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dulcewrites · 1 year

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Hi, I want to know your opinion on or what you think it would happened to Alicent children in the very impossible case and that the dance didn’t happened; let’s say the greens let Rhaenyra be crowned; like there’s is not that many options of what she can do with her siblings, and let’s be honest I don’t think she would have been a good queen she never learned how to rule and there is no way her rule would be easy having a bastard as heir (but that’s another subject ‘cause I know that if Jace ever came near the throne Daemon would have started the Dance)

I hace think of three options: 1) She let them live and remain as princes and princess as well a Alicent being dowager queen, maybe just send them to Dragonstone or Oldtown.

2) Daemon convinces her of getting rid of them (principal Aegon, Aemond and Daeron as well a Jaehaerys and Maelor), because at least according to the book he hated his nephews for pushing him down the line. Show Rhaenys probably would support this, a mean she lied to her saying the Greens were coming for her children when none of them except for Otto mentioned.

3) Somebody on her council, maybe Corlys (he is probably the only smart head on her side) or and elder or even Ser Harrold convince that if she doesn’t want to harm them but also not have her legitimacy questioned by the lords, just send the to the Wall and returned Alicent, Helaena and her babies to Oldtown or Dragonstone,

Honestly Rhaenyra doesn’t seems to care or like her little siblings and at least in the show she could’ve been conflicted because of Alicent (even when their are her siblings and she probably watch the since babies)

But what do you think, ether based on the show, book or both.

P.d: Sorry to ramble hear but I don’t really know how to make my post on Tumblr appear aside from my blog 😛😝

Hi, and rambling is fine and always welcomed here 🫶🏽. Warning you - long answer incoming lol

So, right off the bat, I think book Rhaenyra would feel little remorse merking her brothers. People dunk on book Alicent for beefing with a child, but book Rhaenyra also wasn’t happy with her younger brothers especially by the time the dance came around (and she has a one sided beef with a 16 year old girl later on but that’s beside the point). Even before the dance she didn’t like them. We also get actual lines saying Daemon also didn’t like his nephews because they pushed him down in the succession. Daemon very clearly writes a ‘son for a son’ to Rhaenyra then b&c happens, essentially ruining Helaena’s life for good. How much culpability people want to put on Rhaenyra is their prerogative, but if she had no problem with that happening to Helaena of all people. I don’t think she’d feel bad murdering her brothers, especially if she thought they actively stood in her way. Also book Rhaenyra set a precedent for harming those in her way. Having vaemond killed, being ok with viserys taking the tongues of those who dared questioned her kid’s parentage etc. She had no real connection to them. She said she would ‘spare’ them then when she realized Aegon was fine with being king, she switched on a dime. That affection was contingent on them bending the knee to her. Honestly, even if they swore fealty to her, I think the ‘peace’ would have been short lived on both sides.

Book Rhaenyra "My half brothers would be more to his taste” Targaryen was not checking for anyone like that. She was rude asf 😭. Someone smarter than her could hopefully say it’s not a good look to kill your siblings as your first action as queen lmao. But Rhaenyra clearly didnt care how she came off as long as she was in power. Like most monarchs.

Now what show Rhaenyra would do is a bit more complex imo

It’s quite hard to theorize bc while I still think much like the book, Rhaenyra has little genuine affection towards her siblings, I don’t think the choice to kill them would be easy for her. Mainly bc her feelings for Alicent. That being said, she has shown she is willing to throw her brothers under the bus. Specifically if it means protecting her kids.

I side eye the ‘show Rhaenyra would never have her siblings killed’ crowd. She might feel actual remorse or it would take some real convincing, but I don’t think that option is completely off the table for her. She knows how much her father favors her and she continues to twist that knife against her younger siblings. I think much of the paranoia we are going to see from Rhaenyra in the show not only comes from obviously losing her kids, but also from the two people who ‘protected’ her (daemon and viserys. I’m using this very losely bc they suck and saying this from her pov) essentially leaving her high and dry. Viserys shielded her from a lot of criticism and repercussions others would normally face. That paranoia/feeling alone, much like how Alicent’s manifested in show, could lead her to assuming her children will be killed. She would maybe try to get ahead of that.

Realistically, I can see show Rhaenyra sending terms the way Alicent did for her. Saying if they swear to her, they can go free. Now daemon is a whole different beast. Who knows - he couldve went behind her back and did something to the targtowers. Or she could have other advisors telling her to think of her kids/grandkids. Because even if there is no war between them, who is to say older Jaehaerys and Maelor won’t come to get what they think they are owned against Rhaenyra or even jace and baela’s hypothetically kids.

show rhaenyra would have pushed for peace, much like Alicent did, but I think Rhaenyra is surrounded by more forceful people. Daemon, corlys, rhaenys. On the other hand, we see Alicent take notice of Otto’s plotting and make moves to counteract that. It’s why I’ll never get the Alicent has no agency convo. The only reason Rhaenyra receives terms in the first place is bc of Alicent. If the roles were reversed, idk how that would have went. Otto lets this happen after Alicent agrees that Aegon will assume his authority. Plus I think Aegon craves his mother’s love/approval far more than daemon does Rhaenyra’s. Daemon doesn’t listen to Rhaenyra. The likelihood of Aegon listening to Alicent is higher

So, who knows how it would’ve panned out in the show. It’s very up in the air tbh.

Side note: It’s funny you mentioned the rhaenys line. I still do not get why she said that to Rhaenyra. All Alicent told rhaenys is that siding with Rhaenyra has done nothing for her family. True. And that without Meleys/velaryon support, Rhaenyra would maybe would NEGOTIATE. Also true. Alicent literally said she didn’t want war. What about Alicent’s tear filled pathetic brown eyes gave ‘omg can’t wait to kill Rhaenyra and them fuckass kids 🤪’ vibes to Rhaenys. Alicent says she wants peace, rhaenys snaps on her. Rhaenyra says she wants peace, and rhaenys is like ‘I think you killed my son but so true queen 😍’.

She has weird beef with Alicent for *checks notes* living a patriarchal society as a child bride and not ‘fighting back’ enough???

#asks and requests #I hope this makes sense #I’m tagging this #anti rhaenyra targaryen #and #anti daemon targaryen #only bc I don’t want to argue with people lmao

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xandrawritesvt · 2 years

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Better Left Untold

CW: horror fiction, stalking, victim blaming

Hello! Thank you for coming in, please do not mind the mess. Cleanliness escapes me more and more these days, I’m afraid. Oh, the box of papers? All in good time. First, I should let you know why I asked you to come here, yes? That will require a bit of explanation.

I have spent my entire life, ever since I was a young man, in pursuit of the supernatural. I have gone on ghost tours, slept in haunted hotels, hunted for cryptids in swamps and backwaters, and walked through ancient ruins. And when I failed to find anything supernatural, I contented myself with the imagined horrors of literature and film. And then, suddenly, I found the truth.

The story of my discovery begins with a blog post. I was searching the internet for recommendations of new books to read. Eventually, I stumbled on the blog of one LibraryLady95. Her “About” page described her as a graduate student studying library science who loved to read fantasy, science fiction, and horror. She was, it seemed, a kindred spirit, someone who loved to search for mystery and the unknown. I decided to read LibraryLady’s latest review, which was of a book called The Green Shadow. Her review began like this:

Imagine the early works of HP Lovecraft with half the imagination and none of the talent (and let me tell you, dear reader, that is saying something). A married couple, the Johnsons (because why come up with an original name), are stalked by a mysterious figure in a green pinstripe suit and matching fedora. The wife sees him first, of course, and is immediately disbelieved by everyone, including her husband. By the time Mr. Johnson realizes his wife was telling the truth it is too late to save her, and he becomes implicated in her death. The book ends with Mr. Johnson on the run from the cops and stalked by the man in the pinstripe suit.

It’s a boring and predictable plot with cardboard cutouts for characters. Just once I wish I could read a book where the hysterical female character is believed by the man she married. For fuck’s sake, they were married for five years! At this point, the author is making the husband look just as bad as the wife.

The one thing I will say in the book’s favor is that the man in the pinstripe suit is actually a really well-designed villain. He always appears when Mrs. Johnson is alone. At least, he does at first. Later, he starts appearing when others are with her. And yet our heroine is the only one who ever sees him. This continues until her eventual death, at which point Mr. Johnson begins seeing the mysterious figure.

The figure also has a very menacing appearance. He is unnaturally pale, and his eyes are always hidden by the shadow of his fedora. His smile is the most terrifying thing about him, though. It is described as inhumanely wide and completely toothless. I’m not going to lie; this description gave me the chills. Personally, I would have liked to have some explanation as to where this horrifying apparition came from, but I don’t suppose that I can expect that level of worldbuilding from a writer of such middling talent. Although, I suppose there is something to be said for keeping the origin of the figure a mystery.

In any case, horror fans, I do not recommend picking this book up. It is poorly written, and whatever ability to scare that it might possess is hampered by a predictable plot and stale characterization. There are much better books that deserve your time and money. I will hopefully get to one of those next week.

The review struck me as a bit hypercritical, and I felt that dunking on Lovecraft at the beginning was unnecessary. Still, I shared some of LibraryLady’s complaints about the state of horror fiction. I decided to follow her blog and see if any of the other books she read were to my liking.

A few weeks passed, and LibraryLady posted some more reviews which were more positive. I found some of the books she recommended to be to my liking. Others were not. But I genuinely found her insights to be helpful and poignant. Then came the post that would catapult LibraryLady into internet fame. It began like this:

Ok, I’m not sure if this is some shithead’s idea of a prank or what but something kinda freaky just happened, and I need to talk about it somewhere. It happened on the way tomy local bookstore. When I got off the bus, there was a man in a green pinstripe suit and fedora looking directly at me and smiling. I don’t know who this guy was - I couldn’t see his eyes because of the hat. He appeared to be tall and Caucasian. He was only there for a second. I blinked and he was gone.

Whoever this was, I don’t know how you figured out where I was going, but if I ever see you again I’m going to report you to the police. This crap ain’t funny. If you were a fan of that shitty book, then I’m sorry that my opinion offended you so much that you had to go out of the way to freak me out. Don’t do it again.

The post was flooded with comments, most of them sympathetic, although some posters accused LibraryLady of making the story up to gain attention. Within a few days, she was being discussed in social media venues of all sizes, usually by small groups of fans and occasionally by her detractors. For the most part, I stayed out of those discussions. Years of moderating cryptid forums and folklore sites had taught me that arguing on the internet is a headache and hardly ever changes anyone’s mind.

Now, obviously, this incident itself is not the discovery I spoke of earlier. Strange men cosplaying frightening monsters do not constitute the supernatural. I should know: in my search for the strange, I have read many stories like that one, and they almost all turn out to be a prank or some half-baked attempt at viral marketing. At the time the post was made, I half expected the whole thing to blow over in about a week. But a few days later, LibraryLady made another post. It read:

I saw him again. This time I was still on the bus, looking out the window. He was just standing on the sidewalk, staring out at the street, smiling. Was he waiting for the bus to come by? This wasn’t even the bus to the bookstore; this was the bus to work. Does he know my work schedule? Is it the same person? Have I been doxxed?

I called the police, and they said they couldn’t do anything without more proof. Well, what the fuck am I supposed to do? I guess I’ll try to snap a picture of him next time and prove to them that I’m not crazy.

And P.S.: to all the assholes online that are saying that I’m making this up for attention, fuck you. I’m terrified as shit and I’m just looking for someone to believe me. I make plenty of money from work, and my blog is plenty popular already. I am not so desperate as to pretend to be stalked, and fuck you for thinking that I am.

This post intensified the online debate. Things got heated as LibraryLady detractors questioned whether posting about these incidents on a blog was proper behavior. That kind of victim blaming thing always ticks me off, so I broke my rule and engaged. Immediately the detractors accused me of being a white knight and chaser, of taking LibraryLady’s side to get into her pants. And I didn't even receive the worst of it. Facebook pages and Reddit threads erupted into flame wars. People threw disgusting insults back and forth.

At that point, I simply tried my best to disengage. I cultivated a truly prodigious blocklist and sequestered myself in the sites I moderated. I took refuge among other cryptid enthusiasts, ghost hunters, and seekers of the unknown. I thought I could ignore the phenomenon safely and check back in later. And had things stayed in the realm of them mundane, then that was what would have happened. Instead, the LibraryLady controversy gained the attention of the other users of my online refuge. A most peculiar article from her blog appeared on one of my most frequented forums. It reads as follows:

I think I might be losing my mind. Like, I think I might seriously have something wrong with my brain. There is literally no rational explanation for what I have seen.

I saw him again. He pressed himself up against the window to my office. He was staring at me and smiling, and I swear to God, his mouth had no teeth, just like the man in that godawful cursed book. I work on the third floor. There is no ledge outside my window. There was literally no physical way for him to have been standing there, and yet there he was.

I took my phone out to snap a picture of him, but when I clicked the shutter button, he was gone. I have no proof. No way to convince anyone, not even myself. Was he real? Did I imagine him? I think I feel sick.

This post floored the entire LibraryLady community and the detractors alike. Critics made vindictive posts claiming that they had been right all along and that this was a transparent attempt at getting attention. Supporters chimed in with concerned and encouraging messages, urging LibraryLady to see a therapist. Many of them called for an end to the stigma against mental illness, posting links to websites for support groups and encouraging others to speak up about their own problems.

