#these bitches gay. established fact by now but these bitches gay

[theinfinitedivides]

when Do Young told Dong Soo 'let's grab a drink' after his law firm opened and they cleaned up the competition and had the corporate dinner...... the way Dong Soo's entire face changed. the way Do Young got in the backseat of the car and left the door open and Oh Jae came towards him like he always does and Dong Soo looked at him the same way he looked at Do Young. the way they drove straight to Do Young's house for that nightcap i'm clawing up the walls

[gildedmuse]

@jhaernyl: Did you see how Sanji looked at Zoro

Mina: Yeah but to be fair I also saw how Luffy lookd at Zoro.

Mina: And actually how Cabji and Morgan looked at Zoro

Mina: That random table of guys looked at Zoro

Mina: Basically everyone eyefucks Zoro

Mina: It doesn't make anyone special.

@jhaernyl : Yeah okay, to be fair everyone look at Zoro and eyefucks him

@jhaernyl : That man has been in so many gay barw. So many.

@jhaernyl : Enough to have tried a bowl of sugary alcohol and have woken up under a table

Mina: Do you think is was just an accident at first because he was lost and they had alcohol?

Mina: Then he found he really really liked it. He woke up under the table like YES THESE ARE MY PEOPLE!!

Mina: Wait.....

Mina ARE SWORDSMAN BARS JUST GAY CLUBS

@jhaernyl : Mmm... Between Mihawk, Shanks and Zoro, pretty much

[They spot a bar advertised as being for Swordsman and Zoro stops then all from going in.]

Zoro: No, I'll handle it from here.

Usopp: Because we don't have swords?

Zoro: Yeah...

Zoro: Because of that.

No, Usopp because he doesn't want some swordsman hitting on his captain!

[lakesbian]

What was he doing?  Why was he so focused on getting Bitch to admit it was over? Reputation, yet again.  He needed to salvage this situation, and the surest way to do that, to recoup his losses and come out of this looking okay, would be to get the meanest, toughest, most notorious of us to bend at the knee and concede defeat. He really didn’t know Bitch, though. She pulled her cheap plastic dog mask off and threw it to one side.  It was only a formality, really, since her face and identity were public knowledge.  Her smile, as it spread across her face, wasn’t the most attractive.  Too many teeth showing. “Lung underestimated her, too,” she told him, looking at me.

okay, continued forcing myself to spend time analyzing rachel lindt instead of letting her live in my worm blindspot for no reason. to recap: at this point in the story, she's gone on the ABB raid with rachel & had that gay little moment where rachel gave her her jacket when she was cold walking back home + got so close to taylor to inspect her injuries from lung that taylor thought she was going to kiss her. it had deep connotations of blossoming romance and taylor narrated some shit about still kind of being cold despite the jacket but the warmth in her core keeping her warm all the way back to the loft. now, although taylor is still only consciously ranking rachel at "i don't hate her" in her mind, rachel has now started doing shit like this.

one of the primary rachel/taylor theses is that taylor isn't rachel's dog, rachel is taylor's dog. it's established over the course of the worm that she trusts taylor completely implicitly. there's the part in the behemoth fight where the entire world is falling apart around them and rachel is still smug and happy about taylor having a plan. there's the part at the end that makes all of us want to smash our heads into the wall:

she trusts taylor in the same way a dog would trust their owner even on the table for euthanasia. she sees taylor as smarter than she is not in a self-deprecatory way--there are plenty of people who you might call smarter than rachel that she'll happily call morons--but because consistently, time and time again, taylor goes up against smart pieces of shit who are trying to fuck the undersiders over and figures out what to do about it. and this scene here, where she's responding to armsmaster's attempt to put her down by insisting that he's underestimating taylor, seems to be the first instance of rachel's trust in taylor shining through. in fact, this happens even before taylor considers them to be friends, before they've had any significant bonding. one of the very first positive things rachel feels about taylor--maybe even the first positive thing--is that, when people are putting her and her team down, when odds look grim, taylor can be trusted to solve it. it's actually, like, kind of bonkers compelling that rachel's first seed of positive response to taylor isn't "well, actually, i guess she seems nice" but "my teammate taylor could beat up this dickhole armsmaster."

it's worth explicitly noting, by the way, that rachel interprets smiles as like dog growls. the reason her smile is a little too wide with too many teeth is because it's not actually a proper smile. it's rachel being a growling dog, placing all of her trust in taylor. I Love You Rachel Lindt

[fisherman-fight]

ROUND THREE

JEEVES from JEEVES AND WOOSTER vs RON STAMPLER from DUNGEONS AND DADDIES (NOT A BDSM PODCAST)

PROPAGANDA

JEEVES - “Okay, I know fishing isn’t the thing most people think of when they think of him but it’s established in the books and the show that it’s one of his biggest hobbies. He’s always angling for trips to places where there’s good fishing, like the time where he keeps dropping hints he want to visit Cuba to catch some tarpon.” “he’s the most character ever he’s a valet he’s a manipulative bitch he’s morally offended by bad fashion he’s the most eloquent speaker on the planet he’s got all of shakespeare memorised he knows so many facts and loves to infodump he once wrestled a swan and once knocked a policeman out cold and he has a weird gay thing with his employer”

RON STAMPLER - “Ron is my head empty blorbo and he deserves to win this. Honestly I think this would make him happy.” “this bad boy can fit so much autism in him. he’s a businessman. He’s not just a step dad, he’s the dad that stepped up. he once hid INSIDE a pair of pants. due to magic it is now impossible for him to wear pants. he used to be emotionally detached but he’s emotionally available now. he’s a famous singer in the forgotten realms, stage name ‘Hi I’m Ron.’”

thank you @electricxmayhem for providing the awesome Ron art

[connoisseur-of-love]

I feel as need there should be a discussion regarding "sexuality erasure" with antis.

Like, I feel as need to say that. headcanons, fan interpretations are just that. FAN interpretations, not by the show or canon, but FANS.

and I also need to add, fanon does not, SHOULD not affect canon, nor how other people consume canon, it does not "hurt" your characters.

Now I do understand ppl being uncomfortable when they ship lets just say a lesbian with a man (i.e Amity x Hunter), especially since how underrepresented femslash is seen in the internet as a whole in comp to f/m, but again, its just a fan enjoying a media you BOTH consume, and you have the option to just ignore it, instead of bitching about a 'serious issue'.

Real 'sexuality erasure', in the context of fictional characters. would be the show or writers erasing a previously established identity OR an adaptation erasing a character og identity.

I think the question remains upon whether if the f/m shipper is homophobic. and well. maybe.

the thing is, we can never be %100 (though many exceptions) sure on whether or not someones fictional preferences for hc, ships and characters can be enough to deem somone homophobic or not. very real chance that they just like the dynamic of ship, or the shipper is queer themselves.

Hell, I've read a craig x wendy fic (a character, who while definitely is queer, is famously headcanoned as strictly gay) written by a gay man of all people.

and I have also seen ppl unironically say "if you hc this character as cishet (regardless on how much they are coded to be cishet), you either haven't seen the source material or your homophobic" and its just. No?? i just hc them cause i don't personally see them as queer, sorry that it doesn't aligned with your own hc of the character. and I have in fact seen the source material.

....

I don't know man. all of this is just a massive ramble from a tired lesbian, tired of all the other lesbians being annoying online and giving us a bad name.

[joesmemes]

THINGS SAID IN THE GROUP CHAT SENTENCE STARTERS

Assembled by @sheenathehyena.

