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littlemissaddict · 1 year

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I Miss You (18+) - Rockstar!Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary: Eddie’s away on tour when he finds a bunch of polaroid's in his suitcase from reader and he has to thank her when he calls.

Word Count: 2660

Warnings ⚠️ Phone sex, mutual masturbation, dirty talk, swearing. I think that’s it but please let me know if there’s anything else I should add. Also if it’s not clear 18+ only minors kindly dni thank you.

This has been sat unfinished in my drafts for far too long and was originally supposed to be super sickly fluff but as always with anything I right lately it’s turned into smut, enjoy!

Coming home to an empty house was one thing she hated but the first time doing it after Eddie had gone on tour was always the hardest as she had to readjust back into the routine of him not greeting her at the door with a warm smile and open arms when she returned home from work. Tonight, once she had stepped through the threshold, she was greeted with silence. Kicking her shoes off by the door and depositing her bag on the table as she made her way into the kitchen to busy herself with making dinner to hopefully keep her mind off the loneliness beginning to grow inside of her.

Truth was, the tours that Corroded Coffin did now were not as frequent as they did when they were just starting out, no longer picking up any gig they could get just to build their fanbase. No, their fanbase was going strong and still growing everyday as the guys got bigger but she was just thankful that despite that Eddie was quite happy to stay in Hawkins. It hadn't always been that way but after a few months of staying out in LA while they wrote for their debut album and played shows nearly every night, Eddie had confessed to her that he'd been so relieved to come back home and just have that sense of normality back that he did the unthinkable to his teenage self, he bought a house for the two of them in Hawkins with part of his pay off from their album.

Now that had been an occasion for celebrating and while Eddie was appreciative of all the parties being held for them, the first chance he got he took her and Uncle Wayne out for a big fancy dinner wanting to spoil the two people who had always been there for him. He had also surprised his uncle with a cheque which obviously Wayne had tried to refuse stating, "I don't need your money boy, didn't do all I did for you expecting anything back" and Eddie had agreed with him. He knew that wasn't the reason Wayne took him in as a boy but Wayne had taken him in without complaint, raised him well so that he wouldn't follow the same paths as his parents and well it was clear they had struggled so now that Eddie had the means he wanted to give back to his uncle.

"I know that but you've worked so hard for so long uncle Wayne that I think it's time you looked after you instead" Eddie had replied, pushing the envelope back into his uncles' hands until finally he relented, thanking the boy but telling him rather sternly that he wanted no more.

The ringing of the phone pulled her focus away from the pan boiling away on the hob. Glancing at the clock on the wall on her way over to the phone, she frowned, it was way too early for Eddie's call so she wasn't sure who else could be calling.

"Hello?" she spoke, her free hand twisting the wire as she waited for a response.

"Hey, how you doing? Just wanted to see if you needed anything getting" Steve's voice crackled from the receiver and she smiled hearing Robin shouting hello in the background. Of course, she knew how Eddie liked to not-so secretly have Steve call to check up on her while he was away and while Steve usually liked to call round the house unexpectedly it was clear given Robin in the background that he was still at work.

"I'm fine just making dinner" she replied, it was partly the truth because she was fine, she just missed Eddie an awful lot. Something that Steve could sense when he asked if she wanted some company to which she shook her head at, feeling slightly silly when she remembered that he couldn't see her. "Not tonight, I'm gonna eat then shower so that I can crawl into bed and wait for Eddie to ring" she told him truthfully and Steve hummed knowingly.

"Okay but Saturday you're coming with us to the movies" he said and she could hear the smile in his voice and Robin faintly in the background shouting 'no arguments', shaking her head as she rolled her eyes at the two of them before bidding them both a goodbye as she went back to her cooking, thankfully it wasn't burnt.

An hour and a half later, she was tucked up in bed with clean pyjamas and the teddy bear that Eddie had gotten her before Corroded Coffin's first ever tour, "Just so you have something to cuddle with while I'm away" he had smiled softly when he'd given it to her. The first night she'd come home to it, she found it wearing one of Eddie's shirts and upon burying her face in the soft material she'd found it smelled just like him too and that had been enough for the tears to fall, she couldn't believe that he'd been thoughtful enough to do that for her. Now though it had become tradition every time he was away and this time, it was his old Hellfire t-shirt that she'd pinched on many occasions that adorned the bear.

Wrapping herself up in the duvet with the bear held tight to her chest, she lay on Eddie's side of the bed waiting for him to call, pouncing on the phone as soon as it started ringing and answering it with a breathless hello.

"Sorry princess, did I catch you in the middle of something?" Eddie's voice drifted through the speaker and she immediately felt herself relaxing further into the bed.

"No, just in bed" she replied with a sigh, holding the teddy bear tighter in hopes of it feeling like he was actually there with her.

"Oh I see" he chuckled and she could practically see the teasing smile he was definitely wearing through the phone, "I leave for one day and your already taking matters into your own hands" He was mocking her, she knew that but for him to even suggest that she could replace him that quickly, well she couldn’t have that.

“You know nothing compares to you” she smiles, burying her reddening face into the teddy as Eddie chuckles down the line at her confession, “besides I’m having to settle for your double seeing as you left me” she teases, knowing that if he was here she’d have stuck her tongue at at him after she’d said it.

“Ah so you found him, what do you think of his outfit choices this time” Eddie asks, bypassing the part about leaving her because it wouldn’t help to dwell on the fact, she knew he’d never willingly leave her but he had to tour, it was part of his job.

“Perfect, just perfect” she sighs in reply, it was the same answer every time he asked but she was a little bitter about it this time because it was one of her favourites to sleep in when he was away.

As if he could sense it through the phone his next words only seemed to confirm it, “I thought you might say that and I know it’s your favourite so if you look under my pillow” she doesn’t give him chance to finish whatever else he had to say before she’s squealing his name and drops the phone in excitement as she fumbles under the pillows finding exactly what he was talking about.

Pulling out the neatly folded shirt, she watched it unravel as it revealed an exact copy of the shirt the teddy bear was wearing. Although as she trailed her fingers over the soft material, she realised it was more worn than that of the bears, this was his original shirt and he’d left it for her. She wasted no time stripping off her pyjamas and letting the material of his shirt slide over her head until it engulfed her body before she remembered the phone.

She could hear him asking if she was still there when she brought the phone back to her ear, “Thank you, thank you, thank you” she smiled giddily, interrupting him while wishing that he was there with her just so she could throw her arms around him and hug him tightly for the gift.

“Mhmm well I think it should be me thanking you sweetheart for the special gift I found in my suitcase” he hums, his voice dropping a lot lower than it was before.

She sits up straighter as a shiver runs down her spine, even miles away he still had that effect on her and she could just imagine him sprawled out on the bed in the hotel room with her polaroids in his hand. It had been an impulsive decision, one that she’d forgotten about until he’d mentioned it just now but she could still remember each photo she’d taken, the lingerie she’d worn was stashed away in the wardrobe ready for him getting back home.

“You like them?” she asked, feeling a little nervous. It was completely out of character for her to do something like that and she had to push away the fear of someone else other than Eddie discovering the pictures.

“Like them? Oh honey I’ve been hard since I pulled them out of the suitcase about a half hour ago, I had to force myself to wait until our usual time to call you” he groaned as if it was the hardest thing he had to do in his entire life and she couldn’t help but chuckle at his dramatics, same old Eddie she thought. “Don’t laugh sweetheart, I’m stuck here with nothing but your pictures and my hand, do you know what I’d give to have that tight pussy wrapped around me right now” he moaned.

She felt her thighs clench at his words as a familiar heat began to pool in her lower belly, she whined his name and he copied, her own name gracing her in his low voice that didn’t help the want growing inside her. “Oh Eddie I need you so bad” she whined, burying her face in the teddy which was still clutched tightly in her arms.

“Yeah sweetheart, fuck take your panties off and play with yourself for me” he groaned and she could hear shuffling in the background before his breathing grew heavier. He was touching himself and he wanted her to touch too.

Scrambling to get her panties off, she slid them halfway down her legs before she kicked them off and let them fall somewhere in the room that she’d worry about later. Slowly sliding a hand over her chest, she stopped to pinch her nipples through the thin fabric of the shirt, teasing herself just as Eddie would if he was here, whining his name as she did so. “Oh baby you sound so good, wish you were here with me” he moaned, a wet sound now beginning to grace her ears and it didn’t take her long to realise he had moved on from teasing touches to fucking his hand.

Moving the hand down from her chest, she let her fingertips dance down over her tummy whilst she imagined that it was Eddie playing with her as he usually did. When her hand reached the bottom of the shirt, she flattened her palm and let it slide until it was cupping between her legs and she could already feel her wetness dripping onto her hand. Using her middle finger, she ran it through her folds, getting it wet enough before she slid it into herself, moaning into the phone and hearing Eddie curse from the other side.

“Tell me how you’re touching yourself sweetheart, need to picture how perfect you look” he pleads following his words with a groan as if he’s holding himself back from cumming just yet as if the thought of her touching herself alone was enough to make him cum.

“I’m so wet Eds, my finger is just sliding in and out but it’s not enough, need more” she whines as her hand begins to move frantically between her legs, searching for the pleasure that Eddie can bring her so easily.

“It’s okay sweetheart, add another finger for me and let me hear how wet you are” he groans, his own hand sliding over his dick, slick with his spit that he was imagining was hers, that she had her mouth on him and was almost overwhelming him with pleasure.

Doing as Eddie said, she slowly added a second finger, moaning at the stretch and the pleasure that followed as she began moving her fingers again. “Feel better sweetheart” he asked, his fucked out voice hitting her ears and only adding to her pleasure as she quickly nodded her head in answer, completely forgetting in her pleasure that he couldn’t see her but as her moans increased. “I’ll take that as a yes then” he chuckled but it was broken when his breath caught in his throat as the gasp of ‘yes’ that followed his words.

“Jesus sweetheart you sound so good, bet you look even better” he rambled, his hand starting to pick up the pace on his dick as he brought himself closer to his orgasm, knowing that with the sounds she was making that she wouldn’t last much longer. “Think you can take some more pictures for me, wanna have a collection to take away with me next time” he growled, eyes rolling back as he started to buck his hips up to meet his hand.

