#but these are MY tags and I can incoherently ramble however I like!

[bertybum]

I don't really have anything to add to this, just please listen to this album

[devotedlystrangewizard]

the school arc to me is so good because it drags ciel out of his position as a powerful figure and literally places him in the shoes of the person he could have been. the circus arc ALSO drags him out of his position as big bad queens watch dog/head of the phantomhive estate but the school arc feels like a mockery of a future that never was. this is what he could have been had his parents not died. and even then its NOT because he will never be that kid.

he never was.

[danidoesathing]

wait hello I just saw that ‘feelings about the cowboys’ post and am EXTREMELY INTRIGUED by the “Lonesome Dreams is a time loop” thing??? 👀

ok ok ok so like. the plot of the lonesome dreams MV always kinda bothered me cause like if it's Huron and Blaquefut's first encounter, just. huh? How does Huron have a picture of Blaquefut in his pocket? why does he have a picture of Blaquefut in his pocket? is he searching for Blaquefut, if so, why? did he take this journey in search of him, and if so what could Blaquefut possibly offer to make him take such a dangerous journey? it just. never made any sense to me.

the island is implied and often theorized to be the afterlife or some kinda limbo. And Blaquefut does die during the Time to Run music video, so the idea of Huron going out to save his brother isn't really that much of a stretch. But he knows Huron at that point so Lonesome Dreams couldn't take place afterwards, right?

but like. what if its not their first encounter?

Time and death have always been a bit fucky in LH lore and like. lets say Blaquefut dies right? and somehow, Huron figures out this island exists and even though its insanely risky and may not work, he's willing to try. Because he can't just abandon his brother and he's willing to risk life and limb for it. So he does, and he does make it to the island. And then things just get...weird. it already doesnt make sense already with the changing biomes and the seasons changing within too short of a time. But even memories start to blur, even if the feelings remain. And washing up on the shore with nothing but a picture of man and the strong urge to find that man, Huron's left with no choice but to follow his instincts. It does eventually lead him to find Blaquefut, whose got no clue who he is either and well. we see what happens next. They form a close bond and get off the island together, and set off to all their future adventures together. They grow as close as brother and form a loyalty to the other unlike any other.

At least until it loops back around to the Time to Run MV and Blaquefut dies again.

and like. lonesome dreams the song is also weird in the sense that like. its not actually about the events of the MV and more about Huron having a strange dream about a lonely world that makes no sense. Maybe, one he's been to before 👀.

seriously like look at these

and hey hey. you wanna know another fun aspect of it that ive completely pulled out of my ass? with this theory and the fact that Huron is the one perpetuating the loop, it keeps with the "doomed both by the narrative and their own actions" and "I love and care about you a lot and that will be the death of us" things. Because the whole thing in the album is like. Huron really wants to go home to Helena. and as time goes on, he becomes more and more desperate to actually get back to her.

but in this scenario, its a timeloop. one he's causing, because he just...can't let go of his friend. He wants to get back to her more than anything but how could he just abandon his brother? if there's even a slim chance of saving him, how could he not take it? so he goes after his friend, and brings him along to this journey to get back home, and then Blaquefut dies again and Huron is going to go save him again and he just. isn't going to get home because he can't let go. Maybe if he took a different path, maybe if he stopped trying to go home and accepted that the life with Helena is unobtainable to him, then maybe they can avoid that fight and maybe Blaquefut can get out it alive. But Huron can't let go of Helena either, so he'll keep trying to return and Blaquefut is loyal enough to follow him to the ends of the earth and it just. keeps going. He can't have the life with both that he desperately wants but he refuses to make the choice necessary to free them from this loop. and thus the cycle continues.

[odetothestars]

Once again a very incoherent, not spell checked, all over the place ramble that might not make any sense (lmk if I need to clarify something)

But I think this one is kinda important? At least, it is to me. Before you decide how you feel about this, do me a favour and at least try to actually read/digest it first!

Something I think desperately needs to happen within multiple fandoms is working through your internalized misogyny…because people on this app are a little too comfortable stereotyping, belittling, sexualizing, devaluing, and just generally disrespecting women or fem presenting people. It’s usually pretty subtle, but the micro aggressions are definitely there.

I see fics where the only time female characters are mentioned is if they pipe in to say something snarky or when male characters are talking about their appearance/desire to sleep with them.

The example of misogyny that I see the most often is in mlm ship writing where one of the characters tagged as fem!x and that character is very often portrayed/described as:

- “Emotional, dramatic, whiny, clingy, soft, delicate, fragile”

- They’re dependent, usually being provided for by someone else

- They’re the subordinate/“beta” in a relationship

- They’re “helpless” and need protecting

- They’re interested shallow things (appearance, money, class, etc.)

- They have an “attitude”

- Their hobbies consist of baking, shopping, decorating

- They’re looked at like a trophy, something pretty to win and own

- There’s a strong emphasis of their appearance (slender, rosy cheeks, sharp features) and sexuality especially

I’m sure many of you have read at least one fic tagged as fem!*insert male chatacter name here* and this is the character description you were shown, no?

Before you yell at me, there is nothing inherently wrong about that characterization! It’s completely fine to live your life that way, it’s okay to be into superficial things, it’s okay to want to be protected, it’s okay to have someone provide for you, etc. Slay however you want!

My problem is that this characterization is NOT A TRUE REFLECTION OF WHAT FEMININITY IS. The issue isn’t in these traits themselves, I have some of those traits myself, the problem is using these traits to prove that a character is more feminine. It’s so stereotypical, surface level, and old-fashioned, and reduces the beauty of being feminine to a caricature. Whether you like it or not, whether you mean it or not, this is misogyny. Feminine people/characters can be strong, brave, intelligent, hardworking, independent. Being feminine is something that I’m very proud of, and I hate seeing it be reduced to something it isn’t. This is deeper than just not personally liking the way a character is written. This is misogyny.

Not to mention the super masc x super fem characterization is super heteronormative and also a stereotype in itself but I digress.

I’m not telling anyone they need to drop these kinds of characterizations, I’m just saying you should probably take a good minute to reflect on your motives and how you really feel think about femininity deep down. Is it something you truly views as inferior? Why? Do you want to change that? What are some ways can you?

Don’t even get me started on the literal abuse of fem characters in fics and novels. Yes, there are pieces of fiction where masc characters are victims, which is horrifying, I just see it the most often against fem characters. It’s absolutely disgusting that people are romanticizing and glorifying abuse of anyone, but that’s a topic for another time.

I typically subscribe to “don’t like don’t read” unless we’re talking about stuff the is genuinely offensive or harmful to an entire group of people. If I see an au, ship, plot, or general writing style I don’t particularly like, I will simply swipe passed and move on with my day (you should to). But when fics are written with any kind of internal bias (misogyny, homophobia *including heteronormativity*, transphobia, racism, etc.) behind them or have elements of glorified abuse, there is a genuine issue and I’m not just gonna scroll and pretend that it isn’t super fucked up, because it is. It’s fucked up! Touch grass and breath fresh air PLEASE.

Sure, I can’t stop anyone from writing or reading what they want, they’re free to do so, but that means they are also free to deal with criticisms of it.

