#I'm a gay but the storyline of this one worked better if the partners were women so I went with that

[hauntedestheart]

Ruining Valentine's Day (Male Bodyswap)

Belated Valentine's Day story I threw together- fair warning, this one features heterosexual couples and explicit straight sex!

"Hey babe, sorry I ruined Valentine's Day," Trent said to his girlfriend.

Vanessa pressed her lips together and said nothing, just barely managing to disguise her displeasure with her boyfriend. Ordinarily whenever she got into this mood he would just take her into his muscular arms and carry her to the bedroom for some incredible makeup sex, but at the moment he was physically incapable of doing that so she was just left to stew in her anger.

Trent had never been the brightest bulb in the drawer, but it wasn't like Vanessa was dating him for his brains- the only things she was interested in were his good looks, his rock hard abs, and his huge dick. Unfortunately those were all of the things that his latest blunder had taken away, and now he was stuck inside of the considerably less impressive body of his nerdy little roommate Chester.

And worse, now she was stuck spending Valentine's Day with him while he was like that.

"I don't know why you agreed to test that machine with your freaky roommate," she said derisively, referring to the botched science experiment that had switched the pair's bodies. She'd never liked Chester so she glared daggers at his mousy face- Trent was behind it at the moment, but she was mad at both of them so it didn't really matter. "Those things never cause anything but trouble."

"Hey!" Trent crossed his skinny arms in protest, marveling at the novelty of how it felt to do so without bulging biceps or ample pectorals getting in the way. "I told you babe, I was trying to earn a little bit of extra cash so I could take you out on a nice date!"

Actually Trent would have agreed to do it for free because they were buddies, but Chester insisted on always paying his test subjects and Trent wasn't one to say no to a little bit of extra cash. He made a decent living as a part-time model, but with the money he'd gotten from Chester he'd been able to book them a reservation at a swanky restaurant- not that it mattered in the end though, because Vanessa refused to go out and be seen with Trent while he looked like Chester.

"Well, thanks to your brilliant idea we can't go out at all," she grumbled, rubbing at her forehead as she fought an oncoming headache. "You're such an idiot sometimes!"

Trent tilted his head to the side, upset by the sight of his girlfriend getting so stressed out, and tried to resolve it the only way he knew how.

"Damn, I'm sorry babe! I know I fucked up, please don't be mad," Trent sauntered closer to Vanessa and reaching up to put his arms around her shoulders, leaning in to nuzzle his lips against her neck- though he had to stand up on his toes to do so. "I'm fine chilling just the two of us tonight... maybe instead of dinner we can just... skip to dessert?"

Vanessa looked down her nose at her boyfriend (because she was taller than him now) and turned an appraising eye to Chester's body- the guy was skinny, pale, and had way too much acne for someone his age -and she pursed her lips. It was an understatement to say that she wasn't attracted to him- the sight of the freak made her pussy actively want to close up shop.

"How sweet," she said through gritted teeth, batting Trent's arms away from her and ignoring the lost puppy dog eyes he was shooting her. "But you're probably feeling weird in your new body and want to be alone, right? After all, wouldn't it be weird for you if your girlfriend slept with another guy's body? We shouldn't do anything until you get your real body back."

"Oh, of course! You're totally right babe!" Realization broke through the dim expression on the man's face, and he took a polite step back. "Sex would be weird."

She sighed in relief.

"We can just have a quiet night in instead!" He exclaimed cheerfully, and she froze. He continued chattering as he sauntered his way over to the couch, pulling out his phone to sort through takeout options as he settled in for a long night. "Like, we don't have to fool around all the time, you know? It'll be nice for us to just talk and connect and stuff! It feels like we never get to do that."

"Oh joy..." Vanessa hissed out, fighting the urge to break something.

Meanwhile...

"My darling, I'm so sorry I ruined Valentine's Day," Chester said to his girlfriend.

"Huh?" Shelby, who was currently straddling his lap and grinding on top of his cock, pulled her mouth away from his neck and stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

He smiled down at her- his girlfriend was so sweet to pretend like nothing was wrong, but what he'd done was unforgiveable! He'd wanted to have his emotional transference device ready in time for Valentine's Day so he could use it to show her just how much he loved her, but in the process he'd cut corners on his usually vigorous process and tested it on his roommate before it was ready and in a shocking twist of events it had switched their bodies.

He supposed it was better that it had happened with Trent than with Shelby, but still, he found the situation less than ideal. His roommate's body was so different from his own- how was he going to explain things to his girlfriend when instead of the man she'd fallen in love with, he turned up looking like a heavily muscled model? He wouldn't blame her if she took one look at how tall he was, or how big his arms were, or the scratchy stubble adorning his square jaw, and ran for the hills.

Fortunately she'd taken the proceedings in stride and had insisted that they needn't cancel their plans just because of the accident- though he suspected she was more upset than she let on. She hadn't been able to stop staring at his body all evening and had rushed through dinner, and now she was trying to comfort him by letting him kiss her.

"I'm referring to the current state of my body of course," He sighed and stared down at the musclebound body he now possessed- such a stark contrast to his usual twig-like frame -and grimaced. "You've lectured me time and time again about being more careful with my experiments but I didn't heed your advice and look at me now! The victim of a freak accident on the most romantic day of the year, and you have to shoulder the burden."

"Chester, really, it's fine!" Shelby said- again. She was a little annoyed by how he kept interrupting their make out session after it had taken her hours to convince him that yes, really, she was okay if they did stuff together while he was in another man's body, and now she just wanted him to shut up so she could enjoy feeling up his gorgeous roommate's body.

"I appreciate you being so calm and collected about this," he smiled at her, strong jaw tightening as dimples appearing on either side of his pretty mouth, and she felt her heart flutter and her vagina tingle. "I know it must be strange for you to look at me and see an unfamiliar face."

Truth be told, the only reason Shelby had agreed to go out with Chester to begin with was because she'd grown tired of being the only single girl in her friend group and saying yes to the little nerd who worshipped the ground she walked on was better than being alone. Sure, she knew she was settling, but it wasn't like she was particularly a catch either so she'd just had to make her peace with that.

But for once, one of his idiotic blunders had worked out in her favor. A 10/10 guy like Trent was way out of her league, so she was going to milk this opportunity to be up close and personal with him for all it was worth! The longer Chester took to switch them back, the better.

"Oh yes, absolutely, it's so weird," Shelby lied, her eyes flicking down hungrily to his toned body again, and she ran her hand down his delicious torso. "But I don't want you to feel bad so let's just stop talking about it and try to enjoy the evening, okay?"

As if to illustrate her point, she slid her whole body down the brawny expanse of his body and reached for his underwear, stripping the tight garment off of his body and squealing with delight as she saw Trent's massive penis spring out. The lust inside of her reached a fever pitch as she stared at the long, thick tube of flesh that was hard as steel and already leaking pre-cum from its swollen head, and the thought of having it inside of her was almost dizzying.