As for me, I wasn’t sure what to believe. Did LibraryLady make it all up? Did she suffer a mental breakdown resulting from the trauma of being stalked? Or was something truly sinister following her, driving her into some impossible to understand trap? My whole life had been spent in the pursuit of the unknown and the strange. Was my search concluded? And if so, at what price? Certainly, I always knew that if ghosts and hauntings really existed, they could be dangerous. But that danger was part of the fun. Now it seemed sinister, a force that turned me into a perverse voyeur of someone else’s suffering. I felt a deep shame reading LibrayLady’s posts, but I had to know for sure what was going on. My curiosity was damning me to hell.

About a week after the third post, LibraryLady made what would turn out to be the last post on her blog. What she posted would provide me the proof that I had always craved, but at a terrible price:

He is here with me. He is in my house. I have seen him. He is real.

I came downstairs to make breakfast, and he was standing in my kitchen, smiling his toothless smile. He looked at me, and he took off his hat. I saw his face for the first time. He has no eyes, only smooth patches of skin where eyes might otherwise be. I knew then that my stalker was not of this world.

I ran upstairs to my bedroom. I barricaded the door and tried calling the police, but my phone doesn’t work. It won’t respond to my touch, and the entire screen has been taken up with an image of his eyeless, toothless face. The same goes for my computer - I can’t message or email anyone. The only thing I can do is post to this blog. I think this is what he wants me to do, but I have no idea why. If you’re reading this, please send

And there is where it ends. No one has heard from LibraryLady95 since then, and because she was always very careful about her anonymity, we have no way of knowing who she might be and if she is alright. But a few weeks after that last post, I saw the man in the pinstripe suit. I continue to see him everywhere I go. I have seen him on my commute home from work. He has watched me in the grocery store. He is even here with me right now. Don’t bother to look for him. No one has ever seen him but me. Not yet, anyway.

You see, I have a theory. I believe this man, this apparition, is hunting me. He chooses his prey based on those who hear his story. At first, it was simply the characters in the book. Then, he moved on to LibraryLady. Now, he is hunting me. And if I am right about my hypothesis, having heard my story, he will soon be hunting you.

I do not expect you to believe me. I simply ask that you take my research, which I have collected in this box, and add to it if you, too, become hunted. If I am wrong, you have nothing to fear from my words. But if I am right, what I have collected may very well save your life when my story comes to an end and yours begins. Author’s note: this was originally published under my IRL name on a newsletter that only had one email and that I am shutting down later today. I’m placing it here in order to share it with a wider audience. Many thanks to the twitch writing community for the feedback that made this story really glow.

#horror #fiction #original writing #misoginy #stalking mention

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amplesalty · 2 years

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Halloween 2022 - Day 9 - Hellraiser (2022)

Well, at least Clive Barker is willing to put his name to this one and not claim it came from his arsehole...

Congrats to you, Hellraiser 2022, for tying the record for quickest time in appearing on this blog at only 2 days. I’m jumping way ahead in the franchise here but, at the rate I was going, I wouldn’t have been watching this one until 2026 so I figure I might as well skip ahead for now so I can get in on all the discourse whilst it’s fresh. I think I’m still a little while off where the series truly goes off the rails with Revelations which was the one cobbled together in two weeks so that they didn’t lose the rights. In the meantime I still have Deader and Hellworld to look at, the former staring Kari Wuhrer and the latter taking place in an MMORPG? Well, I’m intrigued about those two at least.

Much like the plans for Ghosbusters III, the idea of a reboot of Hellraiser has existed for quite some time, being passed from pillar to post in terms of directors, writers, producers etc before finally settling in the hands of director David Bruckner who has horror pedigree in The Ritual and The Night House (hey, I see he follows the ‘The’ trend as well!) as well as several contributions to anthology films. Including ‘Amatuer Night’ from the first V/H/S which I remember being okay? Now, give me the director of that cult segment in the 2nd movie and then wer’re talking.

Of course, the big elephant in the room is that Doug Bradley didn’t come back again as Pinhead. I suppose there was some hope he would now that the thing is being taken seriously again and they have Clive Barker involved but due to worries surrounding COVID and what seems to be a bit of reluctance from him to pick up the character again, the role was recast. The guy is nearly 70 years old so I suppose he can probably do without all the long hours and makeup.

That recasting though went to Jamie Clayton who is a trans woman and, whilst I was reluctant to make a big point of this, naturally the angry white men have been out in force voicing their displeasure. I touched upon this last year whilst watching Hellseeker that it seems like a very odd hill to die on given that I doubt most people have ever watched past the 3rd movie at best and critical reception falls off sharply after the first movie so this is hardly some grand and beloved franchise being dragged through the mud.

I’ve only seen second hand reactions where most of the noise seems to come from people dunking on the guys with their “Hollywoods LGBT agenda strikes again!” takes but I never understand this kind of thing. By all means go dunk on someone like JK Rowling, challenge her opinions because she has power and influence. Granted, she’s not going to listen and if anything you’re just going to be amalgamated into a story about her being ‘cancelled’ in the same way that Taylor Swift writes about her exes but what is the point in giving a platform to Dave4170890456 who is telling his 3 followers about how Woke Hollywood has ruined Hellraiser. This guy that’s been doing the rounds today has 98 followers and even a bunch of them he probably gained after his tweet blew up. Why give him the attention he wants?

If anything, I say good on you Hollywood. It’s good to have this level of representation out there, now little girls all over the world can growing up knowing that one day if they work hard enough that maybe one day they too can become a demonic Hell priestess now that Leviathan has abolished his glass ceiling policies.

Speaking of which, and getting to the actual movie at last, Leviathan is back for what must be the first time since 2. It’s part of the wider story where the Lament Configuration is just the first step, with the welder of the cube required to go through several phases before they can claim their prize which is to meet God essentially. I think that’s like one of those later Highlander sequels where they have to kill all the other immortals in order to meet God. So the little puzzle box can end up in all sorts of interesting patterns and you don’t even have to be the one to actually open the thing. Hell, it’s shown that it’s in your best interests not to do it because the thing has a nasty habit of springing a hidden blade out of it which marks you for death. The Cenobites no longer interested in merely who opened the box, just who gets shanked with it. For all these people are screaming BETRAYAL at the casting, why is no one running with this angle of them changing the fundamental aspects of the series?

It does lead to an interesting moment where the group are pretty much forced into needing to mark 2 extra people for dead and they just stab one of the Cenobites. It’s as if the whole movie stops for a second to consider the mechanics of that and whether or not it counts before shrugging it’s shoulders, saying ‘eh, fuck it’ and promptly quatering said Cenobite with chains.

The movie centers around recovering addict Riley whose boyfriend encourages her to join him in a break in on an old workplace of his. There’s an old shipping crate that never got claimed and no one ever bothers to check on so he figures it’ll be full of cool shit they can sell. But the only thing they find in there is the puzzle box. From there, Riley is lead down the rabbit hole of misadventure that inadvertently ends up hurting the people closest to her. Which, coupled with the way the box now requires you to mark others, seems like a very unsympathetic portrayal of drug/alcohol users. I dunno how much tough love they go in for in those recovery programs but this just seems like a very big finger pointed at her saying ‘YOUR FAULT’.

Going back to Jamie Clayton, she doesn’t do a bad job or anything but it feels like she’s barely in the movie which is about par for the course when it comes to Hellraiser movies. But she doesn’t have that same presence that Bradley does, obviously you’re going to have at least some presence when you’re walking around with a hundred needles in your skull but something about his body language and voice especially just made it feel like some serious shit was going down whenever he was around.

I’m not really sure where I stand on the movie as a whole, it’s a perfectly serviceable movie and you can’t make any complaints about the effort that went into it. People actually did work on this thing, people invested money into this which again like Hocus Pocus 2 is a little odd considering it’s been released straight to streaming. But this isn’t some quick cash in to try and profit on the name or keep hold of the licence, all the visuals, effects and sound are top notch. It’s very visceral, just the raw sounds you’ll hear of flesh being torn and mutilated...nasty stuff.

I guess it just feels very formulaic? The way it’s changed to be that you have to inflict the punishment on someone else rather than it being on you makes everything feel like a slasher movie which is how the latter half of the movie plays out. Goes against the whole ethos of the series as well, that hedonism gone wrong aspect of the quest for sights and sounds unimaginable leads to unfathomable pain and horror. Now you could just conceivably go around stab a bunch of homeless dudes and be done with it. Kinda feels like a big comedown as well to this relative normality, as normal as a Hellraiser movie can get at least, when you’re coming off things like Hellraiser in Space or Lynchian nightmares. But hey, this is just the establishing remaking, maybe they’ll go off the deep end from here...

#Halloween 2022 #Hellraiser #Hellraiser 2022

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0junemeatcleaver0 · 3 years

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The Young And The Feckless: A Post I Never Thought I’d Make.

INTRODUCTION

The back half of that title might sound a bit dramatic, I know. But as someone who has viewed call out posts as something the kids do, finding myself putting so much effort into writing one when I have gray hair and a mortgage feels...pretty weird. So let me (briefly) explain.

@saint-molochaii (or as I’ll be referring to him in the remainder of this post, SM) first pinged my radar when I saw a post of his appear in the Vampire Chronicles tag here on Tumblr back in autumn. I was aware of him in a vague way—I had seen his gifs being reblogged here and there, but I had not until this point seen any personal posts from him, nor had I interacted with him on a one on one basis.

I won’t get into the specifics of this post as it has apparently since been deleted and as you can see, I have done my damnedest to back up everything I’m about to say with direct links. But what I will say about this post for context’s sake is that it rubbed me the wrong way, to say the least.

The post pertained to him attempting to be an ally in fighting racism in fandom (the VC fandom specifically), but it was fairly obvious to me by the tone of the post that he was going about it very poorly.

I didn’t feel like going to his blog to sift through for details and context, so I just rolled my eyes and kept scrolling. I could not have predicted that months later, I would be scrolling back through to March on his blog to try to gain context after he threw a shit fit that I did interact with (more on that later).

That interaction stuck in my craw for reasons I’ll get into later in this post. But the thing that stuck with me the most was the realization that the more I put off talking about the points he brought up in that post, the bigger my hypocrisy was becoming. In other words, I was mad at him for doing allyship wrong, and then refused to do the hard work of pointing out how and what went wrong with all that. That’s on me, that’s my bad.

Which brings us to the most important question of this section of the post: Who is this post for?

The first section of this post Bad Allyship: A Timeline of Events is for the fandom at large! It’s become apparent to me (for reasons that will become obvious over the course of this post) that people are currently nervous to talk about race in the VC Tumblr fandom space. And I get it, it can be tricky knowing how to speak about racism–how to talk to other white people about it as an ally. The first section will include resources and a primer on what not to do, using SM as an example. Because fuck having interesting, nuanced discussions about race in fiction being shut down by a performitive activist.

The second section of this post But Molochaii...You Know How This Looks, Right? are all the questions I still have for SM. Which won’t be answered, just as my initial question to him remains. But I’m a curious cat, so I’ll ask those questions anyway. While this bit of the post will be directed at him specifically, feel free to read it yourself or skip it as you see fit.

You may be wondering why the first section isn’t directed specifically toward SM, when I obviously think that he’s still got a lot to learn. That is because I do not think that SM is acting in good faith. You can feel free to disagree, but I think reading through both sections of this post will clue you into why that’s my feeling on the whole situation.

NOTE: This is absolutely not some call to action to go harass SM for being a bad faith actor within fandom while weaponizing allyship when facing even the most tepid pushback. This is simply someone entering a fandom, realizing there is a problem, and stating what the problem is. My advice would ultimately be to ignore him and block him if you feel you must. If you read all this and find yourself thirsting for the sight of some internet weirdo getting dunked on, I am sure he’ll show up in my askbox as an anon, at which point I will dunk on him as hard as I see fit to thus slaking that thirst. I’ll even come up with a tag for it. These types tend to react in the exact same ways when called out and well. Anon is still on. So. I can’t wait for him to prove me wrong </sarcasm>

And if you’d like a TL;DR version of what exactly happened to kick all this off, this now deactivated user summed it up perfectly back in September:

Bad Allyship: A Timeline of Events

When it comes to how to talk about racism as an ally, the guide we’ll be using for simplicity’s sake is dosomething.org’s “How White People Can Talk to Each Other About Disrupting Racism”. It’s a great, concise read and I would highly recommend it to any white person who claims the title ally and wishes to do the difficult work of anti-racist activism.

For a clear view of what being an ally actually means, we will be using The Guide to Allyship. https://guidetoallyship.com/

I highly recommend clicking through to read both of these links in their entirety, but for the sake of brevity (this is already such a long post), I will be posting the bits I’ll be pulling from the most here.

From dosomething.org:

Prepare For The Conversation

Understand why white people should have conversations with one another

Think about why you want to have this conversation.

Choose who you want to talk to and how

Establish goals for the conversation

Set expectations for yourself and your conversation partner

Also from dosomething.org:

Have The Conversation

DO start the conversation from a place of curiosity and care

DO lead with “I” statements

DO ask open ended questions

DON’T end the conversation at the first sign of discomfort

DO stay on topic

DON’T think you have to do this alone (IE: bring resources)

DO consider taking a pause and returning to the conversation at a different time if you feel like the conversation is moving more towards conflict and away from conversation.

From guidetoallyship.com:

To Be An Ally Is To...

Take on the struggle as your own

Transfer the benefits of your privilege to those who lack it

Amplify voices of the oppressed before your own

Acknowledge that even though you feel pain, the conversation is not about you

Stand up, even when you feel scared

Own your mistakes and de-center yourself

Understand that your education is up to you and no one else

Now, onto the bit where we learn by example. I present to you a case study in what not to do:

MAY 25

Amid rumors of a black man potentially being cast as Louis, SM makes a rather milquetoast, standard post to the fandom at large about not being racist about this decision.