If this upset anyone, I genuinely am very sorry, it wasn’t be intention to offend you. Unpacking things like internalized bias can be really difficult, but I think it’s important to have conversations like this so we can learn and grow from each other. Feel free to share you thoughts, try to be respectful if you can:)

*Tags are not a direct call out to any ship or fandom. I have seen this in multiple different fandoms with multiple different ships. This is just a primarily HP blog, hence why tags are HP*

[naffeclipse]

OH GODS THAT NEW SLEUTH JESTERS ONESHOT WAS SO GOOD?????? That cliffhanger ending has me in pain. Biting and Clawing and Feasting I adore this SO MUCH. Do you plan on doing more with this Reverse-au-of-an-au scenario? If not that's entirely valid and understandable and I look forward to reading whatever else you have in store for us cause your works are just. So lovely in general. Gods this fic tho, I have so much brainrot for this now akdhdkssjk-- I might try to draw/write something for it myself maybe (no guarantees tho, unfortunately akhdkdh-- Anxiety my beloathed. :'-]) Cryptid au good, Familiar au good, Sleuth Jesters good, I haven't read BBB yet but by the gods I am going to when I get the spoons again. Your writing skills are incredible!!!!!! I wish I could give a more insightful comment on the things I like about it but all I can give is incoherent rambling akdhskssj--

AHHHH THANK YOU I'M GLAD YOU LIKE IT!!

I wouldn't mind continuing the AU! However, not at the moment! For now, it's going to stay a one-shot ♥

If you ever do, and I encourage you to not let your anxiety keep you down, tag me in it! I'd love to see it! ♥

Listen, reading this makes my day! I love every word here, so thank you for taking the time to let me know you like what I wrote! ♥

[winged-bat]

AJSJH WAIT BESTIE I'M READING YOUR TAGS ON MY INCOHERENT RAMBLINGS ON THE BATKIDS YOUTUBERS POST LIKE ITS THE MORNING PAPER AND IM SCREAMING!!

I love Dick giving out self defence tips, because in comparison to others, he's not fucking with the whole " Please only use these when you absolutely need to :D" energy - fuck that noise he's like " anyway here's the deadliest pressure point, do with this what you see fit"

Bc I'm just kinda convinced Gothamites can take care of themselves just fine by being feral and grumpy sjsjsj ALSO JASON MY BELOVED - you can't convince Bruce isn't like " hellooo professor 🥰❤️🥰🥰❤️" whenever he brings Jason fruit in the middle of his writing tips routine and Jason is so embarrassed sksjs " get OUT bruce" then in the same breath " my dad is so embarassing, god"

Also pssttt here's the only good edit I could do based on this

STOP THATS AMAZING

Dick is teaching you all about anatomy and where you need to hit the hardest and how you need to hit, you can take it however you please.

Oh definitely, Gathamites know at least basics and what they don’t know they make up for in being completely unhinged and willing to bite a bitch. Jason is always complaining but he eats the fruit everytime.

[turnabout-sunflowers]

I’m late as FUCK but I also took a look through your dgs liveblog tag and WHOOH. Congrats on finishing such a life altering game 🥺

What did you think of the game? Any favorite characters? Any ships? And I also happen to talk wayyy too much about this game so if you ever need to yell or scream incoherently my dms are always open! I WILL yell back

Also I am legally obligated to ask what you think of susato. Thank you, and have a nice day/night :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Hope you enjoyed <3 YEAH IT SURE IS LIFE ALTERING OUOUUGGHHH

I'm tentative about talking one on one with people before i really know them just because I am a very awkward and socially anxious person and tend to warm up to people easier in group settings-- however!! i'd love to chat with you! you seem cool i'm just a lil guy who needs to be approached slowly like one would approach a wild cat therefore if you ever wanna chat at me through asks and stuff i love talking to people that way so i'm always down to hear your thoughts or if you ever wanna ask me more stuff <3

WHICH. THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME QUESTIONS BTW. I LOVE QUESTIONS. I LOVE ANSWERING THINGS AND GIVING LONG RAMBLING ANSWERS. IM GONNA GIVE YOU LONG RAMBLING ANSWERS NOW

1] What did you think of the game? I LOVE IT IT'S ONE OF MY TOP TOP FAVOURITE GAMES OF ALL TIME???? IT'S. IT'S. Okay what you need to know about me is 1) I LOVE extremely linear plot-heavy games. I have somehow never played a visual novel before ace attorney despite the type of game I would most enjoy being the ones you're basically just reading instead of playing. 2) I have been super interested in murder mysteries ever since I was very young but NEVER found anything that I felt I could get into before finding ace attorney. mainline AA already filled so many niches there but DGS just completes something in my soul. that's my house. that's my home. i live there. I love it SO much it's so perfect it's everything I've ever wanted in a game, being able to put things together and figure things out as I was playing was SOOOO fun and it was SOOOO . just. GOOD. HJOUOUOUUOGGHH.

2] Any favourite characters? IS IT . CAN I SAY ALL OF THEM??? HFJDKFKD. I have several friends who are still playing DGS and every time they get to literally any character I'm like "that's my blorbo ":3" every time. to all of them. I love all of them they're all my beloved family you couldn't possibly make me choose. Anyway it's Kazuma my favourite is kazuma. JKFDHDFKJKGJFE. Like yes I love all of them completely equally and this is the complete and utter truth however I have been so emotionally attached to Kazuma since several months before I ever even touched the game. I have openly cried on the couch in the dead of night over Kazuma several times. Before I touched the game. I'm dead serious. He means a lot to me <3 However everyone else is an honorable mention and by everyone else i DO mean everyone else. EVERYONE in the main cast + my obscure side character blorbos (haori and inspector hosonaga i love you)

3] Any ships? eehh?? Kind of? I don't really do shipping in the way that fandom does? Usually I'm not as invested in ships much because I care way more about the platonic relationships. so there's a lot of ships that i just kind of shrug and go "yeah, sure! i'll take that as headcanon" and accept it without being invested, and otherwise most other ships i'm just neutral on. when I AM invested in romantic pairs i still am like. completely chill with them not being romantic it's more of just an investment in that pair and their dynamic lol

THAT BEING SAID. Asoryuu. Susahao. Ginasusa. Uhhhh. whatever the ship name for holmes & yuujin is. Those are the ones you'll see me reblogging. I'm either very invested in them or at least have them as my headcanon depending on which it is but! those are them <3 susato polyamory real. everything else is generally just a "eh not for me" or "yea sure why not"

4] Thoughts on Susato My thoughts are uuummm she's me! HSDJKHF. I'm usually pretty quiet about kin stuff on tumblr but. [gestures to my tag masterlist with one of them labelled "kin tag" pretty openly] not necessarily hiding it either lol lol. Hi! She's me <3 I'm her <3 i am incapable of pretending to be a normal average person about dgs. those little guys in there are my family. I mean this so genuinely

That fact that I'm kin with her aside though I think she's a really good character I'm just like. kinnie lens makes character analysis interesting lol. To an outsider's perspective though I suppose she'd technically be my favourite character? I'm gonna write a whole ass fic going over the entirety of the events of the game from susato's point of view just to put all my thoughts somewhere so. FKJDFDLK if that gives you any idea of how frequently i am thinking about her.

Come talk to me about her introductory line in 1-1 that is just "in my darkest hour, with nowhere left to go, she appeared like a bolt of lightning." i'm SUPER fucking normal about it i'll wax poetic about it for hours. honestly i'll wax poetic about ANYTHING re: susato for HOURS because listen. listen. i have the insider knowledge. i have so many thoughts all the time i'm bark bark bark

[pomrania]

So, trying to work out what all I'll need for my Smaugust 2023 posts, because I tend to ramble incoherently and if I get all that out HERE, hopefully I can use that as framework for something both coherent and concise.