"Oh my goodness, that's large!" Chester remarked, rather pointlessly as the size of his member was plainly obvious at a glance. He shuffled uncomfortably in place, making the turgid pillar sway around heavily. "Sweetheart, I appreciate how brave you're being about this but if this is uncomfortable for you we can stop here. I can't expect you to-"

"Shhhh," she whispered, placing a finger over his plump lips to silence him. He was not going to ruin this moment for her. "Let me have this."

Lifting her body up, she positioned herself over that glorious cock and slowly lowered herself down on top of it, moaning with delight as the incredible mass pushed against her walls. Chester's puny little thing never felt like this inside!

With his real body they only had sex in the dark so she could pretend he was someone else, but she had no need to pretend now. Her eyes drank in the gorgeous man before her, his beautiful face and powerful body a sight beyond even her wildest fantasies, and she began to bounce up and down as she tried to fit as much of him inside of her as she could.

"That feels so good!" She moaned, rolling her hips around as she rode him cowgirl style. She tightened herself and felt him buck beneath her, his hips moving of their own accord as he began to thrust up into her like an animal in heat, and it was so unlike him that it made it easier to pretend that it was the real Trent she was banging instead of her annoying boyfriend.

"This position is very interesting!" he agreed- their usual sex was fairly quiet missionary so he was glad for the opportunity to experience sex from a new perspective. He was glad his girlfriend seemed to be making the best of their unfortunate situation! "But don't worry, I promise you I'm working as fast as I can to find a solution to this predicament. I'll be able to make love to you in our normal fashion in no time!"

"Well don't-" She cut herself off with a grunt, barely managing to speak between panted breaths as her body was rocked by their lovemaking. The last thing she wanted to think about in that moment was boring sex with the real Chester. "Don't rush. No need to put so much pressure on yourself you can- fuck -you can take your time."

Another spike of pleasure hit her and she let out a curse as she lurched forwards, grabbing onto to the pronounced shelf of Chester's pecs for support (because her boyfriend had pecs right now!) and digging her fingers into the muscles for dear life. He reached out to steady her and the press of his strong hands into her sides did a lot for her.

"You're so big," she groaned, relishing the feeling of Trent's huge cock penetrating her deeper than Chester's ever could, and at that he paused in his motions. "Oh my god you're so fucking big."

"Oh dear, is that an issue?" He asked, a worried expression on his face. Glancing down, he saw that he'd bottomed out and the considerable length of his roommate's cock was now buried in his girlfriend. "I've noticed that's Trent's genitalia is rather unwieldly compared to my own, is that a problem for you? Do you need me to stop?"

"No no no no no," she hissed out, clenching herself around him so he wouldn't be tempted to try to pull out and rob her of the incredible sense of fullness she was experiencing. "It's fine just- just don't stop doing that thing! Keep going!"

He nodded and his hips jumped back into action, a steady rocking motion, toned ass flexing beneath him as he used his newfound muscles to thrust his cock with trained efficiency. But while Chester's body was currently a fucking machine, his mind hadn't quite caught up yet, and he continued cheerfully blathering on even as his hips slammed into his girlfriend.

"I must say, it's fascinating," he said blithely, his voice doing nothing to betray the pounding that he was delivering. "It appears that I've inherited his muscle memory! This must be the fashion in which Trent is accustomed to performing intercourse- his muscularity and the dimension of his penis allow for a degree of power and positioning unavailable to my own body." He casually observed the way that his muscles flexed as he pumped, a visual reminder of the new strength that allowed him to rock his girlfriend back and forth so vigorously. Trent's body certainly was impressive! "The scientific implications of this technology are incredible, don't you think so Shelby?" He paused and glanced at his girlfriend, who had a strange look on her face that he'd never seen before. "Shelby?"

Shelby didn't hear a word he said- she was beyond words at that point, completely lost in ecstasy as she felt that glorious cock drilling into her again and again. This was the type of sex she had always wanted, the type of man she had always wanted to be with, and she stared at clung to his boulder-like shoulders as she rode the crest of that excitement to a screaming orgasm.

Because his scientific mind was so detached from the proceedings Chester wound up lasting impossibly long, which allowed Shelby to milk out a record breaking five orgasms for herself before he finally spilled his seed into the condom he'd insisted on wearing- he still made that same ridiculous face he always did when he came, but his borrowed face was so handsome that for once it didn't completely kill Shelby's buzz.

His mighty erection now subsiding, Shelby pulled herself off of him and laid herself across his broad chest, rubbing her face into his pillowy pecs and trying to commit the feeling of his abs to memory. Having a boyfriend with muscles was something she could get used to, and she was going to miss it when Chester was returned to his real body. She'd never quite been satisfied by him before, and after getting a chance to fuck this powerful stallion of a man, she didn't think she could go back.

"Hey, Chester," she asked innocently, tracing a finger over his mountainous bicep. "Would you ever consider... I don't know... working out?"

"Working out?" His forehead scrunched up, unintentionally making his pecs pop a bit as he quirked his head to the side like a confused puppy. "Working out what? More math theorems? I'm already on that. Let me tell you about some of the research I've been doing into the square cube law that could..."

Shelby sighed and tuned out his prattle, instead brainstorming ways she could break the machine without getting caught.

#male body swap #I'm a gay but the storyline of this one worked better if the partners were women so I went with that #also no picture for this one because the one that inspired it was too graphic for tumblr so use your imagination

[l-egionaire]

I've seen one complaint about Captain Carter's storylines in What If? That I can kind of get, all of her storylines being related to her romance with Steve, but I'm kind of okay with that for a reason I think people don't take into account with their relationship: their relationship is very different in Captain Carter's universe. They weren't just two people who knew each other during the war and had a bit of a romance. They were partners. They were a team. Over the course of the war, they worked together and saved each other's lives no doubt numerous times. They had a close personal and work relationship, and that no doubt inspired a level of closeness and connection. Peggy considered Nat the sword to her shield, but I have to imagine she saw Steve that way first. (Go ahead and insert gay joke there) Especially when you also take into account that for Peggy, there's a factor of guilt in her relationship with Steve that's always sort of been there. First, due to taking away his chance to be a super-soldier, especially since he needed the serums effects more than she did since he was so unhealthy without it and the failure to save him and bring him home from Red Skulls castle. People make comparisons between them and the main universe, Steve and Bucky, but I think the wrong comparison to make. I think a better comparison is between them and Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne. Someone losing a lover in the field and feeling wracked with guilt, both with not being able to save them and the possible feeling THEY should've been the one to make a sacrifice for them.

#What If? #Marvels what if #Captain Carter #Peggy Carter #What if....the avengers assembled in 1602 #Steve Rogers #Bucky Barnes #Natasha Romanov

[crimswnred]

I don't think we are ever going to get another good wlw season. The fact that they didn't give us an option to run away with Grace when the fans have been begging for it since day 1 speaks for itself. They are happy to cater to male stans, but they don't give a damn about the fruities. I give up. S7 is going to be yet another season with one female LI that you only couple with once all LIs are merged together. WLW haven't been given a single good storyline for almost three years. I don't see why I should keep doing this to myself. Ever since they fired their old writers, they have decided that LGBT girls are no longer a target group that's worth their time.

