#i am deeply uncomfortable with actor shipping

[heretherebedork]

They are real people! Well, fictional real people. But real people. Auuugh.

And the audacity to slap me with an artificial height difference?! Ooof.

(But also, seriously, do not ship real people plz. Or at the very least don't tell them about it. Okay? )

But also, ooo, direct translations of Thai shipping terms. Fascinating. @absolutebl It is very interesting to see terms used in other languages for different tropes and characterizations.

[thegreencooler]

Amends

I don't usually dip my toe in the drama pool. At least not too deeply. But what's going on in fandom this week, the revelations, were extreme. The people who have come forward... they were in a cult. I am not being overdramatic about this. Gamifying harassment, forcing disconnections like Scientology, needing everyone to observe the same talking points or risk ostracism, leadership using it for money, criminal behavior towards those The Guru has deemed the Out-Group including members who don't conform heavily enough... That's a cult. The internet has made cult behavior REALLY easy. Likes and engagement make you suddenly aware of which direction your circle is leaning. If you agree, YOU TOO GET POINTS. You too will experience that sense of belonging, and that's what it's all about. So if your circle is being outright mean... if you don't want to be cast off as "not one of them"... maybe you say the mean thing too, even if it's a lie, even if you're not really sure why you're saying it. That approval feels SUPER GOOD and is addictive. And your circle amps each other up, gets meaner and meaner. The only people who stay in the in-group are those who don't speak up about the bad behavior and are willing to keep going along with it. Those aren't friendships. It's a pack of hungry carnivores. It's the same behaviors police gangs use on cops who speak up. I do have some sympathy, especially for the younger people who were still forming their identities. They were victims of indoctrination and criminal harassment. That said, they have to own their own behavior. I hope they learn and grow. They're going to have to have some self-reflection on what they've done, the lies told, the hate, the virulent -isms that were expressed, and literal crimes that were performed in the name of fitting in and winning some points with the clique. They're also going to have to reassess who their out-group is, why they even NEED an out-group over fandom things, and if there are still people in their schema who they have an impulse to hate for no reason.... because of a ship or actor preference. They're going to have to question all the lies they were told and if they are still holding onto hate based on that. That's hard if they aren't even sure what the lies were. It's going to be a process for them. We should give people the space and grace to get better. To deprogram themselves. But this does not mean there needs to be automatic forgiveness. Nobody needs to like anyone. But nobody needs to hate anyone either. Maybe the middle ground is we can grow some indifference or the ability to say, "I'm letting it go, this person is in progress, I can't control their journey, the ball is in their court."

If you were behaving badly, you've earned the suspicion of the people you hurt. A few of you are expressing amends, which is wonderful. But part of the thing with making amends is that you don't get to control the outcome. You make a genuine apology for EXACTLY what you've done, you own your part in it, and you don't make excuses... and from there, people may accept what you've said and they may not. They may forgive you immediately, they may take time, they may never forgive you. You have to learn to be good with that. It can be uncomfortable, to feel disliked, ESPECIALLY if the reason you got into the cult was because of that sense of belonging. Your impulse may be to keep giving explanations of how the group influenced you, to distance yourself. You may tell yourself, "I'm not that person, this isn't really me, it was the group." You want to be seen as CHANGED - virginal and new because you made the hard choice to finally leave the cult. ...It isn't that easy. You want the space and grace and you should get that. But guess what? You need to give that to others, too. You need to understand that people have real reasons to distrust you if you were exhibiting cruelty. And part of doing the work to make amends is the actual work. If you're serious about it, it means a lot of difficult self-reflection. You need to take an unflinching look at WHY you could ignore or participate in racism and lord knows plenty of other -isms, why outright defamation and death threats to actors and other fans were okay, why doxing people and trying to get them fired was seen as fair game, why trying to make someone feel hated and terrible about themselves was your impulse, why you were giggling and congratulating yourself for leaning into your worst impulses...until the group turned on you. Because that's the truth of the situation. You now have that self-knowledge of what you're willing to participate in. The question now is what are you going to do with that? I hope it includes therapy and I don't mean that glibly. I think it's possible there are some internet addictions going on where people crave the rush of getting Likes and engagement... and ragefarming is the best way to get engagement. If that's true... it will be EXTREMELY easy to move from the space of performing FOR the cult to performing AGAINST them, so that you can maintain your hit of Likes. And that is just sitting in the same behaviors. But if you're serious about getting better, if you're serious about being honest with yourself, you're going to need to fight against those inclinations. Please ask yourselves if you truly feel your apologies and want to change...or if maybe some part of you is just posting your attempt at amends because you want to fit in with those leaving or because you're craving that approval. Leaving is great! But are you getting the same psychological hit from your posts now? Are you trying to collect a new group that will lovebomb you because you're seeking self-esteem and miss the people who used to give it to you? I'm not saying this in judgment, I'm saying it because many people go from one cult or MLM to another, seeking that same sense of belonging. That's not my wish for you.

To the people on the other side of this... I'm not saying not to speak up if you see people slipping or people whose apologies are revealed as false words. I'm not trying to tone police people getting angry. There have been real reasons to be angry. HOWEVER... please be aware that if we want people to actually learn and grow we need to give them room to do that. There's nothing wrong with a really direct "This is really shitty and unkind behavior." Going scorched earth every time isn't the way. Is it our responsibility to motivate them to change, is it on us? Absolutely not. But are our actions going to unintentionally make them more likely to try and find a gang again because they're feeling defensive? If we also truly want to make things better, we have to ask ourselves what our goal is. Do we just want to give a tongue-lashing because we're angry? We might. And that can be justified sometimes in life. But cornered people don't often make great decisions. If what we want out of this is for people to be less terrible - there are ways to call people in and out, firmly and not sugarcoated, while still not going on the attack.

To the people who finally spoke up, you should be proud of yourselves for that. You took the first step. I hope you keep walking forward.

If you actually read to here... holy crap, I apologize. Many, many words, but I wanted to put them all down somewhere instead of continuing to overthink it at 3:30am. I do want to say... this is just my perspective. If it came off as trying to tell you how to do or feel, or like I think I'm perfect? Nah, kids. I'm a fallible screw-up, too, who is often "cringe," as the children say. We can all work on ourselves. At least that's the hope. If we're open to it.

Anyway. Love y'all, TGC

[fatehbaz]

During the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s, entrepreneurs and real estate developers deployed creative tactics to woo potential clients [...] to invest in Florida land. [...] At Miami Beach, where Indianapolis-based entrepreneur Carl Fisher invested millions in resort development during the 1920s, tourists encountered a surprising attraction: elephants. Two elephants were brought to Miami Beach. They were named Carl II (named after Fisher himself) and Rosie [...]. Seeing the elephants’ work at Miami Beach positions these more-than-human actors in the histories of leisure in South Florida, as they signal the uncomfortable degree to which work and leisure were deeply entangled in this place. [...]

Carl II, came to Miami Beach from Peoria, Illinois, in February of 1921. According to the Miami Daily Metropolis, [E.B.], who owned several circuses in the Midwest, gifted the elephant to Carl Fisher [...]. “I am going to get a million dollars’ worth of advertising out of this elephant.” [...] Carl II also carried advertisements on boards hung over a saddle. [...] Infantilizing Carl II, as reporters often did in the Miami newspapers, seems to have [...] helped uphold his value as a toy of sorts, which supported the idea of Miami Beach as a “playground,” as it was called at the time. [...] [A]rticles stressed, however, that the elephant’s education would involve more than “play.” The Miami Daily Metropolis reported that “Carl, the elephant will be put to work.” This is coupled with language that strikes a disciplinary tone; the reporter stated that “he must earn his keep.” [...] Such work ranged from moving portable houses on the beach to pulling presses on the polo field. Carl also cleared mangrove swamps to make land suited for residential development [...].

Like other resorts that pandered to a growing middle-class market for leisure in the roaring 1920s, Fisher’s venture on Miami Beach was carefully curated as a “playground to the World.”

Just as Henry Flagler had separated “work” from “leisure” by building Palm Beach separate from West Palm Beach in the 1890s, Fisher kept his beach workers’ labor largely invisible - except when it enhanced the tourist experience of its middle- and upper-middle class clientele, as when the elephants caddied on the golf course or stomped divots on the polo field. Fisher’s plan was to attract visitors to Miami Beach to come back year after year [...] [and] to prompt permanent settlement in his island subdivisions. These subdivisions, like his hotels, were meant to be exclusive. [...]

And while this landscape depended on an African American workforce, the city enacted Ordinance 457 in 1936, requiring the more than 5,000 service workers at the time to “register.” In addition to being photographed and fingerprinted, Black workers had to carry identification with them. [...]

---

In March of 1921, Carl II lived at the local fairgrounds [...]. An article in the Miami Daily Metropolis that celebrated Carl II’s presence there also noted that “the fair doors are not open to the colored population this year.” [...] 

Part attraction and part workhorse, Carl II moved across spaces dividing work and leisure, non-human and human, and Black and white on which Miami Beach’s status as a “tropical paradise” for the white leisured classes depended. [...] Carl II was shipped off to the Circus in 1926, the same year that a devastating hurricane struck the beach and brought the “boom” years to an end. His companion, Rosie, eventually met the same fate. [...] While Miami Beach was developed as a playground for the white leisure class, its success was inextricably bound with the labor force that built and sustained it.

---

Images, captions, and all text above by: Anna Andrzejewski. “Work, Play, and Elephants in South Florida’s Leisure Landscape.” Edge Effects. 27 April 2023. Published at: edgeeffects.net/miami-beach-elephants/ [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism purposes.]

[illustars-light-comic]

“THANK YOU ILLUSTAR WE WILL BE HERE ALL NIGHT”

*an Ask-Blog dedicated to the band Starveil and it’s individual members, and their goals and wishes*

Welcome to the concert hall! Located in a hushed forests of a state called Illustar. This concert hall is the home to the greatest band known to man Starveil. Even if the state is hidden from the rest of the world, thoes to know Starveil know true dedication and love to music.

Meet the Crew [all available for asks]

The Band members consist of 4 individuals, all closely known to many other characters in the story. These are the main characters.

Mintymug Latte [Protagonist and Lead Singer]

Darwin Latte [ Secondary Protagonist, Husband of Minty and Secondary Singer]

Vincent “Vinny” Whippette [ Mintys cousin and Lead Guitarist]

Valentine V.C Rosewater [ Mintys childhood girlfriend and Drummer]

Ivan and Lace Latte [Minty and Darwin’s children]

Roman and Sugar Rosewater [ Valentines children]

Pepper and Chiffon Whippette [ Vinny’s children]

Nasty people that have tried to breakdown the bands reputation can be seen wondering the state causing chaos or harm to those loving the band. Many hold personal vendetta towards the band. These are the villains.

Matiás Hernandez [Mintys First Ex Owner of a casino near the Starveil studio]

Flint Cañello [ Mintys second ex and active owner of catering company dedicated to Starveil]

Andrew Jacks [ Mintys Last Ex and radio host dedicated to slandering Emo and rock music]

Cavalier Hernandez [ Mat’s Husband and casino worker, active impersonator for band slander]

RULES OF THE BLOG

While my blog is for a more mature audience, it is separate from my NSFW content and SFW content, and any NSFW content will be hosted on different platforms to avoid younger audiences to see. I don’t allow any instigating of NSFW questions and scenarios, will block heavily if questions arise for NSFW content.

