#it’s still one of my personal favourites and I think the way it addresses romance still stands out in the Yuri manga universe

[paperclipninja]

Middle of the night GO thoughts after reflecting on a couple of comments that the 'you're being silly' scene is actually not just the adorable soft exchange I have been caught up in. I mean it is, but it also isn't.

And it got me thinking that the whole of season 2 is like this, almost the entire time we have two truths in play. The whole season is one of duality.

A few examples (there are many more woven throughout but just to illustrate the point):

Right off the bat, the opening scene, it's both ominous and hopeful. Aziraphale is restrained while angel Crowley full of abandon; one angel is aware of the danger of questioning, the other is naïve. Both are experiencing the same moment in rather different ways. It sets the tone of the season immediately and puts in motion this layered truth within the story.

The minisode with wee Morag and Elspeth, the entire graverobbing premise presents us with the dual truth that digging up the dead is bad but the selling of the bodies to the surgeon, thus contributing to saving lives, is good.

Aziraphale grapples with the duality here, justifying the actions of Elspeth by convincing himself that one truth is greater than the other. We also see that Crowley is far more able to recognise the complexity of multiple truths being valid depending on circumstance. This whole minisode feels like Neil showing his hand a little bit, the duality is so explicitly addressed, meanwhile we, the audience, are engaged in a larger unfolding story in which we are observing similar layered truths playing out in different ways.

Now the scene that made this whole thought process unravel, still one of my favourite scenes and will remain so, is the "smitten, I believe...you're being silly" exchange. It is both tender and awful.

Here we have Crowley, expressing his very real fear of JimGabriel, opening up to Aziraphale that he doesn't feel safe in the bookshop because of the constant fear he will wake up, and Aziraphale just looks at him with heart eyes and tells him he's being silly. This flags so loudly that we're watching two characters who are experiencing very different versions of their current reality, due to past experience, yes, but also, Aziraphale and Crowley each have their own idea about the right way to react to the current situation.

It's been pointed out by many before me, but the ball is another example of incredible juxtaposition and an extraordinary display of two truths existing at once. It is both incredibly romantic and an actual nightmare.

It is reflected, once again, in the way Aziraphale and Crowley are experiencing it, we know one character is caught up in the romance, the other in the horror show, but as a viewer, we are being tasked with holding both truths in our mind simultaneously. And both are true.

Aziraphale the entire season is both giddy in love and completely dismissive of Crowley. It is adorable and infuriating at the same time.

And yes, it is a reflection of the very duality the entire premise of Good Omens presents us with - that something can be good and bad at the same time, pure and corrupt, that the entire binary of Heaven and Hell/good and evil is flawed because those concepts can and do co-exist.

But the way it is seen in the interactions on a personal level this season is what has leapt out at me. It's why I think we see people falling into different interpretations of a lot of the scenes and moments, because they are more than that, they are observations. We are often observing two sides of the same coin, and both are true. The sheer genius of it and the way it is a mirror to the characters and the entire concept of the show we are observing is, quite frankly, mind boggling.

And it all comes to a head in the final fifteen™. There is so much duality in play here that it is no wonder there are hundreds of posts untangling bits of it and trying to extract the meaning from within the many layers. It's because we are given two truths in this final scene that are both heartbreaking.

Crowley loves Aziraphale and wants them to be together, free at last. Aziraphale loves Crowley and wants them to be together, free at last.

BUT

Aziraphale wants to use the system to keep them both safe. Crowley wants to escape the system to keep them both safe.

And then all the moments of duality between them throughout the season reach a critical juncture: Aziraphale in love but dismissive, Crowley understanding that Heaven = good is too simplistic and trying to compel Aziraphale to remember the lesson from Edinburgh ("when Heaven ends life here on Earth, it'll be just as dead as if Hell ended it"), Crowley trying to use the notion of romance to counter the nightmare with a desperate kiss.

It's a complete inversion of those two truths in the opening scene of the season, the entire scene is at the same time ominous and hopeful, but it is Aziraphale who largely being naïve and Crowley who is aware of the danger.

I mean, it was all spelled out for us really, this duality and the fact that those multiple truths in play were always going to come to a head. It was all there, wrapped up in this quote:

"What does your exactly mean, exactly? I feel like your exactly and my exactly are different exactlies".

#good omens #good omens meta #aziraphale #crowley #aziracrow #honestly don't know if this even makes sense #middle of the night thoughts and all that #good omens thoughts

[madman479r]

Ben 10,000 X Wonder Woman Gibslythe Ship Table

Context:

Ben 10,000 from Classic series

Wonder Woman from Justice league Animated series.

For Ben, this is after Ben 10 Season 3 episode 1 "Ben 10,000", in which he has started to relax a bit though he still maintains a firm attitude, taking being a hero seriously.

For Diana, this is set during the Thanagarian invasion of Earth "Starcrossed".

During this Ben finds himself in a new dimension and Immediately recognises that he's in the middle of an invasion. He manages to free the Justice League and assist them in fighting off the invasion.

During the time the team pretended to be civilians to get to Wayne Manor, Ben went with Diana instead of Bruce, so the fake kiss scene was between them.

After they fight off the Thanagarians and expand the Justice League, Ben decides, if he can't get back home, he might as well stay to help keep this Earth safe. His time in the DC universe, he and Diana grow close and start to date.

Big/Little Spoon: Diana had never shared her bed with another, so imagine her surprise by how comforting it feels to cuddle with someone, a man no less. For Ben he was in the same situation, having been constantly patrolling his earth he actually didn't sleep much at all, so having Diana with him in his arms makes him feel less anxious and jittery about not patrolling the Earth for anything.

Lends/Borrows Clothes: I don't think there's much Diana has that Ben would wear, unless he wants to cosplay as her, but that's not likely to ever happen.

Doesn't/Does Use Pet Names: Diana mainly addresses Ben by his name, only referring to him as something like "My Love" in privacy, not wanting their business to be anyone else's. Ben does the same for Diana, wanting to respect her boundaries, plus he doesn't want to seem degrading to her after having heard of Themyscira's views on men.

Introverted/Extroverted: Both are a healthy balance. With Diana having been raised in a isolated island, she's eager to explore the world and what it has to offer. Ben is the opposite, having seen the world and beyond, but despite having and extroverted personality and life before adulthood, there are times in which Ben would just like to have some peace and indulge in his favourite things.

Affection Through Words/Actions: Despite his sometimes serious and stern attitude, Ben knows the right things to say and do to show his affection to Diana, be it complementing her abilities as a warrior or her beauty, or using one of his aliens to make her a gift or show her something, like going on a flight with her to see the world. Diana tends to show affection through actions such as pecks on Ben's cheek or deep and passionate kisses, pouring her love for him in the act. Another way to show it is through sparring with Ben, Diana is an amazon after all.

Confesses First/Waits For Confession: Back when he was being a hero 24/7, Ben found romance to be distracting and never really bothered with it, so he was no expert on how to confess to Diana. Diana on the other hand decided that beating around the bush wasn't her thing and confessed for feelings to Ben, knowing he just needed the push to show her that he loved her too.

Screams About/Squashes Bugs: One is hero who's seen the scariest monsters and aliens of the universe before his 15th birthday and the other is a near invincible warrior, so bugs don't really scare either Ben or Diana.

Drives the Car/Can't Drive: Ben is better with a car while Diana is better with a jet.

Can't Cook/Makes Dinner: Ben knows the basics to cooking but that's about it. (My headcannon is that Ben 10,000 never really ate much, instead transforming into Swampfire or Wildvine and basking in sunlight like photosynthesis for a few minutes to re-energise himself). Diana was taught how to cook so she knows whats she's doing.

Dislikes/Loves PDA: Ben isn't too wild about PDA, wanting to rather keep it when it's private while Diana is even about PDA, only going as far as small kisses in public, giving hugs or holding Ben's hand.

Overprotective/Chill Going: Having been the top hero back on his Earth has made Ben think he should be the one to take on the baddest of the bad, not out of arrogance or underestimating the other heroes, but because he doesn't want to risk anyone getting hurt when he could do it himself, regardless if he's the one in danger. Diana knows Ben can handle himself, especially after hearing his feats back in his universe, but notices that Ben has a tendency to put himself in unnecessary danger in an effort to keep everyone else safe, so she'll do what she can to fight by his side and keep him safe in return.

Has More/No Relationship Experience: Before he turned stoic and cold, Ben had some experience in dating, though they never worked due to his hero life style. Diana never really had a relationship, the only romantic interest having been Steve Trevor but that was another time.

Horny Levels: Both can keep it in their pants but there are times when they just find it hard to resist one another. Diana neve thought she'd be enticied by man or their bodies but Ben had a physique that gives Diana thoughts which would make Aphrodite blush. The same being for Ben, especially when her outfit leaves little to the imagination.

Awkwardness Levels: Neither feel awkward with each other though sometimes Ben doesn't want to risk making Themyscira's views on men seem justified while Diana can rarely feel uneducated about the world outside of Themyscira.

Jealousy Levels: Both have very little to feel Jealousy about but the ugly emotion can be there at rare moments, like when another man/woman tries to make a move on Diana/Ben

#justice league #justice league unlimited #justice league animated #ben 10 #ben 10 series #ben 10 classic #diana prince #diana of themyscira #wonder woman #ben tennyson #ben 10000 #ben x diana #ben 10000 x wonder woman #crossover #crossover ship #gibslythe ship template #dc

[swimmingwithfish]

XO, Kitty and the start of the queer character evolution.

(Spoilers for XO Kitty Below!)

I’m always one for teen dramas. It’s a guilty pleasure that I take much delight in. Classic rom-coms like 10 Things I Hate About You and Clueless have always been my favourites. But to me, they always felt too straight. Too much heteronormative things and none of the queer rep I always wanted, even in more modern films and TV Shows in the genre. 

