#{ this is also not me romanticizing criminals because that's not ok!! }

[sevenrs]

3, 16, 22 👀

violence ask game ; OPEN

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

that one guy who called slugcat shipping a time paradox is literally so fucking funny, but real answers... does it have to be on tumblr? because i can think of two i hated that i saw on discord. everything ive seen on tumblr i've personally disagreed with but i wouldn't call any of it bad ANYWAYS DISCORD a pre-downpour headcanon i saw in the official server was something like. "moon is only nice to you because she suffered :) her whole experience humbled her. if she was still standing, she'd be as ruthless as pebbles" SUFFERING IS NEVER A POSITIVE FOR ANYONE! i get this is like. not a real person but to imply that suffering somehow makes someone a better person (and not a better character) is sickening. i don't see it now that dp came out but. gross gross gross and take number 2. someone went on a rant in a discord server im in about how pebbles literally did nothing wrong because everything that led up to his situation wasn't really his fault-- moon stopped him or suns gave him the pearl. whats next. it's slivers fault for dying too? YES its information that shouldnt have been given but that doesnt mean pebbles DIDNT use it irresponsibly. he did. he was killing moon. and she was rightfully trying to save herself

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

something my friend also dislikes but. really dont like it when people depict artificer as soft. that is a war criminal perpetuating the cycle of violence that hurt her in the first place. i understand maybe sentimental about children because its a nice thought but other then that. that is someone with cold logic to justify her ruthless violence. YES she is sympathetic. but jegus. that cat sees murder for the sake of murder as an ok thing and the soft interp of her feels wrong

also uh. different thing entirely but. sorry i really dont understand sunx x pebbles. suns is very much a mentor to him and thinking about them getting together is uncomfortable to me. its the power imbalance to me. suns x pebbles isnt problematic to me (as long as you dont like. romanticize the potential abuse! my friend has seen some of that and its gross) but its a bit umcomfy

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

anything i say about spirituality in rain world. im not religious and i honestly don't know the % of buddhists and hindus in this fandom but the inspirations are real and do matter and you cant brush karma and reincarnation off as a "game mechanic" because a lot of it does make sense in universe. all of it? i cannot explain all of it, either because it really doesn't make sense or i don't have the knowledge to yet. but literally being able to die and come back is not just a game mechanic! it's part of the lore!

#asks.txt #ardienothesieno #hi what did i say about being very opinionated #because i am ahhahahah #i dont mind MOST ships on a basic level. because i actually do not understand all of the ones people put in canon #except for sibling ships literaly unfollow if you like moon and pebbles / monk and survivor #but i dont mind them because the reasons i dont like a lot of these ships are very petty and im not here to be antagonistic #but big reason number 2. im aromatic LMAOOOOOO

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

pleeease tell me more about this drug dealer/sex worker/rich client au you're rotating in your mind. it sounds incredible

Ok so I project onto Ed and I'm a sex worker, so, that's where this AU is born from. It's not my only job I do it as a side hustle the way that people sell bottle cap earrings on Etsy, but that's not the energy I necessarily have for this au.

So basically Ed's an out and out hooker, a sleep with clients for your only job kinda hooker, been doing it since he was young. Started working the street and then through a series of being extra charismatic to the right people he started a rapport with some more prestigious ladies of the night and wealthier johns and became one of those fancy high end escorts. Jack is a drug dealer whose one of Ed's clients from back in the day and they're... friends? I guess. He's also over time worked his way up in that industry so he keeps being able to afford Ed's increasing rates and they hang out outside of fucking so Jack is getting the friends discount, the only reason he still has to pay is because they were escort and client before they were friends and Ed's not gonna tell him to stop paying him. Now, Stede is a very rich guy who is having a sexuality crisis and he deals with that by paying an escort (Ed) behind his wife's back, just to try it out. Ed is actually kind of sick of his job, but this isn't like a oh poor hooker who needs to be saved thing its just a "used to like doing this, not really having fun anymore, but what else am I gonna do? Other things also sound like they suck pretty bad and mostly I just want to retire." And then he meets Stede who is like truly so sweet to him (which in my experience a lot of clients are actually rather sweet) and they click really well and they continue seeing each other, but Ed's life and Stede's life are very different. Like Ed's got all these criminal connections and he uses drugs recreationally (but in a non addict way where you like do a little bit on the weekends at a party and then be done the next day because like 90% of why I would write this fic if I did is because every time hookers and drug users get portrayed they're always very self destructive and while I respect those people and know some of them that is simply not my experience of sex work or drug use) vs Stede who has up to this point been very straight laced, but is having the most dramatic midlife crisis imaginable. So what ends up happening is Ed accidentally enables Stede to go careening off the rails, because he was always gonna do that, if it wasn't with Ed it was gonna be with some other hooker and his opportunist drug dealer bff.

Now, I mentioned this fic in the tags on a post about Izzy. That said this is not an Izzy fic, this is a blackbonnet fic with Jack causing problems in a non antagonist way on the side where the end game is Stede gets a divorce and Ed gets to retire on Stede's dime and they fall madly in love and Stede gets better because he's no longer in a failing marriage or trying to lead a double life. However if I had to put Izzy in it Izzy would be an annoying client of Ed's who is transparently in love with him in a creepy way, but if I were to actually write the fic I'd be a thousand times more likely to include Frenchie, for example, than I would be to include Izzy, just because if I'm gonna make Ed semi well adjusted he needs at least one non Jack friend and Frenchie is your guy, when looking for an Ed bestie.

Like I certainly don't want to romanticize sex work or drug use but I do absolutely want to de-stigmatize it. Like all of 5 people would read this fic if I wrote and published it so it's not that serious but also sex work is truly just a job and it is possible for some people to use drugs without without becoming addicted. And you know these guys are murderers for their job in universe so I don't see why I can't have an au where they do way less sketchy crimes than that.

#cw sex work #ofmd au #cw recreational drug use

[mothernatureknows]

"I'm here to make sure you're not sick."

"...Are you sure that's the only reason?"

Inspired by @intergalacticxmisfits's wonderful idea to have her star princes as prisoners and Maddy being their own personal, prison doctor. She's there for regular check-ups, vaccinations, minor emergencies...mostly.

#intergalacticxmisfits #{ i couldnt get this idea out of my head so here is a small edit dfgdfsdfg } #{ this is also not me romanticizing criminals because that's not ok!! } #{ but really i think they were all mischarged for a misdemeanor } #{ and this is tumblr so not to be taken too seriously lol } #c:Maddy;; #{ v; TBD. }

[cafffine]

Hey guys, I’ve decided to stop publishing Saltcoats for a number of reasons. I'm aware that many of you are going to initially be let down or confused, but hopefully once you’ve read through this post you’ll understand why this had to stop. I’ll try to hit all my points, but of course if you have any questions pls feel free to dm me or reply to this post.

DISCLAIMER: Ending this fic was a decision I came to by myself! No one asked me to do this, though many did help, and if you have something to add please do not bring other tumblr or ao3 users into the conversation unless they’ve explicitly said they’re ok with that. It’s a draining and heavy topic (not to me, but for those affected) and I don’t want to cause anymore unneeded distress.

Also, I’m the only author, all the problems with this story were created by me, and were biases I should have recognized and acted on much sooner. I’m very thankful to all the people that have reached out to me about the negative impacts on this fic, but it really does come down to: I wrote and published a story that was fundamentally ignorant of its setting and racist. So now I have to do my part to apologize and educate myself/take accountability.

First off, this was a flawed concept to begin with because I was trying to do a low fantasy setting with aliens in period clothes and a work of historical fiction at the same time, and those are not things you can go halfway on.

Historical fiction that centers around people of color has a long history of simply going race-blind and faking diversity by giving poc the roles of white people in Eurocentric stories and erasing their identities. (This article about Bridgerton explains the problem better than I could.) And it was something I tried to avoid by still having the Fetts written as immigrants from Aotearoa (NZ), but completely missed the execution on because I didn’t commit to full historical accuracy in all characters and aspects of the story. Meaning, I might as well have gone race-blind because you can’t pick and choose what to include, it’s just as racist.

This creates situations like the Fetts being immigrants facing real life oppression while the Organas, also people of color, are unaffected by the social climate and living as members of the British upper class. That’s not accurate to any version of history and ends up wiping clean any point I was trying to make about race and oppression. That also extends beyond the Fetts, I was not addressing how the american characters come from a country that still allows for the ownership of slaves, the British oppression of Scottish people and their culture, or even an in-depth look at real Queer communities of that era. (and more)

Given the real life historical climate in the 1850s, a multi-racial story like this one is not successful, and is racist in its ignorance of the struggles of poc, immigrants, and the intersectionality that had with class and crime.

In addition, the Fetts being written as criminals, even if it is framed as a morally correct choice*, is still playing into negative racial stereotypes that shouldn’t have been ignored.

* I should add, I don’t mean to make it sound like i’m creating excuses for myself when I give explanations for some of these choices such as “but it was framed as morally correct”, that doesn’t lessen the damage being done, it’s still racist, I guess I'm just trying to show why so many of these things went overlooked for as long as they did, and how easy it is for white/privileged people to find mental loopholes around racism when you’re not being sufficiently critical of yourself.

On another note, the Fetts being indigenous immigrants to Britain in the 1800s is not something I should have tried to tackle in fanfiction - a medium that often lacks nuance and can easily end up romanticizing or glossing over most heavy topics. This goes for period typical homophobia, addiction, and class struggles as well.

That being said! I’m not implying that any of those things should be completely ignored in fanfiction. Addiction, for example, is something very close to me that I do still want to explore in fanfic for the purposes of education and normalization, I’m not telling anyone what not to write, just checking myself. Because in a story like this where literally everything is so heavily dramatized and also applied to characters of color by me, a white person? It’s only going to end up being out of place, lacking in historical accuracy, and wholly disrespectful.

Another major problem I wanted to address is the relationship between a rich white person and a poverty stricken poc. That's a bad stereotype to begin with, but then I tried and failed to frame Obi-Wan as ignorant and biased to a point where his social status plays into the theme of class critique. But, if he’s still being written as Cody’s love interest, all his negative characteristics are ultimately going to be ignored and excused by the narrative (by me).

I’m not trying to end this conversation, I’ll always be willing to talk about this to anyone who’d want to say/hear more, but I don’t want run the point into the ground with over-explanation.

So, in conclusion, this fic had to stop and be broken down into the problem that it was. All white authors who write for the clones need to be hyper-vigilant about the fact that we are creating narratives for poc, and that our inherent racism is always in threat of being baked into in the stories we publish and spread to an audience. I was in the wrong when I wrote this story, and it should never have gone on for this long. I apologize for both my actions, and to anyone I may have hurt along the way.

This is getting posted on ao3 in the fic, and then, for now anyway, the fic is going to be deleted after a week. I’ll leave this post up and answer everyone unless it's someone trying to change my mind. Also, if I ignore an ask please send it again, tumblr might just have deleted it. I don’t want to try and bury this or run from my mistakes, I just don’t think that leaving the fic up where it can still find an audience will do anyone any good. Thank you for reading

If you're interested here's some resources I've been using to educate myself further:

What caused the New Zealand Wars? - An excerpt of the book by Vincent O'Malley of the same title. It gives a good summary of the violent colonization and oppression of Māori people and their culture by the British empire.

NZ Wars: Stories of Waitara (video) - Very educational documentary about the NZ wars and British colonialism. There are some historical recreations that get violent so pls watch with caution.

Historical American Fiction without the Racism - Tumblr post by @/writingwithcolor that talks specifically about Black people in the 1920's, but makes a good point about race and historical fiction in general. I'd recommend any post from this blog, especially their navigation page just a lot of great resources

Who Gave You the Right to Tell That Story? - An article about writing outside of your race that includes a diverse series of testimonials

History of Scottish Independence - Details the colonization of Scotland by the British empire, sort of long, can cntrl + f to "The Acts of Union" for a more direct explanation.