I hold my characters deeply and value their characterization, I do not allow anybody to dictate or change my content for their needs. Of you don’t like the way a character interacts I apologize but I will not bend backwards to change it.

I hold my project deeply to my heart but I am a content creator second, student first, I will not allow rushing or demand of fast content to be made on my personal well-being. I will do what I can to share my silly guys with you but be patient.

While I allow long scenarios a some Magic Anon questions I don’t allow scenarios where the story stops focusing on what I want you to tell. Respect when I say I ask for certain engagement.

My ocs have connections and history to each other and I don’t wish to eras that, I engage in doing alternate universe scenarios with them but canon is canon here, headcanons will be taken lightly or not taken at all depending. Don’t ask me to make proship or borderline illegal changes to my characters. Respect their family tree and connections to each other

I allow self shipping and system interjects but I will cease permissions if things get to the point where I am uncomfortable seeing any interactions I don’t approve of.

Please don’t make nsfw fan art of the children coded characters or nsfw art of the band members families together, I’m very choosy on nsfw fan art as a whole and request it’s not made.

I’m 20+ I don’t owe explanations to a block if you break the rules or disrespect my work, end of story.

If you make fan art I’d love to see! Tag the blog or my main @inkbite-arts and you’ll see it there!

If I need to address things I’ll break and use Mun Ghost, as well as using it if I am not playing any characters and answering questions alone.

FAQ

“Aren’t these cuphead ocs?”

No. They use to be but I decided to create something new and original for my own university thesis. The object heads you see are classed and categorized. I’ll make charts soon to share what lore they have.

“Will there be any animations to the story?”

Hopefully so, we have voice actors and comic boards ready but I’m only one person so it will take as long as it needs to

“Who is related to who?”

Soon enough I’ll make a chart dedicated to the relationships of each character

“Do I know [insert character here]”

Most likely! Most of the characters have been around for years and some have been given or traded to me and they now coexist with the story.

“Minty seems familiar”

He should be! He’s been my mascot and sona for many years, if you remember me from my old days hello! Hopefully the change to minty is a pleasant one to see!

“What do we call you?”

Fangs/Ghost, any questions not applicable to character interactions can be answered by Mun Ghost [me]

Refs and Lore [will update]

Mintys ref

Darwin’s ref

Vinny’s ref

Val’s ref

Logos and Props

Species sheet

Illustar State Map and Brochure

Mats ref

Flints ref

Andrew’s ref

Cavs ref

The family tree

Toy house Folder

The voices

Thank you for reading, if you want to see my other content my main blog is @inkbite-arts

I hope you enjoy the concert. [Mun Ghost]

[londonspirit]

A show like Our Flag Means Death comes to us all rarely in fandom, consuming us all in such a way that we can’t stop thinking about its characters and how much they all mean to us. Part of that is because the brilliant cast of actors who bring them to life are all so willing to engage with their fans and talk to them, but another part of it is because the show itself manages to give time to each of these characters to help them grow.

That comes down to series creator David Jenkins and his writers, who managed to bring us a wonderful season 2 of our beloved pirates. The show came back for season two at the beginning of October and has been releasing multiple episodes each week, giving fans a brilliant but fast second season. Now that we’re already at the end of it, we’re left hoping we’re get a renewal for season 3 and a bit of a mess after what happened in the final moments of season 2.

I was lucky enough to talk with creator David Jenkins about the finale, and the season as a whole, and what it meant to come back for season 2, to revisit these characters that mean so much to fans, and how it feels to change the perception that some of us have on these characters, like Izzy Hands (played by Con O’Neill).

Spoilers ahead for the second season of Our Flag Means Death!

Talking about the finale, the season as a whole, and the fanbase that really did rally behind this show to make it all possible, Jenkins broke down everything that makes Our Flag Means Death special.

Saying goodbye to Izzy Hands

After season 1, I wouldn’t think I’d be an Izzy Hands fan, and yet, here I am. I did start our chat by telling Jenkins that I thought he should be in jail for making me care so deeply for a character like Izzy only for making me have to say goodbye to him by season 2’s end. He has such a journey from the start of the season, going from being Blackbeard’s right-hand man to a man on the ship without a real purpose and even singing “La Vie en Rose” during a celebration for the crew. All of this warmed the audience to him and left me a mess when Izzy was shot and killed in their final stand, as they tried to flea as a united front of pirates.

Lightly joking with Jenkins about my new feelings on Izzy, I asked how they mapped out Izzy’s growth as a character into what would ultimately be his end. “Con can do so many things and I really did want to give him all the toys to play with,” Jenkins said. “I wanted to give baby everything. He gets to sing, he gets to be there without a shirt, he gets to have a death scene. He has multiple death scenes, gets his legs shot off. He gets to have unrequited love. So I think it was just going logically with what happens when this guy bottoms out from this toxic relationship.”

Jenkins went on to explain what happens after you let Con O’Neill have all his toys. What happens in the aftermath? “And then it was kind of confusing because we’re like, ‘Okay, well how does he come back? What kind of things does he do?'” he said. “‘How does he get a new leg? What is that gonna look like? Oh, it comes from the unicorn. Oh, cool. That’s cool.’ And watching him kind of rebuild himself and realize that he’s loved and he’s part of this community and that he is not a first mate anymore and I think it would be very uncomfortable for him to be on a ship and not first mate. So what kind of things does he get up to? Oh, he whittles. Okay. Oh, he is gonna train Stede because he’s largely bored. Then it was a surprise, I think, to all of us to have him end up as kind of a father figure to Ed and be the one that gives him permission to just be himself.”

Logically, it makes sense that Izzy would not be able to tempt fate once more after facing death multiple times throughout season 2. Still, the idea of not having Con O’Neill in the series’ future hurts.

Embracing the outrageous

When you break down Our Flag Means Death, it is, as Jenkins pointed out about one outlandish moment … stupid—not in a “this show is beyond unreasonable” sense, but it is a comedy. We love our beloved pirates very much, but they are so silly, and when we’re reminded of how silly the show can be, it’s nice—like having Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) find one of Stede’s (Rhys Darby) many letters that he wrote him when they were separated from each other. It’s emotional and sweet, and then out of nowhere, Waititi turns and screams through his tears, “You wrote me a lovely letter,” and I burst out laughing. It is so incredibly stupid that I couldn’t help but cackle, and Jenkins recognizes that the show finds a delicate balance between the beautiful moments and the completely outrageous.

This scene in particular ended up being on of my favorite moments in the finale. It was a long time coming and a setup that really paid off through the season as a whole. Ed wasn’t really in his “Blackbeard” look for most of the season, and he hadn’t read any of Stede’s letters, so for this to be kind of the combination of the two moments really hit.

Then, to have Waititi crying as he yells just really makes it a perfect storm of nonsense. “He’s also come from the sea. He’s also dressed like the rogue warrior. It’s stupid on a lot of levels,” Jenkins said of the scene in question, to which he said, “I love dumb and sweet. That’s a great spot to live in.” That led to us talking about how they manage to bring all of that into the writers room with all their characters in mind.

Spending time with our beloved characters

Our Flag Means Death has a lot of pirates on their ships. In season 1, we had two ships to really worry about. The Revenge met up with the pirates of Blackbeard’s crew, and they worked together for the most part. In season 2, we’re meeting so many other pirates from history and yet we’re still finding that balance between our favorites and the new characters making an appearance on the show. So we talked about how they found a way to bring those sweet moments into the show with these new characters.

Jenkins said, “That is the challenge of making the show because there are so many amazing people in the ensemble and they’re also good and they could all have their own show. And I think making sure each script has something for everybody and they all get something to do, it’s an embarrassment of riches and it is like one of the focuses of the writers room just to say, ‘Hey, who are we servicing? Like, who aren’t we servicing? Can we put them in the script more?’ It’s always the challenge of this show. There’s a billion people on it. There’s so many people on the show. There’s a lot of people.”

That reminded me of one of my favorite developments in season 2, the highlighting of Fang (David Fane). At the end of every episode, there’s a little scene during the credits, and for the most part, Fang was a major part of them. It was a joy to see him have his moment in the sun, and for Jenkins, it was about letting Fane have time to shine.

“Dave always does such sweet things too that are like ‘Oh well, we have to get that in.’ He’s just lovely,” Jenkins said. “There’s a real kindness to him, and I just am so impressed with him as an actor. I think he was already great, but I feel like I really fell in love with him in the second season. Just getting close on his face even is always wonderful. He always gives really such cute, interesting things.”

Music and Our Flag Means Death

The music of Our Flag Means Death is very important to the show as a whole. When the trailer for season 2 included Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones,” I knew exactly what the themes of the season held. It shows not only a love for storytelling through song but also a deeper understanding of the characters and where their emotions lie. So I brought up the use of music in the show as a whole, and Jenkins revealed that there is a rule to the music on the show (even though it isn’t really known to us).

“The only rule is that the music can’t be later than 1989. That’s the rule that Maggie and I agreed on. But then we broke that rule because we’ve got that song ‘Run’ in the second episode when Blackbeard wrecks the ship. And that came out recently but very rarely we break it.” The song he is referring to is “Run From Me” by Timber Timbre and was released in 2014. So, it is “recent” according to their rule, but it’s hilarious that it’s the newest song and is still nearly ten years old. What is so fascinating to me though is that the show uses music to really tell us a lot about its characters.

Jenkins works closely with Maggie Phillips, the music supervisor, to bring to life the feel of these characters and the scenes in such a way that we really understand the feelings of the characters we know and love, so I asked more about the use of things like “The Chain” in season 1 or how music plays into their creation of the season as a whole that makes the season more powerful overall.

“I’ll listen to music a lot and then I’ll make like a playlist that has a lot of songs on it that has like, maybe like a hundred songs on it as I’m listening,” Jenkins said. “And as we’re working through the season and just putting on Spotify and just putting on the algorithm. Sometimes you’ll hear some stuff where you’re like, ‘Oh, I have to get that,’ like Pygmy Love Song is a very weird and that was an algorithm thing where I was like, ‘Oh, that’s gotta be in the show.’ Then Maggie Phillips, our music supervisor, does the same thing. And then by the time she’s sent one, there’s a lot of things that overlap on ours. There’ll be wonderful things on hers that I hadn’t thought of and so it kind of goes as we’re building it. I need to listen to music while we’re putting the season together. Not necessarily while I’m writing, but while I’m kind of thinking through and in pre-production. And then just kind of imagining some of the sequences. You hear some songs and you’re like, oh yeah, that. And then you make a laundry list and then most don’t make it. And then do.”

Don’t worry, fellow pirate fans. I did tell him that we needed the dream pirate song playlist on Spotify. I said it’d be a hit within the fandom, and Jenkins said, “I love that. Well, make a playlist, make one, I’ll join. I’ll put some stuff on. I’ll put some stuff on that I’m not gonna use, but I’ll put some stuff on.”

A show for the fans

One of the reasons Our Flag Means Death became such a hit was because fans could not stop sharing their love for it. I mentioned that while the show itself is so good, the fans really did help to hype it up so people really started to tune in and understand just how good it was. Jenkins also mentioned that he knows we’ve been vocal fans at The Mary Sue, and I did of course say that we were “very loud about our pirates.”

He went on to talk about the excitement and creativity of the fanbase for Our Flag Means Death and how the reaction to the show has been exciting. I asked what the response has meant to him, especially seeing people who maybe didn’t even know who Rhys Darby was prior to this show who are now big fans, learning about his work and embracing his comedy.