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before has always been one of my favourtie movies, so, when I found out about the spin off series XO, Kitty, I was ecstatic. Kitty had always been a character I resonated with and I loved all of Jenny Han’s other work. 

Going into it, I expected the classic two boys fighting over one girl love triangle, a gay best friend and the girl best friend that I always seem to ship the main character with. I had predicted most of the story from the start. Until.

XO, Kitty is far from the ‘girl meets boy’ I was familiar with. It’s a queer love story and a coming out story and a self-discovery story. Definitely not the black and white romance i thought it would follow. 

We have Q, the GBF, who is far from the feminine male sterotype you see in teen TV. He doesn’t give Kitty fashion advice and makeovers (which isn’t a bad thing btw), but a jock, the atheltic scholarship kid, who sure, does know a good dress when he sees one, but takes on a character that’s still such a worthy queer person without having to fall into the feminine sterotype. 

Then we have Yuri, the Korean ‘it’ girl, also the girl best friend. She’s not the bimbo pick me girl you think she might me. She’s complex and interesting and she’s gay. Her storyline is something you don’t see often, and they really delve into the struggles of what it’s like being queer in a place and family where you’re not allowed to. Her journey is beautiful and powerful and reflects the coming out struggle in such an honest way, without making her story as a queer person just about coming out. She says the line ‘I have to live a fake life just so you’ll keep loving me’, when coming out to her mum and that encompassed so much of my current queer experience, especially as a person of colour. I think that it was for me, a sort of ‘Hey! we’re in the same boat’ thing and really made me feel so much more seen. She’s a well developed queer character that isn’t reduced to a ‘placed there just for representation’ character.

And we have Kitty herself. The main character. I honestly did not expect Netflix and the producers to go in this direction, but Kitty is queer. At first, I didn’t know if they were just sorta doing it for the sake of it. It didn’t feel like a deliberate decision. Maybe more of a thought that crosses her mind during the show. But Kitty has a crush on Yuri, and the way they address it is so different. They don’t exactly show that coming out to yourself thought process (which I kind of wish they did), rather, Kitty likes Yuri and she just accepts that, which I think is cool. I like now we don’t always need this big revelation moments (although, they’re still cool), but I think it shows the progression of how we treat queer characters as not spectacles for the audience, but just, people. Kitty’s crush on Yuri also felt very resemblant to my own crush on my friend which was probably why I related to her so much but just in general, it felt so natural to just have a queer main character in a non-queer focused show. Like, this wasn’t Hearstopper. No one expected it to be, yet, here we are, and I’m so happy about that.

This evolution into organically created queer characters is something we defnintely need more of and I’m so glad that Netflix is taking the step to do so. ALTHOUGH I REALLY HOPE THIS IS NOT BECAUSE THEY’RE TRYING TO GET REDEMPTION FOR CANCELLING ALL THE OTHER SAPPHIC SHOWS. 

I also feel like though, that Jenny Han is just like a great person because whenever it’s her books being adapted, there’s always this like ‘organic queerness’. Like, in The Summer I Turned Pretty, there’s this guy Jeremiah, who in her book is presented as this straight guy, but in the show he just like kisses some guy and it was a dileberate from of causal representation (if that’s even a thing). Like kissing that guy didn’t add to the plot, but it wasn’t queerbaiting either because (well for me personally) I felt like the directors were like ‘This is Jeremiah. He’s queer, and he’s a main love interest’ and being queer didn’t like shatter the earth around him, it was just a part of him, as it is for all queer people.

But XO, Kitty itself aside from Kitty and Yuri is so good (maybe because I’m a sucker for these things), but everything about it just makes me squeal. I feel like teen TV is taking a turn in terms of creating realistic characters. And while we still have a long way to go (GENDER DIVERSE AND CULTURALLY DIVERSE PEOPLE!!!! CMON NETFLIX), XO, Kitty feels like a really big win for queer (and especially QPOC) people. 

#xo kitty #kitty song covey #queer #lgbtq #representation #@netflix #watch xo kitty #its so good #im obsessed #rant

[thenotificationmachine]

Theory response: why Stolitz might actually be Stockholm syndrome

In regards to Helluva Boss, I believe that Stolitz is in fact an unsettling example of Stockholm syndrome (a hostage or prisoner falling in love with their captor) ever since I saw the hallucination in “Truth Seekers” which has Blitz blushing while Stolas holds him on a chain, as can be seen in the image below (keep in mind that this is Blitz's honest mindset under the influence of truth gas).

@stolitzy, a (now ex-) friend of mine, has made a rebuttal of this view which, while an interesting read, does not in my opinion actually invalidate or disprove it. I’ll go through some of the main points of their post and address them one by one. “There is NO kidnapping and no falling in love with the captor” – while this is true in the literal sense, by effectively holding Blitz’s company (and his life’s dream) hostage through the sexual arrangement, Stolas can be seen as trapping him in the arrangement, which could be seen as a figurative form of captivity and thus Blitz falling in love with him could still count as a form of Stockholm syndrome. It's also a MAJOR misinterpretation of my argument – as Stolas is the one who came up with the arrangement and forced Blitz into this arrangement, he would be the one holding Blitz captive, not the other way around. “[H]e’s had a lot of hardships in the course of his life and the whole show is about dysfunctional relationships and what real life is all about” – again, Blitz is the victim of the Stockholm syndrome, not the captor. “Stolas saw it as “oh wow the love of my life came back after decades of disappearing and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him” and you can even see it in his compassionate face; we can see he’s not the hurtful type as Blitz portrays him as” – Just because Stolas isn’t intentionally nurturing Stockholm syndrome within Blitz’s mind doesn’t mean he isn’t doing it at all. “But what we do know is that Stolitz is her favourite ship; so of COURSE she wouldn’t do anything to harm with it since it will be canon and claimed as a healthy relationship” – While Viv is a great artist, she’s (IMO) an AWFUL writer; examples of this are: . Her giving Verosika only 1 set of lines in “Ozzie’s” (the episode she should have WAY more prominence in had since it’s set in the Lust Ring and she’s a lust demon) in order to make episode 8 (as far as I understand from Viv’s statements and the footage that she released of it) about random hellhounds we’ll in all likelihood never see again rather than making the Lust Ring stuff a 2-parter in which Verosika is more important. . Going straight from the tragic lament of “Stolas Sings” in “the Circus” to business as usual (flirting and all) in “Seeing Stars” at the expense of all narrative consistency in order to support said ship.

As such, it’s VERY possible that Viv accidentally wrote a Stockholm syndrome ship without realising it and is now frantically backpedalling (if she’s even noticed it at all and isn’t just carrying on like nothing is wrong). “What IS unhealthy is shipping Blitz with Verosika; which was a been there done that type of relationship; if they had gone back they’d only be a recipe for disaster and go back to square one again” – while I agree that getting them back together right NOW is a terrible idea, I genuinely think that once Blitz has grown as a person and he and Verosika fully articulate the hurt they are harbouring inside to each other, they would be a FAR better couple than Stolitz since they (as far as I am aware) genuinely loved each other as the result of an organically developing romance rather than the transactional mess that is Stolitz. For more information why I think Blitzika is a better ship than Stolitz, check out my video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q2GV6hvjVU “I mean if you really think about it if Blitz had Stockholm syndrome and if it was really THAT bad then why the FUCK would there unlimited fan art of Stolitz being TOGETHER?! Having a child together!” Do not underestimate the fucked-up elements of fandoms… Why are there people idolising the clearly abusive relationship between Harley Quinn and the Joker? Why is there art of people shipping Hazbin and Helluva characters with Valentino? Combine that with how much it’s being pushed by Viv and the team in as positive a light as possible and a large amount of the fandom’s lack of critical thinking (as evidenced by protagonist bias making people automatically side against Verosika simply because Blitz is the protagonist despite her clearly being the INNOCENT party in their relationship) and well… that’s why. Stolitzy also cites the following source: https://doodle-empress66.tumblr.com/post/660206487268982784/i-need-to-direct-everyones-attention-to-the-fact?_branch_match_id=link-1152086027557405904 As far as my understanding of Stockholm syndrome goes (and I know I’m not a professional psychologist, so this will probably not be as in-depth as if I was), a key part of Stockholm syndrome is the captive coming to believe (whether of their own accord or through the captor’s manipulation) that the captor is protecting them from a hostile outside world that they could not survive without them (a bit like how Judge Frollo in Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame convinces Quasimodo to stay in the cathedral by telling him that the people of Paris will hate him, though this example may not strictly qualify as Stockholm syndrome due to the former being the latter’s parental figure). As such, this source doesn’t do anything to disprove my theory. Stolitzy also cites numerous other sources showing Blitz’s romantic/sexual affection towards Stolas that, again, does NOTHING to disprove my theory; remember that Stockholm syndrome is all about the victim falling in love with their captor and so all the examples of “heart eyes” and Blitz’s human form kink could be equally argued to represent his Stockholm syndrome towards Stolas taking hold as the show goes on. Viv’s writing makes it even worse, since the way the show goes from “Ozzie’s” and “the Circus” straight to “Seeing Stars” makes it look like Blitz went to get some space only for his burgeoning Stockholm syndrome to make him come crawling back like a beaten wife and hide that anything was wrong. So remember, just because all the creepy elements are glossed over and Blitz gets lovey-eyed doesn’t mean there isn’t any Stockholm syndrome; if anything, that’s the version of reality the victim’s (in this case Blitz’s) mind is conjuring to convince themselves that their situation isn’t abusive when it clearly is.