I gave you a beach house now be normal

It's just so fucking ridiculous it circles back around to being poignant

I'm fine but what an inconsiderate toolbox

the fucking white boi who is trying to "find himself" that you meet all of once at the beginning

Yeah you want me to shoot my baby batter all over you cover you with almost - children

YOUR PLANET'S HOPE IS SONIC THE HEDGEHOG'S TRANS ASSHOLE

Not sure how to feel about talking to actual fucking yakuza members for entertainment purposes

On a scale of Balan Wonderworld to Silent Hill, how are you dealing with your trauma?

Roses are red, violets are blue, singular they is older than singular you

Concerned Ape noises

You ever think about the fact that [name] really said "the birds work for the bourgeoisie" & they were right

My patience for slipping over improperly spilled blood has run out.

If you can see the bones of your whipped pupil, you failed.

You know the healer's oath: Only do moderate harm to those who cross you.

Man I don't know if lack of shame is a blessing or a curse.

Parsooth m'lady but would you be so kind as to partake of the exquisite past time of role playing?

So they aren't DENYING the piss kink

uhm you need to be more of a doormat…..your boundaries are making me uncomfy 😦

That's HARLEQUIN NOVEL descriptors of sex

where is my mouse arrow? where is it holy fuck

fetishize urself ig

It's always people with feet fetishes or fat fetishes that be so open about it

Look at this unhinged mother fucker

Fuck you I hope your pice of shit family burn in a dumpster fire

Sorry you had to overshare about a tough time with some random chick in school but it's not relavent to my cat at all.

We're at a sword store and it's full of exactly what you'd expect.

Nobody was reading Lemony Snicket going "teehee they made Count Olaf bitch sauce"

Wikipedia I love you but your donation pleas sound like a lying teenager begging for money online

There's no right way to look at the guy that tossed his baby off a cliff and say "I think he needs to look cool for a minute there" is all I'm saying

Okay, wonderful. GREAT, take them all. Please leave immediately

one time I ran a server and I was being weird so I changed literally everyone's nickname to Frank

AKGHDLK I'm gonna SOB they asked if they could share their ticklefics

heavy meals always make me HONK MIMIMIMIMI

I found a fucking book of Mormon lmafo

lemme go take a dump and ill set it up

THREE. THREE TIMES. HE'S BEEN ARRESTED FOR INSIDER TRADEING THREE FUCKING TIMES.

tell her it was you who farted, establish dominance

I have been hoarding vidya games for the three of us to play like a dragon

Nearly had a heart attack because I was poopin and saw blood but realized it was my period

Ok we need to get a big cardboard box and a vaguely feminine scarecrow dressed as a boyfriendless girl

Puts my head in your lap like a cat

Some Filipinos wanna buy your titty mousepads

the chris chan trials are about to be the depp vs heard trial for people who had unrestricted internet access at a young age

Now u will screenshot us talking shit and put it in the callout 😭

GUYS I NEED PROOF THAT [name] IS GAY TO STICK IT TO A 19 YEAR OLD ALT RIGHT IDIOT

🙂 our fursona is gonna b friends with sonic

I both love and hate [name]’s writing. How they go from ancient purple prose to “oh shit oh fuck”

i guess you could say…. this was a triumph

[absolutebl]

Oh! My Sunshine Night

Binge watch.

Okay so I am hopped up on cold meds and jet lagged and I decided to try to watch this soapy mess because why tf not?

Ep 1

Oh no, it’s good. Like: this is a good opening. And I do love OhmFluke, but you know who I really love? Noh (orig. Nitiman). Gah.

For the first time in a long while two boys in a BL make for actually believable brothers. Whacha know?

Fluke’s hair is AWFUL.

And suddenly the whole thing goes v odd. I’m not sure if that’s the captions, or if the show itself is trying to be existential. What an odd meet cute and what strange dialogue.

I’m so confused.

It’s like it’s trying to be both BL and transcendental poetry.

I like spunky Fluke tho.

Linguistic corner: these two are using chan/nai for I/you - v formal.

Poor Noh, they always make him play sports when it’s clear he just... doesn’t.

How much do I love the whipping boy side couple?

SO MUCH!!!!

Ep 2

Is the thing with the apples just to make Fluke cry?

I like the conflicted poor little rich kids family dynamic.

But there’s a lot of establishing scenes, it’s moving pretty slowly.

Sorry this one isn’t whipping me into a verbal frenzy. I’d drink, but not on top of cold meds. You know those warnings on med labels? They’re for me. I’m the one that shouldn’t operate machinery, not even a computer.

Wait. What? Why didn’t we get to SEE this bit?

Ep 3

So this is about classical music and no one is actually playing and no one is singing, so I’m absolutely fine with it.

The fencers with the unrequited crushes are boring to me. But there is a kind of Midsummer Night’s Dream aspect to these relationship dynamics.

GAH! The apple collecting thing was so cute and so romantic.

Not a lot of BL tropes so far in this show, but I like it’s brand of sappy.

I love how utterly incapable of flirting Kim is.

The opening the car door thing did, in fact, make me hoot with laughter.

Fluke’s pretty darn good at being a bossy bitch and Ohm does exasperation well. Honestly, I’m liking this show a lot more than I thought I would.

Oh yay! We  get to see Rain sleeping in his boys room. Lovely. I do enjoy whipping boy trope, v kinky.

*sits back and smiles in dominant smug*

I ALSO love the little brat in-crush with Rugby Rain. It’s all very delish.

It’s thanksgiving all over again, I’m all about the side dishes.

Okay, the end of this episode was so confusing. Are they play acting a couple break up for the girl? Are they actually arguing? What are they arguing about? Were they dating? What happened? What’d I miss? Why the dramatic soap opera music? Why the overacting?

What is going on?

Ep 4

Oh I forgot about the fencers.

And finally a BL trope, crash into me. (At least it wasn’t a pratfall kiss.)

Oh I do like a gay fencer sword pun.

Very nice. 

Also, a shower scene already? Are these two the PokeTongue’s of this show?

Who let Star Hunter in the house?

Rain + Sun and the insults was great. Very funny. These two are kinda of alike, actually. Fun fun. I like these characters.

Bounce bounce.

Why didn’t anyone tell me this was such a goofy show?

I’m getting a tiny bleed of Japanese slapstick absurdist leaking in and I’m not mad about it. The weird apples and arbitrary mood swings should have tipped me off.

This show has almost a panto play going on.

Rain IDing his brother’s bf and being like, welcome to the fam, I leave him in you care was such a Dom move.

Oh, baby is a floppy drunk! Finally some BL tropes are dropping. And another crash into me. And a wet towel sponge bath. Tropes coming thick & fast now (speaking of thick & fast.... wait, no, bad cold meds, don’t go there)...

Okay, we are back in familiar territory. I thought this one was going to be original. Silly me! This is BL!

Not sure if I am disappointed or not.

Ep 5

Bathroom drama.

Fencing sword boys drama. Why so mean? Honestly, if I were Kim I’d be out too.

Ooo Rain with the consent, even if it’s just a hook up. Also... boys. Bunk beds? Everyone is gonna know. Like EVERYONE.

This show is going places I really did not expect.

Oh! It was all a fake out. *pout*

Okay baby boy, you get down with those fantasies. I’m with you. He hot.

What’s with Sun and the magical Ikea box?

Also, they’ve know each other since childhood trope? Really?

*whines” I don’t want to add another one to that trope list.

Ep 6

I like the plot of butler dad kinda finding out his son is involved with the heir. Good dramatic twisting. Also, evil homophobic jerk nozzle, turns out.

I remain engaged.

Did the stretching part make me grin?

Yes t did. Boys rolling around on mats together never fails to please.