“I think seeing the costumes and seeing people dressed up and there was one shot of like all of the different categories of cosplay, of like there’s the Izzy and the Blackbeards and the Luciuses in a line at one of these conventions, it’s like, oh my God, every time I see art I’m blown away, ’cause I just don’t know how people are so creative,” Jenkins said. “And then it happens so quickly. There’ll be art the morning that one of the episodes is released. I can’t get over that and I can’t get over the quality of it. When you see a really beautiful piece of art that’s about a moment that you or a character that you like it’s just moving. It really does make you stop in your tracks.”

A wistful season

As much as we don’t want our pirates to go, the season has, unfortunately, come to an end. Season 2 is over, and with it comes feelings of hope and loss all rolled into one. So for my final question, I asked Jenkins what he hopes season 2 leaves fans with now that we’ve said goodbye to characters like Izzy Hands but have a lot to unpack with characters that we know and love on their new journeys.

“I don’t know, a kind of like a wistfulness,” Jenkins replied. “I think that things change and that change isn’t always bad and that I like that there’s a bunch of different flavors in the end. There’s marriage. There’s a newer couple moving in together and Stede and Blackbeard, I guess they’re not newer, but I mean, maybe they’re not as evolved as Black Pete and Lucius in talking about their feelings. And then the kids drive the car away while the parents watch at the end and whatever adventure they’re heading to. So I just think that, looking at change being inevitable and that it’s not bad. The main thing is that you just want to be a part of something and when something ends, you wanna be a part of something new. Those are good things to take from this.”

Our Flag Means Death season 2 is on Max now, and hopefully we’ll be back with our pirates once more in a third season.

[notafunkiller]

I love your page, really what I have seen on other blogs...especially shippers, scares me. Wanting to give Sebastian a folder full of accounts that "hate" his "girlfriend" seems extreme to me, the man this week says SM is a waste of time...but this has nothing to do with Sebastian because people just broadcast their opinion, celebrities are exposed to this and it is not going to change...there is a lot of hate on the internet and that is not going to change.

(I think what "angers" me the most is that the blog that is doing this witch hunt is the same one that talked and still talks bad about Ale. It's hypocrisy)

They will only make Sebastian further distance himself from the fandom and that's sad for people who don't even care about his personal life outside of being an actor.

They really need to get out into the real world, Sebastian won't give them a congratulations...I think the opposite will happen.

And they are doing it for Annabelle NOT Sebastian, they will give real names, with pictures and comments that were given...they are being stalkers for people that DO affect them (not celebrities which even though it is wrong, they are used to it).

Bullying someone for a celebrity is not going to make you get everyone to believe your narrative.

Sorry for the long post but I'm venting here because it's the only place that really listens to everything, I think you have are a very reasonable person in this fandom 🌸🌸.

Heyy, thank you so much! I am so glsd you feel free to talk here. And please, do not apologize!

Please, that envelope thing is so ??? Like it's not just ridiculous and shows this person/group of people did not touch grass ever, bur it's also direspectful to him and other fans who paid to meet and talk to him because they genuinely care about him... his roles and projects. This Annabelle shipping/relationship a§s kissing thing does not make people better fans.

(I mean they talk mostly about her on his big days so...)

If he even opens it (assuming he does not throws it away the next moment), what reaction is he supposed to have? Pat them on the shoulder and thank them? Invite them to dinner? They'd just make him uncomfortable and really creeped out bc... who has the time and urge to collect a bunch of info and photos (which btw is stalking and it's illegal) about strangers (just because they do not like Annabelle or they don't believe their relationship is real)?

It's so creepy and weird... I wonder if they'll film too so we can see his ??? face (I hope they don't, but still).

They act as if they actually are friends with Annabelle and Sebastian. As if they are doing them a favor.

They act as if they deserve a medal because they sexualize both: him and Annabelle, connect everything they do; she can't have a hobby without it being connected to him and he can't be in LA even for work meetings without being connected to her etc.

Please, Don ahd to tell them to stop leaking the live link, and Sebastian had to use a photographer blackdrop because they tried to leak/leaked his address multiple times in his live with Don, and instead of realizing how mich they creep him out and that he actually sees what people tlak on social media (because HE IS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, as much as he denies), they continue to talk about how that backdrop is from Annabelle's friend.

It's on another level... how do you miss the point?

I saw two people were being stalked + their families too. This is not just creepy, it's unhealthy and scary.

Why are you so deeply affected by people sharing their opinions on random things and people that you want to threaten them and use their families etc? Like you are definitely not okay if you do that.

Also, the double standard too! If Ale did what Annabelle does, they'd make cancel parties and send mor ethreats as they always did. And they did not stop hating on her, anyway. They still talk about how bad and awful she is.

Bullying is a HUGE NO - no matter who the person is.

Thank you for sharing and don't apologize or be shy 🌸

[riddlerosehearts]

✨ about this blog ✨

★ hey, i'm starlight or star! i'm in my 20s. i'm genderfluid (between being a woman, a man, and agender) and i constantly change my pronouns in my bio but they/them is always fine!!

★ my ask box is always open and i love talking about my favorite characters and ships and sharing my thoughts in general! i also love being tagged in things. and for mutuals my DMs are always open too 💖

★ i have an anime sideblog over at @ritsukageyamas, a blog dedicated to the emperor's new groove at @kuzcoskingdom, and a stim blog where i make my own stimmy gifs and post stimboards over at @glitteringstardust! i've got a handful of other sideblogs too but i'm not really using any of them atm. if/when i become more active on them in the future i'll add them here.

★ sometimes when i happen to be in the mood, i make gifs and edits on here too! but mostly i just reblog a ton of stuff and ramble about whatever. occasionally i liveblog things.

★ my main fandoms are basically listed in my bio but i also decided to ramble about them and include some other assorted info under the cut!

★ i'm a huge animation nerd!! i especially love walt disney animation and pixar films. some of my favorites include beauty and the beast, tangled, frozen, toy story 1-3, onward, and coco. i love all kinds of other animated films too but you can expect to see lots of disney/pixar stuff in general on here as it's basically my longest lasting special interest.

★ i am also deeply in love with kingdom hearts and it's one of the things you can expect to see a lot of posts about. riku is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time and sorikai means the world to me.

★ if you couldn't guess by my url i'm also brainrotting hard over twisted wonderland lately and will likely continue doing so for the foreseeable future. i have soooo much love for so many of the characters i literally can't even pick a favorite dorm. but riddle and idia are practically tied for the spot of my fave character and i ship riddle/floyd and idia/vil very hard.

★ i am very into pokemon but especially the hoenn, unova, alola, and paldea regions and the pokemon mystery dungeon series. love pokemon adventures/pokespe as well.

★ also majorly obsessed with baldur's gate 3 at the moment. especially gale. and elenion, my silly little half-elf bard guy that i romanced gale with 💜 and i don't see this changing anytime soon either.

★ so the above things are kinda the main fandoms you'll see on here but my brain is also constantly hopping between other interests and getting me in the mood to reblog and talk about different things!! some of those other things can include uhhhh the PJO universe, utdr, a3! act addict actors, twewy, the original sherlock holmes stories + granada TV series, LOTR, ace attorney, avatar the last airbender, neopets, and also just. so many other things. unfortunately i shove 90% of what i like onto here instead of having sideblogs for the most part.

★ i don't have a dni, i just block people who make me uncomfortable and even then i don't block people very often! so just be chill and respectful and you're probably fine.

★ also please please let me know if you need something tagged and i'll do my best to keep it in mind!!

★ oh yeah. and if you wanna follow me on twitter you can but i'm rarely active these days!

★ hmm i guess that's all, so if you actually read this thank you so much and i hope you enjoy your day!!! 💖

[echoes-lighthouse]

Proship vs. Anti (A Personal Manifesto)

I define the difference between ‘proship’ and ‘anti’ as basically being whether you can judge a person’s future actions by their taste in fiction, and I strongly believe that’s not true. 

Antis believe that consuming problematic media makes you more likely to do problematic things in the future (ie. incest fics will lead to irl incest, etc), whereas proshippers believe that most people can separate fiction/fantasy and reality, and understand that enjoying dark fiction doesn’t mean those things are ok in real life. 

I believe that kinks and fiction are all a matter of playacting, and are not an indicator of deeper desire. Participating in BDSM doesn’t make someone abusive if all parties are consenting. Selfshipping with an underage character doesn’t make someone attracted to real minors. 

So here’s the short version of my views on fictional limits! 

I support people shipping themselves with villains, including “irredeemable” ones

I support people shipping themselves with characters out of their age range, although I’m personally more comfortable with aging up or down the character or self-insert if there’s a minor/adult gap

I genuinely don’t care what fanfiction people write, but I am usually uncomfortable with bloggers who identify themselves as particularly attached to problematic tropes (ie. specifically seeking out incest ships over other ships)

I do support open conversation about problematic elements in media, but I don’t typically support the outright banning of fandoms (I’m more conflicted about problematic actors, artists, or youtubers with large followings, but it’s complicated)

I think it’s quite cute when people selfship with celebrities in their own head/notebooks (I know a lot of people have married celebrities in their daydreams), but I have more complicated feelings about posting publicly about selfships with real people, and I haven’t settled on one side or the other

I have strict limits on content that involves real people (videos of assault, explicit content of minors, and posts that encourage harm or provide ‘how to’ guides for sexual assault) and I WILL report any of that, because it is different from fictional content and causes active harm

I am deeply unsettled by positivity posts for problematic fancontent that actively paints it as ‘cute’ or ‘desirable’ but I also understand it comes from a place of reacting to fandom negativity? I’m conflicted on this. 

If you have questions about any of these, feel free to send an ask or a message: I’m very open to discussions in good faith and will do my best to explain myself! 

--

Why Am I Proship?

I grew up selfshipping with a lot of villains, and in those daydreams, our age gaps were often a large feature of my writing and fantasies. I was selfshipping with villains by age six, including creating self-insert fanfiction, but when I was eleven I gravitated towards Nolan’s Joker and really settled in. At the time, I didn’t know about online fandoms: I was an isolated autistic nerd who very much identified as a freak for my interests and the intensity of my obsessions.

I discovered fanfiction two years later, and was overjoyed.

I felt like I wasn’t so weird, and I wasn’t alone, and that there was a space for freaks like me.

In high school, my friends and I had friendly competitions to find the weirdest fics online: cannibalism and unusual kinks and intentionally shocking fics like ‘the [insert noun] fic’ were some of our standard fare, as we competed in teenaged fashion to weird each other out. When we didn’t have weird fics for niche fandoms, we would challenge each other to write them.

Shipping and fandom has never been about my real-life desires, to me: it’s escapism at its finest, into a multiverse of headcanons and fanfictions where nothing affects even the fictional characters for long, with everything shifting from one fanfiction to another. Major character deaths make me cry, and then they come back to life again: relationships build to marriage and then start again from scratch. A ship can be domestic perfection in one story, and a horrific game of manipulation in the next one.

There’s a multitude of reasons why someone might enjoy fanfiction that is triggering to someone else. In my own life, I take comfort in some very strange tropes, including kidnapping (how nice to not have to make any decisions anymore) to omegaverse (what a lovely world where biology makes other people so sensitive to my needs), which I’m aware are NOT real-life desires for myself.