The post itself is...fine. The tone isn’t overly condescending. He seemed to have a goal (getting out ahead of any racist shit that might be said about this decision). Not a bad post, but also nothing to write home about.

The only comment he gets that isn’t just immediate agreement is the following:

The reason I point out the fact that this is the only comment he got on this post that wasn’t just 100% agreeing with everything he said will become clear. Don’t worry.

AUGUST 25

SM admits to having already blocked all the racists on Tumblr and thus has not seen any racist activity on Tumblr where the VC fandom is concerned. Though he does say he’s still been seeing it on Facebook.

This appears to simply be a rant post, which is fair enough. The important part, though, is the admittance to blocking anyone he viewed to be racist on Tumblr.

I can’t know which point from our resources are behind his decision to block (was it “stand up, even when you feel scared” or “don’t end the conversation at the first sign of discomfort”?) I can’t possibly know what his reasoning was, just that claiming allyship only to block every person you think is racist on a platform is...a choice.

More tellingly, in an answer to an anon, he cops to being (direct quote) “incredibly bad at having limits”. We’ll get back to that later.

AUGUST 26

SM makes a fandom-wide appeal to any BIPOC fans to give him any hints on what to do as an ally about all the racism he’s seen in fandom, while alluding to having hateful anon messages in his askbox.

Understand that your education is up to you and no one else.

While I already had these resources bookmarked, they are not difficult to find on Google at all. 30 whole seconds at most. Anti-racist work looks just the same in fandom as out of it. The mechanics are the same. He could have asked Google this question instead of asking fans of color.

Moreover:

“Somewhere in the notes to the casting post, someone mentioned that blocking people isn’t helpful bc it only removes the issue from our (white people’s) end, not for existing in general, & that interaction & reporting was a better choice. I agree to an extent, except I’m not sure what arguing with people on tumblr accomplishes, the block button is open for anyone to use so?”

Notice that not only does he disregard the very good point this unnamed user brought up in the notes of the post he mentions, he also implies here that the only way he can envision having anti-racist conversations is in the form of arguments. Start the conversation from a place of curiosity and care. (Also lol-ing forever at ‘the block button is open for anyone to use’. #NotAllBlockButtons)

Sofipitch responds to tell him that it’s cool to just delete and block and all that.

SM agrees and shows just how unaware he is re: allyship work and his place in it.

In this reply he uses the word conversation once and it’s in quotations as though he thinks actually trying to understand why another white person might hold a racist belief so he can see how best to inform them of their ignorance is somehow beneath him and not...how allies are supposed to help dismantle racism?

SEPTEMBER 1

SM reblogs a post by I-Want-My-IWTV. IWMI answered an anon where they spoke about the rumors of black!Louis possibly being a brothel owner. It was a fairly nuanced post about all the possible pros and cons of that decision from a writing and representation perspective. Outside of that, it was a wholly unremarkable post.

SM’s whole problem with this post seemed to be that there’s a real racism problem in the VC fandom internet-wide, though it’s hard to tell because he never specifies on what platforms he’s having these difficulties speaking to other white people about this. (Remember: He admitted back in mid-August that he’s blocked everyone he thinks is racist here on Tumblr. So it would be safe to assume that he’s not speaking about here on Tumblr.)

Here we start to see the breakdown in communication really ramp up.

Part of the problem I think is that we’re all going to have our own definitions of ‘fandom’, as well as having limits to exactly how many platforms we use to participate in fandom.

I’ll use myself as an example. I only count people as being a part of fandom if they produce or interact with fanworks and/or participate in discussion about the work with other fans (headcanons and metas being an example of this). I also only have Tumblr as a personal social media account. This is the only place I interact with the fandom.

You may have a different definition. Perhaps to you, fandom is anyone who enjoys a piece of media to spend money on it and actively keeps up with news about the IP. And maybe you are active in fandom on all social media platforms.

All of that is fine. There’s no wrong way to do fandom outside of just straight up being an asshole.

But the breakdown in communication is directly tied to the fact that SM seems to have skipped over steps 3-5 of Preparing For The Conversation as outlined by dosomething.org.

3) Choose who you want to talk to and how. He blocked all the (to his estimation) racists in the fandom on Tumblr. So we can assume that the people he’s seen being racist in the internet-wide VC fandom have been on other platforms. But then he continuously comes to Tumblr to fight the racism? That he’s not seeing because he already blocked all the racists on here? Who is he talking to? And why? Which brings us to:

4) Establish goals for the conversation. If he doesn’t know who exactly he’s addressing (or is addressing no one in specific) then it is impossible for this conversation to have a goal. If the person he wanted to speak to from point #3 was IWMI, then I’m still unclear on what his intended goal might have been. One could assume that he wanted the people of Tumblr to collectively break down camp and make the trek over to Facebook to fight the people of the page. But he never made that clear. He acted as though he was the only one capable of seeing the key to stopping the evil racist fans and then just...didn’t elaborate on what that was.

5) Set expectations for yourself and your conversation partner. See the above point. I can’t know what his expectations were in making this post, but they clearly weren’t met. But again, that’s on him and his lack of planning, elaboration, and know-how.

The problem with this is while IWMI’s post did make mention of the wider VC fandom/audience, they also didn’t make any denials about whether or not there actually are malicious actors in the fandom.

Reading IWMI’s response as someone who wasn’t involved in this discussion at the time has led me to believe that what IWMI was saying is that it’s difficult to know the true intentions behind bringing up displeasure with Louis’s casting. Which is true. That’s why steps one and three of Having The Conversation from dosomething.org are: Start the conversation from a place of curiosity and care and ask open ended questions. Which IWMI came closer to doing in this post than SM did in any of his posts or responses that I’ve seen.

SEPTEMBER 14

SM makes his first of a series of “I’m stepping away from fandom” posts.

He states in this post that he doesn’t care if people say he’s just crying white male tears. Which is fortunate because that’s what he then goes on to do and I could imagine that caring that people are pointing out where you’re messing up would be terribly distracting while you’re trying to make anti-racist work all about yourself as a white man.

I’m being a bit uncharitable there, I know. But the whole post is him making anti-racist work all about how doing it has effected him as a white man.

To be an ally is to acknowledge that even though you feel pain, the conversation is not about you.

SEPTEMBER 18

SM makes a post further elaborating on his experiences being the only white man in fandom willing to fight the good fight.

I include this post to touch on two points contained therein.

“A lot of white people are afraid to talk about racial issues & that’s why this shit keeps happening.” (First line of the first paragraph of that post). From what I’ve seen through my research the reason white folks in the Tumblr VC fandom were beginning to become afraid of discussing race (and racism in Anne’s work and racism in fandom or the implications inherent in narrative choices the showrunners were rumored to be making) was that he was insinuating anyone who didn’t agree with his thoughts on the choices the showrunners were making were all covert racists. He actively made this stuff difficult to talk about. Which is not the role of an ally.

“I don’t necessarily have a concrete example of what ‘talking about it’ means.” Clearly. You see, here he admits to not knowing how to actively be an anti-racist ally. He knows discussions need to happen, but not what the mechanics of that could possibly be. This is not someone who needs to be doing this work. This is someone who is in the very early stages of his anti-racist work, which is fine! We all have to start somewhere! But this is someone who seems to have skipped most of the learning stage and has gone right into the more hands-on activism when he is absolutely unprepared to do so. Whether he realizes it or not, he’s admitted that fact within this single sentence, not to mention how he’s gone about discussing racism in the fandom.

SEPTEMBER 28

Sm writes an empty apology to unknown persons.

In this post, he apologizes for “some of the things I said / did” during this “bullying issue”. He makes allusions to wrongdoings on his part, but mentions no specifics. As you’ll come to see later in this post, this apology appears to be ultimately empty, as it’s clear that he’s learned very little from the experiences he’s had doing this work.

He also admits to having his PTSD triggered during all of this. Which again demonstrates how unprepared for confronting racism he is. There is nothing wrong with admitting when you are not in the mental space to take on potentially being yelled at by vitriolic people. But that is also a possibility you need to be prepared for if you want to not only call yourself an ally, but also act as one.

Furthermore, reading this post feels like playing bad apology bingo. For more on how to properly apologize: https://guidetoallyship.com/#apologies

And because it is once again relevant: To be an ally is to acknowledge that even though you feel pain, the conversation is not about you.

NOVEMBER 28

SM calls two people running a fan event “horrendous racists” and claims they’re both responsible for sending him and his friends anon hate.

He offers no proof to back up either of these claims. While it’s hard to prove a negative (that these people didn’t send him hate), most posts of this ilk that I’ve seen on Tumblr have something in the way of evidence. Again, he offers none.

Although there’s some interesting circumstantial evidence that implies he himself has sent people he’s disagreed with anon hate. More on that directly below.

OCTOBER 1

SM claims there were doxxing threats made to him.

NOTE: While talking about this here, I am going to leave out the name of the person he accused. I’ve spoken with her in the DMs and to hear her tell it, SM and his little friends really went out of their way to harass her. Obviously, I don’t want to rope her back into this any more than is necessary after the shit they put her through. And so for this section, I will be calling her User and the equally ambiguous “she”.

The claim of doxxing was, in fact, bullshit.

Here’s how it went down, according to User: User was getting harassed and noticed via her statcounter that someone from Clearwater FL was showing up on her blog again and again.

So she made a post that simply said, “Clearwater, FL” and tagged it “statcounter” and “stop stalking me”.

From there, SM made the above post about how someone (meaning User) was threatening to doxx him.

In response to this buffoonery, User wrote this post and pinned it to her profile:

Please note that while she edited out his IP address, I edited out her tumblr url. In her post (which is still up), her url is visible on this statcounter.

SM has made it public knowledge that he lives in Florida. And while he might not be comfortable with people knowing the exact city he’s doing his stalking from...it’s his fault I was able to put this together? User didn’t need to tell me this was him. I knew it before I asked her about it. She confirmed it, yes. But the only reason I arrived at that conclusion was I saw he lives in FL, I saw him publicly saying he was being doxxed while putting together my timeline (I didn’t see this as it was happening), and then me remembering having seen the above post from the person he stalked previous to all this research.

Plus like...she’s one of the “horrendous racists” he’s supposedly had blocked since August at the earliest, November at the latest. Why is he still visiting her blog this much? This one, imo, is on him.

But either way you slice it, he accidentally copped to this being him being spoken about. And as you might imagine, stalking isn’t a part of the anti-racist ally protocol. Obviously.

Thus ends the “doxxing” saga.

And so now we get to the catalyst for this whole post.

Because here’s where I actually enter the picture and can speak to things I have first hand knowledge of.

DECEMBER 12

Christopher Rice makes a post on his mother’s Facebook page letting everyone know that Anne had died from complications from a stroke.

It didn’t take long for this news to spread to Tumblr. And from that second forward, the Anne Rice tag was flooded with posts from people (presumably) outside of the fandom making jokes about now being able to write fanfic. Something that was obviously upsetting to fans of her work, myself included, I’ll admit.

Of note: I saw a total of two posts in the tag that weren’t either fans mourning or people making fic jokes. One was someone bringing up how Anne once stood up for a romance writer’s right to write a “Holocaust survivor falls for a Nazi” novel and this tweet.

December 19

SM makes this openly antagonistic post.

There’s quite a bit to unpack there, but I’ll try to make it brief as this post is already monstrously long and I already addressed this post in my response (more in a second).

“I’m not saying you have to think & feel like I do. I’m not going to invade your space & tell you you’re wrong if we disagree. I’m using my own space only & that’s it.”

Except he didn't though. He posted this to the Anne Rice tag. A public space. This defense only holds water if he left it untagged for just him and his followers to see.

But I think that was part of his plan. Because no one can be stupid enough to post something so openly vitriolic to a tag where fans are sharing stories of grief and their conflicted feelings about Anne as a person and creator and expect something like this post to not cause a stir.

"It’s just been extremely weird watching people practically tearing their hair out over a rich stranger who died of old age during a pandemic, acting like it’s the greatest tragedy of all time.

We all die, I don’t know what to tell you there, & dying of old age is a luxury most of us don’t get, especially since covid has been on the scene. She died the way that most rich, white people die. Rich & isolated from the real world, with a lot of people on the internet ready to weirdly give up their own life defending them too."

His emphasis, not mine.

This isn’t a gripe with Anne. This is directed at people who are actively in grief. Which is already a complicated emotion but becomes more difficult to navigate when your feelings are conflicted about the person you’re grieving.

This is an intentionally malicious post. It’s clear he’s pissed and he’s acting out on it.

Again, this is not how an ally acts. Allyship requires maintaining a level head. Remember: Do consider taking a pause and returning to the conversation at a different time if you feel like the conversation is moving more towards conflict and away from conversation.

It was clear to me from reading the above chunk of text that this was not a good faith post. I skimmed the rest. None of it was news to me. And surprise surprise, reading a refresher course on different problematic shit Anne had done wasn’t enough to magically make the grief of losing one of my favorite authors evaporate. Weird, how that works.

And so I made the following response.

Was it minorly bitchy? Sure. But the points I made still stand to this day.

And my question remains unanswered. I still don’t know who that post was for.

Well, I do. It was for himself and the benefit of his ego. But I didn’t expect him to cop to that. So.

Oh well.

Later that same day, SM makes this post about how he is taking a break from Tumblr and how we’re all terrible, etc etc. Second verse, same as the first. This is, indeed, the song that never ends.