“Yes Eddie, so close, gonna cum please Eds, can I?” she asked, broken by her moans as she felt the heat inside her reaching breaking point.

Eddie, never one to say no to her, especially when she sounded so pretty, pleading with him like that. “Go ahead baby, let me hear you” he encouraged, feeling his own end approaching and knowing her moans as she came would only push him over the edge. She didn’t hold back either, her moans coupled with gasps of his name and he could just picture the way her body was shaking as she came. That was it for him and with one more thrust of his hips into his hand he was cumming, white ropes of cum painting his bare torso as he moaned her name.

For a while all that could be heard between them was the heavy breaths as they came down from their highs, until he broke it with a laugh. “You know I always forget how fun that can be”

“Not as much fun as when we’re together though” she hums, body beginning to feel heavy with sleep as it always did afterwards.

“Of course not” he agrees, reaching for his discarded shirt to clean himself off with as he tries not to think of the state it will be in when it eventually gets around to being washed. As he throws it in the general direction of his suitcase his eyes find the polaroids again, “you know I wasn't joking about the pictures baby, I fully expect a collection for the next tour” he smirks.

“We’ll get to work on those when you get home” she giggles sleepily, her free hand searching for the discarded teddy bear and pulling it into her chest as she hears him chuckle on the other side of the line.

“That we will sweetheart, now get some sleep and I’ll speak to you tomorrow, I love you” he smiles, it was as bittersweet as always but he wouldn’t have it any other way, living the life he dreamed of all with the girl of his dreams by his side was more than he ever could have hoped for.

“I love you too Eds” she mumbles, using the last of her energy to place the receiver back before sleep took over her.

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x reader smut #eddie munson x reader fluff #rockstar!eddie munson #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson onshot #eddie munson drabble #eddie munson #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things

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phoenix-fell · 1 year

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Anti-Bumbleby criticisms answered with BB analysis - Big post

As expected, as Bumbleby gets more attention from the show, the anti-BB crowd have surfed in on their tidal wave of bitter lemons. So, I’d like to put my degree, job and training to use and compile my thoughts down in one place - a one-stop shop if you will - it’s long and will be largely unfiltered as I tackle the weirdest and most common criticisms and BB analysis. (I kinda miss Bumbleby analysis Megaposts, I might make one sometime to go alongside this as a point of reference as most I’ve seen end around Vol 6).

TIA for anyone who actually takes the time to read my ramblings and please feel free to give your thoughts/analysis and I’ll edit it in. FIRST EDIT - 8th Mar 2023 presenting labels and sexuality in Remnant - 4th from end.

Credentials: Double major 1st class grad in Literature and Creative Writing, specialising in fairy tales and WLW representation in media. Recipient of dissertation award exploring character psyche and the presentation of psychological themes. Literary critic, writer and content specialist.

Let’s start off with a cracker from Reddit!

“Why couldn’t the BB scenes be more of a background thing? Why do they need to focus on them like they’re a main plot or something?”

Is... Is it stuffy under all that homophobia? I could easily rhyme off a string of sarcastic quips like ‘gee, I wonder why, it’s almost like it’s important to the development of two of the main characters or something.’ But it’s so lost on some people that I’mma spell it out:

We’ve seen Blake and Yang’s trauma painted across the screen from ‘Burning the Candle’ when Yang first confesses her abandonment issues, to the White Fang / Adam arcs that gave us a picture of the abuse Blake has endured - not just as a Faunus, but from her partner (“Adam used to get into my head, make me feel small.”), right through to their separation that dealt with their respective issues with running away/being abandoned and the shared trauma which has tied them both together indefinitely. They’ve been apart, they’ve repaired their relationship, they’ve grown together. In a current volume that’s so inherently focused on character’s individual development, seeing Blake and Yang together was almost inevitable as they’ve been so completely involved in one another’s development throughout the entire series. This is without going into their fairy tale allusions that tie them together which I’ll go into further down or the references to Yin/Yang and numerous romantic tropes that show how integral they are to one another’s characters. Contrary to belief, it’s not romance for the sake of romance - in this instance, the romance very much strengthens their development individually.

Asides from all of this, it was decided from the very beginning that Yang would lose her arm (foreshadowed in the Yellow trailer). The moment they decided that Yang would lose her arm protecting Blake, was the moment a decision was made to invariably tie these two narratives together on a very fundamental level.

But also, don’t clown yourself into thinking you’re not a homophobe if you think any LGBT content belongs in the background whilst also rejoicing any onscreen developments between straight ships.

“If BB was meant to be a thing then they wouldn’t have had Sun as a romantic interest.”

Is there a universe where love triangles and bisexuals are a foreign concept?

But in all seriousness, I think that certain corners of fanbases seem to struggle with any concepts that are non-linear; something I often see with anime. By ‘linear’, I mean: love interest introduced > build up > canon > together forever. As opposed to ‘non-linear’; a character that goes on their own journey of discovery and, through which, has more than one interest and path over time and has the ability to change their mind. The show was never a ‘romance’ as a primary theme; it’s an action/adventure which has some romantic subplots. But to honest, Blake changing her mind shouldn’t really be this much of a shock to the fanbase given that our FIRST ever interaction with Blake, in her TRAILER, is her changing her mind about her partner (and first romantic interest) and deciding to pursue a new journey. A scene which is actually referred back to in the Season 6 opener when Blake uncouples the train and sees what she believes to be a hallucination of a hooded Adam on the opposite carriage, foreshadowing the importance of that original decision later in the series (“you didn’t leave scars, you just left me, alone”).

The arc that follows Blake thereafter is inherently tied to Adam (amongst other important themes), who is predominantly based off Gaston and the rose (or curse of the rose) from Beauty and the Beast. Blake and Yang are interchangeably alluded to as both Belle and the Beast throughout their character arcs from as early as the Red Trailer: “Black the beast descends from shadows / Yellow beauty burns gold.” and as recently as Blake describing Yang to the Hunter Mice in Vol. 9 Chapter 1. I can rhyme off these allusions until I’m blue, but again, I may save this for a master post.

The story that Blake is based on is a love triangle - she was never meant to have one set path from the beginning and romantic interests were always meant to play a huge part in Blake’s story/development; she was always going to have a romantic decision to make after conquering the curse / Gaston. Blake being haunted by her first romantic interest is foreshadowed in the ending of her trailer and first referenced in her conversation (with Yang) at Mountain Glen, and becomes an undeniable path of exploration once Yang loses her arm to Adam at the end of Volume 3. Let it be noted that Sun was present when Yang announced she was going to find Blake at the Battle of Beacon - a decision was made here for Yang to be the one to lose her arm protecting Blake, as was Adam’s poignant promise to take away everything Blake loves - “starting with [Yang]” or, otherwise, the solidifying of this romantic subplot. Which, again, is called back to with the infamous line: “What does she even see in you?” besides the obvious subtext, it’s setting the stage for these parallels between Adam and Yang, past and future, the previous love interest identifying something in Blake that used to be reserved for him, now directed towards Yang.

This season began with Blake declaring that Yang “seems scary, but isn’t”. Because, once Belle knows the Beast isn’t scary, she allows herself to fall in love (conveniently, this is said whilst walking through a fairy tale).

I could go into a big post about romantic foils and the ways in which Yang, Adam and Blake are all foils to each other but I might make a separate post instead for anyone new to the FNDM. Either way, I feel it’s worth mentioning as it’s Blake who directly compares Yang to a past love interest who was designed with semblances and characteristics that mirror each other. Point being, no one should be shocked that Blake has multiple interests given the character and fairy tale she’s based off and heavy allusions where Yang is concerned.

“Oh yeah, because Yang ‘literally purred at guys in their underwear’ Xiao Long and Blake ‘literally kissed a boy’ Belladonna are clearly bisexual because of [insert out of context reasons]” and “yes but Monty said...”

1. You mean... the one, and only one scene in 9 entire volumes where Yang shows any interest (albeit jokingly) in a guy, and the literal scene directly before she sees Blake from across the crowded room and proceeds to never express interest in men again? (Ignoring the very obvious implied trope here). And, in fact, only expresses interest in a woman from this point onwards? This is your frame of reference? Personally, I find it quite lovely that Yang’s perspective is never the same from the moment she sees Blake. Asides from this, while ‘bisexual’ is the label that these guys have gone with, Yang’s sexuality hasn’t been confirmed outside of being sapphic - it’s not outside the realm of possibility that she is, in all likelihood, lesbian. It’s important to note here that any young character expressing an interest in a man would not invalidate that same character being a lesbian. In fact, if we apply this to real life, it’s not uncommon for people not to realise that they’re queer immediately (I myself didn’t until I was 21). But in the opening episodes of the series especially, I’d very much chalk this up to writers exploring the characters.

2. As for Blake - there are, from what I remember, three kisses in the entire show so far. The one between Jaune and Pyrrha - on the lips after prolonged romantic allusions between the two (their romance is explicitly referenced by Nora - “practice what you preach, Pyrrha.” - almost fitting that it’s Nora to call out the Bees in Season 7 - A Night Off, no? Neat little parallel for y’all). The one between Ren and Nora after trying to work out the status of their romantic relationship - again, on the lips. And the one where Blake says goodbye (and thank you) to Sun by kissing him... On the cheek. (So hot, I know). Which is immediately followed up with Sun telling Neptune “it was never about that”. One of these is not like the other, can you guess which? I’ll wait.

As for referencing Monty - I could go on all day about this one, and the quote most notoriously used is ‘they’re a sisterhood’. Firstly, let me just say that I find it disturbing that anyone would use the show’s deceased creator as ammunition, whilst also disregarding his other comments on LGBT rep - specifically, ‘maybe there are LGBT characters there now / they’re just kids rn and figuring it out / it needs to be earned’. But also, it’s really disturbing and egotistical that anybody would pretend to know what Monty wanted better than the crew he handpicked, worked with, collaborated with and was friends with (special mention to the fact that his own brother is one of the cast). If you truly want to honour his legacy, then show respect to the people he put his trust in.

“I don’t have an issue with BB, but why does it always have to take away from Yang’s moments with Ruby?” / “All Yang’s feelings for her sister transferred to Blake.”

