#which I understand and makes complete sense

[harryspet]

homestead | r.cameron [p.2]

[warnings]dark!rafe cameron x pregnant!reader, farmer!rafe, pogue!reader, implied jj x reader, kidnapping, NONCON, unprotected sex, little editing,READ AT YOUR OWN RISK 18+

word count: 3.4k

In which you confront Rafe's unsettling mix of tenderness and manipulation.

part one

Your search of the room for anything useful as a weapon was not fruitful. Most drawers were empty except for clothes. You found more pairs of pajamas and nightgowns, but searching the closet only yielded a few hung sundresses. The bathroom was simple, with a clawfoot tub and another window looking out onto green pastures. On the bathroom counter, you found a wicker basket full of what you assumed were newly bought essentials. Several containers of prenatal vitamins, body washes and creams for sensitive skin, panty liners, Epsom salts, and essential oils. 

Rafe Cameron thought of all of this?

The window offered a view of the other side of the house and a large white barn and Rafe’s blue pickup truck caught your eye. You stepped into the tub to get a closer look out the window. Maybe you could see a road, a way out of here, or even a street sign that might tell you where you were. Just like the bedroom windows, they didn’t budge either. 

The bedroom door swings open once more, and you sink into the empty tub, your head cradled in your hands as you desperately try to force your mind to function. For the sake of your baby, you need to think clearly. The overwhelming situation presses down on you, making it even harder to process what’s happening. You can sense his presence in the doorway, but you can't bring yourself to meet his gaze.

“I made scrambled eggs,” He said. 

“They make me sick,” You said stoically, “Haven’t eaten them in months.”

“Good to know,” His tall, broad figure stood over you before you heard him kneel down beside the tub, “I also brought yogurt and fresh fruit. How does that sound?”

“All the windows are locked.”

“Uh, yeah,” he said as if it were normal, “I know you’re hungry. You need your strength. I don’t have to remind you why.”

You looked up to see his hand offering a white bowl filled with yogurt, fresh blueberries, and strawberries. He was right—you needed your strength. If not for the baby, then to gather the energy to escape. Perhaps you could think more clearly on a full stomach. You gazed at the food for a full minute, trying to rationalize why you should accept it, wrestling with the cognitive dissonance that churned within you.

You took it from his hands without a thank you and stirred your spoon about twenty times before finally bringing it to your mouth. It tasted heavenly, which you hated. “There’s the cutest farmer’s market a couple of miles from here. The blueberries are incredible but you gotta get there early on Sunday before they’re sold out.”

You met his eyes for a brief moment and realized they were sparkling with joy. You didn’t have to respond to him, he’d happily talk to himself as long as he felt like he was making some progress with you. You couldn’t let me feel that way for long, “You’ve outdone yourself, Rafe, really.”

“Just want you to be comfortable,” He shrugged, and you rolled your eyes, “It’s a lot right now, I know that.”

“A lot,” you scoffed, bitterness laced throughout your tone. “This is insane.”

Something flickered in his eyes, but he suppressed it, whatever it was, “You’re safe here. Your baby’s safe here. There’s plenty of room, plenty of food, and you’d never have to work a real jon. You haven’t even seen everything yet, but it’s beautiful. It’s a great place to raise a kid.”

“Rafe, you took the choice away from me.”

He shook his head, “So what? I saved you from suffering even further. Not even a little part of you regrets choosing JJ?”

You went quiet, feeling your temper rising. Instead of responding, you brought another spoonful to your mouth. He didn’t understand why this was so completely wrong, and presenting him with common sense didn’t seem to be working. 

“I love you, Y/N,” He spoke as if to get your attention, but you didn’t meet his eyes this time, “Don’t start thinking anyone’s coming to save you, Y/N. And you won’t overpower me or make it far running. Not in your condition. You know that.”

You knew that, didn’t you? Clearly, JJ didn’t care enough about you to do better. And Pope had a bright future ahead of him. Maybe he’d realize he was better off without you. What were you to do now? Give in when you’ve just realized that Rafe is a monster?

“Finish your food, I’ll be back later,” When you looked again he had the plate in hand and was walking away, not without loudly shutting the door. 

Your head tilted back against the cold porcelain. This would turn out to be a game of endurance. You had to outlast him and perhaps outthink him. He’d been planning to bring you here for weeks, but he couldn’t have planned for everything. 

You finished your food and then spent the next few hours exploring the room in more detail, ensuring you hadn’t missed any detail. After all that time, the only new discovery that you make is under the bed. Still, in its packaging, you find a pregnancy pillow. You wouldn’t admit that you felt a small comfort at the sight of it. Sleeping had started to feel completely uncomfortable over the past few weeks, and you woke up painfully sore each morning.

It felt wrong when you knew it shouldn’t. In the meantime, you’d also take some of the prenatal vitamins. You could only afford one bottle of the generic brand, but Rafe provided several different types. Taking multiple kinds meant you weren’t missing any nutrients your baby might need. In just a matter of hours, you were starting to realize all that you didn’t have. 

You unzipped the pillow from its packaging, letting yourself feel the soft material against your chest. Although the knock at the door wasn’t loud, it startled you. Rafe appeared now in work boots, jeans, and a flannel. He held the doorknob in his hand and looked you over as if he hadn’t just seen you or picked out the exact outfit he wanted to see you in. You noticed he was even taller in those boots.

“What do you think?” He gestured to the pillow.

“Looks expensive,” You said simply.

“It had the best reviews,” he added, “You’ll have to let me know how you like it tomorrow morning.”

You stared back at him, shifting on your feet. "Can I show you something?" he asked, the door still wide open. A chance to leave. Of course, you’d take it. Faking compliance, you carefully stepped towards him. As you crossed the threshold of your room, you allowed him to place a hand on the small of your back. "The room right next door," he said.

Your eyes were anywhere but that door. You were scoping out the entire hallway. There were two more doors across the hallway, perhaps one of them was Rafe’s, and you spotted the staircase. The walls were painted a muted beige and adorned with several rustic paintings. The scent of mahogany lingered in the air, likely one of Rafe’s attempts to make this place feel like a home rather than a prison. You couldn’t turn your head far as Rafe was urging you forward. 

“I’ve been working on something,” When Rafe opened the door, you stepped inside a brand new nursery room, “Rose helped with the decorations, but  I can change anything that you don’t like.”

The wallpaper was decorated with blue flowers and little woodland creatures. A wooden crib sat in the corner, a white canopy draping right next to a rocking chair. The window on the far side of the room also looked out onto green pastures. Shelves on the walls were already adorned with toys and baby books. It was surreal. Beautiful and horrifying. You clutched your chest as you slowly walked around the room. 

“Rafe,” was all you could manage to say.

“I didn’t get a lot of clothes yet. I knew you’d want to pick those out,” His arms raised up, scratching his head as if he was nervous to see your reaction. Over the crib, you noticed the space-themed mobile you had picked out at the store gently hanging down. "It’s a good start, right?" he added, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

“It’s literally perfect,” You couldn’t lie at that moment, “Rafe, d-do you really think I would be that horrible of a mom on my own?”

“No,” He rushed out, his face falling, “What? No, I don’t think that.”

“I could never give my baby anything like this.”

He came closer, but you stepped back, “That’s not what I’ve been trying to say with all of this. I think you’d be a great mom. You’re gonna be a great mom.”

You needed to hear those words. Maybe Rafe was the wrong source but you needed that confirmation. In a moment of weakness, you let him closer. He wiped your tears as they began to fall, “It’s not about what you have, but I’m telling you that I won’t let you do it on your own,” He wrapped his arm around your waist and tear-eyed, and you let your head rest on his chest, “I’ll take care of every little worry. All you have to do is agree to be mine.”

“If you really care about me,” you said softly, letting him run his hands over your hair. “You’ll let me make my own choices.”

