#thanks for putting up with me

[crystalline-sanders]

what if I told you I spent 5 hours on this. Would you believe me. better yet, do you like it

reblog if you're so inclined idk

[bluedalahorse]

Scattered thoughts about the YR faves as we approach season 3

It’s been a busy week, and then the week before that was busy too, so I’ve been reading but not fully weighing in on many of the season 3 questions that have been starting to bubble up on my dash. So I’m posting the thoughts swirling around in my mind about my two favorite characters (Sara and August) just so that my thoughts can exist somewhere other than my own head.

People are starting to discuss the question of Sara and Simon reconciling again, and I think I might have to address that in another post of its own. I spent an entire semester of grad school looking at how characters reconcile in fiction, and obviously I think a lot of it is going down to Simon’s needs and priorities and decisions, so obviously I have Thoughts. (I also have minimal patience for fans who want Sara to crawl over a football field’s worth of broken glass for Simon if that is what Simon doesn’t want himself.)

I feel like one of the questions surrounding August’s character arc are whether there is hope for him to own his actions and change one day, or whether he’s only going to get worse, and never be able to break his cycles of awfulness. Some folks argue that season 2 put that question to rest and that he’s unchangeable. I argue that the question is still in play. The more complex reasons are in my restorative justice post, but I also argue that it would be incredibly strange writing to take one of your show’s most dynamic characters and have his character arc stagnate and go nowhere new in season 3. Now, he could choose to turn over a new leaf in season 3, or he could triple down on his harmful decisions. The point is I think it would have to be another choice, and if he makes the decision to embrace harming others and himself, it would have to be a tragic choice, and not something we can be smug about because we Already Knew He Was Evil. I dunno, there’s this like… sometimes there’s this tendency in other fandoms to gloat and be like “I, Unlike The Other Girls, was not distracted by this broody brunette man’s hotness, and I realized he was bad all along. One hundred points to me for not clamoring for a redemption arc.” And like, yes, it’s fun to laugh at Dude Watchin’ With the Brontës once in a while (I laugh at it!) but I think we also have to acknowledge that fiction is about people growing and changing and we as media enjoyers sometimes become invested in character arcs. It just feels weird to me that fans would gloat about like… the supposed moral superiority of not being invested in a character arc that the show clearly wants us to be invested in.

If August is always going to cause harm and he is unable to change his ways, then he may continue to target Simon with the drugs and the blackmail. But he may also choose to target Sara, especially if he finds out she called the police on him. He has pictures and information he can use against her now, and I feel like that is probably, very likely what the show would do to show us that he is Too Far Gone. Frankly I find that terrifying. What I find even more terrifying is that I know there will be fans (probably those who use anonymous messages on the more public facing blogs) who will say that Sara “deserves it” because she “knew he was bad when she had sex with him.” Like. Can we agree not to do that as a fandom, and call it out when we see it? Because I’m pretty sure that Lisa would not write a storyline like that while cackling and going “haha that bitch Sara got what’s coming to her.” I’m pretty sure if Lisa writes something like that she’ll want us to feel sympathy for Sara too. And I mean, you don’t have to feel sympathy, but using the cloak of anonymity to express open misogynistic malice would be… yikes.

I also think that if the show is making the decision to say that August is always going to cause harm, that he’s never going to escape a cycle of harming himself and others and fall in to patterns of abuse, then we should want to see Sara reconnect with others in season three and find some sort of healing or connection. I guess that doesn’t have to be her finding connections with Simon. It could be! It could also be Felice, or Linda, or Maddie, or anyone. (I’m really hoping Sara will get to connect with Wilhelm.) But there’s good in wanting her to find connections, and for wanting her to know that there is a path forward in life that isn’t total isolation or like, packing herself off to the convent to atone forever. Especially if the message about August is that he’s somehow unable to change and is just that awful. If your view of August is that he’s so monstrous or unforgivable, so caught in dangerous patterns that it was wrong for Sara to get close to him at all, then we need to view Sara’s relationship with him as something that put her in danger, even when she chose a relationship with him at first. And one of the ways you stay out of danger is by having strong connections to other loved ones. Abuse works because the abuser uses isolation as a weapon. Also, presuming the show reaches the verdict that August is an abuser who can’t change—even if August and Sara never talk to one another again, Sara being friendless in other ways just sweeps the path clear for the next abuser to swoop down on her. I hope people would recognize that as a tragedy too.

