#in that he hates her so much for something that he wants (being a likable/good/happy person) <- according to my interpretation anyway

[smile-files]

there's something interesting to be said about how nickel's female friends have to constantly school him on how horrible he is but animationepic won't say it

#melonposting #spoof #<- kinda #ii neg #<- also kinda #i hate nickel. i need to kin balloon just so i can experience dropping nickel into that stupid cereal box pit #also y'know what to those people who think nickel loves clover... you're right he is kinda obsessed with her #in that he hates her so much for something that he wants (being a likable/good/happy person) <- according to my interpretation anyway #of course he doesn't want/know how to put in the effort to have it #suitcase screamed at him (as she should've) and that didn't go through his thick skull #only clover in her infinite gentleness and grace could let him know that perhaps he should say sorry for harassing someone all their life : #and even then it isn't sincere #like please don't tell me any of you took his 5-second bizarrely emotionally intelligent notes app apology seriously. good god #like i dunno it was just like clover said to apologize and he said 'on it boss' #or what are we just gonna believe that ae was like. y'know what? this guy just needs to say he's sorry #once #out of nowhere #and we won't have to worry about the horrible things he's done to people (cough cough suitcase) #like heck even if balloon accepts this bs it doesn't do jack for her (not like he should anyway) #this idiot's just so far in the socioemotional gutter that after doing a series of horrible things (which he's been made well aware of) #he'll only so much as acknowledge that he did them if it means he gets friendship points from ae's princess celestia #good god man you're not the leader of a stupid team anymore. get over yourself #the funny thing is that the only excuse for his writing lately is basically a headcanon on my end #i'm just reading into this nonsense. as far as i know he's just being written horribly haha #he's interesting to think about in the lens of 'guy who wants to be happy/good/likeable but does not actually care about anyone' #but if i'm being honest with myself to ae he's just 'jerk who's actually nice now. no he isn't. yes he is for real this time (believe us)' #whatever i need to go to bed

[lovecolibri]

Honestly I think 911’s biggest weakness is a lack of planning. We already know that their original plans for S5 fell through, resulting in BT being drawn out because Megan was available. Which, good for her, get that bag sis. Would love to know what the original plan was, but I know I never will.

And they also couldn’t have been more clearly setting something up with Ravi and his childhood cancer storyline. But for one reason or another they failed to get Anirudh under contract. Why? Who knows. Maybe they took for granted that he’d be available next year so they didn’t make it worth his commitment, which is silly with such a handsome, talented, and likable actor. He’s off to bigger and better things, and again good for him get that bag! Or maybe it’s more complicated than that and again we’ll never know.

In any case they had to drop that thread and chose to go with ignoring him entirely and hoping the audience would just forget, which to be fair has worked with some of their fuckups in the past, but not this time, guess they underestimated just how much people liked him, so they had to come up with some last-second off screen excuse for why he literally disappeared and no one even mentioned his name again. Not to mention writing Chimney off because JLH was on leave. Baffling decision making, honestly.

And anyway they don’t seem to be very good at making Plan A happen, and when it doesn’t instead of having a solid Plan B or C, they scramble and the story suffers. Then add in admitted problems with pacing and filling time and the story stops working because the tension is lost and the payoff fizzles out. Their very own metaphorical structural defects being ignored, bound to come crashing down eventually. You know that old adage about failing to plan is planning to fail. It’s true!

This is BEYOND old but like, so appropriate for right now! I honesty don't think they NEEDED to pad out time with Tay Kay because they have SUCH a large main cast, but that would require KR to care about something other than what is going on in Buck's pants and any given moment, and because SHE wanted BT, we got BT despite it making no sense to have even brought her character back in s4. What did she even do that no one else could have done? Getting *some* possible inside info in Treasure Hunt and the *getting the story on the news* bit in First Responders is the only thing I can think of, and honestly they easily could have figured out a different way. But the show cannot seem to have Buck or Eddie in a relationship without the other then seeking out one too because otherwise they don't really have anything to do when they can't be involved in their normal family unit. Which is dumb, because they could work on Eddie's friendships and relationships with other cast and same with Buck in letting them be involved in other storylines, but apparently good looking men have no other purpose but to seek out a woman to complete their family I guess, and god forbid they be allowed around each other if one of them is dating. 😒

(also why I'm very 😒😒😒 about them getting other LIs. I remember Buck not being allowed to talk to anyone but Tay Kay while trapped in his loft for 98% of s5. I hate the idea of losing out on not just romantic Buddie, but their whole friendship and the Buckley-Diaz family unit. Eddie isn't going to need Buck to bake cookies with Chris if he has a GF to do it. Buck isn't going to need to cook for Eddie and Chris and help Chris with his homework if he's busy going out with his GF. There is SO much more we lose out on when those two are pared up with other women than just romantic Buddie and regardless if these women stick around long term, I'm tired and don't want to watch MORE wasted time, and more important talks they COULD be having with each other or their chosen family members going to random characters I don't know or care about. 🤷🏻‍♀️)

As for Ravi, I'm SO happy we clamored loud enough to get him back, and also good for him for picking up other jobs when KR sidelined him and gave all his moments to L instead. You go King! But they've known he was going to be back for ages so the fact they have STILL not mentioned him in s6 until he's randomly back on screen is just a) poor planning, pacing, and things happening off screen that KR thinks is fine to mention in interviews instead of actually on the show people are watching, and b) feels very vindictive because everyone loved him and hated her little self-insert character. But whatever, he's back now and I'm very excited to see him again!

But for REAL, they need to get KR out of the showrunner chair. The pacing and arcs and whole entire show has suffered enough that even the GA is tired of cyclical plots and characters going nowhere just repeating the same storylines over again, and with the show not having the depth and feeling it used to have. When even the casual viewers are picking up on and calling out things like Buck and Eddie's friendship being sidelined, or Madney stuff happening off screen, you KNOW it's bad. Also, regardless of demo (which doesn't matter as much anymore with them not getting ad revenue as much, thanks T for pointing that out!) the number of viewers has dropped DRAMATICALLY. And at some point the network cannot justify spending that kind of money on a show that isn't bringing in the money OR accolades. (like LS getting notice and awards for it's representation and diversity for example).

#my sweet nonnie friends #911 #911 spoilers #buddie #ravi panikkar #anti bucktaylor #clearing out my inbox #don't judge me some of these are going to be so old...

[xomby]

I am going to be predictable and ask you 003 for Yates, but also, just to spice things up - 003 for Jo as well <3

OK EHEHEHEE be prepared this might be super long.

yates-

how i feel about this character- yates is my everything. he’s so funny and so sad and so relatable i genuinely can’t put into words how much i care about him. i project onto him really hard he’s legitimately just ogh. oughg

romantic ships- really just benton tbh, i think they really have a great dynamic that’s a perfect mix of genuinely healthy and hilarious banter, earnest care for one another, and gut wrenching angst. one of my fav things about them is how much they say without actually saying anything. right from the get go (honestly forget which episode it’s in but one of yates’ first) he’s missing and unit doesn’t know where he is, and benton asks the brig and there’s such deep worry in his voice and eyes idk. i was sold from that point on. there’s many other moments i could talk about but yeah they’re so fucking good and a really interesting show of two characters who clearly care about each other but are not able to adequately express it in their work setting imo. also i have a theory that the tom yates is dating in PROSE happy endings is tommy from planet of the spiders just cause it seems like the truth to me and they’re ok but not like benton/yates.

fav nonromantic relationship- YATES AND JO. you know this. i’m so insane about them they have such a close loving friendship it’s so cute. they’re almost dating but he’s gay so they’re not dating it’s really real. they care about each other so much i’m obsessed with them. also such a small moment but when jo checks the time on yates’ wristwatch in the dæmons. it’s so cute they function as 1 entity sometimes

unpopular opinion- i don’t know if enough people care about yates for there to be popular/unpopular opinions about him tbh. that being said maybe that i absolutely see where he’s coming from with the operation golden age thing. like being not-fully-recovered from violently painful and traumatic brainwashing and being approached by a group claiming to be trying to save the environment, anyone would do what he did imo. also the fact that he was fully prepared to die, maybe even expecting it, maybe even wanting it, makes it really hard for me to understand how people see him as a heartless villain in that scenario. like nah bruh

something i wish had happened in canon- i guess maybe just more content. even when he played a major role in stories, he didn’t get much screentime, and his struggles were very infrequently focused on. i would have liked to see a bit more care put into the depth of his character (in an overt sense, cause it’s definitely there in subtext/implications/throwaway lines)

crossover ship- tbh i don’t do crossover ships, i just don’t get it

jo-

how i feel about this character- MY FUCKING GIRL. jo. jo. god. she’s genuinely my everything, and my second fav doctor who character closely after yates. it takes another kind of likability for an entire episode to basically come down to jo being such a loving and selfless person that her pure kindness destroys the sci-fi equivalent of the devil. she’s just so fucking good. also it’s hilarious how dumb she is but it still doesn’t dictate her character. yes she’s stupid, but that’s a trait that’s sometimes good, sometimes bad. she has other traits and skills that balance it out. she’s pretty much the world to me.

romantic ships- ok they never met but i’ve always loved the idea of jo and liz. i think their personalities really balance out perfectly, and they’d have a hilarious and adorable dynamic- jo being very forward and openly sweet and liz sort of being out of touch and closed off, trying not to let her feelings show. i also kind of like cliff and jo. i hated it initially cause her exit is so… 😕 like it is in character for her to marry a guy she just met but idk how i feel about her dropping everything and leaving all her friends for his scientific endeavors, it seems out of character. however, i think they’re funny together and i love the idea that everyone at unit hates cliff.

fav nonromantic relationships- YATES AND JO AGAIN!!!! but since i already talked about it it’s also worth mentioning jo and benton, who are just fucking adorable friends (especially in the three doctors, hugging and holding hands when they’re nervous, it’s so cute and silly). also jo and the doctor are the father daughter dynamic of a lifetime and the scene in time monster when they’re in jail and he tells her the story of how he started seeing the world in color has made me cry before.

unpopular opinion- again idk how many opinions i know. i think a popular hc is that she’s a lesbian which is so unreal to me she’s the most bisexual character of all time. BUT that’s a very little one that i don’t really have that strong feelings about. i guess people often think she’s sort of a typical damsel-type companion which is so far from true, she’s such a whole character with such a fleshed out personality with strengths, weaknesses, interests, and feelings. i will never understand the argument that jo is a weak character.

something i wish had happened in canon- honestly i thought she was a really well done character with great relationships with everyone she interacted with. i genuinely think the only thing that could really improve the viewing experience when it comes to jo is a couple more seasons tbh, although i completely get and respect manning not wanting to do the show anymore after delgado passed away

crossover ship- again. maybe i’m missing something but i don’t really get it

#IM SORRY THIS IS SO LONG I FUCKING LOVE THEM SM #god the brainrot #doctor who #ask #mike yates #jo grant

[assim-eu-sou]

S2 Recap

Favorite Extended Sequences (in chronological order):

Sleepover/Fake Diego Call

Angie's Farewell

Madrid Podemos

Gregorio's speech to Diego

Soy Mi Mejor Momento (finale)

Favorite Songs (in no particular order)

Soy Mi Mejor Momento

Algo Se Enciende

Si Es Por Amor

Alcancemos Las Estrellas

Peligrosamente Bellas

(But tbh, the whole Hoy Somos Más album is sooooo good).