“Y/N–”

“I appreciate everything you’ve done. I really do,” You lied, “And I want this. I promise. I know JJ is no good for me or the baby. Could you just give me a little bit more time?”

“You’ll go back to him,” Rafe said. His grip on your waist tightened, and you pulled your head away from his chest, gazing up at him. 

“It’s not your baby. You know that, right?” It was the wrong thing to say. His nostrils flared, and your heartbeat quickened. There was no reeling it back, so you pressed him further, “Even if we don’t end up together, I wouldn’t keep his baby from him. That’s wrong.”

“What he’s done to you is worse.”

“You’re right,” You said, trying to maintain the calm, “I know that now. And I understand that you care about me-”

“Do you understand? Really understand? Huh?” 

“Rafe-” You pushed at his chest, and he grabbed your wrists tightly. Your eyes widened as you struggled against him, “Please don’t hurt me.”

Powerless, he held you there, “I’d love your baby like it was mine, I would. And soon after, we could have our own. That’s what I want, for us to be a family,” Each word was low, tight, and controlled as he glared down at you. 

“Okay,” You agreed, scared more than anything, “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll show you,” He was completely cold now, “If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you. How you deserve to be treated. Everything I can give you. Then you’ll see, huh?”

He forced you down to the plush blue carpet with his body weight. You weren’t used to how your center of gravity had shifted, how your belly was also keeping you from being able to push back against him, “Please,” You said over and over again, your arms flailing until he pinned them above your head. You were out of breath already, and you had to slow your movementsand stop your struggling just to catch your breath. In this position, the baby is pressed against your further against your diaphragm, “Rafe, don’t.”

He just looked at you hungrily, grunting as he pulled down your bottoms and underwear. 

“You’re so beautiful like this,” He reached between your legs, and you felt your body freeze, “Fucking gorgeous … I’m so lucky.”

You might’ve swooned in any other context. You were more swollen and much more sensitive, meaning you felt every caress that he made. You didn’t want to, but your head tilted back as he carefully rubbed your sensitive mound, “I’ll make you feel good … haven’t been touched in so long. Daddy’s gonna take care of you,” You told yourself that your body was just reacting, that it didn’t matter how good it felt because you didn’t ask for it. He kept your hands pinned only using one of his, as he used his other to undo his jeans. When he finally freed himself, able to palm his growing hardness through his briefs, he let go of your wrists. On your elbows, you tried to pull yourself away and you caught a glimpse of a smirk on his face. He liked this. Watching you struggle and attempt to crawl away. 

You yelped when he grabbed your hips, pulling you back and lifting them up at the same. He was inside of you before you could fully comprehend it. You could handle it if he thrust hard into you if he destroyed you fast, but Rafe took his time with you. There was no rush or hurry in his movements. He went as deep as you would take him, and his long strokes left you crying out with each one. 

You could handle it if it weren’t personal, but Rafe leaned over you and stared into your eyes with fierce determination. He talked you through every rush of pleasure, “I know, baby,” He’d coo when he knew it was too much, “Feels too good, don’t it?”

“I know you’re gonna cum for me,” He’d say when your eyes threatened to roll back into your head. “Cum all over me, baby,” He said when you finally couldn’t take it anymore. 

When he spilled into you, your body froze again. He cursed, his hips rutting into you. You felt every drop of him, and he didn’t pull out until he’d fully emptied himself inside of you. He sits back on his knees, and you hear him pull up his zipper. 

You flinched when you felt his hand on your thigh again.

“I’m sorry.”

What exactly he was apologizing for, you had no idea.

Rafe had gotten what he wanted because you didn’t speak out of turn once over the next two days. At some point, you expected the cavalry to arrive and come save you, but that hope shrank with each passing day. He invited you out of your room, and each time, you denied it. You easily recalled what happened the last time you left your room. You had all you could mentally handle within the room, and Rafe would bring you all three needed meals and snacks. You were quiet when he started the conversation, but you mustered up a few sentences for him when he grew frustrated at the lack of back and forth. 

You should have been focused on escape, but all you could think about was never letting him do to you again what he had done on the nursery floor. Being pregnant already made you feel like you had no control over your body. Rafe amplified that feeling, making you feel even more vulnerable and easily manipulated given your current state.

You spent most of the day sleeping, punctuated by long baths or staring out the window. Rafe woke up early each morning to tend to chores, the animals, and the early summer harvest. The vast expanse of land meant you didn’t see all the animals during the day, but in the afternoons when he fed Wrangler and Sadie, many of the animals rushed to the fence, hoping for scraps.

“Got you some books,” Rafe said when he came to see you around dinner time. To your disappointment, he wasn’t carrying any dinner with him. He set the stack of books on the dresser before adding, “And I ordered pizza.”

“Thank you,” you said, resting your head back down on your pillow, hoping that meant he’d bring it to you later. 

“Come watch a movie with me, I finally got the surround sound set up.”

“I’d like to eat up here, please?” You asked quietly, “I don’t feel good.”

“You haven’t felt good since you got here.” You let him sit in silence, “You’ll come eat downstairs tonight, Y/N.”

This was the first time you felt he was forcing you out of your room. You didn’t have the courage to upset him, so you lifted yourself out of the bed. He watched you intently, as if waiting for your compliance, aware of your recent streak of obedience. The way the look on his face softened was obvious, and you hated how relieved that made you feel. 

This time, he led you down the staircase, his hand gently guiding the small of your back as you held onto the railings. As you descended, you caught a glimpse of the front door, sunlight streaming in from the setting sun, but Rafe guided you in the opposite direction.

You passed through a large dining area with a substantial dark wooden table near the front of the house, then continued into a cozy living room. A plush sectional couch faced a massive stone fireplace, underneath which neatly stacked firewood awaited use. Above, a large flatscreen TV was mounted on the wall, flanked by windows dressed in simple, cream-colored curtains. Adjacent to the windows, a bookcase filled mostly with DVDs caught your eye.

He took the time to show you the downstairs bathroom and laundry room before leading you to the kitchen, which was located toward the back of the house. It was straight out of a magazine, spacious and well-appointed, complete with a charming breakfast nook. Many of the touches seemed to reflect Rose's influence, and seeing the rest of the house gave you a clearer picture of just how well-off he was.

A box of pizza sat atop the kitchen island, and Rafe pulled out one of the stools for you to sit on.

“You take care of this place all by yourself?” You asked as Rafe helped you into the seat.

“I’ve had some help,” He shrugged, “But I won’t need much help anymore now that you’re here.”

“You’re expecting me to take care of the house?” 

“Someday soon,” he spoke nonchalantly, opening the pizza box. He grabbed a slice straight from it and started eating so you assumed you could do the same. He added with a slightly full mouth, “Better than working at The Wreck.”

You took a bite of your pizza, not wanting to delve into that conversation further. You should’ve known he was expecting you to be a homemaker. Now that you were gonna be a Mom, you didn’t need to have any career aspirations. 

You picked at your slice under his careful eye. This house exuded a warmth that almost drowned out the coldness you felt toward Rafe. You took the time to map out all the windows and doors and the downstairs layout. It kept your mind busy and, combined with the food, provided a helpful distraction. 

“Are you feeling better now?” His voice cut through the silence. 

“I’m fine.”

“You still like those cheesy rom-coms?”

A memory flashed in your mind. You saw Rafe sitting across from you on his bed. A huge party was going on downstairs in Tannyhill, but you and he were upstairs watching a movie. You wanted so badly to show him Enchanted. He didn’t act impressed at the time, but you could tell he liked it because he couldn’t keep his eyes off the screen. 

“Yeah,” You answered cautiously, though the truth was that you hadn’t had time to enjoy a movie in long time. 