If, however, the show goes in the direction of like… August takes his first steps toward making better decisions, and gets some therapy or rehab or whatever else, then ultimately his past relationship with Sara might play an indirect role in that, and in helping August see alternatives to his current way of being. I’m not saying the simple act of falling in love redeems someone for wrongs done. It doesn’t! (Young Royals actually does a lot to subvert that as a narrative, which is something I address when I talk about Wilhelm, again in my restorative justice post.) I’m saying Sara was the only damn person on the show in season 2 who told August it would be good for his soul to confess and attempted to support him in that, however imperfectly. Every other teenager who knew what August did (Wilhelm, Felice, Alexander) took it for granted that he wouldn’t confess—and, you know, fair on Wille and Felice’s part, but also Alexander couldn’t have gone to an adult, huh? Every single adult that August talked to about the video (Kristina, Rickard) insisted he keep quiet about it, scared him into it even. It takes more than one person in a community to hold someone accountable for wrongs done, and Hillerska as a community has repeatedly failed that test. I don’t know, I keep looking at that promo picture of August alone in his room and wonder if he’s practicing the breathing exercises Sara taught him. They don’t have to be together again for that to be the case. Maybe the memory of her will be helpful to him in some way.

Ultimately I don’t—at the moment—really care about whether August goes to jail or not. People will interpret this as me saying “I don’t think August should go to jail” and that’s not actually what I’m saying. It’s just that I find the question of whether he’s capable of change or not infinitely more interesting, and the role the system/Hillerska plays in encouraging that change (or not) infinitely more interesting than the question of what the specifics of August’s “punishment” or “consequences” might be. “Consequences” can be him living with the crushing knowledge of how deeply he hurt Wilhelm and Simon and Sara and Felice for the rest of his life, and trying to move forward in a different way from now on knowing he can never undo the past. “Punishment” can be August becoming king but being completely unable to change his ways and connect with other humans and feel any sense of agency in his life. There are multiple ways to address his arc—whether he’s awful or whether he’s willing to atone—that don’t rely on the legal system providing narrative catharsis all by itself, and frankly I’d prefer that it didn’t. (There’s a longer reason why but I feel like I keep linking my restorative justice post.)

To sum up… if these characters’ arcs go in a really tragic direction, I hope people don’t gloat and go “I knew they were terrible all along, unlike those other fans.” And if they go in a more positive directions, I hope we don’t hear the chorus of “they didn’t deserve it!” even if that arc is beautifully, complexly, and compellingly written. (Here are my thoughts on the way fandoms use the word deserve, by the way. It seems I have written about this before and am just becoming a parody of myself at this point.)

[starlahuskyz]

New Year, Still Boneheads

[raccoonfallsharder]

okay after writing ⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ Winter Across the Galaxy * ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆A Holiday Special i thought “that’s it, that’s my holiday contribution for the season” but i think i just got a new idea??? if i can figure out the details im gonna try to inflict it on you before new year at the latest

also gotta figure out if it’s fluff, low-grade spice, or full-on smut

[the-californicationist]

As a celebration for surviving the hell-week(s) I've been through, and to hold you over until the Chapter 07 Christmas special of Guile & Guilt, have some character mood boards that literally NO ONE asked for. ♥️

Our first character is Lachlan Black, Hamish's best man and the rich kid everyone loves to hate. Wanna ride in the Rari? Sure, which one, babes?

[celtic-crossbow]

4000 posts!

Why do I feel the need to apologize? 😂

[madamairlock]

Hmm, let me check with the Commander…

[mothandpidgeon]

I don't think she needs a moodboard to know how much our friendship means to me. But @ezrasbirdie I made a little something for you as part of the @swiftiscruff gift exchange.

I will never forget sliding into your DMs, wishing for senpai to notice me, and look at us now. We talk almost every damn day. You listen to every unhinged idea I have. You encouraged me to write a book, to keep writing even when I'm discouraged. You've helped me get through some of the most difficult times in my life and I'm so honored to be a part of your life and the amazing works that you create!

[bibabyboybuck]

thoughts and prayers for @thiscastielhasflown bc i forced them to liveblog with me earlier

[irbcallmefynn]

So I've been doing some thinking

I might be Bigender??? Like He/She pronouns Bigender??? Maybe probably???

I realized that a lot of the things I do in my daily life are very much not masculine.

I typically pee sitting down (for phone reasons but also it's more comfortable for me), I tend to put my hands up either in front or to my sides when I run casually, I like sitting cross-legged (or crossing my feet), I do little wiggly dances when brushing my teeth (they are very much not manly looking), I like standing with my hips at an angle. I love the girlhug reblog bait!

I did some research and learned that many bigender folks don't experience their two genders equally. I definitely am more masculine than feminine, but it's certainly there. It's been there! I just never really noticed! I've done these things as long as I can remember!

If I woke up one day and I was a girl, I'd be pretty freakin happy! But I don't need that. I'd love waking up in a different body each day, but my current body shape is pretty alright (wish I was a little less square looking, but y'know). I'd love to be called a pretty girl! I wanna be called a good boy!

I wouldn't want to change how I present myself much at all, but I would love to embrace this more!

I'm not quite ready to do it yet, but I may experiment with actually using He/She on here at some point. I wanna think about it a bit more.

Thank you for putting up with me. I'm glad to finally be reaching what might be an ending to all this.