There are a lot of faen fatals and fatales. Like this show is lousy with them. I see why everyone called it a soap opera.

I am so happy that there is no singing I don’t even mind that no one can play an instrument in that whole band (orchestra).

Honestly, the band leader (conductor) looks like First’s (of JaFirst) older brother. It’s wigging me out. 

Ep 7

Look, I admit, I am not even half way through and I am flagging a bit. This is a long arse show.

Speaking of arses...

Another shower scene?

(Anyone else notice that it’s always the same shower? No? Just me. Can’t be helped. Unforgotten Night has made me overly concerned with Thai pluming in BL ... not a euphemism.) 

Boy this series has a supper voyeuristic lens. Not that I’m complaining, never that.

(Bops over to see if the director is gay.... MDL = no info on subject. Well, okay then.)

Returns to shower scene, arses, pluming, and supposition.

Oh! Wound tending!

Ooo, rejected fencing cutie makes move on Sun! Kim is not pleased. you snooze you loose, big boy.

Coils within coils, this is such a soap. I love it. Did I mention I was raised on bread, water & East Enders?

Okay maybe not raised.

Definitely watched too much of it tho.

Oooo, that was a very Light On Me moment.

PAUSE TO REFUEL

Okay I have consumed Korean soft tofu stew and more loopy-making cold meds, and will work on a pomegranate while I continue to watch.

Ep 8

Mostly worked on the pomegranate.

Meds took effect.

Stuff happened int he show but I forgot to make notes. Pomegranate distraction.

Oddly, I’m missing the swordsmen.

Ep 9

Oh, hair drying. Cute. I kinda have come around to this trope over the years I’ve had it shoved in my face... erm... flopped on my head.

MORE SHOWER

Oh! My Showering Night more like it.

I declare this BL official winner of this trope. 

Meanwhile beach frolic. AND a woods frolic.

Ep 10

Finally I’m half way through!

Oooo we have a magic heart rebooting BOOP! to go with the magic apples.

Oooo more shower scene, this time with added bonus sexitimes. Also neck kisses! My favorite.

I’m sorry but I just keep imagining what if we had gotten to this level with Nitman?

Oh, what could have been.

Nice kisses! But also no sex on the beach boys, no one enjoys that.

Meanwhile, the fencers can’t figure their shit out, because they keep fighting with the wrong swords.

And our main couple is being quite tame with a shoulder lean, side hug, water watching triple trope strike on the beach.

Okay weird dream helicopter thing.

Look, Mean Rich Paw, I’d kick him out of the house for wearing that outfit alone.

No other reasons needed.

Disown the fucker.

Band shirt/vest/thingy, no inheritance for you!

Man the fashion this year in BL has been brutal.

Ep 11

I don’t know If I can finish this tonight.

Invited up to the Sun’s room is he? (occasional flashes of DeanPharm).

Okay, wait, the premise of Sun’s illness is SO STRANGE. He has to eat apples and stay away from his parents to save his heart?

What the hell is going on?

The whipping boy always has to run, identity separation is part of the trope. Because his identity is too tied to the spoiled prince, he has to try to make it on his own to realize he can’t.

I like the twist of butler dad encouraging him to leave, tho. (Usually whipping boy is abandoned or an orphan.)

Ep 12

OMG who eats shrimp when they are allergic to shellfish? for fuck’s sake.

Another white towel sponge bath? I take back what I said about lack of tropes.

I do love the tug and cuddle my human bolster pillow. It’s very sleepy entitled.

I am v bored by the parents buying the estate plot-line. I can’t decide if doctor lady is running a con or father and son are running a reverse con on her?

OOOO DRAMA!!!

The parents have died! Rain is missing! The doctor lady is indeed evil! Ohm has to act!

Oh fuck me not the amnesia trope.

I HATE THAT TROPE.

Okay, I gotta go to bed. I really tried. Had this been a normal length Thai BL I would have made it. But the rise of the amnesia trope did me in.

Tomorrow~

Ep 13 

I am glad Dad Butler is evil enough to recognize Dr. lady is also Evil. And we have a textbook soap opera definition hostile takeover. The evils go up against each other. 

We are in true Heirs level soap opera territory now. 

Someone is definitely going to be kidnapped soon. 

Ep 14 

This is my surprised face, the man allergic to shellfish, who still eats shrimp, goes wandering off into the forest with no survival skills when he has a brain injury. 

Fantastic. 

A time-lapse 3 months. 

Finally, the attack of the amnesia trope! 

I am so unhappy about this.

Ep 15 

We are moving into Bold & Beautiful level soap. 

The guys in the woods are still looking for Rain, still wearing exactly the same clothes that they’ve been wearing for 3 months. 

Apple boy, still eating apples and still talking to completely whacked out mother. I hate her. While Kim turns into a forgetful depressed rich recluse in the mountains. Now I understand why people got frustrated with this show. 

I feel like I read this as a really bad 70s romance novel, or maybe it’s meant to be like a Jane Eyre remake? 

Anyway, finally, our boys are reunited, but of course, amnesia trope. We hates it precious. All the friends have arrived. Or to be more precise all the incestuous faen fatals have arrived. 

Ep 16

After 3 months, one would have hoped the fencing boys had figured out their shit. I guess not. More evil fashion. 

I just can’t even. At least they took it off him fast. Wish it had gotten ripped in the process. 

Fencing boys now figuring everything out in the best way possible. 

This show keep surprising me with how high heat it is. 

Ep 17 

Magical, candy-colored comets. I just can’t with this show. Also… new crumbs. 

The refractory period on these rebound couples is as fast as the show is slow. Some weird monogamy mathematical principle must be in play. 

And it’s finally revealed that they are childhood sweethearts. 

OhmFluke do give good kiss. Fluke dose submission v well. 

In fact * waves hands airily about* good kisses all around. Well done cast! 

Also, and I am only admitting this to you people, but I totally have a fetish for CMNM and we NEVER get to see it, so thank you for this one, OMSN. 

Ep 18 

Good sex, bad plot. 

That’s my ultimate review of this show. (Which makes this kinda a runner up to KP to be honest) 

Look, I get that BL has rules that must be obeyed: 

boys must damsel off into the woods alone. 

boys must talk to their not-quite boyfriend while said bf is asleep, but he is never actually asleep. 

not one drop of rain is ever allowed to touch your boyfriend’s head because DOOM AWAITS 

Clear? OK. No I don’t understand why these rules exist either. I don’t make them, the BL gods do. 

Anyway OMSN is all over rule #1. 

Anyway, back to this damn show. Attempted kidnapping, and Kim has to save his boyfriend with a bow & arrow plus some arbitrary somersaulting in, what is this now? The Hunger Games BL? 

*ooo, wait a moment - KOREA make that happen! - where was i?* 

WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? 

THIS SHOW IS TOTALLY ON CRACK IN A WAY THAT, FRANKLY, EVEN YYY COULDN’T EMULATE. 

Look, my dumb new dictation software made that into all caps and I’m leaving it because it’s entirely appropriate.

Meanwhile, you can not do a close-up of a gun if it doesn’t have a trigger. I understand there are weird regulations in place but just do a further away shot OK? 

Oh look, it’s ABL’s Angels. 

Want to start a detective agency, pretty boys? I’ll be your voice in the box. You can have all the shower scenes you want. We could invite MaxTul? I’m sure they’d be game. (Frankly Manner of Death had a more cohesive plot than this.) 

We basically end on a pastiche of troops that the show didn’t manage to hit earlier: boys on bridges, a forehead kiss, back hugs, put a robe on him, and... 

How do I sum this up? 