Character Thoughts:

Violetta: You will always be my baby. This girl has been through the wringer, with the Esmeralda deceit, Jeremías, and Diego. Then add to that losing her voice, losing Angie, and then losing her passion for a time. I just want to give her a big hug. And she honestly handles it with more grace than most people ever could. She deserves every good thing that comes her way.

León: A male protagonist that deserves rights. I appreciate his Entre Dos Mundos arc as someone pursuing a double major, although the motorcross seemed to come out of nowhere. I'm mad that he was mad about the non-consensual kiss and he certainly had his moments that frustrated me but like. He cares about Vilu so much.

Ludmila: She's so stupid... I love her. It's hard to remember what about her is real and what I made up because I think about her so much, so I won't say too much. Her fake friend era was such a time. It was hard to watch her cause Vilu pain, but what can I say except I know where she's coming from. Seeing her finally realize that hurting Vilu wasn't going to solve her problems was such a moment.

Naty: babeygirl. period. poor thing goes through it with Ludmila and I'm glad she ended the season happy. and yet, in the end, she will always choose Ludmi. she is unconditional. there's not much more that needs to be said here.

Francesca: Ah, Fran. She's always looking out for Vilu and that is something that I treasure. Her going-to-Italy arc was so.... yeah. As someone who knew they were leaving their hometown for college and also someone who knows they have to leave their college town whenever classes aren't in session, I get it. It's a lot. She had a really hard time letting her heart say yes to Marco, which could be frustrating, but I don't blame her. Commitment is hard, especially when you wonder how permanent things can be.

Camila: Ooooooh she's so funny. So many lines here and there that cracked me up. Her boy scrapbook was funny to me because like. That's such a normal thing to do. Not. But similar energy to something I'd do at the same time.

Diego: I hate this show for making me feel sorry for him by the end of it. He's almost even likable now. Dang it. I despised this man at the start of the season... creepy stalker. But in the end... idk. Something happened. All of the dynamics that he's a part of just make it.

Andrés/Broduey/Marco/Maxi: They exist. I don't think enough thoughts about them to say more than that.

Germán: I HATE HIMMMMMMM. Stupid Jeremías and stupid helicoptering send him STRAIGHT to prison. He did not deserve applause for Soy Mi Mejor Momento. That belonged to Vilu and the kids. As the child of overprotective parents, I have a lot of thoughts about Germán and how the show Violetta itself could be a metaphor for other things, but that should be its own post, so I won't expand for now.

Lara: she's so cool! Funky lil mechanic! Never did anything wrong tbh. I hope she ends up happy wherever she is.

Gregorio: this man is unhinged. But his development with Diego destroyed me. Like. I felt it in my soul. He truly has the range.

Angie: Her scenes with Vilu are always so special. But poor woman, she definitely needed to go to France. And her send-off... affected me. One of the deserves better girls for sure.

Jade: Please free her from the shackles of Germán and Mati. Enough said. Also her opera scene was ICONIC.

Esmeralda: It would be nice if she got a redemption arc in S3 but that won't be happening so... oh well. I also like how she brought Ámbar with her. Seeing Vilu being an older sister was cute.

Pablo: what was WRONG with this man for the majority of the season? Bring S1 Pablo back!

Olga/Ramallo: They exist. They care about Vilu. They put up with Germán. I couldn't do their job.

Pairings (Platonic and romantic)

Leonetta: A main ship I can support. Madrid!Podemos was so much. And all Leonetta hugs... so true. There's just a lot of care there.

León and Fran: such a fun dynamic, especially in Madrid. Best detectives. They just want to protect their girl Vilu.

Fran and Cami: these two fight like a married couple but in the end they have each others' best interests at heart. They often give each other advice that they need to take themselves lol.

Ludmila and Vilu: Vilu puts up with so much, bless her. The way she kept trying to let Ludmi in to her circle at the beginning of the season? The way she just moves on so quickly at the end? And the way Ludmi finally comes to her senses and wants to help her get her sparkle back? Yeah... s3 sisters will kill me.

Ludmila and Diego: Oh... so much. They're just so much. I want to study them under a microscope. Just a shocking and entertaining dynamic all around. The way they both despise and care about each other.

Diego and Vilu: Their start and end was not good. They had some cute moments, unfortunately. In another life, maybe. I can tell that in the end, he really did care about her, and was caught in a very rough spot. He wasn't in the right but I get it. I will be interested to see where their interactions go from here.

Fedemila: I mean I had fun. I like seeing Ludmila enamored. I like seeing her try. And they're both just so much, so diva.

Naxi: Maxi just. doesn't trust Naty. So while she ended the season happy, she deserves better, I think.

Brodemila: They are what they are. They're always gonna be in conflict. But their cute scenes are cute.

Marcesca: It would never work out in the end, but it was nice for what it was. Like him learning Italian? So good. His Madrid gestures may have been a bit toooo grand lol. Still. after S1, Fran deserved someone at least as decent as Marco.

Caxi: not the worst tbh. I don't have strong feelings either way.

Natila, Cadmila: Some enjoyable moments for both of these pairings. Tension between Cami and Ludmi. Naty and Cami making the music video. Their trio dynamic. So much fun!

Franletta: the softe girls!!!!!!! They fight so hard for each other. Fran pulling the fire alarm? Vilu convincing Fran's dad to let her stay? That whole arc was so much. All their hugs and just being attached at the hip... yes. Sweeties.

Luty: I don't even need to say anything. We know what they did to me. Just. Yeah. There are so many moments that aren't even subtext, just straight (not) text. Like yeah. Solo te quería desear suerte. And fin.

#violetta #Lauren’s season 2 undoing

[moni-logues]

Hi, baby. I'm back here. My answers:

1- I don't know if it's because I feel very represented but I really like kintsugi. I like everything you write.

2- My favorite chapter is the one where the main character goes to visit yoongi in daegu. (8 I think, if my memory isn't failing me) I love that yoongi's point of view is so different from the reader. It's there that it's shown that their connection really is more than friendship.

3-One of the best is certainly Hoseok from AFL, he's caring, likable, friendly and completely honest. I love characters like that.

5- I don't know if there's anything of yours I haven't read. I think I've read your entire masterlist. 😳

13- As I told Hali yesterday, ☝️ 🤓 I always talk about what I'm reading to my psychologist. When yoongi vented to the main character about being the black sheep, it really touched me because I've been in the same position as him and somehow that chapter reminded me of my childhood. I even felt like I had a deja-vu reading it.

14- AFL, like i really had a love-hate thing with the reader, like… ok. namjoon is messy and etc, but you're at his house! 😬 and you hated him but you also wanted to have sex with him?🤨 make some sense. when there was the dinner at his house i was so embarrassed reading that. 🧐 but then when i saw that she suffered with her ex-husband i was so sad that i CRIED gee i hardly ever cry with fics.

-lilshy

Omg bby hello I love you. I am so so so so so miserable right now and this is the nicest message thank you so much 😭😭

I actually might even do a poll once kintsugi is over to ask people's favourite parts. It's so so interesting to know what stands out to people, esp for kintsugi because I've been posting as I write so it's all kind of a blur lol

I think AFL Hobi might genuinely be my most popular character ever lmaoooo I made him too good!!!!!

It's kind of amazing to hear you say you talk to people irl about my fics because like... My fics??? MY silly little stories??? Idk something about them existing out in the world and not just on this website and real people actually reading them and thinking about them. It blows my mind. Like, that's amazing and insane and I can't even believe it yknow?

I kind of can't believe I wrote AFL!reader in the first place and I can't believe people kept reading it tbh. She is soooo much worse than I thought when I first wrote it LOL if I were a reader, I truly don't know if I'd have stuck with it but I'm SO happy that people do because I am still suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch a sucker for that couple. She finds redemption in the end! Honoured also to have made you cry; it was my pleasure 💋

Fanfic asks!

#ask game #lilshy #thank you thank you thank you!

[tailhitch]

Tailhitch after living among the residents of happy tree town for a while has opinions on most of them.

Flippy: getting the easy one out of the way, they’re friends. Tailhitch understands flippys pain and trauma better than just about anyone. Add in both of them being soldiers and they get along pretty well. Flippy appreciates the fact that Tailhitch, as a cybertronian is immune to anything fliqpy can do. When the autobot is around collateral can be minimized. They tend to avoid each other whenever Tailhitch uses his holoform. It reminds flippy of a friend he lost and mistakes he made.

Fliqpy: fliqpy despises Tailhitch for stopping him during his rampages, but most of what Tailhitch feels towards the rampaging monster is pity and sadness. During the few brief conversations the two have had fliqpy has admitted that he respects Tailhitch as a soldier and that it’s a shame that they’re on opposite sides. Tailhitch couldn’t help but admit that fliqpy’s ��creativity” was impressive. Beyond that it’s one sided animosity.

Flaky: he/she/they are terrified of Tailhitch. Just like they’re scared of pretty much everything. Tailhitch tries to be friendly with the porcupine and give them advice on anxiety but there’s only so much he can do. Flaky has had a few positive interactions with Tailhitch and has expressed they don’t hate him. But he’s 17 feet tall and a robot. It’ll freak a lot of people out.