One from the hall of fame. The age old question of ‘can a girl have a romantic partner and still care about her family?’ I wish this wasn’t a serious question, but there are actual sides of the Fandom that seem to think that Yang’s forgotten about her sister that she raised because she has feelings for someone and that the sole purpose of Yang’s existence is to be her sister’s keeper.

I’mma address this on 3 fronts. 1 - Logistically, the episodes for RWBY, excluding the intros, are 15-20 mins long currently and typically oversee several different storylines particularly as the cast grows larger, leaving us with... What? About 5 minutes of team RWBY interactions? It’s not a lot of time to pack in character development, relationship development, plotline, strategy etc. so often if they’re wanting to develop more than one relationship, they will alternate between putting these themes in the background (such as the yellow in Blake’s sword, references from other characters etc.) and foreground, and some developments have to be shoulder-to-shoulder to fit them in. This isn’t an indicator of how much one character cares for one another and is more a demon created by people’s perception of how they ‘think’ a protective sister should act.

Additionally, it should be noted that Yang fawning over Ruby and not allowing her to develop other relationships outside of her sister, would actually offer us nothing from a development perspective for both Yang and Ruby’s characters and would, instead, steer these two strong female characters down a path of co-dependency.

2 - It feels like a very easy excuse for Anti-BB folk to throw out there, conveniently forgetting how great of a sister Yang actually is (contrary to the number of RWDE videos I’ve seen arguing otherwise, as this is an essay I could write in itself). These very often take isolated incidents out of context and conveniently forget important information like Yang 1. Literally sacrificing herself twice to protect her sister 2. Sacrificing her entire childhood to raise her sister and 3. Importantly, the fact that Ruby is her (self-sufficient) Team Leader needs to be factored into their dynamic, as Yang gives her space to find herself as a leader and steps in when her sister actually needs her - not when the audience thinks she does. People hear ‘protectiveness’ and seem to think that this should mean that Yang should be overbearing.

3 - Anyone who says this doesn’t have siblings. I have older and younger siblings and, having largely raised my younger sibling, I can safely say that I still love them even when I’m in a relationship. I also feel extremely secure in arguing/disagreeing with any of my siblings because I inherently know they will still be there at the end of the day - a sibling love goes deep (referencing ‘Fault’ from Volume 8). However, in a romantic relationship that is not established and very new... you will feel insecure, that’s normal, it doesn’t have the luxury of established stability that siblings do, and therefore you will overtly express more anxiety about this as a result. It’s a very strange concept that if you have a sibling, you need to give them all of your attention and ignore any love interests. Yang has gone through her own traumas, she has every right to care about others, heal herself, and have a life that isn’t defined by being a caretaker for her sister. ESPECIALLY as she already gave up her childhood to fulfil this role, unselfishly AND as the person she’s bonding with is best poised to understand Yang’s trauma. Yang as a character deserves to receive the love she constantly gives out. Again, this is a demon born from the fact that it either doesn’t reflect the relationship commentors have with their siblings, or the fact that they’re *imagining* how that relationship should be.

Bonus picture below: Yang putting aside her anguish for Summer Rose, who she considered to be her mother, to prioritise comforting her sister about that same loss.

“I hate BB shippers because they pass off BS interactions as platonic. BS made more sense, there was no build-up to BB until Vol 6 and they let the BS build-up go to waste to force BB.”

First off, there’s nothing wrong with BlackSun as a ship. Shipping shouldn’t be dictated by canonicity and people have the right to ship it and to their opinions. And while a few of these seem to have referenced BS, I don’t actually think that BS shippers are at fault for the hatred coming this way, but rather that the ship seems to get used as ammunition from the Anti-BB crowd - to summarise, Anti-BB and BS shippers are not synonymous. I personally don’t ship BS, but I do enjoy the debate and actually think that Sun is a very important part of Blake’s development and arc. There did seem to be some form of mutual attraction between Blake and Sun. Had they gone down that route, I wouldn’t have hated it, I just never felt excited by it, which seems to be a large consensus amongst BB fans. An appreciation whilst feeling there was a better alternative.

Believing all the development between Sun and Blake was ‘wasted’ is also very closed-minded given how much he helped Blake in the White Fang arc and also disregards the importance of their friendship. BS has the potential to be one of the best and most supportive friendships in the series, I stand by that.

That said, I don’t think it’s entirely wrong to acknowledge that a lot of (not all) interactions between BS were platonic from Blake’s pov while Sun’s feelings were more explicit. The only real hint I saw of Blake reciprocating was a blush at the Vytal festival. Maybe the dance at a stretch, but there’s hints at both BS and BB and I will fight you on it. Now, it might be a question of timing; Adam was still a prevalent threat during this time which will have been weighing on Blake given the resurgence of the White Fang, and is clear when Adam rocks up seeking vengeance in Volume 3. For this reason, I honestly think it would have been disingenuous to have explored Blake in a full relationship with anyone at this point given these loose ends, and Blake undergoes a lot of development over volumes 4-6 as a direct result of this.

Additionally, if BB didn’t begin until Volume 6 then that means that BS had 4-5 volumes to happen - 2 of which where they were in their own arc, separated from the main cast. It didn’t happen. What happens instead is Blake’s guilt over Yang weighs heavily on her while she deals with her arc and Sun helps her come to terms with this, ultimately redirecting her back to her team, and Yang, while Sun’s interactions with her become increasingly platonic from his side.

Lastly, the only way you don’t see build up for BB, is if you actively will yourself not to see build-up. If you replace Blake and Yang’s moments with Sun, I don’t feel there’d be any misunderstandings on how these moments are supposed to be interpreted. Take off the hetero goggles, and we’re cool.

But on a sidenote and personal pet peeve of mine, the cries of ‘BB is forced while BS had build-up’ will forever irritate me - BB has a slow burn, a full arc, developed from a friendship and partnership as well as several tropes and allusions without going into too much detail. BS, firstly, never ended up happening, but it starts when Sun runs past, winks at Blake, magically knows she’s a faunus, then proceeds to follow around a girl he doesn’t know for two days who, at his own admission, didn’t speak that whole time. But... BB is forced? I’d say it’s subjective, but logic defies when this is the barometer for a natural introduction of a romantic pair.

“BB is ‘queerbait’”

Let’s address the ‘Goliath’ in the room, shall we? ‘Queerbaiting’ gets thrown around like a reflex at the moment by pseudo-fans who I don’t believe actually know the gravity of their statements or the meaning behind the word. I often see this slur paired with BB being strung out to keep the shippers watching. Now, there’s an essay in itself that could exist in this section, but are people really still clowning themselves that a show that’s explicitly shown that it wants to have queer representation in the cast and foreground is ‘queerbaiting’ it’s audience? Even weirder for me is the part of the FNDM saying that it’ll be baiting if they make BB canon. Please stop this nonsense and do some research.

Now, one thing I would like to tackle is that, sadly, some will still see pairings on the show through heteronormative glasses, so let me use that here. If the pair were a m/f couple and had several seasons of development and increasingly intimate moments, there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that 1. It was heading in the direction of canon and 2. That it was a slow burn romance that’s building to its’ climax. Interestingly, the show actually does use the hetero goggles to frame BB on several occasions by paralleling this budding romance with several straight ships such as Arkos and Renora. Why? Because this is a narrative technique often used by writers to frame LGBT romances to separate them from ‘just friendships’ and, let’s face it, use an unconscious heteronormative bias to their advantage.

“BB is badly written, they barely interacted in volumes 1-3 then didn’t speak for two volumes.”

Tickle me pink. Volumes 1-3 are a very strange reference point for ‘in-depth’ development between characters. Crumbs, sure. The odd scene, absolutely. But let’s be real here - the show started as a low budget web series with an onus on cool fighting scenes and, most importantly, the episodes were around 5 minutes long whilst entertaining teams RWBY and JNPR, the White Fang, the Vytal tournament and several other plots. Nobody particularly interacted much but the writers did the best they could with what they had and the rest is left to us, the audience, to interpret that relationships are developing off-screen. Though from a critique POV in the interest of fairness, I would say the current season is a breath of fresh air by re-focusing the plot on the central characters as I think the show can sometimes be guilty of taking on too many plotlines.

As for volumes 4-5, while they’re in different continents, it’s obvious that they’re prevalent in each other’s arcs. Whether it’s Yang admitting she’s struggling with Blake’s abandonment - in the same episode the first lesbian character is revealed confessing their feelings to Blake (sidenote, all of team RWBY left Yang, and it’s Blake she’s mad at, this was always meant to be framed differently to her other teammates and IMO the struggle they go through is meant to frame the characters coming to terms with the depth of what they mean to each other), the parallels of them both getting onto the ship (named ‘Pride’ - wink wink), or Blake actively struggling to talk about Yang, yet referencing it when Sun is hurt (“Not again!”) showing it’s at the forefront of her mind. All of which culminates in their reunion in the Vol 5 finale.

Is it the best writing ever? No, nothing’s perfect. But they do explicitly use parallels throughout the series to drive the narrative forward as a foreshadowing tool to strengthen subplots.

“Blake being bisexual makes no sense - she was interested in Sun, it just seems so out of the blue, she and Yang just seemed like friends to me.”

Funny, because she and Sun seemed like friends to me too.

There are so many things I wanted to fire back at this, from the insinuation that if a woman first shows interest in a man then it’s out of the blue that she’s bisexual now that she’s showing interest in a woman... Like, how do you think it happens for bisexuals IRL?! Did you want her to burst onto the scene in Volume 1, announce she likes men and women, and then express explicit simultaneous interest in both of them? Start a harem? Proposition a throuple?

This particular take amuses me most of all as someone who is very openly bisexual. Yes, she and Yang seemed like friends. Great friends, in fact. That hold hands and blush and want to spend all their time together. And check each other out when the other isn’t looking. And make excuses for casual physical contact and flirt and giggle like a couple of giddy teenagers. Just like me and my ‘best friend’ did, before I realised I was bi. I’m sure that a lot of people thought it came out of the blue for me too. Blake being oblivious to being bisexual until it becomes too obvious to ignore is actually a very realistic scenario.

Bonus headline - just because you don’t understand/identify with something, doesn’t mean that it’s not good representation or realistic. I feel it’s also important to mention Blake’s VA, Arryn Zech, is bisexual and has spoken numerous times on the matter. The reason I bring this up is because it’s clear that the way in which the bisexuality of her character is presented on the show is actually something that’s incredibly important to Arryn - because good representation is significant.