THIS IS NOT WHERE YOU PUT REQUESTS. THIS IS ME FIGURING OUT WHAT TO SAY, ALSO IT'S NOT AUGUST YET. YOU CAN REBLOG THIS IF YOU LIKE, TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS OR SPREAD AWARENESS, BUT IF YOU PUT AN ART REQUEST ON THIS POST, I WILL THINK POORLY OF YOU.

I'm doing the same thing as last year, drawing people's cats as dragons, according to the prompt for each day.

One request per person per base-post-I-make (need to find a better way to phrase that), unless explicitly stated otherwise.

I'll be making a new post for each day, to prevent stuff from getting out of hand.

If it's still that day somewhere in the world, you can put a request on the post for that day.

To make a request, reblog the post, and add a photo of the cat, WITH the cat's name in the body of the post; I need the critter's name in order to name the file, and I want all relevant information to be visible in your post to people who will only see my reblog (with art) of your post. So also if you have something funny to say about the cat, put it in the body instead of the tags.

Non-cats are allowed so long as you can give reasons that the creature is actually a cat despite their appearance.

When I say "your cat", that includes past present and future, and also a friend's or a relative's cat.

I'll need to include a link to the prompt list I'm using. That'll let you see what day each prompt will be.

Cats will be dragonified taking inspiration from the prompt for the day. If you have suggestions about particular ways to interpret that prompt for your cat, I'll take those into consideration; if you ask me to use a FUTURE prompt for dragonifying your cat, I'll be annoyed at you because if you want that so much, just wait until it's that day and then make the request on that post. (Unless you know you won't be available that day, in which case I'm more flexible.)

So basically, you can totally get 31 different pictures from me, of your cats as dragons, if you make a request for each day. This isn't you being greedy; if I had a problem with it, I wouldn't offer it. Notice how grumpy I got about "people making requests on the wrong post"? Now compare that, and notice how I'm NOT being grumpy about the possibility of someone getting 31 dragon pictures.

Something that I'm not going to put into the posts themselves, but I'm saying it here, as extra guidelines for the people who'll see this: I don't particularly want to dragonify the same photo twice this month, because I like variety; HOWEVER I'm okay with doing it so long as it's something you really want, and it's not on days that are right next to each other. I do NOT have a problem with dragonifying a photo that I did LAST year, that's totally OKAY, after all it's been a whole year; however I'd like you to tell me if you're doing that, because otherwise I'll be wracking my brain "why does this feel familiar".

I said "one request per person per day-of-the-event" (still need to find a better way to phrase that) "unless explicitly stated otherwise", because sometimes there's a lull where I want to draw something but there's no requests left to draw, so I might open it up a bit more.

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here friend back to bitch some more in your inbox if you don't mind (if you're tired of the negativity please ignore). So here's the thing I hate about the whole cheating storyline, which ties in with your disappointment over us losing the satisfying breakup we were hoping for. It's really the deception with TayKay after that got me, whatever I may think of her character. We not too long ago saw Buck give Eddie an impassioned speech at being on the end of relationship where TBC

he was the person more invested, and how heartbreaking that was, a confession that pushed Eddie to breakup with Ana, in part so he wouldn't cause the same hurt (that Buck had gone through). Now, instead of getting Buck doing the same thing (stopping things before people really get hurt and choosing himself) he can only get the reverse. Buck must realize he's not that attached to TayKay, that he's not happy in the relationship if he's kissing someone else, HE'S not invested. Now, after half of season of Buck trying his best, to his detriment, to make things work, of making those sacrifices and us having to watch him being miserable, it's instantly undone by him lying and doubling down how invested he is in the relationship by asking her to move in. HE is now the person causing that pain he so intensely warned Eddie against causing, and it makes no fucking sense why he would do that!!! It's a selfish choice in all the worst ways that Buck as a character is not!! And no, I don't buy the argument "but Buck is spiraling", so was Eddie when he broke things off with Ana (and he continues to) but he still was prompted in part by the idea of hurting someone long term. Buck has been in that position, I just can't comprehend him actively doing it to avoid an awkward confession. Anyway, the whole thing feels like a cheap attempt to garner sympathy for the reporter (who's leaving anyway??) at the expense of Buck's personal growth.

Hello my friend! You are always welcome to air your grievances in my inbox! I was going to do this yesterday, but my niece was in town for a visit and at almost 5, she has more energy than I have ever had across my entire life combined. 🤣 Also I started this one first but VERY quickly lost the thread and became a rambling incoherent mess so I had to simmer down and answer some other things and get my thoughts in order.

Absolutely YES to all of this. Remember back in season 1 when a bunch of girls accused Buck of cheating and everyone shrugged and Buck was so hurt that the people he loved and respected would think he would ever do something like that? Remember nine episodes ago where Buck flat out told Eddie that just "sticking it out" with Ana wasn't enough for Eddie, and wasn't fair to Ana? But please tell me again how his spiraling manages to turn him into a completely different person than the narrative has told us he is for the past 4.5 seasons. 🙄

As with RNM, an argument can always be made for why a character would do something they did. It's a natural response to want to make sense out of the narrative! And for the people who have found their peace with it, good for them, cope however you need to! But given what we know about KR, her attitudes and what she prioritizes, the argument can also be made that this particular moment of cheating isn't some masterclass in storytelling, but a petty showrunner making a play for cheap drama, and also making her pet-project character that everyone hated look sympathetic, while also working in Female Version of Buck 2.0 to throw at him seeing if this one sticks. (Spoiler alert, it won’t. The GA already hate her more than they did tay kay because while she was just mean to their beloved fave, this one made him a cheater. (don’t @ me, I’m not saying she MADE him cheat, but her character’s purpose was to make him into a cheater))

Look. I've said it several times (at least in tags, but probably in some posts too. My brain is still soup, but it's like....furiously boiling soup 🤷‍♀️) that I don't like and probably never will, how this storyline started. Just because the argument can be manipulated to make some kind of sense, doesn't automatically make it good or good storytelling. An argument could be made that when Maddie left, Chim got upset and and then met some new single mom at a mommy and me playdate thing and started a fling with a random woman in his heartbreak before Buck found out where Maddie was and Chim went to look for her. Because he's spiraling right? So he might do something that seems OOC, but it's fine because it's part of the trauma spiral! 🙃 Again, something you would expect to see on any other run-of-the-mill procedural show because that's the max level of *drama* packed into the storyline, but that wouldn't be true to Chim's character, and it wouldn't be good storytelling.

It's the same with this cheating thing with Buck, and I'm soooo angry, because if he had broken up with his gf and THEN kissed the new lady before panic leaving because he doesn't want to be Buck 1.0 again? Only to have her show up as the new replacement that he now has to work with? And Hen knows and spends the whole time teasing him, and it's a little awkward but falls on the fun side of soapy drama? I could have enjoyed that! I mean, I'd still be hardcore 🙄🙄🙄 and side-eyeing the writers for him getting to make out with Eddie's female counterpart because non-gay men and non-lesbian women cannot work together without banging it out at least once 🙄 but in the context of the show I wouldn't mind them sharing scenes and things being a little awkward. How many fics are there where Buck and Eddie meet and hook up and then, surprise! Eddie is the new recruit! And it’s awkward! Again, a little side eye at the writers, but overall a fun trope!