I wanna start this by saying: you are so right.

I think the last good wlw route we had was Angie and that was cause we were all begging fusebox to let her be gay because she wasn't wrote to be gay from the beginning (which was like, a fucking mistake because everyone's gaydar was through the roof when we first met her)

I don't think they are gonna change it any time soon either, I really have no hope.

and with s7 being a casa season you can TRUST we won't be seeing a gay route so soon.

I don't think the first 3 seasons are any good either. they are all disappointing when you think about it, their writing was just generally better and that kinda hides the flaws.

(prepare for a really long analysis of the seasons)

although I love Talia, I don't like how she's the only option we have in season 1. I also don't like how she's painted to be this player, heartbreaker that kinda doesn't care much for her partner or anything at all (which is also a Latina girl stereotype but I won't expand on this subject here)

on season 2, both gay routes bother me. I don't really like Marisol, but even if you do, I think you can agree that her route is pure torture. we only really can be with her after casa (which is like, the end of the season) and if you want Elisa (an even later game route) you need to do Mari's route. to me, S2 is up there as one of the worst seasons for gay players.

season 3 is when it gets better. I'm obsessed with AJ and I love how she's all about us from day one. You can pick her at the first recoupling and stay with her for the rest of the game. Yasmin is another great option if you don't like AJ's personality. and, although she's only there for the end and you need to dump your partner to be with her, Lily is yet another great character.

now, season 4 is a good season too, in my opinion. Najuma shares scenes with Bruno and James but that's an issue of the season and not particular to the gay girls. Angie's route is unique and, in my opinion, well made. the best route we had for a female LI in forever.

generally, season 5 is a mess. most routes don't make sense and that is the case for gay routes too. like, you can argue and say you like Lulu's route but I just can't feel any connection to her. she's just there and we barely talk to her. like... I don't feel her character, you know? Gabi is a mess even if you don't care she's the one who your ex cheated on you with. like, her storyline is just messy (why is she on casa with us? why is she sleeping with Dana? what is happening?) and I don't even wanna bring up Dana into this mess.

but season 6... season 6 was just NASTYYYYYY. the way they constantly made us choose between the girls? disgusting. fusebox is never seein the pearly gates of heaven for that. why the boys could fight for us but we had to say goodbye to a gay girl every other week??? weird. just weird.

so, out of 6 seasons, we had 2 that work for me when it comes to female LIs. TWO! I know the reality show is centred around straight couples but if you are going to market your game as LGBT+ inclusive you could AT LEAST try to respect that audience and write better characters and stories.

unfortunately it's fusebox and they don't give a fuck about any of their audiences. wlw routes and LIs will still be an after thought.

#anon #askask #litg #litg all seasons #rant

[rimurutempest]

Confession: I haven't watched any of @flanaganfilm's films.

I'm obsessed with the miniseries he's done & I could watch The Haunting series a thousand times & never get tired of them. I've been meaning to give Hush & Doctor Sleep a go & just keep missing the opportunity to 2-birds-one-stone them with my husband & my sister.

I'm waiting so patiently for The Fall of the House of Usher & I'm being SO NORMAL ABOUT IT.

I think the miniseries format has really worked fantastically well for him & allowed for some absolutely stunning, beautifully powerful storytelling. It's also, as we've seen with Midnight Club, a risky format when it's not self-contained to a single season.

Midnight Club was just another reason for me to abhor netflix. Another nail in their own coffin that will only drive people away from the service. Certainly can't blame Flanagan for jumping ship with the way they run creatives into the ground. I just don't know that Amazon will be much better. (Though it occurs to me now that maybe since the union was successful, it may be applicable, or could be expanded to cover creators & contract hires, etc, in media departments…🤔)

Anyway having only seen Mike Flanagan's miniseries work so far, I wrote up a response a while back to some peoples' complaints about Bly Manor. Specifically folks were complaining about the supposed use of the "bury your gays" trope - which I wholeheartedly disagree with. It's a long post in & of itself, so I won't get into the whole argument here. I just am so frustrated with people just…throwing that phrase around.

While we did lose the opportunity to see Midnight Club's 2nd season played out on screen with the wonderful cast we got to see spotlighted in the first season(all of whom were simply amazing & I hope I see more of them thriving in similarly awesome roles for a long time), we were given the gift of closure via Flanagan's tumblr blog.

The storyline for Spencer, his journey with AIDS & his eventual recovery & future outside Brightcliffe, surviving & carrying all of his friends' stories & love & dreams along with him…

I loved Theo & Trish in Hill House & that Trish was stubborn enough to out-stubborn one of the Cranes & convince Theo to tear down that wall & let her in. That they reached a point where their relationship could be healthy & stable. I don't believe the House got the rest of them, though I am indeed aware that it's up for interpretation. I reject that kind of bleak reading on principle.

My point here really, is that I have been so impressed with how much love has gone into each of these series. My point is that someone looking at something where a queer character dies & saying "this is bury your gays" shows a distinct lack of understanding of what that trope even is.

Dani & Jamie live out a domestic lesbian dream life together. They live. I don't know how to put this any more plainly for the folks that don't get it. They lived a life together & had their happy ending. & Then one of them died before the other. Because that happens in the real world.

You can take it at face value - Dani & Viola returned to the lake for reasons supernatural; Or you can take it as a metaphor, as a representation of depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc. You can read it as a loved one struggling with mental illness & her partner helping her weather it for years. Yet even still sometimes we lose loved ones to such illnesses anyway.

Regardless, bury your gays is about robbing queer characters of their story. It's about denying them their opportunities to live out a lifetime the way cishet characters usually get to.

Flanagan has done a pretty excellent job so far of NOT doing that. Period. That's a truly significant part of what I love about his series, and why I'm so excited for more.

#long post #mike flanagan #thohh #thohh spoilers #thobm #thobm spoilers #midnight club #midnight club spoilers #spittin in the wind #bury your dead #sorry im just thinking loudly at autistic o'clock i guess

[glassesandkim]

i'm sorry but grieving is no excuse to lash out at people or to project your own insecurities the way nico did in the past. and neither is using your partner the way you would a sex doll just because you're walling up and refusing to open up. this is coming from an addict in recovery btw and accountability is important. now this is fictional but the narrative should have still acknowledged nico's actions and had a proper resolution

I’m not sure what the goal of your asks are because idk if you’re just coming across my blog recently or if you’ve misunderstood something I’ve said but I’m frustrated by this series of asks

Nico's actions were shitty and would ideally be addressed in canon. However, I stand on the fact that even people who do shitty things are deserving of empathy and compassion. During those eps, anons were driving people out of fandom because if you didn't totally see Nico as the shittiest boyfriend ever, then you’re automatically trash. 