Presenting labels and sexuality on Remnant: A Theory and - “BB is a terrible representation of LGBT and your critique ignores the female and LGBT people that have spoken out against it.”

They say, to someone who is both female and LGBT. Credit to the Anon who charged into my inbox to accuse me of the above - hope you enjoy. Now, there’s a couple of things I’d like to cover before I go into how sexuality is perceived in-universe. The first is that if you use this argument against someone who is queer without seeing the belligerent hypocrisy of your statement, please check yourself as, clearly, you only care about LGBT voices on representation when it aligns with your own rhetoric and ready to dismiss any narrative to the contrary from that same community.

Secondly, the queer/LGBT community is a vast and vibrant community of *individuals* with their own opinions and own voices. I didn’t nominate anyone to speak on my behalf, just as I don’t speak on the behalf of the rest of the community. Moreover, any art is open to interpretation. My opinion does not override theirs, nor does their opinion erase my own. And, believe it or not, it’s quite possible to have two or more differing opinions within one community without being at war with one another. I respect their opinion, just as I hope they respect mine.

We clear? Great. Onto the analysis! Huge shoutout to @crimsonxe for the brilliant discussion and assistance with the analysis in the comments that helped me construct this section! You’re awesome.

Let’s dive in with the headline - Homophobia doesn’t appear to be an issue on Remnant and labels don’t appear to exist, in the sense that it doesn’t appear anywhere in-universe. Now just to pre-emptively disclaimer: this may change, but in 9 volumes and however many supplementary materials, we’ve not heard any labels or had any representation of this type of discrimination. If that changes, I’ll happily remove this.

So why is this important, you ask? Ultimately, when you take away the inherent ‘fear’ that a lot of the LGBT community face IRL along with prevalent ignorance towards the community and society’s insistence on labelling sexualities and gender identity, it creates a world divorced from our own and is, from a narrative point of view, a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it allows the characters to explore themselves in a non-discriminatory environment that is inherently more fluid and free, whilst the audience will inevitably want to compare that to their own experiences. But we can’t - not properly - due to the still very real stigma and discrimination that exists in our own world. Instead, what we see are characters who express an interest in other characters and find other ways to allude to their preferences or identity. A prime example of this would be May, canonically a trans character, who does not use this term in-world but instead says, “To the Marigolds that meant I wasn’t their son, and I made sure everyone knew I wasn’t their daughter.” This is a theme that is poignantly reflected in the accompanying media for the series - such as the books; for instance, Coco, canonically lesbian, referring to “breaking the hearts of many women.”

How does this tie into the relationship with Blake and Yang? Glad you asked. If you bear in mind that Remnant has a very fluid outlook on sexuality and more of a ‘love who you love’ ethos which is blind to gender norms, it immediately subverts the assumption that interactions between m/f are romantic while f/f are platonic. It’s an open field, if you will. BB is a steady build from partner/best friend (though I’d argue that at least Yang had an immediate attraction, with Blake figuring herself out) with interactions that become increasing more intimate. Eye rolls and jokes become winks and innuendo (“I love it when you’re feisty!”), nudges become intimate hugs (Burning the Candle), become hand-holding (it isn’t coincidence that these two have held hands more than any other pair in the series), becomes pining, blushing, forehead touches (BB and Renora - remember those parallels), which evolves into flirting and... More. And yes, some of their interactions will still resemble the friendship they built their foundations on. But in a world where labels don’t exist, that journey from friend-to-lover is much more subtle and embedded in a gentle upwards curve of increasing intimacy.

“BB is only happening because the horrible BB fans demanded it, the show caved and gave in to the toxic fanbase, it wasn’t planned from the beginning.”

I’ve seen this in so many places, like a broken record. I have no doubt that there are BB fans that are fanatical, and I’d never justify the behaviour of any so-called fan that resorts to death threats or violence in any way. I’m hoping this surely must be a minority that has, hopefully, shrunk over the years as the audience has matured. However, this also really isn’t how shows work...

As many have pointed out in recent weeks, the show would be a very different landscape altogether if CRWBY were, in fact, that easily swayed by fans; namely, I’m thinking of Clover/Qrow, Pyrrha, Penny etc. While I don’t doubt that show-makers pay attention to the fanbase where needed and where it’ll be beneficial (seeing how fans react to developments, if allusions are clear etc.), sending death threats or whatever is actually much more counterproductive than anything else. But also... You’re not on the crew, you’re not part of those discussions. I feel confident that Miles, Kiersi and Kerry aren’t writing BB content with a gun to their head.

Lastly, the ‘it wasn’t planned from the beginning’ war cry is a tale as old as time. Like Beauty and the Beast. (See what I did there?) Asides from the fact that 1. Yang and Blake were actually the first created out of the team, and made with each other in mind, regardless of in what context (check out the original character designs/concepts) 2. Even if it wasn’t planned from the beginning, what difference does it make? There are tonnes of examples where the writers have felt the chemistry between two characters as the story’s gone on and decided to put them together (case-in-point from outside the anime world.. Chandler and Monica from Friends). In fact, while some writers like to plan every element of their plot from the beginning, there’s a great many writers who allow the characters to steer the plot as they grow - especially arcs with romantic undertones. The series was made predominantly for the action - it’s not a romantic series, so if they didn’t plan it from the beginning that wouldn’t be unusual, especially given that the episodes of the first few volumes are literally 5-10 minutes long. But regardless of whether the romance of the two was planned or not planned, it does not make it any less meaningful.

But let’s be real, the issue at heart isn’t that they weren’t sucking face in the first 3 seasons, it’s that they thought Blake would be with a guy, and she chose a girl. To which I say... Get over your bruised ego, and move on.

“BB fans deserve the hate they get because of x, y, z and cos it has toxic shippers.”

And you’re... Not... Toxic? If you’re an Anti-BB shipper and go out of your way to stalk and comment on BB tags/accounts just to harass shippers etc, then are you any better than the toxic fans you supposedly hate? To me, following BB tags and looking at BB content whilst being an Anti-BB shipper is so weird, why you trying to hurt your own feelings?

Also, saying that innocent shippers who are just living their best life should bear the burden of the toxic FNDM, is literally the definition of tarring everyone with the same brush. Some of us just want to eat our crumbs in peace, and from our POV, you’re the toxic ones being disrespectful. Bonus point: others being toxic does not give you licence to be hateful to anyone you come across that doesn’t agree with you.

“I’m no longer watching the show cos it’s trying too hard to be ‘woke’”

This ain’t an airport, you don’t need to announce your departure. But since you are, if your issue is the gay representation in the show then wake up and look around... We’re everywhere. The show is literally just reflecting the diversity you see day-to-day; but you keep sipping that haterade, my dude, we’re here to stay.

#anti rwde #rwby analysis #bumbleby #rwby

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ashwhowrites · 11 months

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FD part 4

I am very sorry for how long this took to come out. I hope you guys love it and was worth the wait. As always, I love to see your reactions so feel free to tell me what you thought!

Eddie called and called. Leaving voicemail after voicemail. He was panicking, and he had no idea what to do. He knew that if this moment ever came, he'd be screwed. And here he was.

It didn't take long for the media to find out, and Eddie felt it was leaked. And he knew by who.

They were on the cover of every magazine

"Biggest couple in the world called it quits! But why?"

The fanbase was split, some on her side and trashing Eddie's name. Some on his side believed she was the issue, and that's why she was never public about her relationships. Eddie wanted to come clean right away, but Zack refused to let him.

He said letting the fans try to figure it out would bring more attention to them. But Eddie didn't want anyone turning on her, but Zack believed it would impact Eddie's fame. And Zack only cared about Eddie's career.

~~~

He hated that he had no way to get in touch with her. He wanted to apologize over and over. He wanted to find any type of way to fix the mess he got himself into.

Just as Zack hoped, Eddie's name was in every magazine. A week has passed and no one has even seen Y/N. Paparazzi outside her house, just waiting for the second she walks out to capture how she looks in the breakup stage. But she hasn't made a sound. She hasn't been active on social media, everything on her end was silent.

Two weeks and the media was craving her side of things. Her fans begged that she says something about what happened. Her management team wanted her to speak of what happened, clear her name, and end Eddie's career.

She didn't want to end his career. But she was an artist, and artists show their pain through their work. So, she released a song.

She wrote every emotion she felt, sang with all the betrayal on her mind, and sent the record out to the world. She felt happy with the way the song turned out. She didn't care if people liked it or not. She didn't care if Eddie heard it and was upset. She wanted to take back all the power she lost.

He wanted her because of her famous daddy, she took the title and made it her own.

It didn't take long for "famous daddy" to reach the top of the charts and for everyone to talk about it. The media loved the drama. Articles were written about what each lyric meant and the exact way it related to Eddie.

~~~

Zack was on cloud nine, the exact reaction from her that he was hoping for.

Eddie on the other hand was suffering. He hated how different everything was. The song they made together was so in love and happy. All of that disappeared in her new song, and it made his gut turn.

"Perfect! The pop star has released a break-up single, definitely leading to a breakup album. All the songs will be related back to you. That keeps everyone searching your name and keeps everyone connecting things back to you. You know what we have to do now, right?" Zack asked

"Apologize publicly and leave her alone?" Eddie questioned, but he knew that wouldn't be the answer. It would be the right answer, not the one Zack was looking for though.

"No! This is the perfect time to get you in the booth. Writing the break up from your point of you. She called you out, she embarrassed you, and truthfully, outshined you pretty damn well. She has the power to make the media believe what she wants, we need to reverse that."

"That doesn't make any sense! Reverse what? She sang about the truth. She talked about falling in love and having it all be a plan. She talked about being used for her daddy's name. Everything she said was real, you expect me to make it seem like she's lying?" Eddie couldn't stand this man. But he easily found out the truth about what being famous was all about doing anything to get your name ahead.

"Stop with that nonsense. She's a fucking girl singing about how her boyfriend broke her heart! She's releasing the same shit everyone else is. You are the man, you come out and sing about your side, and everyone always believes the man. You write about how she's lying, she's throwing your name in the dirt so she can come out on top. Every boy who has ever been wronged by a girl will love the song. They'll relate to you. It's you versus her, and you are going to win."