The best books on Racism and How to Write History - A list of well written and diverse works of historical fiction and why they are good examples of representation

I have a lot more that I can share if you're interested (x x x x) but this post is getting a bit too long.

#I proofread this a lot but I'm sure there's problems with this post too #If anyone has something they want me to change or of theres anything I said that was offensive I'd appreciaite any help fixing it #but also I'll be rereading this all night and it will likely change before I put it on ao3 #saltcoats #racism

[keltonwrites]

I bought a house in the middle of nowhere

“Yeah, I loved it, but she’d never move there.” It was something akin to that, at least. He didn’t mean any mischief, no deceit or planning. It was an honest take on what, at the time, was true. I saw the road into town on Google Maps, noted that it was closed during the winter, acknowledged the reality that a person can own a snowmobile, and I said, “we are not moving there.” But, all good truths are just dares in the making.

And here I am, living in the “there” I said I would not. Two years ago, I left my job at Headspace for a life reset. It was pre-pandemic, and Ben and I were planning a big road trip. Our perfect paradise in Topanga, CA, had crystallized itself as many people’s perfect paradise, and those “many people” all had more money than us. Our options to buy a home were nil, and home-buying was essentially all we wanted. Ben’s a builder and I’m a world builder, and we wanted somewhere to invest that didn’t belong to someone else. We packed the car with the tent and the bikes and the dog and all the things that come with tents and bikes and dogs, and off we went on our own Tour de l’Ouest, looking for a place to call home. We knew what we wanted, knew our odds of finding it, and hit the road anyway. Here was the dream list — concocted by two pie-in-the-sky dummies who married each other:

Not rainy or consistently windy

Notable access to the arts

Remote and challenging to get to/close neighbors

Wild West influenced architecture

Progressive community

Exceptional trail access out the front door

High-speed internet

In our budget

And my personal favorite: had to “feel right” Good luck to us with a list like that, but thus began our hunt. We camped in the snow, tried every dirty chai in the Rockies, and explored every town we could. Whatever a good time it was, it felt useless. Every town Ben was OK with, I hated. Every town I was OK with, Ben despised. And the few places we both loved required money we just didn’t have. We came home with our sails down, limping into the harbor of our rental. But as is the way with romantics, our dreams began to slowly eclipse our reality. Books fell victim to Zillow and Trulia. TV was replaced by the MLS. All writing time was dedicated to Realtor.com. Hours were spent pouring over maps, county records, and updating spreadsheets that tracked price per square foot compared to beds and baths. Over time, all that internetting led to one singular town of 180 people at 10,000 feet in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado with a road that said “Closed Winters” on Google Maps. Look, I don’t know what happened. Ben found this town on a map, I said don’t be ridiculous, and after a year or so of him telling people I'd never move here, here I am, being ridiculous. Was it reverse psychology? Maybe. Was it the charming “town plan” that mandated all houses be rustic cabins and forbade AirBnB? Could be. Was it the fact that when I looked at Strava’s Heatmap, it showed what seemed like thousands of miles of trails just out the front door? I mean, yes. All these things played a part, but all I know for certain is that one day I woke up and said, “we’re going to move there.” Ben doubted this conviction (and the realities behind it) thus cementing it into place in my head. In a town of 180 people there’s only ~60 houses, which means maybe 2 or 3 get listed per year — but my spreadsheet had the proof: we hadn’t missed our chance yet in this tiny town. The data showed a strong likelihood there would be at least two houses listed within the calendar year. This, however, was also our last chance. The spreadsheet also showed that if we didn’t find a house this year, we wouldn’t be able to afford one the next. We called a realtor, made our case, and harangued her until she believed us that we were truly the kind of yahoos who would move to an avalanche field and stay there. And then it happened. A pocket listing. It was a darling home built in 1890. It had the beds, the baths, and the views. We were the first and only to know. We put in an offer, they agreed, and we would come to see the house in a few weeks. But in those few weeks, the circumstances changed. The sellers lost their own sweet deal, and they couldn’t sell yet. Their agent promised we had right of first refusal, it was only a matter of time. Ben lamented, I preached patience, and we went to see the house that was no longer for sale anyway.

It was a quiet winter morning in Covid when we drove across the packed snow to meet our realtor outside the house. The sun was out and the 13 degrees Fahrenheit felt warm. I unzipped my jacket, mask on my face. I took long videos and talked about where I would set up my office and where we’d put the bikes. As we closed up and I settled into a future where this house would eventually be mine, our realtor told us there were comps in the area — other residents quietly interested in potentially closing out. Would we like to see them? Sure, let’s.

One home came with an incredible commercial kitchen. The whole house was a whopping 3500 sq ft if my memory serves me correct, which falls under the category of “houses too big to find your cat in."

Another home had an open-air-to-the-kitchen bathroom.

The third was dark and overpriced with cracked windows and open beer cans scattered about.

And then, plans changed.  “Hey guys, there’s actually one more house we can see.” The last house we saw was a log cabin, nestled in the hillside by itself, with massive A-frame windows looking out onto the peaks beyond. Inside was a labyrinth of a life lived long and large. The cabin was built and loved by a man we’ll call Jack. Jack was 82, and as we walked toward the front door on that sunny winter morning, he exited with two beers in his pockets, headed to the mountain to ski. Jack was an attorney — in his life he’d been both criminal and defender — and from the stories, somewhat interchangeably. There were artifacts from running in the same scenes as Hunter S. Thompson and Willie Nelson; there were stuffed birds, bad books, sheet-covered couches, smoked spliffs, and piles and piles of mouse shit. Every inch of the house was lived in, and not just by people. You think millennials like plants? No. This man likes plants. The biggest monstera deliciosa I’ve ever seen, spanning some 10 feet wide and 15 feet tall. Draping cactuses, spider plants, massive aloes, and an ambitious hoya carnosa clawing its way to the top of the massive fireplace. But there were problems. I’m trying to be diplomatic saying the house was lived in. The wood by the door handles was dyed black from years of hand grease rubbing against it. The carpet in the upstairs was soiled almost everywhere with bat scat. Newspaper was stuffed between the massive logs to keep the wind out. There was cardboard taped over almost every window, blankets nailed over the others. Half the doors wouldn’t open. It was unnerving to touch the crusted light switches. It was early enough in the season of Covid-fear that touching anything felt like gambling. On our way back to our rental in the bigger neighboring town, we shared our awe and our no-ways, lamenting how long we’d have to wait for the little 1890s fixer upper. That night, I sent the video I took of the cabin to my parents. “Can you believe this?” I asked. And do you know what my dad said? “Great log construction.” After that, the cabin was all we could talk about. “Could you believe those plants?” “Did you see how big those logs were?” “I just googled Jack, look at this.” “Do you know what the insulating factor of logs is?” “How much did he say he was asking?” It came down to the plants. Amidst all the chaos in that house, the tender care of those decades-old plants sung the clearest. This wasn’t just a place Jack lived in, it was a place that wanted to be lived in. We made an offer the next day.

Jack had six months to clear out his 30 odd years of collecting, and the town had six months to speculate about the worrisome Californians moving to their high-altitude, high-risk town. The town itself is an old mining town. It rests in a high valley, surrounded by peaks over 13,000ft, and is over six hours from the nearest major airport. Five people died around this town in avalanches this past year. The dirt road into town is littered with avalanche fields, warning visitors to not stop when driving in. The other way out is a pass road, only drivable in the warm months, but you could skin out if it was dire. Most August days, the high is in the mid-60s. The valley is blanketed in wildflowers, and the aspens littering the mountainsides suggest a promising fall display. The town had a heyday, a low day, and now it’s a community of preppers, adventurers, appreciators, and “get all these idiots away from me”ers. We don’t know these people yet, but the ones we’ve met have the same like to live hard attitude we do. Heli-ski guides, ex-CIA agents, woodworkers, bakers, teachers, just a general can-do group of people. The kind of people that see a California license plate and peer with skepticism between the thin gap over their sunglasses and under their caps.

You might say I’m romanticizing the place, but the residents are worse. Like all good old-timers, they’re full of threats: “wait’ll you see the snow drifts,” “let’s see how you do outrunning an avalanche,” “good luck with the winds,” “the last Californians didn’t last a year.” God, what does that remind me of?

“Yeah, I loved it, but she’d never move there.”

With every taunt, my teeth ground more enamel, fingers rolling into a clench. And maybe Jack recognized this intensity, because on the day of closing, he hosted a gathering for us in the town's open space. He had us introduce ourselves to the skeptical locals, and I made my case in court, eyes narrowed and lips curled. “I’m the daughter of a smokejumper and wildlife biologist. I grew up watching the wind and the door. I’ve lived in big cities, small boats, and more than one cabin. I always take the stairs, I never use air-conditioning, and I’m a very good shot.” I’m just a girl, standing in front of a town, asking them to give her a fucking chance. Jack stepped forward to speak. “You know, I had my doubts about a couple Californians coming to look at my house. But these people? These are the nicest people you’re ever gonna meet.” And then I helped Jack set up his cot so he could spend his last night under the stars in the town that kept him young. Cooper ran circles with the other dogs. People brought homemade cocktails and bowls of dip and we felt welcomed. Even the mayor, a fellow writer, came and she struck up a conversation. “I hear you’ve got a little bit of a following on social media!” She teased. “I guess, nothing wild.” “Well I just wanted to let you know if you ever geotag this town, I’ll drag you out of it.” She grinned. This was a special place. And every visitor who couldn’t handle the realities of being here threatened the very wellbeing of the people who lived here. This town survives on a delicate balance. They source their own water, manage their own roads, and fervently protect the land and the people around them. Their stories about racing avalanches, snowmobiling in the dark of night to the doctor’s house, hunkering down in each other’s homes as the storms pass — these stories were bylaws. You can join when you’ve proven you’re ready to join. By their own projection, they are hardy and steadfast people, and when they see a Californian, they see something fleeting. Many years ago, I worked in the British Virgin Islands. The people born and raised there were called Belongers. At the customs office, the placards above the lines literally read, “If you belong, stand here” and “If you do not belong, stand here.” Whether or not we belong isn't up to the town council, and it's not up to these residents. It's up to years spent drifting my old Mustang in the snow on the way to school, up to Ben's months and months spent in the backcountry, up to my years of reading fire reports and assisting with evacuations, up to Ben's ability to read the landscape and the weather, up to my doggedness, his diligence, and our pathological love to do difficult things well. It’s up to us, to these old logs, and to this valley. Doesn't mean we'll belong, but it does mean we'll try. And for the record, the road is open in the winter. But do these sound like the kind of people who’d tell Google that? Next week, a tour of the house that we get to call ours — stuffed with newspaper, run by plants, and filled with mice. P.S. Here's where we get our mail.

Subscribe to the newsletter here. Follow on Instagram here.

#newsletters #amwriting #relocation #home renovation #cabin life #cabin living #colorado #log cabin

[katnissmellarkkk]

Okay, onto my liveblog for chapter two of The Hunger Games :

Katniss’ flashback to falling out of a tree and being unable to breathe is such a good analogy, I steal it all the time in my own fics.

I wish the boy who held her up so she didn’t fall was given a name? Katniss just can’t provide names very easily, can she? 😅

“The odds had been entirely in her favor. But it hadn’t mattered” is actually an amazing quotable moment, someone make an edit pronto 👏

No one’s happy when a twelve year old is chosen but ya know. As soon as that kid turns thirteen, off with them! Fair game! 😭😂😅🙃

Hmmm how many of these kids knew immediately Katniss would volunteer for her sister? The way there was a boy ready to catch her before she fell and the way they all just cleared a path for her...