“I happen to have a few Patrick Dempsey movies … if that interests you,” He smiled, trying to tease you. 

“I really should get some rest . . .”

“A movie will help you relax. Just one? C’mon, we can watch Can’t Buy Me Love,” Realizing he wouldn’t let up, you gave in.

You sat on the couch as he moved to set up the movie. You should’ve known that he would sit right next to you, his arm wrapped around the pillows directly behind you, “Relax, enjoy the movie.” He said as the movie’s intro began, and you did your best to appear more like you were. When it wasn’t sufficient, Rafe pulled you closer until you could only lay against his shoulder to be comfortable. You tried to focus on one of your favorite movies and there were moments that night when you completely forgot your circumstance. 

Yet, every additional touch brought you sharply back to reality—whether it was the gentle circles his thumb traced on your arm or the tender kisses he placed atop your head.

Please let me know what your thoughts and predictions are! Reblog with a comment to be added to my taglist!

[consoledacup]

In order to fully understand Colin's reaction to the Lady Whistledown reveal and how he processes everything moving forward, you have to think about the entire season, the entire series really, through his point of view. I have no problems with the part 1/2 split. It made the anticipation that much more intense, and it worked out perfectly with their love story. But you can't separate one part from the other when you're thinking about his character.

In Colin's mind, the end of episode 4 is his happily ever after. That's it. He did it. He took action. He was the Cupid to her Psyche and played god and rescued her from a loveless match. He made shit happen and told her how he felt and they shared that moment in the carriage, and he gleefully proposed. He saved the girl and got the girl, and what a remarkable, enchanting, beautiful girl she is.

And aside from Eloise and Cressida, everyone's obsessed with their relationship. They're the true love match with a great story, and how lucky he is to fall in love with his best friend. And she's showing hints of unease, but maybe that's just wedding jitters. Or maybe she's mourning her relationship with Eloise which is why he keeps trying to get them to make up. Or maybe she doesn't feel as secure with him as she would've with Debling, even though she'd never tell him that. He is the third son after all. And he still has no idea how in love with him she is.

So when she tells him how she's always loved him, he's warmed but also wracked with guilt. Because if he had only taken his stupid head out of his ass, he would've figured out why her letters meant so much to him or why he was eager to participate in an investment with her family or why her lack of response the past summer devastated him. He thought he was the instigator of their love. He's the one who laid himself bare and was like, is it possible you feel a fraction of what I feel for you? And to find out that she did always love him made him feel so undeserving. Because why would this exquisite siren still want anything to do with him after all that he put her through?

There is an incredible scene that I think deserves a lot more gravitas. The minute Penelope mourns Lady Whistledown and burns her issues, it cuts to Colin getting over his writer's block as he writes with great enthusiasm. It's like, he's unknowingly siphoning her power. He is Cupid and a writer and her protector and her provider and so madly in love. And he will finish his manuscript, and he will make things right with Penelope and Eloise. And he and Penelope will have the perfect life together.

And then everything he thought he knew about Penelope, about friendship, about love, is completely shattered. She rips his power from him, and he is absolutely gutted. She has been the mastermind this entire time, and he was none the wiser. And what part of their love story was even real? At which point was he manipulated into doing what she wanted him to do? And while he was helping her with her confidence, and telling her how changed of an individual he was, she not only saw through him but broadcasted his insecurities to the entire ton?

He's still so desperately in love that he remains steadfast in marrying her. But he cannot get over his fury and hurt and betrayal at that point. Which makes so much sense. It's painful to see him lash out and withdraw from her, but he's absolutely reeling.

And on top of all that, he is humiliated. He thinks about everything she said about his own writing. She told him how he made it seem effortless, which is such a great compliment. And he's like, I don't want you to edit my manuscript because I want to prove to you that I'm worthy of you. And he might be thinking, I can even give her some pointers for her own writing! What fun we'll have with more lessons. To find out that she's the talented, sharpest, most prolific writer in the ton fully emasculates him. He feels like she was patronizing him all along.

He brings that part up, and she's like, no, I meant everything I said about your writing. But he doesn't believe her and immediately switches the conversation to her dangerous predicament, so he can at least, at the very least, offer himself up as her protector. It worked before when he danced with Penelope after Cressida ruined her dress, when he rescued Marina from Rutledge, when he helped save Daphne's reputation, when he saved Penelope's family from Cousin Jack, when he helped save Will's business, when he kissed Penelope, when he saved her from the balloon, when he defended her to her mother... If he can't be the provider, he can be the protector. And she doesn't even want that from him. She's the knight in shining armor. She's Don Quixote. Not him. Never him.

So he is grappling with his role in their union. He figures it out, but it takes him a little bit to get there. And in the process, he not only remains in love with Penelope the entire time, but he also falls head over heels for Lady Whistledown.

[skywalkerrenthusiast]

FOREVER THINKING ABOUT HELAENA AND THE SWORM OF SHIT HOT TAKES THAT ARE ABOUT TO COME OUT ABOUT HER‼️‼️‼️

FOREVER THINKING ABOUT HELAENA AND IM CRYING IM CRYING IM CRYING. She and an innocent child were the first to pay for her families crimes. And she's not as bad as some of yall will think after this.

We are meant to sit with Helaena. she has this thing called dragon dreams, which are visions of the future, but they can be very unclear and hard to figure out.

She was saying how she was afraid of the rats. In the morning, when Aegon came for Jae, she muttered a vision. She could already feel the doom creeping in, it's why she tries to share her feelings with Aegon! But he can't understand, no one can. Not even her. And she's left to sit in her feeling of doom.

Alone.

Then BOOM

Two betrayers (rats) came to kill Aemond who killed Lucerys. But instead, they decided to kill HER son, just a boy!

And she tried to be present at first! To protect her babies. To give them money because they kept talking about themselves getting paid for a kill but the motherfuckers wouldn't BUDGE!!

And you can just SEE the moment the trauma and fear of the moment starts to hit her. A thousand thoughts fly through her head, and then...? she completely shuts down. She ends up pointing to her son, but she just seems so out of it while she's doing so! She doesn't scream or cry or beg. She just looks like a mix of completely not in the moment, as if shes leaving the moment, and viscerally horrified at the same time. She sees them grabbing her boy and can only stare as she makes her way to the opposite bed. Knowing of and yet *unable* to make herself try and stop the tragedy that is about to unfold itself in her boys bed.

She grabs her girl and just walks out of the room, and you can hear her breathing and breathing as she walks. And just as she starts to come back to herself, just a little. You can hear the sound of the Jaehaerys head being cut off and you can *tell* she hears it too because she makes these vague horrified little sounds as she walks and walks and walks endlessly to her MOTHERS room. It's almost like those sounds drag her back under. And she keeps walking.

she never yelled for a guard as she walked, she didn't scream she just went to the safest place she could think of. And that was with her mother. She walks in the room and walks in on her mom in bed with her sworn protector and that brings her back from out of the waves of her mind if only for a moment but she's just in so much fucking shock that all she can do is collapse on the floor while holding her girl and say "they killed the boy"

And it all happens so fast! And in the moment, all I could think was, WHY DID SHE POINT TO HIM?!! But for *this* telling of the story, it made sense. She shut down. In her right state of mind, she would NEVER have simply pointed, she tried not to! but she just completely shuts down, just blocks it all out and then POINTS. And that scene, that moment, it's not about what the stronger or braver or more motherly choice might've been! Because Helaena was in no state to make it! She just couldn't have! And it's so heartbreaking. At that moment, the camera only follows her because we are meant to *BE* her. We are meant to sit with her in that moment in time. To share in her horror. So it's not about what we think the right choice might've been. It's about what helaena was *capable* of doing in that moment, in the face of her horror, about how this is a moment she will have to think back on for as long as she shall live.

because i know she's gonna be so fucking horrified with herself when it all comes back to her, when she truly understands what happened. And I also know we are about to get SO many trash hot takes about Her "being a bad mother" and how she just "betrayed her son" as if she didn't have those kids at 13 and they were her LIFE! I'm crying for her. The twins were so little, and she was no fighter or schemer, and yet her son, her and even her daughter are the FIRST fucking ones to pay for her families crimes!