"So she can hate me? So all her hard work is easily thrown to the side all because a man said she was making shit up? Do you not hear how fucking ridiculous that sounds? She has had this career for years, she worked hard to keep her reputation real and that's exactly why she hid away from relationships. You want to take that all away from her?"

"Eddie, I am your manager, I don't give a shit about her. I'm hired to make you a star. I got you the contract with her dad, which he can't get out of no matter how much he hates you, I got you at the top, I got your name known. Your constant arguing about everything is really pissing me off. Write the fucking song, record it, and we will release it."

Eddie watched as Zack slammed the door behind him.

He stared at the notebook in front of him. Countless songs were written about her, but none that villainized her. If Eddie ever got the chance to make it up to her, and he wrote the song, it would take any progress he made.

It was his career or hers.

~~~

Y/N knew with the release of a new song would cause even more drama. But she was tired of being played and being hurt. The release of the song was the first thing that made her smile in days. She felt a sense of comfort when people shared her song and their story. For once, she wasn't alone.

Her management dealt with endless calls, begging for interviews. At first, she wanted to say no, not bother to give him any more publicity.

But if he could use her for her name, why can't she suck his name out for her own benefit?

She had a performance set for tomorrow and an interview following. As she sat in her make-up chair, she hated how sad she felt. Almost like preparing to actually sing the song live, reminds her Eddie did truly break her heart. It wasn't a song she made of random characters, it was her and her pain.

"Y/N? Ready?" Her dad came in, a sad smile on his face. She knew he felt bad for her and he hated that he was stuck in a contract with the boy who broke his daughter's heart.

"Yeah," she breathed, standing up as she checked herself in the mirror. Eddie wanted to use her? Fine, she's going to ruin his career.

~~~

"EDDIE! COME HERE!" Zack screamed, turning the volume up on the TV as Y/N began to sing. Eddie felt like his heart froze on the spot. There she was, looking beautiful as ever. Makeup done to perfection and her hair framed her face nicely. Her face looked soft and angelic. Nothing like the bitterness in her tone as she sang with anger and betrayal.

Eddie felt his stomach drop at the guitar she was strumming. The same guitar they wrote their song together on. The guitar used to have pictures of him in the neck, but now broken hearts filled the empty space.

"Been fantasizing and crying, been romanticizing

About all these boys who ain't never gon' like me

I don't know why I thought it would be different this time

Thought you'd be the one, but you're one of those guys

Can only blame myself, I made it up in my mind"

Eddie hated the sad look in her eyes. Hated that she blamed herself for simply liking a boy. Blaming herself for falling for his lies and tricks.

"See! You did Eddie boy! Here she is singing live, broadcast all over the world, singing that she thought you were different. Maybe we'll put you in acting next." Zack snickered. Eddie hated the way Zack had zero empathy for anyone. Y/N never let the fame get to her, she was real and always felt everything she had with every emotion.

"I guess devourin' all the power is all you've ever known

You're sittin' on an empty throne

Do you get off from holdin' me from my potential?

Are you scared that I might bruise your ego?"

This is the first time Eddie allowed himself to listen to the whole song. He was a coward, and he was scared to face her. He was scared of what she felt and how much she hated him.

He wished he could explain that everything he felt with her was real and that he wished he never made the deal with the devil next to him. He didn't want to be alone, and he hated knowing he was at the top from stomping on her. She was suffering at the bottom while he basked in the glory.

"Thinking of good lyrics?" Zack asked, watching as Eddie stared intensely at the screen.

"Yeah. I got the perfect song in mind." Eddie said with a smirk

After her performance, she moved on to the interview. Eddie was curious as to what would be asked and how she would answer.

The interview started relaxed, the interviewer was polite and asked about Y/N's career and upcoming work. Then moved on to the reason for the song.

"Is it true that you and Eddie broke up because he was using you for fame? The fans believe your song paints that picture. Any thoughts on that?"

"Well, I think the title speaks for itself. But yes, we broke up because he was in it for the name. If honesty means telling you the truth, I mean." She laughed at the end, and Eddie felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment. The world knew he was a shallow asshole, but he deserved it.

"Were you ever worried about that? Or had suspicions?"

Eddie wanted to shrink in his spot, remembering how desperate he was to lie to her and have her believe him. How he made her sound crazy for thinking he was out for blood.

"Yes, in the very beginning. I am suspicious of everyone and funny enough, he was the one that made me realize that. When we met he said he had no idea who I was, so I believed him. He didn't look at me like he knew who I was, almost like he was trying to see in me, see the color of my soul. So I thought he was different, he gave me a million reasons to believe it. All his reasons were lies."

But they weren't, and Eddie wished he could get her to believe that. But he lost his place to make her believe his words. There was no trust between them anymore and he was to blame for all of that.

~~~

Eddie focused on writing the perfect song, something that would grab everyone's attention and make her curious enough to listen to it. It was the only way he would get her to talk to him.

Eddie recorded the song and sent it out before Zack could stop him. Eddie wanted to write his side, and his side meant admitting his guilt and regret.

The media jumped on immediately, dissecting his lyrics and quoting them on social media. He smiled at some of the reactions, people still hate him but he was happy he got some respect back from her fans.

" HE ADMITTED HE WAS IN LOVE! @Y/Nmusic!!!!"

"HE QUOTED HER. HE WATCHED THE INTERVIEW"

"Why do I forgive white men so easily? This song has me hoping they make up"

The buzz would catch her attention, he knew it would.

~~~

"Find it hard to say I'm sorry

But I'll make it up to you somehow

I guess we lost our focus

And it's killing me that we could go to war like this

But I'm standing here with you just tryna be honest

If honesty means telling you the truth

Well I'm still in love with you"

Y/N hated that she listened to the song. She hated that her eyes stung hearing him say he was in love with her. She wasn't sure if it was another lie to make sure he looked good or not.

Her fans were quoting his song with their comments. Her feed was covered in him and his stupid voice. She felt bitter that everyone was quick to forget all the pain he caused. She needed to remind herself too.

"will you tell me anything I wanna hear to control how you're perceived?"

She hit the post with a small smile. Fans already blowing up her post and putting his name in the comments. He was quick to dm her and she felt scared to open it. She blocked his number so she could avoid his words, knowing she was too weak to stay away.

"Nothing makes up for what I did. I will do anything I can to show you that I want you over any career. I'm sorry and my feelings for you are real. I am in love with you, I was since the start and there were so many times I wanted to tell you the truth and save you from the pain I knew that would come. I've been selfish. It's time I show you that I want you for you."

She felt herself typing before she could stop herself. "Want me? You say that as your manager writes you a big check. A career that would be nothing without me."

"How can I prove this to you? I will leave the label altogether if it proves that I want you way more."

Y/N stared at the message, leaving his text on seen as she shut off her phone. She didn't know what to think. Did she love him? Would his leaving prove anything to her? Could she even believe that he would do it?

Her head snapped up at the sound of her tv-

"Eddie Munson has dropped his management team and label with a tweet:

"I'm picking the girl. Fuck my management and the label"

Tags!

@lolz-0110 @gaysludge @hmcmlfcyy @omgvirtualcupcakecollection-blog @bibieddiesgf @holyheadharpies99 @bakugouswh0r3 @cloudroomblog @emma77645

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @slightlyvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @manyfandomsfanvergent @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila @stusdollface93

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie stranger things #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson request #eddie munson angst #eddie munson angst x reader #eddie munson fluff x reader #eddie munson x y/n #famous daddy series #ashwhowrites #rockstar eddie munson angst #rockstar! eddie x reader #rockstar eddie munson

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showtoonzfan · 1 year

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I really try to understand and reread the Ken document to see where Viv’s supporters are coming from, but I’m sorry, all I thought when I was done reading it is that Vivienne is just mentally unstable to the point where she can’t carry a normal and steady conversation without either being petty or freaking out. I think that’s why so many of her peeps and fans excuse her because they see her in a vulnerable state and see her say she’s “shaking” and that she can’t handle this, so everyone coddles her and thinks that Ken must have said something to warrant a reaction like this out of Vivzie…….expect….they didn’t.

Ken never harassed or poked Vivzie, they never got angry and forceful, but when they reasonably give Viv VALID constructive criticism about how she should be crediting her artists since she’s leading an INDIE team (and can’t figure that out apparently since she compared herself to fucking Disney) apparently that was enough to send Vivzie off the edge immediately and think that Ken was attacking her, when Ken said it themselves, they were just talking to her. To have fans paint Ken out to be this needy person who demanded credit in unwarranted aspects is disgusting, because what they said in their document was true. They HAD been responsible for writing MAIN plot points, jokes, and ideas that all made their away into the final product, and the fact that they only got an “additional writing” credit rather than having their name up with Viv, Dave, and Raymond is bullshit.

Viv’s point she had made of Ken’s writing only being in the “early stages” is literally a lie because what they wrote ended up in the final product, not only writing main jokes but Alastor being in the pilot and investing in the hotel, Angel being there for free rent and being the first hotel patron, Charlie trying to convince those of redemption ect. And then when the two brushed it aside, good ol’ perfect Vivzie called Ken an abuser to others, saying false things behind their back while ALSO pretending to be nice to them upfront. That’s my biggest issue. Tell me one instance where Ken was “abusing” Vivzie. They weren’t, Viv is just so fucking emotionally sensitive with zero thick skin and sees anyone daring to criticize her as an attack, and she’s STILL like that to this day. I really don’t see how people can read a document of her not only tracing and not crediting someone, but talking lies behind someone’s back while also being nice..and STILL support her, I really can’t. And it’s funny when some of y’all think that we want Hazbin to cease to exist or Helluva to stop running….no….we don’t give a shit about the shows, we want Viv to get the consequences of her actions and her victims to get justice. We want her to own up to what she’s done, especially the recent drama, and yet she never does cause in her eyes she can do no wrong. She always fucking acts like she did nothing wrong, or blames her behavior on everyone but herself. She’s a 30 year old woman, she acts like a child and needs to be kicked down a notch. She never learns from her experiences or gets better and it really is tiring to see people side with her EVERY single time, despite their being countless evidence clear as day that she’s an entitled brat, with even ANOTHER spindle-member coming out and revealing that they were mistreated as well:

All I can say is that I hope more members are inspired to come out, and not afraid, especially since there are ex members who came out that we haven’t heard a word from, like Salem Squidder, the person above, even Ashley Nichols. People need to realize that wether you like Viv or not, people were HURT by her, and she needs to come forward and confront it, not vague tweet and hide behind her fanbase, leaving everyone to fight her battles instead of herself.