🩷💛🤍💜💙 ^w^

[sky-neverending]

i love my mutuals <333

[daemondaes]

little vent — i'm so sorry for not being here much lately, guys. beyond being just plain busy, i've had a hard time writing as of late?? part of it is bc being so offline here and there has got me drowning in drafts, particularly for blogs that have either gone abandoned or on some kind of unannounced hiatus, and it's starting to feel like dead skin i just can't slough off? i feel guilty if i don't reply to them, but it's hard to muster the muse for someone who isn't around and may or may not ever be 😂 at the same time, i've been feeling really insecure here on tumblr dot com?? i don't really have a friendgroup here or anything, just singular blogs/muns i get excited to start things with...so then when they leave, or worse, lose interest, it's back to square one. idk ig i feel lost and lonely, if that makes sense. feeling a little ✨ replaceable ✨ or like i don't stand out in a meaningful way. i want cherry to matter to your muses and be a concrete figure in their lives, even if not one that plays a significant role. there are so many parts she can play, so many ways she can connect muse A to muse B...

[lady-phasma]

PSA: I know I have been annoying lately, so I have made side blogs 🤣

If I don't fuck up reblogs (and I will), main will continue with Matt Smith, HotD, Feyd, all my fics, and now Austin Butler. sorry

I made one for all my other fandoms combined and one for Masters of the Air-related content. They're in my masterlist with the others.

[katethewriter]

Soooo, I'm having some technical difficulties at the moment, but didn't want to leave yall hanging. Here is a little sneak peak from Part One of the sequel :) The full thing will hopefully be posted tomorrow evening at the latest. Until then, here's some fluff

an excerpt from Just Come Home - Part One

The shrill sound of an alarm rips through the silence. The endless string of high pitch beeping pulls three out of the depths of sleep.

The first movement you are aware of is behind you. Careful not to jostle you or Wanda, Natasha  sits up. You whine against the loss of the warmth.

You lift your head from its place on Wanda’s chest and peak over your shoulder. “Tasha?’ you call out softly, only half awake.

“Shhh,” the Russian tries to replace the warmth by pulling the blanket up over your body, but you don’t want a blanket. You want your girlfriend spooning you from behind like she was two minutes ago. “I’m just going on my run,” she whispers. She runs her fingers through your hair, hoping to coax you back to sleep, which you desperately needed. Last night had been emotionally draining for everyone, but especially you.

“What time is it?” you ask sleepily.

Nat looks over her shoulder to the clock on the bedside table, “a little after 4.”

A long sigh escapes your lips, “ok.” Just as carefully as Natasha, you extract yourself from Wanda’s arms. You press a kiss to her forehead before turning to get out of the bed.

Your girlfriend stops you before you get even one leg over the edge of the bed. “Where are you going?” Nat asks.

“Back to my room, time to go,” your sleep fog brain forgetting the events of the night before.

Natasha gently grabs your shoulders and guides you back into a lying position on the bed, “lay back down.”  She lays you on your side facing her. You feel a set of hands wrap around your waist possessively. Apparently, Wanda was not too keen on losing both of her cuddle buddies, even in her heavily asleep state.

“But Steve will see,” you remind her, but Nat has a reminder of her own.

She strokes your cheek and smiles warmly, “we don’t care about that anymore. Remember?” She leans down until her lips find yours. She kisses you soft. Your own tired lips try to keep up, but you have to admit the exhaustion is getting the better of you. Wanda’s arms wrap around you tighter, almost daring you to try and leave her embrace.

When Nat pulls away from the kiss to smile down at you, she’s satisfied that you are well on your way back to sleep.

The Russian presses a kiss to your cheek, “I love you.” She then reaches over you to kiss Wanda’s cheek as well, “I love you.” She leans back down to your eye level one last time, “go back to sleep.” She stays there a minute, softly stroking your cheek until she is certain you won’t try to get up the moment she steps away.

Natasha then stands to change from her pajamas into a running outfit. She only makes it a few feet from the bed before your voice stops her.

“Tasha?”

When she looks back at the bed, she is pleased to see you still fully relaxed, eyes closed. “Yes?”

You smile sleepily, not even opening your eyes. “Love you too,” you mumble before falling back into unconsciousness.

Natasha stands there for just a moment longer. She just can’t peel her eyes from the two of you wrapped up together. She’s not entirely sure what she had done to deserve the two of you, but she’ll be forever grateful. Quickly and quietly, she dresses and slips from the room without disturbing either of you.

[chvoswxtch]

I know y’all are probably tired of seeing my name pop up on your feed by now alsjsjjs

the bar is open for 2 more days and then we will be back to our regularly scheduled program! bear with me y’all 🖤✨

if you haven’t gotten sick of me yet I love you

also I feel like i’m overwhelming y’all with shit right now so pls do not feel like you have to read & interact with anything if it’s draining for you bc I still love you anyway even if you’re here just vibing & existing <3

[kakusu-shipping]

Underappreciated Dynamic; Hugo/Wolf