I am left with mostly a profound feeling of confusion. Where did Dad Butler go? And yet I am also curiously satisfied. I mean, all the sex scenes were good. I don’t know how to rate this. Less annoying than LITA, not as boring as it could’ve been? Except that I was really quick on the fast forward button and skipped a ton of establishing shots. This was probably agony to get through if you watched it week-by-week, but it’s OK as a high-speed binge. 

What the hell?

7/10

Quick Pitch: 

Kim, a tsundere musician meets Sun, a sunshine transfer student with a weak heart. Also there’s a hot older brother + their household servant, and a couple of fencers for good measure. Initially this pretends to be a normal university BL, then it slips on wet tiles and falls right on trough multiple shower scenes into ludicrous soap opera territory leaving one with a sensation rather like trying to hold onto soap in a communal shower. Ultimately, everyone seems pretty happy they bent over, but no one actually got clean. 

Or should I say soap dishes? 

(source)

[cassatine]

Do you really think Daemyra could have plotted to kill Laenor and not to send him across the Narrow Sea?

i didn't actually say what i think, i said the show chose ambiguity. i think the point is we don't know for sure.

when it comes to what interpretation i lean towards, yeah it's most likely that all four of them were in on it, but i also think people buying Daemon's bullshit 'set him free' line are missing the point of what happened. it's not some kinda victory for the gays or whatever. Rhaenyra and Daemon didn't do this for Laenor: they did it for themselves. It's their plan, not Laenor's -- and lbr Daemon absolutely would have gone with murder if Rhaenyra had been fine with it, and in fact if Laenor hadn't accepted to go with functional exile i doubt he would have survived for very long.

i think Rhaenyra wouldn't have wanted to kill Laenor if there was an option not to, because she does like him, but also last ep made it clear she wasn't exactly happy with him as a partner in not-yet-crime, and in her last on-screen convo with Laenor she said he was basically a good dude with a good heart, which sounds nice and lovely... until you contrast it with her and Daemon talking about wanting people to fear what they could do next. that's what she wants: Daemon, not just because the both of them have a bad case of Targaryen Psychosexual Fuckery going on, but also because she wants a partner (in crime), and not just any partner but one who projects 'fire and blood and murder', and that's more Daemon (who like. killed his first wife. he already has a reputation for spousal killing and impredictabilityand violence) than Laenor. who, as we've established, she's been disappointed in.

the result of the plot is that Laenor's technically alive at the end, but functionally he's dead: most everyone within the story will put his death at Daemon and Rhaenyra's feet, which is what they want. and Laenor himself is basically banished from Westeros -- sure, last episode he wanted to go fight in the Stepstones, but more recently he gave a speech to Rhaenyra about basically being ready to commit now, and also are we really gonna pretend going to fry some dudes in the Stepstone is the same thing as having to definitely leave his home with some fake name or another, never to see his family again, leaving his parents to think he's dead like a week after his sister's funeral? because that's a fucking weird take imo.

so yeah overall i think it was a selfish move on Rhaenyra and Daemon's part, and that they didn't offer Laenor 'freedom' but told him how things were gonna be, and that Laenor wasn't so stupid he didn't realize he could either go with it or wait for an unfortunate accident to happen to him.

(also i'm fine with it! i think it leads into the kind of fucked up shit Rhaenyra and Daemon will later do, and that it fits with them being the kind of people who would, in the span of like a week, fuck on the very day of one of their spouse's funeral, have a shotgun blood wedding in front of their grieving kids, and chose to rule through fear like alexa play bad reputation. im into their being toxic insane bitches.)

[zwoelffarben]

Guess who's not done talking about They/Them

That's right, it's this blorbo enjoyer. Today, we're gonna be talking about Owen.

We'll start with an in depth at his opening monolgue, and how he fills his introductory speech with rhetorical strategies popular with gaslighters and weaponized progressive language to make the campers vulnerable because it's something I found deeply fascinating on my first watch: how he privately believe all kinds of monstrous biboted shit and then turn around and publically says all the correct well-rehersed words that nearly perfectly hide his cruel intentions.

"I can't make you straight. I don't wanna make you straight. Gay people are A-OK with me. If you're happy the way you are, then more power to you. "And I know what you're thinking. You hear the words "gay conversion camp," and you start to imagine all kinds of homophobic bullshit. Well, that is not what we're about here. And let me tell you another thing. "God… God doesn't hate you either. And any son of a bitch that tells you otherwise is a bigoted asshole. And that is officially the last time that you're gonna hear about the man upstairs. I promise you. "But I'm guessing that some of you are here because in some way you're not happy. Maybe you don't fit in. People make fun of you. Maybe you wanna find some new kind of peace, a new way of thinking about yourself. Well, you give us this week, and we might be able to help. And if not, just enjoy the sunshine, and work on your tan."

I briefly touched on its first section in my first analysis of They/Them here because it was marginally relevant to the discussion I had there on the symbolism of the establishing scene's composition.

But now I'm going to focus on the meat of this sections rhetorical strategy, which are the preemptively disarming statements (blue), progressive language (orange), presenting a false choice (yellow), and framing all his actions as being in the camper's best interest (green).

The main thing owen Owen does a lot here during his introduction, both here and throughout the other sections, is acknowledge the camper's expectations and subvert them. By acknowledging the expectations, he shows the campers that he understands what they assume about him, and then by presenting himself in a way that subverts those expectations, he disorientates the camper's initial guardedness, creating a crack in their armor. This is an important technique which can render people more vulnerable to gaslighting, which he and the staff use throughout the rest of the film.

He pepper's his speech with the kinds of language you expect from progressive person with a deep and nuanced understanding of gender, so far, the words "homophobia" and "bigotted" which he uses exclusively to imply that he doesn't hate gay people, but more notably later down in the monologue "safe space," and "gender normative lifestyle." While his language ain't exactly correct, oweing to the fact he doesn't believe a word of what he's saying to the campers and his real intentions and beliefs leak through just a bit, he's clearly studied and learned the language of queer progressives so he could easily weaponize it.

His rhetorical strategy is further enhanced by how he frames his intentions, as helping the campers find happiness, inner peace, or a new way of knowing themselves; he isnt trying to 'make them straight' but 'showing them their options' presenting himself as naively assuming that they might like being straight more than being queer, and that he might be able to help them get to that happiness. For some of the campers who came of their own accord, this works wholeclothe, and for others it doesn't work at all but it catches them off guard: and it's supposed to serve both those functions.

Lastly for this first section, we see him falsely promise the campers the ability to opt out of the program, reenforcing his rhetorical opening that he can't make them straight. By promising them the opprotunity to work on their tan, he gives them the false sense of security that if they don't like what he wants them to do, they can leave. Of course there's no real exit or opt out, but the promise of one is... disarming.

OK. Let me introduce you to my colleagues. They do all the real work. I just cash the checks. This is Dr. Cora Whistler. She is our licensed therapist, and as you might have guessed from the name, my wife. She who must be obeyed. Next to her is Nurse Molly who takes care of any little mishaps that may occur. Molly's new here, so take it easy on her. And that's Zane, our athletics director and a former student here. So, he knows all the ropes. And, boys, he's taken, so hands off. And that beautiful woman right there is Sarah, Zane's fiancé. She's our activities director, and she is going to keep you busy. Believe you me. And over here we have Balthazar. That's our handyman, all-around Mr. Fix it. Say hello, Balthazar! And that, finally, is old Duke. Duke is one old hound dog. So please treat him kindly.

In this section, we see Owen pulling and pushing his role as the camp's top-most authority. He very carefully establishes the authority of the camp verbally while offuscating the heirarchical relationship between the campers and staff from which that authority is derived.