Katniss’ love for Prim had to be prominent because the other kids all seemed to be aware she would volunteer and Katniss claims this is a completely radical, unheard of thing to do. Sooo yeah. Her school peers probably noticed her a lot more than she realized.

Ooo. I just noticed the word choice in “district twelve hasn’t had a volunteer in decades”

Was there a point in time when Twelve had volunteers?

Awww the mayor being sad that Katniss is probably gonna die because he knows her as Madge’s friend 😭😩🤧.

Awww Katniss got presented a medal when her father died, I forgot 🥺🥺🥺

“Bet my buttons” is the worst phrase in history 🤨😐🤭

I like that Katniss’ dead father still has a reputation around these parts 🤧

Helps my fic writing brain to clock it for future reference

Maybe I’m just not nice but I don’t see how Prim is so wonderful that no one can help but love her. Like idk. I feel like this is just Katniss’ bias leaking through. Which is fine it’s better than some clinically detached narrator I hate those FYI

Omg everyone is saluting Katniss and she’s realizing people adore her 🥰🥰

Also ... does this mean Peeta did the three finger salute to her just before being called himself? Idk random thoughts, ignore me.

Katniss is in danger of crying. If this was me, I’d just be sobbing on the ground already.

Haymitch , the og rebel. Looking right into the cameras and calling the Capitol out.

Also ironic how the first thing Haymitch says to / about Katniss is “I like her!” when he spends the rest of the series pretending he, in fact, does not.

“Oh no, not him” is such a love interest introduction, y’all. Gale never stood a chance.

I like how Katniss considers it bad luck for her that Peeta was called 😅. Like... already taking ownership of the boy, sweetheart?

I feel like this is a good time to remind people that medium height is like 5’10. Stop headcanoning Peeta short. Poor Joshy though.

I like how she has never spoken to Peeta but describes the way his hair falls in waves over his forehead 😭🤧

Seems like Katniss thinks Peeta took being called relatively well.

“He has two older brothers, I know, I’ve seen them in the bakery” why is she already trying to defend herself to the audience like “I wasn’t really paying any attention to Peeta Mellark I just happened to notice he had brothers because I saw them once okay?”

Omg Katniss just outright asserting that Peeta’s middle brother definitively won’t volunteer for him. Girl, you just said you don’t know him or his family 😅😅😅.

“Why him?” Still has such a destined, soulmates feel to it. I know they weren’t destined and that’s what a lot of people admire about their relationship but the writing here has always had such a “this guy right here is her soulmate” slant to it, I’m sorry.

“He’s probably forgotten our only interaction. But I haven’t. And I know I never will.” Still continuing with the soulmate-y narration here, Suz Suz, I see.

Oh my god I don’t even remember this line but it’s so sad 🥺🥺🥺🥺🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧😩😩😩😩😩

“The numbness of his loss had passed, and the pain would hit me out of nowhere, doubling me over, racking my body with sobs. ‘Where are you?’ I would cry out in my mind. ‘Where have you gone?’”

I’m so sad now. 😭😭😭

I like that Katniss said “no amount of pleading from Prim” would affect her mother’s depression, as if Katniss easily believes that her own pleas don’t matter but her sister’s are what’s impossible to ignore.

She really needs to stop putting Primmy on this pedestal though it’s not as cute the second or third read around.

“I suppose now that my mother was locked in some dark world of sadness, but at the time, all I knew was that I had lost not only a father, but a mother as well.” I feel like this is just criminally undiscussed. Katniss didn’t know or understand or grasp what depression even was. Like it’s hard enough for kids to forgive parents who abandon them to mental illness when they’re aware what mental illness is. Let alone if you’re just stuck for months / years, not knowing that your mother was sick, instead thinking she just stopped caring for you.

Omg Katniss saying she couldn’t let Prim go to a community home 🤧. Selfless of her. But also sister worry about yourself.

I’m just kidding, I know it’s her character to only be concerned with her little sister above all else.

Mr. Everdeen hating how coal dust settled on everything in the Seam is such a small but interesting detail.

Omg so the meadow is a common place to find corpses of those who starved to death? We maybe should stop romanticizing it.

I like that Mr. Everdeen took Katniss places with him but was like “Hmm, imma leave Prim home, she isn’t cut out for the hunting life”

Idk Katniss being too afraid and shy to go to the Hob without her dad is such a little kid thing though.

Katniss explaining that she was essentially in the merchants backyard

She was essentially dying in Peeta’s backyard 🤧

Wow, I forgot how blatantly violent Peeta’s mother was

Maybe it’s just Katniss’ perspective but every interaction is just her screaming

Aww, his mother called him a stupid creature, why don’t I remember this.

This is so sad omg.

Poor both of them.

One’s starving to death, the other’s utterly abused mentally, verbally and physically.

What’s a weal?

I always read that word as a welt.

Ok I googled it, it’s a big red swollen mark.

So same thing.

Omg now Katniss is saying Mrs. Mellark hit him with an object weapon. This just keeps getting more and more.... sad.

Honestly I haven’t read the books cover to cover since I was a teenager, some of this is a surprise to me.

I always wondered though how that bread was any good, it literally fell onto the wet ground. 😟🤢

Aww, Katniss saying Peeta would get a full beat down if discovered that he burned the breads to feed her 🥵🥵🥵

Okay but if his mother hit him with an object and his eye swoll up and blackened the next day, that could be another reason why he tossed the bread in her general direction and didn’t look at her. I know it was so he wouldn’t be caught by his mother but also he probably couldn’t even see clearly where she was.

The dandelion symbolism 🤧😅😭🥳

Her sarcasm 🤣🤣🤣

Katniss just keeps comparing Peeta to the loaves of bread 😅😅😅

Also she keeps calling him warm and solid and steady

I’m starting to think unconsciously she was already finding herself attracted to him even here.

Him squeezing her hand reassuringly and her chalking it up to a nervous spasm 🙃

I hope when they got married they got a nice screencap of this shot of them on TV facing the crowd, shaking hands.

Make a nice anniversary photo.

Okay, that’s all for my thoughts on chapter two! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

#thgagain #also yes I used a Jen gif leave me be

[imagines-r-s]

this is home (JJ Maybank x OC)

JJ Maybank x AJ Flynn (OC)

Summary: all the times AJ Flynn was JJ’s home and all the times he was hers

Warnings: violence, underage drinking, and marijuana use, domestic violence

also, my requests are open

I honestly really want to write more for my girl, Anastasia Julia Flynn.

--just to clarify, I am in no way trying to romanticize parental abuse and if it triggers you in any way, please don’t read --

JJ Maybank and AJ Flynn had a very interesting relationship. Both of them would make fun of the other until their last breath, but they’d also defend the other until their last breath. The two had so much in common, it was almost comical.  John B and JJ had met in the third grade, both of them meeting AJ a few years later. The three had been there for each other’s best and worst times. Pope and Kie joined the group, sometime during middle school. 

Big John had just gone missing and JB was the only one still holding on hope after a while. But everyone still supported him. 

Kie was the only other girl in the group, which helped a lot in terms of having to deal with all the testosterone in the air. So when she mentioned that she was leaving for her kook year, everyone --especially AJ-- was hurt. 

“What do you- what do you mean you’re leaving?” she was trying not to show the hurt on her face as she stood in front of the boys. 

“AJ, I’m just tired of being a pogue, sometimes people bail, get used to it,” AJ was seething at this point, taking her time to walk closer to Kiara. “AJ, don’t do something you’ll regret,” she heard John B say behind her. 

JJ was just waiting for AJ to explode, her history was just as violent as his, and he knew she’d act on impulses because he was trying hard not to. “So you mean to tell me after we were the ones here for you, that you’re just up and leaving. You’re not just leaving me, you’re leaving all of us. And your justification is ‘people bail, get used to it.”

“AJ-,” she tried to interrupt. 

“No, if you plan on leaving, don’t ever plan on showing your face here again, you backstabbing bit-” she was interrupted by a palm hitting my cheek. “Ok, that’s it.” 

“AJ, stop-”

“AJ, no.”

She heard the boys yelling behind her before she ran up to Kie and tackled her. “You want things to be like that? Ok.” Before she could throw the punch, she felt JJ pull her back and off of Kie. “JJ, let me go.” JJ looked at Kie, quickly telling her that if she’s leaving to leave now. JJ pulled her back into the chateau, almost struggling to keep a hold of her as she was flailing. 

He quickly took her into the spare room, that the two basically shared. He watched as she went to sit on the bed. “You need to calm down.” He couldn’t read the expression on her face like he usually could. She kept her eyes trained on the ground. “AJ, look at me. Look at me,” her eyes finally met his, and he could see the unshed tears,” you got to tell me what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours,” he said poking her forehead, in an effort to make her smile. When he saw her roll her eyes, she knew there was a lot she needed to discuss. 

“How am I supposed to calm down, when she just up and left? Especially with the dumbass reason of people bail.” She ran her hands through her hair, an anxious habit she’d picked up over the years. “I just don’t get it.”

“Hey, I know it won’t help, but do you want to go on the water? How does that sound?”

“The boys can come, too, if they want.” 

The four of them spent the rest of the night on the HMS Pogue, trying to forget about the events that happened a few hours prior. The chaotic duo of JJ and AJ, sat next to each other smoking while the other two sat drinking on the other side of the boat. 

“So, AJ, you’ve never told us what AJ stands for,” John B asked, before taking a drink of his beer. “Yeah, I would like to keep it that way. Why don’t you ask your boy, JJ, what his name means?”

“Well, then it’s a question for both of you,” Pope interjected.

There were only a few people that knew your full name, not that she really kept it a secret, no one ever asked. “Anastasia Julia Flynn, AJ Flynn,” she took another hit of the blunt. JJ chuckled right next to her, to which she elbowed him in response. “I don’t want to hear shit from you, Mr. I was named after a criminal.”

“Wait, you guys know each other’s name and didn’t tell us,” Pope said. 

“Also, you’re named after a criminal?” John B said after.

“Jesse James Maybank, the one and only. But don’t ignore that AJ is named after a fucking princess.” 

“The names are really fitting, in all honesty,” Pope interjected to which the both of you simply shrugged. “You hear that princess, he likes your name,” JJ said with that stupid smirk on his face. “Shut up, criminal.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The next few months went by fairly quickly. The parties, the work, everything else. The chaotic duo kept up with the chaos, as usual. Both of them stayed at the chateau, not just for JB but also for their own well being away from their parents. The two of them knew that when the bruises were showing up on each other, it wasn’t because they were clumsy, or they fell, or any other excuse they would muster up. The two were used to cleaning the others scrapes and bruises anytime they came back from home or just when they were in fights, both occurred often. 

The group of four were hanging out on the hammocks, JJ had fallen asleep, basically laying on top of AJ, his arms wrapped around her waist. “When are you two finally going to admit your feelings for each other?” John B was the one to break the silence. “You know it’s not that simple, both of us are way too unstable for that.”

“That boy is whipped for you, plain and simple. He’s just too scared to admit it and so are you.” Pope did have a point, but she’d never admit that he was right. “I mean, you’re not necessarily wrong, but I’m not going to say that you’re right.” The two boys simply hummed in response, he opened his mouth to respond, but before he could respond, her phone started ringing. 

“Hey….yeah...uh, no I just got caught up at John B’s…I know...mhm...I know...yeah, I’ll head home…yeah..bye,” she hung up and sighed. Knowing that 1.) she would have to leave and 2.) she would have to wake JJ up. “Well looks like I will have to get going, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

“JJ,” she gently pushed him,” I have to go home, you have to move.” She heard him grumble, “Princess, no stay here.” Luckily, the blush on her cheeks was hidden by the lack of light outside. “Come on, Jay, I have to go.” When he finally moved, she was able to make her way towards her car, so that she could rough back home. 