It is genuinely appalling to me that people judge each other so harshly based on their taste in fanfiction and fandom content. I remember being in shipping wars as a teenager: yes, the Wincest shippers were freaks, but they were damn better than the squares who weren’t in fandom at all, and would make fun of all of us for reading fanfiction. And when my friends shipped Wincest, I teased them for being weird and then let them tease me about Hannigram a few years later.

Although I don’t identify 100% with the label proship (I am very concerned about the way that fiction reflects and reinforces our society’s shortcomings, especially with the way it reveals current misogyny, racism, ableism, and tendencies towards oversexualizing teenagers, among other things), I tend to be much more forgiving in fandom, which is mostly created by single people and their fantasies, rather than books and shows that are produced by companies, funded by companies, and designed for mass consumption.

[proudfreakmetarusonikku]

The C!Prime Primer!

Since I’ve been getting a whole lot of new followers after my Pokemon posts, I’m sure a lot of you are confused about the two little guys I’m constantly posting about. This is the post for that!

What is c!Prime?

c!Prime is short for c!Primeboys. c!Primeboys, or c!Discduo, is the name for the platonic relationship between c!TommyInnit and c!Dream from the Dream SMP.

So, are these real people?

No. c!Tommy and c!Dream are fictional characters portrayed by the YouTubers they are named after. They’re very distinct from their actors.

Didn't you know that the real people involved are problematic?

Yes, you don’t need to tell me and I do not support that. I do not watch or interact with Dream or his content at all, and while I think Tommy is alright as a whole he’s done bad shift I don’t support. I simply don’t see why that should affect my writing of fictional characters they played in a no longer active server.

So, who are c!Tommy and c!Dream?

c!Tommy is a severely mentally ill child soldier who, while loyal and good at heart, hides that behind a mask of toxic masculinity and is just kind of a dickhead teenager a lot of the time. c!Dream is a mad scientist obsessed over the idea of immortality, who hides his emotions and attachments out of fear yet desperately wants friends and family. The two of them are in a deeply unhealthy and abusive friendship, where c!Dream is physically and emotionally abusive towards c!Tommy and conditioning him into seeing him as his only friend.

Is this canon? Was the Dream SMP always like this?

Basically, yeah! While a lot of the content I have about them comes down to personal interpretation, they canonically are part of a storyline about child abuse and trauma.

Why are you so obsessed with Minecraft child abuse?

Multiple reasons. For one, I'm both autistic and ADHD, and it’s both a special interest and a hyperfixation to me. Also, I just enjoy writing horror. But most importantly, the Dream SMP and c!Primeboys storyline helped me come to terms with my own abuse, and I want to help others do that with my own work.

What if I'm uncomfortable with these themes?

Feel free to block the “Primeboys (Derogatory)” tag!

Is this meant to romanticise/glorify/normalise abuse?

Absolutely not. I intend to do the opposite- to depict abuse frankly and to show how horrific it’s effects are. Ideally, I’d like to help others realise what they went through wasn’t okay, as that’s what canon helped me do. I intentionally depict aspects of abuse often not shown- most notably, non-sexual abuse by an unrelated authority figure, the mindset of an abuser, and the mixed feelings a victim might have to their abuser, but this is not to normalise anything. It’s to shed light onto overlooked areas of abuse in the hope it’ll help people realise that this is a part of it.

What's with all the AUs?

I like AUs. Also, I am plagued with visions about them that haunt my dreams.

Why are you so defensive over two Minecraft characters?

Years of harassment. I had a harassment campaign against me accusing me of shipping these two, romanticising abuse, being a predator myself, and in general sending me victim blaming bullshit and gross sexual shit in my inbox since I was a minor myself. I also have moral scrupulousity, and part of that revolves around fiction. Sorry if I’m a bit of a bitch about that, literally just tell me because sometimes I don’t realise it.

[daenystheedreamer]

the hotd fandom on twitter (and ao3) is actually making me go insane.

i have no idea why the poor boy who plays Bastard #2 son of rhaenyra was targeted like that by adult fans of the show but it genuinely feels like a fever dream.

the casting announcement for alicent’s brother was announced yesterday i think and immediately you can see people shipping him with luke which is ???

like at this point they have to admit they just have a weird fascination with this 16-year-old actor and are obsessed with shipping him with conventionally attractive adult men but the fact that it’s so spread and normalized in this fandom makes me feel like i’m being gaslighted like is this not wrong? guys?? idk? what gets me is that they specifically use the child actor. they saw a kid hanging out and having no personality and turned him into the Uke Supreme i just don’t get it

i feel like it all boils down to the got fandom generally being so male obsessed because the same people who bash alicent and the actress who plays her then turn around and write fanfic about idfk aegon and daemon being their self-insert’s malewives which i think is fine but when you look at the whole picture it’s soo telling. lmao.

yeah its vile. im mostly live and let live, i cultivate what i see online and avoid what i know will make me upset + when i wanna be a hater im choosing to look at that stuff. but like the line is drawn when youre just being weird to a minor. there's this movie, death in venice, about a man becoming obsessed with this pretty male youth. and ironically, or perhaps darkly fittingly, the 15yo actor for tadzio (the youth, the actor's name is bjorn andresen) was made deeply uncomfortable with the experience due to continued sexual harassment because people could not fucking leave him alone. and it's terrible, it's horrible! there's a documentary (haven't seen it though) about his experiences called The Most Beautiful Boy in the World. also if you're into japanese pop culture, you'll see he's an influence on shoujo/yaoi/bishounen/sh*ta which should tell u everything u need to know.

essentially what I'm getting at is no matter what people say about fiction vs reality, i personally believe the line should be drawn at depictions of real life children. its the tadzio thing again plus i have no doubts if they were doing this to an underage actress it would be frowned upon by the exact same people being gross.

you're into the character/dynamic, you like yaoifying it, okay! it's not my place to judge if its okay to take pleasure in it either. live and let live but i can still think its gross. youre very clearly drawing this minor sensually/sexually and are oddly fixated on him. it's uncomfortable but sometimes you just have to take a look at yourself and recognise you're doing something kinda fucked up. its okay and sometimes necessary to recognise that you are a selfish being with selfish desires that are wrong sometimes, youre not evil but you can engage with it maturely. like idk i just dont think its 'neopuritan' or whatever the fuck to think the cp, even drawn, is gross.

ALSO EDIT: i am not cancelling death in venice the book or the film for being problematic. it is fiction. i hear theyre great actually. bjorn andresen and the kid from hotd however, are real life people. thats the part i think is gross. just before anyone calls me puritan and homophobic or whatever the fuck

[heretherebedork]

Why You... Y Me? is for probably the first time making me enjoy both the fujoshi aspect and the straight couple in the series. I thought it would both annoy me (like it usually does in most BLs), but it's surprisingly turning out to be really enjoyable. Gap and Namwa are pretty cool, so far. And I'm totally "shipping" Shogun and Maitoh, but my poor Green, in long-term unrequited love with his bandmate... I hope they give him someone too. Unless there's going to be a plot twist and Maitoh and Green are endgame! Then I'll cry an ocean for Shogun!! Manager Paul and Nice are adorable as well... This is really becoming a surprisingly joyful series for me, at least so far... fingers are crossed for the remaining episodes (cause seriously this year, the second half sinking syndrome has been so high).

I'm glad you're enjoying them! I... am not so much. I still just can't get over the idea of shipping real people and, not just shipping them, but letting them know you ship them. And her way of looking at everyone around her as this... as a fictional character... it really bothers me.

Because there is such a difference, for me and to me, between shipping fictional people and real people, especially real people you know. That's the kind of thing that can ruin a friendship or a relationship or just really, genuinely, make people deeply uncomfortable.

So... I am deeply enjoying Shogun and Maitoh and I do feel bad for Green but that almost makes it better because it's pining and soft relationship building all in one and the only way to make it better would be if Thailand was willing to do a polyship... but I am also uncomfortable with the way Namwha constantly pushes for Green and Maitoh to act for the camera and wants to take shot after shot of them just living their lives and then presses for 'how long have they been like this!?' and 'why?' because it's so demeaning to their friendship.

.... Okay, I get it, it's all fictional which does change the vibe slightly? But for me... still doesn't work. Just like Joy in LITA is physically painful (okay, a lot of LITA is...) but also why Pink in Fahlanruk is one of my most hated characters. I just don't find it fun or funny to interfere directly in the relationships of people you call friends because you think it's cute.

So while I am, to some extent, enjoying Why You... Y Me it is mostly despite the main couple and not for them. It brings me the same discomfort that has lead me to being blocked by people because I find the way they talk about actors very uncomfortable.

I do like that none of the couples she ships are real... but that almost makes it worse. Like, what happens when the real couples come out? I wouldn't want to come if I were Shogun or Maitoh because imagine how disrespectfully she would treat their relationship for a) breaking up her ship of Maitoh and Green but also b) because she would start treating their real relationship the same way she does these ones she's made up. Like, that's something I can't get past and I hope it's a problem in the show.

It won't be, the show is on her side.

But... sorry, anon. I'm very glad you're enjoying it and I do get it because it's entirely fictional so it's different but for me it's a despite and not because of enjoyment.

I do hope Shogun and Maitoh and Green's actors all get more roles, though. They're very good and I'm greatly enjoying all of them, no matter how cliche.

[writer-monster]

11 reasons why cap 4 should reintroduce Bucky Barnes as the love interest, an essay

to start this off, i am not writing this essay from a shipping place nor do i believe that this would have any influence at all over the upcoming movie. i expect nothing. this is simply something that i would personally like to see. (of course no hate to anybody who thinks differently)

here are 11 reasons why i think making Bucky into Sam Wilson's love interest in Cap 4 would be a good move for Disney.

-

1. on the Chinese film market - and why it's an irrelevant argument against the inclusion of homosexual themes in Cap 4

the Chinese film market is something that has been blamed for a lack of diversity in Hollywood films a lot lately. many people claim that this market with a lot of buying power has been responsible for the lack of gay and black representation in particular within Hollywood films.

and we have certainly seen Hollywood treating it as such, going so far as to cut gay scenes from movies for their Chinese releases, and vastly minimising John Boyega's (a black actor's) presence in the Chinese poster of Star Wars The Force Awakens.

[image ID: on the left is an image of the American poster for Star Wars The Force Awakens, featuring John Boyega prominently on the right-hand side. And on the right is the Chinese poster for the same movie, in which John Boyega is barely visible.]

so we know at the very least that Disney believes this through their own actions and efforts to self-censor for the different markets.

but Captain America 4 is a black-led movie, don't you forget. and Disney can't minimise Sam Wilson/Anthony Mackie in the movie or the poster because it's his movie and his poster. and no amount of creativity in the editing room can change that (thank God!).

so if by their own argument the film is already going to be either banned, panned or slammed in China... then what do they have to fear from making it a gay movie too?