Dr Cora Whistler is a liscenced Therapist who must be obeyed, Zane is the athletics director who knows all the ropes, Sarah is the activities director who'll keep them busy. Even Molly and Balthazar who're the weakest links in the structure are introduced by their titles to establish their place in the heirarchy.

But, contrast that subtle emphasis on the authority with what he not so subtlely asks the campers to do, which together with his 'request' that they please give him the opprotunity to 'help them,' are all he's asked so far in his interactions with them: take it easy on Molly and treat Duke kindly.

His joke about Zane's sexuality is carefully considered rhetorical point designed to disarm the campers and reenforce his first point that formerly "gay people are A-OK with [him],"

While he establishes his authority, Owen is playing a foot in the door salesman, peppering the group with innocuous requests to prime them to accept the larger demands both immediately as he makes his first demand and later on after he drops his established pretenses.

OK. I'm gonna need you to hand over all your cell phones and computers. As well as any medicines, narcotics, or cigarettes that you may have. Cell phones don't work out here anyway, and I'm glad to say that we don't have any Wi-Fi. So we are off the grid which will be a nice change, I'm sure. Molly, if you would. Thank you.

I'm gonna talk about the pink sections a little later in a reblog as it contrasts well with the first true dialogue we see in the film, and this first post is about Owen's monologue as a jumping off point for his character

OK. Let me tell you how the next week is gonna work. We have a number of planned activities and therapy sessions that we would like you to be part of. But other than that, you're on your own. We do have one hard-and-fast rule here. And it's about respect. We deal with some sensitive issues, and we expect you to treat your fellow students with care. And allow them their dignity. This is a safe space. For everyone. And this is the most important thing that I want to say to you. I know that many of you are here only because your parents made you. And while their intentions may be honorable, only you can know what's best for you. Because the idea of this place is not to come outmore straight or less gay. Of course we hope that through your time here you will discover a gender normative lifestyle that is authentic for you but… you must find your own truth. Let us help you do that. Please. Okay. So, uh, why don't you head to your cabins? Settle in. Unpack. We'll meet in the lodge in say, uh, a half hour and get started. Boys' cabin over there. Girls' cabin over there.

This section doesn't really have too much going on here that I haven't touched on before, as it serves primarily to transition smoothly from the heart of the monologue into the conclusion of the scene, but there's two interesting points left.

First, Owen admonishes the parents of the campers who were forced by their parents to come to Whistler Camp. It's again an example of a preemptive disarment (acknowledging their circumstances before they can state them), but more than that, he's planting the seed of the idea that he agrees with their intentions while disagreeing with their means.

The second interesting thing happening here that I want to draw attention back to is "Gender Normative Lifestyle." I touched on how it sounds like progressive language on the surface, and it does, but there's more to it than that: it sets up Owen's actual opinions, which will slowly be revealled to the audience as the mask comes off. Beneath the fauxcceptance he uses to introduce himself, he thinks he and his are normal, buys 100% into patriarchal cishetnormativity as the superior belief system (and the film will explore and flesh out his beliefs some), and think the campers are freaks that no one will care about when he hurts them.

Owen is the monster. He's just clever enough to appear well-dressed.

[thekuraning]

Waaah, could I please have 8, 24, 25, 33 and 38 for the writing ask? 😍

XHAJHSDGHA thats SO MANY 😭 (ty friend!!)

I dont know when to shut up so im puttinf them under a readmore

8. How slow is a slow burn?

I am so bad as accurately pacing a fic so this is something that. Is hard to say. But I think there's no hard limit to how short or long a slow burn actually is. What makes something a slow burn is a combination of 2 criteria: a) the length of time the story takes place over, and b) how long it takes for the reader to get from plot point to plot point. If you consider something like Romeo & Juliet, it takes place in-universe over the course of like a couple days, and you are constantly moving from story beat to story beat since the work is meant to be enjoyed in one presentation. It's complex and moving, but I think we all can agree it's not a slow-burn, more of a sudden explosion lol. Some people may think that sitting around 20k words it's not a short work, and for a play it's average (about 2 hours) but it's only 1/5 the length of a standard novel! (100k)

But if we imagine Romeo & Juliet taking place over say 4 months, and each 5000 words is a moment where he's come to Juliet's window one night each month, and nothing else about the story is different, the entire tone changes to something longer and drawn-out. In fact, I think it's probably possible for a skilled author to write a convincing long burn in 10k words or less if the internal and external pacing of the story is right. I also think it's probably possible to write a slow-burn that takes place within one universe day, but I think the pacing for that would require more words.

In reality, slow burn just needs to feel long, even if it isn't actually long.

24. Thoughts on flashbacks/flash forwards.

GO. FUCKING. WILD. Make time your bitch. Laugh at the linear progression of cause and effect. Storytelling is this weird abstraction where all of time exists at once and won't ever exist again. A well-placed flashback or flash forward will enhance the story by revealing hidden motive, establishing dramatic irony, or building anticipation. Be fucky with time. It's already fake and gay—with your help, we can make it faker and gayer! 🫵

Naturally, like any trope or tool, there's always a time and place when a flashback or flashforward is most effective, and sometimes it won't be. But as long as it doesn't feel pointless, as long as it feels like it's a scene we need, they're great to use! I started really playing with time and flashes in Maelstrom fic because of the villain, and it's the funnest thing even in relatively minor jumps of minutes or hours. DON'T BE AFRAID TO USE FLASH JUMPS THEY ARE GOOD AND FUN!!! 👍👍👍

25. Is writing the whole thing beforehand better or worse than writing it as you go?

I wish I was the kind of person who could write the whoke thing beforehand, because I think that + careful editing really is the best way to create a cohesive, well-balanced narrative but right now i just... dont work like that lol. I feel like i have to be extra diligent in keeping track ofnplot threads and potential holes and such. But on the other hand I think I prefer it this way because I get a lot of good feedback on what's working via comments! Especially in long running fics like Maelstrom or Zubat Fangs I refer to comments a lot when trying to decide how hard to hit certain plot points. I'm always open to (polite) constructive criticism on my fics bc of that!

33. Give your writing a compliment.

I think my writing brings people joy :) in all sorts of ways! My silly writing, my angsty writing, my gorey writing.... it all makes someone's day a little better at some point, and I take a lot of pride in that. I can also look back over the years and see how much my skills have improved since I uploaded my first fanfiction decades ago, which I think I still have on a floppy somewhere lol.

I've gotten so confident that I'm starting to more and more seriously consider working on my original fiction and well 😬 I'd like to publish something professionally. Even if I only self-pubklish an e-book or smth. I think I'm about there!!!

38. "This never happened" fix-it fics or "this happened but" fix-it-fics.

Definitely "this happened but" fix-its. I got my start in pokemon fics naturally and one thing you never see the end of are "Ash is a better trainer and never got pikachu" fix-its which. I mean. Eh. Sure. There's nothing wrong with that per say but like. To me it's the same as writing a coffee shop AU. You're telling a different story conpletely. And of course there's degrees, because sometimes the change is smaller and what that means is the story is basically the same. Idk. There's nothing wrong with that but it doesn't make me excited. "Yes BUT" feels like its adding onto something, not just altering it. 🤔

Thanks again friend!! This was fun!! 🥺

[rubber-duck-of-doom]

NEW TECHNOMANCY PROJECT EP

meant to do this earlier BUT I HAVE THOUGHTS

(these are from my 2nd re listen so spoilers below the cut)

TINY ELIJAH

              The fact that this is his wife hasn’t affected me at all

              LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO MY BOY (HES VOCALIZING HIS FEELINGS)

LAYLA THAT BITCH

              You stay away from Elijah

              WHY ARE WE PUTTING THE OBVIOUSLY TRAUMATIZED MAN IN WITH SOMEONE HE CLEARLY DOESN’T LIKE

Just caught Layla’s last name no wonder the title

              Hell-hound foreshadowing?