Nutty: Tailhitch ain’t a fan, there’s only so much his processors can take you know? He’s loud he’s way too energetic it’s annoying. Just being around the squirrel overstimulates the young autobot.

Splendid: you’d think that both being aliens who want to save people would let them get along right? Wrong. First time they met splendid tackled Tailhitch thinking he was some kind of alien invader and both started swinging. Since then they don’t speak to each other outside of “polite” greetings. (Usually just calling each other names)

Lumpy: Tailhitch does not like the moose. It seems as though he is willfully ignorant of his surroundings unless money is involved. Then he’s just a greedy jerk to everyone.

Handy: Tailhitch has no idea how the beaver does the things he does without actual hands, he’s impressed and is becoming friends with handy via the construction of a catapult.

Giggles: Tailhitch doesn’t have too many opinions on the chipmunk. She’s polite enough, and pleasant enough to be around but interests clashing makes it hard to be friends.

Cuddles: he’s a good guy but he’s always the first one to come to Tailhitch with a terrible idea that he SWEARS will be totally awesome. Outside of that they’re chill with each other.

Lammy: either there’s something wrong with her or something’s going on with that pickle. He has a hard time trusting her.

Toothy: Tailhitch doesn’t really have an opinion on toothy, he seems to be alright but the mech doesn’t hang out with the beaver too much.

Russell: Tailhitch likes Russell, he’s cool. Could just be because Tailhitch is a one piece fan, could be that Russell is just that likable who knows.

The mole: the mole freaks tailhitch out, he never speaks and somehow despite being blind he avoids being caught in the crossfire frequently.

Splendont: Tailhitch’s opinions on the red flying squirrel are much the same as his opinions on the blue flying squirrel. Not good.

Mime: Tailhitch doesn’t really have an opinion on the mime. Hes somehow even quieter than the mole, and Tailhitch isn’t sure if it’s actual mutism or just dedication to the craft. If the mime is just really dedicated to the bit even when in danger, then Tailhitch is impressed because he’s never heard the mime scream once.

Petunia: Tailhitch was a miner for most of his life, he’s a messy guy. Petunia does not appreciate this and frequently tries to make him less messy, it has yet to stick. He finds her somewhat annoying but he humors her attempts.

Sniffles: Tailhitch appreciates the presence of the anteater, they share similar interests and sniffles is even trying to find a way to send Tailhitch home, they keep spare copies of all of the notes and blue prints with Tailhitch whenever sniffles blows himself up and they have to start over. Plus he helps Tailhitch whenever his energon is low and he needs refueling.

Disco bear: he’s weird and kinda annoying but dammit Tailhitch loves music too much and getting funky is too much fun. He can appreciate a guy who lives his life with a bit of groove.

Pop and cub: Tailhitch can tell that pop loves his son very very much but he just wishes he’d pay a bit more attention to the little guy. Watching the kid die is always the most horrifying. Cub always has stars in his eyes whenever Tailhitch is around and Tailhitch does like the kid. Tailhitch occasionally babysits for pop whenever he and disco bear go out together.

Lifty and shifty: Tailhitch has gotten way too fed up with the twins and has punted them before. He’s not a fan of them.

Cro marmot: he honestly scares Tailhitch, the mole may freak him out but cro marmot scares him. How does he do the things he does? It’s weird and creepy, Tailhitch doesn’t like it.

Truffles: Tailhitch honestly forgets truffles exists sometimes. No real opinions on the guy.

#transformers #htf #crossover #headcanon #happy tree friends #i’m not tagging them all

[problemswithbooks]

Having experienced racists like billy irl and enduring their bs “growth” I’m personally very glad that he didn’t get some redemption arc or whatever. Something my mom pointed out to me: would billy have reacted the same if el were black? Racism is so hard to stop like that takes years and years if it was ingrained as it was for billy. I stop experiencing attraction once an ugly side like racism is exposed and I have a hard time understanding people who don’t stop. Maybe experience or empathy is key I don’t know. Sorry this is a topic that is so touchy and I don’t know why but even trying for a character like billy when you don’t even like him that much. I don’t know man why even try?

I totally get why you wouldn't like a character like Billy having endured their racism in RL. Those people are shitty and a lot of media does focus way to much on the white character having a change of heart, rather then the black person they terrorized. That's more then enough to leave a sour taste in your mouth and be happy Billy didn't get a redemption arc.

As for if he would have had a different reaction to El if she was black--I say probably he would, simply because the Duffers needed him to. Billy's honestly a character that only exists to be a tool for the creators. All characters are, but for main characters the narrative has to shift to accommodate them so they feel more organic. You can't just force them to do something you want if that action would conflict with prior characterization (well, you can but it's really jarring).

Billy isn't that type of character. He was originally made to be the minor antagonist of season 2--the human threat that causes problems and throws up roadblocks for the gang, especially when it comes to how/if Max can help them out. He's there to create tension, so when Max is with the gang, you wonder when he'll show up and get in their way.

In season 3 the Duffers needed him to be way more likable because suddenly his character has to carry the weight of the main plot. If he was still season 2 Billy no one would probably notice or care that he was acting weird. The Mind Flayer pleading for Max to let him out wouldn't have affected her at all because she hated Season 2 Billy completely. Most of his characterization was booted season 3 because they didn't need Billy to be the human antagonist anymore. And though it's not a great choice, for a very minor character like Billy who was already built from nothing but tropes it's easy to slot him into a new role and discard past characterization.

When it comes to Billy being attractive I think there's a difference between seeing that's he's an objectively attractive person according to society's standards of beauty and wanting to actually be with him. Personally, I just don't like it when people try to say someone is physically ugly because they're a bad person, because I think that enforces the idea that looks have anything to do how good a person is. I can see that Billy is objectively attractive, while not being attracted to his his personality.

It's fine that it's touchy subject for you. There have certainly been characters that hit to close to home for me and I didn't like talking about them, and certainly couldn't take a step back and look them as the meat puppet controlled by words on the page that they are. And being able to do that doesn't make me better or my opinions more valid then yours.

I'm white so I've never had to deal with racists like Billy targeting me, so it's easy for me to shake his character and see what comes out. To see how he works from a writing perspective and browse his tag to see how fans reacted to him and ask myself why. And that's just generally how I consume and enjoy things--by picking them apart. Even if it's not a character that's my fav.

#ask #thanks for the ask!! :) #hope I answered this okay

[lostinmymindsomewhere]

Lately my brain is trying to get bad again but I’m not letting it happen… I was really down and in a bad place so I went on a beach trip and something happened on that trip that made it 10000 times worse… I just hate myself… I wonder how many people actually liked me in my life and weren’t just pretending… I don’t think I’m likable… I am kind of a loser.. I don’t really do anything just kind of exist… I’m trying to keep wanting to exist though… some days are harder than others but these past two years is the best my brain and mental health has been since I was a kid… the past week I’m hyper fixated and over obsessing about some things I read that my “friends” thought about me.. or so I thought they were my friends.. my mom always told me “you’ll encounter snakes you just have to be able to figure out who is who” and she was right I never thought I had truly fake friends Tori was never a good friend but I didn’t think she was fake to me.. but I found out the truth.. she didn’t like me.. we were hanging out all the time going on vacations together and the whole time she didn’t like me… Tristen says he doesn’t think we’ve liked each other for a long time and maybe that’s true but I never said the things that were said about me… being a good friend to a shitty one sucks.. she brought up registering me for classes and how much of her time she wasted and I said nothing I didn’t mention the days I helped her move 2 different houses into a 3rd house up so many different flights of stairs or all the times I cleaned her house even after I moved out or the babysitting jobs I took so she could go out or all the papers I wrote for her in ms and Illinois or all of the shit I did for her when I lived with her and she treated me like shit.. because good friends fo selfless things for their friends without complaining about it.. and what’s funny is I told her and this dude who used to be my friend multiple times when I moved here I didn’t want to go to college and I definitely didn’t want to go til I knew what I wanted to go for and they pushed and pushed and pressured me and made me sign up for classes and then my real friends encouraged me to not do anything hastily and figure out what will make me happy and I knew it wasn’t school.. I just needed a real friend when I got here instead I got two fake ones… I’m being fake rn but it’s because I’m genuinely trying to get over the shit to stay friends with her but it’s just so hard when someone can’t take responsibility for their actions and feel the need to try to justify it… i might have been a lot of shitty things in my life but one thing I KNOW about me is I’m a damn good friend. I could be a Better wife and sister and just human in genera but I’m a DAMN GOOD FRIEND. I wish there were more people like that…

[sublimecatgalaxy]

Im so happy your requests are open again c:

Can you write something for Kai Parker where the reader is getting used by everyone (like Elena and the Salvatore's) for her powers so Kai tries to get her on his side against them by showing her the affection they never gave her?

This one has been in my box forEVER lmao

I'll finally do it lol

I know that it's wrong to feel this way about people who have saved my life time and time again but it's starting to get old. I feel as if I'm constantly pulled and pushed, back and forth between the members of my friend group, my abilities constantly being of use when it comes to the newest supernatural concern or threat.

Tears stream down my cheeks as I step out of my car, slamming the door behind me as I quickly slip into my apartment, my whole entire body aching from all of the emotions I've felt just today. They wanted me to locate someone, no name, no explanation; just to locate them and tell them everything I could learn.

It was getting too easy for them to use and dispose of me.

They always keep me in the dark with these things, only calling upon me and my talents when they need something. I never knew what I was getting into when it came to the Salvatore's and their crew, always just blindly following them but maybe it's time for that to come to an end. Maybe I should start demanding answers and an explanation.

I'll start that tomorrow.

"You know, it's really sad to see you all glum." My head whips around, my eyes connecting with a man sitting on my couch, his legs crossed as a sly smile stretches across his face. My heart drops a bit as he shakes his head, waving his hands in front of him as I catch my breath. "No need to panic. I'm just the guy that all of your friends are pitting you against." He chuckles, my eyebrows furrowing as I make my way over to the chair across from him, my heart rate calming a bit.