-

2. oh, the queerbaiting

queerbaiting is an unusual cultural idea. and sometimes i find myself thinking that the term is far too easily used, but then all of a sudden i will stumble upon a movie or show that is so quintessentially cruel and overt in it's... well... queerbaiting that i will start to wonder what the hell kind of a bizarre relationship all these straight people seem to have with their friends. take Troy and Abed from Community or John and Sherlock from Sherlock as the perfect examples of this. (in which my reaction to the show's creators saying the show wasn't gay was to ask so then why did you make it so gay?!)

i felt that Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in tfatws were getting quite close to this level of queerbaiting.

there was the field scene, the couple's counselling scene, the boat scene, the couple's counselling scene, Bucky going with Sam to face Karli when she told Sam to come alone, the couple's counselling scene, ALL the staring scenes, Sam checking out Bucky's ass here as they said goodbye, the "i would move in with him but" hidden scene, "Uncle Bucky" showing up at the cookout scene, the romantic walking off together into the sunset together ending scene, and the couple's counselling scene. did i forget anything? but i mean seriously, the couple's counselling scene!!! that thing they did with their legs and their crotches while staring deep into each other's eyes, would any straight guy willingly do that? do straight guys crotch-snuggle now?

[image ID: an image of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes during the therapy scene with the quote, "Isn't anybody going to drag me into impromptu couple's therapy and slot my legs firmly between theirs before staring deeply into my eyes?"]

(yeah i stole this image from a buzzfeed article on the fan reactions to the couple's therapy scene. but given that they stole 80% of the content of that article from fandom tumblr, i think it's pretty even-steven.)

there's also the fact that people started talking about bisexual Bucky Barnes a lot after the tiger pictures line, and the lead writer Malcom Spellman responded to the talk of Bucky's bisexuality with "just keep watching". well we watched, Malcolm. but it's beginning to feel like you were just jerking us around.

-

3. the writing

seriously though, what else is Bucky Barnes doing right now in the MCU? his only remaining connection to anything going on right now is through Sam. there is literally nothing else established that's left for him to do that doesn't involve Sam. he moved to Louisiana to be closer to Sam (canonically), he hangs out with Sam's family (canonically), and Steve is presumably gone and is definitely not coming back for more adventures.

he has no villains or loose ends left. he has no other superheroes that he appears to be in contact with. he has no girlfriend or potential love interest, or even other friends or family. he is living in a tent that he has secretly set up in Sam's backyard and is mysteriously appearing from the bushes when it's time for dinner like a stray cat.

in my opinion there is no other meaningful and pre-established progression for Bucky's character that wouldn't just feel cheap.

plus, i don't think the general audience would be all that surprised if they kissed. i think a LOT of people picked up on all that tension. i think a lot of straight people picked up on all that tension too.

-

4. the chemistry between the actors & the chemistry between the characters

the original pitch for tfatws was essentially just this, it was the chemistry between Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie and their respective MCU characters of Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson.

now obviously Anthony and Sebastian are simply friends, and i wouldn't mean to imply anything more. but they are also not their characters.

Sam and Bucky's scenes together before tfatws were both limited and short, and yet audiences still fell in love with the dynamic between the two characters.

in interviews, these two actors are constantly slipping into character and flirting with each other and frankly it's adorable. plus it's really entertaining. i'd love to see that dynamic, unfiltered, in a movie.

because believe it or not the flirting is actually even more open in their interviews than it was in tfatws. and i'm leaving some links as proof.

this here is known as the "married" compilation

and here's a "lucky dip" selection of interviews - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

and here's Anthony trying to get Seb to take his jacket off.

i'm just saying, why not let their chemistry shine? these two are so talented and so entertaining, especially when you put them in a room together. and can you imagine how absolutely hilarious and brilliant it would be to watch them navigate being a couple?

(and for those who bring up the "friends would be uncomfortable pretending to be dating" argument, i'm not here asking for a sex scene or anything. i don't think anyone would expect them to show any more intimacy (physical or emotional) while playing a couple than what they've already shown together in say... tfatws or in their own interviews. not that i actually expect anything regardless.)

-

5. if they were a man and a woman they would've gotten together in tfatws

i have no more to add here. just that... yeah, they would've.

-

6. and i'm not talking about the comics here, i'm talking about the MCU.

i understand fully that none of what i'm saying here falls in line with these characters from the comics. but the mcu itself doesn't fall much in line with the comics either, and these two characters especially are very different from their comics counterparts.

i'm not asking for these two to get together in the comics. tbh i don't think that it would work.

but the mcu Sam and Bucky are different and closer than their comics counterparts. they've got different histories, different backstories, and a very different dynamic. please rest assured that i am only talking about them in the mcu.

-

7. Bucky Barnes is believably bisexual. and Sam Wilson has never been proven to be straight in the mcu, nor has he had a love interest.

(now please continue to keep in mind that these points only stand for the mcu versions of Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson, and not at all for their comics counterparts.)

Sam Wilson has never had a love interest, which is crazy because have you seen that man! he has had two blink and you'll miss it moments of verbal expression of attraction to women, both in TWS. and that's the extent of it, through his entire history in the mcu.

Bucky Barnes has had a number of surface-level female love interests, but none of them even came close to the level of connection and chemistry that Bucky shares with Sam.

and i'm sorry SarahBucky fans, but i just don't think there's very much to their relationship either. i love Sarah, i really do. but it's Sam who shares all the meaningful moments and history and chemistry with Bucky. and i don't see what making her into a love interest would do for Sarah's character either, what would that add to her story?

[Picture ID: Bucky at the cookout with Sam, Sarah, Cass and AJ. Bucky and Sam are looking at each other and smiling.]

and also there is the whole tiger pictures thing... again. which does strongly suggest that Bucky is bisexual whether this was intentional on behalf of the writers or not.

-

8. it's representation... AND it feels natural

marvel hasn't had a lot of queer representation that's been noticeably present in the MCU at the time of writing this.

there have been a lot of failures so far, from the bisexual erasure of Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok to the wlw erasure in Black Panther.

there was queerbaiting almost identical to the bisexual Bucky baiting for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. when asked if he had considered featuring a gay hero in gotg2, director James Gunn stated that "We might have already done that. I say, watch the movie." after the movie's release audiences were understandably confused about the lack of queer representation. To which the director followed up his comments with, "But we don't really know who's gay and who's not. It could be any of them."

there is also Loki, considered by most fans after the airing of his six episode series on Disney+ to be both a poor attempt at both genderfluid representation and bisexual representation. with both attempts being summed up fairly well by the term "blink-and-you'll-miss-it". (also it's just terribly written and Loki doesn't wear any interesting clothes! fanficcers are a Goddamn blessing in this hard time!)

and let us not forget that Andrew Garfield was apparently FIRED for pushing for a bisexual spiderman. a bisexual spiderman within an interracial mlm relationship no less.

so for all these failures, marvel, why not allow us queer fans this? two brilliant and heroic men in a loving interracial relationship. two heroes that we can look up to.

now, one of the biggest detractions from the argument for representation is the idea of "forced diversity". and some poorly written characters certainly do end up feeling forced into the narrative. take Iceman in the comics for example, with Jean Grey just straight up suddenly telling him he's gay. like, marvel, sweetie, that's not how this works! and i don't know a lot of queer people who thought much of that "representation".

but the crux of the "forced diversity" argument is almost always that it feels unnatural within the story, right? and i don't think that anyone could say that about MCU Sam and Bucky ending up together, given these characters' existing chemistry and their history. they've both played characters in gay relationships before so we know that it's not outside of either actor's wheelhouse. and y'all know that Anthony and Seb can act, people. if it's in the script i believe that they'll make it seem like the most natural thing on earth.

-

9. it'd be a nice change

there's been an ongoing meme lately about "Disney's first gay character", the joke being that they continually announce gay characters without really ever including gay characters in their films.

this is to the point where Disney has formed a reputation amongst queer audiences of being homophobic.

if Sam and Bucky were to become a couple, then Disney could have its first actual gay character within a gay relationship. AND have him be in the lead of his own movie, no less.

it's also worth keeping in mind that there's likely an overlap between the people who were outraged by a Sam Wilson Captain America, and the people who'd be outraged by a gay Captain America. and if they were already not seeing the film, then i don't think much is gonna change that.

queer audiences would definitely love it, and the media attention would be guaranteed to be huge. i mean, simply look at the amount of media attention mere rumours of a character's queerness gets you and multiply that by a canon confirmation of said rumours.

but i'm pretty sure that Disney already knows this.

-

10. and yet, in truth, it's not about the representation

in truth i've never felt that i had any trouble relating to characters of any sexual orientation, race, gender, sex, body type, etc. (although that is not to throw any shade at all on people who do wish to see themselves represented) but for me, i think it's more about the story than the packaging.

and yet, a love story is still just a story. straight or queer, monoethnic or interracial. when two characters have chemistry and history and have sacrificed for each other time and time again, and they also can't keep their hands or their eyes off each other, then i'm pretty sure that that's a love story.

straight or queer, monoethnic or interracial, it shouldn't be about these simple labels. it should be about how well written the relationship is. it should be about chemistry, and history, and sacrifice.

because i'm fucking sick of all the hollow, forced romances in media no matter the genders of the participants. i'm sick of lazily written, shallow relationships where any two people sharing the same space for any extended period of time will simply fall in love. it's boring, it's repetitive, and as a writer myself it drives me up the wall!

romance stories suck! and everyone knows that romance stories suck. between twilight, and most of the entire YA genre, and love triangles (so boring), and romance used as poorly-written throwaway subplots in Hollywood movies, the world is in agreement that the romance in western media is simply dreadful. and yet we still want love stories. it's an entire genre that sits at the heart of the human experience (<3), and yet one which so few of today's best known writers seem truly able to capture.

i don't think that i'm the only one who feels this way, either. i suspect it's actually a large part of why fandom is so romance-centred in the first place, that we're all just starving for a good love story.

(btw i think fandom has a reputation for being something that as a whole that it is not. it has this reputation for straight up demanding things and harassing people until they get their way. while unfortunately there are a few people who do this, they're fucking annoying and i swear that they're far from the majority.

in my experience fandom is mostly about writing a five thousand word story at three am while drunk off your ass because it might make someone whom you've never met smile, editing it in the cold light of day, and then posting it. expecting nothing. sometimes getting nothing. and sometimes getting someone send you kudos or a comment so heartbreakingly wonderful that it makes you smile in return.)

-

11. so once again, it is all about the writing.

i want to see Sam and Bucky get together in the mcu, not because they would be a gay couple but because i genuinely believe that their story has potential to be an amazing love story.

and i know the mcu isn't about the romance. it's why in my personal opinion we haven't gotten a lot of good canon romances besides Peter Quill and Gamora. and i don't think that the mcu should be all about the romance either. i fucking love the action and the fighting scenes. i love the comedy. Captain America: The Winter Soldier had no romance and it was a fucking treasure, it was an amazing spy-action-thriller and it made my little gay heart dance. Thor Ragnarok had no romance, and it was an utterly brilliant comedic spectacle action film. not every movie needs romance.

but mcu Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes were doing couple's therapy and fixing a boat and walking off into the sunset together in tfatws. they were inseparable on the battlefield. they've got a dynamic. it's beautiful, it's romantic, and it's gold.

a budding relationship between them in the next movie would be a good way to explore both characters more without the narrative feeling too stilted and separate. at the end of tfatws, both Sam and Bucky fans found that their respective fave felt somewhat underutilised and that their characters were underexplored.

now, that problem would be even more difficult to remedy in a movie, because the plotline of a movie needs to be really tight to work (giggity). and we know that the central conflict of the movie is gonna be action-based (which is good), but we still need each character's personal journey and growth to tie into the main conflict. (which is another issue that some fans found with tfatws, that these characters didn't really feel connected to the action-based plot on a more personal level.)

if Sam and Bucky are already in a relationship, however, this whole dynamic changes. first, their relationship has already been set up for nicely since TWS and through tfatws and they would officially be the best-fleshed-out couple in the mcu. but most importantly, a relationship gives them a perfect vehicle to explore both of their pasts comparatively and connect them personally to the action-based plot.

do you want to establish that Sam is a little too trusting and naïve? then establish this through his relationship with Bucky, and through showing his placing his trust in Bucky. (rather than through having him sympathise with a villain who threatened to murder his sister and his nephews).

perhaps you want to show Bucky recovering from his trauma? show us how comfortable he is with Sam. they get along, they're enjoying each other's presence, we see more of Sam's life and of his family, and then let Bucky tell Sam something that's raw and dark and honest about his life as The Winter Soldier. something about a memory, one that he only just recalled. he's opening up. and maybe what he tells Sam is even something that sets up the future action-based conflict, to ground that in something real.

you want to explore that Sam has trauma too? do this through Bucky. he tells Bucky a story about his time in the military. in the form of a flashback, he shares his own story of loss to evoke before the audience the shared theme of feeling at fault even when you're simply a helpless bystander to an act of pure destruction.

then, action sequence! and it's directly connected to Bucky's time as the Winter Soldier. explore the grief of someone whose life the Winter Soldier tore apart manifesting into a villain perpetuating the cycle of pain. establish your villain.