But now? With the cheating AND the lying about the cheating? (which, JAIL for the writers for dragging Hen into that mess without a firm “definitely yes always honesty” policy) All their scenes are going to be gross and cringe and unenjoyable. Plus if KR and AK are to be believed, she's going to pull an Eddie and fit right in with everyone, impressing them, teaming up with Bobby to tease Buck and KR is pushing to have her and her whole cop family brought around for season 6 which....I can't even talk about because my blood pressure is already high enough. The point is, instead of getting Lena 2.0 with some fun scenes (her face during the grocery store fight slays me every time as does her question to Eddie about her cat only to be like "I don't have a cat, you bumbling imbecile."), and her pushing Buck to be more and more reckless until something bad finally happens and Bobby has to intervene, it's apparently per AK going to all be "sexual tension" and her comforting Buck in his time of need and a whole lot of other bullshit we could all do without.

It's absolutely cheap drama by a writer and showrunner who has clear priorities (rando white women hooking up with Buck > literally anything else), and who doesn't see the value in important conversations. Because Tim is the one who wrote and included the Will scene and the scene where Buck goes to talk to Chris after he leaves the hospital, and she’s out here saying the will isn't important and won't come up again (meaning the shooting likely isn't something on her radar to discuss either even though it's like...THEE elephant in the room), and saying Buck and Chim talked it out off screen (though the last we saw was Chim still being pissy and not quite ready to forgive so IDK what the fuck she's talking about), and cutting scenes like Bobby/Chim and Eddie/Chim (but there was only so much of the reporter because they didn't have enough cast and needed someone cheap to fill in don't you know? Don't tell that to all the Ghost Stories footage on the cutting room floor). It’s just....it’s A Lot, and I don’t think it’s fair to hate on people pointing out that while this narrative CAN lead to something interesting, it didn’t have to be this way and it’s not the best choice they could have made, because we know that one of the people in charge right now is Like That. 

ANYWAY. I have another ask from someone else that is about the narrative satisfaction of the breakup and the one we DIDN’T get satisfaction out of in RNM so stay tuned for something real salty coming up probably tomorrow. 

As always, it is a JOY to have you in my inbox 😘 Come spill the tea any time!

[shelobussy]

I know you talk abou st*cky in the interracial ships stuff, but can we talk about st*ny? Iron husbands is literally right there, but I also always sees Rhodey as Tonys moral support only. And ik Tony is very shippable with most characters, but the fact his ship is Rhodey is one of the lowest ships in ao3 (ironstrange, winteriron and god forbid stark*r all had more fics in ao3).. It's pretty telling this side also has racism problems...

I'll go ahead and answer this here, but letting y'all know that I do have a marvel sideblog if you want to hit me up there (@themarvelarchives).

Hey, I'm going to ramble for a good minute.

So after I posted my very incoherent, controversial take on St*cky vs SamBucky, there were a ton of ppl who came onto anon saying that St*cky shippers were racist. I think I only answered a few, but y'all were pretty insistent on it. I personally have not observed that St*cky shippers are so I'm not calling anyone out on that side of the fandom for that.

I also did not call out anyone on this side of the fandom bc that's not what my meta was about. I think I mentioned maybe once or twice in the whole post that there was underlying racist in the fandom, but since you asked, we can talk about it here.

Covert Bigotry In Fandom Spaces.

To understand what's going on in the MCU, we have to first look at what I call "woke-queer" fandom.

So "Woke-Queer" Spaces is the phenomenon where certain fandom members like to call ppl out on their bigotry, while covertly harboring their own queerphobia/racism/etc. An example of this that we're all familiar with is TERFS and how they like to claim that they are progressive and woke, while also claiming that trans women are fake and trans men are sexist.

How this translates to fandom, however, is the hypocrisy that is cancellation and callout culture.

For example, Supernatural in particular is a fandom that likes to call out the writers on their homophobia and racism, and yet, somehow, the fandom is chalk full of homophobia and racism. If you want to read more about this, here is a truly excellent article from the perspective of a queer woman of color.

Moving on, I've also talked in a previous meta post, on the internalized acephobia that exploded in 2019 after Good Omens was released. Rather than reiterate everything I said in that post, I'll just leave it at this: the controversy in the Good Omens fandom can be summed up by the fact that queer audiences are claiming that Ineffable Husbands is the wrong kind of queer. The hypocrisy oozes off the screen, doesn't it?

A final way this viably translates to fandom, is in how the Doctor Who fandom evolved over time.

So Steven Moffat takes over as head writer and showrunner in 2010. It's a new series, a new Doctor, a new Tardis, and new branding. He steps up the action, changes the color grating, and raises the stakes. Women are sexier, the Doctor is smarter (and more of an asshole, but that's another meta post), and every companion comes with their own impossible mystery that makes them Special™.

Series 5-10 got tons of woke points for having lesbian characters, an episode where the Doctor is homoerotic with James Corden, and an underlying trans narrative with the Master's reincarnation. What a lot of people forget, however, is that his series was incredibly sexiest, incredibly lesbian/biphobic, and basically turned the Doctor into everyone's fantasy sex-object.

This, unfortunately, brought out the worst of the fandom. There was RTD Era vs Moffat Era wars exploding in certain corners, TenxRose shippers vs ElevenxRiver shippers.

What does this have to do with covert racism in fandom cultures though?

Hnnngng ok, so back in RTD era's we get Martha Jones, the Actual Best Companion On The Entire Show. Except for the fact, of course, that she is written to be in love with the doctor. She's a brilliant character--smart, sassy, flawed, funny, flirtatious--and her entire plotline is reduced down to a school-girl crush on a white man.

She doesn't do well with fans, they scrap her after one season.

We move on to Donna Noble (The Other Actual Best Companion On The Entire Show) and RTD's era ends with them scraping her too and regenerating David Tennant's Doctor.

It will be five more series (not seasons, SERIES) until Doctor Who will have another black companion--who gets extra points for being gay--only to fall victim to "bury your gays" at the end of the season (but not really bc no one stays dead on Doctor Who).

The fandom's reception of Martha Jones was historically bad. The comparisons to her predecessor, Rose Tyler, were rampant and everyone was finding a reason to hate her.

The fandom's reception to Bill Potts was also historically bad, as everyone was screaming that she was being written for more "woke points" and that they wanted Clara back.

Fandom has a historically bad reputation of being problematic and, I would argue, the majority of it has to do with these toxic undertones of bigotry that slip under the radar. "Woke-queer" spaces, as I call them, are these instances above where spaces that claim to be inclusive of gender/orientation/race are covertly bigoted.

Marvel and Cancelling

Now is an excellent time to talk about the MCU.

Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson) has recently come under a lot of criticism from fandom members for shutting down shipper speculation.

"The idea of two guys being friends and loving each other in 2021 is a problem because of the exploitation of homosexuality. [...] something as pure and beautiful as homosexuality has been exploited by people who are trying to rationalize themselves."

I can't find the rest of the quote, but Mackie goes on further to say that it was important to him to portray "a sensitive, masculine figure" without insinuating that there was romance involved.

Woke culture lost it's shit. Everyone was suddenly claiming that Mackie was calling them exploitative for shipping a gay ship as a queer audience, which could not have been further from the case.

Mackie actually makes some very excellent points in that sensitivity is not gay/queer. Woke culture loves to rag on Toxic Masculinity, but the minute someone plays a character who is loving and sensitive with no queer narrative in mind, they are immediately canceled.

What Am I On About

Okay, let's actually address what your ask was about, Nonnie. You pointed out--rather truthfully--that it is unfair to call-out racism on one side of the fandom, while ignoring it on the other side.

