#like people will talk about gay dynamics and etc as if they're canon

[troonwolf]

legitimately everytime a new thing became tumblr popular over the last ten years I’d be like “looks like shit isn’t even actually gay” and I gained such a pavlovian response towards Ignoring everything you guys like for it being boring and not actually gay, that when you guys got into actually gay shows (ofmd etc) I didn’t believe they were actually gay and just continued to ignore you until I saw a gifset of two men actually physically kissing

[aida-sparks]

Buddie fans are relentless (and it's a good thing)

Geez, I was not prepared for the rollercoaster of woe that comes from shipping a pair that is not canon (yet!).

I am not a new fan to the show, 9-1-1. I've loyally watched every week for years, cherished the members of the 118, cherished Buck and Eddie's special relationship. I just hadn't been involved in the fandom of it all up until recently. I was just a tv viewer. But being newer to interacting with the fandom, I admit that consuming social media about 911 and Buddie has thrown me for a bit of a loop. I keep seeing the same recycled tactics to argue why people who ship buddie are delusional and why buddie will "never happen". These arguments are off-putting and frankly quite poor. (I don't like to focus on the negative so this will be my only post dedicated to this.)

Argument One: "There's already a gay couple on the show." No kidding. The statement is problematic in and of itself; people don't go around limiting the number of straight couples on a show, do they? It's fantastic that we have a strong, integral gay couple in Hen and Karen, two beautiful and fabulous lesbians, that are vital to this show, but why can't there be more? One representation alone doesn't cover the spectrum of LGBTQ+ portrayals of different romantic dynamics.

Argument Two: "Why can't we have two guys be close without putting a romantic label on it? It's refreshing to see male friendship." Bro... Platonic male friendship is important (all friendship is). It's not all that uncommon, though. Male friendship is focused on a lot already in many shows. But two adult male friends discovering new aspects of their identify that shift their relationship with each other toward something romantic? That's the more refreshing take here; it's one that we don't get to see in media right now but should. Flip the script, 9-1-1.

Argument Three: "They weren't introduced as gay or bi-sexual. It would be too out of left field to go there now." Not true. The show has the creative freedom to explore this narrative and can do it plausibly. There is obviously a very large part of the 9-1-1 fandom that has already interpreted Buck and Eddie's story as having the potential to become romantic. The pair has many parallels to the other canon couples on the show. There are plenty of moments and scenes from prior seasons (post-tsunami with Christopher, the shooting, the Will, all of Eddie Diaz's fond gazes aimed at Buck, etc.) that can be referenced in future episodes via well-crafted montage/edit that will help shed light on any developing feelings from either or both Buck and Eddie. Besides, not allowing a relationship to evolve into something different just because it didn't start out that way? What kind of stunted outlook is that? We want a story about how individuals can question and explore their sexuality at any age. Heck, during the graveyard scene near the end of season 6, Buck and Eddie talked about how experiences have changed them. They're clearly still growing and changing as individuals. It is not a stretch for them to discover whatever they've been searching for this whole time is actually found in each other. ---- That's it from me on this. I'm going to try doing a better job of ignoring the negative talk out there. I hope all buddie fans stay positive too, and when they call us relentless, we take that as a good thing. I hope we all recognize and resect the other characters and ships of this wonderful, wonderful show of ours too! Most of all, I hope we respect each other.

[starrylayle]

"Don't get me started on jegulus" actually please get started I'd like to hear your thoughts on it because your take on wolfstar and the oc-ification of some characters is so refreshing to see (tbh my first reaction to jegulus was just confusion on how it started and how quickly it got popular lmao)

ahh this makes so happy to hear that my post resonated with some people!! Was worried i was in the minority lol.

Anyways, abt jegulus -- i acc had a reaaally long post about how much i hated the dynamic (in canon compliant ish works -- Jegulus in aus is fine ig) but i deleted it lol.

I think the core reason why i dislike the pairing so much is that I feel like it the ship goes against everything James stands for. We don't know a lot about James' character in canon, but what we do know is that he had a strong sense of justice, and fierce loyalty to his friends and his cause, which ultimately led to his doom. I just can't imagine that James would associate with someone even a little bit bigoted. This is not to say i think James is a saint, i think he could be an ass sometimes (snapes worst memory lol) but i think he'd draw the line at someone who was associated with 'evil'. James had a very black and white view of good and bad and i just don't think it would make sense for James to date reg, esp as he is becoming a death eater. James may be a dick but he is also the biggest ally to ever ally !!

The only jegulus fics I have read are 'Just Lovers' and 'Choices'. Just lovers is a non-voldy au so i don't really have a problem with their dynamic there but choices on the other hand,, oh boy.

Spoilers for 'Choices' by MesserMoon btw (TW for talk of SA):

Regulus' friends rape Mary. And instead of feeling disgusted on the victim’s behalf, (who has been his friend for 5 years) James instead feels upset because it tarnishes the ‘good’ image he has of reg in his head. Thing is when a similar situation happened (The Prank ™), James was upset that Sirius would do such a thing but he also felt disgusted on behalf of Remus. Where was that energy here, huh?? I’ve even seen comments villianising Mary (the rape victim).

The thing I also hate about their dynamic is that it is basically an ally of the oppressor and ally of the oppressed. The problem with that is that when you are allied with the oppressor, you become an oppressor yourself (and reg does; he does terrible things) and that subsequently makes the so-called ally of the oppressed in cahoots with the oppressor as well. This brings so many parallels to real life where people say that they are an “ally” but become friends with/date a racist/rapist. “Oh but they’re nice to me”. its just a little ew.

And in other jegulus canon-compliant-ish fics, sometimes instead of James' character being watered down its Regulus' character. Like, he's not as morally grey, not as complex etc so it makes sense that James would agree to date him. I feel like jegulus as a ship ruins the core of what made their characters so interesting in the first place.

That being said,,, i do love me some canon-compliant unrequited jegulus. Regulus goes to hogwarts, gets so mad at Sirius for ditching him or whatever, but falls in love with the very guy that stole sirius away. He also has internalised homophobia because he's a Black brother so imagine the angst. James potter goes against everything he stands for,, sirius betrayed him,, but perhaps they're right abt smth?? Perhaps he needs to do smth. alone.

sorry for rambling but these are my thoughts on jegulus !! Anyways I feel like I should reiterate that this is a personal preference!! I think it ruins core of these characters, i prefer jily and i love me some unrequited gay pining for the boy who you're brother replaced u with. But this is just a personal preference !

oh and just a side note if it ever led to a decision where james had to choose between sirius and regulus -- no matter how much he 'allegedly' loved regulus, he would choose sirius, no questions asked.