“You calling her princess now?” John B asked after seeing AJ drive away. “It was just a joke b-because of her name, you know. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

“Aww, is JJ Maybank flustered over a girl?” Pope teased. “No, no, of course not. Where’s she going anyways?”

“You didn’t hear her say she was going home.” JJ was wide awake as soon as he heard those words leave Pope’s mouth. “Shit, okay. I’m going to head inside, but don’t lock up tonight.”

The other two boys were left worried but simply shrugged. JJ went back into their shared room, anxiously waiting for her to come back to him. 

AJ pulled into her driveway, shortly after leaving the chateau. She opened the door to see her father sitting in the living room. “ Anastasia, I’m glad that you could actually come home for once.” She was making her way over to the stairs that would lead her upstairs, “hey dad, I’m sorry, I lost track of time while I was hanging out with the boys.”

“You mean whoring it up with them?”

“No, that’s not what happened, I promise. We just hung out as always.” Before she could register anything, he had already brought his hand across her face with so much force that she was knocked on the ground. “Don’t lie to me, bitch.” 

AJ easily disassociated away from the harsh words, losing count of how many times she was hit, and trying to think of better times. She finally noticed when he had walked back to his room to which she made her way to the kitchen to pick up her keys and take some pain medications. She took note that a few hours had passed, seeing the clock saying it was almost 2:30 am when she left the chateau the clock read 10 pm. She only stayed longer to make sure her dad had fallen asleep before leaving to head back to what she considered her home. 

She stumbled into the chateau holding onto her side, hoping that JJ would be in their shared room, only to see him sitting on the couch. “Omg, AJ,” he made his way over to her, “love, are you ok?” He noticed her lip quivering to which he enveloped her in his arms. “I’m sorry if I woke you up or anything, I just couldn’t-”

“AJ, you don’t have to apologize for any of this. Come on let’s get you cleaned up,” he led her quietly towards the bathroom. She sat on the counter while he grabbed the first aid kit. “He thinks I’m whoring it up with you guys. And when I told him I wasn’t he-he did this.” JJ looked at her empathetically, not with pity, but the look that he could easily relate to whatever was going on. He had finished cleaning her cuts as gently as he could, which prompted her to ask, “can I sleep in your hoodie, tonight?”

“Yeah, of course,” he walked over to get her favorite hoodies of hers, making her smile, “c’mon bub, let’s get some sleep.” She quickly got situated on their bed, laying on JJ’s chest. JJ listened as her breathing evened out and her quiet snores filled the room.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The boneyard was filled with bodies as teens drunkenly moved around the boneyard. The pogues were all sitting around the fire, mostly just watching other people and drinking on their own time. JJ felt the girl beside him stiffen, he followed where her eyes were, seeing the ex-pogue making her way over to the group of pogues, with her new group of friends. “Princess, don’t start anything,” JJ whispered into her ear. 

“Hey, pogues,” Rafe Cameron said, glancing at those around the fire. 

“Hey, stuck up, entitled assholes,” AJ shot back. 

“Ooh, wouldn’t want your dad to hear that you’re talking to his best friend’s son with that mouth of yours, Anastasia,” Rafe shot back. “Don’t call me that,” she said, quickly standing up. “Rafe, come on dude,” Kie interjected. “Don’t defend us now, bitch,” she shot back. “Woah, back at it again with that mouth. Once daddy dearest finds out you’ll be black and blue, again.”

That was all it took for JJ to lunge forward and punch Rafe square in the jaw, over and over again. “JJ, stop,” AJ tried to yell over all the noise. JJ didn’t stop until Pope and John B had pulled him off, even then he was still thrashing in hopes that they would let go. “Hey, hey, hey, look at me. JJ. Look at me,” AJ had put her hands on JJ’s face, to ground him. “We can go back to the chateau and smoke, but you need to calm down now. Okay, bub?” She didn’t move until he nodded and took her hand in his. 

“I’m sorry, he just shouldn’t have brought that up,” JJ interrupted the silence. “You’re right, but you can’t let him win by doing that. It shows that he has an effect on you.” JJ chuckled in response to what the girl said, “Ma’am, you should really take your own advice.” The girl beside him stayed silent.

Once they reached the chateau, she jumped up in the hammock first, waiting for JJ to find his usual spot of laying on top of AJ, and wrapping his arms around her waist. “I think I’m in love with you,” JJ said, in a whisper to where only she could hear. “What?” AJ quickly leaned up to look to see if he was being honest. “I said, I think I’m in love with you.”

She couldn’t even fathom the idea that he was in love with her. “JJ, I- I can’t. I need to go.” JJ didn’t fight her to stay, but he instantly regretted his choice of saying how he felt. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

AJ didn’t show up to the chateau for a few days, she had to take time to think about what her best friend had told her. She knew she reciprocated, but she was scared. She was scared that once she admitted it, things would fall apart. Or that she’d lose her favorite person. Or things would get much worse for her and she’d continue pushing him away. 

AJ hadn’t planned on returning back to the chateau until she got a call from John B, “What is it?”

“It’s JJ.”

AJ left her house at a record-breaking speed, speeding quickly to get to her boy. She had walked up to her house seeing John B and Pope on the porch. “Where is he and what happened?”

“After you left, he went back home, stealing all the alcohol from his dad, and he just now started drinking it all, he’s crossed right now, and won’t let anyone near him.”

AJ sighed, she blamed herself. She should have talked with him, before leaving, but now she had to help her broken boy. “Jay, it’s me.”

“What do you want?” she heard from the kitchen. 

“I missed you and I came to talk.”

“Oh, how rich, that you want to talk now,” the boy slurred. 

“Whatever, JJ. Just please hear me out.”

“I’m in love with you, too-”

“Then, why the fuck did you leave?”

“Because I was scared, ok?” she didn’t mean to yell, but her voice had raised,” I was scared.” JJ looked like he didn’t know how to respond. “Look, I was just scared because what if I lost you, what if you didn’t want to deal with me and all my family issues. What if, shit, I can’t lose you J.”

“Anastasia, stop.” JJ had sobered up as much as he could. 

“JJ, I didn’t mean to make it seem like I didn’t-” She was forced to look up when JJ’s hand tilted her chin to force her to look at him. She visibly gulped, which made him smirk. “Anastasia Julia Flynn, you need to stop rambling. It’s adorable, but slow down. I love you and I’m not leaving.” His lips met hers hungrily, taking the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth when she gasped. The kiss was sloppy, but it was necessary after so long. 

When the two broke apart, their foreheads stayed together. “I love you, too, Jesse James Maybank.”

“I’m really tired, can we cuddle?”

“You’re such a softy, but yeah.” JJ pulled the girl into the spare room, making his way to his closet to grab her favorite cut-off shirt, “here you go, love.” For all the times, AJ felt lost, she was glad she had a home to come back to. 

Jesse James Maybank was her home.

#jj maybank x reader #jj maybank #rudy pankow #obx #outer banks imagine #outer banks #jj imagine #jj x reader #jj maybank fluff #jj maybank x oc #jj maybank angst

[wheeein]

Here is a list of things I loved most about each Gfriend comeback, just because I can. I’ll talk exclusively about what I like. Of course there are some things I don’t like/would do differently but this isn’t a post about that! Also, I love ALL Gfriend songs/mvs/concepts, I’m just highlighting the things that especially stuck with me.

1. Glass bead

Just the fact that I was there! I wasn’t a fan of Gfriend since their debut but I did follow them since the very beginning. Other than that, their energy here is unmatched. I love the story about how they were trying different dancing styles and they decided on the more energetic ones. Implying that they, as a group, were actually allowed to have input on the matter and I love that AND it shows.

2. Me Gustas Tu

I mean do I even have to say it? The choreo for this is god tier. The jump/split element? The transitions? The signature dance break? It’s not my favourite choreo they have but it is legendary. Then we have Yuju’s vocals and the fact that the song doesn’t use English as the second language. It is refreshing. I never get tired of it.

3. Rough

THE representative Gfriend song. The one you show to people who want to know who Gfriend are. Also, I cry when I watch this mv. I can’t explain it, it’s the combination of everything. And the styling is [chef’s kiss],

4. Navillera

Ok, this one is shallow but ... short haired Eunha changed my life. This is also when she became my bias. I love how this mv is directed, the transitions between shots are adorable. This one technically isn’t one of my favourite songs they have but it is the one that’s stuck in my head the most, so I think I actually like it more than I tell myself.

5. Fingertip

The concept change made me go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. Love Whisper

Okay guys gather round. Love Whisper is a Criminally underrated Gfriend song. I get why, I was also guilty of this. I was so excited for Fingertip concept/sound change that I expected them to expand on that and not go back to their old sound. So I mourned the would-be. But this comeback is Amazing! ESPECIALLY the choreo, the footwork and the transitions - specifically this one - are (in my humble opinion) so fun and innovative. The song really knows hot to build the suspense, I always have a physical reaction to the bridge. Also, Gfriend invented dancing in water.  반짝반짝 빛나던 ;)

7. Summer Rain

I am always happy to hear some piano in a kpop song. The mv for this is exceptionally relaxing. I really enjoy the refrain and I personally would love to sing this song.

8. Time for the moon night

The styling! Sinb in a leather jacket! The concept photos for this are in the top two fav concept photos they ever did. Also the most emotional song they ever did. If you want to feel something...

9. Sunny Summer

Obviously, the way their names are incorporated into the lyrics is adorable. I love it when they do cheerful concepts. This song DOES make you feel 100% better. Also, rainbows.

10. Sunrise

For me it’s the romanticization of the rotation of the Earth. The refrain here is!!!!! Like I’d sing that at karaoke but also I’d cry doing it.

11. Fever

Goooood Fever. Fever! I know a lot of people don’t like this song but I am NOT one of them. Where do I even start? Yes, I love the tropical sound, sue me. The choreo is so much fun to watch, I’m happy they got to do a more energetic one again. The styling is top tier. I almost never notice make-up but Yerin’s make-up here is my fav of all time. Umji’s confidence is beautiful to see. Eunha opening the song always gets me.

12. Crossroads

We do not talk enough about how hard they went with the gay concept in this mv. AND they gave us the Labyrinth performance. 

13. Apple

The styling for this made me go! ESPECIALLY the black set. I love that one leg move to the side, you know the one. And the little 360° turn. We o wow wow wow wow.

14. Mago

Wow, we’re really here? We’re really here.

Mago. It’s in the suits. It’s in the glitter. It’s in the disco balls. It’s in the flying brooms. It’s in the bell bottoms. It’s in the pole dancing. It’s in Sinb’s vest. It’s both in Eunha’s black bob AND her straight platinum hair, both of them make me go COO COO BANANAS. It’s in that red stage outfit I’m obsessed with. It’s in the shimmy she does before the last refrain. It’s in how it so perfectly encompasses the excitement of boundless potential. And then... But as Gfriend said. I won’t ever waver.

#gfriend #wow if anyone actually reads all of this... I love you #long post #kpop vs marion #mariontext #I'll only believe they really disbanded if we get nothing by 2023

[babygojira]

What film of Ethan's did you watch that you felt had a lot of potential but didn't quite live up to it?

Ok so i think i have a few lol!

Tesla and Cymbeline, both being by the same director and carrying the same vibe of meshing period drama (Shakespeare in the case of Cymbeline and the life and achievements of Nikola Tesla in the former) with modern elements. I am a big fan of this device in media when done well and I really wanted both of these things to work, ESPECIALLY Tesla bc Ethan's performance is super cool and some select sequences in it are really amazing and frankly sexy. But that film suffers a script and pace that drags a lot but it does make you very sympathetic to the really criminally unrecognizdd nature of Tesla's legacy. Cymbeline is just through and through a flat and nonsensical adaptation of the source material which sucks bc the concept is cool and every actor in it does a great job imho.