"If you're here to kill me, I really don't appreciate that. Especially since they haven't told me anything about you-"

"Really?" He gasps, his eyes widening as he relaxes into the couch behind him, his head shaking playfully. "They really don't bring you in on anything, do they? I've picked up on that in the time that I've been stalking you guys from the bushes of the Salvatore estate." He winks, my eyes rolling as I scoff.

"You're kidding."

"I so am. I much prefer breaking and entering." He shrugs, referring to my apartment as I laugh, my mind spinning to all of the places of what he's done to get my friends to hate him so much. He seems pretty likable but I suppose they all do. "I suppose you'll learn more about me in time, ya know, especially since we're friends now." He points at me, standing up as I get a good look at him, his curious eyes flickering over my exposed legs.

"Friends? Why would we be friends?" I ask, watching as he circles around the couch, making his way towards the door as he tuts.

"Cuz you need new ones."

#the vampire diaries #the legacies #kai #kai x reader #kai parker x reader #kai parker #vampire diaries season 6 #vampire diaries season 7 #vampire diaries season 8 #kai parker angst #kai parker fluff

[starsofmilos]

A Mask ( Adrian Chase x reader)

Request: ok u know how adrian kinda masks a lot of traits people have told him are undesirable like talking about stuff u like too much, making the right facial expressions in public etc.but maybe you could write something where black widow reader has had a really long and draining day masking her own "undesirables" and the two of them go home afterwords and finally get to be themselves, and he thinks shes sad or something but really shes just happy to have someone to just exist peacefully and lovingly with as herself

ANOTHER BLACK WIDOW REQUEST LET’S GO!!

Here is my masterlist that has all the other parts there! Just a reminder that they all can be read separately this series doesn’t really all tie in together so they can be read alone!

Masterlist

Warnings: cursing, mentions of violence, an overwhelming amount of fluff, and a bad day

Quiet. That was how most described you well most expect for Adrian. He always used the word ‘Wow,’ but before you had met Adrian if anyone ever described you it was quiet or cold. You were taught from a young age to be quiet and cold. It was the only way to survive. Maybe that’s why you hated Adrian when you first met him. 

He was just so loud and unashamed of himself. It bothered you to no end how open he was. He was funny, (well only to you) and he was just so nice. Your team mates got along with Adrian way more than they did with you even though they described him as annoying. Now Adrian was far from perfect, but he was everything you weren’t and you couldn’t help how jealous of him you were.

So it surprised you when he sat next to you one day trying to speak to you. Adrian thought you were an absolute vision. You were quiet yes, but you seemed so soft and warm he couldn’t help but to be attracted to you. 

It took him a long two weeks just to finally get you to say hi to him. You didn’t want to grow close to him, but it was hard to ignore him. If there was one thing Adrian was, it was persistent. 

You hated how everyone would brush him off though, but maybe it was a good thing. This was why you actually spoke to him. It was Adrian’s favorite memory of you both. 

It was a Friday and today was one of the days were he felt his worse. He usually prides himself in not feeling anything. Today, he felt like crap. It was getting exhausting trying to get your attention and Chris had shot down all his ideas. His breaking point was being waved off after he tried to tell a story from his patrol from the night before. He sighed deciding to stay silent before jumping feeling a hand on his arm. You nervously shook a bit before sighing looking straight at him. 

“I-I’d like to hear the s-story please.” 

Adrian looked at you in shock before nodding moving to sit closer to you. It was hard for you to hate Adrian when he was so likable. You gave him small smiles and nods to let him know you were listening. The rest from there was history. 

He later found out how you use to be an ex assassin who went by the name Black Widow.  If he didn’t like you before, he absolutely adored you after. You were way more complex and deep than he thought you were and he realized it took you a while to speak, but just because you didn’t speak that didn’t mean you didn’t care. 

Now this leads you to today. You usually did really well on hiding your emotions from the team. Before Adrian the team described you as cold, and now that you’ve been a bit more open you decided to keep up a small act of being happy. Too scared to show anyone your true self, except Adrian. He knew what you were like behind close doors. You both lived together now and were even thinking of adopting a dog soon. 

“Fuck!” You grabbed your foot after bumping into the corner of your desk. John chuckled as you sighed biting back the urge to scream out. Today was not a good day for you.

It started this morning after bumping into someone on the street. You managed to drop all of the coffees you had bought for the group. Worse part it didn’t fall on the floor. It fell on you. 

Things were not looking up when you got to the record store, which counts as your work place and hideout. Your computer stopped working. Only your computer so for the time being you had to write out the reports to type them in later. Only for Chris to walk in with a soda and trip dropping it all over the freshly written notes.

Sure he apologized, that didn’t mean you still didn’t wanna grab your pen and stab him. You refrained though biting your tongue to not crack. 

You thought it’d get better when Adrian walked in. He always made your day better. Chris dragged him off before you could fully speak to him. Emilia noticed you had been on edge so offered for you to head home early. You agreed only for your car to break down. 

“Piece of fucking shit!” You kicked the door angrily as you sighed walking back inside. “Your gonna stay?” You nodded. “My car broken down so I’ll just rewrite the reports and ask Adrian to pick me up later.” 

They nodded as you grabbed more papers and the reports writing it out. Your breaking point was when your computer finally turned on and you typed it all out only for the power to go out...before you could save.

“What the fuc-” You stopped yourself grabbing your bag taking off. John and Emilia shared a small look after turning their flashlights on. “You’re heading out?” You nodded trying to stay quiet as you dropped your bag. “Alright we’ll all just call it for today too. Do you need a ride home?” She looked up seeing the door close. 

You sighed walking home wanting nothing more than to see your boyfriend and eat pizza. “I should call Adrian...” Your words trailed off as you felt a drop of water land on your head. “Are you kidding me?!” 

You...the deadly ex assassin black widow with so much blood on your hands was now on the verge of tears. 

You grabbed your phone to call Adrian. He didn’t answer, so you left a voicemail. “Hey I don’t know if your busy or something, but if you get this it’s raining really bad and my car broke on me again..I know you’re right I should’ve scraped it and just got a new one a long time ago..but I’m gonna walk home and if you get my message please call me back.” 

You sighed continuing your walk home. You stopped hearing a car honk behind you. “Hey pretty lady!” You clenched your fist ready to cuss out the person who called you only to turn and see Adrian. “Get in!” You smiled running to the car. 

“Hi hun...” You smiled leaning over and hugging him. He smiled back returning the hug. “Sorry I didn’t answer I was at the grocery store, but once I heard your voicemail. I literally ran out of the store before being tackled for running out with the cart so I paid then jumped back in the car.” You chuckled a bit leaning on his shoulder as he drove you both home. 

“So what did you get at the store?” “I know you’ve been craving pasta so I got the things to make your favorite.” “ALFREDO SAUCE!!” “Yup!” “OH I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!” Adrian laughed a bit as you cheered already feeling better about your shitty day. 

Only he could make you like this. Once you got home, you showered before going to the kitchen seeing Adrian putting the noodles to boil. You wrapped your arms around him sighing in content as he grinned turning around to envelop you in a tight hug. 

He dragged you to the couch pulling you to sit on top of him. “It’ll take the noodles to boil for a while stay with me?” You nodded quickly nuzzling into his neck. Never before had you felt so safe with someone. 

Only Adrian can make you feel this vulnerable. The worse part of it is that you didn’t mind it. If you had told past you that you met someone to let your guard down around, you’d have punched that person. At first when you felt this, it scared you. It honest to god terrified you to feel this strongly about a single person.To make it even worser, Adrian knew how weak in the knees he made you. You made it extremely obvious to him.You wanted him to know how much you loved him since it was so hard for you to say it to him at first. 

Around Adrian you could be as loud as you want with no regards towards anyone and Adrian felt the exact same way. You genuinely respected him and loved him full heartedly. He had never met someone who actually listened to his nonsense and not just wave it off.

 You teared up a bit finally feeling at peace as you sat there with Adrian holding you. He pulled you back a bit hearing you sniffle. “Hey don’t cry...what’s wrong?” You shook your head. 

“Nothing..Nothing is wrong..” He tilted his head confused as you smiled kissing him. “I’m just..Thank you Adrian..” “For what?” “Everything and I mean everything..I-I am really happy you’re here..” You looked down at your lap avoiding Adrian’s gaze knowing he was smirking a bit. “You are?” You nodded as he reached up grabbing your face. 

“I thought I upset you for a small moment?” You shook your head. “No I’m happy..I have you and I’m really really happy..” “I’m happy I have you too.” You smiled a bit at his words. “Even though I’m a bit difficult sometimes?”

 “You’re never like that with me. I have you wrapped around my finger Spidey.” You chuckled hearing that stupid nickname he gave you a while back. “I have my pretty girl always with me right?”

 “Yeah you do..” Should it worry you how much of a gooey mess you became around Adrian? Yeah probably, but when he stares at you as if you’re the most important thing in the world...You suddenly could care less.

“Can we watch the princess bride tonight?” “As you wish.” “Shut up!” You laughed hopping off of him before screaming as he pulled you back down. “I thought I could be your Wesley!! And you could be Buttercup!” “No! If anything your buttercup and I’m Wesley!!” 

“Am not!” “Are too!” You struggled in his hold playfully fighting him Adrian knew if you really wanted to you can get out of his hold which only made him grin wider. You wanted him to hold you. The rest of the night consisted of pasta and movies. You laughed and sung along with him finally getting to be open after a hard day of holding it all in. 

#fanfiction #adrian chase #adrian chase x reader #adrian chase x you #vigilante fanfiction #vigilante peacemaker #vigilante x reader #peacemaker #fanfic #adrian chase peacemaker #request

[redheadconfections]

AOT College Headcanons

(Characters: Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha, Connie) Was gonna write it for more characters but it’s really long already and I got lazzyyy

Writing these purely out of boredom and trying to think of as many headcanons I can for each character in university. Some characters I don’t even think would go to university. This is assuming everyone that does go is going to the same university, although I’m not sure how likely that would be.

Eren

Eren attends university only because he’s unsure of what else he’s supposed to do. But he takes a gap year or two before he actually goes to try and “find himself”. Realizes he wants to go into politics and so he goes to college to study that. 

Chooses to room with Armin (obviously). 