[soloorganaas]

I know you are anti Remadora so ignore this question if you don't feel like addressing this topic but I saw you talking about them before so I figured it might be OK to ask. How would you feel about an AU version where they get together under very different circumstances, when they are both ready, and there is no pressure, no emotional manipulation, no rushing into things, etc.? So I guess my question is: do you hate Remadora period or do you hate the way their relationship was written in canon? Because for me it's the latter, and I can't ship it if it's canon compliant but I love Remus and Tonks as individuals, and although I ship Wolfstar too, I think there is great potential in their dynamic. It's a straight presenting relationship but in my head they're both queer and I think that's important to note, too.

this is a great question i got back in december, wrote half an essay for, then left in my drafts. i was reminded by the chaos discord of it so dug it out, finished the essay and voila. so i hope you follow me anon and get to enjoy my response to your question

tl;dr - i would never want to read remus and tonks together because remus is gay. gay identity and history is central to his characterisation, as is his relationship with sirius. remus's meaning and impact comes from that, and it's both a beautiful and sad story that resonates with so many gay people

jkr forced his relationship with tonks into being deliberately to try and erase remus's gay identity. she didn't write a meaningful loving relationship with a woman that would have characterised him as bisexual. if she had, then that relationship wouldn't have made remus 'less gay'. it would have been another facet woven in with a broader queer identity. but she didn't. remus did not want to be with tonks, and he was miserable the entire time. he was manipulated into being with her by the bastion of the cishet nuclear family molly weasley, and was only finally happy when he had a son and finally fitted the traditional family friendly cishet mold and said goodbye to his gayness forever

so a story with remus and tonks erases remus's gay identity because it's portraying him as something that he isn't and it plays into the homophobia of jkr in writing it to start with

i have ✨ expanded ✨ on this below with three main points:

1. remus is gay

2. gay history and identity is central to remus's characterisation

3. remus’s story is defined by his relationship with sirius

remus’s sexuality

the biggest question of all is whether remus is into women or not. I don’t think there’s an argument that he is based on his relationship with tonks. this is obviously a subject that can be talked about in great depth, but the key point is that he doesn’t show any interest in her, rejects her again and again, and is miserable when they're married. there’s nothing to indicate any romantic feelings or sexual attraction on his part, any desire to be emotionally or physically intimate, any sense that she understands him in a deep and unique way, or really that she brings him any joy

beyond tonks, I think he’s characterised as not into women generally. he never performs/acts/presents himself in any way for the female gaze - it’s not just about not actively trying to attract women, there is literally no way in which he ever acts like he seems concerned with what women think or passively adopts traits to please them. he also doesn’t have any intense relationships with women that we know of, or any moments of chemistry or tension with women. all of his intense feelings and interactions are with men. all of this is characteristic of the experience of being a gay person

the centrality of gay identity and history to remus's story

remus’s life encapsulates the loneliness and hardship of being gay in the 70s/80s/90s. the marginalisation, the secrecy, the danger of being found out, the suspicion. he is a character constantly carrying a Big Secret, and he’s shaped himself to develop layers of self-control, discretion and manipulation that keep any potentially revealing emotions or personal details safely hidden. he goes out of his way to avoid visibly making trouble or raising his head above the parapet, to present himself as perfectly respectable, which was (and often still is) a fundamental part of existing as gay in a homophobic society, to counter any perceptions of being a predator or untrustworthy or abnormal

and it is a deliberate performance, bc we know quite clearly how much trouble he’s making under the surface - he hides the knowledge of padfoot and the map from dumbledore, he revels in gaslighting snape when he finds the map on harry, his first action when he sees peter and sirius on the map is not to inform the authorities, but to run to them himself and keep it a secret. he’s a mischievous, deviant, sarcastic, often morally grey troublemaker, but no one for a second (except sirius) would ever see that in him

but despite all remus's attempts at respectability, he still is marginalised. he’s fundamentally seen as a dangerous freak, someone who shouldn’t be allowed near children or polite society lest he corrupt them, which is such a metaphor for homophobia (and esp against gay men) it punches you in the face. he’s trapped in poverty despite his education and assumed family wealth and is forced to rely on others for financial security. like so many other gay people throughout history his safety entirely comes from his community, bc he can’t rely on any institutional support - and when it disappears, as it does in 1981, he’s left poor, unsafe and adrift

and then there’s sirius

sirius and remus

remus's entire life from when he joins hogwarts to when he dies is shaped by sirius

he goes from a lonely, marginalised boy to someone loved and valued by his friends, to the point they perform incredibly dangerous and illegal magic just to try and reach him in the aspect of his life that's most painful and isolating. this is largely due to sirius and james. there's not much we know about remus's relationship then with sirius specifically, other than that sirius was both affectionately teasing and affectionately rude towards him (from swm). the rest is extrapolation from how close they are as adults. but the story that we do get is one that wouldn’t exist without sirius

remus then spends thirteen years tortured by the knowledge of what sirius has done that he still can't quite accept, as well as the knowledge of what sirius is going through as the a prisoner in azkaban. he doesn't ever come close to moving on - he loses his shit every time harry brings up sirius; he questions whether sirius, despite being an alleged mass murderer, really deserves azkaban; he is incredibly stressed and anxious to the point of noticeably losing weight the entirety of PoA, which is not just down to lycanthrophy. his entire mental state (and to an extent his physical one) is dictated by sirius

then the moment there's even a hint that sirius might not have committed the crimes alleged remus drops everything and runs. he faces sirius for the first time in thirteen years and believes him instantly. he's at sirius's side defending him and working with him with an astonishing amount of trust for someone he thought (at least partially) was guilty not an hour before. that's a mark of how deep his love and devotion goes, and how much he was simply waiting around for sirius all those years

we have no idea what remus does in GoF, but we do know by OotP he once again drops everything for sirius and moves into an absolutely miserable house to live alongside him. there's no reason for him to be there other than sirius (no one else in the order needs to live there, after all). every scene he's in, every bit of dialogue in that book is related to sirius. when he's saying goodbye to harry after christmas his advice is a subtle reference to sirius. they give harry a joint christmas present, they take care of him together. they exist entirely as partners

after sirius dies, remus completely falls apart. every time we see him through harry's eyes he's worse and worse. by the christmas of harry's sixth year remus is referring to werewolf tribes murdering humans for fun as his 'equals' and has clearly lost all sense of self-worth or reason for being. he's such a wreck he's emotionally manipulated into marrying a woman he doesn't want to and then is an absolutely terrible husband the entire time. even when his son is born, he's still acting thinking of sirius - he asks harry to be teddy's godfather, emulating the example sirius set

remus is who he is because of his relationship with sirius, one that is far, far too intense to be just platonic

conclusion

there is no way i, personally, would ever be comfortable with a remadora relationship. even if they were similar ages or got to know each other in a different context, it still wouldn't be realistic. remus is gay, that entire relationship came about with the intention to straight wash him. putting him together with any woman bothers me, but putting him together with tonks specifically upsets me because of the homophobic background for why that relationship even exists in canon

there are a lot of relationships we can quibble about as to whether they work or not, and that's fair. remadora is one of them. but the extra layer of jkr's homophobia in forcing them together can't be separated from that discussion. some people may view their relationship as meaningful in spite of that. that's fine, we're all entitled to our own headcanons. it's not mine, and there is no story i want to read where remus is with tonks. there's no story i want to read where he isn't gay, full stop

[the-writing-mobster]

were there any fic ideas you never ended up writing that you regret not doing?

also, do you have any other undertale ships? {:

Ah! Thank you for the ask dear heart! Let's see...

Of course I have fics that are still deep in my drafts, and I also have a few unfinished fics currently published ON Ao3.