Nico hasn't been magically forgiven or absolved of any guilt, and that doesn't change the fact that he's an imperfect character. I've said before that the perfect character is implausible and in terms of storytelling, a lazy, boring, unrealistic, and uncreative way of writing a character. You’ve said yourself that he’s never been provided the explanation or resolution to his actions. And that everything that’s happened with Nico and his parents and Levi was dismissed with one sentence (”I know you deserve better”). 

Villains in marvel have had sob stories to humanize them and they’re still the villain but Nico literally has zero. He’s not even afforded that and he’s not supposed to be the villain.

So I do not appreciate you coming in and telling me I have to manage my expectations or that my life isn’t the backstory that was chosen for Nico. 

I know.

And even though this work is fictional and he only has a small role, the mere existence of Nico Kim’s character still impacts real life and real people. Like it or not, greys is not some fantasy au universe. It’s supposed to be a dramatized version of real life. And with real life comes real life issues, like poor rep and racism.

Nico’s actions go hand in hand with his identity as a gay asian man. This followthrough you’re expecting, should also be applied to how poc and queer characters are written in today’s media. If they didn’t want someone like me to connect to a character like him, then they should’ve just casted a white man.

So regardless of the size of the role, characters from marginalized backgrounds deserve stories that resonate with the communities they're representing. Television writers and producers are capable of that, and we as their audience should not be policing each others thoughts and demanding we settle for less (esp in a well-funded, long running primetime drama like Greys).

This is what I talk mostly about on my blog: How the writing for schmico has been shit in handling poc and queer stories. How schmico’s storyline is written strictly from Levi’s pov (re: from a cishet white pov). And how by doing so, has made audiences villainize Nico when WORSE characters have existed on the show but get away with in both in canon and fandom.

I don’t expect people to always agree or understand me. I only wish to provide a place where likeminded people can come interact together because they’re missing something, or wanting something that isn’t being given to them from this show or western American media in general. 

The problem is not me and I’d argue it’s not even the fandom’s problem. The problem is in the writing, in the network, in the show. 

As @schmico-ing said so well: Maybe Grey's should've thought of that before they paraded Alex Landi for groundbreaking representation™ 

And I am not dismissing your experience as an addict in recovery and I see that is an experience I do not have and that is what has shaped your interpretation of schmico’s story (see how that works both ways?) and would in different circumstances (where if you didn’t tell me that I shouldn’t expect good asian queer rep because he’s only a recurring character), be something I’d be interested in exploring.

So it’d be cool if I wasn’t told to manage my expectations. 

#i don't even @ grey's with all my hot takes #they exist in this hellsite only #grey's anatomy #schmico #gk asks #anonymous #bad asks

[ellelans]

You made a tag comment about how Buddie wasn't planned from the beginning. And therefore what we got in Season 2 wasn't (at the time) the groundwork for a love story. I agree completely! Much of it I can see as either a bit of fun (the Christmas elf, the instagram girl) or that kind of hyper-masc heterosexuality that loops around itself and becomes gay (Buck's whole...thing with Eddie in the beginning, the focus on Eddie's body/hotness/physical appearance). But sometimes I step back and look at the whole and I'm all 🧐 🤔.

I don't even know what I'm asking lol. Would just love your thoughts/feelings on the confusing spectacle that are Buck and Eddie in season 2. And when/how/why did the show change their mind?

Thank you so much for the ask and you know what? Let’s talk about it.I recently had an in depth chat about this pretty unpopular opinion with a friend and I tried to explain to her why I don't see buddie as an actual pairing or having any canon potential until early s3 and why I don't believe they were planned from the beginning.This will be long and all over the place of course lol

The first and the most obvious reason is the way 911 deals with main characters and their romantic arcs.They don't actually drag it on for long because there is no need or time for that since every single main character has a strong storyline of their own and any romantic development between any pair as an additional combined storyline. Relationships happen fast on 911 because they are planned ahead and the only relationship that took longer than usual few episodes was Chim and Maddie and they were already kissing and planning a date in 2x11.

Also when shows enter their second season there is never a way to predict how long it will stay on the air and because of that it is impossible for me to believe that buddie was planned as some epic old school slowburn that is nowhere as close to be resolved after 3 seasons.When I say old school slowburn I mean shows that have this one heterosexual romance at the center of the universe that is usually stretched across seasons and builds up sexual tension between characters and it takes literally years for them to finally get together.We have these two characters that where made for each other and you KNOW that they will eventually get together because of some ridiculous pining that will eventually end in a kiss and everyone will scream and cry.And maybe that’s how buddie feels to me now after years of careful build up-but the way I see it they as a potential something didn't happen in s2.

We all joke about how character introduction of Eddie is the gayest we have ever seen and Buck's reaction to him as true bisexual and I do that myself too because I am a bisexual too and tbh its hard to unsee (also I don't want to) but lets remove our rainbow glasses for a second. What really did happened in that scene? Eddie's perfect abs on display,Chim and Hen fun comments on how beautiful he is,Bobby's praise and bragging about getting Eddie and his Silver Star on the team and Buck's insecurities flaring up as a reaction to all of this.Buck immediately feels threatened.At this point we of course have no idea how deeply his insecurities run or why,but as episode progresses we witness Eddie on his first call making a better decision to how to handle a medical situation and backed up by Bobby.It has sort of a devastating effect on Buck,who suddenly starts acting like we have never seen him before.Then there is a that scene at the gym where Buck tells Eddie how he is his problem. And later we of course have the scene in ambulance when Eddie asked what exactly they are measuring. Because that's what it looked like - a usual macho men measuring context. But the thing is 911 doesn’t toxic masculinity when it comes to main male characters and we saw many examples of that already by then,but the biggest one was supposed to be BuckandEddie. Equals,partners and best friends.

911 was already pushing boundaries with cast,characters and relationships diversity and I strongly believe that what they wanted to show us was a male equivalent of what we are used to see in female bffs -a different kind of a friendship between men. Men who care about each other,who talk about feelings,discuss sex,dating or why they don’t,who again openly acknowledge that they find each other attractive and giving advices on how to take a more flattering selfie,who are not afraid of crying, admit they are struggling or heartbroken or loving their kid.Honestly when was the last time any of us saw a male friendship like theirs?Men are not allowed to be like that on TV (I am still shocked that its a Fox show tbh) and especially with each other.We are not used to see such a development so no wonder people started paying attention-which was what writers wanted,of course.

But that also brings us to that important question about queer undertones,subtext and do what we actually see in s2. Are there queer undertones?Absolutely. Subtext?It’s right there but you will probably not get it unless you’re reading between the lines.Before we get to Christmas Elf,there was ‘’He is cute!/He gets that a lot,you should’ve seen his kid...’’ Maddie and Buck scene that is once again reinforces that Buck finds Eddie attractive and it shouldn’t be a surprise because we already know from 2x01 he has eyes - but they mention it AGAIN and that personally made me raise a brow or two.By the time we get to that Christmas episode,we already have Shannon back and Buck finally moved on from Abby with Taylor and then Ali and then we are given another queer coded scene-with Christmas elf.And its very cute and to an average heterosexual viewer its a nice little joke,but any queer watching that scene was probably taken aback a little.