Doesn’t really break any dorm rules because he doesn’t see a reason to. Is relatively clean. Obviously talks to Armin sometimes as his friend and roommate, but he’s not extremely chatty. 

Goes to bed pretty late because he procrastinates on the assignments for his boring gen ed classes.

Is often daydreaming in class and has trouble paying attention, especially in classes he doesn’t find interesting, which causes his grades to slack.

Actually generally pretty likable around campus and gets along with most other students, but still keeps to himself a lot. He knows a lot of people but doesn’t have a lot of close friends. 

Often talking on the phone with Mikasa late into the night.

Ends up changing his major multiple times because he has trouble figuring out what he wants to do. Experiments by taking art classes.

Tries joining a bunch of clubs but doesn’t find any of them very interesting.

Has the worst diet and probably eats way too much pizza. Sometimes he waits until midnight to eat dinner when everything is closed, so he just heats something up in the microwave like mac and cheese.

Has been to a few parties. Tends to have a good time but doesn’t go to parties super often. Has gotten high multiple times. 

Ends up dropping out of college in his second year because he feels like it isn’t for him.

Mikasa

Goes to college because she’s also unsure of what she wants to do. All she knows is that she’s good of taking care of other people. Initially considers going into politics with Eren, but reconsiders after a while.

Didn’t have anyone to room with, so she chose a random roommate assignment and got roomed with a girl named Annie Leonhart.

She and Annie never really speak to each other, but they don’t hate each other.

Is a model student; gets good grades on everything and is very well-liked by professors.

Isn’t extremely social, but most men on campus think she’s pretty. She notices and usually ignores anyone that tries to flirt with her.

Is on the wrestling team and is great at it.

Considered being an RA but decided against it given how quiet she is. 

Has band posters on her wall in her dorm.

Tries to encourage Eren to eat better than he does. Eren always says “okay, okay” and then completely forgets about it later.

Often asks to study with Eren even though she is already doing well in her classes just because she wants to spend with him.

Sometimes gets disappointed when she goes to ask Eren to study with her to see that he is already studying with Armin.

Always goes to bed on time, but on certain occasions, she’ll let Eren talk to her for a little past her bedtime.

Overachiever, is usually seen studying.

Joins a poetry club to try and make some friends but is still pretty quiet. The people in the club like her anyway, though.

Only chooses to go to parties sometimes when Eren goes to them but doesn’t really enjoy them. She doesn’t hate them, but they’re not particularly her thing.

Armin

Goes to college to get a higher education and also because he doesn’t really know what he wants to do yet.

With Armin’s curious nature about the world, he decides to major in Geography.

Is very good at following the rules the RA sets and tries to make sure he and Eren are both happy in their living space. Pretty easygoing roommate.

Is a pretty good student and excels in most of his classes but gets stressed easily. Sometimes has breakdowns when thinks he’s gonna fail and jumps to conclusions that failing a test means he’s a complete failure.

Not super popular, but the people that do know him like him (mostly because of how smart he is; people often ask him for help on studying for tests). He’s had multiple occasions where people have asked him to help them study, but then after he helped them, they realized he was a pretty nice person and started talking to him more. Because of this, he knows a fair amount of people. But, he’s definitely also had people take advantage of this kindness and only talk to him when they need help on an assignment, which kind of irks him, but he’s too shy to defend himself.

Is president of the anime and manga club, which Mikasa occasionally attends.

Has never been to a college party.

Usually studies in the library.

Is such an overachiever in his studies, but not in the sense that he wants to impress his professors or anything. Rather, he’s just really curious about not only geography, but also conservation biology and takes a bit of an interest in political science after learning more about it from Eren. He’ll read ahead in the textbooks in these classes just because he wants to. 

Hangs out with Mikasa pretty often in his free time.

Sometimes loses sleep because Eren is talking to Mikasa late at night which causes him to be sleepy during his morning classes. He has almost drifted off during classes a few times. Luckily, he tends to make up for it with all the work he does outside of class.

Jean

Goes to college to get a higher-paying job for when he graduates, but doesn’t know exactly what he wants to do.

Eventually decides to go to law school after studying philosophy for a while.

Rooms with Marco but can be kind of a messy roommate and doesn’t like being told to vacuum or take out the trash or anything like that because he’s not used to doing it (he grew up spoiled). 

Doesn’t make terrible grades because he is naturally smart, but doesn’t take it super seriously so he’s definitely not a straight-A student. 

Sometimes when he’s struggling he asks Armin to help him in his classes.

Actually takes an interest when Armin starts talking to him about biology, which sparks a small friendship between the two.

Goes to bed really late for the first few weeks of school, but then realizes it’s affecting his performance in his classes, so he tries to stop (keyword: tries).

Is constantly tapping his pencil on the desk in class and it annoys anyone within 15 feet of him like oh my god someone needs to snap his pencil in half.

Has trouble getting used to the dining hall food.

Has been to a few parties, but he doesn’t get invited very often. Has gotten high at least once.

Is usually seen hanging out with Marco. 

Despite what some may think, doesn’t really try to get in Mikasa’s space too much. He gives her space to herself and really only approaches her first on a day when she seems upset. It’s only from there that they start talking a little more often, but they’re never super close friends.

Mikasa kinda brings out Jean’s soft side, so when he sees her at a party (that she only agreed to go to ‘cause of Eren) trying to ignore a creep oogling at her, he becomes kind of protective and tells him to piss off, sparking a fight which Mikasa ends up breaking up herself, saying that fighting is for children.

Is actually pretty good at keeping group projects going smoothly, even if he is a bit bossy.

Sasha

Doesn’t originally like the idea of attending university, but decides to go after her Dad encourages her.

Doesn’t go to the same school as Eren and the rest because she decides to go to culinary school.

Abuses the dining hall privileges and uses up her meal passes early on in the semester.

Can be kind of a loud roommate and can be heard laughing at memes on her phone late into the night.

Gets so excited talking about the material in class just because she’s so passionate about food.

Has a few friends, but also often has her head in the clouds and doesn’t really mind being by herself too much. People often find her very quirky which can make her feel a bit lonely sometimes. She often misses her friends back home, though. Sometimes Connie comes to visit her on campus.

Doesn’t get invited to a ton of parties but loves to go to the ones she is invited to. Steals a lot of the refreshments.

Meets an upperclassman named Niccolo later on and they instantly form a connection.

Connie

Goes to college to make his family proud, as he would be a first-generation student.

Doesn’t really know what he wants to do but believes he’ll eventually figure it out.

Eventually becomes a theatre major. Makes friends in the theatre department.

Since Jean is already rooming with Marco, I’m guessing Connie gets paired up with some random side character (maybe Samuel (if you know you know 👀))

Isn’t the messiest roommate, but is lazy and doesn’t like being asked to pick stuff up or take out the trash.

Has fallen asleep in class a few times.

Has a lot of close friends.

Joins Armin’s anime club out of curiosity; doesn’t pay a lot of attention to what’s going on in it.

Asks Armin for help on assignments; sometimes he, Jean, and Armin have study sessions.

Tried to throw a big dorm party but only his closest friends showed up (Armin, Ymir, Reiner and Bertholdt) and Eren. Had fun but was secretly disappointed on the inside. 

Often wishes Sasha was there whenever he cries.

Is kind of a class clown, but not as loud as he was in high school due to being a bit more insecure. Is generally liked among his classmates.

#aot #attack on titan #aot headcanons #eren jaeger #mikasa #armin #jean kirstein #sasha braus #connie springer

[hamliet]

The Crows Summon the Sun

Or, Hamliet’s review of Shadow & Bone, which gets a 4.5/5 for enjoyment and a 3.5/5 in terms of writing.

The true heroes of this story and the saviors of the show are the Crows. However, the problem is that the show then has an uneven feel, because the strength of the Crows plotline highlights the weaknesses of the trilogy storyline. But imo, overall, the strengths overshadow (#punintended) the weaknesses. 

I’ll divide the review into the narrative and the technical (show stuff, social commentary), starting with narrative.

Narrative: The Good 

It’s What The Crows Deserve

I went into the show watching it for the Crows; however, knowing that their storyline was intended to be a prequel, I wasn’t terribly optimistic. And while it is a prequel, the characters have complete and full arcs that perfectly set them up for the further development they will have in the books (which I think should be the next season?). Instead of retreading the arcs they’d have in the books, which is how prequels usually go, they had perfect set up for these arcs. It’s really excellent. 

Jesper, Inej, and Kaz are all allowed to be flawed, to have serious conflicts with one another, and yet to love each other. They feel like a found family in the best of ways. Kaz is the perfect selfish rogue; he’s a much more successfully executed Byronic hero than the Darkling, actually. Inej is heroic and her faith is not mocked, yet she too is flawed and her choices are not always entirely justified, but instead left to the audience to ponder (like killing the girl), which is a more mature writing choice that I appreciated. 

Jesper is charming, has a heart of gold despite being a murderer and on the surface fairly greedy, and MILO THE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT GOAT WAS THE BEST THING EVER. I also liked Jesper’s fling with Dima but I felt it could be better used rather than merely establishing his sexuality, like if Jesper and Dima had seen each other one more time or something had come of their tryst for the plot/themes/development of Jesper. 

Nina and Matthias’s backstory being in the first season, instead of in flashbacks, really works because it automatically erases any discomfort of the implications of Nina having falsely accused Matthias that the books start with. We know Nina, we know Matthias, we know their motivations, backgrounds, and why they feel the way we do. It’ll be easy for the audience to root for them without a lot of unnecessary hate springing from misunderstanding Nina (since she’s my favorite). Matthias’s arc was also really strongly executed and satisfyingly tragic. Their plotline was a bit unfortunately disconnected from the rest of the story, but Danielle Gallagan and Callahan Skogman have absolutely sizzling chemistry so I found myself looking forward to their scenes instead of feeling distracted. Also? It’s nice seeing a woman with Nina’s body type as a romantic and powerful character. 

Hamliet Likes Malina Now

Insofar as the trilogy storyline goes, the best change the show made was Mal. He still is the same character from the books, but much more likable. The pining was... a lot (too much in episode 4, I felt) but Malina is a ship I actually enjoyed in the show while I NOTP’d it in the books. Mal has complexity and layers to his motivations (somewhat) and a likable if awkward charm. Archie Renaux was fantastic. 