She'll live in that moment of horror for the rest of her life.

[frogeoni]

Hot take but I can't stand the shipping mentality that pollutes fandoms these days and is present in a lot of discussions about Bucktommy because it all boils down to "I have a favourite character and I believe that this other character exists to make my fave happy and make their every whim happen".

Tommy isn't a genie in a bottle who was introduced to bow to Buck's every wish. He's a character in his own right, with his own history, personality, desires and problems. He has as much of a leg to stand on as Buck does in this relationship.

Tommy wasn't being a dick in the restaurant, neither of them was being a dick. They hurt each other in completely understandable ways that made sense given their history and issues. They talked about it and learnt something from it.

Tommy didn't have to dress up for the bachelor party, he's a person with his own tastes and opinions that should be respected by his partner and Buck understood and accepted it because he's an adult and not a fragile little princess who thinks that her man's life should revolved around her. The fact that some people even tried to make it into an issue is embarrassing and laughably childish.

Tommy wasn't at the ceremony to brighten up Buck's day, he didn't owe him a sunshine attitude. They both interacted with the situation in ways that were justified given each character's backstory and revealed something about them.

Tommy didn't ruin the dinner in the finale, he was attuned to his boyfriend and picked up all the cues Buck was sending him resulting in them playing off of each other in a intimate manner that displayed how close and domestic they'd become.

If you're incapable of interacting with plotlines in a way that doesn't make you sound like a fifteen year old who does nothing all day but read bad fanfics with the same 5 overused infantalising tropes then maybe you should limit your exposure to media to said fanfics.

It's not Buck's story, it's a relationship between two characters that plays a role in the show and has an impact on the overall plot and should be analysed through this lens.

Basically, what I'm getting from fandoms these days is that a lot of grown-ass people think that a romantic relationship between two adults is like a girlhood bestfriendshipism where you get the same hairstyle, have the same favourite song, and chew the same type of gum, copy each other to the point where one of you has no personality left because it's all about showing the world how you and Becky-next-door are just the bestest of friends and nothing could stand between you which results in frankly astonishing levels of immaturity and, yes, blatant stupidity and turns fandoms into a kindergarten playground.

[late-draft]

I'd contribute a tiny bit to the pro-Zutara side when it comes to the idea of Katara in the role of a co-ruler of the Fire Nation.

I understand where the negative arguments are coming from, how it's especially "shocking" if she enters the royal family (one which led the oppressive regime which waged war for 100 years and caused so much devastation);

however, firstly it is really no longer that family. Zuko committed high treason, almost died TRICE for that and still kept steady on that course, rejected his family, the family's terrible ideas about the world and both Ozai and Azula were imprisoned. Nobody supporting the old ways is still there. I don't understand negative arguments which treat Zuko's early background, lineage, political role (which may be incredibly undefined as the entire nation is being restructured, it's fantasy) as a more important factor than him as a person. He treats others with respect after undergoing redemption, he's demonstrably empathetic, he's working on undoing as much damage the Fire Nation has caused as possible, he was ready to die for these things. Secondly, why should a job or a title in a fantasy setting be a more relevant argument than love? If love was real and strong: if there's mutual respect between two people, understanding, cooperation, splitting of tasks, mutual care, communication on how to tackle problems, this is much more important and holds more weight than whether or not a role granting political power is from this or that side.

From what I've seen, the dominant headcanon for Zutara is that it wouldn't be oppressive to her but instead allow her to affect the world. It makes sense, most people want their favourite characters to be happy - AND there's no canonical evidence to suggest that being a co-ruler of the new Fire Nation would be a terrible, oppressive, restrictive position. Sure, there can also be headcanons where duty to other parts of the world might be too heavy and they split Zuko and Katara up, but this is a Tragedy trope and it only exists when there's incredibly strong love between them underneath this. So even this argument ends up supporting zutara.

I think that any arguments that use outside reasons why their relationship would be terrible are in the end much weaker in philosophy, compared to arguments about whether or not there are strong feelings between them. This is fantasy, love is an incredibly powerful force. And audience wants to believe in the power of love.

Now, if you ask me, I'd say I believe two characters absolutely do not need to have an on-screen kiss or anything completely explicit in order to convey that yes, they have deep feelings for each other. Shipping comes down to preferences, many people certainly simply Do Not Vibe with Zuko as a personality or whatever. However, this is a separate thing from what the characters are written as doing, how they are behaving in each other's company and how they treat each other.

So I'd say, if Katara loves Zuko (and vice-versa), then that's fullstop. Anything else is just an obstacle in their way which they'd tackle together.

[theconcealedweapon]

I completely understand voting for a felon. If someone was convicted of a felony for "possession of marijuana in a school zone", which could easily mean that they had a blunt in their car while driving past a school or that they smoked at home and live down the street from a school, and they ran for office so they could fix the ridiculous drug laws, they'd very likely have my vote. I'd feel the same way about someone who stole because their survival depended on it and ran for office in order to prevent other people from being trapped in poverty like they were.

But it makes no sense to vote for a felon while claiming to want to "restore law and order". It makes no sense to downplay police brutality or the abuse of prisoners or of undocumented immigrants because "they're criminals so they deserve it" then vote for a criminal. It makes no sense to vote for a felon after spending years insisting that felons shouldn't be allowed to vote. It makes no sense to support banning felons from some jobs but not from being president.

[quinnylouhughesx43]

𝒀𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒔 · 𝒄𝒄22

summary: in which Cole’s long term girlfriend brings home a new puppy that resembles Cole’s childhood stuffie and it stirs up feelings inside him

warnings: use of y/n, not edited, established relationship, fem reader x cole,

word count: i wrote this in my notes app on my phone so I have no idea :(

notes: yes i know this is cole’s doggo it just fit, @toasttt11 gave me the suggestion / idea / request thank you ily toast mwah🥰

Cole sat on the edge of the bed, his hands clasped together as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. He stared at the tiny dachshund puppy, its fur a mix of chocolate and cream, as it lay contentedly on the soft, fluffy blanket. His girlfriend, y/n, had brought the puppy home only mere moments ago, introducing it to him as their new pet. Cole's heart had immediately melted, and he had found himself completely smitten with the adorable little creature. The puppy quick to sense his overt affection, as it rolled over onto its back, its tiny paws flopping in the air, revealing its belly. Cole couldn't help but chuckle as he moved to kneel and reach out a gentle finger to scratch the puppy's soft underbelly.

As they continued to play, Cole suddenly lost his balance. He hadn't realized how many toys were scattered across the floor, and as he tripped over one, he tumbled forward, sending him and y/n both tumbling into a heap of laughter. The puppy, startled by the sudden movement, let out a yelp before wriggling its way out of the way from Cole's tumbling body. It stood wide eyed and shakily on all fours, tail wagging furiously, as if nothing had happened.

Cole felt a wave of affection wash over him once more, and he knew that he couldn't bear the thought of sharing this little creature with anyone else but with his love.

As he sat up, dusting off his clothes is when he truly noticed a distinct resemblance between the puppy's markings and his favorite childhood stuffed animal. It was as if fate had brought this little puppy into their lives, meant to be a cherished reminder of his past. He let himself wonder if y/n had noticed the same thing about the puppy’s markings and if the similarities between the two persuaded her decision.

She had seen multiple pictures of him as a young child. Which in those photos he would almost always have his stuffie. Cold leaned over, picking up the puppy and holding it close to his chest. Its tiny body was warm and soft against his skin. It let out a contented yip as it nestled into the crook of his arm.

