again. She doesn’t want that, of course, but it’s a reality Katara is forced to consider.

Anyways, her decision has nothing to do with Zuko. Lol.

“June reiterates the ‘Hey you’re with your gf again!’ Zuko and Katara deny it, but there likely should have been an undercurrent of ‘Why do people think we're together? Do we act like it? Should we be? S/he is kind of cute.’”

June’s assumption - especially because it is a repeat of a gag from earlier in the series, when it is incredibly concerning to assume a Fire Nation citizen would be with someone of the Water Tribes because of the war and its consequences - is comic relief. Not even good comic relief, lmao, because of the horrific implications I just mentioned that come with it, but it’s supposed to be comedy. There was no need of any “Zvtara” undercurrents there because a) Katara and Zuko had never expressed romantic interest in each other in the past, b) it wouldn’t track with the show’s narrative of Katara as Zuko’s surrogate sibling because of her position as Azula’s primary foil, and c) it just doesn’t make sense in general. Katara likes Aang. Zuko likes Mai. There was never a love triangle there, plain and simple. Fandom invented it.

And again, if you want to talk about how people actually see Zuko and Katara, don’t look at June, who has never had a proper conversation with either of them. As I said, the Gaang is a much better example, since they’re with the two 24/7. If they never tease Zuko and Katara about romance, why should we trust this random lady who doesn’t even know them?

“During this time, Zuko defers to Katara and despite Toph likely being more helpful, asks Katara to be the one to take down Azula with him.”

As I mentioned, Katara is Azula’s primary foil, so from a literary perspective she absolutely needed to be the one to take her down. Zuko needed to face Azula, but taking her down - again, from a literary pov - was always meant to be the end of Katara’s journey (she was the only person besides Aang who was ever a match for Azula, after all, as we see in CoD). Also, how would Toph be more helpful?? Not saying you’re wrong, btw, I just don’t understand what you mean. If I was Zuko, I also would have brought the waterbender that I’d already witnessed almost take down my sister already 😂. But even if Toph would have been more helpful, sometimes practicality must be sacrificed for a fulfilling narrative arc, lol!

“Last part of the finale should have been the money shot, Zuko taking lightning for Katara, and in a parallel to CoD, Katara healing him.”

Honestly, anon, this part of your ask baffles me 😂 I totally understand why rabid zkers might make this argument, but taking into account the rest of the show… It just doesn’t make sense? It’s been talked about a hundred times, but Zuko taking lightning out of romantic interest would ruin his redemption arc, regardless of if it was Katara or Aang or Sokka or anyone in the Gaang that he was taking it for, so that should be the end of discussion, full stop. I’ve talked about this issue here and here before, and someone else does a great job breaking it down in this post, too. But seriously. Zuko having romantic interest for anyone in the Gaang would ruin!! His!! Entire!! Arc!! I hate when people don’t understand that 😭 Zuko had to learn selflessness, to learn how to put others before himself, and to unlearn the imperialist rhetoric he’d been indoctrinated with from birth. Romantic interest during canon for Katara, Sokka, Aang, whomever, I don’t care, completely disregards all of his growth of breaking away from the Fire Nation. Plain and simple.

“Dante Basco is right in that there probably should have been a kiss at that moment and the end scene of the gang at the Jasmine Dragon with Zuko and Katara shyly proclaiming their interest in each other.”

I learned in a discord I’m in that Dante Basco apparently hadn’t seen the whole show until this year lmao. He didn’t know what energybending was nor did he know A:TLA ended with a Kataang kiss. Take that with a grain of salt, of course (you can watch the livestream this is revealed in here, and it was also mentioned in the recent StageIt A:TLA reunion), but I think it’s safe to conclude Dante Basco can be treated like any other Zvtara shipper. He likes the ship, which is totally cool, but he is not one of the writers, so his opinion meant naught in constructing the canon narrative.

ANYWAYS. My point is why would Zuko and Katara proclaim interest in each other if such interest would have to be crammed into five measly episodes?? Especially when four of those episodes were the finale?? That is awful writing, of course the A:TLA writers wouldn’t do that, lmao! They’d built up Kataang and Maiko already. Why scrap it and needlessly rush a romance from an excellent - and, important to note, a newly established - platonic bond? Nah.

“EIP seemed to set up a ZK endgame that jumped the tracks at the end. By all the ‘rules’ of a good narrative, Zuko and Katara should have ended up together”

Nope. Idk what rules people have been teaching you, anon, but they were lying!! You deserve better than people who would lie to you like that 😤. But yeah, narratively speaking, Katara and Zuko getting together would have made no sense. It would have undermined Zuko’s and Katara’s arcs, it would have completely disregarded Katara’s established feelings for Aang and Zuko’s for Mai, and again, it would have been totally rushed. Who wants that?? Normal people don’t, lmao. This might be hard to believe considering I occasionally rag about BNF zkers, but I actually have several friends who are Zvtara shippers! They agree that canon Zvtara would have made no sense, and that it’s better to play out a potential Zvtara dynamic in post-A:TLA fanon. I swear, it is only the rabid shippers who think Zvtara should have been canon, and trust me when I say no one should want to associate with them, lmao.

(And again, as I touched upon earlier, Zuko and Katara’s canon narrative relationship was surrogate siblings because of Katara’s position as Azula’s primary foil. The show wrapped their arc up perfectly! With a lovely bow and all. So no complaints from me!)

“otherwise EIP should never have been countenanced or storyboarded. Full disclosure that I’m not a huge Kataang fan either, but Kataang was done a disservice by having EIP exist”

What EIP did right:

- accurate (and horrifying) depiction of pro-imperialist propaganda

- recap of previous seasons

- a lesson on consent (Aang kisses Katara, it is depicted as wrong, and Aang reacts appropriately by admonishing himself and by giving Katara space afterwards. like, people call Aang an incel/entitled/whatever, BUT HE HAD THE PERFECT REACTION?? he literally backed off and never pressured her again. i would have killed for the guy who kept getting in my personal space during my junior year to have backed off when i told him to. spoiler alert: he didn’t)

- hit some good humor beats

What EIP did poorly:

- honestly it’s not very interesting just based on watching it (deconstructing it as propaganda gives it better depth), but that’s to be expected from filler

- stupid shipping drama

- not having an additional conversation/explicit apology between Aang and Katara

HOWEVER. This final point is actually very subjective. For one, A:TLA has a clear trend of not showing apologies on screen. Ex.: Katara doesn’t apologize to Sokka for what she said about their mother, Zuko doesn’t apologize for anything he did to the Gaang, Song, or really anyone (closest we get is “Hello, Zuko here” lmao), Ty Lee and Mai don’t apologize for putting the Kyoshi warriors in jail, etc. etc. So while an explicit apology would have been great, the lack of one admittedly tracks with the show’s pre-established standards. And two, while I of course would love a conversation between Aang and Katara (that’s literally MORE KATAANG. why would I refuse 😂), it isn’t… necessary, to be frank. Aang’s mistake is treated as such - kissing Katara was wrong and he should never have done that. Like I said, Aang acknowledges this error and gives Katara space afterwards. Thus, it is Katara who chooses to be with him when the war is over. She respects the time he gave her to come to a conclusion, and the choice she makes is that she loves him despite his poorly-timed kiss (I mean, she forgave Zuko for being complicit in Aang’s death. Katara is clearly a very forgiving person!). So like,, it gets to a point where if someone doesn’t recognize that, they’re probably the kind of weirdo who labels anything they don’t understand in a story as a plothole, lmao.