I don't really regret not publishing certain fics because it's not really a matter of if more than it is a matter of when. A few of these old ideas just need way more fleshing out and just aren't ready for the limelight.

And that "not if but when" mindset is carried over to my unfinished fics as well, like Baby Face and YWIW.

They'll eventually be completed. (Although tbh, I'm not so sure about ywiw now, may have to go and really take a good long look at that one and the goals I want to achieve with it. For YWIW, I guess I regret some of the choices I made with Frisk's character arc. Like I accidentally walked back on things that I shouldn't have. Sequels are hard, y'all.)

—

Now for my other UT ships? Hmmmm...

I'm gonna come out the gate swinging and say that I, first and foremost do not ship Asgore and Toriel. I think their dynamic is more interesting as a divorced couple. Boom. That'll stir the pot some.

(I have a lot of weird UT ships tbh)

Now, moving on to what I actually ship:

Asriel x Papyrus / Papsriel / Boneblossom

This stems more from how I wrote their dynamic in wdyw part 4 + ywiw. See, when Frisk and Sans are off doing hard main character work, Papyrus and Asriel were alone together a lot, working through both of their collective daddy issues together (their fathers were big ole villains and they were consoling each other about their relationships with their fathers, it was actually very sweet) Ergo, I began to ship.

But also, if you look at the game, there are instances of Asriel and Papyrus befriending, and Asriel manipulating him, or growing fond of Papyrus in his own way as Flowey. Yeah there's the problem of "well technically Asriel is a child!" Which like... Okay, he's also dead and immortal at the same time. In wdyw he died at an older age so... 🤷🏻‍♀️ It depends on where you take the story. I could also just ship them platonically. So yeah!

Undyne x Alphys / Alphyne

This one is obvious. They're canon. They're beautiful. I love gay people. I love lesbians. I am a gay people. I am a lesbian. I love them.

Also, low-key, I also just like to explore more of their dynamic than just lovey dovey sapphic stuff. The highs and the lows. And they're perfect to do that with.

Nick x Sans / Nicecream Guy x Sans

This one is unorthodox, but it's because of Baby Face. They're so gay in that fic like it's unbelievable. If not Sans, then definitely Nick. Like they've definitely explored each other's bodies at least once.

Also in wdyw, they have a more complex, complicated friendship since they're more like long lost friends, and the whole "you betrayed our ideals by joining Asgore's military" and Nick "you joined a rebellion that will never win, you've doomed yourself to martyrdom." Sans saving Nick from prison & the purge, ugh, they're so complex, I love em!

Nick is definitely gay. I know we were pushing for Alick but honestly... That boy is gay. And I really believe that. I think the only better pairing for him would be Napstablook, or... And I guess I'll concede to years of shipping before me... Burgerpants/Bryan. Because Bryan has that like, newly joined rebellion, starry eyes, just found out his crush was brutally murdered by one of Muffet's assassins, etc, and then there's Nick, shining hero of the revolution. I think it could work really well.

Muffet x Toriel / Muffriel / Spiderscotch

Bro even the name screams lesbian, wtf? This is like Everlark's alternative ship name being peenis.

BRO THEY LIVE IN THE RUINS TOGETHER, MUFFET SET UP SHOP IN THE RUINS. TORIEL BAKES PIES AND MUFFET BAKES FUCKED UP SPIDER DONUTS. THEY'RE A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN. (And I'm purely talking about classic, but who's to say that wdyw Muffet wasn't sneaking into the queen's chambers after killing her own husband and poisoning Toriel's daughter right under her nose? UGH THE DRAMA!!!!)

Ugh, I love my gay ships.

Anyway, Toriel is the sweet, albeit very flawed, old money, cottage core wife, and Muffet is the manipulative, borderline Machiavellian, macabre, new money, goth wife and they're PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER. I've never been more serious in my life.

Anyway, those are my UT ships that are not Frans. Don't come for me, I know they're unconventional (except for Alphyne) but I love them each dearly.

.

.

.

Old pencil drawing I did:

[kitsu-katsu]

Rant time

That one friend that made me go on a full rant at 3am once because on good omens (this post) also watches the QSMP

And she geinds my gears with shipping stuff, tbh

Like, we'll be talking about canon couples, fun dyos and dynamics, CCs we didn't expect to be so fun together, etc, and of course, being SO romance obsessed, she needs everyone to have a commited explicitly romantic relationship with at least one other person

So when, for example, the canonically platonic couples who have a kid together come around, she CANNOT accept that it's explicitly platonic and not romantic and that it's canon

We talk about Jaiden and Roier, I talked about Roier and Cellbit having their thing (this was like a month ago, there wasn't a wedding in the works yet) and Jaiden being very supportive of whatever Roier wants to do, and how great a duo they are as besties and that it's really cool that they're explicitly platonic. She immediately tried to dig into it to make up a romantic drama with Jaiden and Roier, and when I said that they're canonically aroace and gay she just went "omg, they're starving the fans of that ship though!! Sapopeta should get between that" (context, Sapopeta was Maxo's character in Karmaland and notoriously shipped luckity and did everything in his power to get them together and fine with eachother again)

Then we were talking about how Missa and Phil haven't seen eachother again yet, and we started explaining it to another friend who doesn't watch the qsmp. We talked about Forever wanting Phil, and then havung a fight with Missa over Phil, but it ticked me after that whole Jaiden and Roier thing, how she started with "they have this romance, I mean uh... What do you call it?", So I went "they're canonically a platonic pair, they raise a son together", and she immediately went again "yeah that, so like a romance, right, and in come Forever wanting to steal Phil..."

And MAN. We really need more platonic pairs of characters doing "couply" things and qprs more often so that people can start to FUCKING GET IT, 'cause my god, it's exhausting

Like could you not invalidate my whole life experience as an aroace and also go against what creators themselves have said for the sake of focusing always on a very typical amatonormative romance? If it goes against amatonormativity, EXPLORE THAT, don't erase it just for the sake of imagining a kiss, where's the fun in varied dynamics if everyone's in a monogamous amatonormative relationship

[azulas-daddy-kink]

Z*kka is a very good example I like to use when I talk about how trend, timing and tropes effect fandoms that you don't see happen in older fandoms

The ATLA renaissance happened during the same time the Voltron trainwreck happened. At the same time, certain tropes like opposites attract, blue/red gays etc are insanely popular. Almost every big thing falls into this easy category of who fits who in their incorrect quotes or popular tropes and ship dynamic.

And Z*kka fits the bill. Silly/Serious? Check. Conventionally attractive guys? Check. Blue/Red? Check. On paper, they sound like any other popular ships that technically speaking would make at least a decent ship.

Except they don't. Because they're from a 3 seasons show where they canonically don't have that much meaningful interaction, barely any acknowledgement of each other, and they just don't have chemistry. They DON'T. Just because they LOOK like they fit on the surface level doesn't mean they actually do. Sometimes opposites don't attract. Sometimes the characters who fall easily into a ship dynamic aren't actually compatible.