While they all continued to play, Cole's mind drifted back to a conversation he and y/n had a few days earlier about starting a family and what that would look that. He and her had been together for some time now and both were very serious about the other. It only seemed logical that the conversation came up. During their conversation and thinking back on it now, Cole was overcome with a surge of affection towards her, and he wondered what kind of parents they would make together. He imagined them raising their children in a home filled with love and laughter, just like he hoped they will with the puppy. The thought of sharing his life with her, building a future together, made his heart race. It raced the same way it did the first time he laid his eyes on her. He was as into her now as he was then.

He gathered up the courage he needed, taking a deep breath before speaking. "Y/n," he began, her name rolling off his tongue like honey. "I know we've talked about this before, but I want you to know that I'm serious. I want us to take the next step. I want you to move in with me. I think we are ready for it. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us." He paused, he swallowed down his nerves, searching her eyes for any signs of hesitation or doubt. But all he saw was love and understanding.

She nodded slowly, her gaze never leaving his. "I feel the same way, Cole. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I'm ready. I want us to start this new chapter of our lives together. Whatever it is, I know we can face it together." Her words sent a shiver of anticipation down his spine. He reached out, cupping her face in his hands, and leaned in to kiss her. It was a soft, tender kiss that spoke of promises and possibilities of their life to come.

As they pulled away from the kiss, she smiled up at him, a sparkle in her eye. "So, what do you say? Shall we go pick out a new place together? One that will allow us to keep this little guy?” She squeezed the puppy affectionately, who yipped in agreement. Cole grinned back, his heart swelling with happiness. "I say that sounds like a plan." He glanced around, taking in his cozy apartment, one she’s already filled with her love and laughter, his first place on his own. "But first," he added, "let's take this little guy to the vet, make sure he's healthy. Then we can really start our new life together."

[cripplecharacters]

Do you have an idea of disability as part of redemption arc ? Let's say, I have a character who's a professional executioner, from a dynasty of professional executioners, XVIIIth century. He was a real person, who eventually became paraplegic. Since, I want, for my historical novel to redeem him...He started torturing people at fourteen, maybe younger, and killed for the first time at age 18. He's 33 when the story started, and became hemiplegic/paraplegic (documentation isn't clear on this) at age 35, and was in a social circle of executioners and torturers since birth. Realistically, maybe, he would have little to no sense of belonging beyond that of executioner, unless maybe as head of house, which is again, liked to his position as executioner. He's a third class citizen, but an absurdly wealthy one, and no longer being able-bodied doesn't mean he can stop depending on the executioner buisness, it just means his son has to start killing at 15.

How do you think a man who worked for 13 years as master executioner of Paris, but officially because one at age 7, insuring his wealth but also the envy of his colleagues, would cope with being hemiplegic/paraplegic. Also, one of his potencial rivals was a man who in all likelyhood beated his mother, and probably him and his brother when they were at least teenagers. That master executioner was aged 35 when he lost his mobility to a stroke. The Mémoires of the Sanson family also described him a proud piller of his community, delivering charitable medical care to those in needs and one who enjoyed rough horse riding.

Thank you for your ask! This sounds like a case of redemption through disability, which is a trope that should be avoided. A disabled character can get redeemed, but it should be entirely separate from their disability.

Along with his disability not redeeming him, you should also make sure it doesn’t make him spiteful or cruel. Basically the disability should change what he can physically do, not who he is.

As for the second part of the ask, I first want to note none of our mods are parapalegic/hemiplegic, so we can’t speak for coping with these disabilities specifically. I’d recommend looking for first hand accounts of people with these conditions, or preferably seeing if you can find someone with them to ask or act as a sensitivity reader.

I don’t know much about 18th century French medicine, but physical & occupational therapy will be important as he re-learns tasks that were once easy and figure out ways to complete tasks he can no longer do. Studies show horseback riding can help stroke survivors with their recovery, though he’ll need to ride gently at first.

Have a nice day!

Mod Rot

I just want to say real quick, adding on to the case of redemption through disability, that the reason we want to avoid it is because moralizing disability is something that very much happens to real alive people every day.

Tying disability to morality often is 'disability is a moral failure' type of situation, but another way it affects people is the assumption that 'suffering' through a disability somehow makes you more 'pure' or 'better.' Like when you see some grumpy mean character get an injury and Suddenly They Understand Hardships of Others and they become a better person — sort of a mix between 'disability as punishment' and 'disabled people are innocent.'

This kind of seems like what you're doing here. There's a lot of historical fiction out there that uses real life counterparts. If you choose to do that and redeem a bad person, I can't exactly stop you. But I want you to examine why you think what's going to redeem him is the onset of his disability, rather than an understanding of what he did and attempts to do better.

Hope this helps,

– Mod Sparrow

I agree completely with what has been said and just want to add that even disorders like traumatic brain injuries and strokes that can sometimes affect not only function but also personality should not be used as a moral thing, as mentioned earlier. More realistically impacts of a stroke on personality and mood are depression (this was my main symptom even with minimal other symptoms and damage), some impulsiveness or irritability, and mood swings. The disability, again, should not make them a better or worse person inherently.

-Mod Bert

[tfemteach]

listen I understand that I'm biased and that it's completely valid for people to disbelieve armand when he says louis asked to have his post-suicide attempt memories erased. however. I do believe that he's telling the truth for a couple of reasons. one is the aspect of his character that frames everything he does as an act of service to his lovers, which is the reason he doesn't destroy the pages they removed from the diaries or alter louis's memories about them- there was an interview where someone asked about this and the response was that armand would never do something like that without louis's permission and I think that's true. I don't actually think this is a good or selfless trait of his, I think it's not only self destructive in a lot of ways but also gives him the ability to cast himself as a martyr when he needs to which is a lot of the way that he exercises control. I just think that, much like with Claudia's diary pages, taking an active step without louis's permission is outside his repertoire after Paris.

the other thing is that it doesn't make much sense to me that he would remove the San Francisco memories without being asked but not attempt to do anything about the much bigger wound in their relationship which is what happened to claudia. it would be very easy for him to lean much harder on being unable to prevent it without fully redacting anything. he could have played it like he didn't know that the coven was going to move against louis and claudia. but louis is aware that armand made the choice to let that happen. I feel like if armand was going to be editing things at will to make their relationship easier that would be the first target. because when he removed the suicide attempt he not only removed his own behavior in the fight and with Daniel but also louis's behavior in the things Louis said to him. if armand's goal was only manipulation to make himself seem better he's lost a big piece of his argument by removing an awful fight that louis started with him followed by armand saving him from death.

my point is I don't think what armand has going on is as simple as being a cool manipulative mastermind to ensure that his relationship stays in place. he obviously DOES engage in a lot of manipulation but he has to run it through his martyr-for-love filter first. and he also has loads of Things about hierarchies and rules that I think prevent him from just doing whatever he wants with louis's mind for his own purposes.

[amayzingmayzie]

!!!PLEASE READ THE WHOLE POST BEFORE COMMENTING!!! IM JUST SHARING MY HYPOTHESIS FROM WHAT IVE SEEN!!!

An argument I've seen on StEx Tumblr is "the new costumes don't look like trains!!!"

I think this is a semi-valid statement. I think that's right. They don't look completely like real trains. However, I think that maybe some people forget that they're toys. They aren't meant to look like real trains, and never were.

I can hear some people now: "But Bri!!! They might have been made to look more like model toy trains!! Now they just look weird!!!"

Now, I'm not going to say every costume is perfect. However, I think they were not only trying to modernize the story, but also the concept of the toy trains themselves. They now resemble plastic toy trains (in my eyes, at least), which makes sense for a kid nowadays. Kids don't really have model trains anymore. Hell, even Thomas is more colorful now, I'm pretty sure! I think people may also overlook the fact that toys are very vibrant and colorful. Kids like vibrant and colorful things.