#helluva boss #stolitz is Stockholm syndrome #blitzo #stolas #theoryrebuttal #theory #blitzika is better than stolitz #vivziepop #anti-stolitz

[bayofwolves]

struggling with how to address the nature of conor and abeke's relationship in path of the heroes. it deeply saddens me that coneke will not be happening, even though shaneke has always been my endgame. even so, conor and abeke have a really special relationship that i don't feel can be brushed off as simply platonic. i'm keeping the forehead kiss and all the other tender moments they shared before that. in fact, shane is supposed to notice how close they are, which causes doubts to form in his head.

i was thinking of having a scene where conor and shane just talk about this, but this is where the struggle begins. i'm not sure if i want there to be explicitly romantic feelings between conor and abeke. i fear it could needlessly complicate things, especially with the fact that i plan for conor to end up with someone who is very close to abeke in particular! plus, the love triangle is a tired concept -- a perceived love triangle that ends up all being in one guy's head is much more fun. like, shane spending literal years (since seeing them together in the second devourer war) stewing in repressed jealousy and doubt all for conor to cheerfully break the news that he and abeke never felt that way about each other and shane never had any competition? that's great. it's just great.

i feel like this path would be a lot more satisfying and less awkward than if conor were to say he did have feelings for abeke but he won't pursue them for shane's sake, or he knew abeke would choose shane over him, or some "maybe in another life" type shit. that, or they just start fighting over her for real. this would make the reveal of conor's endgame partner feel very odd, which i really do not want because i love the dynamic and potential these two have. it's become one of my favourite rarepairs and i cannot wait to explore it. but if conor did have feelings for abeke prior to this, their relationship would be... questionable, i'll put it. (and no the mystery person is not soama! don't worry! i could not care less about her)

so yeah, obviously i'm leaning towards the first option, but like i said above -- i can't say with certainty that conor and abeke can be called platonic. since taking up this project, my view of their relationship has slid very far into platonic territory (compared to how i used to ship them romantically), but it's clearly still something a lil bit more! i just can't label it for the life of me.

besties who cuddle and forehead kiss to help with the Trauma? besties who have deep talks for hours into the night when everyone else is asleep? besties who are intrinsically connected in a way that makes most people think romance but they know for a fact it isn't? platonic soulmates??! platonic soulmates. i found it. i found the term. conor and abeke are Platonic Soulmates.

this is what i love about making a long tumblr post as i think. i figure things out along the way

** i also feel the need to note that the shane-conor feud will not take up much of the plot at all. no matter how you execute it, jealousy subplots are too overdone. shane's real rivalry is with rollan.

#platonic soulmates or qpps it's whatever you want lol #honestly with how i'm doing it i'd say the four are queerplatonic-coded already minus the obv romantic reilin #i'll reveal who conor ends up with in due time hehe #probably gonna write a mini fic and introduce them to y'all that way #sorry to all the coneke fans out there 😔🙏🏽 #i am a firm believer that shane is the jealous one and not conor #conor grew out of it and matured but shane - despite all his good qualities - is still prone to bitterness #he's much better at hiding it than conor was in fire and ice #after the war with the wyrm when he's chill with abeke and the rest he'll play nice with conor to save face #all while feeling ugly inside #and it takes him a long time to admit what he's feeling is jealousy. #he tries to stay away from the other boy as much as he can #text #spirit animals #spirit animals books #spirit animals series #path of the heroes #abeke #conor #shane #rollan #coneke #shaneke

[storytime-reviews]

The True Love Experiment Book Review

Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached. Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing.

Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see?

Rating: ★★★

Honestly, it's amazing I finished this book. And to be honest, the reason I chose to finish it was because I wanted to see how the plot would progress. To be completely upfront, I'm not a huge romance reader, and I used to never read any, however in the last 5 or so years I've been trying to read ones whose summary appeals to me, usually from some trope that I enjoy.

In the case of The True Love Experiment, I absolutely loved the sound of the premise, but unfortunately this book just did not deliver. It was often cringey and uncomfortable to read, and half the time I just did not like reading about the main character. To be fair, I still think that the storyline was a great idea, and I finished the book purely because I wanted to see how this narrative would pan out with the reality show (it's not the first kind of Bachelor inspired book I've read, unfortunately the last one also let me down with the characters). But at the end of the day, as much as I may enjoy a certain narrative or set of tropes, I really need to connect with the characters to get anything out of it. I liked how the plot progressed, but that's about it.

A chapter in, and The True Love Experiment was already full of references to current trends and pop culture that became just a little too much, and didn't really lessen throughout the novel. It's not that this simply ages the book, it just felt out of place and unnecessary, as if the authors were trying to add in their favourite things or big moments in pop culture just because, or maybe to seem relevant. It didn't feel natural at all.

The science/genetics side of matching was absolutely ridiculous, but it wasn't until after finishing this book that I learned that there was a previous book in which Fizzy was a side character, and that was the main focus of that book.

My main problem with this book was with Fizzy. I just didn't like her at all, and I couldn't connect with her as a character, which was a problem for me. She's the kind of person I would hate having to interact with in real life. Her constant leaps to assumptions and judgy behaviour completely got on my nerves. That on top of just her general personality was just too much. That doesn't necessarily mean she's badly written, but she definitely wasn't for me, especially in a rom com in which I'm meant to root for her to get the guy. In contrast, I actually liked Connor, or maybe that's just my bias showing because we certainly agree similarly on some things, and I felt bad for him with the way Fizzy kept reacting to things. The book made me feel like I had to pick a side, and it wasn't hard to pick his.

So basically, everything I got out of this experience was not what you want in a rom com.

Warnings: sexism/misogyny, sex scenes, cheating mention

#booklr #the true love experiment #christina lauren #tbrbusterchallenge2023 #bookbanditchallenge #reading #books #book review

[justmybookthots]

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

4/5 stars

I finally found it! A book with a portrayal of fae that I liked almost as much as Holly Black’s!

Of course, that’s because Heather Fawcett’s depiction of fae is strikingly redolent of Holly’s. I could even dub them to be in the same universe and they would fit somehow. It is clear by now I only like a specific kind of fae (this is my personal preference)—the fairytale-esque / folklore version. I hate Gild or ACoTAR’s portrayal of fae; I do not see fae EVER as... macho men. The mere thought makes me gag. I will take Cardan’s goat tail over big, manly ‘alpha’ men that are also so-called 'fae', tyvm.

Sorry, I digress. But not entirely, because well, this book I’m reviewing, if the title isn’t obvious enough, is about fae. The way fae is categorised goes like this (I’m writing this down so that when the next book arrives next year, I still fucking remember):

Human-sized / big fae are called The Tall Ones or Courtly Fae. Tiny ones are called the Common Fae, further sub-categorised into Brownies (they strike bargains with mortals often) or Trooping Fae (they travel in troops and keep to themselves). 

One of my standout (if not my favourite) characters is Poe, who is a Brownie. OMG, he is so adorable with his sharp needle-fingers and his love for cooking. Also, that little thing makes fucking delicious bread, which is my absolute favourite thing to eat in the world. My heart broke for him when his tree got burnt, but yay that Wendell Bambleby fixed it for him!!! 

How is Poe not adorable? I heard from the reviews (LUCKY ASSES WHO GOT ARCS) that the next book will feature him again (and his lady), and I am so excited to read it.

Moving on from Poe, I’ll address a character much more important to the story: Wendell. I have to say that because everyone was saying the romance subplot is very small, I took it to mean that I would not see Wendell much, but I was wrong. Wendell is in the story most of the time. And while I can’t say I’m in love with him (the romance was too sudden IMO), I do love him very much. He’s hilarious. An absolute riot. I mean, just look at this part in his POV (do be mindful of spoilers in this snippet):

This man is clinically insane, lmao.

Random side-note: him having blonde hair is delicious. I just love blonde male characters. He is, quite literally, a ray of sunshine compared to Emily’s grumpiness. I usually absolutely despise the grumpy/sunshine trope because the man is almost always the fucking grump. But when it’s reversed? Utterly delightful. How can I not love a male character who is actually emotionally intelligent? Who on earth wrote into the romance fiction codex that an attractive male lead must have the emotional intelligence of a toothpick (Coughs at Love Hypothesis, coughs at Love on the Brain, cough cough cough)? Who???

Anyways.

This book surprised me in many ways, not just with Wendell. It’s dubbed as ‘cosy fantasy’ and many people complain that nothing really happens, so I was kind of bracing myself for a snoozefest.

Um, I was wrong.

I'm confused that this is what we consider cosy fantasy (I truthfully know next to nothing of this genre)? But… There is so much adventure and action that happens here. If anything, the stakes in this story feel higher / more engaging than in An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson, which I strongly disliked (even though I enjoyed some of its portrayal of fae). While the beginning was a bit rough, I was utterly hooked about a third into Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia. 

I was also A FOOL, because I read this thinking the next book was already out. T_T But no, it only comes out NEXT YEAR. Why are all the books I’m desperate for coming out next year? Okay, just two books including this, but whatever. 

One more thing to add before I close this entry: why do some people dislike Emily??? She was reserved, yes, but her kind heart really shone through her actions, especially in comparison to Wendell's indifference. She’s one of the many characters I adored in this book. In fact, I loved almost everyone in the cast; I was prepared to dislike Auds, the village headswoman, but I loved her in the end. It was lovely how the villagers rallied to support Emily later on, and also—I can't forget dear old Shadow!! Bless that baby.

Suffice to say, I will be sitting here, waiting for the next book very, very patiently.

- 11 Aug 2023

#booktok #book review #Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries #fantasy books #heather fawcett

[the-archxr]

So, now that I'm freshly widowed (Eddie dearest 😭), what did you think of season 4?? 💕

Well first, my condolences. I haven’t cried that hard at a death in a long time, so I get it 😂

But secondly, I have a lot of thoughts about it, so to sum it up in general (so that way this post isn’t miles long), I feel so-so about it??