The ship is solid proof that modern fandoms these days prioritize surface level things over what canon actually gives them. I UNDERSTAND why some people like z*kka, but it DOES NOT deserve the level of popularity it receives! And the fact it became one of the most popular ships in ATLA because the voltron fans project kl*nce into the ship is IMO disheartening. They already choose what they wish to see instead of appreciating what these characters got and who they actually connect with in canon.

I know I sound pretentious, but I really can't stand these kinds of fans because of how much they REFUSE to engage in canon. Tropes are nice. Having preferences is not a crime. But actively forcing your own vision into canon just because they fit your tastes in the most shallow way possible is just sad. Why bother engage in any new media then? Why not actually pick up something that actively fits your taste?

You said it all, Anon!

I seriously had no idea where Zukka even came from until recently.

It wasn't a thing when the show was airing and then suddenly it just exploded out of nowhere. I was so baffled. I was like "why this?" Of all the slash ships people could have latched onto. Jetko is right there. Hell, even Zukaang and Sokka/Aang make way more sense.

You're so right, people just base everything off """vibes""" or aesthetics, or just jump on the bandwagon when a ship/headcanon gets popular without giving it any real thought. And because Zukka is just a copy+paste version of Klance, they just wind up wildly ooc and it's like they're two entirely different characters. I have to ask myself if these people even like Zuko or Sokka independently...

And for the record, I don't think you sound shallow at all. The enforcement of popular headcanons as canon is a problem in all fandoms, but it's especially bad in this one.

If it sounds like I'm pointing the finger solely at Zukka shippers, I'm not. Zutara shippers are just as bad, if not worse. As are those who shove the idea of lesbian Azula down everyone's throats.

It's just fucking exhausting.

Ship whatever you want. Headcanon whatever you want. Just stop torturing all of us with it.

[morskisir]

i'm really curious why you dislike the comics? /genq /nm

ooooh the dreaded question. i can get really passionate about this (i care too much) so i'm going to be as brief and simple as i can. i'm aware many people enjoy the comics and that's fine. /gen you do you. like i said; i care too much

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: we have no clue how much time or dedication was given to the comics by valve; the poor writing isn't necessarily the fault of the writers and i have no personal beef with them! with that said, old man yells at cloud /ref under read more/keep reading.

the two main gripes i have with the comics are lack of planning and tone problems.

as i already said, the lack of planning- and therefore the poor writing- does not mean the comic team was incompetent (the art is quite good a lot of the time, actually), but this does mean it severely hurts the quality of the comics themselves. it's clear they aren't sure where they're taking this (as evident by whatever the fuck is going on with helen) and what the story is even supposed to mean. the tone goes hand in hand with the poor planning; the comics aren't sure whether they want to be purely comical and action-focused or a DARK comedy; having serious moments and themes in the story.

in the end, the serious moments come off as either manipulative (iykyk. i am not getting angry about this for 40 minutes again) or as if they're being made fun of (cough cough sniper).

they also struggle to really build up those moments, so sometimes it feels as if they just came out of nowhere. it's really jarring.

there's also just. not a lot of conflict between the main cast?? there isn't a lot of pressure put on pauling from the mercs via questioning her actions, etc. (we only slightly get this from spy. but like once) (i get that it's to show how much trust they have in her but, really? not a single thing?) (this could build up to like. a "grand betrayal" sort of thing but yknow. they didnt think about the build up to anything)

this is why i think making it JUST the RED team really hurts the story- they already have set dynamics and don't need to develop or sort through any conflicts they have with one another. medic only has conflict with sniper of all people. MEDIC. who went to join another team which was actively hunting his previous one.

the comics introduce conflict and new dynamics by straight up making up new characters?? as much as i love zhanna- she was primarily put into the story just to be soldier's love interest and have a fun dynamic with him.... i'm so sorry miss.

they could've done that with demo btw?? since demo and soldier are supposed to be friends?? unless actually the team differences DO matter (which the comics do not make clear at all, engie is randomly blue while the rest are red. okay. why? wouldn't you like to know.) so red soldier and red demo dont bounce off of eachother as much as blu soldier and red demo do.

i'm not formatting this at all but remember the poor planning? ahem. sniper timeline. why did you make him barely 30. i will fucking kill you he was always clearly meant to be, look, and sound like an old man. its in his concept art its in how he talks. raghghgh

they keep giving themselves problems by adding new characters cause then the main fucking mercs who people adore get no time for themselves (demo, pyro, scout, engie) they're just kinda......there. it sucks. but it's what we got, i guess. just how canon the comics are is questionable- but i don't care if they are.

it's free real estate i'm doing my own thing!!!!!!!!!!! fuck around find out!!!!! be gay do crime!!!!!!! *gets arrested by valve for tampering with copyrighted material*

anyways, after all that negativity; shoutout to the only stuff i enjoyed from the comics: pauling, heavy, the art. goob byeeeeeeee

[markcampbells]

002 | Give me a character & I will tell you: Spock

I also got this from an anon so I'm assuming everyone's like we know how she feels about McKirk, what about Spock?? 😂

How I feel about this character: Okay, so… it is not the character, it is the fanbase. Spock is awesome! All three actors do an absolutely fantastic job! But the fanbase is kind of… too much for me. I'm not speaking so much about the intense love for him as I am talking about projecting things onto him that have very little to do with the writers' initial intent and then getting angry when canonical portrayals don't match up. Like, people will absolutely INSIST that Spock is gay and then get angry when he's paired with women in new incarnations, despite the fact that (a) bisexual+ people exist, so him being with a woman does not automatically make him straight, and (b) Spock was never intended to be anything but heterosexual anyway. I won't deny that SNW in particular has made some choices where I understand the frustration--I absolutely understand why Jewish fans are upset by the bacon scene--but I think the preciousness over Spock and his fanon is what puts people like me off him a bit. He's a great character, excellently portrayed, but I could really do without the people who can't recognize where their fanon ends and canon begins.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: I understand the love for Spirk! But of the triumvirate and its satellite ships, it's kind of the least interesting to me. I like how Spock/Uhura works as a companion ship to McKirk! And I think SNW is doing really cool stuff with Spock/Christine and the idea that a young Spock would explore emotionality that way (especially after seeing his parents' marriage).

My non-romantic OTP for this character: The triumvirate, of course! Particularly in Star Trek V, I love the warmth and camaraderie of the camping scenes. I also really love his familial dynamics with Amanda and Michael (Sarek is… complicated…), and when it comes to Pike, the SNW S1 finale actually made me cry with how it portrayed their relationship and its impact on both of them.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I kinda accidentally got into that earlier, didn't I. Oops. I think something that strikes me about Spock and how I relate to fanon is I actually see him more as aro/ace, but I understand how complicated that gets as a headcanon because it might imply that aro/ace people are unemotional, etc. I sort of see him as a keen observer of relationship dynamics (in McKirk fics, I always appreciate a Spock who understands they're romantically involved but keeps quiet out of discretion), but someone who doesn't necessarily desire a romantic relationship for himself.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I totally understand why the subsequent AOS movies past the first one used him sparingly--having him in the first movie at all is a base to bridge the universes on--but I would find more knowledge of what Spock did to rebuild Vulcan society and how he adjusted to a new universe fascinating!

my OTP: Secondary to McKirk, I really do see the appeal of Spones! I think they're an awesome ship and I want to write more for their dynamic (thus far I've written a friendship fic I'm still really proud of). I love both the silly memes people make about them as well as the serious meta people do about why these characters work as a pairing and their relationship to each other.

my cross over ship: I don't think about crossover ships that much! Although now that I'm thinking about it, I would find him having some sort of relationship with Garak fascinating. Garak lies and eludes constantly, and Spock is held to not lie but actually does, and I think they could play off each other in an interesting way. Plus Garak is so lively and jovial whereas Spock is more serious but also has a dry wit I think Garak would love.

a headcanon fact: In my fic I linked above, I tried to build more on the idea of Spock having a dyslexia-like condition that Discovery established. I thought it was pretty cool that Discovery gave a character who's well-known for his intellect a learning disability! I like the idea that it gives him a lot of empathy for those in similar situations and that he's able to use his past struggles to help those on ship crews or in academic settings who need it.