So why imo did Tim&Co do it and when they realized they can actually see where they can take BuckandEddie and when they started becoming buddie?My answer is ship teasing.It’s what a lot of people actually mistake for queer baiting,but we are not talking about that rn.Ship teasing works like charm and if shows can get away with that-they will totally use it to their advantage.It’s usually not always malicious,but it IS always intentional because that brings in a category of people that were overlooked for a long time-online fandom.Now I have seen some opinions that fandom doesn’t really matter,it’s the ratings that count and that is NOT TRUE.You can have your ratings,but if there is no buzz online?Your show is going nowhere.For at least a decade now every self-respecting production has teams to monitor fandom activities because it gives them better ideas about how consumers(fans) are interacting with their product (show).Fandom is important because we generate the buzz.So I do believe that BuckandEddie and that sweet ship teasing were to get a certain part of the fandom pay attention.

I wasn’t here when S2 aired so I don’t know if that was the case,but it is obvious that these scenes I talked about above made fans pay a LOT of attention. And maybe that was the reaction writers needed to start changing course from ship teasing to start building up to something else.They maybe didn’t plan it at the very beginning and on paper,but lets also not forget the insane chemistry between Oilver and Ryan,which imo is another big reason-it's impossible to ignore.

Because S3?Is light years away from S2 in terms of BuckandEddie-they became buddie.In s3 Buck and Eddie become each other’s significant other,they are in a primary relationship. ’’Buck invites Eddie...’’?!!!!! It is not yet romantic and probably won’t be until ending of s5 if we are lucky-but it is in your face,they are not subtle anymore.I personally saw buddie only at the end of 3x03 when Eddie came over and said that there is noone in the world he trusts with his son more than Buck, looking like he did into Buck’s eyes,while ‘Photograph’ played in the background right before Buck’s overvoice about being seen and found and a raft to bring one home. After S4 ending tho...we all know that something is about to happen and its like there is electricity in the air as we are waiting for s5!

Probably a lot more thoughts than you expected,but I have many feelings about these two and when buddie goes canon this post will become completely irrelevant lol 💖 

#what i was trying to say #is that s2 still can be read as heterosexual #but s3? no way #s3 was different #it was impossible to ignore that something is going on #911 #buddie

[h2ojustaddmako]

My Thoughts After Re-Watching Season 2

Hiya everybody. Sorry for the long times between posts. Working two jobs and keeping a social life, while also trying to sleep, eat healthy and get hydrated is taking a toll on this account. Bright side is, that because of the whole Corona situation, I might spend a lot of time home soon. So head-up, another headcanon/theory is coming this week, but just to break the hiatus, I decided to write today.

Every now and then, I decide to re-watch one of the three seasons of the show, just so I could have something to fill my time. So, recently I decided to watch season 2 again, and, as I like, pick up on some details, ideas or thoughts I didn’t get during previous binges. I’ve watched this season, like the others, around four or five times now since release, maybe more - and yet I’m still genuinely surprised at the things I notice or realize every time. So I figured I might turn it into a list of the good, the bad, and the plain interesting.

This list is in no particular order, I just write my thoughts as they go.

1. I am still BLOWN AWAY by how good the writing is on this show. It may not be an Oscar-winning script, but for a teen show of the early 2000′s it’s amazingly deep and well thought of, from every angle. That what makes my theories so fun to make, because they planted so much information throughout the shows that I genuinely enjoy picking out details and information from it.

2. To go into more depth, I really enjoyed all the different storylines they brought in throughout the 26 episodes. Look, twenty-six episodes is a lot for a TV series. Most shows release around 10, since long storylines are hard to follow and are easy to get messy. But while they added so many side stories (Max and the original mermaids, Ash and Emma, Cleo and Lewis’ breakup and Charlotte getting in between),. each of these stories merged with the main plot so well, and actually added depth to the story, making it more complicated for the characters, and more interactive for the viewer.

3. While the main focus for the season was the Cleo-Lewis-Charlotte  relationship, both Emma and Rikki had their romantic paths taken as well. But unlike season 1, where the couples fought for screen time, this time those relationships were put to the side in favour of the main plot, which made them more slow-paced and interesting to watch. I enjoyed the fact that Emma and Ash stayed in the dark throughout the entire season, and that Zane only appeared when he was needed. Both are good characters, but not needed every time.

4. On the other hand, Cleo and Lewis’ relationship was handled very maturely all through the season. From when they dated, through the post-breakup, and all the way to managing being friends, the relationship was very well looked into and explored.

5. Might be a side thing, but I loved that Ash was actually figuring out something was off about Emma. One of my favourite lines by him was, “You realize none of this is natural. But you already knew that.” (Ep. 26) Mostly in shows like these, the character either never questions the weird occurrences around them, or the curiosity fuel the storyline (like Zane in season 1). The writer really wrote out of pure logic and not out of plot requirements, and I dig that little detail.

6. This one is felt throughout the entire show, but was most dominant during this one. The show is not about mermaids at all. This is written as a show about three girls and their coming of age process, and the things they have to deal with, one of them being turned into mermaids. But it’s far from being the only problem these girls have, and it’s showing when some episodes really struggle to squeeze in scenes of the girls in their tails for pure rating, even when the plot is not in need of any mermaid action. The girls have a very full and normal lifestyle aside from being mermaids. They go out, go shopping, have other friends, work, study and fail, deal with personal issues at home or with partners. The tails are just another part of their lives and I love it.

7. Episode 23 is a turning point for Charlotte’s character arch. I’ve spoken greatly before about how I feel like Charlotte is seen in our minds as the “bad guy” while she was a nice character most of her time on the show. And she was! Up until episode 23 when was never trying to hurt the girls. She may have acted out of jealousy before towards Cleo, but she was insecure and worried about her boyfriend. What should she think when her boyfriend spends a whole lot of time with his ex and fails to explain to her exactly why? The show did a great job showing the point of both sides in the argument between the girls and Charlotte, and showed the entire process of how their relationship turned into what it was.  A lot of ego, assumptions, and false worries, and a lot of unfortunate events. Episode 23 was really a turning point because that’s where both sides of the fight were really right in different ways, things that led Charlotte to want to go on her own, and the girls to stay away from her. Charlotte acted the way she did because she felt like the girls were treating her badly (which she was wrong about sometimes, but they too hold the blame, mostly Rikki). From episode 24 and on, she started acting as the “bad guy” the show built her to be, and even then I can see her side. But enough on that.

8. Lewis is hot. Idk what’s up with Charlotte’s eyebrows.

9. One thing that feels off every time is how quickly Lewis started dating Charlotte. I don’t blame a guy for moving on quickly, I do find it weird that during the post-breakup from Cleo, he not only protected Cleo’s respect and jealousy by not flirting with any other girl, but also didn’t really seem like he was into Charlotte at all. She was a good friend at the beginning, then Cleo got in the middle, and for some reason, Charlotte did her best to rub it in Cleo’s face that she wants Lewis. But he never, for once, showed interest back until Cleo gave him permission to move on, and all of a sudden they’re dating. What I'm saying is that Lewis never seemed to like Charlotte romantically, like she liked him. So that was weird, they just never felt right together.