This was his response to me, I’m pretty sure. Hard to know when he refuses to call people out by name or (heaven forbid!) speak to them directly. But the reason I’m fairly certain this was about me was that I was the only one in the notes that was even slightly confrontational towards him. And even still, I wasn’t even that harsh. I didn’t call him any names, I didn’t try to claim that his points were in bad faith (I didn’t know him. I still don’t, I just know what he’s posted to tunglr dot hell). All I did was ask the question, who is this post for exactly? And instead of providing an answer, he folded like a lawn chair in a hurricane, and implied that the people who interacted with his posts in a way that didn’t absolutely lick his hole lacked the ability to experience emotions.

“Nobody here knows half the shit that’s been done to me because of speaking up about this bc I have chosen to not focus on it.”

surejan.gif

The post is all manipulation, but not even good manipulation which proves that practice doesn’t always make perfect.

And that’s pretty much the end of this saga (for now—I’m sure he’ll have some sort of reaction to this post probably). But to put a neat little bow on the learning portion of our call out post, let me pull one more excerpt from this last post of his:

“I asked for help from people who I thought were involved here to make this feel like a community for everyone & I found out that’s actually not many people’s interest at all.”

Imagine for a moment that you have a roommate. You’re sitting on the couch and your roommate is in the kitchen. Roomie calls your name and asks for your help. You walk into the kitchen. “I need help!” Roomie reiterates, standing in the middle of the room with their hands at their sides. “Okay, with what?” “Help.” “Yes, with what?” “I need it.” You stare at your roommate. Your roommate stares at you. The fridge fan whines. A moth throws itself uselessly against the bare bulb above you. “H el p .. .” Your roommate gurgles. The sun explodes, end scene.

The point is, sure. He asked for help. But he was never clear what he needed help with, other than the vague goal of “fighting racism in fandom”. He had no game plan. He didn’t tell anyone what platforms were the worst for it. He didn’t name names. He didn’t do anything of any use. When you’re the one who feels comfortable being the first to make the rallying cry, you better point in a direction in which to lead the charge.

The only time he was at all specific with any of this was when he said he was getting hate anons. Anyone who has been on the internet for more than 20 minutes knows it’s not worth fighting with anons. Plus...they’re anonymous? How were any of us supposed to know who they were? How are we meant to fight what are essentially ghosts??

And thus concludes the bit where we all talk about allyship in a relatively calm, levelheaded way. Now we move on to our final chapter:

But Molochaii...You Know How This Looks, Right?

Hey, man. I wanna say “welcome to your tape” but I’m still alive when I’m sure you wish I weren’t. It’s fine, we can move past the inconvenient fact that I’m both speaking to you and respirating.

When you’re ready, take my arm and we’ll take a little stroll down memory lane together while I ask you questions Ghost of Tumblr Posts Past style. A little late for the reference, but I move in my own time.

You remember that time you rambled for way too long about how bad you feel for Tom Cruise for being a Scientologist? And before you say, “He’s in a cult! Do you have any idea—” Yeah, actually. I do. My family (myself included) was in a cult. I do know. Do you know who doesn’t have a bad time in cults? The people who benefit from how the cult operates. Tom’s doing just fine in Scientology. With that out of the way, I have more questions: Where was this level of nuance and sensitivity for Anne? Do you think only having sympathy for terrible people you’re a fan of and no sympathy for terrible people you’re not a fan of is hypocritical? Yes or no. Do you think you’ll be sad when Tom dies? Do you think it’ll hurt your feelings to see people celebrating his death while you’re mourning it? Say yes or lie to me and yourself. Do you think this black and white (no pun intended) thinking helps or hinders your attempts at allyship?

Hey, Molochaii. You remember when someone very calmly laid out their point of view and you moved the goal posts and then shut the conversation down? Did you read the resources I linked at the top of this post? Do I need to repeat myself again? Do you see where you fucked up, or is your ego blocking your view?

Hey, Mol—can I call you Mol? You remember when a WOC replied to a post of yours and you refused to engage in any meaningful way with her? How you didn’t reblog her response as a way of “amplifying oppressed voices before your own”?

Hey, Chii Chii—can I call you Chii Chii? You remember when instead of interacting in a meaningful way with that WOC, you screenshotted and then cropped a very good point from her response to you, and then tried to use that as some sort of slam dunk but instead of a ball it was your point and instead of a hoop it was a toilet? You remember how you implied that she was lying about her race? Do you think that denying that there is a difference between ignorance and hatefulness is helpful to your allyship work? Do you think you know better about racism than a WOC?

Hey, Moldavia. Do you have a moment to read this quote from guidetoallyship.com? ”Lack of self-awareness is not a trait of an ally. You’ll be complicit in the oppression of those you intend to help. If you choose not to understand this, but label yourself an ‘ally’, you’re essentially a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You’ll find ways to infiltrate vulnerable communities and wield far more power than someone who is outwardly ‘-ist’ or ‘-ic’ because you’re ‘trusted’.” Do you have time to take this quote to heart, or are you too full of yourself to create space for it?

Hey, Molotov cocktail. You remember how in a post where you bemoaned the fact that you weren’t getting enough attention, you admitted to the fact that you’re as petty as a 12 year old? Do you think this admission makes me or anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together likely to believe that you’re the type of person who people can easily disagree with without you throwing a hissy fit before trying to make yourself the victim in every situation? You remember how you copped to being “incredibly bad at having limits”? Do you see how these two things make it very easy to believe that you’d be the type of person to harass people via anon hate?

Hey, Mollycoddled Man Child. You remember when you were still so upset with other people in this fandom getting more attention than you that you felt the need to make TWO posts about it in one day a couple weeks after the post above?

You remember how you did that at the end of July, right before your supposed crusade against racism in fandom really started to ramp up in August?

Do you see how that looks? Do you know that it’s not a good look? Are you happy now? Do you plan on stopping anytime soon?

Oh and for your trouble:

#anne rice #the vampire chronicles #vampire chronicles #tvc

29 notes · View notes

aomine-ryo · 4 years

Note

Your last ask was seriously funny! We need more of that. If possible, can I request different scenrios where the s/o of the gom gets asked questions by the s/o of their boyfriend's teammate(s) about their night (because reader has a looot of love marks).... this is so freaking specific, im sorry😂😂 if you cant do it it fine, if you do, then i appreciate you and your writings (i love your blog and im also a simp for Aomine)

Aren’t we all a simp for Aomine 😭💕 I really couldn’t think of anything for Midorima and Murasakibara without it being too repetitive and boring so I unfortunately left them out of this one, so I’m sorry and I hope you don’t mind too much!! xx

Scenario: Kuroko, Kise, Aomine and Akashi’s s/o being questioned about their love marks

Kuroko

It was a rather chilly Wednesday afternoon and you were watching Seirin’s practice as you usually would. While you initially came there to watch your boyfriend play, you actually also ended up becoming quite close with Kagami, Izuki and Mitobe’s significant others who also came to watch quite often.

As you watched over the practice while chatting away with your friends, you began to feel rather warm due to the gym’s heating, so you took off the scarf that you’d wrapped around your neck. Not thinking too much of it, you continued with your conversation, only to notice that your friends had their eyes fixated on your neck. “Why are you guys looking at me like that?” you questioned, trying to decipher the strange smirks and nods they shared with each other.

“Y/N, your neck...” Mitobe’s s/o trailed off, getting caught up in giggles before they could finish.

“What? Is there something on my neck?” you asked, beginning to panic as your hand immediately reached for it in the fear that there was a bug on it.

“I’m guessing you and Kuroko had some fun last night,” Kagami’s s/o giggled, causing you to freeze as you came to a realisation of what they were referring to.

You quickly wrapped the scarf around your neck again to conceal the red marks your boyfriend had left the night before. Filled with embarrassment, your averted your gaze and fixated on the boys’ practice to avoid making eye contact with your friends. Of course, they didn’t let you off the hook that easily.

“I didn’t think Kuroko was the type to leave marks, but damn he really went to town on your neck, huh Y/N?” Kagami’s s/o teased, making your face turn red with embarrassment.

“Shut up,” you grumbled, letting out a nervous chuckle.

“So, was yesterday a special night? Or does he always leave marks like those?” Mitobe’s s/o interrogated.

“It’s always the quiet ones...”

“Oh my God, stop,” you said, unable to hold back the giggles from the ridiculousness of their comments. “It was just a normal night okay?”

The two of them shared a look before hooting a long “oooooh,” making you wish you didn’t say anything at all.

“So it’s a normal thing then?” Kagami’s s/o continued, the grins on their faces growing wider and wider.

“I’m gonna pretend like I can’t hear you,” you said finally, looking everywhere but at them. You didn’t lie when you said that though. They kept teasing you, but you just sat there as though they weren’t talking to you.

Eventually, they got tired of it, but they didn’t hesitate to shoot you knowing glares when practice ended and you hurried over to Kuroko to escape them.

“Is everything okay?” Kuroko asked you, when he noticed how much of a hurry you were in to leave.

“Yeah, they just saw the marks from last night,” you informed him, making him blush at the memory of the previous night’s events. “So can we just leave before they come here and embarrass me even more?”

Not wanting to draw any attention to himself, Kuroko agreed with you after letting out a small chuckle. “Sorry about that, Y/N,” he said sincerely, not knowing how he’d respond to remarks if he were in your position.

You gave his hand a tight squeeze and flashed him a reassuring smile. “It’s alright, I’ll let it slide because last night was really fun,” you beamed, causing his face to flush red before the two of you left the gym after exchanging brisk goodbyes with the team.

Kise

It was just another practice day at Kaijo where you were casually chatting with your friends. They weren’t normally people you would hang out with, but you’d gotten quite close during these practices since they were the significant others of your boyfriend, Kise’s teammates. Whilst you considered them friends, they weren’t exactly close enough where you’d feel comfortable sharing personal details about your relationship, so you would often stick to light hearted stuff— which you quite enjoyed because they always gave you a good laugh.

“Y/N, is this the first time you’re wearing a scarf?” Moriyama’s s/o asked you, eyeing the bright blue scarf that Kise lent you this morning.

“Yeah, it is,” you nodded.

“I can tell. It’s really not your usual style— it’s not even wrapped properly,” they continued, giving you a pitiful chuckle as Kasamatsu’s s/o bobbed their head in agreement.

“Yeah, I know. I was trying something new, but I’m not sure I like it,” you sighed, fiddling with the end of it. To be honest, you didn’t even want to wear it. It was only there to cover up the bright red marks Kise left all over your neck the night before. You wanted to cover it up with makeup, but you remembered that morning that you needed to buy a new bottle of foundation because Kise accidentally knocked your old one over while playing around with you and broke it.

“Here let me wrap it properly for you,” Kasamatsu’s s/o offered, shuffling closer to you and taking your scarf off before you had time to protest.

And just like that, you were left bare-necked, with both of their eyes glued onto you in shock as your face flushed red. You immediately snatched the scarf back and wrapped it back out of embarrassment.

“Oh my God Y/N! Your neck was covered in hickeys!” Moriyama’s s/o squealed, making you want to dash out of there.

“So you and Kise got it on last night huh? Go on, give us the details!” Kasamatsu’s s/o urged excitedly as they nudged your shoulder with their elbow.

“Details? It was nothing,” you said nervously, desperately searching your head for a way to change the topic.

“Nothing? Y/N, those marks were plastered all across your neck! He barely left any spots untouched,” Moriyama’s s/o laughed.

“Well, what do you want me to say? We were just messing around,” you shrugged. “Can we please move on—“

“Hey guys,” Kise chimed in, cutting you off with a kiss on your cheek. You looked around in confusion and realised that he was on his water break and began to prepare yourself for what’s to come. “What’re you talking about?”

“Well, Y/N was just showing us those marks on their neck—“

“I wasn’t showing them to you! You saw them against my will,” you corrected as you buried your face in your hands.

“Shhh, seems like you two had fun last night,” Kasamatsu’s s/o giggled.

“Oh those! I kind of got carried away, didn’t I? Sorry, Y/N-cchi,” Kise said sweetly as he wrapped his arms around you apologetically.

“We were trying to get Y/N to spill some details but they’re too embarrassed,” Kasamatsu’s s/o said as you continued to pray that this hell of a conversation would end. You hated how charismatic Kise was sometimes, because it often ended with him slipping into conversations like this so easily and just fuelling the fire.

“Embarrassed? Y/N-cchi, you don’t need to be embarrassed. I left those marks there for a reason— you should be proud of them!” Kise sang as your friends nodded along, a smug look on both of their faces.

“Ryouta please stop,” you whined as he only hugged you tighter.

“But those marks look nice on—“

“Captain! Hasn’t this water break gone on long enough?” You called out to Kasamatsu all of a sudden.

“Oi Kise, get your ass back on the court!” Kasamatsu yelled back in reply, causing Kise to sigh.

“Why’d you do that?” Kise pouted.

“Because I like watching you practice,” you said innocently. “You’re playing a game now aren’t you? Why don’t you go score a cool dunk for me?”

Just like that, Kise immediately lit up. “I’ll score the best dunk you’ve ever seen!” He said cheerily before turning back to your friends. “Take it easy on Y/N-cchi, it’s my fault after all.”

“Yeah yeah, we’re just joking around for the fun of it. It’s not funny if it goes on for too long anyways,” Moriyama’s s/o replied reassuringly.

“Great. Thanks,” Kise grinned. Just as you thought he was going to leave, he suddenly leaned in close to your ear and whispered, “You know, those marks on your neck really do look pretty— I might just make some more later.”