[olderthannetfic]

post/710242455274012672 - new anon here. as someone who has repeated the point that fixed t/b dynamics in fandom is "backwards and homophobic" I've never meant it as like... that real gay men with a single strong preference don't exist, or that real gay men who's personalities appear to be tied to their preference don't exist - as a non-op gay trans man myself, I'd be pretty remiss to deny that real people exist who fit into stereotypes.

what I and many others who say that the strong preference is homophobic mean is that too often this strong preference, held by largely non gay men, is tied to stereotypical gender roles the characters are forced into. I'm not in danmei fandom specifically, but in a fandom I'm in with very strong preferences, the designated bottom is characterized as feminine, submissive, petit and sensitive, despite being the total opposite of that in canon (and these traits having nothing to do with one another - bottom =/= submissive just as top =/= dominant, etc. etc.) and the designated top is characterized as hypermasculine, abusive, dominant, and cold, again, completely contrary to his actual character. (He's also the only man of color in the ship, so it kind of reeks of racism too in some cases.)

But like... the reason I've seen it said that it can be - not always - can be homophobic is when people with such strong preferences demean and abuse others with no preferences or the opposite preference. I've seen blocklists by A/B shippers for the crime of shipping B/A, callout posts for "mistagging A/B when it's really B/A" in completely sfw art/fic, death threats for drawing A blushing a bit too much while kissing B, therefore making A the "bottom" I guess, and so much other horrible stuff.

I've never seen anyone claim that simply having a strong preference is in and of itself homophobic, though I don't doubt that some people have said it, but from what I've seen, what they're actually talking about is abuse of fellow fans on the basis of those strong preferences. I don't see how that isn't a form of homophobia, to act genuinely triggered over seeing two characters in a different sex configuration than what you personally prefer, to the point that you'll insult, call out, and abuse the people drawing/writing that different configuration.

I don't say this meaning to fight anyone, I just wanted to come in and give a different perspective, apologies if this is too rambly! All love here <3

--

It's not homophobia: it's the same stupidass ship wank and "He's mine and you can't have him!" as every other fandom war.

[detectivechandler]

🔥🔥🔥🔥 rant about alllll of the things!

the first thing that has been on my mind a lot lately is the way people (both in the rpc and just in general fandoms) will go OUT OF THEIR WAYYYYY to villainize any female character that gets in the way of their perceived gay ships. i mean they will pick these women apart. they will say they breathe wrong, they will say they are walking red flags for x amount of reasons when these characters are just genuinely trying to live their life and be human. i dont know if its the lack of awareness on the parts of these people about the way romantic relationships actually work or just a no i need these two dudes to kiss mindset but it is driving me wild more and more. You want to write gay ships? fucking go for it. by all means. but do not shit over any CANON piece of the source media just in order to make them gay. there are ways to do divergences etc without being like this woman sucks, death to her!!!!!

going along with the above, i'm tired of seeing sexualized gay ships. that's fetishization. plain and simple. i've seen things that say i don't write smut with my female muses or hetero ships but i absolutely will write it with my gay muses. what the hell is that??? i've seen people tag their smut threads etc with commentary thats like 'love it when boys do boys' and 'oof this is making me hot' . WHAT?! and these are cis women saying these things. stop !!

again, along the same vein here but ... fetishization doesnt mean just sexual stuff. thinking things are inherently cute just because its two males in love is strange and not the way the world works. gay boys have problems (hunter and i can attest to that lmaooo) and nothing is aw so sweet so cute they're so in love just because the ship is between two gay men. if you're going to write gay ships (or any ship!!), portray it accurately. you're writing people, not cardboard cutouts meant to fulfill your weird fantasies

divergences are not canon. i have seen things (especially in the current 'fandom' that this blog belongs to) that claim these whackadooodle ideas are canon when they are not. i mean claim they're canon to the point where i second guessed myself and thought maybe entire scenes had been left out of the version i watched. but no. its just insanity.

LET THOSE OF US WHO DONT WANNA SHIP WITH YOU LIVE IN PEACE. i'm not writing a rupert penry jones hallmark movie for you. i want to write. i want to explore things. i hate shipping. i hate the intimacy associated with shipping. i'm only comfortable enough to do it with hunter. respect the asexual muses. respect the fact that some of us don't want to hear about how attractive you find our fc when we're trying to talk to you about headcanons or plotting or media.

stop telling me how much fun you're supposedly having off of tumblr and just go have fun. if my dash is nothing but 80% your posts talking about you're having so much fun and living your best life .. i'm gonna start wondering how you manage to have much time to be on tumblr telling us about it.

i think rules should stop sounding like an application process where we all list everything short of our addresses and social security numbers. i just dont care enough about you to need to know all this.

remaking entire blogs every few weeks because you think its going to make you feel more comfortable is absolutely asinine. i give up after about the second move, mate. i am no longer invested. i wish you the best (Wherever the hell you are now) but i can't keep up with things that constantly get dropped etc. you need to work on something other than the blog. thats not what the problem is obviously.

time it takes to get replies back doesnt matter. but constantly dropping muses/dropping threads/dropping dynamics etc etc is a great way to lose partners. and then to complain about not having partners??? hello!!! why would any of us put in effort to write with you when its just gonna get dropped bc you're not feeling it in that moment? and ofc every once in a while is fine. its understandable. but if you're dropping everything every week because you dont have muse ... *buzzer noise* next please

[vasyashumkov]

8, 16, 21 go crazy

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

mysh and alyosha's lack of character flaws. they both have their stupid fucking ass negative qualities theyre not perfect angels just bc they happen to be angelic meek bitches.

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

obsession with stavrogin. like i get the appeal but hes just not all that interesting to me. if there was a fe,ale charactr like him people would be merciless. there is SO much to talk abt in demons besides his stupid ass

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

i think rodyas relationship with razzy is overhyped a lot like by far its the least interesting dynamic rodya has with anyone and still its hyped wron like okay fine theyre gay but theres other things there. yeah they're best friends and have an interesting friendship but im more interested in say rodya's relationship to dunya or even katerina bc shes important to me like the small bit of their dynamic is so fun. she rants to him. but sadlynothing will ever he hyped as much as shippable twinks.