Later, Sam is dragged into battle against this villain for protecting Bucky. But Bucky doesn't want Sam to protect him. He feels guilt for what he can't control and he doesn't want Sam getting hurt because of him. Bucky reminds Sam that he has a family, one who needs him and who loves him. He tells him to go home.

Sam reminds Bucky that he's a part of that family. And that sure Sam's a hero and his job is to protect anyone and everyone, but that he's doing it because he wants to. It's not simply to prove that he can, or to prove that he's not a bystander (this connects to Sam's trauma here), but that he's doing it to help people.

and this gets Bucky thinking about who he is and what he's doing here. is he a hero who stands by Sam's side? or is he an ordinary man who stands aside? or perhaps, does he stand alone? what does he stand for? Maybe Sam knows. But does Bucky?

Sam and Bucky fight off the villain again, and for the first time Bucky meets this adversary face to face. And Bucky recognises this villain, and has a flashback to the genuine pain that he inflicted upon them in the form of the Winter Soldier. Bucky freezes mid-fight, he almost dies, and Sam has to save him.

Sam chews Bucky out for almost getting killed because he was afraid for him. but Bucky takes this the wrong way and goes off to fight the villain alone, or perhaps to die alone, he's not quite sure.

He puts up a half-hearted fight. He apologises for what the Winter Soldier has done, and he waits for the killing blow, when Sam swoops down and he saves him. He asks Sam why he saved him and Sam calls him a moron. And then, Sam asks him what sacrificing himself would solve. He tells him that you can't choose your past but you can choose your future (connecting to his own experience of loss and guilt and grief). And that no matter what Bucky Barnes still has a future, whether that's as the Winter Soldier or the White Wolf or just some dork with a day job. And that he has a future as a part of Sam's family too.

Sam fights the villain, and it's toe to toe. He delivers a few good blows, but receives a fair few himself. And then the villain tears off his wings, first one and then the other, in a manner reminiscent of what the Winter Soldier did to him in TWS. Through Bucky's eyes there's a flashback to highlight the parallels. Sam gets back on his feet and he fights his best fight, but is now losing.

And then the heavily injured Bucky steps up and fights by Sam's side, and only together do they take down the villain.

"So... I inspired you, huh?" Sam teases with a smile, utterly exhausted. "With my heroism and-"

"You inspired me." Bucky said, equally exhausted. "Let's leave it at that."

Together, Sam and Bucky go back to the safety and warmth of their family. Sam fixes his wings. Sam goes back to being Captain America. And Bucky... he's around, but it's unclear what he's doing.

That is, until the very end. When Sam is in a fight, and suddenly Bucky shows up and helps him out.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asks.

"I've made up my mind." Bucky says. "I'm the Winter Soldier. But now I'll save lives, Sam. Now, like you, I'll be a hero."

Sam smirks. "So does this make you my sidekick, then?"

Bucky smiles. "C'mon, at least make me a partner." He says.

"How about co-workers." Sam says (in flashback, he remembers back to the death of his last on-the-job partner).

"How about friends." Bucky says, with a wry look.

"Bucky... I don't want to see you put your dumbass self in danger." Sam says.

"Oh, and it's ok for you to go running off into danger on your own all the time?" Bucky asks.

"Yes." Sam says stubbornly. "Absolutely it is."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not a dumbass?!"

"Sam, if you think I'm not gonna be watching your back for the rest of time... then you're the biggest dumbass I know. And I don't care if you need me or not, I will be there for you."

"Because Sam, you're more than Captain America. You're more than a good soldier. You're a good man. And I think sometimes, the world forgets what the difference is."

-

...or something like that.

(i only spent like 15 minutes on that. you know if i were actually writing this movie i would come up with something much better. and if anyone from marvel is seeing this, yes i can come work for you. i will make the time, let's do this thing right!)

-

finale

at the end of the day, whether or not the mcu chooses to make Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes a couple, it's their decision. and they don't owe me anything.

i'm just some random person on the internet. who thinks that Captain America 4 should #givecaptainamericaaboyfriend

[bengiyo]

War of Y Ep 3 Musings

The ongoing lack of text translation has driven me to cancellation. I hope to see The New Ship story through before it expires, but I will not suffer this for 20 weeks.

It happened very quickly, but I do like that the director of Mafia Baby didn’t want to actually practice blocking with Nott. We’re starting to unpack a lot of the negative behind-the-scenes activities of BL sets, and I’m not surprised Cheewin wouldn’t ask his friend to play into something ick like that.

I also just don’t think I could operate in front of cameras professionally. I would be uncomfortable with all the touching from hair and makeup personnel. I completely respect their professionalism and skills; I just don’t like being touched all the time like that.

Billy and Seng seem really comfortable with each other on screen no matter what they’re asked to portray. I do find this level of trust between actors deeply admirable and want to stress that my dropping of this show is not an indictment against them at all.

I will admit that the story being told between Pan and Nott is working for me. I like that this show is presenting a couple that we might admire, but is fundamentally unworkable because of the nature of their work. Competition and fanservice will never let them love openly.

WHAT THE HELL IS NOTT WEARING. WHAT IS PAN WEARING? I saw @placetneplacet‘s post, but holy shit. It’s a combination suit and trench coat. I want to see this worn unironically on a wizard.

I’ve given up on pausing and translating. I’ll just rely on vibes alone. I am once again 13 and sitting in a Korean-owned nail salon in a heavy downpour after getting off the school bus. There is a drama on the TV. I have no idea what is happening, but the outfits look great.

As uncomfortable as it is, I like that we keep getting scenes about executives and wealthy men who feel entitled to Pan’s body—especially how uncomfortable it makes him.

Love that I get to experience fully translated slurs in Thai BL, but other swearing is off limits.

I appreciate that this show reflects how hot it is in Thailand by letting the boys sweat, but also we have Nott in a leather jacket in this heat???

I wish I knew what the news was that Pan received, but the vibes aren’t strong enough.

Also....why are the end of video links for these episodes NOT to the next goddamn part of the episode and instead to either the previous episode or the latest episode of another series altogether?? Seriously, I am not continuing to pay $8 for this.

I am impressed with how comfortable everyone seems to be on motorcycles in Thai BL. I am personally terrified of them and could not imagine riding on the back of one as a taxi.

Why are Nott and Pan’s boxers so huge? Is this a modesty thing for the actors or an actual Thai experience?

It’s very dramatic that Nott was chosen by TTV over Pan, but Pan and his manager seem to be stirring up shit on set constantly. I find myself not that sympathetic because you can’t just treat people like shit and expect to thrive forever.

[bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher]

Take Me, I’m Yours

(the highest voted options on the poll were ‘Geralt rescues Jaskier from trouble’ and ‘Jaskier riles the Captain up in public’ so I teamed up with the ever-marvelous, stupendously talented @limrx to bring you this Swashbuckling AU oneshot/art piece featuring a horribly jealous Geralt and a frisky, flirty Jaskier)

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

“Do you think he likes me back?” Jaskier asked. He leaned over the ship’s railing to look more closely at the dolphin following behind them. Lambert didn’t think he’d fall overboard but it would be kind of funny if he did. The strange young nobleman did have a way of always landing on his feet, though. 

“I know he does.”

“Well how come he hasn’t told me anything about it, then?” 

“You’ve met the Captain, right? About this tall, long white hair, weird yellow eyes, emotionally incompetant?” 

“You have a good point. Should I just confront him about it?”

“Yeah, sure.” Lambert rolled his eyes before shooting Jaskier a pointed look. “If you want to send your ransom note back to Lettenhove the following morning.”

“Fuck. I just want to kiss him, Lambert. Regularly. I want to know if he snores or not. I want to lay on the deck beneath the stars and talk to him like we’re friends and not just pirate and pseudo-pirate-captive. I really want to see what his ass looks like under those godsforsaken trousers, Lambert, it’s killing me not knowing.”

“You’re more insatiable than a siren during the rainy season,” the second mate teased. “But with fewer teeth.”

“Shut up.”

“Are you going ashore when we lay anchor?”

“Am I allowed?”

“I assume you’ll be allowed. You’re practically part of the crew. You’ve been aboard for nearly two weeks and you’ve pulled your fair share of the weight, if not moreso.”

“Why thank you, Lambert. I appreciate you noticing.”

“Of course, Jaskier. You may be an utter fool and a fop to boot, but at least you’re a hard worker.”

“Asshole.”

“Mhm.”

They both watched the dolphins for a minute in silence before Jaskier’s face split into the most heinous and dastardly grin. It filled Lambert with an unmistakable sense of fear and worry. “I have a brilliant idea. I know how to get Geralt to admit his feelings.”

“No, absolutely not. I am not getting roped into this, you horrible little minx. Don’t give me that look! I won’t help you this time!”

“But Lamby-bert,” Jaskier whined. “If he has someone to take all his frustrations out on in bed then I’m sure it’ll be easier to negotiate for higher shares next time we take a vessel.”

Lambert did not miss the fact that Jaskier said ‘we’ when referring to the crew. The second mate knew the little nobleman was here to stay; it had been clear that Jaskier would be sticking around from the moment Geralt first laid eyes (and hands) on him. The Captain hadn’t stopped looking out for the lad since. Lambert wasn’t even going to think about that singular flirty kiss atop the mainmast nearly a week and a half ago. Geralt had been pining after the acrobatic little idiot ever since and making absolutely no move to flirt back. It was driving the crew absolutely crazy. “Alright, you devilish siren. I’m in.”

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

Jaskier cleaned up nice.

And he deserved to clean up nice. He’d worked hard to put this outfit together. Billy had lent him a pair of dark blue breeches in return for Jaskier’s help with mending the mainsail. The shirt he was wearing was half a size too big, which was exactly big enough for the neckline to plunge even lower than he usually wore it. This way it revealed more of his toned (and rather hirsute) chest. He’d borrowed it from Starkey, who was the same height as him but who had much broader shoulders.

The Captain was going to absolutely die when he saw Jaskier.

He whistled a rather naughty shanty as he exited the bunk room and made his way towards the gangplank where Starkey, Lambert, and Eskel were waiting for him. He spun in a quick circle, arms out to show off his clothes. Lambert and Starkey whistled appreciatively and Eskel hid his face in the palm of his hand. “Ready, boys?”