All of this is to say that EIP wasn’t a disservice to Kataang. It certainly could have been better, of course, and the kiss was obviously only put in to hype up drama (“will they, won’t they” blah blah blah), but overall it handled consent well for a kid’s show.

“It either should not have ever gotten written, or the ZK enemies-to-lovers arc should have been concluded.”

On the whole, EIP is absolutely an unnecessary episode, yeah. It was just a recap before the finale. The only important thing is its accurate depiction of pro-imperialist propaganda, but most people’s minds don’t immediately go to that, I’ll admit lmao 😂. And as I’ve already said, there was no Zvtara E-L arc - fandom completely made that up. Which is totally fine! That’s the point of transformative works. But they are still fanon. Plain and simple.

TL;DR - Zvtara was never in the cards for A:TLA. I wish rabid zkers would stop pretending it was and have fun in the sandbox like the rest of us 😭

And for the record, anon, you absolutely, 100% do not have to be convinced by any of this! It’s just my own, personal thoughts on the whole dealio. No worries either way!! 💛

[whatiwillsay]

Cammy I swear to God I'm not trolling but I really wanna know why is using rainbows or colors of LGBTQ flags queer baiting? And I'm just asking but the LGBTQ community is a minority compared to the hetties so how is taylor supposedly queer baiting gonna make her more money? Targeting a small demographic in comparison to the general public isn't the best business strategy imo, can you explain this or link me?

I hope you have a nice day and I'm sorry you had to read some nasty comments or asks, you are sweet and I love your blog, all the love my dear ❤️.

there is a lot of discourse about what is queer baiting vs idk rainbow capitalism vs gay cultural appropriation and i am not the expert opinion nor do i really care about the semantics of the argument - it all bundles up to me as “straight people or businesses run by straight people abusing gay stuff to make money/profit/drum up press without doing proper allyship or anything to help gay people (and it’s case by case some people may do allyship well and still cross a line)”

imo (that stands for in my opinion meaning this is my opinion and not something i’m stating as a fact for anyone who is confused about that - i do say it quite a lot) she’s queer herself so she isn’t REALLY doing any of it.

however it’s VERY profitable to woke and gay friendly (in the right way) in the states and taylor didnt just wear pride colors. taylor spent the entire lover era using gay imagery to promote the album. imo (see above) that’s fine because she’s some brand of gay. however if she were straight it would be a fine line she’d need to walk.

straight people waving a pride flag, taking part in pride, or even leaning on gay culture to express themselves is FINE of course. but if they’re going to enter queer spaces and make themselves the center of queer imagery and conversation they need to do it respectfully and carefully. they need to walk a fine line and be ready to put their asses on the line for us, speak up for us, and leverage their power and privilege into support for us.

yntcd is clumsy at best and offensive at worst. taylor compares hate she gets on twitter to actual violent homophobia, claims that shade never made anybody less gay - if she’s straight how would she know? “shade” (homophobia) literally can make gay people hide away, closet themselves for their entire lives, kill themselves or leads them to be killed so yeah it does make people less gay… now if she’s gay and that’s her personal experience great. if she’s straight that line is… not something i personally want to hear from someone with straight privilege - likens being poor and country to being homophobic when many gay people most harmed by institutionalized and systematic homophobia are poor and from rural areas, and aligns herself with queer people being picketed by homophobes. all of that, if she is straight is just… ew. straight people do not get to insert themselves into the conversation like that, at least not without some criticism. however since it is my opinion that yntcd is taylor’s personal experience and musing about dealing with hate and homophobia as a fellow queer person then i say “ok. fair enough. i can’t deny your personal experiences.” so it’s not really that she wore a pride flag on her head or had some queer people in her music video it’s the whole package.

and ofc that’s just a single music video! the entire lover era is chock full of gay winks, nudges, and moments and every time she did that she would get a press bump as journalists all rushed to write articles (all ofc mentioning lover - out this summer!) talking about taylor and what she’s up to with her gay little winks. and she sold records from it. and merch. and promo’d her line with stella. and sold concert tickets. and prompted spotify streams. she probably made millions off each “me! out now!” on lesbian visibility day and bi pride bracelet ig post that happened. and since i believe (believe but don’t know for sure) that she is queer i’m fine with that. queer people should be able to leverage their queerness and queer experiences and queer imagery and culture for profit. but imo straight people should not. they should be able to proudly show their support but they should not profit off of our imagery.

now let me add a disclaimer that i’m not a queer studies professor or a sociologist. these are just my opinions. i’m not saying taylor ever queerbaited or that any one individual can. i don’t mean that word when i say “profit off us” since i know that queerbaiting is a different thing. i’m just trying to respond to anon with my thoughts on taylor’s use of queer imagery during the lover era - not divulge into a semantics based argument.

[princedamnianos]

Hi omg I love your analysis of Capri so much!! I was wondering what you think about the tent scene when Laurent is taunting Damen about how much he enjoyed whipping him. I was soo upset reading that scene as after the sword fight it felt like Laurent had come to except his feelings for Damen and wasn’t gonna lash out but he just continues to hurt him :( Also Damen mentions about Laurent being ‘caught out’ what does this mean about Laurent.

Y’aaaaall you anons have an uncanny ability to ask about the exact scenes I’ve been thinking about!!! You do not know how excited I am to dissect this!

To start: there are a handful of really interesting tells that Pacat builds into Laurent’s character. Words are his primary form of expression, and the way he speaks is one of the very few insights we are given into his emotions. One thing we know about Laurent is that when he’s thrown off-balance, he gets cruel, in part because people are so taken aback by his brutality that it leads them to overlook how upset he is. We see it with Aimeric, and we see it in the tent scene. It’s really a form of self-protection for Laurent. It’s how he keeps from showing his vulnerabilities, and keeps people away, especially when he is weakened.