The third seperate one that comes to mind is Maudie because it made me super happy and upset all at once... While i think the choice to be true to period accuracies as well as the truth of the subjects being portrayed is important and admirable, I also think when depicting a relationship wherein one of the parties is emotionally and physically abusive as well as ableist its the responsibility of the artist and filmmaker not to romanticize such a relationship. Idk if i wanna get into the whole thing; i think this movie does a ton of things beautifully to tell Maudie Lewis' story but a LARGE portion of that story is about her marriage to a man that is depicted as pretty physically and emotionally harmful to his disabled partner and NO it isnt saying "this is amazing", nor do i think if he really treated her as the film claims that be didnt also love her very much but it has a message about resillience and positivity in the face of pain and being disabled myself i just think the way her relationship could have been depicted...more responsibly lmao.

#thank u

[hecohansen31]

When I saw you were doing ships, I had to request one for a Cody Fern Character! This is my first time doing this, so I hope my details will be sufficient enough to spark an idea 😊 Mine will be in 2 parts so you will have more to work with. I hope that's ok! My name is Carissa. I am a Virgo with blonde hair, and blue eyes. I love to read and write. The escape they give is the main reason. I have my degree in Criminal Psychology, so I’m always trying to figure everyone out. I value my alone time

I tend to shut myself off and use a bit of a bratty attitude to hide the fact I’m always anxious, and low-key paranoid that someone is trying to plot against me. I love art, especially the Romanticism period. My childhood was difficult, and because of that, my independence has become of the most important things to me. I would do pretty much anything for the people I really love, and tend to put them first over myself. I am drawn to emotional people. I have had prophetic dreams. I can read tarot

Hey sweetie,

First of all thank you for choosing ‘Martina ShipsTM’!

Second of all, I do have to say that at first I was very indecisive between who to ship you with between Outpost! Michael/F&R! Michael/ Sojourn! Michael, but my little beating heart just went for the one the in the middle, because I do feel like you’d get along quite well in the independent department.

Michael is quite the clingy bitch as we all might know, but I do think that in F&R he was searching desperately for his own independence so I do feel like he’d be one to give you space and at the same be understanding of what might be going through your mind bcause your childhood.

I also perceive him to be quite observing, when he wants to be, which would make me understand that behind your ‘brattiest’ behavior there is more and I do think that although he wouldn’t confront you to put at unease, he would certainly keep in mind.

Your knowledge of Criminal Psychology and passion for Romanticism both in art and literature would absolutely inspire his following style (I do think this might all be some kind of big inspiration for his Outpost looks).

I also personally feel like he’d be interested (although he’d snicker off) about your prophetic vision and ability to read tarots, because he is deep down very insecure about pleasing his Father, resulting in needing your comfort also through your own supernatural abilities.

But at the same time I do think that reading tarots might also make for an interesting night between you two, mostly when he might insist on you teaching him how to read tarots meanwhile he plays with your hair, since he’d be very interested and yet amazed by your knowledge.

I do think that although he’d appear cocky and very much powerful, he’d have soft (not completely soft) spot for you, because you are the only one who doesn’t want something from him.

(I do hope I didn’t disappoint with this, since again... I am rusty with these things).

Hope you’ll like this!

Have a nice day!

-Heco Hansen.

#guiltyfend #thank you sweetie #have a nice day #ships #Michael Langdon x Reader #F&R! Michael Langdon

[livefromtheelephantsfoot]

Movie HOT Takes

Spirited Away: YES it is ok. YES it has magic. YES it will get to the part of you that is still six years old, lost in the grocery store, trying to be brave.

Princess Mononoke: A feminist tries to kill god. Offers no clear answers on man’s place in the greater scheme of things. Very ok.

Kiki’s Delivery Service: Feel-good movie of the CENTURY. Ok.

My Neighbor Totoro: Magic is REAL, nature is GOOD, and you are LOVED. I cannot stress how much every single human needs to see this movie at least once. Ok.

Little Women 2019: Wonderful, magical, hard to follow. You WILL cry and you WILL like it. Ok.

Little Women 1996: WINONA RYDER. Need I say more? Ok.

Heathers: Best teen movie because instead of simplifying high schoolers into cliches, it mocks the adults and society that so eagerly dismisses them. Also don’t romanticize red flags, because sometimes a sexy dark horse is actually a wannabe mass murderer. Ok.

Juno: Exact opposite of Heathers, even more relevant. Sweet, awkward, Ellen Page + Michael Cera = Ok.

Edge of Seventeen: Over the top, still Ok.

Booksmart: HILARIOUS. Incredible, showstopping, spectacular. This movie says lesbian rights.

Election: Heathers’ lesser known little sister. Matthew Brodericks conviction that he is without fault leads him to destroy his marriage and career over 1 (one) overachieving teenage Reese Witherspoon. Greek tragedy 100%, comedy 100%. Ok.

Murder on the Orient Express: After I see a movie for the first time, it stays in my head for a few days so I can reflect. This is the only movie I’ve ever known to skip that phase entirely. I forgot everything about it the second the credits started rolling. Quite possibly the most mediocre moviegoing experience I have ever had.

The Truman Show: Magnificent. Timeless. Where is this energy in Jim Carrey’s other movies? Ok.

Inception: Overrated? Sure. Wasted Ellen Page? Perhaps. Christopher Nolan’s hyper-inflated ego? That goes without saying. Still pretty good. Ok.

Inglorious Basterds: Took an excellent plot (jewish woman masquerading as an ordinary business owner in Nazi-occupied France loves a black man, plots slow and careful revenge against the man who slaughtered her family) and pushed it to the side in favor of brad pitt and his worst accent. Still mad about it. Not ok.

A Scanner Darkly: You had me at Philip K Dick, lost me at trippy cartoon, but got me back with keanu Reeves, winona ryder, and Robert Downey Jr. 10/10 faithful adaptation of dick’s best novel, 10/10 reminder that drug abuse is medical not criminal, 10/10 slow painful journey into madness. Good sci-fi, HORRIFYING opening scene (skip if afraid of bugs). Ok.

for more go to the page on my blog.

[thesunnyshow]

Name: Rowan

Writing Blog URL(s): @yayhei 

What fandom(s) do you write for? Stray Kids, Ateez, NCT, (and more to be added)

Age: 19

Nationality: American

Languages: English fluently, with limited knowledge of Korean, Japanese, and Spanish 

Star Sign: Libra

MBTI: INTP-T

Favorite color: Purple

Favorite food: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Favorite movie: Pet Cemetery/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Favorite ice cream flavor: Cookies and Cream

Favorite animal: Lions

Coffee or tea? What are you ordering? 

Coffee. Medium Iced French Vanilla coffee with three cream three sugar. Or if I’m super tired I will get Jaemin’s death coffee (iced americano, Venti, with four extra shots of espresso, lots of ice and no water)

Dream job (whether you have a job or not) 

I want to work for a record label as a producer

If you could have one superpower, what would you choose? 

Telekinesis 

If you could visit a historical era, which would you choose? 

Victorian age

If you could restart your life, knowing what you do now, would you? 

Nope

Would you rather fight 100 chicken-sized horses or one horse-sized chicken? 

One horse-sized chicken

Do you believe in aliens/supernatural creatures? 

Yes

Fun fact about yourself that not everyone would know? 

I have a snake named Leviathan . . . He’s a good lil danger noodle

When did you post your first piece? 

5 JUN '20 / 12:20PM

Do you write fluff/angst/crack/general/smut, combo, etc? Why? 

I mainly write crack and angst because that’s what comes easiest to me.

Do you write OCs, X Readers, Ships...etc? 

I write x reader, but I wouldn’t object to writing ships or OCs if I had a good idea for one.

Who is your favorite person to write about? 

I love writing for Lucas and Ten (if you looked at my WIP list then you would see how many I have for them, my official WIP list doesn’t have even 1/9 of my wip)

What inspires you to write? 

Music Videos, TV shows, and just Music in general

What genres/AUs do you enjoy writing the most? 

I love writing like gang/criminal aus and the more darker types of writing which I haven’t showcased a lot on my blog yet.

What tropes do you love, and what tropes can’t you stand? 

I love enemies to lovers, and witch aus (we need more of witch aus) and I don’t really have tropes I can’t stand other than like, romanticizing of toxic relationships and stuff like that

What do you do when you hit a rough spot creatively? 

I really just try to talk to some people and also sit down and try to force myself to write a drabble or so.

What is your favorite work and why? Your most successful? 

I really liked Dysphoria, since it was my first piece and I really like the concept. My most successful I think is a seonghwa timestamp (10:15)  

What do you think makes a good story? 

A combination of things really. For me I notice that the more planned out/researched stories are normally better. Like when you research the cultures, myths, places, etc. surrounding the contents of the story.

What is your writing process like? 

Just scroll on Pinterest, talk to my moots, write 3 sentences, procrastinate, try to write again, slam my head against a wall, repeat.

Do you think there’s a difference between writing fanfiction vs. completely original prose? 

For me, my writing styles are very different when I write original stories then when I write fanfiction, but really there isn’t that big of a difference other than that you get more freedom with original stories.

Would you ever repurpose a fic into a completely original story? 

I think so. If I had an idea I really liked, yes I would, but I don’t have anything currently.

How much would you say audience feedback/engagement means to you? 

It means a lot to me. It encourages me to write more and get more stuff out. (ok lowkey you could just write, ‘I really like your fics’ and I would write 4k in one day)  

What has been one of the biggest factors of your success (of any size)? 

Communication with other writers. Like, they give me advice, they help me with ideas, and they are cool. Like, make some cool writer friends they will never fail you

Do you ever feel like people have misunderstood you or your writing at times? 

Y e a h

Do you think fanfic writers get unfairly judged? 

Yeah definitely. There are some problematic writers but it’s unfair to say that they are all like that.

Do you ever feel there are times when you’re writing for others, rather than yourself? 

Yeah definitely. Most of the time I will just scrap the fic if I feel this way, but I have had a few fics that just, they weren’t anything I would ever write.

Do your offline friends/loved ones know you write for Tumblr? 

No and I would like it to stay that way

What is one thing you wish you could tell your followers? 

I wanna give you all kithes and cuddles

What do you hope your readers take away from your work? 

I hope that my readers can just get some form of enjoyment from my writing and maybe inspiration for their own works.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might be too scared to put themselves out there? 

Join networks and reach out. Those mutuals you have will be some of your biggest support and if you can just talk to a few of them, they will be so willing to help you. You can DM me if you need help, and I'm sure other writers would be willing to help too.

Are there any times when you regret joining Tumblr? 

Sometimes. Its mainly just the drama with idols and fanwars, but like, I love the community and I never regret it enough to want to leave or anything.

Do you have any mutuals who have been particularly formative/supportive in your Tumblr journey? 

Y e s. Pretty much all of my moots have been so supportive and so helpful. Lemme just say that Admin Sunny (@neocitybynight) is amazing and she is so encouraging. Love you, boo. 

Do you think art can be a medium for change? 

Yes of course. There are a ton of controversial paintings and books that helped change things. 

Ending thoughts: 

“When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich” - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

BONUS: K-POP CONFIDENTIAL

Interested in your very own episode of The Sunny Show? Find out how to apply here.

#@yayhei #thesunnyshow #featuredauthor #episode 7 #stray kids #ateez #nct

[stvlti]

And so I leap, widowed at twenty-seven, From a made Heaven, lest I too be shriven. WIDOW WIDOW WIDOW. I like this line 🍸

Pick a passage (500 words or less) from any fanfic I’ve written and I’ll give you a “DVD commentary”

rules of the ask game | my AO3

oh my god, okay. I really do appreciate you sending this in, I was hoping to get a serious one for this ask meme. but I have to be honest, I have pretty much not looked at that poem since I first wrote it back in 2015, so when I received this ask I was scratching my head asking myself what the fuck was even going on inside my head when I wrote that last line (“lest I too be shriven”) 5 years ago.  the subsequent guesswork + digging through multiple online dictionaries / articles it took for me to compile a response... *lies down*

it’s ok though, it was fun trying to piece it back together. so, without further ado: this is False-Eyed Doll, a Death Note poem.