I think I can also understand where the outrage is coming from a little bit because, as far as I've seen, there's an overwhelming disregard for Control in the fandom. In my mind, it makes a lot more sense for the toys to be more vibrant and colorful now that we can see the child playing with them. The story is still based on imagination, but now we are reminded more often that they ARE toys. Maybe people in this fandom don't like that? I'm not too sure.

(I also think it's incredibly rude to assume that the professional costume designer has never seen the show that they're working on?? Hello??)

In the end, I firmly believe it's ok to have whatever opinion you want about the costumes/productions, as long as you aren't being a complete dick about it. I personally hardly think the Bochum costumes look like trains either, but it's ok. I can suspend my belief in favor of the great storytelling and memorable characters! I really love the 2024 production, but it's not perfect.

If you read this far, thank you so much! Please correct me if I'm FACTUALLY incorrect about anything! I'd love to know your opinions and have civil discussions about it!

🩷💗🩷

[avelera]

How the hell do people think that ANNE RICE is anti sex and homophobic?? TVC is weird sex stuff with queer people the book series??

I have no idea how people got that idea but I have seen posts floating around (mostly during S1) that seemed to be from people who thought that IWTV could "finally" show Lestat/Louis as canonically gay because Anne Rice had passed away or that she would be "rolling in her grave" if she saw Lestat and Louis kiss on screen which is... baffling nonsense of the highest degree. As you know, Lestat and Louis are canonically a couple in the books.

Here's what I think happened:

1)People conflated Anne Rice being anti-fanfic with her being anti-slash shipping. Since many authors of the era did have a problem with fanfic in part because of slash shipping, I can kind of see how this misunderstanding would happen. But no, her issues with fanfic were mostly legal and partially creative (she thought people's time would be better spent writing original works that they could one day publish rather than writing fanfic of her work, but I think that was more her misunderstanding the purpose of fanfic than being necessarily derogatory towards fanfic writers, even if her choice of words was somewhat dismissive, but I digress).

2) I saw one theory that Anne McCaffrey (of the Dragonriders of Pern novels) and Anne Rice might have been conflated, which again, kind of makes sense since they were popular during the same era? Supposedly (I can't confirm this) Anne McCaffrey was very against slash shipping of her characters so that might have got mixed in with the whole Anne 90s-Author is against slash fanfic game of telephone.

3) I only vaguely remember this, but I think a quote of Anne Rice's might have been taken out of context. Something to the effect of Lestat and Louis not needing to be shown kissing or having sex to be a couple. And I think people read it inversely from the meaning. She wasn't saying, "The vampires don't have gay sex." She has almost always said some variation of, "Sex is different for vampires. Blood drinking basically replaces and transcends it, as it replaces and transcends all physical pleasures. Louis and Lestat don't need to have sex in order to be a gay couple. Their existence and love as vampires transcends are our understanding of the physical, it is deeper and more all encompassing and and entirely strange to our understanding of sex and relationships on a physical and spiritual level.

Now, keep in mind, at the time when a creator said, "Oh, these two same-sex characters aren't gay their bond transcends sexuality." They were sidestepping and meant, "I'm uncomfortable with same sex relationships and only want to see them as friends." Anne Rice absolutely did not mean that ^ . Anne Rice wrote tons of queer erotica in addition to her queer supernatural novels. When Anne Rice said, "They transcend gender and their sexuality is completely untranslatable to ours." She wasn't being like "So they're not gay." She wasn't saying they were straight either like other creators meant! She was literally, as someone who spent a lot of time thinking and writing about alternate genders and sexualities outside the mainstream, exploring ideas like the fact that if you no longer had the biological imperative to eat, sleep, or reproduce as humans do, your understanding of intimacy and sexuality would change dramatically as well.

(FFS, as you know, Lestat has a relationship with his mother after he turns her because they basically are no longer related at that point, or they are related on completely different levels as fledgling and sire, the whole plotline is tied up in how becoming a vampire is about transcending human norms but also how Lestat is deliberately, gleefully fucking around with taboo and social structure and the forbidden as a matter of course so like... yeah this isn't a one off, the vampire novels are all about how being a vampire means you now naturally break every societal taboo with regards to sex and relationships because you're not human anymore, they become meaningless and therefore we as human readers can also explore the metaphors of gender and sexuality and taboo vicariously and ponder what matters and what doesn't.

I mean, one reason it was so offensive to me to see Anne Rice mistaken as homophobic is that she's basically the reason I'm not homophobic and even felt able to explore my own bisexuality and rejection of gender as a construct after growing up in a conservative household like all you had back then as a teen was Anne Rice and Mercedes Lackey. ANYWAY).

So yeah, this rant got away from me, but while I will say over and over that Anne Rice isn't perfect, there's a lot of things she did in her life that I disagreed with and people have no obligation to like her works or her view of the world, she was actively dabbling in the forbidden and in taboo in ways that might make people justifiably uncomfortable, one way she was doing that was by normalizing same sex relationships way way way before almost anyone else was doing so in genre fiction and that's while I will fight to the death anyone accusing her of homophobia.

[sapphic-agent]

One thing I didn't touch on in my Book 3 Aang analysis was that an important part of his character development was just dropped out of nowhere. I'm of course talking about him letting go of Katara.

I didn't notice it before, but this was such a strange decision to make looking back. Because watching both The Guru, it's heavily implied- if not outright told to us- that in order to not only be the Avatar the world needs, but to heal and grow, he needs to let her go.

You have indeed felt a great loss. But love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. The Air Nomads' love for you has not left this world. It is still inside of your heart, and is reborn in the form of new love.

This is pretty blatantly telling us that Aang's love for Katara comes from the loss of his people. He, upon realizing that he was alone, attached himself to the first person to care for him. The first person to embrace him in one hundred years. He's projecting the love he had for the Air Nomads onto her. And while understandable given the circumstances, that isn't healthy. Aang's attachment to Katara comes from feelings of grief as well as physical attraction, which is a... Bad combination.

(And before anyone says it, no I don't think that's the only way he cares for her. But I do think even their platonic relationship is tainted by not only this, but everyone around them enabling Aang. So many people told him that he just needed to wait and she would come around, that he was the Avatar so of course she would- Avatar Roku I am in your walls- not one person told him to be ready to accept rejection. Not one person told him to respect and be mindful of her boundaries. Are we surprised he did what he did in DOBS and EIP?)

"The Thought Chakra is located at the crown of the head. It deals with pure cosmic energy, and is blocked by earthly attachment. Meditate on what attaches you to this world. Now, let all of those attachments go. Let them flow down the river, forgotten."

I did actually mention this briefly in my Book 3 post, but I sincerely doubt Guru Pathik is telling him he can't love. Roku, Kyoshi, and Korra all found love and they had complete control over their Avatar States (Korra was at her most balanced when she got together with Asami btw). Letting go doesn't mean Aang can't love.

Appa, someone Aang loves more than anything, doesn't appear in this vision. Neither does Sokka, Momo, or Toph. Just Katara.

His attachment to Katara is what's holding him back. Because it's unhealthy, and it's keeping him anchored down. This isn't just about the Avatar State, it's about healing the turmoil in himself. He cannot do that if he doesn't let her go.