I must say, I don’t quite agree with your assessment of the sword fight. Basically 90% of my own interpretation of that scene comes from this post— in summary, it says that Laurent has always held onto this idea that Damen must’ve pulled some trick in order to defeat Auguste. But then they get in the arena together, and Laurent is pretty brutally forced to confront that Damen is a legendary swordsman, just as Auguste had been. That in the end their skill really was matched, and the survivor basically came down to a stroke of luck. In addition, Laurent is forced to realize that no matter how hard he’d trained, he never would’ve been able to take Damen down in single combat, because Damen (like Auguste) has this innate ‘warrior spirit’ that no amount of training or dedication can quite match.

So I think that the sword fight definitely shifts Laurent’s understanding of Damen in a significant way, but I don’t think I would say that he’s accepted his love quite yet. Frankly, I think when he leaves that arena he is more angry and frustrated with Damen than he has been in quite some time. Throughout Kings Rising, he’s angry with himself for allowing their closeness during Prince’s Gambit, and he’s really grasping at straws on how to maintain and justify his hatred for Damen in the face of the love that grew between them. And Auguste’s ‘murder’ was one of his last justifications, and that argument has just been demolished. I think there’s too much going on in his head for him to get to love yet— first he has to deal with processing this new take on Auguste’s death, what it means to his perception of Damen, and perhaps most notably, what it means about his past treatment of Damen.

The thing is— I don’t think he’s lying, when he says he enjoyed seeing Damen whipped. He was so angry at that point. I bet he d i d enjoy it on some level. And he says that flippantly, trying to irritate or enrage Nik and Damen, but his words also reveal a truth— that he’s been thinking about all the awful things he did to Damen.

During the games, Damen and Nikandros go to the tent specifically because Nik has seen the scars on Damen’s back for the first time, and is really fucking shook by that. I’m fairly certain that Laurent has seen the scars before (Damen was (almost) naked during both Vaskian adventures, for example), but I suspect he became a little desensitized to them. Seeing others’ horrified reactions probably forced him to really see them for the first time, and I suspect that he is feeling guilty and impulsive, and following Damen was an emotional, spur-of-the-moment decision.

Of course, once he’s there, he’s just kind of an asshole. Because he’s feeling guilty, and he hates that he feels guilty, and he hates that he feels guilty specifically because he likes Damen, and he really hates that he likes Damen, especially now that he’s spent so long determinedly not liking Damen, and he is fresh out of genuine reasons for that. The whole situation has him feeling very vulnerable, which he hates, so he lashes out at Damen.

Then we get that moment where Damen asks Laurent why he followed him. Laurent replies that they were taking too long, but Damen calls him out on that. There was no reason for Laurent to come personally— in fact, according to all the customs, that’s a pretty weird thing to do. And when Damen points that out, there’s a moment where Laurent glances at the mirror behind him, confirming the real reason he came after them— that he was also pretty shook by Damen’s scars. That’s what Damen means when he says Laurent is ‘caught out’— that he knows Laurent is lying about coming to collect them, and is really there because he’s grappling with the fact that those scars were of his making.

And I would argue that that is really the key moment where he starts to swing back towards love. I’m always really struck by how calm Damen is in the face of Laurent’s cruelty, especially in this scene. I think he manages to stay so calm because he realized very early on how it serves as a defense mechanism for Laurent, and therefore is always on the lookout for the underlying reasons. He can read between the lines. And Laurent is so unused to having anyone care enough to even think about why he acts the way he does, that he never really knows what to do with Damen when he refuses to rise to the bait and instead chases the truth.

They’ve just had such an intense series of events— everything that happened at the sword fight, and now this moment where Laurent tried everything he could think of to piss off Damen and Nikandros— and Damen is still keeping his cool and just kind of pushing Laurent to actually acknowledge why he’s acting the way he is. It drives Laurent absolutely crazy, but I think it’s one of the things that really draws him to Damen as well— that innate steadiness and honesty, and the fact that he is both able and willing to match Laurent even at his worst.

So! The tl;dr is that I think the sword fight was an important shift in their relationship— the last wall coming down, so to speak— but Laurent has so much baggage re:their relationship that he needs time to really process it. To extend the metaphor— the walls are down, he still has to climb out of the rubble. And that’s what we see in the tent scene; this last kind of desperate stab at driving Damen away with a reminder of how deeply Laurent has hurt him. But Damen, of course, sees right through it, and Laurent is seriously, officially out of excuses on letting their relationship be what it will be. Which is why we see things really start swinging upwarda from here.

Thank you for the lovely message, Anon, and for the chance to talk through this scene! Just hit me up if you want to chat about anything else 💜

[simplyclockwork]

I note you accept writing prompts. I have a (weird I accept) desire to read a fic where Sherlock is self conscious about something, unexpectedly, and John cottons on and is supportive. The idea in my head is Sherlock injuring his neck and having to wear a neck brace (prompted by BC’s long lovely neck I think) and not wanting to go out with it on and John being all supportive and encouraging. But it could be some other thing that Sherlock needs reassurance about. I love your work.

Hi, anon! I love this prompt, it’s so sweet. I hope I’ve done it justice :) Thank you so much for reaching out with this request, and for letting me know you enjoy my work. It means a lot ♥️  Also posted on Ao3 here. 

See below the page break for the entire fic. Can be read as pre-slash, established relationship, or really close bros. 

------

Sherlock’s complaints drifted to John in the kitchen, drawing his attention away from the article he was reading. 

“Must I wear this thing?”

Setting his newspaper aside, John sighed before he rose and padded out into the hall. He glanced toward the end. Sherlock’s bedroom door stood open, the man himself framed in the doorway. He was scowling at his reflection in the wardrobe mirror, tugging futilely at the collar of one of his suits. A thick, white neck brace disrupted the line of his fitted jacket, and the button wouldn’t quite close. 

“Yes,” John said, moving to join him before the mirror. “Doctor’s orders.” 

Sherlock shot him a glare. “Your orders,” he snapped, tugging at the button without success. Taking pity on him, John reached out and carefully fastened the offending button, smoothing a gentle hand over Sherlock’s shoulder. 

“No, Doctor Connor’s orders.” He tilted his head and conceded, “Okay, and mine, too.”  Another soothing touch, this time to Sherlock’s elbow. “But it’s only for a couple of weeks. Just to be safe.”

Sherlock’s expression could have struck a man dead at fifty paces. “Safe is boring,” he snarled, long fingers scraping over the neck collar. John caught his hand and pulled it away. 

“Again, it’s just a few weeks. Now, come on. Greg’s waiting for us.”

“Who?”

John rolled his eyes. “Lestrade. Come on, he called for us an hour ago.”

“I’ll get there when I get there,” Sherlock shot back, still frowning at his reflection, two fingers tugging at his suit jacket. John paused, turned the words over in his head, and wondered at the odd timing of Sherlock’s sudden strop. Usually, such behaviour only reared its head after a case, not before it had even begun. And it was a double murder, something Sherlock usually thrilled in.