CW: REFERENCES TO SUICIDE & CANON CHARACTER DEATHS

– also, spoilers ahead! turn back if you want to read the poem first –

So the lines you submitted are the last 2 lines of the poem, which was written as a derivative form of the Sonnet, making these 2 lines the final couplet of the Sonnet. 

Now the thing about Sonnets is, if you are following the Shakespearean format, the ‘turn’ (volta) occurs right before the final couplet, meaning this couplet is the ‘conclusion’ that follows the ‘twist’ of the poem’s narrative. 

Now He has Her slain; oh, will l remain Wilting in His wake, maddened by His maw?

Yet He by own pen dies, man who became Law. And so I leap, widowed at twenty-seven, From a made Heaven, lest I too be shriven.

I wrote this poem as a ‘Misa poem’, and I meant for it to reappropriate certain canon events in Misa’s POV. So the poem’s narrative begins with the thesis of Misa being introduced to Light and his Kira world order (in stanza I), then sets up her relationship with Rem, her "guardian angel" Shinigami with differing opinions on Light (in stanza II) as the antithesis. The main thrust of the narrative concerns itself with Misa’s conflicting position between the two. However in spite of Rem’s warning, Misa chooses Light, because with the Kira crusade she has finally found a tentative foundation she could grow into and reestablish her footing in this world after her own tragedy (“in His embrace I shall rule again”). 

That was the trajectory of her life plans. So the ‘twist’, the turn, comes when not only Rem dies but Light, her new foundation, does too ("Yet He by own pen dies, man who became Law”). Of course, this is not a surprise for us the readers, since we know how the story ends in canon, but it’s a huge double whammy (heh, Wammy) to Misa. 

So then we arrive at the final couplet, which centres on Misa’s response to this ‘turn’ of events.

And so I leap

“So she leaps”, because this is the only logical conclusion she could come to after losing her “Law” and foundation. She sees no other future ahead with all her plans in ruins, so she climbs to the top of the investigation tower and chooses* death. (This line is a reference to the anime post-credits scene, where it’s implied she commits suicide.)

widowed at twenty-seven

Honestly I’m cringing a bit that the word choice, “widowed”, was what caught your eye. I’m not sure that’s my proudest detail in this poem 😬 I guess I was really leaning into the MisaxLight component there. There’s always been this underlying sense of commitment that Misa has projected onto Light in canon, from her wanting to start that kind of married, domestic life with Light during the Yotsuba arc, to her trying her hand at playing the stay-at-home housewife during the Light-as-L arc (albeit imperfectly) - there are so many aspects in her interactions with Light that simply screams marriage, at least from Misa’s POV. And on a meta level, she definitely promises her mind, body, and soul to Light’s Kira crusade, trading away her lifespan, altering herself to carry the Eyes for Light, and at the core of it, giving her heart over to Light completely. She has effectively married herself not just to Light, but to Kira, too. So to call Light’s death and the loss of everything that comes it a sort of “widowing” is simply the truth. It is Misa’s truth.

And I fought hard to keep the aged “twenty-seven” detail, because I always found it sort of fascinating that Misa qualifies for the 27 Club. She’s a star in the entertainment industry, at this point she’s amassed a successful mini empire with a career spanning modelling, fashion, cosmetics, TV acting, etc., and yet she’s gone too soon at just 27, because she chose* death to escape a tortured existence... (Just like many other legends have before her, who passed away from their own coping mechanisms in addiction and etc.) It’s definitely tragic, but there’s also a sort of dangerous romanticism that certain people associate Club 27 with, which unfortunately I think would be in line with Misa’s worldview too. 

(HUGE DISCLAIMER HERE, ok, I do not condone this sort of thinking! This poem is a persona poem! The views represented here do not represent my own. But it is in my opinion the sort of unhealthy ideas Misa would’ve believed in. )

But you know what though. Insisting to keep “widowed at twenty-seven” on this line had its consequences too, because then I had to find a word that rhymed for the last line, which brings us to...

From a made Heaven, lest I too be shriven

Bro, this line gave me soooo much trouble trying to piece back together the thought process behind it. The front part is pretty self-explanatory, it’s a “made Heaven” because Kira’s empire is just made by one man claiming to be God. It’s an artificial Heaven, not a real one. But dang, “shriven”??? 

2015!me was being too clever for my own good. Forget all the wack shit I was shitposting in the fandom about, this is the thing that’s ultimately come back to bite me in the ass, isn’t it

Ok but we’re here now, and we gotta finish this ‘DVD commentary’, so let’s get into it. Obviously I was trying to keep up the whole motif of God and Heaven and religion, so I went looking for a word that would fit the theme. Except, to be completely honest, I was raised irreligious, so when I chose the word “shriven” I kinda just chose it because (1) it sounded cool; (2) it rhymes. I don’t have any emotional connection to the word and I certainly don’t have a nuanced grasp of its meaning, which, really bad form of me as a poet. I don’t do that anymore. (And it’s probably the reason why I kept this in the fandom corners and never shared it in class back then 😭 I was hoping I wouldn’t be quizzed on this lmaooo)

But what I do know, is that “shriven” means to confess and receive penance for one’s sins. And I was aiming for meta here - because there is the Catholic concept of punishment and repentance for one’s wrongdoings, but there is also the secular, judicial concept of punishment and reform for one’s crimes. And, okay, I was making some assumptions* here, i.e. even without her memories Misa could guess something happened to Light, and that something had to do with the Kira case. She’s a bottle blonde, but she’s not dumb dumb, so she could’ve reasonably made an educated guess. So then, “lest I too be shriven”: in a way, Misa is choosing* suicide in fear of being “shriven” by the criminal justice system much the same way they’ve done Light in. And even without the judicial component, she could (and logically, should) be wary of the general persecution and social stigma that comes with being involved in a high-profile criminal investigation like this. (Because it wasn’t just any other criminal, it was Kira, the world’s most wanted killer and mass-murderer, and there’s still plenty of people left in the world with a bone to pick with Kira’s ideology, methods, and many more left with a vendetta for the loved ones Kira has taken away from them.) So this line sets up a nice subtle dichotomy, one that flips the script, because now she’s not the one who passes ‘divine’ judgement, delivers punishments and ‘shrives’ the criminals by Kira’s side, now she’s ‘fallen from grace’ (so to speak) from their 'made Heaven’ and she’s the one running away from being delivered justice and penance.

Pretty cool, right? But honestly, if I had a chance to write this poem again I would not do this to myself ( T д T ) The cool rhyme scheme is not worth all this mental gymnastics just to get at the idea I was trying to communicate ( T _ T )

(*) Note: 

I kept talking about Misa “choosing” death, but the very idea itself is also a bit of an assumption on my part. Sure, at face value we have no reason to suspect it’s not an act she chose to commit of her volition. But, there’s also been talk about whether her choosing to commit suicide at 27 is simply a result of her shortened lifespan after her having traded her remaining years away twice. Like it was simply time’s up for her at 27, and she had to die one way or another. Another consideration is the fact that Ryuk has stated all users of Death Note are cursed with an unhappy life / end eventually. There’s no telling whether that’s another contributing factor to Misa’s suicide, too. But for this poem and the sake of its concentrated narrative focus, I’ve chosen to go with the interpretation that Misa chose to commit suicide of her own accord. That bit of commentary on “lest I too be shriven” also subscribes to the particular school of interpretations / headcanons that Misa possessed far more cognizance than we expect throughout the whole investigation and story of Death Note. Like I said, she’s a bottle blonde, but she’s not dumb dumb. I like the fanon that’s been gaining popularity in recent years, the idea that Misa is plenty capable and cunning for a normal civilian and young entrepreneur. She just seems dumb next to literal geniuses.

#ask meme #answered #midi #fantomn #long post #dang this one really spun out of control it's WAY too long #dn meta: Misa Amane #this one QUALIFIES ok i start going into fandom meta like halfway through *sweats* really though if any of you like Misa GO read cas's meta

[muthaz-rapapa]

Possible Precure Concept # 4

Phantom Thieves

As promised, here it is.

The idea popped into my head a few months ago. Can’t remember whether or not Yuni made her first appearance at that point yet but whatever.

So! Picture it. A Precure team completely composed of kaitou who go about purifying corrupted artwork/valuable treasure and fighting villains aiming to “taint” the world in desolate colors or something like that (is that too Smile-like? that’s too much like Smile, isn’t it?).

No, you are not wrong. It takes inspiration straight from Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, Saint Tail and maybe even a little bit of Persona 5 even though I’ve only watched like the first 6 episodes of the adaptation and never played the game (I can see why it’s so popular, though).

Anyways, I just thought it’d be cool to see Precure’s take on this concept. I wasn’t even deterred when StarPre brought out Blue Cat because it’s not like Toei doesn’t recycle stuff from past seasons.

However, there are several things I believe that can keep it off the consideration table. Like...

1) The one or two people who think it might suggest to kids to become criminals.

......Honestly? Honestly, if you steal only from the dirty rich, then I am absolutely FINE with that. Seriously, have your fun and EAT THE RICH!!

Ok, j/k, j/k except not really but the thing with phantom thieves (besides the fact that they are largely fictional) is that...there’s a sense of romanticism that sets them apart from other types of outlaws. At least the ones I came across, they mostly use trickery and cunning (and their charm) but rarely do they ever resort to violence or worse to get the job done.

And in some cases, the thief may have a noble motive for committing the crimes (like how Yuni did it to reclaim the resources for her home planet but donated everything else to the poor). I think that’s why phantom thieves are so compatible with the magical girl genre.

Because you know the MC is actually a good person performing a heroic deed but at the same time they’re operating well outside of what’s legal. And that’s what makes the story all the more thrilling to follow.

You want them to escape the police. You want them to steal the target. You want them to succeed because at the end of the day, they are not the villain.

That’s exciting, isn’t it? :D

...but hey, y’know...if the writers are afraid of the wrath of a few individuals who take a children’s anime way too seriously then that’s their call. :P

Pretty sure there’s no one that paranoid though...maybe... I dunno.

In any case, we can all agree it’s an interesting pitch, yea?

Yea. Next concern then.

2) It’s already been done.

On top of that, old favorites like KKJ and Saint Tail have the edge of nostalgia supporting them which will inevitably lead to the silly argument of “who did it better”.

Not that that’s ever stopped us before. I mean, look at KiraPre. At the start of its run, it drew tons of comparison with Tokyo Mew Mew but still became a very successful and beloved season among Precure fans.

So really, there is no issue there (in fact, the more magical phantom thieves, the merrier) because the story is likely always going to be different.

Which brings me to my next point...

3) Narrative

Among the majority (or perhaps, the more traditional?) of magical girl series, the plot is usually “normal girl obtains magical powers to fight evil and save the world”.

The plot is simple. The story isn’t.

The story is how you tell the plot.

Which makes comparisons between different series almost kinda pointless because no story progresses the same way as another does nor would they have details that are exactly alike.

Especially if Toei one day decides that it wants to take a shot at this idea for their cash cow franchise, then they already have a striking appeal the two aforementioned titles don’t: a team of phantom thieves.

Granted, that’s easier said than done.

Even though I’m proposing it, I can’t deny it might be hard to pull off well.

I dunno. I’m always under the impression that phantom thieves work better alone (their non-action accomplices aside). Less things to worry about on their end, less things to trip them up.

But why not take on the challenge? If you can manage to get a bunch of colorful personalities and/or headstrong egos to cooperate on big “heists” together, that would be pretty impressive.