#vivziepop critical #spindlehorse critical #helluva boss critical #helluva boss critique #hazbin hotel critical #helluva boss criticism #anti vivziepop #helluva critical #spindlehorse criticism #spindlehorse toons #vivienne medrano #Vivziepop #vivziepop rant #vivziepop drama #helluvaverse #hazbin hotel #helluva boss #vivziemind

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anewp0tat0 · 1 year

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yea no I lied, I couldn't leave before doing this cause obviously I'm obsessed. obviously.

here's what I could research about the staff highlighted to be working on Black Butler season 4 in the time and patience that I had right now.

Kenjiro Okada: Director

I did some casual gathering on the good ol Wik. I don't recognize a lot or any of the previous works that he has been a part of, but it is a plenty some, so feel free to take a look for yourself. for a better idea, I took a glance at him through IMBD as well. I gotta be honest, not to cause any concern but just to be blunt, it's not the best look. when briefly checking out the works that he's done, a good some of them only make it up to 6 stars. only a few actually make it up to 8. but of course this could be due to a couple different factors, such as the source materials being not well known, or just not that great to begin with. after all he works mainly with adaptation. this could be his big break idk maybe :>

further on that, here's something I borrowed from Wiki.

honestly, this could be a potential concern as well. we all know that an unfortunate part of the fandom, especially over in japan, is into things the rest of us would rather not see in anime. I don't know why else yana would continue to add fan-service time and time again(I'd rather not think of her personal preferences). so if this person is really interested in pandering to the fanbase, it may lead to some scenes being uncomfortable... as usual. but, I shouldn't focus on the negative, all in all this looks like it will be a good thing! all we want from an anime adaptation is for it to be faithful to the manga, and especially after season 1 and 2, I think this assurance is much needed. besides, this could be an indication that he will be working closely with Yana, and projects that do so have succeeded *points to campania*. I'm optimistic, and I sure hope that we're in good hands.

Hiroyuki Yoshino: Head Writer

so unless I'm looking at a different Hiroyuki Yoshino it looks like this guy is a voice actor and singer first... interesting. as far as I can see it, he hasn't voice acted anyone in Black Butler.

oh no yea completely different guy, my bad! very different. the Real Hiroyuki Yoshino(screenwriter) was the screenwriter for Book of the Atlantic! sorry. we're all good here, perfect in fact.

unless he decides to substitute someone else for the double charles :] I still remember that. I don't remember if they're in this arc and personally I wanna keep it that way.

more info.

Yumi Shimizu: Character design

I'm not really jumping out of my seat to research this one, no offense to the designer, but I don't think we'll be seeing much character design other than Yana's. as for the artistic style of the anime, we already saw the teaser, and I think we're happy(I am really trilled that they released the announcement at the same time as the teaser, the announcement alone would not have had the same huge impact. plus it reduces the fear of cancelation ;] not putting that out there).

more info.

Ryo Kawasaki: Music

this is someone I really wanted to look into cause the music will matter a lot to me.

I found it, here's the soundtrack for the upcoming season 4.

with a background of jazz and band(popularizes to fusion genre apparently), this guy doesn't appear to fit with previous Black Butler soundtrack history. but I think that this is an indication that the mood and music of this season may be different of the rest due to it now being a sports show lol. and I think that's good! if done right I think the tone change will be hilarious, or, if everyone hates it, it's easily distinguishable from the rest.

I think this will be fun. here's more. also he looks awesome. impressive guy. man I'm praying for a killer new opening GOD.

I still wonder who the composer for the more classical score that I saw in the teaser is, if not him. it was nice :>

and finally:

CloverWorks

they're doing Spy X Family, did The Promised Neverland, Shadow House, many more that even I know of, we're good!

their page

a lot of y'all are very savvy at research, so if anyone wants to add on or contradict, go ahead! have a very, lovely day, everyone.

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #cloverworks #kuroshitsuji 2024 #2024 anime #kuroshitsuji anime #black butler anime #masterpost #not the most serious thing though I mean I used Wikipedia and NOW im calling it a nigjt #some of these people I couldn't find pictures of that I was sure was them during the 2 minutes I looked through google images #and maybe they want it that way so I'm leaving it as it is #long post

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imaginative-123 · 5 months

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This might be my Last Post regarding Vivziepop

I'm just going to say this as a longtime fan since 2019 I was extremely disappointed, before all of this I started following her since 2019 and watched Hazbin Hotel and I thought it was good alongside Helluva Boss which I rewatched in the past of my Youtube Downloads bec the PLDT internet during the Coronavirus that started in 2020 was not great. I used to listen to her different music genres of her speedraws while I'm drawing and I also watch her speedraws and was amazed by the process on how her artworks was made. I even made a fanart about her for my college project

This is my fav Die Young music video that I made fanart for

Artwork I Made for Technicals in History of Graphics Subject in First Year College for my favorite artist and animator Vivziepop.

Although despite Vivziepop's success as an Indie animator and for running Spindlehorse, I cannot deny she's a very controversial person to any video or tweets about her is always related to her past controversies, while I do see that there are unfair accusations thrown against her I still wish she addressed her other controversial stuff that she didn't addressed whether she's aware of what she did or not and I'm not going to mention any names bec I do not want to be involve deeper in the drama bec I've seen there are other tumblr and twitter posts calling her out, not to mention the fanbase is divided with diehard fans, neutral fans, haters, stalkers and critical fans. Also the reason why I'm really dissapointed with her bec any controversy that is meant to call out her attention she blocks people on Twitter whether the person is criticizing her show and her actions and not to mention she started becoming unprofessional lately. I can understand if blocking is meant to avoid harassment, if that's the case, but when it comes to criticism she was acting unprofessional and not to mention not addressing in a professional manner can make people go unprofessional against the creator, if I'm being honest she needs a PR Manager or Assistant to guide her. At the end I'm disappointed, I expected better from her, being a longtime fan since 2019 deeply hurts me, for me this might be my last post including the tumblr fanart works I liked related to the show. I just hope she won't get the worst Cancellation that might make her leave the internet and cancel Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss and her other projects, bec that is the worst thing to happen and I wish she needs to step up her game and try to improve her behavior including the writing of her shows. Only time will tell until she realizes this, and I don't follow Viviziepop or Ayy Lmao anymore, and I'm all for valid criticisms for Vivziepop just as long as the people were not harassing her or sending death threats and also making false accusations against her and just because you may not like her as a person does not give it a free pass to make up false accusations and lies against her and is not acceptable, the fandom should do better. Until then, goodbye Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss fandom, I used to be a fan of the show but I cannot support Vivziepop anymore, and it's time for me to leave.

BTW the art that I made for college will not be removed despite my mixed feelings about Vivziepop it would be a shame for me to delete it with all the hardwork I made it. So it will not be deleted from my Deviantart and my tumblr post including my other Hazbin Hotel redesign edits and Beelzebub redesign edits in my Deviantart account if you guys also want to check out my work there.

If Charlie Morningstar the Princess of Hell will redeem sinners by making Hazbin Hotel a place to rehabilitate sinners and make them become better people, then I hope Vivienne Medrano who uses her creativity through her artworks and being an indie animator to inspire her fans and artists like me, but she needs to grow up and become a better person.

#helluva boss #hazbin hotel #die young #vivziepop #vivziepop critical #vivziepop criticism #helluva boss critical #helluva boss criticism #spindlehorse critical #spindlehorse criticism

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ae-neon · 1 year

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Feyre crying on Nesta spending is hilarious considering Night Court High Lady is illiterate and dont even receive formal education. She receives basic history and education on war but dont even understand how money, bank, economy work.

Perhaps nesta understand how it work and why she keep spending money there. Like exotic food on a cheap tavern is equivalent ordering sushi at McDonalds in Western country. You keep your expectation low and their premium menu is just there in case they do receive customer that afford it.

And Nesta help her father run his business after they get their money from tamlin. While Feyre crying on something she dont even undestand. And i bet the thing that truger her to cry is because Rhys shame her sister publicly

She's probably crying cause Rhys has been telling her how bad it is, how embarrassing it is etc etc because you're right, Feyre literally doesn't understand most of what her "job" is.

Nesta spending money, especially at a low income level, is doing more for Velaris than the High Lady. And because we've been shown Nesta actually understands economics quite well through her investment actions and role in rebuilding the fortune, it's not a leap to understand she might be doing it intentionally.

The writing does more to embarrass Feyre than people realise.

Sjm could easily throw in that Feyre is taking lessons or working under Mor - who ruled Velaris during Rhys' absence - to show us that Feyre has learnt or changed. Instead we get her accepting free property, making dumb excuses for why rehousing projects haven't begun and building a mansion in a post war city.

I just don't understand why SJM took the characters out of their respective trajectories. Some people got upset when I said this but I haven't changed my mind, Nesta should have been the one in politics and Feyre should have gotten the Valkyrie storyline.

As many problematic elements as there are in the whole concept of Illyria and their relationship with the NC, lets be honest, sjm and most of the fandom don't care so just from a story perspective, Feyre helping to empower and change Illyria, taking part in the Blood Rite and putting her life on the line for an Illyrian woman like Emerie, would have done wonders for her earning the HL title.

Not only would it be the natural progression of the girl who hunted, went through the trials and trained under Cassian, it would keep Feyre at the centre of the plot without making her a plot device the way the baby plot did.

Nesta's book didn't need to happen, SJM did nothing interesting or even good with her in ACOSF.

The Frost and Starlight novella could have been a Nesta novella with Nesta's role as emissary taking her to the continent, sorting out the Vassa story and facing the Queen to keep the fanbase fed with variety.

Silver Flame should have just put the series back on track by following Feyre and the beginning of the Illyrian revolution.

That's one way it could have gone. The second way is that the original trilogy should have swapped pov each book or had multiple povs from the start. But whenever I explain it this way I think it sounds like I am biased towards a certain ship.