“Absolutely not,” Starkey smiled. The first mate standing next to him tilted his head back to look at the sky, sighing deeply.

“Are you sure about this? What if the Captain tries to kill Lambert?”

“He won’t be killing anyone. Hopefully. If he does run his sword through anyone, it will most likely be me,” Jaskier joked. “Now, this is my first time drinking with real pirates. Anything I should know?”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Eskel suggested. Lambert bit back a laugh and Starkey snorted.

“Impossible.”

“Well then, let’s go.”

The four men made their way down onto the docks and through the sparse crowd of sailors and merchants still mingling in the evening light. Starkey led them to a decent tavern and found a vacant corner table, which gave them an excellent view of the door.

Geralt and Starkey had spent the morning selling their stolen cargo to various merchants, shopkeepers, and artisans. The Captain had divided up the gold between his crew according to their various contracts and Jaskier, more as a jest than anything else, was given two crowns as well. “For not dying,” Geralt had intoned seriously. The men were amused but Jaskier’s face had gone bright red with embarrassment. The young noble had talked them out of trouble with the Skelligan patrols twice last week and Geralt was repaying him with public humiliation? Lambert knew that the Captain’s earlier actions were about to make this evening a lot more entertaining (if slightly uncomfortable) and he was ready to get this show on the road. He flung an arm around Jaskier’s waist and ordered them all a round of ales.

“So everyone knows what the general goal here is, right?” Jaskier clarified.

“Yes,” Eskel nodded. “You’re using Geralt’s jealous nature to make him act on his less than subtle feelings for you.”

“Correct. Wonderful.”

Lambert squeezed the noble’s hip through his borrowed pants and Jaskier huffed indignantly in reply. Starkey chuckled softly at their antics and winked at the barmaid when she brought them their drinks. “Can’t wait, really. It’s been so boring lately and the last two ships we took didn’t even fight back. This is drama. This is entertainment!”

“Shut up, Starkey,” Jaskier pouted. He leaned back into Lambert’s embrace and gulped down half his ale.

“Slow down, kid,” the first mate teased. “Or you will be drunk when he gets here and your plan won’t work.”

“I need to get the pink in my cheeks or I’ll look suspicious,” Jaskier argued. “One ale should do it without getting me tipsy. Maybe two if it’s weak.”

“Method actors,” Lambert rolled his eyes.

Jaskier was sipping slowly at his second ale and the other three pirates were on their fourth or fifth when Geralt finally came barreling through the tavern door. “There you are!” Eskel shouted, waving the Captain over. Nobody missed the barely-hidden glare Geralt aimed at Lambert’s arm where it rested against the nobleman’s lower back.

“Captain,” the second mate nodded.

“Lambert. Eskel. Starkey.” Geralt greeted them all in turn.

“Heyyyy,” Jaskier whined, leaning forward against the edge of the table and pouting. “What about me, sir?”

“You.”

“Rude,” the brunette huffed. Lambert ran a lazy hand up and down his spine and Jaskier watched as Geralt’s eyes narrowed into slits. He sighed sadly and melodramatically into his mug and nodded once in the second mate’s direction. “Thank you, darling. At least someone in this crew likes me.”

Starkey saw Geralt’s eyelid twitch and slid Eskel two crowns under the table to settle their bet. He thought the vein on their Captain’s throat would show up before the eyelid went, but it must have been the first mate’s lucky night this time around. “Hey Eskel, let’s see if any of the lovely ladies here want to dance with us, eh?”

“You coming, Captain?” Eskel asked. “Seems like Jaskier and Lambert are a bit busy.”

“Yes, Geralt,” Jaskier egged him on. The Captain had a white-knuckled grip on the handle of his mug. The noble took a long swig of ale and licked a bit of foam from his lip when he was finished, noting the way Geralt’s eyes locked onto his mouth. “Why not go dance with a pretty lady. Certainly nobody else has your attention.”

The pirate Captain finally snapped. He slammed his mug down and reached around the table to grab Jaskier around the waist. He hauled him out of the second mate’s grip and onto his feet. “Captain, what are yo-”

“Yer coming with me, siren,” Geralt snarled. Lambert relinquished the nobleman with very little fuss, winking at Jaskier as the pirate Captain swung him up and over his broad shoulder. The young man flashed all three of his co-conspirators a thumbs up as he was carried out of the tavern like a sack of potatoes.

“A little rude to Lambert, don’t you think, sir?” he asked, resting his elbow against Geralt’s shoulder blade and settling his chin onto his hand. He crossed his ankles to make it easier for the pirate to balance his weight comfortably. “But they’ll be happy to know that our little plan worked out.”

Geralt stopped in his tracks but did not set his captive down. “Your what?”

“Our plan,” Jaskier explained as if bored. “To get you to finally do something about all this sexual tension between us. I kissed you on the mouth for fuck’s sake.”

“I thought it was an accident.”

“Oh, and saving you from hanging at the hands of some Skelligan officers, was that an accident? Not sending a ransom note last time we stopped for water and not turning you in for the reward in Novigrad, were those accidents too? There is a hefty bounty on your head, White Wolf, and I could be living independently in a castle somewhere right now except that I happen to find you endlessly attractive and fascinating.”

“Hmm.” Geralt resumed walking. Jaskier noticed with a smirk that his pace had picked up quite a bit. As if he was suddenly in a hurry to be somewhere.

“Hum dismissively all you like, sir, but you’re still carrying me back to your cabin to ravish me senseless, are you not?”

“Ravish may be the wrong word for what I’d like to do to you, but you do look rather tempting.”

“Thank you. I put a lot of effort into this ensemble.”

“You’re a calculating little nymph, aren’t you?”

“No, of course not. I only managed to secure a bunk aboard the Kaer Morhen and wrap its infamous captain around my finger in less than a month. I am but a silly nobleman with excellent dexterity and a penchant for climbing.”

“Lambert was right to call you a minx.”

“He does love that nickname.”

“It’s not an endearment.”

“Whatever.” The ground shifted and Jaskier knew they were making their way up the gangplank and back onto the ship. This was the part he’d been waiting for! Geralt kicked in his cabin door and stepped inside, turning to close and lock it behind them. Jaskier wriggled impatiently. “Set me down!”

“Hmm, no. I rather like the view from here.”

“Excuse me?”

Geralt gave him a gentle smack on the ass, almost a pat really, and huffed out a laugh at Jaskier’s offended noise. “You’ve been an awful lot of trouble for a nobleman and a captive.”

“I’m barely a captive, Geralt. Give it up already.”

“You haven’t signed the book.” He set Jaskier back on his feet and looped his arms around the younger man’s waist to pull him close. “You’re still a captive until you swear on the book and sign your name next to the others. Then you’ll be part of my crew.”

“I have yet to negotiate for my shares,” the brunette stated. He tilted his chin back, baring his neck slightly and offering Geralt his ale-damp lips. “Ten crowns after every capture and I get to sleep in here with you. That sounds fair.”

“You’re a good worker. Seven crowns, you can sleep in here with me, and you can borrow my bandannas whenever you want.”

“Even the red one?”

“Especially the red one.”

Jaskier’s soft pink mouth brushed against the pirate’s as he murmured his answer: “Deal.”

Geralt’s lips crashed against Jaskier’s with the strength of a wave hitting the side of his ship in a maelstrom. The Captain’s mouth was so warm and his lips moved against the younger man’s with almost frightening determination. As if he was trying to prove himself. His arms were strong around the nobleman’s lower back and his white hair brushed deliciously against the skin of Jaskier’s neck.

“You’ve bewitched me, body and soul.”

“Oh, Geralt,” the younger man sighed, opening his mouth to let the other in. I never thought the word ‘plunder’ could apply to kissing but here I stand, corrected by experience yet again. The White Wolf of the Seven Seas pulled away, made breathless by a young and foolish nobleman in search of adventure.

“I’m not a siren, you know. Not even a little. My family’s estate is landlocked.”

Geralt’s fingers rose from his waist and brushed against his cheekbone reverently. Those amber eyes, so cold and focused when he shouted orders or intimidated a merchant captain, were looking down at Jaskier with such devoted tenderness. The ex-noble felt his heart fill anew and double in size. There wasn’t enough room in his body to hold all of this feeling.

“Kiss me again, Captain. Take me to bed.”

“You’re too good at tempting me. You must be evil.”

“I assure you,” Jaskier smirked, ripping Geralt’s shirt over his head in one smooth movement. “I am.”

[gubler-garbage]

I really appreciate your thoughts on that subject!! I was curious about what you meant by somewhat toxic shipping culture, if you're comfortable talking about it? It surprised me but I feel like it makes some sense tbh!

okay so i wanna preface this by saying I have never been deeply involved in the shipping aspect of sunny fandom, I am very much an outsider looking in so take this with a grain of salt. I also want to say this isn't a call out or whatever like its fuckin tumblr shipping its really not that deep, do you, your not hurting anyone.

Having said all of that I personally feel like the fandom that has developed around sunny on tumblr and specifically the growth of macdennis as a ship has distorted the way some fans view the show and interpret its content and the creators. I think this specifically applies to macdennis truthers, like I don't want to burst anyones bubble here but this idea that the creators have this sort of longcon and overarching narrative to the show and its characters is very strange to me. I'm not saying macdennis is impossible or even that I wouldn't like it to happen I just think that when you start ascribing such weight to small and somewhat incidental comments from the creators and moments from the show it starts to distort what is really being said and and creates such a narrow view of the show that what the creators are really trying to say is wilfully ignored for the sake of shipping wish fulfilment. In my opinion, a prime example of this is the way the fandom has interpreted "time's up for the gang". It's really strange to me that such an emphasis has been placed on charlie's rape accusation against Dee, to the point where the ship has been vilified and blacklisted by many (a completely valid and fair response, that isn't my complaint at all and if shipping them makes you uncomfortable that is more than understandable), but when dennis monologues about how mac's continued advances towards him make him uncomfortable the fandom has somewhat decided this was an instant of Megan Ganz "going rogue" or have opted to ignore it entirely. Its this sort of view of the writing process that i really have an issue with. Personally I feel it has given the fandom license to decide what is and isnt canon based entirely around whos name is in the lead writing credit which has somewhat served as a shield for rcg for some of the more questionable or gross moments, especially in later seasons. I have seen people blame Megan Ganz entirely and solely for the blackface in "Dee Day" as if as head writers, producers, creators and actors rcg did not approve and possibly even suggest this addition to the episode.

This also applies to the scene in "Mac and Dennis Manhunters" in which Mac says to Dennis that he has sexually assaulted him but that moment has never been treated with the same gravity as in "time's up" because it's from an older episode I presume. which is another narrative I've seen regarding rcg in that they have at some point had a magical leftist transformation that absolves them of criticism for early season content for the sake of retconning non macden compliant content.