Plus, let’s not forget that Toei has 16+ years of trumpeting the magic of “friendship and teamwork” under their belt with 50-so episodes spanning each year-long season to boot. Planning and writing fleshed-out character arcs and group development should be their forte by now.

Admittedly, they’re not always perfect at it but the point is, this is not unfamiliar territory for them.

Of course, there’s a lot more to a story than just its main cast and what razzle dazzle effects they can do. You also need good supporting characters, antagonists worth our attention, interesting (and in this case, clever) one-shot fillers, the usual one or two unexpected twists and perhaps most importantly, a solid narrative theme to work with.

“Phantom thieves” are a motif, not a narrative theme.

A motif is something that helps explains the theme (or message) the show wants to convey.

Like “hope versus despair”, loneliness, love (this one’s been broadly overused but yea, it is one), etc. Those are all themes.

Unfortunately, I can’t think of a theme that would correspond well to “phantom thieves” as motif at the moment.

Hmmm…maybe “justice”?

But what the heck, I’m not part of the writing staff. This is their job to think up, not mine! xP

…still, I think it’ll require a good amount of brainstorming if you really want it to turn out good.

Um…what else?

I guess, just smaller things like whether to use “Cure ______” or “Kaitou _____” because a stock trait of phantom thieves series is that they like to announce themselves as “Phantom Thief so-and-so”…so I’m wondering if the Cure title will even matter?

It feels less like a Precure show if the girls don’t actually call themselves “Cures”, doesn’t it?

Uuuuuuhhhhh…oh yea!

For every phantom thief, there is usually always a detective chasing after them and maybe even a rival thief that comes in later during the story.

I think it’d be a fascinating twist if the detective was a girl in the same class as the starter Cure(s) who ends up befriending said Cure(s) not knowing she’s (they’re) the same as the thief(s) she’s trying to catch. Then the reveal happens at the worse timing (ep 30ish) but she makes the decision to protect the Cure(s)…by becoming a Cure herself…and you can guess at what happens next but it’s pretty predictable. She comes to terms with it and drops her day job to become a magical girl and steal for the sake of good.

..Yea.

As for the rival part, I’m still really pushing for opposing Precure teams. Ideally, a two-against-two scenario where they (maybe one-sidedly) compete to see who can purify the most monsters until circumstances push them to see they’re better working together.

…lol, I dunno. It may not work with the principles of Precure in general but I’m just having a lot of fun right now thinking all this up. xD;

So yea, that’s another big one to add to my Precure wishlist.

If it becomes reality someday, I’ll…well, I’ll definitely not stop screaming for the next five years, that’s for sure. xDD;;;

#jfc tumblr ate my post up like more than 5 times! #do your job staff! D:< #precure #precure concepts #precure concept post collection

[jcmorgenstern]

@superohclair oh god okay please know these are all just incoherent ramblings so like, idk, please feel free to add on or ignore me if im just wildly off base but this is a bad summary of what ive been thinking about and also my first titans/batman meta?? (also, hi!)

okay so for the disclaimer round: I am not an actual cultural studies major, nor do I have an extensive background in looking at the police/military industrial complex in media. also my comics knowledge is pretty shaky and im a big noob(I recently got into titans, and before that was pretty ignorant of the dceu besides batman) so I’ll kind of focus in on the show and stuff im more familiar with and apologize in advance?. basically im just a semi-educated idiot with Opinions, anyone with more knowledge/expertise please jump in! this is literally just the bullshit I spat out incoherently off the top of my head. did i mention im a comics noob? because im a comics noob.

so on a general level, I think we can all agree that batman as a cultural force is somewhat on the conservative side, if not simply due to its age and commercial positioning in American culture. there are a lot of challenges and nuances to that and it’s definitely expanding and changing as DC tries to position itself in the way that will...make the most money, but all you have to do is take a gander through the different iterations of the stories in the comics and it’ll smack you in the fucking face. like compare the first iteration of Jason keeping kids out of drugs to the titans version and you’ve got to at least chuckle. at the end of the day, this is a story about a (white male) billionaire who fights crime.

to be fair, I’d argue the romanticization of the police isn’t as aggressive as it could be—they are most often presented as corrupt and incompetent. However, considering the main cop characters depicted like Jim Gordon, the guys in Gotham (it’s been a while since I saw it, sorry) are often the romanticized “good few” (and often or almost always white cis/het men), that’s on pretty shaky ground. I don’t have the background in the comics strong enough to make specific arguments, so I’ll cede the point to someone who does and disagrees, but having recently watched a show that deals excellently with police incompetence, racism, and brutality (7 Seconds on Netflix), I feel at the very least something is deeply missing. like, analysis of race wrt police brutality in any aspect at all whatsoever.

I think it can be compellingly read that batman does heavily play into the military/police industrial complex due to its takes on violence—just play the Arkham games for more than an hour and you’ll know what I mean. to be a little less vague, even though batman as a franchise valorizes “psychiatric treatment” and “nonviolence,” the entire game seems pretty aware it characterizes treatment as a madhouse and nonviolence as breaking someone’s back or neck magically without killing them because you’re a “good guy.” while it is definitely subversive that the franchise even considers these elements at all, they don’t always do a fantastic job living up to them.

and then when you consider the fetishization of tools of violence both in canon and in the fandom, it gets worse. same with prisons—if anything it dehumanizes people in prisons even more than like, cop shows in general, which is pretty impressive(ly bad). like there’s just no nuance afforded and arkham is generally glamorized. the fact that one of the inmates is a crocodile assassin, I will admit, does not help. im not really sure how to mitigate that when, again, one of the inmates is a crocodile assassin, but I think my point still stands. fuck you, killer croc. (im just kidding unfuck him or whatever)

not to take this on a Jason Todd tangent but I was thinking about it this afternoon and again when thinking about that cop scene again and in many ways he does serve as a challenge to both batman’s ideology as well as the ideology of the franchise in general. his depiction is always a bit of a sticking point and it’s always fascinating to me to see how any given adaptation handles it. like Jason’s “”street”” origin has become inseparable from his characterization as an angry, brash, violent kid, and that in itself reflects a whole host of cultural stereotypes that I might argue occasionally/often dip into racialized tropes (like just imagine if he wasn’t white, ok). red hood (a play on robin hood and the outlaws, as I just realized...today) is in my exposure/experience mostly depicted as a villain, but he challenges batman’s no-kill philosophy both on an ethical and practical level. every time the joker escapes he kills a whole score more of innocent people, let alone the other rogues—is it truly ethical to let him live or avoid killing him for the cost of one life and let others die?

moreover, batman’s ““blind”” faith in the justice system (prisons, publicly-funded asylum prisons, courts) is conveniently elided—the story usually ends when he drops bad guy of the day off at arkham or ties up the bad guys and lets the police come etc etc. part of this is obviously bc car chases are more cinematic than dry court procedurals, but there is an alternate universe where bruce wayne never becomes batman and instead advocates for the arkham warden to be replaced with someone competent and the system overhauled, or in programs encouraging a more diverse and educated police force, or even into social welfare programs. (I am vaguely aware this is sometimes/often part of canon, but I don’t think it’s fair to say it’s the main focus. and again, I get it’s not nearly as cinematic).

overall, I think the most frustrating thing about the batman franchise or at least what I’ve seen or read of it is that while it does attempt to deal with corruption and injustice at all levels of the criminal justice system/government, it does so either by treating it as “just how life is” or having Dick or Jim Gordon or whoever the fuckjust wipe it out by “eliminating the dirty cops,” completely ignoring the non-fantasy ways these problems are dealt with in real life. it just isn’t realistic. instead of putting restrictions on police violence or educating cops on how to use their weapons or putting work into eradicating the culture of racism and prejudice or god basically anything it’s just all cinematized into the “good few” triumphing over the bad...somehow. its always unsatisfying and ultimately feels like lip service to me, personally.

this also dovetails with the very frustrating way mental health/”insanity” or “madness” is dealt with in canon, very typical of mainstream fiction. like for example:“madness is like gravity, all it takes is a little push.” yikes, if by ‘push’ you mean significant life stressors, genetic load, and environemntal influences,  then sure. challenge any dudebro joker fanboy to explain exactly what combination of DSM disorders the joker has to explain his “””insanity””” and see what happens. (these are, in fact, my plans for this Friday evening. im a hit at parties).

anyway I do really want to wax poetic about that cop scene in 1x06 so im gonna do just that! honestly when I first saw that I immediately sat up like I’d sat on a fucking tack, my cultural studies senses were tingling. the whole “fuck batman” ethos of the show had already been interesting to me, esp in s1, when bruce was basically standing in for the baby boomers and dick being our millennial/GenX hero. I do think dick was explicitly intended to appeal to a millennial audience and embody the millennial ethos. By that logic, the tension between dick and Jason immediately struck me as allegorical (Jason constantly commenting on dick being old, outdated, using slang dick doesn’t understand and generally being full of youthful obnoxious fistbumping energy).

Even if subconsciously on the part of the writers, jason’s over-aggressive energy can be read as a commentary on genZ—seen by mainstream millennial/GenX audiences as taking things too far. Like, the cops in 1x06 could have been Nick Zucco’s hired men or idk pretty much anyone, yet they explicitly chose cops and even had Jason explain why he deliberately went after them for being cops so dick (cop) could judge him for it. his rationale? he was beaten up by cops on the street, so he’s returning the favor. he doesn’t have the focused “righteous” rage of batman or dick/nightwing towards valid targets, he just has rage at the world and specifically the system—framed here as unacceptable or fanatical. as if like, dressing up like a bat and punching people at night is, um, totally normal and uncontroversial.

on a slightly wider scope, the show seems to internally struggle with its own progressive ethos—on the one hand, they hire the wildly talented chellah man, but on the other hand they will likely kill him off soon. or they cast anna diop, drawing wrath from the loudly racist underbelly of fandom, but sideline her. perhaps it’s a genuine struggle, perhaps they simply don’t want to alienate the bigots in the fanbase, but the issue of cops stuck out to me when I was watching as an social issue where they explicitly came down on one side over the other. jason’s characterization is, I admit and appreciate, still nuanced, but I’d argue that’s literally just bc he’s a white guy and a fan favorite. cast an actor of color as Jason and see how fast fandom and the writer’s room turns on him.

anyway i don’t really have the place to speak about what an explicitly nonwhite!cop!dick grayson would look like, but I do think it would be a fascinating and exciting place to start in exploring and correcting the kind of vague and nebulous complaints i raise above. (edit: i should have made more clear, i mean in the show, which hasn’t dealt with dick’s heritage afaik). also, there’s something to be said about the cop vs detective thing but I don’t really have the brain juice or expertise to say it? anyway if you got this far i hope it was at least interesting and again pls jump in id love to hear other people’s takes!!

tldr i took two (2) cultural studies classes and have Opinions

#wow this was a hot fucking mess #i tried to be organized but my thoughts weren't coming out super well #again anyone interested please feel free to jump in or correct me at any place you feel like #i die on the ''jason todd would be treated horribly by fandom if he were a character of color' hill tho #i could go on about 1x06 until im blue in the face but that's the uhh overview. the executive summary. #dc titans #i need meta tags and shit for this show #god help me in too deep #finding the meta side of fandom was a GIFT tho i love this shit #so excited

[bestillmyslashyheart]

we get by with a little help from our friends 2/?

on ao3, part 1

Kyle took the steps at a slow ramble, pausing when he heard voices filter out the open window. He glanced behind him at the driveway but the only other car was Alex’s. 

He furrowed his brow. He’d been hoping to talk to Alex but he didn’t want to interrupt if he was busy with his Air Force buddies.

“Do not do that!” Alex’s voice suddenly cut above the low murmur. “Patrick, no! Please!”