(This behavior is even escalated in LOK. Only instead of Katara, he attached himself to Tenzin. Tenzin being an Airbender gave Aang credence to project his love for the Air Nomads onto him. Not only did he then neglect Kya and Bumi because of it, I would also argue that he did a good amount of damage to Tenzin himself. Being put on a pedestal like that by a parent is so harmful)

The fact that none of this is even mentioned in Book 3 doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It was an important part of Aang's development and integral for his growth and healing

[narrynukezankielover]

I love that in this scene (ep 9) Dean once again defends Cas to Ezekiel/Gadriel. Ezekiel/Gadriel asking Dean what he’s going to do about Cas being around them and Dean gets pissed off. He says that Cas is the one that the angels are after and yet he’s fighting. He wonders what Ezekiel/Gadriel is afraid of. Cas has been on earth for like 6 years and I’m happy to see him understanding human things. He could tell that every time Sam brought up Cas leaving the bunker Dean changed the subject and Cas waited until he was alone with Dean to ask him about that. He understands that Dean changing the subject meant there was something Dean didn’t want to talk about with Sam in the room. Back in season 4 Cas wouldn’t have understood that and probably would’ve said something at the wrong time. Then the fact that Cas knew that Dean is in a tough situation and even though he wants to be around Dean he knew he had to listen to Dean.

I’m pretty much just adding this part because Cas looks amazing. I don’t like that he’s being tortured and that he has blood on him but I love seeing him half naked. I will say there was soooo many missed opportunities with human Cas. I would’ve loved to seen Dean teaching Cas to cook or to shave or even something stupid like tieing his shoelaces. In my opinion they didn’t think this storyline completely out. There’s a few things that happened that don’t make sense. Like how did that angel (April I think her name was) find Cas since he had the tattoo?

In ep 9 Dean tells Cas they have to stay away from each other and at the end of that ep Cas says he should stay away from Dean and the very next ep (ep 10) Dean calls Cas for help and Cas comes right away. I would love to know what happened to Cas tie. He obviously magics up his suit and trench coat considering when he got out of purgatory he was still wearing the clothes he got from the mental hospital then when he came out of the bathroom he had his suit on so where is his tie now? I also love how Dean is looking at Cas here. He obviously loves looking at Cas in his suit (the ep where Cas gets out of purgatory proves that) and Cas is letting Dean look.

This scene is hilarious. There’s an angel, a human and the king of hell and the human takes over. It’s Cas car (I’d love to know how Cas learned to drive) yet Dean just goes directly to the drivers side and tells Crowley to get in the back which he listens to Dean (at that point Crowley is handcuffed so he doesn’t have powers) and tells Cas to get in the back with Crowley and Cas listens to him. Cas and Dean will literally do anything the other asks them to do. Another cute thing I noticed Crowley said to Cas riddle me this boy wonder. Riddle me this is what the Riddler says and he is a villain so obviously Crowley is calling himself a villain (he’s the king of hell obviously he’s a villain) but Dean is in the scene and Jensen has voiced Batman a few times. Boy wonder is Robin which is Batmans sidekick so Crowley is calling Cas Deans sidekick.

Dean finally apologizes to Cas for not telling him about Gadriel possessing Sam snd kicking Cas out of the bunker and I love that Cas completely understood what was going on and that Dean really thought Sams life was in danger. This scene also had my second favourite quote so far in the show Dean says we’re dumbasses and Cas says I prefer the word trusting less dumb less ass.

This scene is interesting. Pretty much since Cas and Dean have known each other Dean says whatever he wants to to Cas without any fear that Cas will hurt him because he knows he’s the one person Cas won’t hurt. Cas gets pissed off when he finds out the angel possessing Sam is Gadriel and that Gadriel is the reason for all the bad stuff that has happened to earth and Dean clearly knows that Cas is pissed off because he puts his hands up. To me he is showing Cas that he knows that Cas is an extremely strong angel even with his stolen grace (at this point at least) and can kill anyone if he wants to and right now Cas wants to kill Gadriel but Dean knows he has to calm Cas down so they can get Gadriel out of Sam.

To me (ep11) this shows how much Dean trusts Cas. Crowley is trying to look at the journal but Dean pulls it away from him. Back in season 8 Cas was picking through Deans stuff and looking through the journal and Dean didn’t care. Even in the scene when Naomi comes to Dean and Dean says he doesn’t trust angels which means I don’t trust you. Obviously that scene was about Dean not putting the signs on the boat so Cas would be able to come back to him but it does show Cas is the exception to that rule. Plus in the ep before this Dean was willing to let Cas possess Sam to get Gadriel out. He knows how much trouble letting Gadriel possess Sam made but Cas is the one angel he trusts would get Gadriel out and wouldn’t hurt Sam in the process.

I love that here Cas is trying to defend Dean to Sam. I don’t think Sam understands that Dean lied to Cas too but Cas got over it.

I love how honest Cas is. He’s always been truthful about how much he doesn’t like Sam. Cas has said that he doesn’t like the sound of Sams voice and other such things. I found it interesting that Cas said that before he became human he would’ve pushed the needle into Sams neck and killed him because the ends always justifies the means but now that he’s had human emotions he no longer feels that way. I find it interesting because even before Cas was human Cas would never do something like that to Dean. He didn’t need human emotions to feel like that for Dean. I personally don’t see Cas and Sam as friends I see them as putting up with each other for Dean. I do think that them spending that time together did help them not to become friends but to understand each other better and be able to be around each other if Deans not around.

[darklinaforever]

I want to say this as a black women who is not a part of the LGBT community but has been in fandom for a long time and would love to be a writer. When anyone tackles diversity, they should try their best and hope to be genuine about it. Because no matter what someone does, they will always have someone who hates it. I have adored Bridgerton, it has been fun to see a variety of women and men who aren't just white be love interests and get to wear beautiful gowns. I love that Bridgerton doesn't dive too heavily into the racism aspect. Yet, one of the many criticisms Bridgerton has is that people believe it to be akin to revisionist history. Many don't like it because they feel like taking away racism is an insult to those who suffered in the past. Some are fine with it but prefer racism was never addressed (i.e. "love conquers all"). But if Bridgerton decided that they wanted to be historically accurate and make it that the servants are black and for characters to mention the trans-Atlantic slave trade, people would've been upset as well. People would've mentioned that they no longer want to see trauma porn of BIPOC characters. Which I understand because I've been enjoying more happy and fun representation tbh.

I mean I can go on about the ways diversity in general and how it should be treated causes so much issues within so many BIPOC communities. What one person wants for diversity, is not going to be what another person wants.

The point is, I feel for book fans with the whole Michael/Michaela change. People are acting weird about how this whole thing is "no big deal" but people want what they want. Also, many people, like all humans, tend to be hypocritical. The amount of people who are part of the BIPOC community who didn't necessarily like that race wasn't being discussed (like I wrote in the long essay above), are some of the same people who are cheering on this Michael(a) situation. One of them being a friend of mine where I had to remind her that book fans are allowed to be upset. Besides, didn't she spend all of S1&2 harking about how this show would be more interesting if they addressed race and hated how it was revisionist history? A little contradictory to suddenly hate on others for a change that by her logic (and some others) she wouldn't have supported because it is revisionist history.

Sorry for the rant. It might not make sense, but diversity always gets me heated. I think it is important but people fail to just disucss with nuance and understanding that no everyone is going to think diversity should look the same and that is OKAY.

And that is me saying it as a black fan who have been annoyed by fans who've been saying that Bridgerton isn't diverse enough because there aren't enough black characters. Completely ignoring the non-black characters count as diversity as well. Before the rumors of Sophie possibly being Masala, I saw a lot of fans who originally wished for Sophie to be east asian and were sending hate to them for that because Kate being from Asia was enough representation.

Idk, diversity really has people's worst sides coming out of them.

[realchemistry]

About Maddie's reaction to ~the incident

One of the things I think is important to point out, because I haven't seen or read anyone talking about it, is Maddie's reaction when Buck told her the truth about the basketball incident. When Buck first arrived, she was all smiles, probably happy to have Buck there. Then she asked about how Eddie was doing and Buck said he hadn't talked to him because what happened on the basketball court was not an accident.