Well, I've gone back through my St*cky vs. SamBucky analysis (which is incoherent at best, I apologize for that) and I see maybe once instance where I called out fandom members for being racist. Here's what I had to say about racism:

"[...] Iron Husbands is a rarepair, probably because it’s an interracial ship."

"[there is] nothing wrong with shipping two white men, but it does become a problem when you ignore/bash POC/interracial ships to the determinant of your own white ship."

And then there was the post you brought up where I addressed interracial ships in the fandom. That one is probably more relevant to this topic, to be honest, as I actually addressed fandom racism there. I assume that your reason for bringing up Stony is because it's a ship that is more relevant to my side of the fandom, HOWEVER, the reason I highlighted Stucky instead was because I was comparing the fact that they've both been around the same amount of time and are relationships that feature the protagonist and their best friend.

You brought up St*ny in the ask, however, so I'm going to talk about St*ny for a minute.

As someone who never has nor will ship St*ny, it never even occurred to me that some of the problem behind the Iron Husbands tag being so small is because everyone ships the white, boring ship. You brought up a very valid point, but because I was never in that part of the fandom, I can't really speak to any possible underlying racism there, besides what I've already said above.

I would be interested in hearing a St*ony shipper or ex-St*ony shippers thought on this, but sadly I don't know any. If you have any more thoughts regarding this, Nonnie, pls drop back into my inbox.

You do make some excellent points in this ask though, and I would like to talk about racism on my side of the fandom.

So back to Mackie and his Twitter cancellation. Notice that Disney made him address the rumors and not his co-star, Sebastian Stan. Anthony Mackie is put on blast and made to answer fan demands and receives backlash, while Sebastian Stan gets to fly under the rader. This is not, by the way, a criticism of Stan, but instead of the blatant racism Disney has been displaying over the past few years.

How this ties in with the rest of my post has to do with my "woke-queer" spaces bit. The outcry across the MCU fandom over Mackie was swift and unforgiving. He was cancelled on charges of homophobia and bigotry--all the while these same fans turn a blind eye to any queer interpretation of other interracial ships and discourse in their own fandom.

The racism that I'm speaking about, of course, is an almost passive racism. Of course if you don't ship a specific ship for reasons other than their race, it's perfectly fine. It's okay not to ship Iron Husbands or SamBucky or any other interracial fandom ships. However, the distinct lack of shippers in the fandom IS telling because there are people who would ship that exact ship if not for the fact that one of men is black.

I don't have much more to say about this except to thank you for bringing it up and for listening to my long rambling post.

(Feel free to bug me about Tony Stark, MCU ships, MCU Meta and anything you want to talk me about on this blog and @themarvelarchives.)

[samsrowena]

hello a few days ago i kind of went on a stealth hiatus and i'm still probably not gonna be very active here because this whole thing really soured my desire to participate in the fandom (and my desire to return to spn because i was taking a break from watching before this anyway). but i didn't want to just leave all of this unaddressed because it's really bothering me. so let me make some things perfectly clear:

as i have already said before but apparently need to reiterate, i do not ship w*ncest/w*nkline or ANY i*c*st ships at all. i do not support i*c*st ships or the people who post about them. i do not follow ANYONE who makes these posts. if i see anyone interact with my posts with i*c*st URLs or reblog comments or tags, i filter their URL or softblock if they followed (sue me for not blocking every idiot i come across, sorry). and the only time i have ever interacted with these people is ACCIDENTAL (i often reblog from the #spnedit public tag and i don't always check the blog first) and in these cases i have almost always received an ask letting me know and i took appropriate action

however --and this is what got me unfollowed and blocked by several mutuals and accused of i*c*st in the first place -- which is absolutely ridiculous, mind you: i DO "ship" cashannah. this is in very loose quotes because this is a ship i've made about four posts in my entire 12 years of having this blog??? and it's a very minor and unpopular ship anyway (not once have i ever seen this be because of "i*c*st" though. only because cas was seemingly not interested in her the same way. and the desticule is not known for caring about non-destiel ships lol)

but regardless, listen when i say that if i thought for a single second that that relationship was i*c*st i would NOT support it. not in the slightest. now i'm not trying to deny "angelc*st" is a thing because i think it is (like the archangels for instance) but i do not consider EVERY single angel siblings (just like no one considers all the demons or even all the humans siblings. IMO it's the exact same thing). now if angel ships make you personally uncomfortable, that's fine and i completely understand. your reasons for engaging or disengaging with whatever type of content is perfectly valid. and the point of this post isn't to argue or try to change your mind on a ship. i'm just asking you to please be mindful of what accusations you're placing on people.

with all this being said, i am also NOT going to sit here and spend every waking moment of my life policing the interactions of every single person i follow. i do not want anything to do with i*c*st content and if i see it on my dash, i WILL unfollow. you will never see it from me either and i do NOT purposefully engage with it. but this absolute insanity of "oh em gee i saw this user like this user's post and that user was a friend of another user who did blah blah blah and likes blah blah blah" like?????? how does anyone have time to waste doing this

again if something makes you uncomfortable, no matter what it is, that is TOTALLY understandable. but these callout posts and block lists and anon bait bullshit is soooo incredibly immature. if you have a problem with something someone posts, you can handle it PRIVATELY. instead of publicly slandering one person over whatever "proof" you think you have and then dragging other people into it who aren't even involved and definitely do NOT deserve it

anyways if anyone actually read all this long incoherent rambling, then thank you to all of you are going to stick around after this <3 if you unfollow, then okay cool i guess. just don't accuse me of something i'm not please. k byeeeee

[weuschoiceheart]

🔑Keiys To Your Heart - Romeo and Juliet

~Inspired by @bluejayjay and @choi-seonset​ conversation about Seon acting out Romeo and Juliet....

Taglist:  @baekhyuns-star @choi-seonset @raftel-is-waiting @mysticpenguincreation @lifeisamuffin @bluejayjay @soft-black-teabag  (dm me to be tagged!)

Genre: fluff, mostly CrAcK, pining, Pining, PINING, theater!au, Seon playing matchmaker with Jaeho as his sidekick, K x female!reader

Warning: cursing,  prepare yourself for cringe

Summary: In which Seon is sick of seeing K and Y/n pine for each other, so when the school play started up, he forced the K to audition, hoping he’ll get the main role while Y/N (typical theater student) gets Juliet. To his shock, however, another student snatches Juliet’s role and Seon is forced to rethink his plan.

Part 1/? : Next —>

————— ————— ————— ————— ————— —————

“Seon.”

“K.”

“Seon.”

“Seoff.”

K threw his hands up in exasperation. “No!”

Seon crossed his arms, lips pursed in a thin line. “Oh, come on. You know it’s a good idea! I’m so tired of you being whipped for her, and not even doing anything about it!”

“I’m not whipped-”

Seon rolled his eyes, “sure, and Moona isn’t whipped for Jay.”

K frowned. “Doesn’t she like Heeseung?”

Seon waved his hand carelessly, “same thing, same thing.” Before K can open his mouth to say that they are, in fact, not the same thing, Seon pressed on. “Look, this can be your chance to show something, give her some signs, get closer. And if she doesn’t like you back, which is impossible because I’m sure she does, then it won’t matter ‘cause you’re just playing your role as adoring Romeo. AND-” Seon glared at K, who was about to interrupt, -”it’ll look good on your college application!”