And like it was nothing, Kise strutted off confidently, leaving you with a face that couldn’t be more flustered even if you tried.

Aomine

It wasn’t unusual for you to have marks all over your neck since everyone had already gotten used to it. The first few times the team and their significant others noticed them, there were a lot of questions and reactions, though they were mainly directed at Aomine so you didn’t mind all too much. Of course, you’d still try to hide them as much as you could, but makeup is expensive and to be spending so much on concealing marks that would just appear again within a week or so seemed quite redundant to you. You also tried to tell Aomine to limit the marks to places that clothes could cover, and while he’d agree beforehand, he’d often end up getting carried away and doing what he wants.

It was the day of an important preliminary match for Touou and you met up with the significant others of Wakamatsu and Imayoshi at the stands of the arena after wishing your boyfriend good luck. Upon greeting them, their eyes were immediately directed to your neck— which you expected. You tried covering the marks up with makeup but they were still quite visible. Furthermore, it was the summer so a scarf or turtleneck was not an option— you weren’t going to suffer for something this trivial.

“Y/N, did you even try to cover that up?” Wakamatsu’s s/o asked with a sigh.

“I did! I think I need to get some better foundation, honestly,” you groaned as you took a seat next to them.

“My God, that Aomine really doesn’t quit huh? Even before a big game?” Imayoshi’s s/o asked.

“Somehow he’s even more riled up before games. I really don’t know how he has the energy,” you sighed.

“Don’t act like you don’t like it,” Imayoshi’s s/o said with a smirk.

“Well, of course I like it. Just let me complain, will you?” you joked.

“Haven’t you tried telling him to take it easy with the marks?” Wakamatsu’s s/o questioned.

“I have— many times. But he never listens.”

“Yeah, I don’t think he’d ever really listen to things like that,” Imayoshi’s s/o said.

“That’s just Daiki for you,” you shrugged.

“Well, was last night fun?” Wakamatsu’s s/o asked suggestively, nudging your arm.

“Yeah it was,” you said, beginning to feel slightly flustered as your mind wandered back to moments from the night before.

“Oooh, go on, give us the details,” Imayoshi’s s/o said excitedly.

“No way. That’s only for me to know,” you said firmly. “Besides, I’m way too tired to be going into details anyway,” you added as you let out an exhausted yawn.

“My God, how long were you up till?” Wakamatsu’s s/o asked.

“I don’t even remember— I think it was 2 a.m.?” you guessed, cursing Aomine and his stamina for keeping you up so late.

“Don’t you think he’d be too tired to play today then?” Wakamatsu’s s/o asked.

“He’s an idiot, but he wouldn’t be up so late unless he knew he could handle it,” you replied.

The topic quickly died out once the game began, and all of you were so consumed with it that all of you’d completely forgotten about the marks. And of course, Touou won with a massive lead— with Aomine scoring almost half of the points. He truly was incredible, you thought.

Akashi

You were often very good at hiding marks left behind by Akashi, but there was this one morning where you were in such a rush that you had no time to cover them up. So as you headed to the gym to watch Akashi’s practice like you usually would, he seemed to notice the red spots on your neck. As a smile spread across his face, he took his jacket off and handed it to you.

“Sorry for rushing you so much; I don’t like being late. Here, wear this so you can cover those up for the most part,” he said, eyeing your neck with a look that had no traces of regret whatsoever.

You took his jacket and zipped it all the way up so that it would cover your neck. “Shouldn’t you be apologising for leaving the marks instead?”

“I wouldn’t have left them if I thought I’d have to apologise for it. They look quite pretty on your neck if I’m being honest—I’m just saving you from being interrogated,” he explained coolly as you neared the gym.

“Well, I have a feeling that it’s gonna happen whether I like it or not.”

And just as you expected, when you got to the gym and met up with Mayuzumi, Hayama and Nebuya’s s/os, you were greeted with a few strange looks. “What’s up with the jacket, Y/N?” Mayuzumi’s s/o questioned.

“Oh, Sei gave it to me because I was feeling chilly,” you lied with a shrug.

“You don’t usually zip it up all the way though. It looks weird,” Hayama’s s/o pointed out. You didn’t realise that they were this observant until then.

“Y/N’s probably hiding something under there then,” Nebuya’s s/o said jokingly, almost as if they knew exactly what was going on but tried to pass it off as something humorous.

“What could I possibly be hiding?” you played along, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

“I don’t know, you tell me,” Nebuya’s s/o said suggestively, still clearly joking.

“Could it possibly be hickeys?” Mayuzumi’s s/o guessed, causing the group to break out into a chorus of hoots as you genuinely questioned whether they had psychic abilities.

“What? Why would you say that?” you laughed, still determined not to give it away.

“I want to say that I did some incredible detective work, but there are still marks poking out ever so slightly from your neck that gave it away,” Mayuzumi’s s/o explained, drawing all the attention towards your neck as the other two tried to spot it.

You let out a sigh, “Alright, you got me. I didn’t have time to cover them up this morning.”

“Let us see them!” Hayama’s s/o said a little too excitedly.

“Why do you need to see them?”

“It’s the prize for our investigative abilities,” Nebuya’s s/o said.

Rolling your eyes, you reluctantly unzipped the jacket, revealing the bright red and purple marks spread across your neck and earning a gasp from all three of them.

“Akashi really doesn’t hold back, does he?” Hayama’s s/o giggled.

“Sounds about right— it’s Akashi Seijuro we’re talking about after all,” Mayuzumi’s s/o commented.

“So, did you have fun last night, Y/N?” Nebuya’s s/o grinned.

“Well, yeah,” you mumbled, beginning to feel a little embarrassed as you zipped the jacket back up.

“There are a lot of marks though. Is he really that rough?” Mayuzumi’s s/o asked, a slight hint of concern in their voice.

“Kind of? I don’t know. It feels weird talking about it. But he has his moments,” you answered, not knowing how much you should be sharing with them.

“He just seems so cool and collected that I can’t believe he did that much damage, you know?” Nebuya’s s/o explained.

“Yeah I get what you mean,” Hayama’s s/o nodded along as all of their heads turned to take a look at Akashi, who was instructing his team about something.

“Can we please move on from this topic, it’s weird,” you said quickly, not liking that they were all probably thinking about Akashi in a whole different way now.

They were somehow quite understanding of your request and the conversation quickly moved on to a different subject matter so that whatever happened between you and Akashi remained between the two of you— and you hoped that it would stay that way.

#kuroko no basket #kurokos basketball #kuroko no basket x reader #aomine daiki #kuroko tetsuya #kise ryouta #akashi seijuro #aomine daiki x reader #kise ryota x reader #akashi seijuro x reader #kuroko tetsuya x reader #knb #generation of miracles

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ironwoman359 · 4 years

Note

Trust issues with Virgil and Patton?

@badthingshappenbingo (read my specific rules for taking these prompts here)

Prompt: Trust Issues

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Summary: At a rescue/rehabilitation center for victims of human experimentation, Patton attempts to build a rapport with the newest patient.

Content Warnings: Fear, mistrust, past trauma, implied human experimentation.

Word Count: 1,336

Read on AO3 here

Bad Things Happen Masterlist

---

“How is he today?”

The grim look on Logan’s face was all the answer Patton needed, and he sighed. He placed the tray he’d been carrying on Logan’s desk and stepped around him to peer at the monitors his partner had been studying. They showed a video feed of a small but comfortably furnished room that looked empty at first glance, but Patton knew what to look for. There! In the corner furthest from the room’s door, a small, dark figure was huddled in a ball. Even through the video feed, it was clear that he was shaking.

Patton’s heart ached at the sight, and he wanted nothing more than to swoop in and pull the poor thing into his arms and promise him that everything would be okay. However, given his previous reactions to anyone trying to touch him, Patton knew that would be a bad idea. Still, he wasn’t going to just sit on the outside and observe anymore.

“I’m going to bring him his food today myself.”

Logan looked up, eyes wide.

“Patton, that is very ill-advised–”

“He’s not eaten anything, Lo, if we don’t get that to change fast, we’re going to have to sedate him and hook him up to a feeding tube, and you and I both know that if we do that we’ll shatter any chance of him ever trusting us.”

Logan sighed and rubbed his eyes, staring at the screens. “Yes, I know. I had hoped that us giving him space and providing him with food and water would be enough to show that we mean well, but apparently not.”

“You know what he’s survived, Logan,” Patton said quietly. “He probably doesn’t even trust that the food is safe. We have to prove to him that we aren’t going to hurt him.”

“Be careful,” Logan cautioned as Patton picked up his tray again and headed down the hallway to where the holding rooms were. Patton paused outside their newest guest’s room, and took a deep breath before punching a code in the keypad by the door. He hated that the door had to be kept locked, but when the subject was so unstable, they had to keep him confined for his own safety. Patton hoped they’d be able to change that soon.

“Hey there, kiddo,” Patton called softly as he stepped into the room, the automatic door sliding shut behind him with a hiss. “You doing okay this morning?”

The figure in the corner flinched away, and Patton smiled gently. He kept his eyes lowered and curled in on himself as he approached, trying to appear small and nonthreatening. He sat down on the floor, folding his legs underneath him, and glanced up to check for a reaction.

“I brought you something to eat,” he said. “Are you hungry?”

The boy glared at him from under a shock of dark hair, and Patton resisted the urge to reach out and brush it out of his eyes. He had to be more delicate than that if he was going to get through to him.

“You’ve gotta eat something, kiddo, you don’t wanna get sick,” he said. He held out the tray, but the boy just scooted further away. Patton nodded, setting the tray on the ground.

“Listen, I get it,” he murmured. “You’re scared, and suspicious. I don’t blame you; I would be too if I’d been in those labs. But this place isn’t like that. We’re a rehabilitation facility, you don’t have anything to fear here, I promise.”

The boy didn’t look convinced, but Patton hadn’t expected him to be. For all he was concerned, Patton was just another scientist who wanted something from him.

“Look kiddo, if you won’t eat your lunch, do you mind if I have some?” he asked lightly. “I haven’t eaten yet today, and this soup smells amazing.”

The boy frowned at that, glancing at Patton out of the corner of his eye, and Patton suppressed a smile.

Good, he had his attention.

Carefully, so the boy could see what he was doing, Patton picked up the plastic spoon from the edge of the tray and took a bite of the soup. He smiled over at the boy, who was staring openly at him now.

“You sure you don’t want any?” he asked. “It’s really good.”

He took another spoonful, then picked up the piece of bread lying on the tray and tore off a section, dipping it in the broth. He popped it in his mouth, then nudged the tray towards the boy with an encouraging smile.

The boy hesitated, and Patton made a show of swallowing his mouthful of bread. That seemed to finally be enough for him, and he scooted closer, just close enough to grab at the tray. He snatched up the hunk of bread and dunked it in the soup broth before tearing off an enormous bite. He barely took time to chew before swallowing and taking another massive mouthful, and Patton fought the urge to giggle.

“Easy, kiddo,” he said instead. “You don’t wanna choke and hurt yourself. There’s more where that came from if you want it.”

That made the boy pause, and he regarded Patton with a curious look. He swallowed slowly, then, in a voice so low and raspy that Patton almost didn’t hear, asked “Really?”

Patton forced his face to remain calm, even though his insides were leaping with excitement. He’d talked! He’d actually talked! Other than his panicked screams and aggressive hissing when he’d first been brought in, he hadn’t made a sound the entire time he’d been here, and now he’d spoken! Only one word, but still, it was progress, and Patton was going to take it.

“Of course,” he said, keeping his voice even. “There’s definitely enough for seconds if you want. I’d have to take a trip down to the kitchens to get some, but I’d be happy to do so!”

There was a beat of silence, and then,

“Why?”

Oh, that simple word spoke volumes, and Patton couldn’t decide whether he should pull the kiddo close and promise him that he’d never be hurt again or go out and hunt down anyone and everyone who was responsible for making the notion of kindness such a strange and foreign one to him.

“Because you need to get your strength up, kiddo,” he said, pushing both urges away for now. “You’ve been through a lot.”

“And what...” the boy’s voice shook, and he paused, swallowing before continuing. “What happens...after I get my strength up?”

Patton smiled sadly.

“Absolutely nothing. We’re not here to hurt you.”

The boy looked skeptical, and Patton sighed.

“I don’t blame you for not trusting me,” he said quietly. “I’d be cautious too, if I were in your shoes. I just...hope that you’ll give me a chance to prove that I really do want to help you. Will you let me do that?”

The boy regarded him silently, and eventually nodded. Patton smiled brightly at him, then took a deep breath. Time to test the waters.

“My name is Patton, by the way,” he said, and the boy's eyes widened just a bit. “Do you have something I can call you, besides just kiddo?”

The boy looked away, and Patton held his breath, hoping that he hadn’t moved too quickly. If he spooked now, it could take ages to coax him into opening a dialogue with them, and-

“Virgil.”

Patton nearly squeaked in surprise.

“My name is Virgil,” Virgil said again, and Patton’s face bloomed into a smile. Virgil watched him for a moment, then offered a tiny, hesitant smile back.

It was official. Patton was putting all his other cases on hold until he was sure that Virgil would never be afraid to smile again. The path towards his recovery certainly wouldn’t be easy, but if Virgil was willing to try, then Patton would give it his absolute everything.