I liked it very much (vol 1 more than vol 2) but there were some aspects that I strongly disliked to the point where they were kinda hard to ignore.

Here are just a few I didn’t like (with extra details cause I’m bored and need to rant):

Mike Wheeler (no I will not elaborate. Other than the fact that Mike from season 3 on is not the fucking heart of the group.)

other than Noah Schnapp’s amazing fucking acting, especially in THOSE two scenes, I didn’t like that Will was pretty much sidelined again. Like considering he’s technically supposed to be the main character (the one the entire show started with and is essentially about), ever since season 3 he’s not really involved at all. Although it seems that with the ending of season 4, he’ll (hopefully) be in season 5 a lot more, so we’ll see how that pans out.

now my least favourite thing that happened this season was the weird Nancy/Steve romance rekindling. Especially since they didn’t really take it anywhere at the ending (not that it would’ve mattered, I still wouldn’t have liked it). The entire thing seemed pointless and completely contradictory to their character development(s) in prior seasons, ESPECIALLY Steve’s. Steve’s whole character arc after him and Nancy’s breakup (and mainly in season 3), was that he moved on from her. Nancy and Steve are great characters, but to each other romantically, they represent the stereotype/the expected partner. Nancy’s whole thing was that she didn’t want to be with Steve because she didn’t want to end up like her parents. Which stems from Steve originally wanting to be with her, making plans at 18 to marry her and have children because that’s what’s expected from his parents. These are things they moved on from up until the Duffers decided to fuck that up, so by bringing it back it just felt empty; like Nancy was just lonely and had nothing better to do, and that Steve can’t possibly be with anyone else who compliments his personality.

and speaking of Steve (even though it isn’t limited to him)… I was really hoping to get some more insight into the lives of others? more character development, or explanations of other underdeveloped characters?? We got a lot with Max (and her story arc was great, don’t get me wrong), but I feel like there’s so much stuff we still don’t know/haven’t seen from others?? For example, since season two, I’ve been dying to see the Harringtons. I get the whole point is they’re never around and they’re shitty people, but I want to see interactions between them and Steve. I want to see Dustin talk about his dad (is he dead, are his parents divorced??), and I want them to address Hoppers ptsd from being in a Russian prison, instead of making jokes about him loosing weight.

Like I said, I really did like this season. But similar to Multiverse of Madness, a lot of it felt like ramped up action sequences without any “meat” behind it.

Then again, this season was to primarily set-up the next one. And with season 5 being the final one, hopefully, they tie up some of these looser ends??

But anyways how did y’all like it??

✨the-archxr thoughts✨

#the-archxr thoughts #this kinda ran away from me #but yeah #I definitely have some thoughts #also duffers #for the love of god #let Steve wear a crop top in season 5 #I need to see it at least once #steve harrington #joe keery #stranger things #steve harrington x reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #dustin henderson #max mayfield #jim hopper #will byers #nancy wheeler

[ducknotinarow]

[2k12]

“Mikey yer can’t be serious!” Casey exclaimed, clearly fed up with this entire thing, “How is this test of yer’s supposed t’ tell me anythin’.”

He had come to see Raphael, yanno, his boyfriend, but Mikey had got to him first. They insisted that Casey takes this ‘totally accurate’ relationship test, you know, to make sure he’s going to be a good boyfriend to his brother or whatever. Honestly, Casey saw no point in it, but he’d rather not deal with Mikey being a pain in the ass. Well...more of a pain in the ass, so Casey opted to placate them.

Boy did he regret that! 

“Mikey, these dumb lil’ teen magazine tests aint gonna mean anythin’, it’s not like fate or whatever,” Casey tries to speak sense, having done enough of these with Angel to know what they’re like, “This is so fuckin' dumb...”

He slumps on the couch with a huff, arms crossing over his chest. He feels Mikey’s gaze on him though, and Casey groans, face beginning to warm with a blush, Casey finally relenting as he answers the question,

“Urg, fine, ‘C’, my favourite shade of lip gloss is ‘fiery red’."

He rolls his eyes, aware that Mikey was enjoying this. He didn't understand why they had to get involved in his relationships. Doesn't help that Casey's patience is already running thin,

“Can I go see my actual boyfrien’ now, or d’ I gotta answer more of this stupid quiz?” 

| Muse interaction Mikey personally? found the concept of dating and such just interesting. Was a bit of sap for romance over all he loved stories with outlandish romance plot lines. Even if some could be annoying he did often drift into stuff that was around it alone. So much so he decided this made him an expect in all areas of love, likely helped he was far more open compared to his brother on the whole emotional side of anything in truth. Buuut the chances of him or hell any of them ever getting into a relationship? seemed well near impossible! So Mikey just had to get by with fake romances on tv shows and such well that was till some interesting things starting going on. Donnie and April actually got together! So he could start bugging Donnie all about that, course he was a bit lame at times not wanting to answer everything Mikey could think to ask. But then luck struck again when Casey after dipping out to the woods came back with a turtle only to run to Rap and dramatically ask him to go out with him! okay yeah Mikey was pretty away Raph had a thing for Casey but still! and this was a whole different relationship to get invested in. Let him learn about dating boys, Casey counted right? Cause like it's Casey and most of them were pretty sure he was the least closest to being human out of them all most days. But even if Raph and Casey were a thing and had a son, his nephew Young Savage, didn't mean Casey got a whole free pass. Not on Mikey's terms nope he had to make sure Casey and Raphael were a good match. And there was only one true fire way to go about that.

“Mikey yer can’t be serious!”

Mikey Peered over the magazine he was currently reading over, yes this was what he meant. On many trips out finding lost treasures and such Mikey grew a love for these stupid girly magazine. And clearly the tests in here knew what they were talking about. Casey was just being as uncooperative as Raph had been when he made him go through this too. Glancing down he was pretty sure a question addressed that he could just check it off for them right away,

“How is this test of yer’s supposed t’ tell me anythin’.”

"Wha? How is not gonna show you anything dude?" Mikey was quick to counter with. "Are you telling me that you doubt the great Ashley Stellas and her clearly well put together quizzes? these are well researched and thought out they can't print stuff with out any facts to stand on dude that be like illegal." None of that was remotely true but it's not like either of them were gonna know that.

"Mikey, these dumb lil’ teen magazine tests aint gonna mean anythin’, it’s not like fate or whatever,”

Mikey huffed and started to roll the magazine up into a tight tube as Casey kept going as if they knew anything, if they did they wouldn't have bomb with April now would he. Hmm than again then he and Raph wouldn't be dating? And Raph would have to watch the boy he like be with someone else! oh that thought was so tragic to think about. NO he needed to make Casey sit here and take this test he wouldn't let Raph get his heart broken!

“This is so fuckin' dumb...”

Mikey was ready to swat at Casey as he stared at them in a rare moment of seriousness from him mister party guy. Jeez it was a simply question pick your favorite shade of lip gloss, basically favorite color out of the four choices. Sun flower yellow, Berry Blue, Zesty orange, Jet black, fiery red, and last comic purple. He had no idea why they were so worked up over simple gloss colors. Luckily seemed like he didn't have come through he threat and beat them with the magazine.

“Urg, fine, ‘C’, my favourite shade of lip gloss is ‘fiery red’."

Smiling bright as he let the tube unroll and went about marking down their answer, since he jumped ahead as well he went and began to tally up the points. "jeez was it that hard to just answer don't be a baby about it." If Casey thought throwing a fit would effect Mikey jokes on him he grew up with the prince of sulking. Happily humming as he went to look over the results, clearly wearing out the last bit of patience Casey manged to keep hold of through out all of this.

“Can I go see my actual boyfrien’ now, or d’ I gotta answer more of this stupid quiz?” 

Results counted Mikey moved from his side of the couch near landing in against the human as he settled beside them so he could share the expert results.

"Shush Dr. Love is talking now" so to make sure he kept quite Mikey slapped a hand over their mouth to keep any more protest. "Now after consulting with the amazing Ashley Stellas" as if he had spoke to the women himself "It would see your result on is 'Is he worth keeping or time to dump in the bin' it seems you and Raph B T Wd's" happily reminding Casey Raph had suffered this as well and took the test which Mikey used to coax Casey with in the first place. "You are indeed a keep for mist green and mean" he paused cause that might confuse Casey "I mean Raph by the way." Lifting the magazine up "look how cute you guys are a lot of your answers were the same! and when we add those points up cause it a couple quiz to make sure your girlfriend ain't dating no chump" Mikey happily quoted from the test description "That sets you guys here fated to be so whose the idiot now uh that's right you got school by my lady Ashley son!" Mikey was happy to throw into Casey's face. Lowering his hand now clearly happy to let Casey take off to see Raph like they had planned to do when getting to the lair, Mikey was a bit surprised Raph hadn't popped out to check and see where Casey was the whole time. Smirking a bit now "Ya known I bet I could get Raph to wear that Fiery red lip gloss you picked," he was kidding there was no fucking way Raph ever would...well maybe under force? "that why you got all red uh picked it cause it Raph color didn't ya Case?" he was just poking at the bear now. near rolling off the couch trying to avoid any punches Casey may go for. As he laughed and started mimicking kissing sounds at Casey's expense "Gross Casey thinking 'bout making out with Raph wooo some has it bad for Raphie! best go to him he's waiting for you! don't wanna die from not being near your boo now do ya?" If he was being annoying Casey should see it as a good thing, it was only cause to Mikey Casey was basically his brother now too.

#muse| hamato michelangelo #madamkezzie #aflockofffeathers #[ rokin and heads a rollin’ aflockoffeathers] #muse interacction #ic reply #((yeah Mikey just gonna get worse Casey XDD))

[jessequinones]

Don't Fetishise Slavery

A while ago on TikTok, someone made a video and to make sure I don't put words in their mouth, I'm going to be quoting a lot of what this person said. To avoid any kind of harassment, I won't be using their username but trust me when I say I'm not making this up. I didn't think I would have to tell people this but don't fetishise slavery.