“For your information, I’m already certain that I’m getting into college through an athletic scholarship,” K said. “So right now, I just need to focus on track, not some fancy theater play that I never even tried out for.”

“Well, it will make you even more appealing because it shows that you’re versatile and willing to try out new things!” Upon seeing K’s still unconvinced face, Seon decided to cut the dramatics (ugh, bad pun). “I’m only saying that you should try, you know? If you don’t make it past the audition, fine, whatever. I’m only trying to help you out.”

“Thanks, but I think I can handle my love life myself.” K turned back to the stack of books in front of him, burying himself back to studying for his calculus exam. Curse his math teacher for giving him a test on such a short notice, even though it’s only been a few weeks since everyone had come back to school.

“With how you’re handling it right now, it would be graduation and you still wouldn’t have confessed,” Seon mumbled to himself. He stuffed his essay papers in his bag and stood up. “I gotta go, Jaeho’s waiting for me outside. See you later.”

“Mhm.” Seon sighed at K’s incoherent muttering, before making his way out of the library. Well, if you don’t decide to speak up, then I’ll have to play matchmaker here and you’ll thank me later for keeping your nonexistent love life from dying. 

K stretched his arms above his head and yawned, before ducking his head sheepishly as the librarian glared at him, probably done with his and Seon’s constant bickering. Ah well, at least now he could finish studying in peace without someone pestering him to grow some balls and ask his crush out. None of that, no distractions—

His phone vibrated and lit up with a message, making his eyes widen at who it was from.

Y/Nie ❤❤: Hey K! I hope you didn’t forget about our meeting for the group project :)

K gasped. Oh shit-

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

K opened the door to the cafe, panting slightly. He had ran here as fast as he could (thank god he’s on the track team) and upon seeing you pressing your face to the window with a worried expression, he mentally chided himself. How can you be so stupid? You’re supposed to meet her twenty minutes ago - wow, she looks so beautiful - and now you kept her waiting - her pout is so cute-

Shaking his head, he realized that he have been standing at the entrance of the cafe, staring at you for who knows how long, and now some of the customers were giving him weird glances. Making his way over, he sat down in front of you and tapped your shoulder.

You jumped slightly in surprise, your face relaxing into a bright smile upon seeing him. “You’re finally here!”

“I’m so sorry—I didn’t mean—for keeping you waiting—” Lovely, now he can’t even form proper sentences in front of you. Y/N! Stop smiling at me like that! It’s frying my brain!

Thankfully, you just let out a short laugh, finding his stuttering cute. “It’s fine, we all forget sometimes. Should we start working now?”

Nodding, K took out his laptop, grateful for a distraction so he doesn’t make a fool of himself again. The two of you started to work in relative silence, comparing notes every now and then. After half an hour, you called for a break. 

“How have you been doing these days?” you swirled the straw around the cup of your Frappuccino. K had offered for pay for it, though you adamantly refused. K sipped his own ice tea, pondering on the question.

“Stressed over exams, because apparently my teachers decided that they should all give tests right as the school year started,” K rolled his eyes, making you laugh. God, he loves your laugh. “Besides that, training for track because we have another competition coming up in a month, trying to get all these assessments done, dance team...yeah it’s a lot,” K ruffled his hair in frustration. You made a noise in agreement.

“Yeah, I have a research paper I still need to finish, as well as stupid lab reports about bacteria,” you wrinkled your nose. “Not to mention, I need to practice for the upcoming play.” You sighed. “I don’t know why they decide to pick Romeo and Juliet out of all the shows we can do, I bet my English teacher bribed Ms. Lee so she can ramble on about the importance of Shakespeare’s plays again.”

“Oh right...you’re auditioning for Juliet’s role, right?” K suddenly flashed back to his conversation with Seon. 

You nodded. “I probably won’t get it though, I’m not that good at portraying medieval characters. Besides, the only time I got the lead was when we couldn’t find enough people to play Sleeping Beauty last year.”

“I remembered that,” K still recalled how jealous he was seeing you kiss another boy, even though it was just acting. Seon had practically dragged him over to the stage after the performance ended, berating him to confess, but K had wimped out. “I’m sure you’ll get the part though, you’ll make the perfect Juliet.”

“You think so?” you could feel your face heating up, and looked down, flustered. K realized what he just said, and blushed, fumbling around with his fingers. “Thanks, but...I’m not that good, really. Me getting the role of Juliet is as likely as you dropping out of track or auditioning for the play.”

“I’m going to audition though.”

“Huh?” you looked at him confused. K stared back, as his words started to register in his mind.

Oh crap, why did I just say that—oh my gosh, how can you be so stupid— “Oh, I didn’t mean to—”

“Wait, really?” You smiled, your expression a mixture of surprise and excitement. “I didn’t know you were into theater....I mean, I don’t think you’re going to be bad or anything, um—” Y/N, get your act together, this is your crush for fuck’s sake. “I think you’ll make a great Romeo!” You winked at him, before internally cringing at yourself.

The wink almost gave K a cardiac arrest. I am so gonna regret this. But he couldn’t say no to you, especially when you’re smiling at him so radiantly like this. So he forced a smile, already imagining Seon laughing at him. “Yeah, I hope I get the part!”

[stufforle]

For this blog's first post, here's some near incoherent rambling about ... Mitjo and MARINE SCIENCES

- Characters by @longexposurecomic -

(Part 1)

Okay so Jonas studies Marine Science yeah?

Which means there may be like... field studies and research travel involved and I can see Mitch tagging along whenever he can and maybe even.. helping Jonas?

The first time could go like..

Jonas : Hey Mitch, I will be out today

Mitch : Where ya going baby?

Jonas : I'm heading down to the beach to take some samples for my research paper

Mitch : Hell yeah i'm coming too

Any field study that involves.. going to beaches and taking photos of natural locations and shit.. is pretty much similar to that science project they had back in the comic? Where he followed Joey to take pics of water damage? Listen it would be nostalgic af

Jonas could possibly lean to field based studies more, or stuff that involves exploring outside with Mitch. I mean, in the comic when Mitch just showed up outside his bedroom our boy Jonas deadass went "hmm.. i COULD use more pictures of the water damage" and went out anyways

Also ... Mitch using his telekinesis during these field studies. Like.. I don't know.. lifting fish out of water? Clearing out cave entrances that were blocked by rocks? Holding sea turtles in mid air while Jonas untangles it from a fishing net?

Also Jonas may or may not have several close encounters with seals that may or may not look like this..

I'm imagining this one field project where Jonas studies sea lions or something and they rent a cabin near their nesting grounds for a week or so. Mitch is kinda eh about all the sea lions honking around and being all over the place. However, sometime when Jonas is busy on his reports or has to go out to submit stuff.. Mitch finds himself going on this emotional speech about how much he loves his bf to the first seal that would sit still enough to entertain him. After several bottles of cheap shitty beer of course..

I also see mitch being an absolute nuisance and riling up the sea lion colony. Probably by... idk.. using his telekinesis to make some fish float above all those sea lions and watching them all go ham trying to get that fish.