10. The reason Charlotte mastered her powers so quickly, at least in my eyes, is because that a) she had the girls to explain her at least the basics, and b) she didn’t put herself into a box of ‘this is what I was given’, bc she wanted to be better than Cleo at every cost. Her will power helped her master her powers. While the girls dealt with learning their boundaries and abilities and adjusting into the new life they got, Charlotte learned about mermaids before her transformation and knew what she was getting into.

11. The show never shied away from real-life issues, that may be considered inappropriate or harsh to the audiences the show is targeted at. Handling with divorce (and the outcomes of it!) and parents starting dating again (true story, Cleo’s way to handle with Sam’s introduction into her father’s life helped me cope when my mother started dating men a couple of years ago), while also showing signs of LGBT references (Nate mentioned people think Lewis is gay, in other words) or even sexual harassment and consent (both when Rikki was mad at Zane for kissing her against her will, and when Ash’s apology to Emma when he believed Lewis thought he was trying to have sex with her/spy on her showering, which to remind y’all, she was 16 while he was 18). It’s so brief I never noticed it before, but once I did, it was hard to miss.

12. And lastly, I just love how this show treats science. So much real life and true scientific information is included in the lines of the story, mainly by Lewis, but also by other characters like Will, Cleo, Lowrey, Max and Dr. Denman. When they wrote the entire base to what mermaids are and how they exist, they didn’t care it was a show for goddamn 9-year-olds, and that what makes it so interesting. If you’re not into science, let me tell you that every scientific blurb or word you hear on the show is 100%% real and makes sense within its context. From talking about marine biology, to referring to mermaids groups ‘pods’ (which is a group of marine mammals in scientific terms), to the science of “magic” and mermaids as a whole, the show knows what it’s doing is within the realms of possibility from a scientific point of view, meaning none of it is real, but it could be, in another life.

Anyways, if you have anything else to add, feel free! This is your list as it is mine. I just really love this show and I wish people appreciated it the same way we do. When I tell people I like this show they remember it as just another kids TV show, and it’s so much more than that.

Hope you’re having a great day, be safe, and wash your hands (just not in front fo people, keep the secret safe!)

Until next time, maybe not as far as you think. xx

#h2o just add water #lewis mccartney #cleo sertori #emma gilbert #rikki chadwick #Charlotte Watsford #zane bennett #Ash

[howtosingit]

I just want to say yes to everything you wrote in the tags about the crossover. I only mentioned Carlos because the Buddie fandom seems to be really excited about TK and Carlos being there to validate their ship. I wasn't overlooking Grace and Tommy and I'm glad you mentioned them. I will be pissed if Tommy, Grace and Carlos don't get their own storyline back in Austin and it better not be just them watching news footage on the TV. All three deserve better.

On one hand, it was so great to see everyone so excited about the crossover confirmation yesterday - it’s been a long hiatus with very little spirited discussion about this show, and I’ve truly missed that!

On the other hand, I just 10/10 could not relate. Literally, here’s a visual representation of my face as I scrolled through all of the tags yesterday: 😬

(I’m going to put my initial concerns under the cut in case people want to avoid that kind of discussion - I’m really not here to rain on anyone’s parade...)

I will admit that a crossover is never something I’ve wanted. I’ve watched a lot of crossovers for other shows and they are almost never worth the screen-time that they take up, especially when that screen-time is already so limited and unfairly allotted to cast members. While it’s exciting to see fan-favorite characters interacting, when the shows are set so far apart, it’s not like we’ll be seeing important relationships develop that can actually be explored well in the future beyond a random line thrown out here or there. Sure, scenes with TK and Buck seem fun and enjoyable, but I’m here for the development of the characters and relationships that I love, many of whom already suffer from slighted storytelling. If I wanted to see characters from different shows interact, I’d read fanfic about it. (Spoiler: I don’t do that.)

And yeah, the minute that I realized that the 126 was most likely in California to fight wildfires, my heart absolutely sank. Carlos definitely won’t be there. There will be little-to-no Tarlos in the episode. Grace definitely won’t be there, and probably very little Grace/Judd. It would be so easy to just cut them from this episode entirely, and if the Lone Star writers have made one thing clear throughout season 1, they like to take the easy way out. Like, I get that as the sole cop on the show, Carlos is an outlier and easy to get rid of when it’s convenient, but that’s bullshit. A good writer would find ways to incorporate him into scenes and moments, not just be like “we don’t need him” and then CUT HIM FROM 20% OF THE SEASON and give him scraps of screen time in episodes that he does appear in. 

And like I said in my tags, I really only have this problem because Carlos was the only character to be cut from episodes in season 1. If they were to say “well we have a lot of main characters and can only focus on a few at a time, so everyone gets to be in 9/10 episodes,” that would make me feel better. I could accept that. But that’s not what’s been happening on this show, and it’s still a concern I have for future seasons. (God, please let me be wrong, I would love to be wrong.)

(And like, how does this all really serve the characters and world-building of Lone Star? This episode already feels like it’s entirely for the benefit of the original show and while I like that show well-enough, I’m not happy that Lone Star’s budget and screen-time is being sucked into a 2-hour wildfire adventure. Tell me you can imagine, at some point in the future, the entire 118 crew coming to Austin for an episode. That would seem pretty ridiculous, I think - so I’m just not seeing a balance here. It seems to me like this episode serves 911 more than anything, ESPECIALLY if Lone Star characters get cut completely to make it happen.) 

While I would HOPE that the writers will write material for Carlos, Grace, and Tommy, I’m not holding my breath. I’m seeing the following ways this episode will be written:

LIKELY: No Austin scenes at all. The 126 arrive in California at the end of the 911 episode, and then spend their entire episode in LA.

POSSIBLE: If they do show Austin, it might be when the crew returns home at the very end - maybe we’ll see Carlos and Grace greeting their partners as part of a classic episode-ending montage sequence.

POSSIBLE: Maybe we’ll get a phone call between characters in Austin and LA. Or, more likely, we’ll get reference to phone calls having been made, but we won’t actually see them. 

I WON’T HOLD MY BREATH: The writers divide the episode’s screen time between LA and Austin, showing the 126 working with the 118 while Carlos + Grace + Tommy deal with emergencies back in Austin. Maybe, even, a scene between all of them or at least between Grace and Carlos - IMAGINE THEM BONDING OVER MISSING THEIR MEN, IT PRACTICALLY WRITES ITSELF (if this doesn’t happen, I’m definitely writing the scene anyway, watch me)

(To end this on a more positive note, I am so beyond excited that we’re getting Carlos’s backstory this season. Whether it’s a “Begins” episode or just something that comes up throughout the episodes, I am here for it! Even if it goes against all of my headcanons, I’m so fucking happy that Rafa is getting a chance to explore his character more. He is so damn talented, and it’s what he deserves.)