“It sounds like it’s at least an eight,” he replied, hoping to tempt Sherlock away from the edge of an impending sulk. Sherlock’s lips pursed, and he refused to look at John. 

“I’m sure Scotland Yard can handle it themselves.” 

John’s eyebrows shot up. “Alright, who are you, and what have you done with Sherlock Holmes?”

Instead of rising to the bait, Sherlock scoffed. Ripping off his suit jacket, he spun away from his reflection and brushed past John to storm down the hallway. John followed, bewildered, watching the moody detective perch carefully on the edge of the sofa. It was such a far cry from his usual dramatic flounce and sprawl that John paused. An idea was forming, what Sherlock would have called a deduction, and John studied Sherlock’s stiff posture as his mind worked over the evidence.

Sherlock never turned down a case higher than a six, and never a double homicide. He rarely, if ever, seemed insecure about his clothing, especially his snug dress shirts and tailored suit jackets. Quite the opposite, the man seemed to thrive on the ridiculously tight fabric. John, by contrast, preferred soft, comfortable clothing, much to Sherlock’s constant sneering. 

The idea that formed made him approach the irate detective with a softened voice and a cautious step. “You could borrow a jumper if you like.” 

Sherlock stiffened. Staring straight ahead, he didn’t look at John, but his eyes narrowed. “Why would I do that?”

John tried a different tact. “What about one of those nice jumpers your mother bought you last Christmas?” Sherlock made a sharp noise of negation, and John squinted, tongue flicking out to wet his lips. Sherlock glanced his way, upper body swivelling due to the inability to turn his neck.

“Stop it,” he hissed. John raised an eyebrow and sat carefully on the arm of his chair.

“Stop what?”

Sherlock’s eyes narrowed further, angry slits glittering in his flushed face. “Stop. Deducing. Me.”

An amused snort escaped John before he could stop it. “Hello, kettle.” 

Upper lip curling back, Sherlock snarled at him, “Shut up, John.” 

John subsided, watching Sherlock closely. Beneath all the bravado, the hissing, spitting ire, he saw something else. There was an obvious discomfort there, and a flash of fleeting vulnerability that lingered in Sherlock’s eyes. John thought back to the argument with the suit jacket and realized the button wasn’t the problem. 

Rising to his feet, he crossed to the sofa and sank down next to Sherlock. “Hey,” he said gently, resisting the urge to smile at Sherlock’s stubbornness when he refused to turn toward him. “It’s only a couple of weeks. I know the collar isn’t comfortable, but if you don’t wear it, you’re risking permanent damage.”

Sherlock’s lips pulled back as he bared his teeth. “I don’t need you to cite the medical brochure at me, John,” he ground out, a muscle jumping in his jaw. There was a faint, subtle waver in the growled words, and John softened. Reaching out, ignoring Sherlock’s bristle, he stroked his fingertips over the back of Sherlock’s hand. Despite his stiff, angry posture, Sherlock immediately flipped his hand over, letting John lace their fingers together. John smiled and squeezed gently. “It might be easier if you wore a jumper. Or, just. Something a little looser.”

“I am not wearing a jumper, John,” Sherlock sniffed, shooting him a sharp little glare from the corner of his eyes. He was still facing forward, his posture stiff. The position couldn’t be doing anything good for his bruised cervical muscles, and John resisted the urge to reach up and feel for tension in his shoulders. It was better to let the collar do its job, and he doubted Sherlock would welcome the gesture.

Another thought occurred, followed by understanding. “No one is going to make fun of you.”

Sherlock tensed further, and John silently thought, ah. There it was. Despite all the cases he had solved, many of the Yarders still whispered cruel things behind Sherlock’s back (and Sally always did it right to his face). Part of Sherlock’s armour was his pristine appearance, a way of presenting himself in a way that left no opening for ridicule. That way, they could only pick at his behaviour, his strange predilections for solving murders and exhilarating in what he called The Game.  The neck brace was a chink in the armour.

When Sherlock didn’t reply, John stroked his thumb lightly over the side of the hand twined with his. “We don’t have to go,” he said, and Sherlock glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. He didn’t speak, and John added, “You’re right. Greg and his team can probably figure this one out on their own.” He paused, met Sherlock’s wary eyes, and offered a small smile. “But, just so you know, I’d love to see them try to say anything with me there.” He flexed the fingers of his free hand toward his palm, the knuckles still bruised and healing from when he had socked the man who had choked Sherlock three days ago, the cause of their current conversation. “I think my fist is ready for another go.” He offered a crooked smile, the one he knew always made Sherlock grin. And, without fail, the corner of Sherlock’s lips twitched. 

“Quite right,” Sherlock murmured, and John gave his hand one last squeeze before standing. 

“So,” he said, turning with a raised brow, “Thai?”

Sherlock cleared his throat delicately and blinked down at his lap. “Actually, I…” he paused, brow furrowing before he looked up at John carefully. “Perhaps a jumper?” 

Hiding his smile, John tilted his head. “One of mine?” He chuckled at Sherlock’s grimace of distaste. “Aright, okay. One of your mum’s?” At Sherlock’s attempt at a nod, he asked, “The red one?” 

Sherlock bit his lip, and his gaze skated away. “The… blue one.” He coughed softly. “It’s the same colour as your eyes.”

This time, John couldn’t keep the smile from spreading over his face. “Mm, yeah. I knew I liked that one for a reason.” Turning toward the hall, he paused when Sherlock drew out his mobile. “Are you calling for the takeaway?” he asked, knowing the assumption was wrong, but playing dumb.

“No,” Sherlock hummed, tapping at the keys. “Letting Lestrade know we’ll be there within the hour.” 

“Very considerate,” John replied, turning away to hide his grin.

[tomakeitbeautifultolive]

Listen, I might be playing the devils advocate, but I don't think Dany's fate in the GoT finale was due to D&D being sexist.I think it was just because D&D can't write for crap.

It’s not about intent.

Allow me to begin by saying that I completely understand the knee-jerk reaction that people have to the term ‘sexism’. It’s very polarizing, and when men read the term, they immediately go on the offensive. That’s not what I want at all. I don’t use the term to alienate or exclude men, I use it because it’s the dictionary definition of what I’m trying to convey:

sex·ism (noun): "prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex.“

That said, allow me to play devil’s advocate here and say that I do not believe the writers intended to have an underlying sexist message. They are more oblivious than they are malicious. It is born of sheer ignorance (lack of knowledge or information) and the privilege to ignore it because, as males, it doesn’t affect them.

Let’s put aside the dozens of articles that came out after the finale calling out the sexism. You guys know me, I like to pull receipts, cite my sources, and throw in some visuals to help aid my point.