Ben Barnes is the perfect Aleksandr Kirigan, and 15 year old me, who had the biggest of big crushes on Ben Barnes (first celebrity crush over a decade ago lol), was pretty damn happy lol. He’s magnificantly acted--sympathetic and terrifying, sincerely caring and yet villainous in moments. Story-wise, I think it was smart to reveal his name earlier on than in the books, because it helps with the humanization especially in a visual medium like film. Luda was a fitting (if heartbreaking) backstory, but it is also hard for me to stomach knowing what the endgame of his character is. Like... I get the X-men fallacy thing, but I hope the show gives more kindness to his character than the books did, yet I’m afraid to hold my breath. Just saying that if you employ save the cat, if you directly say you added this part (Luda) to make the character more likable (as the director did) please do not punish the audience for feeling what you intended. 

I also liked the change that made Alina half-Shu. It adds well to her arc and fits with her character, actually giving her motivations (she kinda just wants to be ordinary in a lot of ways) a much more interesting foundation than in the books. Also it’s nice not to have another knock-off Daenerys (looking to you Celaena and book!Alina). Jessie Mei Li does a good job playing Alina’s insecurities and emotions, but... 

Narrative: The Ehhhhhhh

Alina the Lamp

Sigh. Here we go. Alina has little consistent characterization. She’s almost always passive when we see her, yet she apparently punches an officer for calling her a name and this seems to be normal for her, but it doesn’t fit at all with what we know about her thus far. Contradictions are a part of humanity, but it’s never given any focus, so it comes across as inconsistent instead of a flaw or repression. 

I have no idea what Alina wants, beside that she wants to be with Mal, which is fine except I have no idea what the basis of their bond is. Even with like, other childhood friends to lovers like Ren/Nora in RWBY or Eren/Mikasa in SnK, there’s an inciting moment, a reason, that we learn very early on in their story to show us what draws them together. Alina and Mal just don’t have that. There’s the meadow/running away thing, but they were already so close, and why?  Why, exactly? What brought them together? The term “bullies” is thrown around but it isn’t ever explored and it needed to be this season. If I have to deal with intense pining for so many episodes at least give me a foundation for their devotion. You need to put this in the beginning, in the first season. You just do.

A “lamp” character is a common metaphor to describe a bad character: essentially, you could replace the character with a lamp and nothing changes. Considering Alina’s gift is light, it’s a funnily apt metaphor, but it really does apply. Her choices just don’t... matter. She could be a special lamp everyone is fighting over and almost nothing would change. The ironic thing is that everyone treating her like a fancy lamp is exactly the conflict, but it’s never delved into. We’re never shown that Alina is more than a lamp. She never has to struggle because her choices are made for her and information is gifted to her when she needs it. Not making choices protects Alina from consequences and the story gives her little incentive to change that; in fact, things tend to turn out better when she doesn’t make choices (magic stags will arrive). 

Like... let’s look at a few occasions when Alina almost or does make choices. For example, she chooses to (it seems) sleep with Kirigan, but then there’s a convenient knock at the door and Bhagra arrives with key information that changes Alina’s mind instantly despite the fact that Bhagra’s been pretty terrible to her. If you want to write a woman realizing she’s been duped by a cruel man, show her discovering it instead of having the man’s abusive mother tell her when she had absolutely no such suspicions beforehand. There’s no emotional weight there because Alina doesn’t struggle. 

When she is actually allowed to carry out a bad choice, the consequences are handwaved away instead of built into a challenge for her. Like... Alina got her friends killed. More than once. I’m not saying she’s entirely to blame for these but could we show her reacting to it? Feeling any sort of grief? She never mentions Raisa or Alexei after they’re gone, just Mal, and I’m... okay. They were there because of you. Aren’t you feeling anything? Aren’t you sad? The only time Alina brings up her friends’ deaths is to tell Kirigan he killed her friends when they were only there because she burned the maps. She yells at Kirigan for “never” giving her a choice, but she almost never makes any, so why would he? Alina has the gall to lecture Genya about choices, but she herself almost never has to make any. 

Which brings me to another complaint in general: Alina’s lack of care for everyone around her when they’re not Mal, even if they care for her. Marie dies because of her (absolutely not her fault of course) but as far as we know she never even learns about Marie. She certainly doesn’t ever ask about her or Nadia. Alina seems apathetic at best to people, certainly not compassionate or kind. 

The frustrating thing is that there is potential here. Like, it actually makes a lot of psychological sense for an orphan who has grown up losing to be reluctant to care for people outside of her orbit and that she would struggle to believe she can have any say in her destiny (ie make choices). It’s also interesting that a girl who feels like an outsider views others outside her. But the show never offers examines Alina’s psychology with any depth; it simply tells us she’s compassionate when she is demonstrably not, it tells us she makes decisions when it takes magical intervention to do so. It’s a missed opportunity. This does not change between episodes 1 and 8, despite the episodes’ parallel structures and scenes, which unintentionally reinforces that Alina had little real development. 

Inej and ironically Jesper and Kaz embody the concept of “mercy” far better and with far more complexity than Alina does. The Crows have reactions to the loss of people who even betray them (Arken, etc), learn, and course-correct (or don’t) when they are even loosely involved in having strangers die. They’re good characters because they change and learn and have their choices matter. When they kill we see them wrestle with it and what this means even if they are accustomed to doing so. Jesper can’t kill in front of a child. Kaz wonders what his killings do to Inej’s idea of him.

Narrative: The Mixed Bag

Tropes, Themes, Telling vs. Showing

So the show’s themes in the Alina storyline are a mess, as they are in the trilogy too. Tropes are a very valuable way to show your audience what you’re trying to say. They’re utilized worldwide because they resonate with people and we know what to expect from them. The Crows' storyline shows us what it wants us to learn.

Preaching tells, and unfortunately, the trilogy relies on telling/preaching against fornicationBad Boys. It’s your right to write any trope or trample any trope you want--your story--but you should at least understand what/why you are doing so. The author clearly knows enough about Jungian shadows and dark/light yin/yang symbolism to use it in the story, but then just handwaves it away as “I don’t like this” but never does so in a narratively effective way: addressing the appeal in the first place. If you really wanna deconstruct a trope, you gotta empathize with the core of the reason these tropes appeal to people (it allays deep fears that we are ourselves unlovable, through loving another person despite how beastly they can be), and address this instead of ignoring it. Show us a better way through the Fold of your story. Don’t just go around it and ignore the issue.

The trilogy offers highly simplistic themes at best--bad boy bad and good boy good, which is fine-ish for kid lit but less fine for adult complexity, which the show (more so than the books) seems to try to push despite not actually having much of it.

Alina and Mal are intended to be good, we’re told they are, but I’m not sure why beyond just that we’re told so. Alina claims the stag chose her, but in the show it’s never explained why at all. Unlike with Kaz, Inej, Jesper, and hell even Matthias and Nina, we don’t see Alina or Mal’s complex choices and internal wrestling. 

Like, Inej’s half-episode where she almost killed the guy they needed was far more character exploration than Alina has the entire show, to say nothing of Inej’s later killing which not only makes her leaps and bounds more interesting, but ironically cements her as a far more compelling and yes, likable, heroine than Alina. We see Inej’s emotional and moral conflict. We can relate to her. We see Kaz struggling with his selfishness and regrets, with his understanding of himself through his interactions with and observations of Inej, Alina, the Darkling, Arken, and Jesper.

We don’t explore what makes Mal or Alina good and what makes them bad. We don’t know what Alina discovers about herself, what her power means for her. We are told they are good, we are told she knows her power is hers, but never shown what this means or what this costs them/her. Their opportunities to be good are handed to them (the stag, Bhagra) instead of given to them as a challenge in which they risk things, in which doing good or making a merciful choice costs them. Alina gets to preach about choices without ever making any; Inej risks going back to the Menagerie to trust Kaz. Her choices risk. They cost. They matter and direct her storyline and her arc, and those of the people around her.

Production Stuff:

The Good: 

The production overall is quite excellent. The costumes, pacing, acting, and cinematography (for example, one of the earliest scenes between the Darkling and Alina has Alina with her back to the light, face covered in his shadow, while the Darkling’s face is light up by her light even if he stands in the shadows) are top-notch. The soundtrack as well is incredible and emphasizes the scenes playing. The actors have great chemistry together, friend chemistry and romantic when necessary (Mal and Alina, the Darkling and Alina, Kaz and Inej, Nina and Matthias, David and Genya, etc.) All are perfectly cast. 

The Uncomfortable Technicalities Hamliet Wants to Bitch About:

The only characters from fantasy!Europe having any trace of an accent reminiscent of said fantasy country's real-world equivalent are antagonists like Druskelle (Scandinavia) and Pekka (Ireland). When the heroes mostly have British accents despite being from fantasy Russia and Holland, it is certainly A Choice to have the Irish accent emphasized. The actor is British by the way, so I presume he purposely put on an Irish accent. I'm sure no one even considered the potential implications of this but it is A Look nonetheless.

The Anachronisms Hamliet Has a Pet Peeve About: 

The worldbuilding is compelling, but the only blight on the worldbuilding within the story itself (ignoring context) was that there are some anachronisms that took me out of the story, particularly in the first episode where “would you like to share with the class” and “saved by the horn” are both used. Both are modern-day idioms in English that just don’t fit, especially the latter. The last episode uses “the friends we made along the way.” There are other modern idioms as well.

IT’S STARKOVA and Other Pet Peeves Around the Russian Portrayal 

Russian names are not hard, and Russian naming systems are very, very easy to learn. I could have waved “Starkov” not being “Starkova,” “Nazyalensky” not being “Nazyalenskaya,”  and “Safin” not being “Safina” as an American interpretation (since in America, the names do not femininize). However, “Mozorova” as a man is unfathomable and suggests to me the author just doesn’t understand how names work, which is a bit... uh okay considering a simple google search gets you to understand Russian names. They aren’t hard. I cannot understand why the show did not fix this. It is so simple to fix and would be a major way to help the story’s overall... caricature of Russia. 

Speaking of that... Ravka is supposedly Russian-based, but it is more accurately based on the stereotypes of what Americans think of Russia. Amerussia? Russica? Not great. 