....

AND AS A FINAL THING: I can tell you right now, I have never, for one moment of my life, wanted “Buddie” and Tarlos to interact with one another, especially not so that Tarlos could be used to validate a fan ship. I have seen some truly vile comments about Tarlos from Buddie shippers (not really on Tumblr, but elsewhere) and I really would prefer if they have nothing to do with each other ever. (And yes, if you’re a person who says “Tarlos only exists so that the writers don’t have to make Buddie canon,” you are homophobic and not an ally. Don’t invalidate actual queer representation/characters, ONE OF WHOM IS PLAYED BY AN OUT GAY ACTOR, just because the writers won’t make your perceived ship happen - that’s disgusting and I do take offense to it.)

#me yesterday: don't publicly share your thoughts on the crossover news - you're just being a big party pooper #me today: nope my brain is too loud I have to word vomit somewhere and that's what my blog is for #this is a lot of wank #venture ahead at your own risk #it's under a read more for a reason #loveisharderthanitlooks #asks

[spirit-of-vengeance]

7th ROTG anniversary. Time to get emotional.

I never written this down, but now I feel the need due to the intense nostalgia and the notice of how quickly time is fleeing. I have a tale to tell, I need to share my story about how this film changed my life. Warning: it's long.

Brief into: I believed in the Santa, Easter Bunny (I really wanted in the Toothfairy too and unfortunately never heard about Jack or Sandy) even when I was 10. (Which was considered pretty old to believe) I even got into an argument with my teacher in the 3rd grade because she said 'stop being childish, they aren't real' because I was excitedly whispering with my classmate about catching the Santa this year. A boy, who ironically looked exactly like Jack Frost began endlessly teasing me and calling me stupid for still thinking he's real. On the way back home with mom I confronted her about this, not giving up until she told me whenever he was right or not. Backed into a corner, she was forced to give up. I cried every day for weeks. The magic was ripped away from me.

Year 2012, December. I'm 11 and a victim of hardcore bullying since my whole life. Students, teachers and sometimes parents. To cheer me up, mom took me to the shopping center to watch a movie. We couldn't really decide & she saw a giant poster of North smiling at people. Her eyes lit up and excitedly said 'Let's watch that! ' I followed the direction of her finger and my face scrunched in malice "I am not watching a movie with the Santa. Its stupid. I'm a big girl, I want to watch a bloody action movie! " but she was unbending. She could bribe me into it with a large bowl of popcorn; I was still grumbling when the lights went out.

The change: first snowflakes, first notes of the piano worked like magic. I immediately shut up and wondered what actually happens here. Why is it so soothing? At the first few shots of the North Pole when North is working on the ice train, I jumped in my seat and I shit you not, I thought the Santa is actually getting murdered. My eyebrow rose higher when I realized that guy with the chainsaw and swords is the Santa. Unfortunately, I can't remember more first reactions; stress, depression, traumas really ruined my long term memory. It seems silly now, but I kept the last piece of popcorn what I was munching on during it, I still have it in a little jewel box; one of my sacred memories. The car ride back to home was quiet, I was staring out of the window my mind stirring with creativity.

Aftermath: 2013-2018; while my classmates were busy getting drunk, being a petty bitch, giving oral in the toilet, (yes. I am talking about elementary school.), getting laid, I was lost in a world of wonder. I learnt 60% of my English knowledge in 3 months with reading fanfiction. I browsed deviantart for hours and laughed my ass off at the hilarious, extremely well done fanarts.

I grew up on mostly Blackice videos I wasn't 100% aware what I'm actually seeing tho, I was exposed to gay ships from a young age and plot twist, nothing serious happened😀. My mental health wasn't shit because I saw the Bogeyman and the Winter spirit kiss.

I began talking to the Moon. I cried my pain to him. Sitting on my windowstill, debating whenever I should jump or not. My extraordinarily strong bond with my mom and this film were my only lifeline. I was making it through, in my own world. My imagination created wonderful sights, scenarios; at nights I was certain I can spot Sandy on his cloud, at Christmas North trying to push himself out of the chimney cussing, at Easter that enormous bunny running around, at winters mostly yelling at Jack 'get out of my country' because I'm a summer person, going to school on a chilly yet sunny autumn day and see Pitch standing on the edge of the misty forest.

I began to change, respond to the pressure from my bullies. My personality began to morph. See the wonder in everything; like North. There's hope and spite, don't dare to give up; like Bunny. Awaken and enjoy creativity; like Sandy. Shit on the rules and have a damn good time no matter what; like Jack. Cherish memories and friends; like Tooth. Be ruthless and stand up from the most brutal blows; like Pitch. And never forget, the Moon will always be there even when he's an antisocial dick and says nothing.

My aim, my dream was to write the sequel. When I was done I wanted to send it to William Joyce. I wrote 200+ pages, but unfortunately in Hungarian. I still don't know why I stopped, why I abandoned that plan.

I was looking for ROTG posters because I wanted to email them to my friend to show what I've been obsessed with. I was just lazily staring at a Pitch poster, realizing his V neck actually never closes - then my eyes crossed the date: November 21. I let out an ungodly shriek of disbelief and mirth. Mom rushed into the living room with terror and met with the sight of me screaming in ecstasy "RISE OF THE GUARDIANS CAME OUT ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!! "

Around 2016 I became really interested in this roleplay stuff and oh god I was terrible. Cindy Flame then was an always angry Mary sue but after years of practice, expanding she is a completely built, extremely complex character, flawed, strong, tragic and ruthless; divine yet oh so human. So I was making friends online, most of them failed, I think one of them committed suicide but that belongs to an another story.

I have been lurking Tumblr for 3 years? More? Because I had no idea how this site worked and I was shy because I thought my writing is not good enough I realize now I felt right. I admired blogs from afar, read their writing and falling deeper and deeper into this fandom.

Nearing present day: I actually came to Tumblr to pursue a friend of mine. I was borderline desperate because I've thought they are one of the last one in the fandom and it scared me. The fun thing is, I actually never interacted with them after making this blog. So I break this two year old spell and hi @kingofnxghtmares it's me, Jasmine😊 You don't have to answer/interact/or anything, I wanted to get everything off my chest and finally tagging you just felt right.

So now I'm on Tumblr. And I love every second it. I've found amazing friends, insanely dynamic muses, crack threads, angst, the chance to expand my muse even more and where I belong. So there I am, wondering where 7 years went. I've grown up (somewhat), and I'm glad I was protected from the 'disaster teenage years ', drinking, heartbreak, drugs, etc instead I grew up in a magical world interviewed with reality so closely; it became an escape place when reality became too heavy.