The influencer started their videos (and there are several) about how someone negatively reviewing a book doesn't mean that others won't find enjoyment in said book. The person who reviewed a book didn't like it because the slavery aspect was poorly done, especially for a romcom. The influencer responded, "I need the title because any sci-fi romance with slavery in it, I will read the shit out of that. I know that's fucking problematic, but like...I love it; that's one of my kinks."

Now I won't mention the book in question because I don't want the book to blow up in popularity, whether the popularity is famous or infamous. It's best if this storytelling doesn't see the light of day as fetishising slavery is disgusting.

I like how the influencer stated in their own video they know this is problematic. I should also mention this influencer is also white.

After that video was made, there was backlash (obviously). Still, the influencer only addressed the backlash from one person, maybe two but claimed there were multiple. There's a good chance the influencer simply deleted those comments but kept the remarks which were in support.

In their next video, the influencer said in response to someone asking why is that your favourite trope? "Is it my favourite? No. Do I enjoy it in sci-fi when there are non-humans involved? Yes."

This is where the problems begin.

Even if slavery isn't your {influencer} number one trope, why do you enjoy it? Secondly, the fact of the matter is alien slaves, and human slaves are not different.

Most of the time, aliens are coded as people in minority communities, but their traits are brought out to eleven. Here are a few examples of the negative stereotypes in sci-fi and why it's no different from the real world.

The Krogan (Mass Effect Series) deals with a heavy topic known as the 'genophage'. The Krogan were sterilised because they were seen as 'dangerous' and had to be kept 'under control'. Sterilising woman in a marginalised community is sadly nothing new.

"More recently, forced and coerced sterilisation against marginalised women has been documented in countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, including Chile, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Hungary, India, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Slovakia, South Africa, Swaziland, USA, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela" Priti Patel (2017) 'Forced sterilisation of women as discrimination' https://publichealthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40985-017-0060-9

Patel forgot about Puerto Rico and how the United States were the one who did it.

Not all aliens in media are giant frog-like creatures; some are like the Jedi, which are just humans but with super powers.

"Most of last century's science fiction is notoriously tales of white, male humans—no matter how far in the future or how distant a planet it is set. Other-worldly stories of strong, white, human-like aliens rescuing a beautiful damsel in distress set an unfair standard for both males and females while ignoring non-binary people. Not to mention that other alien races were generally portrayed as a threat, or corrupt in some way, or less intelligent." Carla Ra (2021) 'Racism and Sexism in Early Sci-Fi' [https://www.authorcarlara.com/post/racism-and-sexism-in-early-sci-fi]

What does all of this have to do with the slavery trope?

"Black men and boys are imagined as dangerous, threatening, inherently criminal and superhuman — bigger, faster, stronger and less likely to feel pain. These views have roots in chattel slavery." -Tamari Kitossa The conversation (2020) https://theconversation.com/how-hollywoods-alien-and-predator-movies-reinforce-anti-black-racism-127088

Let me highlight what Kitossa said, slavery. Real-world slavery. That was about the predator alien from... 'Predator'. Just because a book is written about aliens doesn't mean it doesn't draw on real-world events. Humans write what we know. The only thing we know is our own history and culture and, therefore, can't create anything 100% brand new and original.

When creating an alien race, something will link it back to the real world; that's just how it is.

In the same video, the influencer said, "liking something in a book doesn't mean you like it in real life."

This is where the white privilege comes out and says hello.

Throughout history, the chances of you being a victim of slavery are low if you're white. I'm only alive because my Taiño ancestors were enslaved, so slavery is a touchy subject for me.

Growing up as a white person whose ancestors were never enslaved gives you {the influencer} a sort of privilege that many people don't have. Those who are a victim of slavery can't trace their ancestor's lineage that far back. Many of their history and culture got destroyed. The Taiño community, my people, are labelled as extinct because of slavery even though we're still alive! Hearing people talk about my community as if we're no longer around is really hard to deal with, even though no one hears us, no matter how loud we shout. That's what's it like when your ancestors are victims of slavery; that's a privilege some people (mainly white people) don't have to deal with because their ancestors were the ones doing the killings. You may be able to ignore that history when its a fictional alien, but we see the history and connections.

I'm going to skip over some of the other stuff the influencer said, trying to defend themselves because they go into kink talk, something I know nothing about. However, I will only bring up things I think are relevant to the discussion.

"When somebody has a kink that they do not act out in the real world, um… who are any of us to judge?"

I hope you {the influencer} don't act out slavery in the real world.

As for enjoying things in a book but not liking them in real life and trying not to judge others who have kinks only in fantasy, where is the line drawn? How would that kink form be my biggest question? What part of being a slave made you {the influencer} enjoy it to the point where it became a kink? That question gets answered later.

Another video later. "Slavery trope in literature is the same as slave play because it is consensual. The reader is consenting to the content."

Trying to stick with only books here; this is why that kind of thinking is flawed.

I will be the first to admit that I know nothing about slave play, BDSM, etc. However, I know a popular book where that kink is the main focus. Love it or hate it, Fifty Shades of Grey.

Fifty Shades of Grey is a story about a power dynamic. Both parties consent via contract. The slavery trope in fantasy is not like that because the enslaved person in the book isn't consenting. That's how consenting works; both parties need to agree to it.

The idea that the slavery trope is consensual because the reader is consenting via reading is wrong. A reader is a witness to a story; they're observing what's going on but can't do anything to stop it. When someone reads a book, if the book is written well enough, that fantasy becomes a reality as the reader gets sucked into that world. The same can be said when watching a movie. The viewer can't change the story, the story is already told, so whenever something happens to a character, it will always happen to that character. Here I give the example of the numerous, take your pick, rape scenes in the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' book series and the 'Game of Thrones' TV series.

Several actors were uncomfortable with what they were doing because of the real-world implications, and several viewers were uncomfortable watching it because of traumatic events. The only one who consented to all of this was the show's writer and the book's writer.

"Whenever discussions come up about the depictions of women in fantasy shows that take place in a fictional past or in an altered version of our past, there are many excuses that are allowed to be passed around. "Women didn't have as many rights in the past" is not an excuse for subjecting women to sexual violence, writing them using sexist tropes, or to give them a passive position." -Princess Weekes (2019) The Mary Sue [https://www.themarysue.com/perils-of-sexist-racist-medieval-fantasy-historical-reasons/]

Everything that I just said applies to sci-fi. Sci-fi isn't a genre that escapes from these tropes as it's the same but now in space. Like I said before, writers create what they know. When making slaves for an alien race, taking a look at real-world slavery is a resource one can do.

In the same video, the influencer said, "there is no victim because the characters are fictional and the reader is consenting, so there's no victimisation."

Again, that's just wrong. The victim is still the slave. Yes, everything is fictional and fake, but fake stories have real-world repercussions. You can't tell me people don't inspire to be like Indiana Jones. Because of Indiana Jones, looters of archaeological dig sites ramped up during Indy's hay day. I suggest reading this article here if you would like to know more about looters. [https://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2014/09/09/why-archeologists-hate-indiana-jones/comment-page-1/]

Fetishising slavery is a quick way to turn something in a book back into reality despite the fact that slavery is still around. Those who enjoy the slavery trope might try to recreate it in the real world and with a partner who agrees. That's fine until the 'salve' isn't acting enough like a real slave and the consenting party quickly doesn't last. I'm not saying the influencer does that; they very clearly stated they don't. However, we can't deny the effect fictional stories and characters have on the real world. Just because a story might be fake doesn't mean it can't inspire another story that isn't.

The influencer repeats themselves a few times and goes around in circles in other videos. Still, their last main argument that I want to take away from all of this was why they enjoyed it in the first place. I lost the video for the exact quote, but the influencer said they enjoy the power dynamic between an enslaved person and a slave owner. They enjoy it when someone holds all of the power but falls in love with a slave, and throughout the story, the two of them become one. That kind of love story can easily be done without having actual enslaved people in it.

Anyone who writes actual slaves, sci-fi or not and then romances them is fetishising something that's still happening today, just not talked about as much. The guardian estimated in 2019, about 40 million people were in slavery (Kate Hodal' One in 200 people is a slave. Why?' https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/feb/25/modern-slavery-trafficking-persons-one-in-200)

Writing about slavery is fine; fetishising it is not. Also, trying to find more books about that trope and buying it is not all right. The more people who buy these books, the more people will keep making them. The more these books keep getting made, the fewer people will see this as a bad thing, and they might start recreating a fantasy and turning it into reality. Don't engage in that trope; thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

#slavery #Jesse Quinones #An Ordinary Writer #writing #wrtieblr #books #sci-fi #fiction #tiktok #booktok

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Fics Written In 2016 Masterlist

A Bomb In Your Fire (ao3) - dafeedil michael/calum E, 16k

Summary: Michael starts up a no-strings relationship with one of the dancers at the club where he works. Almost a year later, he’s still not entirely sure how they wound up where they are, but he figures it’s probably time he and Calum finally address the question they’re both dying to ask:

“So, what are we?”

Hot Dog With Mayonnaise (ao3) - im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance luke/ashton E, 3k

Summary: Ashton had taken it up to him to annoy his band mates after they called him annoying and he was quite successful because he could tell he had gotten on their nerves. When Calum, Luke and Michael were deciding to put an end to that madness, Luke voluntarily proposed to handle the situation, in his own personal ways.

If I'm James Dean (ao3) - princessmikey michael/luke, calum/ashton T, 10k

Summary: Michael had been drawn to Luke since the first time he saw him. It was all the way back when they were in first grade, and shared the same recess. Michael hadn't seen Luke running around the playground until half way through the year, but when he finally laid eyes on the small blonde he experienced this feeling he had never had before.