#anon asks #pro nesta #anti sjm #anti acosf #anti feyre #but not really #failsand #acotar elon

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seasonschange32 · 4 months

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I'm trying to watch Athena P lore videos because god are they entertaining and so funny. But here's some shows/movies I would love a lore deep dive on and why:

Inspector gadget reboot - the 'romance' between penny and Talon was so confusing yet endearing. Also, loving how chief Quimby just Disguises himself just to give gadget a misson

Total drama - not only was it a huge fan of gross out humor and has our overlord chris mclain, it literally introduced me to the ' bad boy x good girl' trope before ripping it out and taking a character ( who was literally perfect with another) and forcing them together due to aesthetics.

Transformers: robots in Disguise ( 2015) or Transformers prime - two shows that have fanbases debating ( seriously), each saying why each respective show is better. But other than that, both are fine for what they are and gave me two crushes that I hold dearly.

Mia and me - a fairy show that's not only animated but live action? With the main character having an ability to talk to unicorns? And with one of her bullies DISCOVERING HER SECRET LIFE??

Ben and hollies little kingdom - super wholesome and I love how the humans coinside with the fairies

Max and ruby - there's a tiktoker who made a whole series on why ruby was annoying. Need I say more?

Trollhunters and the spin off 3below - honestly from what I remember, I loved the stakes of the show and how cool the Armour the main character had. Regarding the spin off, loving how the bully I think was into the alien girl

Max steel ( not the 2000s one. sorry) - Max having to come up with the most unbelievable excuses as to why he has to go is cliche but also kind of funny? And the fact that the company Max's dad works for has lore as well is kind of interesting

Dino squad - I actually remembered this show through a cringe compilation of all things and had to add it. From the theme song, to the plotines, to the fact that I had a crush on Laruzo even though he was obviously queer coded ( his Dino form was cool though)

Jem and the holograms - the I am a giant song from the misfits lives in my head rent free. Also, jem practicing trying to reveal to that one guy only from him to yell at her is funny to me

Lolirock - same with jem as revolution is iconic as well as the villians. Plus, why is was eventually taken off

The tinker bell movies - forgot I was supposed to mention movies as well ( sorry). But I love them and how the fairies each have their own abilities ( as well as different kinds). From pirate fairies to winter fairies, it's really cool.

Barbie: a fashion fairytale - I love all barbie movies equally but this...this just takes the cake. What other movie will you see ken making a child cry, fairies with attitude, rotting dresses, and a roller skating aunt?

Zoom (2015) - the trailer showing a scene of the main character and her character arguing is honestly what made me want to watch it ( I haven't but I'm planning on it)

Super hero squad - kid me was laughing my butt off when falcon married his bird. So...

The little prince movie - I didn't even read the book but when I saw that the old man had died, I was emotionally devastated, especially after listening to all his stories which inspired the main character to go find the prince UGHHH

The book of life - is it cliche? Yes. Is it like coco? Yes. Do I like that in the end, the main boy has to sing a guitar version of creep to calm down a bull? Absolutely yes!

Epic - josh hutcherson, beyonce, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny knoxville, an enemies to lovers storyline, a snail, a royal guard having a love for the queen, the enemies being bugs, and ANDD a nerdy dad. That's it.

Rise of the guardians - I absolutely love it followed jack and his arc of being seen and when he finally is, the kid and him are just so excited! Also, the fact that a lot of people are simping for the Easter bunny is a testament to how many people will call anyone sexy.

Daniel spellbound - wanted to add this because there's an awesome creator ( cough cough @bonkalore) who's made an amazing au out of this show and I wanted to see what you thought of it and your theories

Bonus options ( just random one's I think could fit): the rainbow fairies series, Lego friends, the complicated life of Claudia Christina Cortez, sonic underground, drama or sisters ( but any book by rainia would be great), Junie b Jones, stoked, barney, goddess girls, glitter force ( that's what I remember it as), invisible sister, a monster in Paris, Maya and miguel, and Martha)

If you want anymore, let me know!

#nostalgic #Athena P #youtube #childhood #this took a lot of time because i have a really bad memory lol #girlblogging #remebering #rise of the guardians #epic 2013 movie #total drama #lolirock #transformers #max steel #tinkerbell #tv shows

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my-mt-heart · 6 months

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I want to address a few things that Norman said in Le Parisien. The article isn't free, and I'm not going to encourage anyone to pay for something they might not like, but if you do want the link, DM me and I'll send it. Thank you to the person who read and translated this:

Defending himself against others trying to throw him under the bus is one thing, but denying all responsibility for the title accomplishes absolutely nothing except further insulting a significant portion of Daryl's fanbase. These fans, specifically Carylers, were all paying close attention when he said the exact opposite on Jimmy Kimmel. Watch at 8:45:

youtube

The video is from late last year. Melissa's negotiations for S2/S3 started last summer and her deal closed at the end of the year per my sources, which means there was (at least) a loose plan to bring her back before S1 started shooting. Norman confirms Pilgrim was a working title at some point, but he doesn’t mention Raise the Dead, which was more than likely planned as the official title of the show while they were shooting between October '22 and February '23.

I bring up the timeline because even if you believe Melissa was always part of the French spinoff, Norman’s other favorite narrative right now, the implication is still this: Norman, AMC, and the other EPs were fully aware that Melissa was coming back when they officially landed on a title excluding her. You could argue Daryl has the most name recognition from being the most marketed character or that his tags on SM have 6 billion views or, hey, let’s make it 6 trillion (how much of that overlaps with Daryl and Carol content btw?), but as we saw, that doesn’t guarantee all those viewers will watch the show, which is how AMC makes money. If there are two leads on the show, naming it after one lead doesn't make any sense from a marketing perspective because AMC is missing out on attracting more audience, promoting two characters and their chemistry instead of just one character.

So. They either manipulated the situation to give Norman and the other EPs what they wanted or, once again, they dismissed Melissa’s/Carol’s vitality to the show. Or both. Regardless, it poses a big problem for me, because Carol's ability to stand her ground against anyone who thinks less of her is what draws me to her character. I can't reconcile that with the obvious tactics Norman and the other EPs use to claim the show for themselves, completely ignoring fans who may be critical, yes, but ultimately just want the story both Daryl and Carol have earned.

Speaking of being ignored, I heard from multiple fans that AMC did in fact send out a survey regarding the title. I can't confirm because I haven't seen the survey myself, but if you're doing market research, you need a target audience, and if you're doing market research on what you know will (eventually) be a Daryl and Carol show, you should probably target Daryl and Carol fans, shippers or otherwise. Not that it's the most appropriate way to choose a title (not even close), but where's my survey? Did any Carylers get to participate? Did anyone bother to check? Because to me, it sounds like the focus group they used for their market research wasn't aimed at their target audience at all. It's possible they did the market research with a sample audience of the flagship show or just Daryl fans who are a percentage of their audience but not all their audience. If they used an audience that incorporated Carylers, Daryl fans and GA — the feedback for that title would've been mixed. If they focused their market research on mostly Carylers, the feedback would've heavily leaned towards having an inclusive title.

So many fans, not just Carylers, hate the title. It's boring, it's offensive, it's pretentious, it's misogynistic, etc. etc. These are fans who want to watch and enjoy the show, who are expected to pay for it, so why don't their opinions carry more weight? Why is there still such a strong disconnect between AMC and Carol/Caryl fans when that's exactly what caused the backlash last year? Why are they not doing everything they can to avoid the same mistakes?

As for this:

Most of it is true except for one important detail. Angela Kang's spinoff was going to be a road show shot and set in the U.S. That's the phone call Norman is alluding to. That's the spinoff Melissa signed on for. To say otherwise makes her look unprofessional and flaky for "dropping out" knowing all along she'd have to relocate, and that's not what happened at all. It's like there's no consideration for his co-workers' images while he's trying to rebuild his own, and that is unprofessional.

To be very clear, this is not meant to be a smear campaign. My intention here is to point out how deceptive the PR/marketing strategies have been and how they're hurting everyone, including Norman. I can't for the life of me see any business sense in repeatedly gaslighting and alienating a profitable fanbase, treating Daryl and Carol fans like they're stupid, or insinuating a Daryl and Carol show can't belong to Daryl and Carol fans. The more Norman talks about the spinoff's inception, the more it ensures people will never trust a single thing that comes out of his mouth ever again, and that sucks because if he just focused on what the audience wants, insisting that Melissa is his equal on the show, talking about the characters in meaningful ways, supporting Daryl's and Carol's relationship, he could sell it easily. Fans should be getting excited for their story, not reliving last year's trauma over and over and over again. Melissa is back and that's exciting, but story still matters. Both on and off screen (precisely why we need someone else on board who can manage all of that really well). I've asked this several times before. I'll keep asking until someone listens. Can we please move the fuck on from the spinoff fiasco?

And change the title.

#caryl #carol peletier #melissa mcbride #darylneedscarol #the book of carol #twd caryl #Youtube

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genericpuff · 2 years

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Persephone and the road to healing (TW: SA AND HOW IT PERTAINS TO LO WILL BE DISCUSSED AT LENGTH HERE, ALSO MINOR FP SPOILERS AHEAD!)

So I wasn't planning on going off on a rant today, but I saw this pop up on an Insta LO edit account and I just... I had to call it out because I'm really sick of this rhetoric going around.

I'm... not really sure where all this is coming from? Like, did the timeline split somewhere between last week and this week? I feel like it's criticizing a part of the fanbase that I'm misfiring on completely here but... people have issues with the portrayal of Persephone/Eros/Daphne in recent episodes for a reason. The fact that I have to say anything on it at all is kind of gravely concerning.

Okay, where to begin... there's a lot to unpack here.

Before I continue on, you need to know that if I have to fall into either side of this discussion, it's the side that does NOT like the portrayal of Persephone in S3 and how the sexual assault subplot is being handled. If you care to know why, continue reading here. Yes, I will be talking about my own experiences with SA and toxic relationships so here's a SECOND trigger warning for DISCUSSION ABOUT SA, TOXIC/ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, AND HEALING FROM TRAUMA !!!

Moving on. There's a lot of ground to cover here. I'm gonna try my best to get through all of it but I apologize in advance if my points seem very scattered, I'm not sure how to even begin to structure a rant like this.