“Well, Virgil,” he said, his smile growing wider. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

---

Part Two: Gaining Trust

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Sanders Sides Taglist (pt.1): @lizethemotherlycat, @coffeestudylive, @logically-asexual, @migraine-marathon, @princeyssash, @idontevenfreakingknow22, @tree4life25, @spacevirgil, @virgiltheanxious, @thebaagelboy, @msu82, @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2, , @thesleepyraziel, @bobolovesoze, @littlemiracle05, @pattson, @nerd-in-space, @thesides, @stay-in--place, @ravenclawunicorn1, @at-least-seven-pretty-potatoes, @michealawithana, @anotherfandomtrasher , @fandomsofrandom, @a-deliciouslyfadingcollection, @nightmarejasmine, @xxfoxit, @quoth-the-sparrow, @katatles-the-fish, @misty-the-mysterious, @alyssadashrub, @punkassplonker, @noctisvalex, @i-sold-my-soul-to-thefandom, @funsizedgremlin, @vigilantvirgill, @nonamefightergirl, @thomasbemyfriend, @starsinger , @milomeepit, @justabookworm39, @shortandfantastic, @thesilentbluesparrow, @royallyanxious, @mirror2thespirit, @coffee-stains-paper-and-ink, @silverrhayn, @mooksie01, @backatthebein, @nye275, @anastasialestina, @callboxkat, @a-lexicon-of-words, @emeraldfoxface, @peachie-keeen, @llamaly, @witch19, @heythereprincey, @bring-it-on-perra, @nienna14, @bubblycricket,

Sanders Sides Taglist (pt.2): @thomasfandersunite, @slightlyobssesive, @logicallyanxious, @apologetically-anxious, @keys117, @digitally-analog, @ocotopushugs, @warping-reality, @grey-lysander, @your-username-is-unavailable, @hikariyukino, @theresneverenoughfandoms, @virgil-sanderssss, @violetmcl, @thatfandomfollower, @nothingelsemattersmetalcisi-blog, @cdragontogacotar, @absentmindedproff, @fantasyandfairfolk, @virgilsblogofanxietys, @your-average-outcast, @sanderstalker, @galaxy-warping, @queen-of-all-things-snuggly @a-little-bit-of-ace, @faithfreedom-art @therealhmmlingle @xxladystarlightxx, @morgan-the-art-girl, @stormcrawler75 @wowitsmyblog, @romanssippycup, @lamp-calm-sanders, @musikasworld @cyberpunkjinx, @mauvelavender @samathekittycat @black-out-wonder @i-read-by-lamp @ravenclawicecream @nashiraneko @lucifer-in-my-head @ladyartemisia28 @awesome-and-unique-username @zoalish @entpscarleharrrr @raygelkitty @zeldahadasword @gubbalupagus @musicphanpie-b @virgilssweaterpaws, @faacethefacts @a-simple-fryingpan @pinkeasteregg @punknerdmusings @imantisocialgetoverit @anuninspiredpoet @awkward-avocado-of-death , @poison-lyra @modcarbz , @thisrandomperson102, @skydiamcnds @just-another-starfish , @thepoolofthedead ,

#badthingshappenbingo #moxiety #platonic moxiety #sanders sides #patton sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #hurt/comfort #my writing #stormcrawler75 #rainbow-filmnerd #asks and answers

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we-have-bangtan · 4 years

Text

I know i wrote about Yoongi experiencing y/n’s death but what if Yoongi WAS death?

prompt from @btswritingprompts ‘s blog <3

prompt: you die and death appears before you to take you to the afterlife. You expect a dark and cruel creature, like they tell of on earth but he’s actually..... a dork. He’s a pale, skinny kid with dark hair falling into his eyes, wearing jeans and a hoodie.

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

She looked up at Death, he looked surprisingly different from what she had expected. There was no cloak covering his face or a large scythe in hand, no dark skin and eyes that looked like burning coals. He wasn’t old by any means, he was almost the same age as her. He was pale and skinny, dark hair falling into his droopy eyes, he looked tired and sleepy and she had the urge to ask him if he ever got to rest at all.

Death noticed the girl eyeing his clothes, a black slam dunk hoodie and ripped black jeans, she was clearly judging him. “It’s dress down Friday, don’t judge me” he grumbled, the girl seemed the least bit freaked out about her own death, “are you just going to judge me? no crying or anything?” he asked cautiously, she simply shook her head, no crying, she had come to terms with her death long ago.

“come on then, I’ll guide you to the afterlife” he said, holding his had out to her. She took his hand as they started walking, she paid close attention to her surroundings, glass walls surrounded her, displaying what had happened just a few moments ago before she had lost her life, “how do you get to the afterlife?” she asked as she followed after him. “you go backwards in life till you reach the afterlife because the afterlife and the beforelife are the same” he explained as they went through what the girl had done yesterday, nothing special, just puking her guts out in the hospital, “why are you not freaking out?” Death asked starting to get a little worried, “because this is what i wanted for a long time now, they can live in peace now” she answered as they walked on.

“how long does it take to reach the afterlife?” she questioned, “how old are you?” he asked, “20″ she replied, “wow your young, it’ll take 20 days to reach the afterlife, one day for every year you have lived” he mumbled as they passed through more days of her being sick, some days in the hospital, some days at home, didn’t matter, she was sick. “are you sure you’re not gonna cry, i was hoping to get a front row seat to some crying and sobbing” he asked again, she punched him.

“is that why you took this job? so you can see people crying and sobbing over their own dead bodies?” she asked, “precisely” Death admitted before asking her another question, “how long have you been sick?” , they had passed more than half a year and she was still sick, either in bed or on the floor. “ a little over an year” she answered as she looked at herself, struggling to eat and sleep or even breath sometimes, “you almost died here you know” he said, pointing to when she had woken up from her sleep due to a nightmare, “you were the stubbornest soul us grim reapers have worked with, after Jesus ofcourse” he informed, “you simply refused to die, you’re very popular among the grim reapers” he added as nightfall came on the path. “rest child” he instructed, stopping at a street corner so she could stay still for a moment as he finished the paperwork for her soul.

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

Soul Fill Form

Name: Y/n

age: 20

Gender : F

Cause of death: Sickness

Day: Friday

Delivering soul to: reaper’s club for wannabe reapers

Name of Reaper delivering: Min Yoongi (death)

Reaper no.: 090393

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

They rested for a while more before starting on their journey to the next year, the last three month were the same, sickness and pain edged themselves into her life, “how did you end up a reaper?” she asked, “career counselling” he shrugged as they kept walking. He snorted when he saw her splash a glass of lemonade at someone, this was a few months before she had started to get sick, she had clearly had a happy life before she had gotten sick, plenty of friends and loving family members but she didn’t react to them.

“bruh you're hella weird” he said out loud looking at her having a loudest fart competition with her brother, “it was a phase ok” she grumbled, “i doubt people go through phases at 19″ he laughed as they moved on stopping at where she had her first kiss, “ewww, i don’t want to see that” he protested but she still dragged him to watch her making out with a random dude, “was he good?” Death asked as they moved on, he had refused to watch the porno the random dude and her had reenacted. “pretty good” she shrugged as they moved on, they stopped in between for pocky sticks from a stall run by Seokjin who seemed to be familiar with Death because he delivered a few choice insults before handing them pocky sticks and tangerines to enjoy on their journey.

“where do you think ghouls send their post?” he asked randomly on day 5, she shrugged, “the ghost office” he laughed, she scoffed at his bad sense of humor, “Seokjin taught you that didn’t he?” she asked, he nodded admitting that he himself didn’t enjoy those jokes much.

The days started to drag on from day 7, they still had 13 days to go and in those 13 days, Death behaved like a dear friend, he rambled on about what he did before he died, his interests and career before he had been killed in a car crash, he had explained all that when she had noticed the needle scars on her arms and the scars underneath her dress where she had been operated on. He had showed her the scars on his palms, faded with time but they were still there, a little bump on his gentle touch.

Apparently the scars would remain as a reminder of how they had died, at least one of them would change into a birthmark when they were reborn, “how many times were you reborn?” she asked him, curiosity poking at her, “never, i didn’t want to be born again and experience all that again, they give you a choice, you can choose if you’d want to be reborn or not” he explained as they walked through when she was 11 years old, “you were a cute 11 year old” he observed looking at her chubby cheeks and the ribbons in her hair. She just grinned at his observation.

He found her endearing, her constant babbling and the way she treated him. Her heart shaped lips and pink tinted cheeks. She was lovable and he found himself getting more and more attached to her, she was no longer just another soul, she was Y/n, the soul of a perfect human. She’d be a great reaper he reckoned, she’d be able to calm and console souls who had passed with lots of matters to settle.

The closer they go to the afterlife the more questions Y/n had, she’d bug him again and again, asking the most bizarre ones he had ever encountered. She asked about the people who he had escorted, anyone famous?, how many reapers were there? could she become a reaper? would she see him again? would she see other reapers as well?

They reached the gates of the afterlife/beforelife soon enough and Death handed the guard her form before taking her hands in his, “be good, don’t give them a hard time, I’ll come to get you once your training is done, that is incase you decide not to be reborn, even then I’ll still see you soon, even though you’d have to wait a few years before you can see me like that” he mumbled, pressing a kiss to her cheek, “stay strong Y/n” he whispered, pressing another kiss to her forehead before pulling away from her, “good bye Death” she said making him pause, “it’s Yoongi now, not Death, Yoongi” he told her, letting go of her hands, “Yoongi,” she whispered, his name sounding like a sweet melody on her tongue, “good bye, i’ll see you soon” she mumbled as the guard opened the heavy metal gates, waiting for her to pass through.

They held on to each other till they couldn’t anymore. Death watched on as his beloved walk through the gates into the afterlife, satisfied that he would see her again soon enough.

Y/n followed the guard to a well lit room in which a tall man in a striking blazer was seated, “hello, welcome to the afterlife, I am Namjoon the career counselor” he introduced as the guard placed her paperwork in front of him, he went through the papers before pausing at the last sheet, he smiled at Yoongi’s messy scrawl that he called a handwriting

“ GO EASY ON HER FOR ME <3 - Yoongi/Death“

__________________________________________

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ectonurites · 4 years

Note

Okay, so I kinda wanna know your thoughts about how weird the fandom portrays the bat characters. Canon is ... not my favorite, but it actually offers a lot of nuance to the characters that I think makes them all interesting. Unlikable, but interesting. I noticed fanon tends to boil the batkids all into these superflat caricatures. Like, cereal obsessed manchild Dick Grayson or bad boy who's literal crimes are only because of the lazarus pit Jason Todd. Its not really a major problem, just weird

Oh I have a LOT of thoughts about this. I try so hard not to shit on how other people interact with content because like, it’s comic books! We’re all just here trying to make the best out of a mess of stuff and have fun, but admittedly a lot of fanon stuff drives me fuckin’ nuts as someone who reads a ton of comics.

Like, I like memes, obviously, I draw tons of memes with the batfam (+ yj) characters and make lighthearted jokes etc etc, and honestly if it’s just for jokes then I don’t mind people having whack interpretations of the characters quite as much. The thing that drives me up a wall though is like... when serious works and analysis and discussion are very clearly based on just the fanon interpretations without any bearing on canon aside from what you could skim from a wiki page, and it’s spoken like it’s fact! There’s ‘having fun with jokes that aren’t taking things that seriously’ and then there’s ‘blatantly mischaracterizing based on misinformation’. Way too often I see things fall into that second category.

Now, a lot of people in the batfam fandom don’t... actually read comics (or at least not frequently) and that’s not even a bad thing necessarily, like you’re 100% allowed to enjoy content however you want to! (I don’t wanna be gatekeepey, especially since comics are confusing to get into)

But the problem is that when a lot of people aren’t reading the comics, then the people who do’s opinions have a lot more influence if they’re loud enough. All it takes is one person who read something and interpreted it a specific way that might not even be correct, and then it can echo chamber and suddenly half the fandom thinks it’s 100% canon that way because ‘oh so and so said that and they actually read it’.

I also think that’s a problem with the popularity of out of context panels/blogs, while they are super funny sometimes, when people make assumptions about characters based on just a few things without context... it can lead to problems. If enough people say something enough times people just... start to think it’s true, even if it exists entirely devoid of context which changes the meaning.

Like, for example, according to canon there’s no actual confirmation Tim stalked Batman on foot for an extended period of time! We know from Lonely Place of Dying that he followed him once to get a picture to convince DIck that he still needed a Robin. Otherwise his ‘stalking’ & how he figured out Batman’s identity was more through media appearances (like newspapers and tv). This is wildly different from the common fanon idea that little Timmy was sneaking out regularly to follow Batman & Robin around with his camera.

I primarily blame Geoff Johns for this misconception because of these panels in in tt 2003 (from issue 29)

But like, think about it for a second, literally how would Jason know that? This is one of the first times he’s ever interacting with Tim, and he was dead/catatonic when that would have been happening! He is either making a wild assumption or perhaps Talia told him this when she told him about Tim, whichever of those it was it’s secondhand information not something he witnessed. Taking his word as fact here makes no sense, he was just trying to get under Tim’s skin while fighting him. But seeing those panels out of context if you haven’t actually read Lonely Place of Dying/only read a vague summary of it, and don’t necessarily know the details of the Jason situation, it could absolutely lead you to believe otherwise!