--

Or the one where Michael has a crush in Luke starting in first grade, but doesn't share his feelings until a halloween party in college.

i'm just a reader; you're every chapter (ao3) - diets0dasociety michael/calum G, 10k

Summary: Calum thinks he might be in love with Michael, in a more than platonic but less than romantic way, if that exists. He’s almost certain it does, though, because there’s no other way to describe the way they both seem to get lost in each other so much.

or, Michael keeps having panic attacks, but Calum's always there to calm him down.

In The Dark (Like Meteorites) (ao3) - dafeedil michael/calum/ashton E, 26k

Summary: Ashton falls for Calum at a nightclub, and then for Calum's boyfriend, too.

It's Such a Shame That We Play Strangers (ao3) - velvethood (orphan_account) Michael/Calum/Ashton T, 14k

Summary: “Well, when my favourite customer disappears I’m going to be worried.” Ashton reiterates, hands Michael his drink and a plate full of three types of cake like he knew Michael was coming. “You have a lot of food to catch up on. I’ve been on the cake wagon lately, haven’t I Cal?”

This is the first time Ashton’s addressed Calum in front of him which isn’t surprising because they’ve never been in this situation before, but Michael’s unsure of what to do with himself. They haven’t even been introduced each other.

Le Chatelier's Principle (ao3) - LyricalPary (hoseoky) luke/ashton, michael/calum E, 54k

Summary: Ever since being promoted to head waiter, Luke had had one problem that came in the form of a six foot, curly-headed, hazel eyed demon. And by demon, he meant his frustratingly stubborn, unfairly attractive co-worker, Ashton Irwin.

milk teeth (ao3) - prettyluke (parting_ways) michael/calum T, 9k

Summary: the four times Calum couldn't admit it and the one time he did.

Romance Just Is (ao3) - dafeedil michael/luke E, 15k

Summary: "The odds are against me." Michael mopes. "I’m never gonna get my dick in you."

Or, the five times that Michael and Calum tried (and failed) to set the mood, and the one time they got it right.

Shots (ao3) - im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance luke/ashton E, 4k

Summary: Luke always loved teasing Ashton and that was what he had in mind but what he did not know was that Ashton was going to turn the situation around. The drummer had already planned on a little something and was only waiting for the right time to execute his plan. In the end, Luke got more shots than he had expected. It started with shots and ended with shots.

Stargazing (ao3) - Zoe13 michael/luke, calum/ashton N/R, 11k

Summary: Michael likes to look at the night sky after shows from the rooftops of hotels, but he's not just enjoying the view. Sometimes he thinks about what it would be like to fly through the air for just a moment, soar with the stars and spread his wings. Of course, he wouldn't actually fly, but he doesn't think he'd mind that either. Anything to stop this feeling.

Stay here with me, I won't tell a soul (ao3) - DefinitelyNotErin_x luke/ashton M, 4k

Summary: An angry confrontation between Ashton and Luke leads to more than either of them bargained for.

That One Name (ao3) - TrashTrashTrash michael/luke T, 2k

Summary: Luke is a lonely prince. One night, he meets a boy.

Wrapped (ao3) - stelleshine michael/luke, luke/others E, 17k

Summary: Michael wrote 'Wrapped Around Your Finger' for Luke, and decides to tell him that - repeatedly - backstage after their show, with Luke pressed up against a wall. From there, feelings happen.

You're All I Think About (ao3) - friendstothis michael/luke N/R, 3k

Summary: the one where Michael has been in love with Luke since sophomore year of high school, but he can't tell anyone, and it's killing him

#5sosfanfictioncatalogue #5sos fanfic #5sos #2016fics #2016fics masterlist #masterlists

[ingridinthefilmland]

Good morning Starshine, the Earth says “Hello!”

Starting off the first post of this blog with one of my favourite quotes seemed the right find to do. 

As the description of the blog says, I just finished film school (or just finished university, I’m not entirely sure how to address it yet, but you get the picture) and although writing essays was not one of the things I had to do, I did get quite a good marks on film reviewing whenever I had to do it. Adult life is coming strong at me and I still haven’t figured out what I’m doing with myself (and my life) from now on.

Are those the only reasons why I decided to do this? One could say so. But I’m not 100% sure. Clearly I’m still not sure about many things yet but I believe that’s how life goes: we’re not sure what we’re doing but we start figuring out as we go.

The main reason of this post was to introduce myself and some of the reasons why I’ve decided to do this. So, yeah, hi, I’m Ingrid, I’m 26, my pronouns are she/her, I’m neurodivergent (and English is not my first language so apologies for any and all misspellings that might happen along the way), I have a lot of tattoos and I’m a Pisces. I grew up watching films with my mum so some of my reviews here might be from some older films and some of the choices might be very affective for me.

I was thinking of not using only stars to rate the films and adapt it according to the genre: hearts for romance, monsters/skulls for horror, laughing mask for comedy, crying mask for drama, aliens for sci-fi, keys for musicals, circus for animations... I’ll develop and explain it better as I post.

I’ve linked my personal twitter account in case you guys would like to get to know me better on my daily craziness and chaos. So don’t be afraid to follow and interact! Feel free to send me a DM if you’d like to have a better chat about any of the films I’ll post (or if you’d just like to talk about film or life in general). 

I’ve created a playlist to share some of my favourite songs from a couple of films I like, so please check it out and let me know if I forgot anything good.  The first reviews I’ll make will be from the most recent films I’ve watched, but it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be reviewing the films that came out recently (as I’ve been quite behind with that). But I’ll definitely will be open to suggestions of films for me to watch and review. If you read until here, thank you! And send me a suggestion of film to review and/or music to add to the playlist (or just a hi on twitter)! 

Until the next post, Ingrid.

#film #cinema #film review #film critic #horror film #romance film #comedy film #drama film #animation film #stop motion #stop motion film #scifi film #musical film #action film #christmas film #christmas films #halloween films #halloween film #thriller film #thriller #horror #terror #drama #musical #animation #romance #action #comedy #scifi #christmas

[flanklurker]

I'm not sure what characters you write for ahhh!! BUT HERE'S MY FAV 3! Could I ask for Chamber, Phoenix and Sova with a chubby, affectionate and touch starved reader? Maybe some fluffy hc on how they'd treat them, cuddle, etc. Y'know some fluffy stuff! (Sorry if it's only one character per ask ;A; )

Fhsfhjdksfhsdjk I friggin love physical affection you have no iDEA. This was so fun to write!! And no need to apologise lol, I write for everyone and am super happy w multiple characters. Delighted that I finally have an excuse to write for Phoenix tbh

Valorant Agents x Chubby, Affectionate, Touch-starved Reader

Chamber

Chamber is a compliment machine. Like he’s always noticing something new and delightful about you and literally cannot wait to tell you about it.

“Mon tresor, that new outfit looks so good on you, I would have thought we were going to a soiree this evening rather than a combat zone."

Also loves shopping sprees, so be prepared to be dragged out and dressed up for hours. This man will miss no opportunity to admire you and flirt pretty shamelessly. He bankrolls the whole affair, of course.

The few times you’ve been able to slink into the room without him noticing, your ears would be burning because this man is literally just telling anyone who’ll listen how cute you are. If you do finally clear your throat, the man goes absolutely pink before doubling down

Oml this man can get handsy. He’s obsessed with tracing your dimples and curves and just literally cannot get enough of you

He loves it when you do the same to him too. If you go to cup his cheek or trace his collarbone, he goes completely still and lowkey short circuits. It’s like he wants to focus on nothing but your hand and where it meets his skin

One of his favourite things to do is to have you sit on his lap facing him, maximising that physical contact and being able to see your startling eyes. He could stay that way for hours, just having someone so beautiful and precious so close to him, with such a warm smile

When he’s feeling a little low, he really loves to lay his head in your lap and just have you hold him. He’ll murmur conversation when he can, or maybe just fall asleep if you’re okay with it, but he’s realised that it’s the one thing that can calm him down

He’s someone who struggles to verbalise his insecurities, but having you there and being so close to you really helps him unwind and talk things through

Phoenix

Phoenix doesn’t give two flying fucks about what the rest of the protocol thinks when it comes to you. He reasons that if they wanted in, they should have tried to romance you sooner

Massive on the PDA. He’s a tall mofo, and so he absolutely loves coming up from behind when you’re in the middle of talking to someone, draping his arms over you and resting his chin on your head

Makes no move to address whatever the other person might be doing, he just grins and relishes the fact that he managed to score you and you’re right there in front of him

If Phoenix has had a good day, like clutched a mission for the protocol or hit the high score on the range, one of his favourite things to do is sidle up to you, wrap his arm around your waist and bring you in for a massive snog. He can’t help but make a beeline for you whenever he’s feeling great

Same if you’ve had a big win tbh, he just loves being able to celebrate things with you and get kisses

Legit, he’s been chastised by Brim for crowding the intercom on missions together, because he takes the opportunity to flirt shamelessly with you, crowing about how damn good you look on site. “Eyo, not to alarm the squad but we got a looka’ in hookah”

As serious as the disciplinary meeting afterwards is supposed to be, you’re definitely struggling to hide a grin. The winks your boyfriend keeps shooting you whenever Brim isn’t looking don’t exactly help either.

Loves to bury his head in your chest and wrap his arms around your midsection. Like he’ll hit you with the full puppy eyes from across the room, or spam your datapad if he can’t find you in person, because you’re his recharge point and he’s down bad.