[ariondevereux]

writer’s love day 💌

under the cut for a sapfest because i’ve been looking for an excuse (thank you @choicesfandomappreciation <3) to ramble about oph writers whose fics have stuck with me and gotten me through a lot

@lucas-koh 🥭

hi mango. i know you’re hardly active but it would be a CRIME not to tag you because stitches still has me on a chokehold. god has witnessed all the ugly ways your fic has made me cry. and it still does. you know how much i love suki so we’re gonna skip that but i hope you know that my love for stitches didn’t just stem from my love for bryce or your oc; like it was honestly the experience for me: the late friday night (for me) updates, spending at least half an hour to type you a huge block of incoherent comment with tears in my eyes, staying up till 3am because my mind was still reeling over it that i couldn’t sleep even if i tried. and some mornings i’d wake up and immediately reread it then go back to earlier chapters because something was starting to click and my brain would start coming up with theories. i miss all of it so much and if i could go back to read stitches for the first time all over again, i would do it in a heartbeat 💓

@storyofmychoices 🧸

i’ve said this to you tons of times but it’s worth repeating: you’re my go-to comfort fic writer. nothing you’ve written didn’t feel like the warmest hug to me. one of the things i admire most about you as a writer is that almost every fic is a slice of life and it’s filled with so much heart. and i think that’s why i hold it so close to mine. there’s something so comforting about seeing bryce and liv who i love so dearly doing the most mundane things. even in just the span of however long it’s taken me to read your fic, they feel so human. in every fic. they feel so fucking human to me. that’s what makes your work so special. when i’m at my lowest and i turn to your fics for comfort, it feels like i’m holding onto actual people instead of just a figment of your imagination. i can 100% say to you that i wouldn’t want your fics any other way. they’re beautiful the way they are 💕

@writinghereandthere 🐢

hi ana! we haven’t talked in a while but i’d be really fucking dumb not to include you because you’re just so brilliant. it’s honestly unreal how incredible you are as a writer. i remember when you shared one of my songs, you told me you wish you could write songs instead. i wanted to crawl into my screen and out of yours to scream at your face because i wish i could write fics the way you do. like turtles ??? god. turtles still makes me cry. i’m not kidding - last week i was cleaning my room, i was sweeping the floor under my bed and suddenly got emotional because i remembered bryce finding his old backpack with keiki’s totu inside… the way i just wanted to stay lying on the floor and let the memory of reading your fic consume me. to say your writing is a gift is an understatement - my vocabulary most likely isn’t as wide as yours but there has to be a stronger word to describe your talent. your writing is so immersive. you know exactly how to draw your readers in. you know the exact emotions to pull out of us that we’ll be emotionally distressed by the time we’re done reading your fic. you’re just so fucking good. there’s no one like you 💝

@mvalentine 🌯

malvika, you know me as a bryce whore but i just had to talk about ethan and lana for a second. i love their dynamic so much. i love how different they are but they are so sooo compatible. one thing i really love about their relationship is how alive it feels. lana’s fun personality is a perfect balance to ethan’s stoicism. and !!!! i think i’ve mentioned this to you before?? their relationship is so healthy - the way ethan was there for lana after that incident but also letting her process things in her own time. it’s the kind of presence that i feel like we all need irl and you portrayed it so well. now - i know you’ve heard this so many times, not just from me, but i had to say it again. the way you apply metaphors in your work is so poetic but what’s even more impressive is that you can still make it so easy to follow and understand. and i don’t think that’s something you just learn. it’s probably possible but with you, it’s a common theme in all your works that it seems like it comes so naturally to you and it really blows my mind every time. i hope you never forget how incredible you are 💗

@anotherbeingsworld 💫

the one and only bryce killer (beloved) sjfbsksks OKAY despite your love for major character death, you have my appreciation for the way you always handle triggering subjects. i know i can’t always come through for some of your fics that include certain types of content but with regards to those i’ve read, you always touch such heavy topics with utmost respect which i don’t always find in fan fiction. you never let your potential for angst overpower the care you have to be able to portray a healthy dynamic. the very specific thing from you that stuck with me was in one of your fics - there was this scene where mc took bryce’s hand in hers and though their hands didn’t perfectly fit, it felt right. i personally think it serves a great reminder that things don’t have to be picture perfect to be good; i always try to carry that sentiment with me and it’s a really comforting thought to hold onto. your heart always shines through your writing 💖

@drethanramslay 🩺

nushkasso my doctor artist writer <3 like me, you’re not very active in the open heart fandom anymore but i just had to include you in my silly list of favorite writers. one of the things that make your fics and your pairings so tasteful for me is the humorous inner monologues. they’re always just a small piece of writing but god, does it add layers to your ocs. i’m a sucker for introspective writing and i always enjoy getting inside a character’s head which is why i love aisha so much. she has such a strong personality that i always want to know more about. her tension and banters with bryce are so entertaining then you hit us with her thought process and her conflicting feelings towards him which makes quality drama….. exquisite. #braisha supremacy !! but really your sense of humor is one of my favorite things and i always love seeing it be reflected in your work 💘

@kelseaaa 🌻

i just couldn’t not tag you because i still think about he doesn’t hold my hand + i don’t hold her hand. i don’t have enough words to express how much i love those two fics and how awestruck i am by you for even coming up with them. your take on bryce was so different from others i’ve read that even after rereading it like a year later, his pov was still as refreshing as it did the first time. and the way you didn’t need to add a lot of dialogues in there to highlight bryce and casey’s relationship - it really put a great amount of emphasis on how strong their connection is through small acts of love and intimacy. like ??? taking a stray of hair off casey’s sweater? THE STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE? i know i’m just stupidly rambling now but every time i think about your two little fics i can’t help but gush over the way you showed it’s possible to show affection with your hands aside from holding someone else’s. everything about it was perfectly written; it always tugs at my heartstrings 💞

[socialwriter]

Tell Him

Gif credit to @toesure​

Song fic based off of Tell Him  (yes this is the glee version pls don’t hate me)

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Female Reader

Summary: Sarah teaches you how to love JJ

TW: Fluff, JJ self doubt, cursing? I can’t remember

1k+ words

A/n: This is v soft. Protect JJ Maybanks at all costs.

You huffed, looking over at Sarah and John B who were openly expressing PDA even with everyone else around them. The love that they had for one another was real, you could see it, and neither were afraid to show it. They were constantly touching each other, encouraging the other to do what their heart desired, and overall just being there for each other when they needed it. 

You and JJ, however, had not reached that point in your relationship yet. You both still blushed when the other walked in the room, casual conversation nothing more than incoherent mumblings to anyone listening in. Even though you both had feelings for one another and knew that, you simply had been able to get over your newfound embarrassment so that you both could simply love each other. You gazed longingly at JJ, who was currently preoccupied playing videogames with Pope. Sarah, looking over in your direction, glances between you and JJ, a small frown forming before an idea pops into her head.

---

“We need to talk.” Sarah says, shutting the door to her bedroom behind her. You raise a brow in her direction, chuckling slightly. “Why hello to you too.”

The kook rolls her eyes, grabbing you by the wrist and sitting you down on her bed in front of her. “I see the way you look at JJ. The longing stares, the whimpers that you can only hear if you’re close enough. Listen, I know you guys have only been out on one date, but you gotta take that bull by the horns and ride with it.”

You’re shocked to say the least. You hadn’t realized that you had been that noticeable in your pining for JJ. “Well that’s easy for you to say, you’re in a committed relationship that's almost a year old at this point, you two are comfortable doing almost anything together.” Sarah sighs, expecting that answer. “We weren’t always like that, you know. I used to be like you, not telling John B how I felt, and it was killing me inside. But I’ll tell you one thing girlie, if that guys got into your blood, go out and get him.” 