Dick as a cereal manchild is a weird one because like... okay yeah sure he likes cereal, I can think of like two panels I’m too lazy to find right now off the top of my head of him having it, but... that’s not something we see all the time! Its not like Ollie & his chili (which IS a running joke- seriously I have not read that many Green Arrow comics but the amount of times I’ve seen that man bring up chili in just in the few things I have read is wild. there’s even an official recipe. his chili has it’s own dc wiki page). Then, because Dick isn’t quite as emotionally closed off in the same way the rest of the batfam tends to be, people project literally all the pent up feelings onto him, making him this hug-crazy crybaby manchild... again it’s just very clear people who perpetuate those ideas (outside of like, maybe as jokes) haven’t actually fully read that many comics with him. I’d also even blame the Young Justice cartoon version of Dick for some other traits fanon Dick has, bc that version of him is def a bit of a Hot Mess™️ once he’s Nightwing

Jason I understand misconceptions about probably the most because of how wildly inconsistent his writing was before the new 52 and how consistently Not Great it was once Lobdell took over. Jason’s one of the few characters I have read like, 90% of appearances for so I’m speakin’ from experience here. But still... acting like Jason as Red Hood is just a ‘bad boy rebel’ that could have a relatively happy connection with the whole Batfam is fun but unrealistic. You can not blame everything on the lazarus pit... he still has killed people! Lots of people! Willingly! Yes he has reasons and when he’s being written well it’s clear that he’s not just ‘random murder happy’ but rather ‘I kill when I feel they deserve it and that it’s necessary’ which is what keeps him an anti-hero rather than a full fledged villain most of the time, but that still keeps him so at odds with the rest of the Batfamily! Writers in more current continuity have had him compromise by only using rubber bullets in Gotham so they can have him interact with the family, but he’s still killed and will do it when he deems it necessary.

Also like... at the time of Under The Red Hood in the comics... theoretically... he hadn’t even been in the lazarus pit for well over a year. Go read Lost Days (it’s short! And except for the thing with him & Talia towards the end of the last issue it’s pretty good!), he spends a lot of time traveling the world and learning things/training before the events of UtRH. Yes you could interpret there still being some Lazarus influence going on there but I think the movie version of UtRH especially leads people to believe there’s a lot less time between his dunk in the pit and his first actions as Red Hood.

Fanon also has a lot of ideas about pit madness that vary wildly from what we have seen in canon, like yeah it’s been said to be a thing to some extent, but there’s not really the Danny Phantom Glowing Green Eyes™️ or anything like that... it’s fun to explore cool new ideas for sure but I just think it’s important to recognize the distinction between things that are actually canon and things that are popular fanon. (Also there are things that fall somewhere in between, there’s definitely stuff that isn’t 100% confirmed canon but could still be plausible/has been hinted at by some writers/is only canon in some settings)

Other things that drive me nuts are ‘quiet does-no-wrong angel Cass’ and ‘the Normal One™️ Duke’ because those just make literally no sense if you’ve read any comics with either of them... but fan content either does those versions or just completely ignores their existence a lot of the time! So! That’s a whole bigger problem!

In general though, this is fandom it’s not like this... matters that much on the grand scheme of things in life, we’re just people on social media talkin’ about comics. And this kind of misconception/flattening of characters does happen in literally every fandom ever. But it still does suck to see characters that have a lot of nuance and interesting history to play around with get reduced to a few traits that aren’t even actually that relevant to who they are.

#batfam #pls dont kill me for sayin al this again im not telling anyone how to enjoy stuff JUST my thoughts

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sirdust · 3 years

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I just watched it and you are the one HB blog I follow so I wanted to say hhhhhhhhhhhtHE ANIMATION!!!!! AND THE LITTLE BITS AND PIECES OF EVERYONE'S PERSONALITIES THROUGH THEIR ACTIONS! LOONA SHOWING HOW WELL SHE READS BLITZO! THE DIFFERENT ANIMATION STYLES IN BLITZO AND MOXXIE'S TRIPPY ACID SEQUENCES! MOXXIE'S WAS A MUSICAL NUMBER AND PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AND THE ANIMATION FELT KINDA DISNEY-Y AND THEY SANG OUT THEIR FEELING AND HE CAME OUT FEELING BETTER AND TRIED OPENING UP TO BLITZO AFTER!! AND HOOOOOOOOOLY SHIT THE ANIMATION IN BLITZO AND THE SYMBOLISM HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT AND LIKE. ALL OF THE IMAGES OF STOLAS, THE FUCKING CONTRAST BETWEEN STOLAS ON AN ALMOST ANGELIC THRONE LOOKING SO MUCH MORE SUBLIME THAT BLITZO FOLLOWED UP BY A MOTHERFUKCING DEMON OVERLORD OOOOOOOHOHOHOHO YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES

AND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE FIGHT SCEEEEEEEEEEENS i hecking loe fight scenes!!!! Where it's everyone just dunking on an enemy ALL TOGETHER!!!!!! And we got to see their fighting styles and we got to see LOONA fighting too I think it's the first time!!!!! And Blitzo just casually offering Millie stuff whil she was murdering! And Loona and Millie interactions!!!!! AND YEAH!!!! And explicit confirmation that yeah ALL the villains so far have the possibilities of coming back but THESE ONES FEEL THE MOST LIKELY THAT HINT, AND HOW LITTLE EXPLANATION WE GOT ON THEIR BACKSTORY AND WHERE THEY GET FUNDS AND SHIT

And!!!!!!!! Between the remaining scenes from future episodes we've yet to see plus what was brought up in Blitzo's dream!!!!!!! I am looking forwards to a fucking TALK between Blitzo and Stolas!!!!!!!! (Also my love of Blitzo increases. I just like him as a character. He's a piece of shit but he's a piece of shit that gives me Good Feelings.)

Okay yeah thank you for tolerating my incoherent rambling I suppose?? XD But yes Stolas and Blitzo do need to have a talk about feelings and how they see each other and working to correct that. Soon. Yeah.

you fucking said it buddy.

i've posted about stolas but i want to delve a little deeper into actually analyzing the imagery... i'm pretty convinced he's a fallen angel and the "stairway to heaven" that appears in blitz's hallucination seems to support that. which makes the utterly horrifying demon form we see minutes later that much more impactful. stolas is in a position where he's able to do either tremendous help or tremendous harm and while the story so far would seem to point us to the latter, i'm interested in seeing how his character arc plays out. he's probably ancient but he still has a lot to learn.

#stainedglassthreads #asks #spoilers //#long post //

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verobatto · 4 years

Text

Destiel Chronicles

Vol. CIV

It was a love story from the very beginning.

Two Worlds. Two Hearts. (Part III)

(13x17/13x18/13x19)

Hello my friends! This is the third part of this topic. This time we are gonna talk about 'Funeralia' episode 13x19 written by Steve Yockey.

We had a little of second meaning and laughs in this episode, so I hope you enjoy it.

Cas is a clueless hot angel

The first scene I wanna talk about is Rowena flirting with Castiel because I can. Our sweet witch doesn't lose her opportunity to show she really appreciates Castiel sex apple when she hears him talk at the other side of the line.

Of course, our cute angel reacts all flustered and Dean just looks at him askance like: "why are you blushing?" Which I find very accurate with Jealous!Dean. It's exactly the same reaction he had when Meg was around sending hearts with her eyes to Cas.

Gif set credit @bennylafitte

Rowena: Ah, the handsome angel is there, isn’t he? Hello tweety pie.

Castiel: Um, hello.

Another funny scene was the classic 'ball handler' .

Let's see how this scene starts...

Castiel and Dean are both trying to think how to track Gabe.

Dean: I didn’t say it was gonna be easy, but uh… All right, come on. Ideas. [closes his eyes and rubs his hands together] Come on. Here we go.

Dean starts by making a gesture with his hands, very cute and dummy, just because Castiel is there watching him. Cas sighs and closes his eyes. In that moment Dean flicks his eyes to him. Yeah, Castiel's handsome. But then Mr. MISCOMMUNICATION strikes again...

Dean: (...) Nah. I need a real drink. I’m gonna get a beer. You wanna beer?

Castiel: No.

Dean: I’ll get a beer.

Gif set credit @inacatastrophicmind

Okay, this is something very VERY known in the fandom, so, I'm not saying new things but, Yockey wanted to remark here the Destiel classic MISCOMMUNICATION. In which Dean offers beer, Castiel says NO, and he gives him a beer anyways. So, if you pay attention bro the body language, Castiel shifts uncomfortably in his place as if he was mad.

Castiel: Maybe Heaven could help us.

Dean: Ah, not for nothing, but don’t the angels mostly want to kill you?

Dean again sending danger around Castiel. He doesn't want his angel to go through it, or die again. So, angels? Heaven? Is not a good idea.

Castiel: Yes. Yeah. This would be something of a Hail Mary.

Dean: Hmm.

Castiel: It’s a sports term, like slam dunk or, uh... ball handler.

Dean: That’s, uh… Mnh-mnh. No, I don’t think it's a good idea.

Gif credit @shirtlesssammy

Castiel is hilariously using a second meaning term and Dean can't explain it because it would mean explain a sexual meaning to the angel, which, it's a big no. So he just checks him out, because he knows Castiel is not aware of he said. But it's also kind of hot and cute.

This is related to Gabe apparition in this season and all the sexuality and second meanings linked to angels.

When they engage into a discussion about why going with the angels is not a good plan, Sam appears in the middle bringing another problem. Dean solves that one and then, coming from nowhere, he just throws the conclusion to their previous chat with Castiel. This quote is full of Dean's deep fears. And it caught Sammy's attention, giving him an idea of what he had just interrupted.

Dean: You better. Cas, you wanna try this angel thing, then go for it. Just don’t get dead again.

Gif set credit @inacatastrophicmind

'Just don't get dead again'. It's an inner prayer Dean has everyday, each time he recalls Castiel's dead and his own mourning. And Castiel's sueprised face.

Two Lovers

The dialogue between Jessica, the reaper, and Sam and Dean, telling them she's always watching them, it's a creepy foreshadow of Chuck and his eternal watching over the boys. Not intimacy at all.

But, I named this section 'two lovers' and I'm gonna explain why.

There's a pic inside a book Sam and Dean find to research about the murder of several reapers.

That picture had been analyzed plenty but a lot of meta writers in this fandom.

What I'm gonna add here is...

A lady in red ( Dean) a man in blue (Cas) and Death trying to separate them, unfructuously. Why? Because the man in blue (Castiel) kills Death.

This could be applied to:

Castiel killing Billie and then dying and then coming back from the Empty. It could be seen as triumph in episode 13x05 when the lovers are reunited.

But, but, knowing now the facts, I think it applies mostly to 15x18. Because Cas killing Death again... Being swallowed by the Empty (lovers separation) and then coming back to life in Heaven. And they robbed our Destiel reunion, for sure.

To Conclude, Death was always there separating the lovers...

Another quote I'm gonna bring here is something Bernard said to Dean...

Bernard: She’s powerful, she’s gorgeous, and she’s paying me a small fortune. That woman didn’t have to cast a spell on me.

This, my friends, it's related to the spell those two sisters put on Dean to make him fall in love with one of them. But... Takes those words and put it in Dean's mind. That applies perfectly to Castiel and him. Because CAS DIDN'T NEED TO PUT ANY SPELL ON HIM, BECAUSE CAS IS GORGEOUS AND POWERFUL, AND DEAN IS IN LOVE WITH HIM, FREELY IN LOVE WITH HIS ANGEL.

Another little foreshadows were implied in the conversation between Naomi and Castiel.

First of all, Castiel is able to snap at her what she did to him in season 8, as a growth of character. But, let's point at the little clues...

After talking about the few angels alive, which bring the huge crisis in Heaven, that will be solve by Jack as the new god at the end of the show, we had a foreshadow for 'souls walking the Earth' that will open season 14.

Naomi: Without him, in time we’ll burn out. Heaven will crumble, and all the souls that have been entrusted to our care will fall back to earth. Picture it, Castiel-- billions upon billions of ghosts unleashed upon the world. All that chaos, all that death.

And then, in our noses, Naomi is telling us the show was about to end...

Naomi: Everything ends, Castiel.

Cas: Everything ends.

To Conclude:

This episode had it all, sexual innuendo, fan service and clues to decipher the incoming season and also the end of the show.

I hope you enjoyed this meta, see you in the next one!

Tagging @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weird-dorky-little-d @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @authorsararayne @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha

@destielle @spnsmile @shippsblog @robot-feels @superlock-in-the-tardis @superduckbatrebel @2musiclover2 @madronasky @anon-non2 @cea1996 @lisafu02 @asphodelesauvage @destiels-canonahhhhhhhhhh

If you wanna be added or removed from this list just let me know.

If you wanna read the previous metas from season 13 here you have the links...

VOL. XCIII, XCIV, XCV, XCVI, XCVII, XCVIII, XCIX, C, CI, CII, CIII.

Buenos Aires, March 21, 2021 2:30 PM

#destiel #destiel meta #destiel chronicles #supernatural meta #vol. civ #season 13 meta #13x19 meta #Castiel #Dean Winchester #Sam Winchester #Rowena #Billie #Jessica the reaper #Naomi

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konglindorm · 4 years

Text

Lindworm Promo Series Repost: The Story

*This is a repost from 9/10/17, with some edits for spelling and to reflect my current publishing situation*

Today I’m going to tell you about my favorite story. The story that built this blog. The Danish title is Kong Lindorm. The English is King Lindworm, but it’s often translated Prince Lindworm instead, and that’s how I met it, in a collection on my grandparents’ shelf.

It goes like this:

A queen can’t have children. The literal translation of this is that “nothing was written on their wedding sheets,” which I think is stunningly beautiful, and I want everyone who says that fairy tales are just bare bones, lacking in character development or imagery, to read it.