Loves loves LOVES it when you snuggle up on his lap. He’ll run his hands through your hair and absent-mindedly trace these flame patterns across your forehead while he chats away about the recent mission

Phoenix also adores being big spoon—one of his favourite things on a lazy afternoon is to slink off to your room, press up real close against you and shape his body around yours. Bonus points when he does this in winter—the protocol can get bloody cold, and having his chest against your back is so nice and warm

Sova

Sova is such a beautiful and honest person that the entire protocol know exactly how smitten he is with you

He literally cannot keep his eyes off you when you’re in the room. Like he watches you with the warmest, softest smile and is always quietly padding over to you to put a gentle hand on the small of your back

He tries to be considerate of the protocol and will temper his PDA in public, but that doesn’t stop him from constantly finding his way close to you and just having one point of contact, whether it’s a hand holding yours or his chest brushing yours as he leans over you

When you’re alone or have a more secluded area, he’s a total cuddle bug. He’ll pad up to you and wrap his arms around you from behind, resting his chin on your shoulder and huffing a contented sigh

Insane cuddle stamina too, like if you switch around to face him and go in for a hug he will take it in and hold you for maaaany minutes. You’ll often feel his arms lock in around yours and his heartbeat start to stabilise against chest. Occasionally you catch him mutter something softly in Russian

Loves it when you cup his face in your hands, and will just drink in the eye contact with a goofy smile. He doesn’t usually get giggly, but if you start peppering kisses on his nose and forehead he can’t help but let out a little chuckle (he definitely returns the favour)

Sova’s not the neediest person, but sometimes he genuinely needs to hold you after a particularly tough mission.

After the Fade mission, in fact, he turns up at your room looking gaunt and the frightened look in his eye almost breaks your heart right there and then.

You tug him into the room and just press your chest against his, arms wrapping around him. As you whisper ‘it’s okay, I’ve got you, you’re okay now’, he finally lets himself start shivering as he returns your affections, burying his head into your shoulder and squeezing you like he’s afraid you’ll disappear. He leans into every movement you make, and you can tell then and there just how much he loves having you close. You’re not going anywhere.

#valorant x reader #valorant #valorant chamber #chamber x reader #valorant phoenix #phoenix x reader #valorant sova #sova x reader #valorant headcanons #lozcanons #chamber #phoenix #sova #honestly please keep these coming your reader is gorgeous and i love them and want to give them all the hugs

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

Meta of Stephen being a softie.

I've said before that I love his characterization in NWH and reading some stuff last night made me realize these two scenes are probably my favourite of his in the movie.

The first is when, after Peter has interrupted and quite literally fucked up the spell in an epic fashion, Stephen gets mad at him only to stop dead in his tracks: "You know, after everything we've been through together, somehow I always forget… you're just a kid. Look, Parker, the problem's not Mysterio. It's you trying to live two different lives. And the longer you do that, the more dangerous it becomes. Believe me."

I love that quote mainly for two reasons. The first is that despite how angry he was and how entitled he was to feeling that way, he still looks at Peter and sees no more than a kid trying to do right by his loved ones. Perhaps if this had happened years ago, back when he was still a neurosurgeon, he wouldn't have thought twice about it: The kid made a mistake so it's his fault, he should know better. But the new Stephen cares, he cares so much he agreed to brainwashing the entire planet for him, he cares enough to put his own feelings and despair on the side so he can comfort the kid because it's not about him as the Ancient One once told him, standing right in front of him there's a young man who's feeling sad and scared and out of place... so he comforts him.

The other reason I like it is because it gives a little insight to how Stephen sees life (not just now but in the past as well), he can't live two lives, he's a sorcerer first and foremost. Like back in the day when he was a doctor, he didn't have too much time for friendships or romance (he tried with Christine but not even with her he could make it work), he was completely focused - and dare I say, obsessed - with work. And now it's the same, that hasn't changed. His personal life is nonexistent, to the point of this kid showing up and him assuring him he's not bothered by his presence, he likes the company because he doesn't get much of that in his daily life. And while I'm sure there's a part of pride in that, I think he also feels the loneliness that comes with it.

And oh what wouldn't I give for MoM to address that, his loneliness and his aversion to forming close relationships with other people and where that comes from...

The second scene is with MJ when she tells him: "You're telling us what to do, even though it was your spell that got screwed up. Meaning that all of this is kind of your mess. You know, I know a couple of magic words myself, starting with the word 'please'." The audacity is off the charts (and I love it) but Stephen could have easily corrected her, told her it was Peter who messed with the spell, told her to show some respect or not talk to him that way... it could have gone wrong. But he accepts her words, just like that. And when he answers there's a lot of sarcasm in there, don't get me wrong, but I like it because he's always regarded as a character who's way too arrogant and mean.... but he's not. Not at all. And I love it.

#don't mind me #just me thirsting over Stephen again #doctor strange #stephen strange #Stephen my beloved #he's a softie

[pale-silver-comb]

So I know absolutely nothing about Leverage except what I've been seeing you post lately and I have to admit you're making it look tempting to watch! Can I ask what are some of your favorite things about the show/reasons you would suggest people watch it? And is there really a poly relationship that is canon?

Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I am going to do my best not to just “asdfghkjl” at you and answer coherently.

In a nutshell, Leverage is about 5 people. 4 are criminals (Parker, Hardison, Eliot and Sophie) with different and unique skill-sets and 1 is an ex-insurance investigator (Nate) who, at one point or another in his career, has tracked down (or at least attempted to) the other 4. The whole show is essentially: man reluctantly reforms 4 criminals to use their criminal powers for good and 4 criminals move into man’s life and stubbornly refuse to leave because, goddammit, now they have morals. 

I’ve got a lot of favourite things about the show but the main ones are as follows:

1. Found family. And I’m not talking about loners who come together to fight crime and happen to co-exist to the point where they realise they happen to have found themselves a family. I mean, Nate and Sophie are the Drunk Uncle and Wine Aunt who somehow become Mom and Dad to 3 beautiful criminal children. Mom and Dad love their criminal babies and the kids love them (as well as each other, but we’ll come to that in a moment). You get amazing family moments such as: Mom and Dad packing the kids lunch before sending them out to kick corporate greed’s ass; Mom and Dad giving the kids ridiculously expensive and personal Christmas presents causing their most Grumpy Kid to go very very quiet and soft as he runs off to gleefully play with his new murder toy; the kids interrupting Mom and Dad’s big Movie Style Kiss to ask if they can please keep their new underground layer and huffing and puffing when Dad tells them no.

2. Found family: the OT3 edition. To answer your question, the OT3 is indeed canon, confirmed by the creator. Now, usually, “confirmed by the creator” infuriates me because most of the time it’s a way for a creator to be seen as “progressive” without doing anything to actually be progressive. That isn’t the case here. The OT3 are built up carefully and while it is obvious the creators didn’t originally intend for all 3 of them to become a relationship in the romantic sense, by mid-season 5 we are given a very clear picture of where Parker, Hardison and Eliot are heading in their relationship. There aren’t any kisses at the end to signal this but there are solid marriage vows in not only one but two episodes. (And by marriage vows I mean literal equivalents of marriage vows: “for better or worse” and “’til death do us part”. I’m not even exaggerating). The OT3 also doesn’t need explicit romantic narratives to convey how much they love each other. Their love is laced through the whole show, from the way they teach each other things to the way they respond to each other and work as a unit. The way they fiercely protect and admire each other. Like someone once said, if you need characters to kiss or say I love you to let the audience know they love each other, you are writing them wrong. 

Aside from that, each of the parings in the OT3 are just. Gah. They are so well done, with friendship being the solid basis for them all. The creators never expect the audience to assume anything about them or fill in the gaps. They give us their relationships on screen and reference many things off-screen to show us how these relationships continue to build in between episodes.

Hardison and Parker are a canon couple and date in the show: it’s approached slowly and they are so goddamned sweet. They are basically every fluffy slow-burn trope with a healthy dash of mutual pining in the mix. They are basically that quote “love is patient, love is kind”. (I would like to add their romance never becomes the focus of the show or overrides the importance of any other relationship they have with the other characters, especially Eliot.)

Hardison and Eliot are the Old Married Couple and from day one are already bickering and looking at each other/making comments that are found in every UST fic ever (not to mention Hardison has a very good knack for making Eliot grin like a little kid, when usually he’s basically an Angry Little Chef Man). They argue, they play, and love each other plain as day. 

Parker and Eliot are more subtle but every bit as wonderful. They have an unspoken connection and understand each other on a level no-one else can. Parker and Eliot are not good with giving themselves over to affection for different reasons (and Hardison plays a central role in helping them realise it’s okay to want it and have it- that boy has endless patience) but there is something so beautiful in the way the two of them come together on their own and develop their own special bond that works for them. Parker and Eliot are that trope where the characters don’t need to speak to understand each other perfectly. They just do. Their love language is a lot of the time non-verbal but speaks volumes. (Parker also likes to annoy the hell out of Eliot and Eliot....just.....lets...her. Because he’s soft. The softest, grumpiest boy.) 

I could go into so much depth for each pairing and their dynamics as a 3 but that's for another post.