For most of the 70+ hours of Game of Thrones, Daenerys actually does not fall victim to these sexist tropes. Honestly, that is what subverted my expectations for seven seasons. That Dany always teetered on the edge of these tired, overused tropes about women, yet she remained steadfast in her ruthless yet good nature, her moral compass was always aligned even if it didn’t match the viewers, and she was a gods-damned hero, straight through to episode four of season eight.

But the demoralizing reality is that Daenerys was hit with trope after trope in the last three episodes. In the final hours of the show, the writers pulled a bait-and-switch, giving us a ‘shocking’ heel-tern whose only foreshadowing was a very bad retcon job full of double standards. And so many fans, such as yourself, justify it. Not because the show foreshadowed it, but because these tropes are so, so ingrained in our brains from decades of media feeding us these narratives that we now expect them.

In the end, Daenerys succumbs to numerous sexist tropes:

'God Save Us From the Queen’ trope

“The Good Kingdom: A lovely, wealthy country ruled by a benevolent king, a wise prince, and a fair princess loved by the populace. But what’s that? There’s a queen? Oh, brother, we’re in trouble.”

Disposable Woman trope

“This character has a familial or romantic relationship with a protagonist, which allows creators to derive heart-wrenching sorrow from her death.”

Evil Infertile Woman trope

“Women are often divided into "breeders” and “the barren,” with the latter coming off as cool and distant at best, and malicious and desperate at worst.“

The Double-Standard Trope

"A double standard occurs when members of two or more groups are treated differently regarding the same thing. Gender is one of the most common causes of double standards.”

Hysterical Woman trope

“This trope characterizes women as less rational, disciplined, and emotionally stable than men, and thus more prone to mood swings, irrational overreactions, and mental illness.”

Woman Scorned trope

“What’s the only type of woman more dangerous than a Mama Bear? A woman who’s been dumped or otherwise done wrong by her significant other. Especially if she’s been hiding some sanity problems.”

Women Are Delicate trope

“Even if women have toughness, competence, strength or stability, it’s less than what their male peers are capable of.”

The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask trope

“They don’t want a young woman, or they don’t want any woman, or they just don’t want this particular woman on the throne.”

Tropes in and of themselves are not bad, but very outdated tropes that are associated with the emotional or mental ‘fragility’ of women are. Why? Because they reinforce deep-seated and subconscious stereotypes of women that audiences hold.

“It’s just a show/book! Who cares!”

People have been turning to art (including literature) for years for meaning, for philosophical guidance. Most people in my own country turn to one book to both find and justify their morality (the bible).

“Literature offers not just a window into the culture of diverse regions, but also the society, the politics; it’s the only place where we can keep track of ideas.”―Reza Aslan

It’s not just a show. The art and media we consume helps shape who we are, for better or worse. When men refuse to consider the consequence of their sexist narratives simply because it doesn’t affect their own lives, it inadvertently causes harm for others who don’t share their privilege.

And it’s not just Daenerys. She’s just the figurehead.

There was a great article from BBC about how much women actually speak on Game of Thrones:

I can already hear the counter-argument brewing…

“So what? There are more male characters!”

Yeah. There are. And that’s a problem, too.

Of the top-grossing 1,200 films from 2007 to 2018, 28% of films were led or co-led by women. Meanwhile, around 49.6 percent of the world’s population is female.

By featuring so few women and by giving women who are featured 20% of the airtime to speak their minds, the writers are unintentionally devaluing the speech and opinions of women. This inspires the audience to devalue women in a subconscious way.

Whether or not it intended to, Game of Thrones and its shocking 'heel-turn’ has very troubling sexist and political implications (amongst other things).

Go ahead, tell me I’m wrong. Tell me I’m blowing this way out of proportion.

Tell me it’s just a show or a book and every single fan knows how to separate fiction from reality (they don’t, go look at Maisie William’s Instagram comments following her season eight sex scene for proof of that). Meanwhile, here in actual reality, we see things like this:

@thescarletgarden1990 informs me that over in Italy, political figures are using Game of Thrones advertising in their campaigns, too:

Translation: “Invaded by masses of Others? Not Today. Immediate naval block, let’s defend our borders.”

What makes it worse is that, at least Donald Trump, identifies with House Stark. Or, those who rule the northerners. The people who showed their blatant racism toward the only two black named characters. And the writers never bothered to critique the problematic behavior, instead, rewarding their people with independence and driving those pesky evil foreigners ’back where they belong’.

I’ve barely had time to scroll my dash and I’ve already seen a troubling amount of harassment towards Dany fans via anon asks (including myself, though I just block the IP and delete but I wish I’d saved them for proof).

Why? Because the ending justifies their personal narrative, this bad writing confirms their worldview. Meanwhile, on the other side of the spectrum, the same thing is happening in reverse in response to the takedown of a figure like Daenerys Targaryen:

“Khaleesi’s heel turn is particularly troubling for fans who might have felt a true sense of connection to her character following her epic story arc, which has seen Dany escape some awful circumstances to literally walk through fire, free the slaves, bring Dragons to the north and help rally the troops to defeat the Night King. She has basically been Abraham Lincoln, Hercules and Winston Churchill combined into one person riding a dragon.” (x)

The point here is that the show is doing its audience of 19,300,000 viewers a great disservice by succumbing to very outdated tropes and double standards, and sending troubling messages as a result. For instance, a woman can do countless heroic or selfless things, but you should never trust her! She needs to be tempered. Women cannot wield power responsibly. There are endless messages you can take away from this ending and the dialogue that led us to the show’s conclusion (my personal favorite being ‘Cocks are important’).

And the fans who want to say 'you’re overreacting’ to everyone who speaks up against it are only aiding in this ongoing legacy of 85% male writers who get to tell our stories, poorly, and reap all the rewards.

Sure, all of this could be solely the result of ‘just bad writing’…

Nevertheless, it is what it is.

[aperrywilliams]

Hot Genius (Spencer Reid x Maxine Brenner)

(Not my gif!)

Masterlist - Requests

———————

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Maxine Brenner.

Request: I'm anon cause I'm shy but a quick fic where Prentiss asks Spencer and Max to act as bait for a serial killer that attacks newlyweds or married couples however you write it will be perfect.

Summary: Spencer is not very happy at Emily's suggestion that Max help them catch a serial killer. But despite his apprehensions, he has no choice.

Word Count: 3040.

Warnings: Some curses. Suggestive sex talk. Fluff.

A/N: This is my first formal request. Thank you Anon for suggest a Spencer-Max fic. I hope you’ll like it. I’ll take the boldness to tag @andiebeaword​  and @dreatine​ since it’s a maxcer fic.

——————–

"Thanks for bringing me today. With the failure in the subway it would have taken me a long time to arrive,” I said when we had reached our destination.

"Let's say you were lucky that today was my day off," Max replied as I opened the car door in the FBI parking lot.

"I know. Don't you want to go up for a while? Penelope will surely be happy to see you considering that you have not seen each other in several weeks.” Max thought for a few seconds about my proposal.