              Also confirms we shouldn’t like her

              We’ve already established we can’t trust hell so why would we trust her

              Also calling her out I like it

ADELAIDE! Wonder if she will make an appearance somehow (day of happiness) (Shes not confirmed dead)(if we don’t see a body she’s not confirmed dead)

We should listen to Eli about his abuser that would be the logical decision but nooo. We Don’t do that.

ANNND here comes Jason and Ali to cheer him up

              And somehow they help

And here’s Eli's trauma (he’s opening up!)

And here comes here’s sequel to YOU’RE GAY

HE CALLED JASON AND ALI FRIENDS (feelings yay)

Jason don’t diss yourself to the evil lady

“saving lives doesn’t absolve you from the ones you’ve taken” -Layla

              We love everyone being concerned for Elijah's mental state (he needs it)

Ali trying to help and not particularly helping

We love Jason the peacekeeper (mom of two fighting toddlers)

Ali says she loves him (implied)

ENTER HELL-HOUNDS

              There goes our touchy feely moments

And we’ve given Ali permission to wreak havoc this can only end well

And we’ve assumed Jason is useless love that for him

Eli standing up for Jason (friendship yay)

 We love manipulating Eli

              And now we find out why the angel hated Elijah

AND WE’RE LETTING LAYLA MANIPULATE ELIJAH (THIS CAN ONLY END WELL /S)

WHY ARE WE PREPARED TO SACRIFICE THIS MAN

              Ali and Jason are like stray cats you can’t leave them alone

DID LAYLA ORGANIZE SOME OF THIS SHIT

ELIJAH STILL TRYING TO GET INFORMATION

Sabriel returns

              This will go well

You did not just tell Elijah that BONDAGE SUITS HIM

ANNND NOW EVERYTHING'S GOING TO SHIT

              Disappointed but not surprised

Do I like Layla no. has her VA done an amazing job. Yes.

LOVE THE MUSIC CHANGE

              Triumphant but also in a MINOR cord with Hints of MAJOR this is beautiful

LAYLA STILL TRYING TO HAVE THE UPPER HAND               I MEAN SHE DOES BUT STILL I HATE HER SMUG ASS VOICE

ALI AND THE ANTS

OOP ELIJAH IS AN ENEMY OF HEAVEN I CAN’T SEE HOW THIS WILL HAVE ANY NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES EVER

AGAIN THE TRIUMPHANT MUSIC AS THE HELL-HOUNDS ARE DESTROYED SOMEHOW NO ONE DIED!!!

AND NOW LAYLA ESCAPES WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THAT ONE COMING

              “I suspect my replacement will be a handful for you” ADELAIDE!?

Missed her giving Quinn's name the first listen through why would she give them that name (what is her motive) (it has to be more then just using them to be a distraction)

“I’ve had worse”-Jason (No shit Sherlock)

And now Elijah guilty I wonder how this will effect the future episodes.

Final thoughts

This episode was absolutely amazing and everyone killed it. I can’t wait to see what happens in next months episode. I suspect well see Adelaide at some point in the future I hope its not as a member of the children of brimstone but I suspect Elijah will have to fight her at some point. We will absolutely be seeing Layla again but I wonder how big of a part she is going to play. I love how we got to “see” the relationship between Ali Jason and Elijah with how much it has changed since episode 1. They’re actively calling each other friends now that takes a lot especially with someone like Eli. I love these fools. And if you haven’t listened to the technomancy project its an 11/10 show PLEASE go give it a listen.

[humblemediagenius]

This is all side order spoilers so i will have it under the read more but I'm thinking about this au so bad so I'll talk about it

So like in my very elaborate Splatoon AU story with my OCs who were not originally for splatoon (my original Splatoon OCs aren't really part of this story haha) theres like a plot that takes place after Octo Expansion where the monitor basically is made out of the remnants of commander tartar and it reworks kamabo co for its own purpose so everyone has to stop it from sanitizing everyone. In this plot john + mic get sanitized (and a bunch of other guys do too) so pepper sai rory and jordan have to stop the monitor and save mic and john. So you have that context now let me explain side order au

So like. agent 8 in my Splatoon universe is Ellie (that's the canon story to me) but in this au it would be sai because he's already an octoling and he is always facing the horrors at all times. His main is the tristringer but he could absolutely use (or at least attempt) every pallette, he's very adaptable

Mic and John would be pearl and marina respectively but their dynamic is VERY different. Instead of gay music artists in love they're like just forced to work together, they arent like enemies but they didn't know each other prior to being sanitized and they're still trying to move past the fact that all that happened LMAO

John totally would make the memverse to try and help people who were sanitized especially since he had a really big part in it (unwillingly, but he still feels very guilty)

The monitor would be order / smollusk . obviously. it wants order or something idk I saw artificial intelligence and went YOU. MONITOR CORE plus it would totally throw a fit due to losing its a bitch baby. And it would be SO. COOL. To see it with this black and white / creamish color scheme

Also I cannot get the idea of mic drone out of my mind!!! He would fly around but be so damn annoying to sai /j

Cameron would be acht.... canon wise she would not be a musician, but getting brainwashed to be a musician sounds like something that would exactly happen to her. Maybe some of that sticks with her even after getting her memories back. She would find mic incredibly annoying. Sai not so much. she wouldn't have a pre-established bond with john bc they wouldn't know each other (I'd say well maybe they were in the octarian army together, but she's considerably younger than him so??? And also I wanted John to be from splatsville and not octo valley so 🤷‍♀️) BUT I think that they would respect each other

Sorry just. Imagining the marina boss fight with john GRRRRGRGGRGRRRGRGRGRGRGRG

[williamaltman]

My full IWTV thoughts/feelings/"review" (Part 1).

Ok for a while now I have been wanting to do like a big post talking about all of my main thoughts about the show. I think I went into the show in kind of an odd position because, I'm a book reader, but not a longtime one. I literally just got into them right before the show started airing. I started watching when it started airing and I had finished IWTV and TVL, but then I stopped and decided to at least finish TQOTD before I continued the show.

So, I'm gonna start with all the things I like and then what I didn't.

First of all: The way they just said fuck subtext or lowkey representation and made this fully romantic and horny. One of my issues with the books is that, at least in IWTV (but in a lesser extent the others too?), they keep things in this realm of plausibe deniability where even though things are obviously gay they still don't make it fully explicit. I get that it was 1976, but that doesn't fully change how I feel reading it, you know.

Besides the material itself, from what I understood AR loved to give some vague answers and "let things speak for itself", along with an idea in both books and her comments that vampires don't "need to worry" so to speak with sexual orientations, that in a way it doesn't really count, which is wack imo (though she did also full-on say that Lestat is bisexual which I appreciate).

But I think what bothered me the most in IWTV, wasn't even the subtext itself, but the way that Louis essentially didn't express any love for Lestat. The story is written like he just hates him from the beginning save for the first moments where he saw him to when he was turned. They are obviously coded as a couple down to HAVING A CHILD TOGETHER, but Louis' narration just never acts "accordingly" and gives it this weird no homo vibe. His love for Armand is a bit more clear which is better, but also not totally? Especially cause when they're saying stuff like "I/you want him to be my/your companion" it usually has the context of him as a replacement for Claudia.