3. Subverting stereotypes. There is the occasional hiccup in the show regarding stereotypes but ultimately, Leverage gets an A+ when it comes to writing characters and making them 3 dimensional people who are not defined by certain characteristics or events. Nate could so easily fall into the White Man Pain trope where he uses the trauma of losing his kid as a reason as to why he is entitled to act like a dick. Nate is a dick but he doesn’t use his pain to excuse it and I appreciate that. Hardison is a black man who is soft and nurturing. Easily the most empathetic and patient of the group. He’s nerdy, an actual genius, and has the biggest heart of all the characters. Nate is maybe the glue but Hardison is definitely the heart. Media’s usual aggressive, amongst other, racist stereotypes can fuck right off. Parker is canonically autistic (I am sure this was confirmed by one of the creators) and she is not defined by it. It’s not written as some kind of singular personality trait. It’s part of what makes up Parker but it’s only one facet of who she is and not once is her actions, thoughts or feelings treated like a joke. Sometimes people don’t understand why she does and says the things she does but it’s met with patience and fondness over the course of the show. Equally, it’s not met with over-caution. Parker is just Parker. No-one tries to change her. The other nice thing is Hardison, who always makes sure Parker knows she’s amazing because of who she is and not in spite of it. Finally, Sophie is in her 40s. She’s not treated like she’s past her prime. Ever. She’s sexy, smart and never is she pitted against or compared to Parker (who is younger) for anything. Sophie is amazing and there’s never even a conversation of “I may be older but I am still *insert adjective typically associated with younger women here*”. Sophie is possibly the first female character I’ve ever seen who isn’t just unapologetic about her age but has never had to apologise for her age. It’s a non-issue and that’s that. The women on the show are written so well, right down to secondary characters and it’s beyond refreshing.  

4.) It’s just fun. The show has a “monster of the week” type format. Except instead of a ghoul or a ghost, the monster is some corrupt wealthy and powerful individual or organisation. The show draws on real-life individuals to do this and therefore closely parallels real-life people and events. It addresses important political, economical, social and environmental issues while at the same time remaining fun and light-hearted. The characters constantly get the chance to play dress up and by GOD do they have fun with it. You get to watch Eliot beat up bad guys in the most delightful of ways, usually after a witty non-sequitur and with a weapon you’d never think could be a weapon. The dialogue and back and forth between the characters is everything. And finally - my favourite thing- the team can never resist striking a dramatic pose after they’ve taken down the bad guy, making sure the bad guy sees them. I mean, they COULD just walk away, satisfied they’ve taken the person down, but nope. They gotta be dramatic bitches 24/7 and pose like they are models for every single month of this year’s Criminal Calendar.  

5.) Competence Porn. So. Much. Competence Porn.  

Honestly, I could list a thousand reasons for why Leverage is amazing but to list them would to be spoiling so many amazing moments you’d get to discover for the first time on your own if you do choose to watch it. It’s the kind of show you can watch with an eagle-eye and sink your teeth into. But it’s also the kind of show if, you would prefer, put on in the background for something entertaining while you do something else. Each episode is about the job at hand but it’s made up of so many moments between the characters that show how much the creators and writers care about them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll do whatever it is you do when something Soft and Wonderful happens that makes your heart melt. I am so beyond grateful for Leverage. It’s everything I always wanted in a show. Nearly every show I’ve watched in the past 10 years has disappointed me in some way, usually either because the writers run out of steam or characters who I love are treated poorly or given some kind of unnecessary “shock value” arc. Leverage doesn’t do that. Leverage is what it says on the bottle. Fandom isn’t something I joined because I needed canon fix-its. Fandom only enhances and celebrates an already excellent canon. 

#leverage #leverage ot3 #parker #alec hardison #eliot spencer #sophie devereaux #nate ford #talk leverage to me

[iamnmbr3]

I saw the ask about having the person feeling like that the Loki show is objectively bad. I liked the show, here is why.

I love Loki, and I love the MCU, but I don’t go into any of it expecting consistency. Tony and Loki are my favourite.

Tony goes through character development in his own movies, IM3 especially that main canon just kinda ignores. So I didn’t go into work he Loki show expecting them to get him consistent or right. I just went in prepared to enjoy the show for what it is in isolation. I also know that no one looks at the stories they write for the MCU critically, so I try and turn off that for a first time watch.

I really like the show, that doesn’t mean I think they made it consistent or in character for Loki. I get why people don’t like it.

I really like the TVA and all the concepts it introduced. I really liked seeing Tom acting his heart out. And I really like Loki/Sylvie because I find something very compelling about a character who hates themselves, meeting another version of themselves and being able to love them. It is not a ship I’m going to write fic about but I like them within the show.

Basically what I am saying is that I go into MCU media with the expectation they will mess up at least one character or plot point badly every time. I like the media for what it is, and I appreciate whatever it brings to the table that I can then cannibalise into da works.

Yeah that's fair. Everyone has a right to their own opinion. Fandom is better when there are a diversity of opinions and we can all respect each other and engage in open and good faith discussion rather than attacking people for having the "wrong" views or trying to harass them out of fandom.

For me personally I feel like the show fails on 3 fronts.

1) To me it fails as a Loki show. I really enjoy Loki as a character and I wanted a show about him. And I didn't personally see him in the show at all. I saw a completely different character who does not behave, speak, act, respond, react, stand, emote, or make choices like Loki does. He doesn't even LOOK like Loki because they did his hair and makeup wrong. And that's really what I wanted. I didn't want Larry (as I call the show character). I wanted Loki. That was what was advertised and to me he was so ooc that he was unrecognizable. If I just saw a clip out of context and didn't know what it was from I would have assumed I was seeing Tom in a totally different role.

Thor Ragnarok felt like a different take on Loki that definitely retconned some of his personality and history, but still felt like an alternate interpretation of the same character in the sense that I could recognize the character as Loki (albeit a different version of him); some people liked that, other didn't. But here it wasn't that. It just felt like a completely new (and to me far less interesting and compelling) character. And beyond that it felt like the show went out of its way to make a mockery of the character played by Tom and by extension anyone who ever cared about Loki's character. Like it felt like a mean spirited caricatured parody. Loki is also extremely sidelined in what is supposed to be his own show. And it most certainly didn't feel like a show about Loki, which is what I wanted. So for me the show didn't provide what I was looking for.

2) To me it also fails on its own merits. If I view it in isolation without comparing it to previous canon and just view it as its own thing it also fails. The quality of the dialogue felt very poor. None of the humor made me laugh and it all felt very juvenile and forced. The plotting and characterization seemed nonsensical and all over the place. Like Sylvie sets off those charges and the episode ends on a cliffhanger with that but then it's never addressed later.

The reason that Loki and Syvie allegedly falling in love breaks the timeline didn't really make sense. Sylvie is going around murdering timekeepers and yet Mobius somehow immediately like and trusts her and says he prefers her to Loki. Loki and Sylvie are simultaneously presented as the same person and also totally different people. Loki allegedly learns self love but we never see that - we see him call himself degrading things like pathetic. And we see him think that Sylvie is better than him. That doesn't seem like self love. The romance feels extremely rushed and unrealistic and awkward and we aren't given a compelling reason for why they are in love or what they even have in common. Sylvie doesn't really have much of a character. Mobius and Loki don't interact much and Mobius consistently mistreats him but Loki somehow thinks of him as a friend. Mobius is portrayed as a good guy for cheerfully carrying out the TVA's ends but Kang is a villain for creating the TVA. The TVA seems to be all made up of humans even though it's in charge of all reality.

If Loki did bad things, then the TVA did worse things and thus are not moral authorities. If the TVA’s actions are acceptable then so are Loki’s. If Loki was wrong to violently impose his will on a planet (let’s forget about the context with Thanos for a minute) then the TVA is wrong to violently impose its will on all of reality in order to eliminate free will. If Loki was wrong to kill a few people, then the TVA was certainly wrong to kill trillions. And thus neither Mobius nor the TVA are moral authorities when it comes to Loki because they are infinitely worse. If the actions that Mobius and the TVA took are acceptable, then there is no reason to criticize Loki because he did far less than them. Etc etc etc.

The cinematography is also very poor and unprofessional and the costumes look extremely cheap and unprofessional. The whole story feels confused and disjointed. The directing is bad because the actors are all very capable but the performances often feel wooden and forced and fake. And the pacing is terrible. A lot of it drags and then plot twists come out of nowhere with no setup so it just makes them feel jarring rather than earned or entertaining. 

3) To me it also fails on a moral front. The show contains a lot of problematic depictions and messages and promotes messages that are offensive or even downright harmful.

Mobius gleefully subjects Loki to physical torture by leaving him to be repeatedly beaten in the genital area. This is a very clearcut and straight forward example of physical torture. And Mobius feels no compassion for Loki or remorse over what he has done to him. If anything he seems to find it amusing. And certainly the audience is supposed to find it amusing (which is gross and harmful messaging on Disney’s part). He also subjects Loki to psychological torture. This is a fact. There are multiple instances in the show where the TVA and Mobius subject Loki to treatment that would meet the legal definition of torture under both US law and international law. Furthermore, Mobius and the TVA are holding Loki against his will and forcing him to labor without compensation or any hope of release because they view him as belonging to a group of people (Variants) that they view as inferior and not really people. That’s a pretty textbook case of slavery. So objectively Mobius is Loki’s jailer, torturer, captor, and enslaver. And yet Mobius is presented as justified in what he does to Loki. The writer and director have even called it therapy. And a result many people have parroted this which is very harmful.

The queer “representation” feels straight out of bigoted propaganda. Loki’s personality traits have been retconned to map onto harmful stereotypes about queer men. He is overly expressive, makes grand gestures, is flamboyant, cowardly, dishonest, weak, bad at fighting, lazy, spineless, meek, unused to exercise etc. Now a person could be all these things and also happen to be queer. However, Loki was never like this before. His character was retconned to be this way only in this series where he is confirmed to be queer.

Furthermore, the entire premise of the series seems to be that it is funny and entertaining and justified when Loki is dehumanized, mocked, humiliated, hurt, tortured, beaten, assaulted, and/or robbed of his dignity. That’s the premise. That’s the whole show.

In addition to pro torture and pro authoritarianism and pro victim blaming messaging the show also has problematic depictions of black characters  (see here and here), Asian people (see here) and also has a lot of fludphobia and transphobia issues. And much more.

@nikkoliferous has put together a great compendium here of various posts explaining the various issues with the show if you're curious about why some people disliked it.

#asks #loki tv series #loki series #loki 2021 #loki show #loki tv show #Marvel #MCU