[lokislytherin]

do you think ptj will do jaeyeol/jay’s character any justice? 🥲 i’ve read so many comments on reddit saying that ptj will just throw jay away because he’s served his purpose (attracting a large enough fanbase through queer-baiting) because jay’s potential to be a great character is just going down the drain (he’s the son of steve hong, he should he able to step in and help right? also big daniel is kidnapped and jay used to have such a strong “daniel is in trouble i gotta go help him” sensor so where tf is he?)

okay, but excluding all that, i think jay should be developed further as a character because he has so much potential that’s being wasted so far. i really hope ptj hasn’t forgotten about him and pulls an eli jang arc for jay because he’s super interesting to me, like i wanna know why he doesn’t talk, why he isn’t acknowledged by his family (?), where tf is he when all this is going down, what does he do in his free time, what are his likes (besides daniel lol)??? i just want to know more about him as a person IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK PTJ???

ahem, sorry for the rant, i just caught up to the latest chapter and i am FUMING because the last time we saw jay was in chapter 300+ and he wasn’t even that prominent in the chapter? i just miss when all we had to care about was daniel having to hide his 2 bodies from people, crystal being a snoop, jay and joy fighting over the same man, zack and mira’s relationship, zoe’s inner conflict not knowing she likes the very same person, etc. like what’s with all these new characters i do not give a single shit about? i loved the hostel chapters though but once they got to the worker’s arc, man…. pls just bring the original cast back.. this story is getting too much man..

so what do you think? 😅🥲

hello anon, thank you for the ask! hoo boy this is a big one so imma break it down into bitesized chunks if you don't mind

jay as the queerbait character: honestly i see where those redditors are coming from? insert a hot male character with a good, interesting dynamic with the mc who is also male, and you have the interest of women and queers! even if we don't count me being a jaeseok ship fic writer, i still really enjoy the dynamic they have, the only one that comes close for me is vasco and jace but to me jay's queer energy is too strong to see them as solid bros yk. as a queer who is horrible in social situations i kinda see myself in jay sometimes and it's really nice to have that TT

jay's potential as a character: anon you're so right. jay is the son of steve hong and honestly he could have a much bigger role to play not only as a character who can fight (because hello?? maybe jay's not the best in a dirty street fight but systema and kali are deadly in their own right) but also as a Plot Relevant Character? i've probably mentioned this before in other posts but he reminds me of khun maria agnis from tower of god: both were shown in early chapters and had a decently big impact on at least one of the main characters, both have long bangs and eyes that have not been seen in 300+ chapters, neither character has been seen in 200+ chapters i swear to god. maybe i'm on copium but i still believe that this is bc they're preparing for their comeback as an insanely OP character

more on jay's potential: dear ptj, where is jay's 1) backstory 2) CURRENT SELF. WHERE TF IS HE. as i've said before my predictions are 1) med school so he can be the 'call an ambulance! but not for me! oh wait i am the first aid' guy 2) preparing for his OP character arc

I MISS EARLY LOOKISM CHAPTERS TOO ANON. WHEN ARE ZACK AND MIRA GOING TO GET TOGETHER FOR REAL. LIKE WHERE'S DANIEL'S MOM. unless daniel went 'i'm going to get myself into a shitload of trouble do you mind looking after my mom for me in case things go wrong 🥺' and jay said yes at the cost of his canon appearances bc he's whipped. pathetic gay little man (affectionate)

i hope that answered things? i feel like you sent me a rant and i just ranted back with more speculations and headcanons LMAO

anyway join me let's hold hands and start a prayer circle for hong 'jay' jaeyeol's reappearance in canon anybody who misses jay is more than welcome to join bc i'm p sure jay's fandom is almost as big as samuel seo's tiddies and they're pretty damn massive, so ptj's bound to notice us and bring jay back as an Important Character... right...?

btw i'm not caught up with the manhwa oops. i'm only up to ep 394 but i'm speedrunning the latest chapters and my urge to punch eugene increases every chapter.

[strangeswift]

Since we are getting controversial... i dont think the line ''it is not my fault you dont like girl'' is Mike projecting his feelings onto Will. He literally explains what he meant by that comment a few seconds later, he says ''we are not kids anymore, we should grow up and stop playing games and get girlfriends''. Mike believes liking girls and getting girlfriends is a part of life and is expected outcome when you grow up, and that he thinks Will not wanting to get girlfriends and not focusing/liking girls is him being childish and refusing to grow up. That's heteronormativity, not IH.

For example, when he's trying to confess to El by using the word 'love' in S3, he says ''it is a word that grown ups say to each other sometimes''. I think that scene also sort of plays into the same thing too, he thinks he should do these things bc it is expected and grown ups do it, that sounds like heteronormativity to me not IH. That's why he wants to leave his hobbies behind because he finds them childish and in order to be 'grown up' and in a relationship with that mindset, he has to hide that side of him when he's with El.

Mike doesnt have a struggle or characterization where he feels like a mistake/broken for being gay. He doesnt have a characterization where he gets explicitly and specifically bullied for being gay. He doesnt have a characterization/writing where he gets bullied or abused by his father for being 'feminine/unmanly' or for being gay to the point his sister thinks Ted unalived him. He doesnt get bullied by his school peers for being gay. Mike doesnt get called slurs. He isnt forced to like ''manly things'' etc. That's Will's characterization, all of those things result in Will having IH. There's more evidence that suggests that what Mike suffers from is heteronormativity. Due to his family dynamic (this is something Jonathan also comments on when he is talking about getting married/family dynamic to Nancy in S1) and he thinks that is a part of growing up.

There's not much canon evidence, textual stuff to claim that Mike has IH or that the writers intended Mike to have an explicit canon IH. I actually think Mike wouldn't even mind being non-straight, because he would think that being non-straight would make him special tbh and he actually has insecurities about not being special too. Literally Mike's insecurity is about him being NORMAL, not being abnormal. Being abnormal is Will's insecurity if anything.... Mike thinks he is just some guy with nothing special about him and he is insecure about being normal, not about being abnormal. Heck, he actually finds abnormal stuff to be cool. This is the guy who commented on Dustin's collarbones by saying it makes Dustin look like a hero. Mike likes being different and different things. I really think if Mike and Will were to be in a relationship Mike would be the proud and confident one in the relationship.

I seriously dont think the writers are going for an IH!Mike or gay!Mike storyline. I don't think the Duffers think that way. I think they're gonna just state Mike has feelings for Will and that is all. We all have Headcanons and theories but at the end of the day we should think from the writers' POV and what they are actually writing in their story, and what are they gonna write in S5. And honestly, I don't think an explicit gay!Mike with a canon IH is likely.

Hi anon! I'm gonna break down why I disagree with each of your points, with peace and love.

First things first, let's define our terms. The Rainbow Project defines internalized homophobia as follows: "Internalised homophobia and oppression happens to gay, lesbian and bisexual people, and even heterosexuals, who have learned and been taught that heterosexuality is the norm and 'correct way to be'."

Regardless of what you believe Mike's sexuality to be, even if you believe he is heterosexual, he is absolutely demonstrating internalized homophobia. It is a common misconception that internalized homophobia is synonymous with self loathing, but that is not the case as it is a broad term.