The royals are exactly what Americans think of the Romanovs, right down to the “greasy” “spiritual advisor” who is clearly Rasputin and which ignores the Romanov history, very real tragedy, and the reason Rasputin was present in the court. The religion with all its saints is a vapid reflection of Russian Orthodoxy. The military portrayal with its lotteries and brutality and war is how the US views the Russian military. The emphasis on orphans, constant starvation, classification, and children being ripped from their homes to serve the government is a classic US understanding of USSR communism right down to the USSR having weapons of destruction the rest of the world fears (Grisha). Not trying to defend the Soviet Union here at all, but it is simplistic and reductive and probably done unconsciously but still ehhhh. 

However, I’m not Russian. I just studied Russian literature. I’ve seen very little by way of discussion of this topic online, but what I do see from Russian people has been mixed--some mind, some don’t. The reality is that I actually don’t really mind this because it’s fantasy, though I see why some do. I'm not like CANCEL THIS. So why am I talking about this beyond just having a pet peeve?

Well, because it is a valid critique, and because it doesn’t occur in a vacuum. The Grishaverse is heralded as an almost paragon for woke Young Adult literature, which underlines itself what so frustrates me about how literary circles discuss issues of diversity and culture. Such praise, while ignoring its quasi-caricature of Russia, reflects a very ethnocentric (specifically American) understanding of culture, appropriation, and representation. All stories are products of their culture to various extents, but it bothers me on principle what the lit community reacts (and overreacts sometimes?) to and what people give a pass to. The answer to what the community reacts to and what it gives a pass always pivots on how palatable the appropriation is to American understandings and sensibilities. There’s nuance here as well, though. 

I'm not cancelling the story or thinking it should be harshly attacked for this, but it is something that can be discussed and imo should be far more often--but with the nuance it begs, instead of black/white. But that’s a tall ask. 

#s&b #hamliet reviews #shadow and bone #six of crows #kanej #jesper fahey #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #alina starkov #malyen oretsev #the darkling #darklina #malina #aleksander kirigan #netflix shadow and bone #s&b review

[fruitless-nonsense]

Well… turns out I have a lot of opinions on characters I don’t even think strongly of. Who knew?

No joke, this is probably not as thorough as I like, but this idea came to me and I have so much to say that I don’t know how to structure it. Okay? Let’s talk about Damon Salvatore!

If you read any of my previous posts, you’ve probably gotten a decent idea of how I feel about him from my quick snippy remarks. I genuinely believe he is the worst character in the show. Yes, other characters can be more boring than him. Yes, there are people that can be more infuriating than him. It’s not simply who his character was, it’s how the writers wouldn’t stop messing with him that convinced me he was utter trash. Sit back, cause this could take awhile.

Let’s start with season one and the two brothers. Theory time! I’m strongly of the opinion the writers wanted a love triangle between Elena, Stefan, and Damon from the very beginning. Not that crazy to believe considering this show was born off the heels of Twilight’s grossing fame, not to take credit away from all the other shows at the time which featured a love triangle or two. From fanfics to original stories written by tweens I read when I was thirteen, love triangles were huge back then (in a way they still are fairly popular, but not like back in the day. Now I feel old). So they wanted a love triangle? Sounds cliche enough to be in the vampire diaries, what’s wrong? Well, there’s a bit of an issue with the candidates, or more specifically candidate. You see, Edward was a creep and Jacob was an incel, but you can say they weren’t monsters (well by my standards they were, but by YA standards they were pretty normal). I mean, the movie made a point to say the Cullens didn’t feed from humans, and they’re only seen killing in self defense, meanwhile Jacob is treated like a good person throughout despite everything. My point is, at least at the beginning, the story didn’t want to paint either candidate as irredeemable. Back to tvd season one, Damon tortures Caroline, kills Zack, two random humans, and that one football coach/history teacher, mentally and physically tortured Vicky Donavon before turning her against her will and made it impossible for Stefan to remedy the situation until he ultimately had to kill her to save Elena, and this is all from the first seven episodes.

Now, I used to think at least Damon was a fun villain, but was he really? I mean, yeah he could be funny, got a few chuckles outta me, but besides humor and violence what was his character? For example, in season one we are introduced to Stefan, a supposed “good vampire” who has taken a liking to Elena due to similarities between her and his ex before admiring how much better of a person she is and wanting a true connection with her. We later learn that his experience with his ex Katherine was extremely one-sided as he was compelled to love her to satiate her needs. Even later (still season one), we learn that his only drinking animal blood is because he is a ripper or “blood addict” as I call it cause even one taste of human blood and he’ll go on a rampage. So by seasons end we have a character who was a victim of serious abuse (which is never truly addressed in the show btw) and carries a rare vampire trait that makes not being a murderous psychopath incredibly difficult, yet he still tries to beat the odds and not hurt people. This is a lot to learn about a character in its first season, and it helps us gravitate towards wanting him to succeed. Stefan is what you would call a good character (at least for now). So that was all we got on the first candidate, what about option number two? Well, he’s funny and he likes to kill people, that’s about it. That ripper gene that Stefan’s fighting, Damon’s not someone who gave in to the gene to explain why he’s so murder happy, he doesn’t even have it! There’s nothing making him be a bad person, he just is one! Why? Your guess is as good as mine. The most we get is learning he had real feelings for Katherine and was never compelled to love her as an explanation for why he hates Stefan so much. Wow, two brothers at war over a girl one of them doesn’t even like. You can’t even say it was because Stefan turned him, because Damon says it blank that it’s cause of Katherine in 1x20, so don’t. So Damon kills for no reason, hates Stefan for a stupid reason, and has no personality traits outside of humor, murder, Katherine, and hates Stefan. With all of this on the table, my question is this, how do the writers expect me to pick Damon over Stefan in this love triangle with everything we got in season one? And the writers realized this.

Season two starts this long “arc” asking if Damon can be redeemed, or that’s what the writers wanted. Second theory: the writers realized they couldn’t justify Elena picking Damon over Stefan without ruining her character (lol), so they decided the best way to keep this love triangle idea afloat was to redeem Damon. The theory comes in when they realized they couldn’t completely redeem him because they had written themselves into a corner and being a murdering psycho with quirky one liners was his entire character, therefore redeeming him would take away what made Damon himself and so likable among fans (not me). I’m gonna pull the rug from under ya, remember when I said klaroline was not actually a love story, but was positioned and is still believed to have been one despite this fact? Same applies here. Did Damon ever go through a redemption arc, or did the writers want you to think that he did so they could have their cake and eat it too? Is there any actual story progression that show growth in Damon as a character? Nope. He’s sadder, wouldn’t say that’s him being a better person. In the early seasons, his characterization feels more like a seesaw than an arc. Sometimes he’s chill and helping with a plan, and the next episode he’s biting a chunk out of more innocent bystanders while abusing more women (*cough* *cough* justice for Andie). The longest I can say he was a genuinely decent person was in season six when he was trapped in the prison world with Bonnie (cause she’s the only character that would put up with his bs). Everywhere else, an inconsistent character, and I feel like that was intentional. They wanted to keep Damon how fans liked him while making him seem like a better person. An example is the introduction of Enzo, which I think was a ploy by the writers to make it seem like season five Damon was interacting with a season one Damon to show how far he’s come, but that doesn’t stick at all (mostly because Enzo’s crimes in the show compared to season one Damon’s feel less psychotic and malicious). All in all, to me Damon on his own was a truly boring character and even more boring villain. No motivation and no personality outside his infatuations. Which leads me into the worst plot line of my entire cw experience: Delena.

If you haven’t noticed, I hate this ship with a fiery passion. The only reason I think it’s slightly better than klaroline was at least the writers tried to write a story with them (keyword tried). I said they would have to ruin Elena’s character to have her choose him over Stefan, and I was right! Not only does she cheat with him (2x22 and other scenes from season three), it’s never explained why she likes him in the first place (actually in season six they say it’s cause he gave her Stefan’s gift necklace despite being in love with her, which is so stupid it made me laugh). Furthermore, why does Damon develop feeling for Elena? Supposedly it happens while he’s still obsessing over Katherine, so is that it? The turning point which pushes them together is revealed to all be fabricated by a sirebond. For real, the only reason Elena fell out of love with Stefan is because a bond out of her control made it impossible for Stefan to help her through vampirism and thus she had to lean on Damon for support. I know the show states the bond didn’t create her feelings merely heighten them, but it did isolate her from everyone else she loved and made it so she had no choice but to rely on Damon, and that’s not exactly better than the former. Let me say it louder for the kids that were corrupted. Codependency. Is. Not. Healthy. It’s toxic, and the trope in romance needs to die a horrible death. And the show knows it’s toxic, they bring it up all the time in season five and six thinking that will excuse them to keep going with it. Sorry hun, self awareness does not give you a pass. The worst part is the pacing. I mentioned the sirebond storyline in season four which takes up a huge amount of the season with them debating if her feelings were real before abruptly deciding Elena doesn’t care. Great conclusion, but it gets worse. Season five is pretty thin as far as a story, so what fills the run time is a storyline straight out of fifty shades. Fighting, sex, fighting, sex, breaking up because they aren’t healthy, sex, fighting followed by getting back together followed by more fighting and more sex. I can’t tell you what was gained after everything that transpired in the season. Lastly is season six which took time away from the first interesting villain since season three to give us an amnesia storyline! I’d tell you more, but if you’ve ever seen a movie you could probably explain it exactly. All that time that could’ve been spent in better ways, was given to something I stopped caring about by season fours end.

Honestly, the fact that the show treats this like the greatest love story of all time makes me less angry and more concerned, because the audience who watched this show weren’t adults who understand what love really is, the people who watched this was made up of mostly tweens and teens. I can’t get too mad, this trope is everywhere, girl helps abusive guy be better person while sapping away all her energy in the process was done before and is still being done today. All I ask is that the young adults who remember this show fondly understand how wrong this is. How people like Damon should not be pitied and relationships like Delena should not be celebrated. Ship whatever you want, but please tell me you’re okay. Are you okay? In conclusion, Damon is trash and Delena wasted my time along with being extremely toxic and abusive. Goodnight everybody!