Kyle was moving before he thought about it. He knocked once on the door before opening it. The three men in the living room turned to stare at him.

“Uh, hi,” he greeted. “I heard shouting. Everything okay?”

“Yeah everything’s fine,” Alex brushed him off. “Did we have plans?”

Kyle shook his head. “Nope. Just thought I’d stop by and say hi.”

“Stop by,” Alex repeated. “To my cabin that is at minimum a thirty minute detour from wherever you could be going?”

Kyle shrugged. He knew it was a lame excuse. “Are you guys busy?”

“Never too busy to hang out with new friends,” Chad replied brightly. 

Alex snorted as Patrick hid a smile. Kyle suddenly felt very wary.

That worry only increased when Chad bounced up from his seat and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, turning him around. “Say, friend, would you mind helping me with something?”

Kyle didn’t have a chance to refuse as Chad summarily escorted him out of the cabin, Alex and Patrick’s laughter following.

“What do you need help with?” Kyle asked as they went down the steps and behind the tool shed. Chad never removed his arm.

“Alex needs wood chopped,” Chad informed him, finally letting his arm drop as they came up on a giant pile of fallen trees.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Kyle said flatly.

“Nope!” Chad handed him an ax. “Let’s get to cutting.”

Kyle stared at him, confused as to how he could keep that smile on his face even now. He glanced back at the cabin, slightly uneasy leaving Alex alone with a man he’d just yelled at, but Chad quickly stole his attention and he lost himself in the repetitive thump of chopping wood.

Inside, Alex fell onto the couch as soon as the door closed behind Kyle and Chad. “I don’t need an intervention Patrick.”

Patrick eased himself into a chair opposite. “I’m not trying to stage an intervention, I’m just trying to be your friend.”

“Right, well, my friend would understand that I don’t want to talk about this,” he replied bitterly.

Patrick sighed. “Are you sure? Because the 17 voicemails I got from you over the last few weeks would suggest otherwise.”

Alex glared at him. “I was drunk for those and you know it.”

“Yeah, I know,” Patrick assured him. “But that’s how I know that you really do want to talk.”

Alex sank into the couch and put a pillow over his face. “No I don’t.”

Patrick laughed and Alex threw the pillow at him. 

“Alright fine. Don’t talk. Just listen, yeah?” Alex groaned but nodded for Patrick to continue. “You two suck at communication. I mean, you’re both fucking awful at it. Dealing with one of you is a headache and trying to coordinate with both of you is a goddamn nightmare. I have no idea how you’ve managed to make it this long, honestly.”

Alex covered his face with his hands and shrugged helplessly. He didn’t really know either.

“Oh wait, I do know,” Patrick continued, a faux lightness to his voice. Alex waited for him to continue but he stayed silent. When the anticipation grew to be too much he kicked out with this left foot.

“Don’t be a dick.”

“Look at me,” Patrick instructed quietly. “I don’t want to have to do this twice, Manes.”

Alex rolled his eyes but sat up and met Patrick’s gaze. “So what’s the secret? How have we managed to get this far?”

“Because you love each other,” Patrick stated simply. Alex groaned. “No, hey listen.” He stared Alex down. “You two have got some fucked up issues and I know that I don’t even know the half of it. You suck at communicating, like in general, but especially when it comes to how you’re feeling. Both of you have this complex like you can’t ever burden other people with your problems so you bottle it all up inside and then you get angry at each other for not knowing everything. But you’ve made it ten years because you both truly, honestly love each other. When shit gets hard, you both fight like hell to make it better.”

“I think you have a romanticized view of our relationship,” Alex told him, looking away as he blinked away a few tears.

“Maybe,” Patrick admitted. “You two are my very own soap opera, live and in color,” he teased gently. “But excepting all of that, let me ask you a question. Do you love him?”

Alex glared at him. “Of course I do.”

“Does he love you?”

Alex shrugged. “He used to.”

Patrick muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like save me from these idiots but Alex graciously ignored it. “Of course he does, dumbass. I can’t imagine what happened that you could doubt that but he does.”

“I wish I could be as confident about that as you are.”

Patrick stared at him for a second before he shoved out of his chair and crowded Alex on the sofa. Alex had about half a second to protest before he was swept up in a tight hug, Patrick’s body wrapping around him surprisingly easily. 

“I don’t know what the fuck happened but it’ll be okay, Alex.”

Alex closed his eyes and sank into the feeling of being held. He weighed his next words carefully. “My dad, he- he did something to Michael.”

“His hand, you told me.”

Alex shook his head. “No, more recent. Just a couple of weeks ago really. He uh- Michael’s been trying to get answers about where he comes from his whole life and we found them. It turns out my dad had them, he was holding on to all of it for some reason and then Michael had to watch as it all went up in flames. My dad, my family, cost Michael everything he’s ever worked for. And it was my fault.”

Patrick, to his credit, didn’t really react. So Alex kept going. It was surprisingly easy to talk to Patrick when he didn’t have to look at him but the warm arms around him kept him grounded. 

“I uh- I also told him we were done. He was selling copper wire on the side and I told him that I was an airman and I couldn’t be seen with a criminal.”

Patrick dropped his forehead to thud on the top of Alex’s. “You’re an idiot Manes.”

Alex closed his eyes and pulled away. “I know.”

“Ok so you were a dumbass and then your dad was your dad and now you think he doesn’t love you? Am I sufficiently up to date?” Alex wasn’t sure he liked the tone in Patrick’s voice but he nodded.

“It sounds so simple when you say it like that but it feels infinitely more complicated.”

“I’m sure it is. You don’t need to tell me all the dirty details, the highlights work fine. But what they tell me is that I need to lock the two of you in a room until you have an actual conversation.”

“He’s moved on Patrick. We’re done.”

Alex practically heard Patrick bite his tongue. “Maybe,” he agreed uneasily. “But I still think you two need to talk. You’ve been such a big part of each other’s lives for so long you can’t just let it end like that. Besides you two have a lot of common friends, myself included, and we’re not going to choose between you two so you’ll have to figure out a way to coexist.”

“We coexist just fine,” Alex protested as he shifted to the other end of the couch, suddenly craving a bit of space. “We did fine at the bar.”

Patrick leveled a look at him. “Yeah, you were fine. As long as you were on opposite sides of the room.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “We weren’t bad.”

“Alex, maybe you can bullshit your friends here who apparently don’t have a single fucking clue about you two, but I know you. And I know Michael. And I know you and Michael. You two got through that through sheer force of will and you were both miserable the whole time. It worked fine for one night but how long can you keep it up?”

Suddenly Alex was very much done with this conversation. “New topic,” he announced with a glare as he pushed to his feet. “What’s new in your life?”

Patrick didn’t reply as Alex left the room but then Alex didn’t expect him to.

Alex had time to grab a beer and drain it before Patrick appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. “If you really want me to drop it, I will. But I’m only here for a few days and I don’t want you to pretend everything’s fine while I’m here only to call me drunk in the middle of the night once I leave.”

Alex leaned heavily against the table. “Can we just- I haven’t seen you in almost two years and I don’t want your whole trip to be about my failed relationship. Is that too much to ask?”

“No, it’s not.”

Alex looked at him. “Maybe we can talk again later? Or tomorrow? Just- I don’t-”

Patrick nodded. “Of course, man. Whenever you’re ready.”

“Ah so we can just avoid it all together?” He quipped as he eased into a chair.

“Alex,” Patrick started.

“No, yeah, I know. I get it. We’ll talk before you leave.”

“Okay.”

“So,” Alex started after the silence dragged on for a while. “How’s Carrie?” He really was an awful friend, Patrick had been here for almost two days and this was the first he’d bothered to ask after his wife.

Patrick shrugged as he took his own seat opposite Alex. “She’s good.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Patrick leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “A few months ago we were talking about kids and now she’s talking about taking a break.”

“What? Why?” The few times they’d spoken recently, it had been either all about Alex or light, inconsequential small talk.

Patrick rubbed a hand over his head. “She says I’m different. That I’m not the man she married and she doesn’t know if she loves the man I am now.”

“Shit, Patrick, I’m sorry. That’s fucked up.”

Patrick shrugged again. “Maybe she’s right. Maybe I’m not the same man.”

“Maybe not, but she’s probably not the same woman. People change, that’s life.” Alex told him.

“I know. I know that, I do,” Patrick replied. “And she’s not the same, she’s different. But I love her all the same. I don’t know what to do with the idea that I’ve changed too much for her to love.” He cleared his throat. “But we’re talking. Started seeing a therapist to help us and I think it’s helping? I’m not sure, honestly, because the issue is on her end and she doesn’t want to share.”

Alex didn’t know what to say.

“It’s a mess. Because I want her to talk to me, to share things with me, but I also really don’t want to hear her tell me that it’s over, that there’s nothing there anymore.” He let out a humorless laugh. “It’s strange, I can talk to the therapist about this just fine but it’s a lot harder to talk to you about it.”

“You don’t need to if you don’t want to.”

“No I do. It’d hardly be fair to ask you to talk to me about Michael if I can’t talk to you about Carrie.”

Alex opened his mouth to reply but the front door crashed open before he could. A moment later, Kyle and Chad spilled into the kitchen desperately searching for water. Kyle raided the fridge while Chad just stuck his mouth under the faucet. 

“Are you two okay?” Alex asked with a chuckle.

“It’s hot,” Kyle panted in between sips.

“It’s New Mexico,” Alex replied, unimpressed.

“Yeah, yeah. Look are you two done with your talk or do we have to go back outside?” Chad looked over at them. Despite his cavalier tone, Alex knew that if asked, Chad would turn around and drag Kyle back outside.

“Nah, we’re done,” Patrick answered for him. Alex turned to look at him, more than willing to continue the conversation, but Patrick waved him off. Fair enough, they could both avoid uncomfortable conversations. “What time is it?”

Kyle twisted his arm to look at his watch. “Almost two, why?”

Twin grins spread across Chad and Patrick’s faces. “Barbecue!” Chad exclaimed as Patrick rubbed his hands together.

Kyle looked at Alex quizzically but Alex could only shrug. Then, as if on cue, a truck rumbled loudly up the drive and Alex glared at Patrick.

He shrugged unrepentantly. “You have no food and you can’t cook worth shit. I’m not turning down good barbecue.”

“Then go to his place!” Alex groaned. Kyle still looked confused.

“He doesn’t have a grill,” Chad answered. 

There was a knock on the door, surprisingly timid. Patrick looked at Alex before he got up. Alex really wanted to say no, that the night at the bar was enough together time for this week, but Patrick had had a point earlier. Patrick and Chad were both Michael’s friends as well and it wasn’t fair to them if Alex made them choose between them. With a sigh he waved Patrick on.

A moment later, he heard Michael’s voice gently teasing Patrick and then his footsteps as he walked into the kitchen.

“Make yourselves useful and go help Patrick with the food,” he ordered lightly as he dropped a bag on the counter. Chad smirked but said nothing as he shoved at Kyle’s shoulder until the other man left the room.

“Is this okay?” Michael asked when they were gone.  

“Yeah, course.” Alex tried to keep his voice light but Michael just stared at him. He tried not to fidget under his gaze. “It’s not ideal, sure, but they’re your friends too, Guerin. It’s not like we’re going to write up a custody schedule or something. We can coexist, right?”

Michael nodded slowly. “Right. Coexist.”

Alex opened his mouth to say something but once again was interrupted, this time by Patrick. He paused in the doorway and looked between them. “There’s more wood out back that can be chopped,” he offered.

Alex rolled his eyes. “I want food, not wood.”

Patrick nodded and that was it. No one brought up the awkwardness between Alex and Michael all afternoon and if, at some point, the awkwardness disappeared? Well no one mentioned that either.

#malex fic #my fic #rnm #patrick scott