"Mike believes liking girls and getting girlfriends is a part of life and is expected outcome when you grow up, and that he thinks Will not wanting to get girlfriends and not focusing/liking girls is him being childish and refusing to grow up. That's heteronormativity, not IH."

It is my personal interpretation that Stranger Things has intertwined the themes of growing up and queerness, which is why it is such a large part of Will's (and Mike's) character arc. The pressure to "grow up and be normal" is often synonymous with the pressure to be attracted to and subsequently pursue the opposite sex for queer kids. Which is why I think the way they have intertwined these themes is what makes Will's story so compelling to so many queer people. Also, see the above definition of internalized homophobia.

"Mike doesnt have a struggle or characterization where he feels like a mistake/broken for being gay. He doesnt have a characterization where he gets explicitly and specifically bullied for being gay."

You seem to be implying that since Will is actively bullied for being gay and Mike isn't that Mike can't have internalized homophobia? Hearing homophobic insults said toward Will would absolutely contribute toward Mike's own internalized homophobia.

(I think it's also worth mentioning that when Troy is making homophobic comments about Will, we are shown primarily Mike's reaction. Mike is the one who pushes Troy as well. This seems likely to be an intentional writing choice.)

Secondly, more than one character in a show can experience internalized homophobia. And in small town Indiana in the 80s, it's more likely than not.

"He doesnt have a characterization/writing where he gets bullied or abused by his father for being 'feminine/unmanly' or for being gay to the point his sister thinks Ted unalived him. He doesnt get bullied by his school peers for being gay. Mike doesnt get called slurs. He isnt forced to like ''manly things'' etc. That's Will's characterization, all of those things result in Will having IH."

See my previous point. Just because Will has internalized homophobia doesn't mean Mike can't too. (Also... "unalived" hehe hello tiktok user.)

"There's more evidence that suggests that what Mike suffers from is heteronormativity. Due to his family dynamic (this is something Jonathan also comments on when he is talking about getting married/family dynamic to Nancy in S1) and he thinks that is a part of growing up."

See my first point in reference to the definition of internalized homophobia and the connection between the themes of growing up and queerness.

"I actually think Mike wouldn't even mind being non-straight, because he would think that being non-straight would make him special tbh and he actually has insecurities about not being special too. Literally Mike's insecurity is about him being NORMAL, not being abnormal. Being abnormal is Will's insecurity if anything.... Mike thinks he is just some guy with nothing special about him and he is insecure about being normal, not about being abnormal. Heck, he actually finds abnormal stuff to be cool. This is the guy who commented on Dustin's collarbones by saying it makes Dustin look like a hero. Mike likes being different and different things. I really think if Mike and Will were to be in a relationship Mike would be the proud and confident one in the relationship."

Mike doesn't feel the need to be special or unique so much as he feels the need to be needed. He doesn't want to be special for the sake of it, he wants to be special because El is special, and he needs her to need him. Or rather, he needs anyone to need him. That's what he expresses during the van scene.

And nobody in small town Indiana in the 80s is happy to be queer because it makes them feel special. Let's get that out of the way.

Mike has also gotten less comfortable with being different as he's gotten older, which is common. Young kids are usually much more carefree and they celebrate the things that make themselves and others unique. Enter social conditioning, and kids now feel a sudden need to conform. (Which brings me back to why intertwinig the themes of childishness and queerness is brilliant.) A good example is your earlier point about Mike's "heteronormativity" (internalized homophobia) and the ideas he has about how growing up means he needs to have a girlfriend and tell her he loves her in S3.

I also think Mike has some significant cognitive dissonance when it comes to the topic of conformity in S4 especially.

"I seriously dont think the writers are going for an IH!Mike or gay!Mike storyline. I don't think the Duffers think that way. I think they're gonna just state Mike has feelings for Will and that is all. We all have Headcanons and theories but at the end of the day we should think from the writers' POV and what they are actually writing in their story, and what are they gonna write in S5. And honestly, I don't think an explicit gay!Mike with a canon IH is likely. "

This is where we agree, I don't think the Duffers will confirm Mike as gay. As far as "canon IH" I would argue that we already have that, though I know you meant of the self loathing variety, and I agree that we probably won't get that explicitly.

I disagree that we should only be thinking from the writer's POV though. My interpretations of Mike's character are not intended to be S5 predictions, they are simply interpretations. I explained that a little bit in my previous post. That's the thing about art and media, you take away your own interpretation.

[sixstepsaway]

It's gotten to the point where, having finished the show hooked on Blackbonnet, I now only trust Ed characterization in the hands of Izzy enjoyers. They don't tend to hollow him out to make him pure. Like. It's not even the usual bullshit that's been talked to death. It's that. What kind of fandom watches a character insist on getting stabbed by his love interest, enjoy it a lot, and then ask his ex fuckbuddy to whip his balls and also enjoys it a lot. On camera! In canon! And yet 6300 works later the Edward Teach Has a Pain Kink tag is not canonized and every fic I could find tagged with him and masochism it's either Izzy or Stede that's into it! Or Steddyhands! There's a couple Blackbonnet ones with Ed being into doling out pain or at least willing but no sign of Edward "Run Me Through" Teach anywhere. It's not even because he's often woobied, like we do that to Izzy plenty and the pain kink is a juicy plus there?

Blackhands doesn't go with Ed being a masochist but there I get it. If they're both into pain who's steering the ship? Even though I'd argue Ed is more blatantly into it in canon lol

I hope the canon Blackbonnet dynamic is more blatantly fucked up in season 2 maybe that'll fix this (after causing a fandom war or three and setting fire to twitter)

You know what? I. had not really... thought about that?

I think I was so wrapped up in the stabbing scene being a metaphor for sex that I forgot he was actively moaning about being stabbed through it.

And, to detour a little from Edward Teach Has a Pain Kink, which is absolutely going into all my fics now ty, it kinda also puts being Blackbeard into a new light?

Like, he seems to enjoy being stabbed, fighting etc, he shows that! So if every time his ship sails up everyone surrenders, I'm guessing he doesn't really get a lot of time to be stabbed, fight, maim people etc anymore. It's not just the lack of adventure/excitement, it's also a lack of everything else, including a casual indulgence of his desire to self-harm pain kink in an 'acceptable pirate manner'.

I remember seeing someone on Twitter saying how they didn't understand how antis could be in the OFMD fandom because "have they SEEN the show? it is BLATANTLY sexual and kinky??" and I watched it and felt it was a lot tamer than I expected (lol) but I assumed they were referring to like the daddy scene etc

but now, now i am imagining a future where David Jenkins' much longed for sex scene is kinky. I'm imagining a future where they're explicitly kinky on screen. I am imagining all of these things but also I am imagining Rhys and Taika having giggle fits about it in interviews.

Furthermore, I think a lot of the time in fanon what happens is that the first few people to write fics kind of... set the scene? I saw someone the other day talking about how in the Merlin fandom, Arthur is always portrayed as a bi jock and Merlin as a gay nerd who has no friends, despite in canon Arthur only really shows interest in women when he's enchanted, and is awkward af, meanwhile Merlin is running around like he owns the place, crushing on everyone regardless of gender, and making friends with everyone and their mother and telling the heir of Camelot where to stuff it.