"Yes. It's not a bad idea. You could offer me a good coffee too. The one in this morning was a disappoint, I must say,” she replied, looking at me with disapproving eyes.

“Hey! The online order has taken longer than I expected. It was the only type of coffee in home this morning." I tried to defend myself, but without much success.

"I'm amazed at how imprudent are you Dr. Reid with such important thing.” Max shook her head, continuing in her disapproving tone.

"I'm sure you're going to torture me all week for this, am I right?". I answered before giving a defeated sigh.

"Of course I’ll do," she said, laughing.

"Okay. I deserve it"

When we crossed the glass doors of the BAU the first person who saw us arrive was Penelope. She couldn’t hide her happiness from seeing Max. Since we started dating, the two became quite close, even Max had joined more than one of the BAU girls' nights. I must confess it made me nervous at first, but the girls adore Max so I relax easy with that.

"Is not the great Max who deigns to appear in these places?". Penelope exclaimed from the other side of the bullpen .

"Hey Penelope. I think you are overstating a little…” Max replied to Garcia's questioning.

"Of course I’m not overstating. We have not heard from you in centuries! Besides, Boy Wonder is not one of those who talks a lot, so every time we ask him about you he only answers 'She is fine…’” Garcia complained.

"I have a very chatty boyfriend as you can see ..." Max replied laughing and winking at me.

"Ok, ok. Let's take advantage of the fact that you are here and we go to my Batcave to talk for a while”. Garcia was unable to finish speaking and was already pulling my girlfriend down the hall to her office. Max looked me muttering a 'sorry'. I just shrugged with a farewell wave.

I hadn't noticed Prentiss was outside her office staring at the scene that had just occurred.

"I see Penelope kidnapped your girlfriend." I turned to look at her and with a grimace drawn on my face I replied.

"Yep . So it seems"

"Well. Since you're here, shall we meet in the conference room? I need to discuss a case with you."

Luke, Rossi, Matt, Prentiss and I were in the conference room. Emily started talking about one of the cases that was torturing the DC police in recent days. We had worked on the profile just the day before, but apparently the police's efforts to locate the unsub were not being very effective.

“Given this context, we agreed with the police that in order to attract the unsub we need a newly-married couple in the club. It is the only way to get him out of his hiding place,” said Prentiss.

"Okay. But... ¿are we sure the unsub hunt there?" Rossi asked.

“When reviewing victimology yesterday the only crossing point was that club," said Luke.

"Wouldn't it be enough to stand guard and wait?" I asked hoping that the profile delivered the day before was enough to locate him.

"I think we would be making a mistake if we let the local police try to do that on their own . We know that the unsub is very methodical. You have to be subtle with him and the local police is anything but that from what we have seen” Prentiss replied.

"Well. So, will we have to do it? Who?” Luke asked.

“Until half an hour ago I had no idea about that. But now I know. Spencer and Max will do it” . Prentiss spoke as if she was talking about what she had for breakfast in the morning.

"Wait… what? Max?, me?... No. No way. Forget it!"

Prentiss was crazy if she thought I was going to accept something like that. Already this covert operation seemed like a bad idea to me, worse if I had to involve my girlfriend, who was not an FBI agent by the way.

"Spencer, please. We don't have many options and we have to act quickly.” Prentiss pleaded.

No options?, there is a whole building full of agents ...

“But Emily, it's dangerous. We all saw the photos of what this guy does to his victims. There has to be another way." I tried to reason with her.

“That is why you’ll be there with her and us monitoring the situation all the time. It’s the only chance to do this quickly and prevent more victims."

Great. The argument of the victims. Don't get me wrong, I’m fully aware of the importance of this work. But the risk was doubled if we added a civilian - my girlfriend by the way - to the equation.

"Why can't it be another couple? Luke with Tara, or Matt with JJ?”

“JJ is sick from Henry's flu. Tara is conducting interviews for the Georgia case.” Prentiss replied.

I could see the disapproving look of Luke, Matt and David on me. Sure, the antihero in the story was me now, refusing Emily's brilliant idea.

"What about you?" I asked as a last resort.

“Are you kidding?, I'm not for that kind of mission anymore. Also I’m not the target type of the unsub and someone has to supervise the operation,” Prentiss defended herself.

"Max won’t to do it...". That was more a thought to me than something I wanted to say out loud.

"We haven't asked her," said Emily.

At that precise moment, Max entered the conference room, accompanying Penelope.

"What is it I won’t want to do?" Max asked curiously.

"Great ..." was the only thing I could say under my breath. Knowing Max during this time I already knew what will be her response. Independent my opinion or all the protests I might have.

"Max. We have to talk about something…” Prentiss said inviting her to sit in one of the chairs in the room.

That was how that night with Max we were outside the club where we hoped to locate the unsub. Our cover was to pretend to be a newly married couple having a good time in that busy place.

I was reluctant to enter yet. Max could feel my hesitancy and took my hand squeezing it to look at her.

"Spencer... I know very well I’m not an FBI agent and I have neither the training nor the experience for this. But I'm just trying to help."

"I know. I know. I'm not mad at you for that. I'm rather... concerned. What if I can't protect you? What if I fail?”. It was a fear more than founded. There were so many things that could go wrong.

"Don’t think about that. You are good at your job and there is also a team behind supporting you right now. I promise not to do anything stupid that could put us at risk.” I let out a sigh.

"Yes, okay, okay. Let’s go to catch this bastard". I said , trying rather encourage me to myself. Max smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Furthermore, it’s not necessary that we should pretend much. Although these rings are fake, the kisses and embraces that we can give ourselves in there do not have to be," she said playfully. So she rose to his feet and caught my lips with hers. God, how I love those kisses!. I didn't want to be in that club at the time. I would have preferred to be in her place!.

"This will make it difficult to concentrate me..." . She started to laugh without letting me go. I caught her lips with mine again. When we parted, we hold hands and entered to the club. Just then, the audio in our headphones started working. Prentiss will be the one giving the instructions this night.

"Alright guys. Go ahead. Let's do this and let's do it fast. The first thing you have to do is go to the bar and order a drink. From there start a conversation and try to scan the place discretely"

The first obstacle was precisely finding a place in the bar. The club was crowded with people. How is it possible that so many people enjoy places like this? it was very hot, people sweating and the floor was a combination of germs and residues of perhaps what other things. Max did a good job finding a spot to access to the bar. Once there, I gestured to the barman to give us two drinks. We leaned against the bar counter and began to 'talk' as we slowly sip our drinks.

"What do we have to look at?" Max asked. I leaned down to speak into her ear so I wouldn't have to scream. The music was very loud.