So, no, I do not think LO is handling the SA plot well. LO does this thing where it'll distract the readers with other plotlines juuust long enough that when they come back to serious plotlines like the SA or HadesxPersephone, it'll make the reader feel like things have actually progressed. When in reality, they've barely moved along. We see this sort of weird real time/comic time disconnect show up a lot when people look at the 'official' Lore Olympus timeline and shockingly realize that Hades and Persephone have only known each other personally for a few weeks.

That aside, I think the SA plot falls victim to this same phenomenon. We return to it every now and then to remind people that it exists, but we never actually spend time on it in a way that's productive, it's often rehashing the same points or thought processes that have already happened.

(Pyrrhic_Victoria covers this in great length in their video analysis series on LO, I highly recommend you go check it out!)

Cut to the most recent free episode, Persephone is suddenly being characterized as hypersexual. Which would be an interesting way to go about it, if it wasn't Persephone as we've come to know her in LO and if it wasn't being presented purely for comedy.

I shouldn't have to explain how stilted, performative, and absolutely cringe this dialogue and plot point presentation is. Persephone is in the Mortal Realm, trying to fulfill her duties so that she and all the other gods (including her MOTHER) affected by the "Great Divide" can get back to their normal lives. And here she is, talking like Steve Carrel from 40 Year Old Virgin about something she 1.) has never done consensually before, and 2.) has only experienced once as an attack on her body and spirit.

youtube

This is a woman who didn't know what 'sleeping to the top' meant.

This is a woman who, according to Rachel, 'doesn't know she's sexy'.

This is a woman who, despite Rachel's claims that this story is meant to 'deconstruct purity culture', is constantly objectified as Hades' wife first and a person second.

At best it just feels like a complete character tonal shift that doesn't make sense with what we've been shown in the comic. If Persephone is just cool with sex and all that shit now, great! Good for her! But we never saw that develop on screen, we skipped over it completely.

And then, of course, that particular flashback scene happens in an episode where we get... this.

Persephone being dressed in the skimpiest outfits possible, panels being constantly focused on her boobs and ass, the constant infantalization of her physique and personality... people aren't being pearl-clutching when they have issues with this, they're recognizing female characters who are being deliberately written through the male gaze. There's a HUGE difference between that and sexual reclamation. ESPECIALLY when you throw in the very intentional infantilization of Persephone on top of all that.

For anyone who DOESN'T know what that difference looks like, a great example is Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. Suicide Squad Harley Quinn is 10000% depicted through the male gaze.

Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad bends over for the camera to get a shot of her ass while she steals shit from a shop window. Birds of Prey Harley Quinn dresses like a badass hot mess who doesn't give a shit what people think about her. One of these things is not like the other. Her sex appeal depends on which demographic it's trying to appeal to.

Persephone, on the other hand...

This kind of presentation and framing is deliberate. There's no functional reason for the shot of Persephone pointing at the Apollo billboard to be framed squarely on her chest. Rachel may be a female creator, but that does not mean she's immune to drawing women through the lens of the male gaze. As an AFAB individual myself, I can attest that many of us do this without even intending to simply because it's what we absorbed growing up due to what's been popularized in visual media.

Context also matters.

Persephone isn't just a sexual assault victim reclaiming her sexuality, she's a sexual assault victim who's BARELY shown any thought towards what happened except for when it's convenient for RS to throw in. Otherwise, she functions like someone who's never been sexually assaulted - whenever she recoils from intimacy with Hades, it's because she's worried about not being a good sex partner, NOT because of the assault; whenever we see scenes of Apollo, they're deliberately framed alongside scenes of Hades to make him look like a better partner for Persephone just for the bare minimum of not being a rapist.

In a lot of cases, we spend more time on Hades' thought processes and how her trauma affects him than we do Persephone's.

And not to remind you all of the obvious, but the story started off with her at age 19 and with zero life experience getting into a workplace affair with her 40-coded love interest who's in a much higher position of power than her. If y'all wanna bring your real life anecdotes into your literary analysis, then acknowledge for 2 seconds that if you saw someone like this in real life, you would be INCREDIBLY concerned.

Persephone's sexuality hasn't even been 'reclaimed' by herself and herself alone. This is someone whose sex life is now being turned into a spectacle not JUST by the characters in the story, but by Rachel Smythe herself.

Of course, after people criticized the original release of this episode, we get Eros and Daphne backtracking by the next episodes, where I can't help but feel Rachel threw this in to backtrack on her own oopsie to have the two people who know about Persephone's assault poke her about her sex life. Eros hasn't seen her in a decade and it seems to be the only thing he gives a shit about despite knowing full well what she's been through.

That's not even getting into what happened with last night's FastPass and how the advertising was clearly staged to get people to spend their coins.

Needless to say, Persephone's sex life is absolutely 1000% being treated as an 'event' despite the context of her being a sexual assault victim. It leads to the characters in the story pressuring her, as well as the audience reading the comic.

"I'm a victim of SA! This is exactly how I healed from my trauma so you're invalidating our experiences-"

Okay. So am I. Sooo where does that leave us?

To all that I say, LO is not therapy. LO's quality of writing is not and should not be determined by how much you're able to project yourself onto the very vague and broad main character (*who's designed that way explicitly because you, the reader, are supposed to be able to just insert yourself into the story and fantasize about living her life, that's why LO is like crack to some people and why so many people turn feral over 'negative' opinions towards the comic). It's great if you can relate to Persephone, I'm not trying to invalidate that. But that doesn't mean the writing and framing of the story's female characters isn't problematic.

LO is a comic. It is a story. And from a storywriting perspective, this is not being handled well. If Persephone is healing through hypersexuality, then we need to be shown more than just having her dressed up in skimpy clothing and getting ogled at by men. We need the plot to quit flipflopping over whether or not she's an inexperienced and traumatized virgin or a dick-thirsty "boss babe". Trying to do both with the context we have of her character arc is what's icky, not her and Daphne happening to have their boobs out.

(sorry I realize that wording was kinda harsh but whoof this topic gets me going LMAO)

Not to mention, everyone who's claiming that the people with issues with this are "pearl clutching" and "invalidating SA experiences" are doing their OWN invalidating of those who are also SA victims who didn't heal from it the same way Persephone is presented here. Speaking candidly as someone who suffered from both hypersexualization AND sex depersonalization due to trauma, I cannot relate to how Persephone's trauma is being depicted in the comic, because it lacks consistency, commitment to the plot line, and respect towards the victim's autonomy.

Much of the defenses I see people coming up with are completely inferred, filled in the blanks by their own experiences while Rachel does the bare minimum to actually progress her characters' healing through the writing itself. Hades pulls away from sex and Persephone doesn't know why? One side of the discussion assumes it's due to Hades having performance anxiety, the other assumes it's because Hades doesn't want to push her due to her trauma, and until the comic tells us otherwise, both sides are right. The sexual assault plotline - like many other plotlines in the comic - has just been dragged out so long and kept vague enough that readers are filling in the blanks with their own basic interpretations and passing it off as a "good job" on LO's part.

And, again, I feel like this is intentional. Persephone is kept just vague and broad enough in her characterization that any average woman can look at her and 'relate' to her, but the issue is that this has been to the detriment of Persephone as a standalone character. It drives me nuts when I see criticisms of Persephone's character writing combatted with "YEAH WELL YOU'RE INVALIDATING MY EXPERIENCES!!!" We're talking about Persephone as a standalone character, not you, Debra. I get it, stories are a great way for us to connect with one another and with our inner selves, but there's still a line you gotta draw between your own personal biases and experiences and that of the characters' within an established narrative.

Again, this isn't me trying to invalidate anyone's experiences or dismiss how you might relate to the comic. But this is about the writing and framing of the comic itself and how Persephone's trauma has been pushed to the wayside to make way for the "sexy time" spectacle that Rachel has created. Look no further than the comment sections on the Fast Pass previews from last week.

Of course, it doesn't matter if people are 'disappointed' over the fact that it didn't happen because those same people will just turn around right after and say "IT'S FINE! PERSEPHONE'S TAKING IT SLOW, PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THE SEXUAL ASSAULT, GOOD FOR HER! GREAT STORYTELLING RACHEL!!" as if this wasn't an intentional move to get people to spend money for FastPass when LO's revenue is clearly lower than ever; and as if readers aren't making that assumption through their own experiences and mental gymnastics and not with any effort from the writing whatsoever (again, Persephone's more worried about being a bad sex partner for Hades, NOT about the fact that she was SA'd). The amount of gaslighting the fanbase does to themselves to justify lazy writing is astounding and frankly, kind of disturbing.

(also, 'let's be real', why the fuck are we talking about the 'morality' of Greek retellings as they pertain to LO now? I thought we settled that debate ages ago? LO doesn't have a 'grey' morality, it has a confused one, it tells us sexual assault is bad but then expects us to cheer when Hades rips out a reporter's eyeball or when Persephone harasses that same reporter's roommate fucking 10 years later just because he had an opinion about it once and didn't want to be BFF's with Persephone because of what her glorified sugar daddy did. Again, did the timeline split or something? It's wild that they'll call people "pretentious" for having an issue with the male gaze of the comic but then go off about how CLEARLY people are just 'uneducated' on Greek mythology and morality and have the 'wrong moral compass' as if this isn't a comic trying to present itself through a progressive lens and failing horribly at it lmao)

At the end of the day, nobody is saying that Persephone can't have sex for pleasure. The issue is the constant infantalization, objectification and male-gaze sexualization of Persephone and other female characters who have been victimized during the comic's plot. The plot is not doing the heavy lifting to progress Persephone's healing plot arc, it's completely depending on the readers' filling in the blanks with their own traumatic experiences to pass off as a 'job well done'. This is, in all honestly, incredibly manipulative and condescending of the narrative and its writer and doesn't make for good storytelling.

*sigh* Anyways, we'll see how people react to next week's episode I guess, when Persephone gets to act like a petty little POS to a lower class employee 😒

Do you agree or disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments, I'll try to reply as best I can, IDC if you do disagree with me, I'm all for in-depth discussion, just don't be a dick lmao Otherwise if we're agreeing to disagree, that's fine too.

I'm so tired y'all.

#lore olympus critical #LO Critical #lore olympus criticism #anti lore olympus #antiloreolympus #lore olympus spoilers #tw for SA

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