This last one kind of applies to the whole fandom to a certain degree but I've just most prominently seen it with macden ship discourse is the propensity to villainise rob, glenn or charlie in order to boost up another, and generally the one being boosted will be the one saying or doing something macden related. Specifically with people attempting to claim that the lack of macden content in season 13-14 was entirely due to the absence of glenn in the writers room, which for one isnt even true and presents a fundamental misunderstanding of how a show is even written to begin with. But outside of any of that it creates a narrative that while one of them may be saying something backwards or ignorant, the silence of the others indicates their disagreement. It's an overall propensity to take anything vague or silent from them as an invitation to insert personal perspective which isn't present in the work itself. This to me is really clear in the fact that the fandom's opinion on any of them can be traced back pretty directly to the amount they post on social media. Rob who has generally the largest presence gets the most flack, Glenn then comes in second and Charlie's basically non existence has kept him out of alot of fandom discourse purely because his silence allows for people to presume his perspective or opinion. I'm not saying they don't deserve the flack they get but the idea that Rob is a disgusting person for buying an nft and whatever else while glenn is some sort of angel is based purely on the sort of parasocial bonds that form when people spend so much time being hyper invested in a piece of media. We don't know these people, they're just a bunch of rich, white, old guys who make a show we like. I personally don't really understand the surprise of people realising they aren't some sort of radical leftist collective, to me there's no point where they have ever given that sort of indication except in the fan interpretations of miniscule interactions and statements they've made that are just vague enough to support their argument.

Rcg have somewhat accidentally managed to do the same magic trick as their show, in remaining vague enough in their statements and generally silent in online discourse people have been able to ascribe their own beliefs to them and project personalities onto them that don't actually exist.

This post is already so long and I haven't really touched on the other side of this coin which is the complete separation of art from the artist, attempting to discredit rcg and the rest of the writing team from the show and attempting to love the show, while completely demonising the creators. I understand where these sorts of fans are coming from but I think it's really dismissive of the genuine nuance that sunny presents as a really complex program in terms of its place in pop culture. It also feels like an attempt to continue watching the show without having to deconstruct any of its harmful aspects because you can just blanket dismiss the creators as awful people. I also see a pretty severe double standard with this sort of stuff where people will call out sunny but only if its shipping related, like that merch drop with the "i love you like mac loves dennis" tee and people trying to call out fx for queerbaiting, like first of all thats straight up stupid, like im sorry i can't even be diplomatic on that, its the dumbest shit i've ever heard, touch grass. But when it comes to discussing problematic aspects of the show that first of all, actually exist and also don't involve anything to do with macden or even lgbt issues its crickets because its pretty clear y'all dont care about genuinely harmful content, you just care about your ship. Not to sound like an apologist but i do genuinely think that the show has had alot of interesting things to say and generally speaking has never attempted to be actively hurtful, although their execution leaves alot to be desired at times. I think to a certain degree sunny tumblr is in a similar place to sunny reddit but in the opposite direction, wanting the show to be something it never was in the first place.

[orange-waterfalls]

Vampire!Reader x Markiplier Egos

ty anon for the request

A/N: YES. IT'S BEEN A WHILE. HAPPY FUCKING HALLOWEEN. I absolutely remembered today is the 1 year anniversary of ahwm absolutely this is not a coincidence what are you talking about ahahahahha. I've been busy w/ school and drawing and general depression and anxiety with the current situation but I'm getting back into it! Vampire reader. That's pretty much it. Rated T, a bit of cursing, mentions of blood, mentions of fangs. A slightly suggestive phrase but that's just Illinois like there has to be at least one with him it's the law. ALSO. NEW RULE? IF I'M DOING LIKE HCS OR SMTHN I WILL DO 6 AT A TIME. I CANNOT BE WRITING 14 DIFFERENT EGOS AT ONCE I JUST CAN'T I'M SORRY. anyways enjoy!

Vampire!Reader x Egos Headcanons

General

Not much PDA

Not much going out in general

You have to cover your whole body when you do, unless it’s nighttime

You spend much of your time inside or in the forest

You’re basically nocturnal

You do drink blood, and you don’t need a lot of it

You drink human blood only if they give permission

You don’t kill people

You know or know of some other supernatural creatures that exist

You are friends with a werewolf. One specifically. You know the one.

Darkiplier

You both are edgy as all hell it’s perfect!

Politely asks you not to bite him

a) because he’s not human and b) because it’ll hurt

You both are very calm and well-spoken. So. not much happens.

However, you are both, in fact, dumb bitches, so things are still entertaining

“My darling, would you like some garli-mmm nevermind...”

You go out with him sometimes on romantic moonlit walks

You don’t have to wear as much then

You make him get a pet, a black cat specifically

He loves it

You named it Darko, Dark for short, and he hates the name

Like he hates the name a lot

It is irrational how much he hates the fucking name

He calls it DA

He never explains why

When you want blood he’ll trap a deer or something

You go into the forest and drink a little of its blood

He’s surprised

“What am I, a werewolf?”

He’ll ask you about supernatural creatures, and how to defend against them

You’re pretty sure he’s an eldritch entity so you aren’t sure why he’s asking YOU

He won’t ask how you became a vampire, that seems personal

He never gets startled when you turn into a bat

He can hear your lil wingbeats from a mile away

Sometimes you’ll sleep as a bat and he just smiles at you hanging from the fan

Fine with you not interacting with others, like he does much of that…

Just likes hanging out in your fucking giant victorian mansion with you

Wilford

We all know that his type is, in fact, edgy bitch

Therefore, you are perfect

Dark clothes? Check

Edgy backstory? Probably

Kinda scary? Oh absolutely

And he loves you for that!

He doesn’t want to be a vampire, but he fuckin loves your teeth

He’ll ask you to bare them and then he’ll do a happy wiggle afterwards

He loves dancing with you, slow or fast

It’s always romantic

He’s basically a god so like. Anything you ask for he’s gotchu

You said you were hungry and he fucking kidnapped someone

You said you were hungry, that was on you

You then explain that you don’t need a whole FUCKING PERSON

He then steals some blood bags from the hospital

“Oh, calm down! They have enough!”

Likes taking you out, so you go on night walks a lot.

You’re not used to social interaction, so he makes sure to steer you away from people

Unless you want to talk to them, then he starts up a conversation and lets you take over

You don’t understand people, and neither does he! It’s great.

Likes when you turn into a bat

He doesn’t know why, it just makes him happy

You made him adopt a black cat

He named it Colonel Whiskers

Loves you and your castle and your weird ass little quirks

Actor

Bite him.

BITE. HIM.

LET HIM BE IMMORTAL

You refuse for the sole reason that he is a dick.

You do get along because you both are, in fact, pretentious

You wear those silk robes around the house, and he gets mad at you

HE is the sexy mysterious one, COME ON!

At least you won’t have an edgier backstory than him…

Likes slow dancing with you

Very much enjoys your Aesthetic

Believes that he too belongs in a Victorian era castle isolated from the world

Loves the dark romance

Is a Fancy Boy

Was fully prepared to murder someone for you to drink their blood

Surprised when you said it wasn’t necessary???

Buys a horse or smthn

Asks about supernatural beings and which are immortal

He asks that a lot

He worries you sometimes.

Hates it when you turn into a bat

You’re small and you fly around and you’re fucking GROSS

He doesn’t. He doesn’t like animals very much. Besides dogs I mean.

Buys you clothes because you’ve been wearing the same shit for fucking EVER

Don’t worry, they’re all black, dark purple, or dark red

Sometimes you decide to go on a walk and he tags along

Possessive bitch

Thinks you’ll leave him if you talk to other people

He scares them or leads you away

Was fine with a black wolfdog you brought home after searching for food

Names it Phoenix, and you call it Nix for short

Is deeply in love with you, but will never say or show it

Yancy

He thinks you’re wonderful!

Originally a bit mean to you

He thought YOU thought you were better than him

He saw the fangs and backed off

He asked about them and you answered, so you got along

Asked if he could be a vampire

You asked if he wanted to be immortal. He declined.

Suggested you drink his blood when you were hungry

You said it wasn’t necessary, but he pushed

Stared at you the whole time

“what’s your issue” “this is very… intimate.”

On that note: has an issue with intimacy

You’re very cold naturally, so you’d want to cuddle

He awkwardly shifts away

Once he gets more comfortable, he might cuddle with you

Loves the silk robes you own, they’re so fucking COMFY

AND THE SILK SHEETS?? Heaven

Absolutely loves all the fancy shit you have

You teach him how to waltz and he teaches you how to tap dance

You have a very equal give and take relationship with everything, it’s great

Neither of you like social interaction

You will if you HAVE to but mostly keep to yourselves

You love Yancy's prison buddies

They love you too

Asked if you knew mothman

You couldn’t tell if he was joking

He absolutely Was Not joking

He sings to you sometimes

It echoes through the place and the Aesthetic man

Hates it when you turn into a bat

Bad. No. Stop. Scary.

A small animal flying at him is a no go

Alternatively: get him a pet dog and he will love you forever

He names it Elvis. Yeah you know why.

Overall loves you and your aesthetic, and you could tell even before you got together

Illinois

Excited but doesn't show it

He's met PLENTY of supernatural creatures

Ghosts, gods, there was a thing with that werewolf one time…

(He has the scars to prove it)

But a vampire? That's new

He doesn’t live at your place because he travels a lot

He still stays there sometimes between adventures

Uncomfortable with how clean it is

You are. An immortal being. And you take the time to clean. What the fuck.

“Would YOU wanna spend eternity in a dusty ass mansion?”

His flirts are often about your fangs

You threatened to bite him and he said “promise?”

Said you could drink his blood, but you said no

“I don’t know what the fuck you got in that bloodstream”

Doesn’t do walks but takes you on adventures

If it’s a cave. And you turn into a bat.

ONLY if you turn into a bat

Sidenote: he fucking adores when you turn into a bat

He just thinks they’re neat

Uncomfortable with how soft everything you own is

NOTHING is soft in nature

Except. Like a lot of things. But don’t tell him he’ll get mad

Doesn’t really want a pet bc he’ll never be home to deal with it

He’ll be fine if you get one though

He wants to name it Nathan Drake he doesn’t care what it is

NERD(see: Uncharted)

Will never EVER wear a fucking suit

He will DIE before he wears a suit fuck you

Dislikes anything remotely fancy

Talks about the creatures he’s met

you get Bard Vibes if ya know what i mean wink wink nudge nudge he's a whore is what I'm saying here

You hang out normally mostly

He refuses to acknowledge his feelings for you

Not after the mermaid incident.

He eventually will, i promise

Magnum

He’s a pirate, he doesn’t care

He’s seen sirens, ancient spirits, probably Davey Jones at some point

A vampire? Low on the list of dangerous creatures

He has a whole ship made outta wood he’s not that worried

You don't really sail with him often

When you do, you're seen as a threat to anyone and everyone

He loves that about you

Warned you not to bite him or he'd stake you

You promised not to and that was enough for him

You get along with the crew fairly well

However do NOT turn into a bat around them

They will not hesitate to shoot

"UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT, MAN YOUR BATTLESTATIONS!

You can maybe do it around Magnum and only Magnum

Doesn't like your house

He belongs to the sea

But can and will steal your sheets for himself

A pirate can have a little silk, as a treat

Offered his crew's blood to drink after a while

You declined because you don't know what the fuck kinda diseases they have

Doesn't really want a pet. He can't tell them what to do.

You bought an axolotl and he loves it a lot

Its name is Delta but he has deemed it Magnum Jr

Can't really. Fit. In any suits you have

He has to go out and get one personally tailored if he wants it

Likes dancing with you

Slow dancing. To Danny Boy.

He can't dance but that's ok he tries

You talk about land creatures and he talks about ocean creatures

So far he despises werewolves and skinwalkers

He likes spending as much time with you possible

He doesn't much like the idea of a relationship bc of his uh line of work

But he loves you