“If our profile is correct, it is a white man between 30 and 40, with strong features. Tall. Semi-formal dress. He should be alone, but he should be confident. Hardly nervous. Very observant. He would have to be looking all over the place looking for his new victims. You have to look at those who watch couples either on the dance floor or here at the bar.” Max gave a loud laugh that at first shocked me, then she came over to speak in my ear.

"So I guess we should attract his attention, right?... I didn't laugh out loud because I found it funny, by the way..." she told me.

"Clever girl!" Prentiss chirped over our headphones. "Well lovebirds, while you look at your surroundings, take advantage of playing around a bit.”

The statement made me blush. Max gave a nervous laugh. I leaned closer and hugged Max around the waist as I rested my head on her shoulder. She raised her head a little to kiss me. Besides pressing her against my body, I didn't know much to do. I mean, I could think of millions of things to do... but not in a public place, if you know what I mean...

"Spencer, it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to kiss my neck so we can have a better view of the opposite side..." Max suggested.

"Are you sure ... ?"

"Yes... why not? ... not that we haven't done this before..." Max replied.

"I know, I’m sorry. I'm a little nervous."

It was true. I was nervous. I was with my girlfriend in a club and I need to pretend something I would love to be doing in private. How the hell is something like that controlled? Anyway, I took Max's suggestion and started kissing her neck slowly while my eyes scanned the place. She let out some giggles because of the tickle while she also was looking around.

"Spencer, near the bathrooms I see a suspicious man looking at us, red shirt, black tie and black jeans..." Max whispered in my ear.

"I see another one looking at us from behind the dance floor, black dress pants, white shirt and black jacket...". I replied.

“We have to clear doubts before any movement. Raise your bet guys,” Prentiss instructed. What the hell did that mean?...

Without warning, Max tugged at my hair so I had to look at her and then tugged at my tie and pulled me into one of the most passionate kisses I got in a long time. Just to make it even more believable - I thought – she raised slightly one of her legs and began stroking one of mine. I couldn't help but freeze for a few seconds. Max noticed my nervousness at her bold move.

"Hey hot genius, just think like we're on the couch of your place..." Max said as she started to kiss my jaw. The moment those words came out of her mouth we heard chuckles from the earpiece. I could only to dig my head into Max's neck trying to hide my embarrassment.

"Sorry, I forgot they can hear us..." Max apologized, also blushing.

"Don’t worry about us... you continue to do your own thing... at least what can be done in public... remember our mission." Prentiss replied trying to maintain her composure.

“Ok… the man who was on the other side of the dance floor came closer to us, now he is leaning against one of the walls that gives the back exit. The one who was near the toilets, in a red shirt, went with a woman to dance,” I said after identifying the unsubs.

"What do you think Reid, is he our unsub?" Prentiss asked.

"I'm almost sure. He is looking very eagerly at our hands and rings… and he fits the profile”.

"Perfect. We started phase 2 now,” instructed Emily. I took Max's hand and we walked to the back exit, making sure to stop for a few minutes near the unsub so he could get a closer look of us and hear us. With my hands I took Max's cheeks and after giving her a burning kiss I began to speak.

“Baby, I’m so happy I had married you. Now you are mine and nobody else, always remember that... only mine, understood?". Saying that was part of the character. The unsub hunted couples where the man showed possessive traits in the relationship and was what he sought to annul by killing them first in front of their partners.

"I know baby. I’m yours and nobody else's. Show me right now that I belong to you and only you”. Max replied as she put her arms around my neck and we kissed again. Convinced that the unsub had heard us, we began to move towards the back door without break our embrace.

As we stepped outside, the cold in the alley hit us. It was true that the club was burning inside and not only because of the large number of people on it.

I cornered Max to one of the walls, allowing her to have a view of the door so she could to notify me when the unsub left the club. Only two minutes passed and the unsub went out into the alley. Max's warning signal to me was a sultry "Oh, Spencer... baby." I took her by the waist again, pretending a fiery make out session in that dark alley.

"Is it time for the arrest?" I asked without detaching myself from Max.

"Not yet Reid. We have to wait for him to try to attack you before we can do something,” Prentiss replied.

"Great..." I muttered under my breath .

"Spencer... he is approaching very fast..." Max said quickly.

"Is he armed?..." I asked.

"He has a kni…". Max couldn't finish the sentence when I felt an arm pull me to turn violently.

"Leave her alone!" the unsub yelled waving a knife to threaten me.

“Hey! Hey! ... what's going on ?, what's your problem man...?” I said faking confusion.

“She is not yours! You don't deserve her. You are like all the bastards inside this fucking club. You don't really love her,” he shouted frantically. I had my eyes fixed on the knife while trying to get Max out of his sight with my body and arms.

"Take it easy man... nobody has to get hurt..." I tried to reason with him.

"Of course it is, and you will be the first!". My eyes and mind were so focused on the knife he was waving with one of his hands that I didn't notice his other hand that struck my face with a punch that knocked me to the floor.

Stunned I tried to get up quickly when I saw the unsub begin to approach Max. But I was dizzy, I couldn't find stability. Fortunately before he could touch her, Luke appeared out of nowhere and leaped him, knocking him to the floor. Matt appeared behind Luke to help him in the arrest and lead him to the police car. Prentiss approached Max to see how she was doing. I was still on the floor.

"If anyone cares, the bastard punched me in the face..." I complained as I put one of the palms of my hands on my now more sore face.

Max quickly approached to see how I was doing. Prentiss held out a hand to help me up.

"Let me see that face..." Max said as she saw what would be a big bruise in a few hours.

"Don't complain Reid, you will survive," Prentiss joked.

"This was not in the script," I protested. Emily nodded.

"Yes I know. The two of you did a good job, by the way. Max, you keep me surprising. Congratulations" Prentiss said smiling.

"Thank you Emily…" Max replied and then turned her eyes to me, examining if she found any other wound on my face.

"Spencer, like a reward for you good job in this case, tomorrow you have the day off..."

"How generous Emily…" I replied ironically.

"That's how I am. You know that. Well maybe that gives you enough time to finish what you started in there… right hot genius?” Prentiss sentenced, laughing and patting me on the back before leaving the place. With Max we both flushed like tomatoes.

"Sorry..." Max muttered.

"It's okay. Although you can be sure that even the director of the FBI will know about this tomorrow"

"So... what if let's put it into practice so they can speak with reason?, don´t you think?..." Max suggested winking at me and intertwining our hands to start our way home.

“Yeah, you’re right. I have no reason to protest for such excellent suggestion” I said with a eager smirk.

——————–

[safflowerseason]

The OC rewatch - 2x09, The Ex-Factor

To the lovely and insightful anon who sent in the ask regarding my take on Ryan and Marissa’s fight in 2x09 -

I answered the post and put half of my response under a “Keep Reading” cut because it basically turned into a mini-essay and I wanted to preserve everyone’s timelines. But because this website has the clunky design of a junkyard car, the formatting got all messed up when I added tags to the ask post (@Tumblr - why can you not tag an ask post directly?!) and moved the cut to just below the original ask, hiding the whole response, at which point I got so frustrated I deleted the whole thing. 