About ROTG & finale: masterpiece. The animation is insanely lifelike yet fantasy. Every tiny, microscopic detail is perfect, the characters, the storyline, the atmosphere original and capturing. The music is gut wrenching. Everything is absolutely, 200% on point. I don't think there ever will be an animated movie which can be better than Rise of the Guardians animation and/or storywise. No 'love is the answer ' movies can ever come close this iconic masterpiece no matter how they rip it off looking at Frozen 2😒

I watched it today (I have it in Spanish as well and I only can encourage everyone to watch it, the Spanish voice acting is, 100% in my opinion Pitch's bested Jude Law, damn that rich hiss of malice was incredible ) on my 18th birthday while cuddling with mom, laughing and heavy with nostalgia. I think I will remain in this fandom for a very long time, I don't think I would ever be able to let it go due to my deep emotional ties. I would like to thank everyone who were present in making this film, the artists who still keep this fandom alive, all of my friends, roleplay partners; thank you for brightening my childhood, giving me purpose and a place to belong.

To my all of my friends:

@paintbrushtheelf @muerte-rojo @nightmarinqs @mr-mansnoozie @gatekeeperoftheunderworld @50shadesofpitchblack @flossinspector @magicmiyeh

@black-equals-mysoul @nxghtlight @lindzem

I love all of you,

Jasmine

#Trigger warnings for mentions of suicidal thoughts #wow this is long #And angsty #Idk who read it completely but they deserve a medal for it #wild author appearing without makeup #I know I don't look 18. #Long story cut short: ROTG came out on my birthday and I'm emotional #🔥author/writer's note🔥 | smoldering embers

[14th-centuary-capitalism]

Anne With An E's minorities

Believe it or not, Anne of Green Gables and its sequels don't have many LGBTQ+ or non-white characters. The books were set in the mid-late 1800s in rural Canada, so long before the legalisation of homosexuality but not long after the abolition of slavery. Lucy Maude Montgomery did not have representation at the forefront of her thoughts when writing her novels in the early 20th century- in fact she probably never considered it at all- and that's okay because as a modern audience we can appreciate her books for the stories they are whilst also realising that they are a centuary old and outlooks have changed a lot in the time between their original publication and us picking up our copies. However, this does not mean that adaptations made in more modern times have to share the same lack of diverse characters.

Anne With An E surprised its viewers in its second season by including a host of many new characters not from the books, and amongst these were a black man and a gay teenage boy. Now here's the thing... as much as I love the books and want the tv show to stick to them completely, I don't hate these two characters (Bash and Cole), in fact I really like them! But it's the way the inclusion of these oh-so-controversial characters was handled that I really don't like. Should I stop watching? Not over this, there are far more egregious things pushed into this story by the tv writers that would make me do that (gold scammers??). Should I start a boycott demanding that PC culture is ruining media? Absolutely not. I shall attempt to explain as simply as I can what I would have done with these characters had I been in charge of season 2. Now I don't expect this will do anything more than leave me feeling satisfied with venting my thoughts, but that's good enough for me.

Bash

Oh Sebastian, I do love you but it is such a pity that you were introduced at the expense of another character's development! Gilbert Blythe being stripped of his years of natural and evolving character growth to give him a sad backstory is possibly one of the worst changes I've seen in one of my favourite characters from page to screen (and I'm a Percy Jackson fan so that's saying something!). Of course, if Gilbert was never made an orphan he wouldn't have gone on his soul-searching trip working on a ship and indeed wouldn't have met our Bash. However, if there is a way to keep Bash without sacrificing Gilbert's personality I would find it, and I think I did. It would be oh so simple to keep John Blythe alive and have him hire a new ~controversial~ farmhand who he met in Carmody fresh off a ship and looking for new work. Instead of having Bash and Gilbert be seen as equals (or Gilbert being more senior to Bash because of his race) have them build a relationship wherein Gilbert sees Bash as an older brother. If John is constantly ill he probably doesn't have much time for his son, so Bash can step into certain roles for Gilbert. A big part of why I don't like Gilbert and Anne's relationship in season 2 is that it feels as though Gilbert is far more mature than Anne now, and putting him with the fully grown adult Sebastian makes him seem even older. Of course, this version of Gilbert is free to grow up at his own pace and with him treating Bash as his, for lack of a better word, elder. This is normal for the audience who sees a boy and a man, but for the citizens of Avonlea who largely still don't see black people as equals to white people, them seeing Bash as a superior to Gilbert would shake their core. (Yes, they are supposed to equals as business partners in the show, but it's clear that everyone choses to ignore that. And yes, Bash would be working for Gilbert's dad here, but it can be made obvious that their relationship is more than that.) The storyline with Mary can happen just as it does because it needs nothing changed. They're perfect. The only loss here would be the scene with Bash's mother which I really like. The best thing I can come up with to replace it is a scene where Bash writes to his mum and never sends the letters and explaining to Gil that it's because he knows she can't read or write because she was born into slavery and hasn't learnt since the abolishment because her life has barely changed. It's not my greatest idea, but I'm not a professional writer.

Cole

Cole is a little different... I would prefer to scrap his character altogether. Controversial I know, but so much about him is a bit iffy. Where was he before the plot needed a gay boy for Anne to be friends with? Is it stereotyping to make him an artsy sensitive type whose only friends with girls? Why did they write him out at the end of his storyline? So to begin with I'd like to make an existing character gay. Just for argument's sake let's make it Charlie Sloane. So Anne is up to no good having a snoop in Charlie's desk. Maybe she's dared to, maybe she thinks he's taken something of hers. At the very bottom of the desk, underneath a big stone, is a small folded up piece of paper. She hestitates before opening it, but she's naturally too curious for her own good. Oh how romantic would it be if this were a secret love note! Uh oh turns out she was right, but it's not adressed to Diana or Ruby or even Anne, it's simply addressed to B. Anne brings the gossip to Diana and both are determined to find out who Charlie's girl is, because no-one's name begins with a B and the mystery is just too tempting to not solve. Through some wacky hijinks the two discover that B stands for Billy and uncover Charlie's greatest secret. Anne thinks it's the very pique of tragical romance and let's Charlie know that she accepts him as he is. This can maybe be written to Aunt Josephine in a letter (because saying something out loud in Avonlea means Mrs. Lynde will hear it sooner or later, and some adult input on the situation would be much appreciated). Cue the party where she insists that Anne bring Charlie. Cue the elderly lesbian giving her speech. Only difference is that Charlie isn't left behind. He remains a normal school boy and a constant gay presence who isn't just written out as soon as diversity points are scored in his name.

In short, I think that the decision to add more diverse characters was a good one, but it really does feel like that decision was only made to score points with the diversity patrol! Adding minorities into an already well-loved and established story should be a well thought out process and the communities they represent deserve to be represented better than "insert black character, make him sad about slavery, make white characters like him, racism is over now". I wish Bash and Cole and all other minorities in the show could be given more complexity and have them fit in with the story instead of having them stick out like sore thumbs!

#this has been my ted talk #I'm just so tired of people saying that anyone who doesn't like anne with an e is just a racist homophobe #no!!! i like the new characters i just wish they were better written and got given as many dimensions as the straight white characters!! #gold scammers also just give me a headache! #and matthew's autistic stop making him more neurotypical but that's another rant altogether #think critically about media kids don't just blindly like everything