You nod at her statement, albeit a little hesitantly. “I know, I know, and I want to show him how I’m feeling, I just don’t know how.” Sarah smirks at that, throwing her arm around your shoulder. “And that’s where I come in.” For the rest of the time that you stayed over at her house, you and Sarah devised a plan- she was going to teach you how to show your feelings to JJ. 

---

The six of you were all currently lounging around on the HMS Pogue, still wet from swimming around in the marsh for the past over. Sarah casually glances over at you and nods, and you know that means it's go time. You walk over to wear JJ is sat, sipping his beer, and intertwine your fingers with his. “I just want you to know that, even though I’m not the best at showing it, I really care about you and enjoy spending time with you.” You whisper so that only he would be able to hear, pressing a soft peck on his cheek. He turns to you, slightly shocked at the sudden burst in confidence you were displaying, his cheeks turning a crimson color that undoubtedly matched the redness of your own. He nodded slowly, rubbing his thumb over your knuckles. “I know, you know I care about you too right?” He questioned, causing you to nod a little too quickly in response. You shyly smile at the blond boy sat next to you before resting your head on his shoulder, and your smile grows just a little bit bigger when you feel him place a kiss on the top of your head. Sarah watches on from across the boat, a proud smile gracing her lips when she sees just how happy the two of you are together.

---

“That was a great first step Y/n!”

“First step? I thought that that was all you were going to show me? It seemed pretty big to me.” Sarah just giggles at your nervous antics, rolling her eyes in the process. “No silly, I don’t think what you two did could even be considered PDA in some countries.” You huff in response to Sarah’s statement. Her expectations for you were seriously way too high right now. “You’ve started to get intimate in public, but now you take it one step further and do that when its just the two of you.”

---

You and JJ were currently laying side by side on the hammock outside of the chateau, stargazing on the surprisingly clear night. His arm was wrapped around you, and he absentmindedly traced shapes on the bare skin of your arm. Sighing, you snuggle into JJ’s chest, Sarah’s words weighing heavy on your mind. “JJ?” He hums in response, signaling you to continue. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

JJ doesn’t say anything at first, but judging by the fact that the rise and fall of his chest had all but ceased, he had had a pretty strong reaction to your words. “You..you think?” You furrow you brows and sit up, confused by his reaction. “Ok not what I was expecting, way to kill the mood JJ.”

His eyes widen and he scrambles to sit up, placing his hand on your arm. “No, no I um, the feelings are mutual? No, that’s not what I meant to say, I mean I meant it I’m falling in- look, Y/n, I’m not good at this. I’m not good at feeling things. Every good thing I’ve ever had leaves me, so I try not to get attached.” JJ rambles on, causing your eyes to soften. JJ was afraid to love because he was afraid of getting hurt like he had been countless times before. You smile softly at him, brushing back some blond strands of hair that had fallen in front of his eyes. “I could never leave you bubba, you’ve got me wrapped around your finger,” you assure him, causing JJ to look you in the eye. He grabbed your hand softly, kissed your palm, and then held your hand close to his chest. “And you have my whole heart, princess.”

You giggled, shaking your head. “You’re so cheesy J,” you muse, causing him to grin and press a chaste kiss to your lips. “And you love me because of it, apparently.”

Tags (i was a dumb dumb and didn’t write down who wanted what taglist the past couple days so I tagged everyone in my Moulin Rouge taglist oops)

@normatural  @sarahcxmeron @bricksatanakinswindow @ssjiara @tomfreakinghollandneedsaoscar  @the-crackhead-next-door @perfektionsmakel @teamnick @danicarosaline @gracie-jo15 @jjmbanks @meandmymessyminds @keepingupwiththepogues @jjaybank @x-lulu @holypicklelightnickel @girlsru1eboysdroo1

@lefthandwritings

[ihavelovednone]

Miguel’s grieving process

I saw a comment somewhere in the Mayans MC-tag where a few users called Miguel a cry baby and I just ... it got me thinking because I don’t feel like he is one. So this is a bit of a rambly, incoherent text about my view of Miguel’s grieving process. Also, long one.

The risk of stereotyping At the start of season 3 I thought that Elgin James just presented a stereotype, the rich businessman cheating on his little housewife. However, I think it goes deeper than that if you really stare it down, pick it apart. Miguel is an emotional human being, you can see it in the way he worries for his kidnapped son in season 1, in the way he worries about Emily slipping away from him in season 2. He was probably taught that crying is a weakness and men aren’t weak. They’re calm and collected, strong, resilient - and if someone wrongs you, you kill ‘em. He’s never learnt how to cope with sadness, loss, anger, or any other emotion that isn’t associated with positivity, that’s clear as day to me. He’s killing people left, right and center and has since season 1. 

Coping mechanisms I don’t think Miguel cheats ‘cause he loves Emily any less, or that’s she’s somehow done something to warrant cheating. No woman deserves to be cheated on. For Miguel, I think it’s a form of escapism, like how people that are depressed or riddled with anxiety sometimes turn to something that gives them comfort or release, something that takes their mind of it for just a second. And yeah, it’s not really a great comparison because it sounds like I’m condoning his behavior - and I’m not - but it’s the only one I got - and the outcome is the same. Escape. Forget. 

I also think one of Miguel’s coping mechanisms is distance, and I have a theory of it being related to anger and guilt. He feels guilty that he’s not broken down like Emily is and angry at his mother for leaving him like that and not reaching out to him - which makes him feel more guilty. Look at the way he distances himself from Emily. He comes home, barely says a word to her, demeans her, and then goes to have a shower and leaves again. He’s pushing her away. I know from my experiences, that sometimes when a person you love dies, you feel guilty after laughing, after feeling joy, love, comfort, whatever.

I also have another theory, and this might seem crazy. But because of the bond Miguel and his mother had, and I’ve touched on this in a different post - here - I think Miguel feels like he should have dibs on the grieving. I think there might be some jealousy there. He’s jealous that Emily’s grieving the way society tells us we should. Sometimes I think Miguel cheats because he can’t stand to see Emily be more broken down than him. 

The grieving process Grieving looks different for all of us. Some of us cry, some of us don’t. And sometimes it differs depending on how the person we’re grieving came to not be in our lives anymore. Dita’s death was traumatic to say the least. It wasn’t like she was just laying there, they’d burned her to a fucking crisp. It’s okay that it takes time. Emily’s somewhere between totally broken down - considering she’s on anti-anxiety medication to get the images of Dita’s body erased from her mind - and ready to get back to normal. She’s sick of the grieving. Probably because she’s gone through the process. 

Miguel copes by escaping to another woman. He wallows in pain and simultaneously puts the grieving process on hold. Every time he feels sad he goes to Palomo, he pushes the feelings of sadness out of the way. He’s not even returning the medical examiner’s calls because he’s so afraid that his mother’s cause of death is what he believes - that she committed suicide. 

Conclusion Some questions have come up whilst writing this piece. Why are we seeing Miguel as a cry baby? I don’t think his cheating ways warrant us to say he’s a cry baby. You gotta see behind the actions to understand that grief is complex. There’s nothing okay with cheating, but for someone like Miguel who’s clearly never learnt to cope with emotions it’s a plausible coping mechanism. Second question, doesn’t it say alot about us when we see a man in this state and automatically want him to get over himself? The stigma around grief is around us all the time. When it comes to Miguel that stigma is, to say the least, loudly expressed. No one’s telling Filipe to get over himself, no one’s telling Bishop to do it either. Also, something else to ponder over - I’ve never seen anyone saying the same about women grieving, why is that?