Anyway, Anon, you noted that this fight in 2x09 really encapsulates Ryan and Marissa’s baggage as a couple, and is also one of the few moments in the show they are genuinely open about their issues. As any Veep fans who read this blog know…I adore breaking down a good explosive fight (and I love writing them, too). One of my proudest accomplishments on this website is my close-reading of Dan and Amy’s fight in Ep. 5.03. So I analyzed the hell out of this fight for you, because you’re right—it is a very important fight for Ryan and Marissa. I also included the make-up conversation they have after the argument as well, because it seems to me that the two moments are linked. 

First, a few opening comments. 

Thematically, this episode calls back to Ep. 1.13, The Best Chrismukkah Ever, which is the last time we have really seen Ryan and Marissa confronting this idea that the way she deals with the challenges of her life—drinking and other reckless behavior—bring up very real shit for him, emotionally (even if he is also subconsciously attracted to her because of it). This dimension of their relationship kind of gets swept under the rug for the rest of S1, with the Oliver and Theresa drama. But it’s back on full display here, since Marissa is (theoretically) supposed to have spent most of the first third of S2 on a low-grade bender. Note that Ryan refers to the “Dawn Atwood special” earlier when he’s speaking to a drunk Lindsay. This is a familiar trauma, watching over a drunk woman, and it brings out the worst in him.

I also find this argument noteworthy because it shows Ryan in his worst light, but not necessarily Marissa. Yeah, she knowingly let Lindsay drink too much, which is a pretty passive-aggressive move, but she’s distinctly not Lindsay’s babysitter. And when a drunken Lindsay (somehow) makes her way back to the club, Marissa and Alex start looking after her. It’s Ryan who goes off on Marissa with very little provocation, and it’s clearly more about his own issues than hers. I just think it’s significant that this fight occurs on a night Marissa is pretty well behaved, all things considered. Not to wave away Marissa’s substance abuse issues, which are serious, but this fight at least demonstrates that Ryan’s explosions of violent overprotectiveness would not necessarily be solved if Marissa suddenly stopped drinking tomorrow. Their issues with one another are more complicated than that.

Anyway, so here we are, in the backroom of the The Bait Shop that is mysteriously run by an emancipated minor (Alex Kelly). Lindsay is passed out on the couch; Marissa and Alex are tending to her.

Marissa: I can do that. Ryan: I think you've done enough. Marissa: Oh, ok, so this is the part where you blame it all on me? Ryan: You’re right, it was Lindsay's idea to pound straight vodka and pass out…feel good to see someone else mess up for a change?

Out of all the teenagers on the show, I don’t think we ever see Ryan drink? He clearly views binge drinking as a moral failing. This is understandable given his upbringing, but alcoholism is much more than a question of good vs. bad. (Although just to be clear…I do not think binge drinking is a good thing, especially for teenagers.)

Marissa: It was her idea! And, ok, so it got a little outta control b- Ryan: It always does with you! You spent all last year trying to drag me down with you, and now her? You wanna make a mess outta your own life, fine! You’re doing a pretty good job of it if you ask me.

Ryan uses the word “mess” twice in this sequence of dialogue, which is very telling. Even more than S1, in S2 we’ve seen Ryan truly trying to capitalize on the opportunity his relationship with the Cohens has brought him. The line “drag me down with you” is extra significant. In S1, Ryan was pretty willing to throw himself into Marissa’s life and try to solve all her problems, which he views as Marissa “dragging him down.” (Lol, remember when he blew off his entrance exam for Harvard to help Marissa escape from the hospital?) But this year, Ryan has done the opposite. He’s thrown himself into things not involving Marissa, namely his schoolwork, and he clearly sees his relationship with Lindsay, studious and innocent, as part of that new direction. As a result, Marissa’s “mess” has become even more of a risk to his future.

But at the same time, Ryan is so afraid that Marissa is going to destroy her life in some way, and therefore his life. As you said, Anon, he’s conflicted about her place in his life because of the potential danger of her actions, even as he’s drawn to her beauty and vulnerability otherwise. So, he goes after her in a way that is pretty unjustified in this particular moment.

Alex: No one asked you! Ryan: (aggressively) What did you say?! Seth: Hey, Ryan, let’s…let’s go. Ryan: No, I'm not leaving her here. Alex: I’ll take care of her—you go.

As an episode that begins to set up Marissa’s relationship with Alex, this episode doesn’t do a bad job. Alex, as the one person in Marissa’s life who actually defends her, must come as an incredible relief.

And now we’re in Alex’s apartment, where Ryan has come to apologize.

Ryan: Look, I don't know…I…I guess I was hoping this could be easy...for you and me to stay friends…for you and Lindsay to be friends. Marissa: (skeptical) And have us all live happily ever after? Ryan: (sheepish) Yeah, something like that. Marissa: I know it seems like a million years ago we dated, but it wasn’t. Ryan: I know that. Marissa: And ok, maybe you're over it, maybe it doesn't mean anything to you anymore…maybe it never did...but it meant a lot to me. You meant a lot to me...still do.

I think Barton is actually decent in this scene. She doesn’t overplay Marissa’s confession. She’s very quiet and matter-of-fact, and it makes her words all the more devastating. Meanwhile, the camera cuts to Ryan’s face throughout this line, and Ben Mckenzie makes a series of expressions that make it pretty clear that Ryan has been pretty actively not thinking about his and Marissa’s relationship, because it’s just too much.

Ryan: ...it's not like that I...I don't know what it’s like… And…thinking you and Lindsay should be friends was a bad idea. Marissa: Why? I like her. And if you do the math, she's my step sister, so… Ryan: …I guess. (Mckenzie is unintentionally hilarious with this delivery.) (pause) Marissa: Look, clearly, it's gonna be strange for us for a while. Ryan: Yeah I know, you’re right. (pause, turns for the door) I’m sorry. That's what I came here to say. Marissa: I’m sorry too.

The way BM delivers that last line, genuinely heartfelt, the emphasis on the word “sorry”…it's really Ryan apologizing for his departure at the end of S1 and the manner of his return. He left abruptly, he came back abruptly, they never talked about any of it, and he and Marissa basically stopped speaking after the (contrived) DJ reveal. They never had a chance to clear the air, and it’s not like they broke up because they stopped having feelings for one other...all their joint pain over what happened has just been festering.

So, Anon, that’s my take on this great fight. Thanks so much for sending in the ask!

[roleplay-salt]

About; Rules; FAQ

Welcome to Roleplay Salt! This is a blog for roleplayers to vent & rant anonymously about the things that peeve or hurt them in the roleplaying community.

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