Anyway this isn't a book review, so what I mean is basically that it was just VERY satisfying to see Loustat being clearly in love, especially from Louis' part. I love to see that sort of initial attraction especially when it comes from someone who doesn't want to be feeling that and all the angst that comes with it. Also, THEY FUCK. I kinda appreciate the concept of vampires not having regular sex in the books, but I'd still rather have them fuck. As a treat.

The fact that they also explicitly established Louis as gay instead of staying ambigous about his sexuality was also incredible. I do like works where that just isn't brought up and it just works naturally like if they were straight, but it's not my favorite approach. I like when they actually deal with it.

And on the topic of Louis' changes: Anything from slave-owner in a plantation is a glow-up. Making him also a black man is like, downright reparations. If you're upset about that you're dumb and possibly racist sorry. I understand that Louis' "race-swap" is different from most other characters since him being white actually is relevant, but it's relevant in a bad way. The upgrade definetely needed to happen to tell the story in current times.

And since we're talking about these types of changes, Claudia. I have A LOT of issues with how Claudia's story was handled, but Claudia herself, as in Bailey and her acting? Great. She's just amazing. The change in her age makes for a different story, but one that still works. And Bailey is just so charismatic and fierce. To see her slowly change from the cute daddy lou girl (which as I said, was way more fun and charismatic than book Claudia) to whom she has become in the latter episodes? Incredible. She truly embodies being the baddest bitch in the house, she INVENTED girlbossing.

And kinda going from this, the acting. The acting of all three is great. They have great chemistry, both Sam and Jacob and the two of them with Bailey. Even appearance wise, Claudia still looks like a living doll, and Jacob is still a soft pretty boy in a way that fits my own standards for a babygirl-coded character. Sam Reid might actually be too hot to be Lestat, tbh. I joke but wow, I'm actually attracted to him now. Armand's was like particularly genius cause even though he's not a auburn-haired white teenager he still looks just like Armand when it comes to his actual features?!

Also, the vibe, the atmosphere. It actually took me a while to get into it. I had whiplash from reading the book and seeing the movie where it was like 1 or 2 centuries behind the show, but once I got into it I loved it. I don't know how to explain this better but I just like how everything looks and "feels". The set and costume designers ate. The cinematography is great too and gives it the final touch.

[mrbigbrother]

HBO's Velma is exactly what Twitter asked for, but regretted getting.

If you told me to write an adult animated series centered on Velma, the first thing that has to be established is the character's flaws. Velma has historically struggled with being sociable. She has rarely been seen in a relationship. She is awkward and has her own insecurities. I would establish this in her before anything else, but the truth is that it has already been established for over 50 years since her creation. Then, I would show her strengths. She is incredibly gifted as a detective. She is very booksmart and is able to read people. She is sweet and kind to her friends. It is an enormously cute aspect to her personality that she struggles with social awkwardness. This makes her relatable. The Velma that we all know is a far more likeable and relatable person than HBO's mean cynical, bitter narcissist that they expect us to accept as the same character. which they are not. Velma is a fan favorite for a reason. She is the most down to earth and human of all the Scooby doo gang. HBO has taken those qualities away from her because the audience they wish to pander to does not possess the same qualities.

I am also not behind any theory that suggests that a children's cartoon character should be gay. She has never been gay in any prior context beyond the assumption by smart asses on the internet suggesting it. These are the same smart asses who also say that Shaggy and Scooby are pot heads. And besides, we all know that the only character in scooby doo that can be gay is Fred. The ascot is more than enough evidence to support this theory. Now, I have seen many of gay characters who are amazing and great characters. So why is Velma suddenly being declared gay now a problem? I'll tell you: it's because she was never gay before, and the only reason to make her gay now, is to pander to a generation that only wants to see themselves depicted, and their lifestyle choices validated, because they haven't a family member that will validate them. It is pure vanity as to why we see homosexuality depicted like this in modern entertainment. And it is always furthest from fact that these depictions are presented to us. The truth behind Velma as a character, is that she is supposed to be the every-woman type. And believe it or not, that means she represents most women as in the 99%. Which means she is not part of 1% of shallow entitled little monsters who hate men, hate other women, use gayness and political stupidity to circumvent any personal growth, and spend their days bitching on twitter about something as stupid as representation. Velma in her original intended form, is a compliment. Her every-woman characterization, believes that the 99% are sweet kind individuals who are deeply gifted with intelligence, intuition, discernment, tenderness and warmth.

These are the very same things that HBO have effectively lobotomized out of Velma, so that she may appeal to a very small portion of mean spirited groups, that cannot even discern their own gender.

There will be brighter days ahead of us. There will be brighter days for Velma and the gang. And we will do like we always did before and speak with our wallets. These corporate micromanaged attempts to appeal to youth culture will fall into obscurity as it is heir to…

As I wrote that bit, I just realized that this cynical and mean spirited show's existence is based on the data collected on the audience it was geared towards. that this show and Velma's depiction is based on what HBO thinks its audience would like. Velma herself is supposed to be the audience she's geared towards. We were all supposed, and even expected to like her and relate to her. However, this show is being rejected in all directions. Why? because it hits too close to home! In a way, HBO's Velma gives the representation it promised to the people who have bombarded studios for years for it.

The problem now, is that they just didn't like what they saw in someone else's mirror.

[daysofourlivesrecaps]

Tuesday, 16 May 2023

We got some real good blorbo action today, friends.

John and Marlena begin to engage in their long-established foreplay ritual of eating strawberries and cream. (This is, admittedly, barely a blip on the Kink Radar but I legit love that these two septuagenarians are still so into each other.)  John even whipped the cream himself! Also he brought 5001 strawberries, which is a completely arbitrary number that you really shouldn't try to read anything into.

Then Brady (John's son, Marlena's stepson; easily in his 40s and still living with these two) comes home and completely interruptuses their coitus. He whines about how he and Boring Chloe broke up and will there ever be a woman as good and pure as Boring Chloe and can you believe Boring Chloe got an apartment with Hot Xander? What does she even see in that guy, anyway?

John, meanwhile, tries to be as subtle as he can as he checks his watch and tries to remember just how long that blue pill he took is supposed to last.

(If you ever wondered if I thought I was too good to make a Viagra joke, I guess you know better now.)

Speaking of BC and HX, they are indeed still cohabitating. Chloe is lecturing Xander on the proper way to hang a picture frame (since they're all falling off the walls now) and Xander is convinced that it's not his shoddy workmanship but an actual ghost.

And sure, you may mock this notion. I did for a minute, until I remembered that the character who got *by far* the most screentime on this show in 2022 was Satan. Yes, that Satan. From school. I mean, Hell.

As he talks this out, we realize that it's *kind* of a ghost in the Scottish play sense of the concept. He's still feeling guilty about his role in the death of Susan Banks (our cat's namesake). Which is valid. We did kinda gloss over that when it happened and it's not a bad thing to circle back to.

But I immediately jumped to *we never saw her body! She could be the Mystery Hostage aboard the USS Lobsterfest!! That's gotta be why the show is reminding us about her, right?!*

Wrong. It's not Susan *or* my dark horse theory, Jan Spears. Why did I even bother hiding that in a spoiler tag yesterday?!

Von Leuschner, who is getting hotter to me with each passing day, reveals that his hostage is, in fact, Andrew. A character we've only recently met and who I'm only a little interested in because he's part of a gay couple and the show is running dangerously low on boys who kiss each other right now.

But I don't particularly care that he's being held hostage . Not when I thought of two much better possibilities right off the top of my damn head.

We also spend some time with Megan and Kristen in prison. Being, as they are, ostensibly sisters (albeit sisters who only recently met and weren't even aware of one another's existence before this year), they do what adult siblings do and pretend to show interest in each other's personal lives.