The queen goes to a wise woman, who tells her about a fancy ritual where she puts a couple of upside-down-tea-cups by the north gate and two flowers come up overnight. Queen eats one if she wants a boy, the other if she wants a girl. She is not, under any circumstances, to eat both.

So she grows her flowers and translations vary, but usually she chooses the girl flower. Then it tastes so good, she just has to eat the other one too.

Sometimes the stupidity of fictional people just makes me want to bang my head against the wall repeatedly, you know?

I have in my possession what I believe is the earliest recorded version of this story (more on that later), and this is the point where it branches off from the one I grew up with. In the first version, the queen gives birth to a Lindworm, which is a Scandinavian dragon/snake monster, usually bipedal with small wings. In my first version, she does this, and then gives birth to a normal human son, as well. Since I started with the version with the brother, I tend to prefer it—it adds to the story, but takes nothing away, so if you want a sense for the original, just quietly disregard a few sentences as I move forward here, assume the Lindworm is speaking to the king instead of the prince, whatever.

Prince grows up, wants to get married, sets out to find a bride. Lindworm, who slithered away immediately after birth and about whose existence their mother said nothing, appears in the road to say, “hey, actually I’m a few minutes older than you, so I’m supposed to get married first.”

A real interesting conversation ensues at the royal family dinner table that night.

They get a princess to marry the Lindworm. The Lindworm eats her right after the wedding. Prince goes bride-hunting again, Lindworm objects again, a second princess is provided. Same thing happens. Prince sets out a third time, Lindworm demands a bride a third time. Wising up, finally, the king recruits some random girl whose parents don’t have the means to go to war against him.

Third girl encounters a wise woman in the forest. Wise woman gives her some seriously wacky advice. Wedding happens, they retreat to the honeymoon suite, and the Lindworm tells our girl to take off her dress.

Only if you take off your skin, she says. He does. She does. She’s wearing a second dress. Same deal. Turns out she’s wearing one more layer than the Lindworm is, so that’s a disgusting mess. Then she whips him with whips soaked in lye. Then she dunks him in a big tub of milk. Then she embraces him.

When they wake up the next morning, the Lindworm is a handsome prince. The kingdom rejoices. His bloody history is instantly forgotten. We all live happily ever after.

I was drawn to this story immediately, largely because it was completely ridiculous. For years I have burned with the desire to understand all this craziness. And I more or less do now, but more on that later. This is just the beginning.

Over the next several weeks, I’ll be talking about this story in much more detail. And on April 13, my novel Lindworm will be released!

I’m really excited about this story, and I’m really excited about sharing it with you.

#lindworm #prince lindworm #king lindorm #king lindworm #kong lindorm #folklore #fairy tales

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bisluthq · 4 years

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I know this is preaching to the converted here but I genuinely don't understand Ks who think they broke up in 2019 while Lover was being recorded/ME! being filmed. Cause they say about the relationship breaking down around the 'fake wedding' but the wedding wasn't fake. I can sort of believe it if they broke up in 2018 with K choosing Josh for good but tbh given how they didn't interact from nov 2016 onwards + social media stuff I can't see it from then

I think I can actually understand it, it’s just not true. But I really am not here for dunking on people getting this wrong historically and in fact figuring out what happened here and why it went on for so long on main can teach us some valuable lessons so let’s go through this.

I think several things happened that lead fandom into making this kritical error (over and over): 1) Taylor went dark in November 2016. Kar didn’t. People who thought they were together found it comforting to believe that they were together because Karlie was offering Tay’s fans a window into “their” life together. Which was... not a window into Tay’s life, obviously, because that makes no sense, but I think it was a nice fantasy that was actively being reinforced by a number of influential Kays. But like yeah a lesson here is private couples are... about an equal amount of private usually unless one is much more famous and therefore seen more. But the less famous half of a celeb couple isn’t going to be posting lifestyle content from the home of their famous spouse who only poses with blank walls. That’s silly.

2) Taylor produced Reputation and said she is going to keep her private life private (for that era - idk why hard Kays keep dredging that prologue out as gospel for the rest of time when it does seem like it was part of the whole snake era vibes) and let the music do the talking. She also then went and said all of the album was for one muse. The latter makes no sense at all, as I’ve explained before there are.... pretty visibly three separate romantic relationships being discussed on the album. We have something messy in SIG, DBM, DWOHT and Dress except for the bridge (like the latter is not just in terms of gay/straight readings but it goes from “pining and anticipation” anxiety to “one and only my lifeline” - it literally is about two people and two different points in her life). We have something good and new in CIWYW, Delicate, KOMH and NYD. We then have Getaway Car. And we also have the diss tracks some of which do seem to reference messy muse in some ways. But Tay said to fans “this is all about my angel boyfriend Joe” and instead of being like “oh okay so that’s an exaggeration obviously but Joe can still be real you wouldn’t want to formally talk about exes when you’re happy in something new” Kays decided what she meant was “this is all about my angel girlfriend Kar”. Both are stupid things to believe due to the actual lyrical evidence and the fact that there are, as I yelled into the void for the first three years of thinking this, at least three relationships discussed in the lyrics but both opinions are kinda rooted in evidence of some sort.

3) Swiftwyn were extremely private for the first few years of their relationship and whenever they appeared formally in the media it was to stunt for her promo (which is often the case, like this is why pap walks aren’t great confirmation of a relationship) which made it possible to sell it as a PR relationship even though it made no sense as one. “Proving” it’s real in some capacity required deep diving for the multitude of receipts that they’re regularly spotted together as @youareinlovees so legendarily did. And nobody wanted to do that because they liked the idea that he’s not really around and that Kaylor are still on because lbr it’s a hotter idea. Like it’s that simple. Also, given Joe wasn’t a household name prior to dating Tay (but let me just stress again that his biggest role was before he dated her and he consciously took a step back when they got together), nobody knew anything about him and so they could call him boring and shit and therefore dispute her attraction to him while pulling up a stunty and kinda cringey Vogue interview lmao as proof of Kaylor’s deep love for one another.

4) big blogs spread lies and nobody bothered to verify the veracity of things that were being said. Which is probably our biggest lesson to take away from them. Fact check shit, kids. Y’all kept repeating the Kissgate thing - that they went dark straight after - when that was literally a lie. Like I love being fact checked and I think my regular readers know that because y’all relish fact checking me (as you should 😌). And you all should like being fact checked too. Being wrong isn’t a crime. We all get stuff wrong and we all say dumb shit. What’s bad is refusing to admit it, ya know, and ignoring evidence in order to prove something or twisting evidence of one thing into something else. And both sides are regularly guilty of this. Like hets spent ages going on about how Kar wasn’t important to Tay and was just the “situationship” lesson from the Elle essay (when I think it’s pretty clear she was all that glitters is not gold). And Kays spent ages saying Kar is her soulmate other half type. And both sets of people were being silly and not being objective.

5) Finally, there is a lesson about inductive versus deductive reasoning at play here. If you’re going from a conclusion - Karlie and Taylor are together and are soulmates - it becomes possible to twist anything into supporting that. If you think Karlie and Taylor never had anything at all it becomes possible to twist anything into supporting that. If you think inductively and try put together actual evidence that you find into a picture that makes sense you’re more likely to be on the right track. Like you can still fuck up because you’re not those people but at least you’ll make sense.

Anyway I think the point is we should learn from this situation and not bash people who believed it for a long time because I can see how it happened and I’m happy many are seeing the light now.

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safflowerseason · 4 years

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How many followers does Dan Egan have on insta and or twitter? Does he post selfies of just himself? What do the comments sections look like?

Oh god, I have no idea. Are we talking canon Dan or BMTL-Dan?

For BMTL-Dan, I have actually looked at the Pod Save America guys as a very loose comparison to the kind of career Dan might have…career political strategists who are still active in the field while also very clearly building their own media brands. Dan’s never going to be interested in activism the way the PSA team is, but he’s building up an independent media brand separate from BKD or whatever politician he’s working for at any given time, a public identity he can parlay into media/book-writing/boardmember gigs in the future. The PSA guys are all way more active on Twitter than Instagram, but I think Dan would value Instagram as a conduit to his stay-at-home housewife fanbase, where he can post more domestic pics that shamelessly play up his DILF status, as well as artsy behind-the-scenes pics of campaigns/running around the Hill/whatever BKD is doing. Twitter he uses for commentary and promotion (for both him and Amy) and dunking on Jonah. There are of course lots of fawning Instagram about how attractive he is, plus the usual intrusive questions, weird demands, wildly incorrect gossip tidbits…I also imagine Dan’s obsessive fangirls have divided into pro- and anti-Amy camps, as well: either they love Amy for her ambition and think she’s perfect for him, or she’s an evil manipulative work-obsessed bitch who just used Dan for his sperm. So there will always be comments excoriating her or supporting her.

As for canon-Dan…this question is actually surprisingly hard to answer, because the show actually does not frame Dan as a person who is interested in social media as a tool for his own gain (personal or political). This is interesting considering that Dan’s bottomless vanity and his obsession with appearances as a conduit to power make him exactly the kind of person who would be very into social media. It certainly would have worked as a way to highlight Dan’s craven need for any kind of attention, as well as his god-given ability to create media narratives that appeal to the public, no matter how fake they actually are. As Selina’s deputy communications director and later working for CBS, social media is a big part of Dan’s job, and the show just…glosses over it, in both eras.

In the Iannucci-era of the show, the demands of Dan’s job necessitate that he lives his life pretty online, even if he’s not necessarily posting about himself. (The same goes for Amy and Mike). I think we can safely infer that Dan probably has his own Twitter account, and he’s possibly running Selina’s VPOTUS Twitter before she becomes President, and we also know that he knows his way around Spotify. The show never mentions Instagram (I don’t think?), but I think it’s safe to assume Dan has one. Working for Selina, his profiles would have to be just as carefully coordinated as hers. He could only post (and like) things that supported her message and branding. Even if his accounts are not formally linked to Selina’s social media landscape, Iannucci Dan is much too image conscious to post anything that would get him or his boss into trouble.

(Okay, this turned into a rant, so putting the rest of the essay under the cut)

Still, Iannucci-Dan never mentions anything pertaining to his own “brand”—while Dan is very ambitious and we know he possesses detailed career plans that exist in multiple phases that involve referring to himself in the third person, none of this ever translated over to social media. There’s no explicit sense that Dan is trying to develop this kind of “Dan Egan™️” brand that can stand alone no matter who he works for, or how many times he gets fired/“resigns.” Building up his social media brand would be exactly the kind of thing he should be doing in between jobs, but the show never indicates he does that. Instead, he’s trying to get into lobbying, a career in which social media isn’t really necessary—how many followers Dan has on Twitter have no bearing on how good he is at lobbying. I feel like this is something that might have changed about Dan’s character if the show premiered in 2017, instead of 2012, but also who knows. Iannucci-Dan is also the type of guy who is constanty trying to be trendy and cool and failing (“Deck’s a thing, right?”)…I don’t think it's a coincidence that of the two “younger” men on the show, Jonah’s the one starting his own web series or whatever.

As for Mandel-era Dan, well…the fact that Mandel never even mentioned social media in relation to Dan defies all character logic, because his version of Dan would have been obsessed with his social media presence. Mandelian-Dan is clearly way interested in his brand—he tells Amy at the end of S5 that he wants to get an agent to launch “Dan Egan” properly. Moreover, Dan’s new job at CBS would have required regular posting on Twitter and Instagram, the careful curation of a sanitized celebrity image that would appeal to bored housewives in middle America. Social media is a huge part of that, and Mandel just totally skated over in favor of…plotlines about fake sexual harassment.

But this overall speaks to Mandel’s weird blindspot about social media and the behavior of public figures. He looked at Twitter as a news platform, not a place where politics actually happens, where public opinion and discourse are shaped. And there’s no way Dan Egan, after two years at CBS and thus with a decent sized social media following of his own, can swan into an abortion clinic in Iowa, in the year 2019, with the top aide of an ex-president who is currently running in the primaries and not have anyone notice and post about it. It just flies in the face of reality. (To compare with a different politial universe, Josh Lyman in The West Wing totals a Prius at a car dealership in D.C and it blows up on the local blogs IN THE YEAR 2004.) This isn't even getting into the Amy of it all, and whatever limited attention she might command. Now, I don’t want to frame Dan as a major American celebrity who can’t walk the streets unbothered. He is distinctly not. Being a well-regarded communications strategist—or even a failed morning news host—is not the same as being a Clooney. But Dan undoubtedly operates in the public eye to a new degree after his CBS gig, and the fact that the show never explored that new dimension of his career is mind-boggling to me.

Of course, Sex-Psychopath Dan wouldn’t last two minutes on social media without an underage girl outing him as a predator, and obviously the power of Dan’s golden dick had to be highlighted first and foremost in S7, so I guess an entire paradigm-shifting dimension of modern politics had to be ignored. If I sound cranky and bitter, it is because I am. Mandel’s complete ignorance of social media, which defined Trump’s campaign (apparently a huge source of inspiration for S7) is in fact one of the most infurating parts of Veep’s final season to me, and I will never stop whining about it.

Anyway, to wrap up my rant, I actually have no idea what canon-Dan might get up to on social media, because the show actually does not indicate that Dan is a social-media user beyond whatever is required for his job. Mandel-Dan would just post selfies, for sure. Iannucci-Dan would understand that building a political brand is not like building an influencing brand, and would probably do a lot more “behind-the-scenes” posting, with the very occasional selfie (and occasional glimpse of Amy, presumably). Since social media features so prominently in @thebookofmaev’s most recent fic, I imagine she might also have some thoughts on this topic!

#dan egan #veep and social media

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