Buck confessed that he might have meant to hurt Eddie because he was pissed, felt left out, and he guessed he was trying to get Eddie's attention (I’m not gonna go Buddie here, but he legit literally said exactly this which !!!).

Her face started to morph, the change in her whole demeanor, the horror of it all... she was really really mad. I don't think JLH got the proper credit for it. It's truly remarkable, her face spoke volumes about everything that was going through her head at the moment. You could see Maddie thinking about her past, about Doug, about how he hurt her and the terrible ways in which he justified that behavior as she was telling Buck that you do not hurt people to get their attention and not to do it again.

The episode didn't make that connection explicit (they had her babbling about Sarahs instead, more on that in the last paragraph), and I KNOW that if roles were reversed, part of the fandom would've lost their mind, since they love to portray Eddie as violent and abusive towards Buck when there's nothing in canon to back that up, quite the opposite as of this episode actually. Since Eddie was the one who got hurt, it was no big deal, it was pretty much forgotten immediately after. I thought it was a huge deal, I thought tptb didn't really address how problematic that was. I thought the only one who reflected the gravity of the situation was Jen, maybe thanks to her character's past.

BTW, I don't think it's in character for Buck to do this, I think he does know better, and he really isn't and hasn't ever been the type to resort to violence. Having said that, that's what tptb decided to do on screen, maybe as a way to show he was struggling with his identity... But that’s kinda terrible, like, he’s confused at this point about his feelings so his first instinct is to harm his friend out of jealousy? Also, we didn't get to see anything else on the matter after. It was such an odd choice, tbh, cause yes, Buck and Eddie probably talked about it for a second and then made up offscreen, but to have a character be violent towards his friend just to push a storyline forward, a storyline about bisexuality of all things, disregarding everything about said character and then not acknowledging it... Some very bad choices were made. Once again, I think tptb prioritized moving the plot forward over making sense and that's just something I truly hate with my whole heart.

Characters cannot have their choices and actions dictated by the plot or, at least, it can't feel that way to the audience. That's just bad writing through and through. Tptb did this a lot this season, and I understand that time was pressing because of the strike and all, but they need to do better. They are professionals getting paid to do a job, the least they can do is actually make it all make sense for the fans and stay away from toxic portrayals of LGBTQ+ characters (Hen cheating, anyone?).

The whole story about the Sarahs was really kinda ridiculous, honestly, I think they just had to give Jen more to do but a follow up without it would've been much better. Of course, seeing as their intention was to completely ignore the gravity of the situation, they simply couldn't mention Doug at all cause that would've required Buck and Eddie discuss this seriously instead of completely forgetting about it.

[anti-endo-solidarity]

hi. i've scrolled through a couple of your posts and you seem to be okay with endo supporters interacting if they're respectful, so i'm tentatively going to assume you feel the same about endos interacting.

if not, feel free to delete this ask i guess? i can't control what you do so.

if i'm correct, hi. we're endo. i'm here not to discourse about whether i exist, but rather to speak on issues we've seen in systempunk/syspunk specifically, but also just anti endo spaces in general, in the most respectful and understanding way i can(as someone who doesnt have a CDD). i'm going to try to be as soft and kind as i can because i would be a massive hypocrite if i get upset about hate towards endos nd then do the same to some random anti, but just know that when i get aggressive, i know that i do not know who you are, or what you have been through, and i assure you, i don't mean to make generalizations or assumptions. i am aggressive, but i feel i am aggressive a reasonable amount. i apologize if i overstep. (and also i am not the best at typing long posts like this coherently, so i am very sorry if this doesn't make sense. i will clarify anything! that is why i sign off at the end)

i would just like to say, i appreciate the sentiment of what you wanted systempunk to be. we may not have a CDD, but we believe in supporting and uplifting those voices and we believe in destigmatizing such disorders. even if i know you don't believe in endos, there are a lot of traumagen systems in proendo spaces so we see them a lot and they're a very important part of our community. we would believe in that even if i ended up being wrong about being plural. i fully understand wanting a space for traumagenic systems to be happy about being systems together, for them to feel happy about being punk, to share all the joyous moments and all the upsetting moments, to find community and peace in a shared experience. it's also great because those spaces are usually great places to find positivity and resources for systems, and i know that the trauma based disorder is gonna be shitty sometimes, cause, well, trauma, so if having that space full of that positivity and happiness helps trauma survivors, i'm 100% absolutely for that.

the underlying issue in almost every anti endo space we've come across, however, is that often times those spaces aren't even actually safe. anti endos, time and time again, have claimed to provide a place for trauma survivors, or for those with stigmatized disorders, while failing to provide those places to endogenic trauma survivors, or for endos with stigmatized disorders. they cherry pick which trauma survivors they want to protect, and actually, most of the time that includes CDD systems! with us endos it's sucky but it's mostly fine, since we have our own places. but with CDD systems that get filtered out because they're proendo, they have a harder time because endo-provided spaces are, well, built for endos. we can try our best to support CDD systems but at the end of the day it's not like we can exactly give them a good space for finding people with similar experiences.

it's so frustrating to me to see so many people treat DID/OSDD like it's synonymous with being anti endo. it's so frustrating as someone with trauma to see people be like "we're creating spaces for trauma survivors!" and then completely ignore a good portion of trauma survivors based on a debate.

(obviously its even more frustrating for me because the debate, imo, is stupid and it's obvious to me that endos are real, but i know tht i can't automatically change everyone's mind, and also that's not the point i'm trying to make here).

i don't have time to flesh this out even more, but my point is, my main issue with anti endos, and syspunk as a tag, is that often they ignore CDD systems who are pro endo, especially because a lot of you are REALLY hateful. i know not all of you are like that, but genuinely so many of you are so so hateful and rude and it's just. how can they claim to protect trauma survivors and be a safe space when they are so hostile?

if they really cared about CDD systems, they would actually protect them. instead, they just slap on a label and yell at people on the internet.

anyways. i hope this was even slightly coherent. again i'm not accusing YOU of anything, i just see this kind of stuff in anti endo spaces, and i've been seeing it start to pop up in syspunk and systempunk too. you seem like the kind of person to understand what i'm trying to say and why it's actually harmful.

I want to start this off with, thank you, you are being genuinely respectful in a way that I haven't seen yet from you all.

Next thing I will say, you do have a point. There is a time where we will have to set our views aside and support CDD systems who are pro endo, because they do have trauma and they do deserve support.

I also want to apologize if any part of my community harasses yours. I do not condone those actions and it is not the point of this place.

Honestly, the only reason I dislike endos, is that they steal terms. The worst part about it is that so many endos try to connect being an endo, and having a trauma disorder. But endos would still be inherently different from CDD systems, because of the lack of trauma. It is such a massive problem of many, many, endos stealing our terms of systemhood for themselves, and unless I'm mistaken, you haven't done that in this ask. You don't call yourself a system throughout this entire ask. I commend that. I hope you do the same on your blog. But there are so many other cases of people relating something with a trauma disorder. We are sick of it. Many of you also culturally appropriate tulpamancy. And also many endos making CDD systems believe that they are an endogenic system because their trauma was "not enough". Please separate your community from ours fully. That will make us happy. That will stop the debate.

I'm just going to wrap up my rambling with this

TLDR:

Thank you for being respectful. I'm sorry if my community has harassed yours, I don't condone harassment. You have a point that pro endo CDDs still will need support. The reason I am not okay with endos is that they associate their experiences with a trauma disorder, when they are fundamentally different because of trauma. Many people steal terms, and culturally appropriate others, even making people believe their trauma was not enough to be a system, which is wrong on so many levels. If you are able to detach your community from ours, we will be happy. That will stop the debate, the hate, everything. You cannot have a trauma disorder without trauma, so don't associate the two.