Kristen reads a letter from her daughter, Rachel, who gloats about finally breaking up her dad and That Bitch Chloe. (These are essentially eight year old Rachel's words. I would never.)

And Megan reveals that she's connected to Von Leuschner who, *btw, is actually your nephew, Kristen*. I then spent 5-10 minutes going through all the DiMeras we know and trying to work out whose kid he is. And then we find out *Megan* is his mother and I feel like a real stupid.

Having gotten the Salem Resurrection Phone Tree started to inform her massive network of relatives that she's still alive, Kate now settles in to enjoy some alone time with Roman.

"I want something," she says, and waits patiently as Roman cycles through food ("I had lobster on the boat"), a shower ("I showered on the boat, before I got into this fancy dress to eat lobster") and sleep ("not tired.")

Roman. Buddy.  She hasn't seen you in *months*. She made exactly one call before turning her phone off and putting the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the hotel room door. *She wants. To. Fuck.* What in god's name is wrong with you, man?!

[gildedmuse]

Question, which ship do you personally find the most cannon, ZoLu, ZoSan or ZoLaw? To expand on the question which ship for you has the most potential to possibly become cannon, I personally love all the ships, but I was wondering your thoughts on it? Ps reallyyyy love your AO3 works especially the ZoLaw! And the headcanon about them being trained by Rayleigh in the Modern AU!!!

Short Answer:

Zoro x Luffy is obviously the ship that makes the most sense and has the most examples you can point to in the canon while saying, "see that, that is love."

Long Answer No One Cares About:

This question awoke something dark inside of me, and I apologize for the overly long answer.

So, here's the thing: I don't really like 99% of "crack" ships which I would personally define as characters who have never met, whose personalities clash with one another's, and who share no common traits or grounds on which they might potentially relate to one another. Pretty much, if you have to invent a secret, noncanon background that totally changes a character's personality so that they can hook up with another character, I'm probably not going to ship it. Though, hey, if that's your thing you fly that flag high and proud. Shippers should support other shippers, regardless of cargo.

Buuuut.... At the same time, I also do not give a fuck about my ships being canon. Not only because, hey, it's my imagination and I'll do what I want with it, thank you very much, but also being a canon ship doesn't mean shit. Just because a creator decided two characters should hook up doesn't mean that it's logical or sound or feasible or healthy or somehow more "correct" than other pairings. In fact, what it usually means is that one character is a man, the other is a woman, and they are both attractive. Which, you know, is a pretty bullshit reason to start a relationship. If you've ever gone out with someone solely because they're attractive and the opposite gender of yourself than either:

Congratulations on what I hope was some truly amazing sex

So sorry about that awkward sexual encounter

You likely have first hand experience on how unstable and unsustainable such relationships can be.

So being a canon ship does not necessarily give you a pass in my books. For starters, most of my ship's be gay as fuck, and as someone who grow up without a lot of gay representation in media, I have learned not to expect anything despite how OBVIOUSLY DEEPLY CONNECTED characters might be.

[Side Note: And, yes, it's mostly male characters, because throughout the history of entertainment culture the vast majority was created by people men who had total faith in their ability to write realistic female characters despite all evidence pointing to the fact that they never once talked to an actual real life woman. I mean, how hard could it be? All women have basically the same personalty traits (boobs) and everyone knows female are monolithic group whose sole purpose in life is finding the most protagonistic male out there and immediately become his love interest. Which is why I just don't even bother with folks who look down on fans of slash/yaoi/gay ass ships because in a frankly sad amount of media, these pairings often make more practical sense as well as being more appealing to those of us who want romantic relationships based on personality, shared interests, or just between two well developed characters rather than one fully realized character and one cardboard cut out of Generic Attractive Female Person.]

When female characters are written as stereotypes whose defining characteristics is "she's a girl!" then of course the male characters with fully realized personalities and complex characterization will appeal to most people, including those of us who prefers their romantic pairings to have an actual foundation outside of "penis + vagina = love" it makes sense to ship the male characters who we get to see build a relationship, share common interests/traits/goals, and just generally ) So I have accepted that canon couples often mean nothing, because when it comes to romance so many creators are stuck in some heteronormative mindset where they totally forget all the work they've done building the character and defining their personality and sticking them with the first person they meet that has tits.

Basically, I am an English major whose end game is to be a college professor. And I am all about Death Of The Author, but also Show Me Your Workings. I don't need a relationship to be canon, what I need is for there to be a reason behind it. Preferably one that is deeper than "Tarzan love Jane because man loves woman" or "but they're both so pretty!!!!"

Taking all that into account, Zoro and Luffy were my first ship for a reason. There are so many little moments between the two you can point at as proof of their devotion and love (romantic or platonic, however you prefer to see it) for one another. I don't just mean the way Zoro took all Luffy's pain. I'm talking about how Luffy will always say things like, "I hope Zoro and the others are okay" or "When we get there I want to have huge feast with Zoro and the others". How often do you designate one of your friends over all the rest, naming them apart from the group? Personally, I either name everyone or no one, the exception being if one of them is someone I'm dating and therefore actually in a separate category from my other friends.

It's the way Zoro has all this nonverbal dialogue with Luffy which allows him to implicitly trust in whatever mad scheme Luffy has cooked up. When more rational people (Nami and Usopp) object out if, you know, sanity, Zoro can always tell when Luffy's plans are just silly gun, when he's throwing out his first thought just to say something, and when he's statement is made with full, unyielding conviction. And Zoro believes in Luffy enough that, when his captain has that level of assuredness, Zoro has no reason to doubt in him. Zoro is a man of actions - while oaths and promises are important, they only meant anything if you always follow through with actions. Luffy never fails to turn his promises into deeds, and so in a way they speak the same language. They understand one another on a deeper level.

And again, it's small things. The way Luffy can get even post-time skip Zoro to smile, or how Luffy will offer to share his lunch with Zoro, the way at the coliseum in Dressrosa, Zoro gets upset about Luffy not informing him there was a fight and Luffy actually apologizing. They have all these little moments to show how deeply connected they are, how much they understand one another, and more importantly how much faith they have in one another so even when one of them might not fully understand the other's reasoning, they never fail to support one another or know the other will pull through.

In my opinion, that is the bases of a strong relationship. That support and understanding; the sense that even if one of them may fail (and almost get chopped in half as a result) or fuck up (see Luffy. Just... Luffy) that it doesn't lessen the other one's believe in them. If anything, they know these set backs mean the other will fight twice as hard to come back even stronger.

I could literally list a thousand moments when they have each other's backs, when the whole crew doubts one of the except for the other, when they offer support even if it's unpopular or seems crazy. And yet they still have little fights, they aren't "made for one another" the way shallow love interests often are, but when it comes to the important moments they trust one another implicitly and show unwavering acceptance without the other having to validate or explain their reasoning. Luffy trusts Zoro with the crew's life, the most important thing in Luffy's world, and Zoro... Well in many ways Luffy has become the most important thing in his world. You see it the moment Zoro kowtows in front of Mihawk - the man Zoro has sworn to defeat and who is at the center of Zoro's life goal - all because Luffy needs him to be stronger; for the crew, to achieve Luffy's dream.

Mihawk even thinks to himaelf, who is the man you are willing to set aside your pride for, because he knows men like Zoro and the only reason they would ask such a favour from a rival is out of loyalty to someone.

So, yeah, not that it matters, but I'm terms of canon, Mihawk basically says, "this kid is in love, only someone in love would be so willing to set aside their dreams and goals for those of someone else."