But I imagine that because the BNFs of that fandom wrote Arthur and Merlin the way they did, everyone sort of picked up that characterization? And I'm guessing that's what's happening in this fandom too.

Those of us who meta, who actually deep-dive into what we see on screen (for example Izzy being terrified in the toe scene, Ed seeming adhd etc), what it might mean when picked into, and the depths below that surface meaning (izzy being horny in the toe scene does not make it consensual nor does it make it not terrifying and traumatic, for example. bodily reactions =/= actual desires) are a smaller portion of the fandom than those who make jokes, fuck around with 'imagines' and so on.

So when the majority of the fandom is going, "Hey! Izzy was horny being choked and horny being maimed," the fanon becomes that Izzy is a masochist. When the majority of the fandom is saying Ed is a pillow princess who wants to be doted on and adored and doesn't want to do any of the work, the fanon becomes that Ed is a pillow princess bottom.

(I actually... am not sure I agree, with that? He likes fine things, but liking fine things doesn't mean he wants to laze around or not do any of the work, nor does it mean he doesn't have the capacity to top, nor does it mean he wouldn't perhaps be a... is there a term for a pillow princess top? Like, lying there while Stede rides him type thing? Maybe that's just pillow princess top, hmm. pillow princess top, type?

And also, the idea that "Ed craves excitement and fun and he seems adhd and autistic af" translates to "pillow princess bottom" is... hm. Odd? Bottom I'm assuming they got from the stabbing scene ("oh yeah, stab me. put it in me, stede, cmon!") but to me it translates more to Ed being really in to like... physical play? Pressure, pain, temperature etc, and experiencing how those things feel, and also having like, soft, fine things added into their sex life? I feel like if Stede showed up with a fancy fine thing style butt plug, Ed would just bust a nut on the spot.

There's also that the things you enjoy in your day to day life aren't always the things you enjoy in your sex life? Shy passive people who are doms exist, for instance.

Ed strikes me more as someone who is deeply invested and actively participates in anything he does, and his disinterest in life in 1x03 is a showing of how his depression is gripping him.

Also if he's actually ADHD the likelihood that lying there being a pillow princess would send his brain off to lala land to suddenly remember where he left that knife he lost 17 years ago is high so he'd definitely need to participate and concentrate lmao)

I am going to write masochist!Ed just for you, nonnie.

Carrying on though, I wanna hone in on this bit:

I now only trust Ed characterization in the hands of Izzy enjoyers. They don't tend to hollow him out to make him pure.

fucking same

I love Blackbonnet. I finished S1 and I was like "this is amazing and i love them So Much", and you know I also love blackhands and steddyhands and gentlehands, but I do not trust fandom to not water Blackbonnet down to Pure™ and it makes me very nervous when skimming through AO3 and whatnot because the likelihood of "Well, Izzy deserved atrocities" and "well it's not like they DIED so it's fine you tried to kill them!" and such is just...really high, and it makes me upsetti spaghetti to deal with it.

Ed canonically has a temper. Ed canonically has impulse control issues. Ed canonically has mental issues. Ed canonically is a deeply violent and fucked up man. He went right to murdering his father as a kid, you don't do that if there's nothing fucked up in there. He was a child who murdered his father. And, regardless of what his father was doing, the jump from cringing watching him throw plates and hit his mother to murdering him with a rope on a dock is a big one. Rather like jumping from "We speak our minds here" to nighttime mutilation.

(To me, this implies the abuse ran deep and fucked his head up rather a lot, actually, and that possibly his mother excused and validated it as victims often do. Oh, he's just angry. Oh, he just had a bad day etc. Cycle of abuse etc etc and then you internalize the idea that if you're just angry or you just had a bad day then violence is justified. And then you're angry. And you kill your father.)

None of this is to say that fandom joking about masochism and pillow princessing etc is bad, just that it becomes ingrained in our subconscious as Fact over time when we see enough of it. It's a lot like propaganda in that sense, when you see enough of something false (which Izzy being a masochist or Ed a pillow princess is, since it hasn't been canonically shown nor stated, not like Ed moaning wantonly at being stabbed) it slowly seems more true until you're believing it wholeheartedly.

Plus, there's the factor that if loads of people love reading masochist!Izzy or pp!Ed, then writing that thing creates an echo chamber of praise and lots of people reading it and internalizing it and then writing their own and then it goes around and around like that.

Again, I don't think it's bad, it just explains a lot about why fanon goes the way it goes and a big chunk of this fandom is going to have a big storm coming when s2 opens and Ed is like, opening up someone's chest with a knife to play xylophone on their ribs for someone's amusement.

Final thoughts: I too want fucked up Blackbonnet. I don't want them to forever be soft and pure and sweet. I want more depth to them, please! And also let them be kinkazoid plz

[paperstorm]

I am curious to know if you would "want" to see TK and Carlos dealing with homophobia on the show? Cause I love that the show didn't make a huge deal about them being gay as in them dancing in a bar together without problems (and generally never facing any problems in that regard - as far as i am aware?) and TK (on screen) never having to come out to the 126 or had to explain that he had a boyfriend - it was just normal (as it should be ) but unfortunately that's not how it always goes IRL and even tho it may be slightly different/better in Austin especially people in Texas are not as open minded that it's not an issue for some. And I feel like TK and Carlos would have very different reactions to it and the way Ronen/Rafa could play in their own experiences may be helpful for some people who have to deal with similar stuff?

This is a really fascinating question and I'm kind of on the fence about it tbh. I also like the way the show sort of tells their story without homophobia, it really is refreshing in a way because so, so often any kind of marginalized community only really gets their stories told through the lens of their collective trauma (gay people only get stories about fighting homophobia, black people only get stories about slaves, etc). So it's almost a bit revolutionary to have a canon queer couple that gets to exist and love each other in a fictional world where bigotry doesn't affect them. The only times it really does are like that one scene in a season one episode where that woman was bigoted against basically everyone and she was made the butt of the joke, and in the fact that Carlos thinks his parents have an issue with him being gay but then it turns out that they don't and the real villain in that story is a lack of communication and complicated family dynamics. I do like that a lot, that they get to just ... be. They both casually say "my boyfriend" to someone who they presumably haven't previously come out to (TK to the woman his dad is dating, Carlos to a detective he's working with), and neither of those people have any more reaction than they would if they'd said "my girlfriend". It's an idealized view of reality but its one that we all deserve and it's soothing to see it portrayed on network television.

But then on the other hand it isn't entirely realistic, especially where they live, and they're both such gifted dramatic actors and it would be good to show that side of things too because it is the world we actually live in. The actors coming out stories are sort of opposite to TK and Carlos interestingly, Rafa has said that his family was very loving and supportive basically right away and Ronen has talked about how he stayed in the closet for a long time because he was in physical danger from people in his family, but they could definitely use their own experiences to bring a lot of realism to those scenes if there was a storyline where they had to deal with some kind of bigotry. They're both so passionate about LGBTQ issues and they're both such committed advocates in that fight. It might be really powerful, to show that this incredibly strong couple do still face discrimination and that they fight it together and they lean on each other and they have the support of all the other people who love them.

Idk!! I rambled and I don't really have a good answer for you. I'd be so interested to hear what other people think.