#anti damon salvatore #anti delena #anti tvd and to writers #anti klaroline #damon salvatore #elena gilbert #stefan salvatore #Stefan deserves better #anti the vampire diaries #anti codependency

[themarvel-spnmultifanwriter]

Hey! Hope you having a great day/night.

Can you do a reader X dean enemies to lovers where the reader hates dean because she thinks he's the reason for bobby's death (since he was like a father to the reader she never had) and dean hates her so he doesn't fall for her or something like that?

Thank you so much and stay happy!

Hey sure! Thank you for your request! Hope you'll like the story.

Maybe not that bad ~ Dean x Reader

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Warnings: fight, hunt, mention of blood, enemies to lovers, kissing, passion

Word Count: 2.4k

7 am, sun rised. You were sleeping deeply. The past few days it was hard for you to sleep. You couldn't let go of that moment, the moment you watched Bobby die. He was the only family you had left. He was your father's best friend and watched our for you after your dad had died. He felt more like a father to you than anyone. You couldn't believe he was gone.

In your dream you kept screaming and crying. You've just turned around to Bobby as he got in the car. That's when you saw him being shot. The image of all the blood hunted you every second. You woke up sweaty and with tears in your eyes.

"Woah princess bad dream? You better go back sleeping for some hours because without your beauty sleep you look horrible" Dean said.

Dean Winchester. Arrogant, selfish and the reason for Bobby's death. He was the one who dragged him into this fight with those dicks from Pergatory. All he could was talking stupid stuff or maybe his flirty comments whenever a chic was around that would make you want to puke. You wondered what most people saw in that guy.

"Guess you hadn't your beauty sleep in months, then, princess. Because you look about as good as a rat" you rolled your eyes.

"Rats can be pretty too" Dean argued. He couldn't stand you either. You never got along. When you two first met he tried to make a move but you rejected him and embarrassed him in front of a lot of people. Since that he thought you were boring and lame. But mostly his pride was hurt. And as much as he didn't like what you did to him he hated even more how much he wanted you. Not in the way he wanted those girls in the bars. He didn't just wanted to bang you. He wanted you for you and get to know you. But of course he'd never admit that so Dean kept telling himself how much he disliked you.

You and Dean kept staring at each other with the Sam mad look on both your faces as you always did, when Sam walked in.

"Dean I brought you breakfast and- oh hey y/n you're awake" Sam said and smiled at you. He was the more likable of the Winchesters and you had to admit you liked him. He was like a brother you never had. You could share things with him and he helped you handle Bobby's death. Dean on the other hand, he was the pain in the ass you wish you never had.

"Morning Sam" you smiled. You stood up and went to the bathroom. Sam and Dean started eating breakfast. After you got dressed you entered the room.

"Hey Sammy you came up with a plan on how to kill Dick Roman and all the other son of bitches?" Dean asked and put half a piece of pie in his mouth. Disgusting. How could you eat like that?, you wondered.

"No not really. But I found this case"

"Dick is still out there and you want to hunt down some monster?" you asked shocked. "He shot Bobby! We should try to hunt him down"

"And we will" Sam promised fast. "We will y/n, but at the moment there isn't really something we can do. So we could at least safe some lives"

"Yeah Sammy is right. Besides, revenge isn't everything and you should plan things out before running into something and getting yourself killed" Dean said.

"Yeah because planning things out last time helped a lot" you stared at Dean with anger in your eyes.

"If you have to tell me something tell me" Dean stood up and walked over to you. You were ready to kick his ass. You couldn't handle him anymore. He was just too annoying.

"Guys please come on" Sam tried to stop the both of you from fighting. "Would Bobby want this??!" Sam yelled. He clearly had enough himself. You stopped and looked down on the floor with tears in your eyes.

"No" you whispered. For a moment all of you were silent. "I'll get my stuff and go to the car. Let's check out this case" you wiped your tears away.

When you were gone Dean sighed annoyed.

"Dean stop it with the attitude" Sam said upset.

"The hell are you talking about man? What attitude?"

"This attitude! Fighting with y/n. I mean c'mon man we should try to stick together as a team! After Bobby died more than ever. Dean Bobby was all she had and you know it. She's going through a lot so is it really necessary to give off all those comments of yours huh? Hurt her even more? "

" Look man I'm not the one who started this. Who blamed me for Bobby's death. "

" Dean ! " Sam said in a louder voice and looked at his brother half mad half said. Dean sighed again.

" Alright "He rolled his eyes." I'll take it easy on her "

" Thanks " Sam said relieved. Both of them followed you outside.

" What took you so long? Dean couldn't find his makeup? Hey man even with it you still look the same. There's no improvement. Just give it up" you said with a smile. Dean was about to say something back but saw Sam looking at him. He made a fist, unnoticeable for you and Sam, and kept his anger inside.

"Yeah alright whatever let's start driving." he started the engine. After about twenty minutes on the road he looked over at Sam. "So what exactly are we looking for?"

"I think there might be vampires" Sam said while reading through some papers. "in the past few weeks three girls and five men disappeared. All around the same area. A few of them were founds days or weeks later. Bleed out because of some animal apparently."

"But you think it might be something else?" you asked Sam.

"Yeah. I think so. Those patterns look pretty much like the ones from a few vamps we did hunt before."

"Well we'll know when we're tgere" Dean said.

"If you keep driving with that speed we won't find anything any soon" you complained tho Dean drove over the normal speed limit. Still, you just had to complain about him. He didn't say anything. He tried to ignore you to keep the peace and not get his brother mad at him for hurting your feelings.

You arrived in Plainfield, Illinois, and went to a few houses to talk to the families of the witnesses. You didn't get anything. Then you went to the locations where a few of the people went missing, a gas station.

"May we have a look at the tape of the security cameras sir?" you asked the police officer who was there for another missing body. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure. Even though I still don't get why the FBI is interested in animal attacks" he admitted.

"We think it might be more than that. We might landed on the tracks of a serial killer's killings." Sam explained. The officer believed you and let you into the security room. There you watched the tapes.

"Wait look at that" you pointed at the screen.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Can't you see?" you pointed at a bush. "That person in there. Sam can you get closer?"

"Sure" Sam zoomed in the video. You could see a face of a men.

"Why does that guy look familiar to me?"

"Alright shift is over I'm heading off" you heard a voice from outside.

"Him" you pointed at the guy who was leaving. "It's him"

"Son of a bitch" Dean stood up.

"No Dean wait hold on. We can't go after him and kill him" Sam said.

"Why not?" Dean argued. "He killed innocent people"

"Yeah and going after him would be stupid" You said. "Remember, plan first? We need to follow him to know where he keeps the people and how many more of him are in the nest"

"Yeah Dean so we can't just kill him" Sam agreed. Dean nodded.

"Alright then let's follow him instead"

You followed the guy in the boys impala. A nice car. You really liked it. The driver not so much tho.

"He's going inside there" Sam said quiet. "That's where the nest must be."

"Let's go inside" Dean said and opened the door to the driver seat.

"Maybe we should split up. Two go from the front end one from behind." you suggested. Both the boys agreed. You went over to the back while the Winchesters took the front. You killed one vamp when you heard a big bang. You could tell there was a fight in the other room. But before you could go inside someone tabbed your shoulder. You turned around.

"Hello there" a vamp smiled at you. You started fighting, kicked the vampire to the other side of the room. He scratched your arm and made blood float. He jumped on top of you, but you managed to kill him. You opened the door a little bit and saw Sam and Dean tied against chairs.

"This jerk can't do anything alone can he? Now he's getting his brother killed" you said to yourself. You thought for a moment. There must been a way to free them. You thought and thought. Then you saw a stone on the ground.

"might get me killed. Might also free them" you said to yourself and threw the stone across the room the the other door that was open.

"You heard that?" the vamps went looking for whoever caused the sound.

"Look who's here. Dean I know you're into that sick shackled sex games but I think this is not the time for this" you said and freed him from the rope around his wrists.

"Funny" he said sarcastic with his pissed face. "Alright you free Sam, I'll go after those vamps"

"No I'll go. You free them" You argued.

"Guys not now" Sam said knowing how this would end. Dean turned to you.

"Look sweetheart I know you had a hard time after Bobby's death but right now this is serious business so you free my brother and don't argue when I say I'm going after them"

"Don't mention Bobby" you gave him the death stare. Your face going closer to his and looking into his angry eyes. "Besides what makes you think you are leading this mission?"

"I'm obviously the best hunter among us" he smirked you became furious.

"Oh yes sure because you're so awesome and good in everything don't you"

"Guys!" Sam yelled but neither of you were listening.

"Oh don't give me this" Dean said.

"Give you what?"

"Don't act like I'm the bad guy here. You got us almost killed a couple of times before remember?"

"But I didn't kill one of you actually unlike you do! I'm not the one who's responsible for Bobby's death"

"Well neither am I y/n so stop acting like it. I get it you're mad, but stop blaming me when the only one to blame is Dick because he pulled the trigger and shot Bobby"

"Yeah well he didn't have to if you didn't drag us into this Dean!"

"Bobby came along by choice!"

"Yeah because of you! Because you wanted his help! And now he's dead!"

"Which is why I don't want you to go after those vamps because you could get yourself killed too and I don't want that because I care about you!"

"Oh shut it Dean don't act like you care when you don't I know you don't like me. You make that pretty clear every damn day"

"Well maybe I didn't have to if you stopped pushing me away and giving me a chance for once" Dean yelled. Both of you went silence after this, surprised by what you just admitted. You stared at each other intense, before Dean grabbed your face and pulled you close. He pressed his lips onto yours with such passion as you never thought he'd kiss a girl ever. Out of instinct you pulled your arms around his neck and kissed him back. His tongue went into your mouth, fighting for dominance with yours. It felt like minutes or longer that you stood there tasting each other with such a passion you never experienced before. You could feel the butterflies inside of you and could've sworn sparks were in the air. As you pulled away you looked into Dean's eyes again and wondered if they always were this beautiful.

"Alright you go" you whisper in shock. "I'll free Sam"

"Good" Dean whispered back, clearly not presence with his thoughts. He was just focused on the beauty you held within you and couldn't stop admiring you.

"Dean" you snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Right" he let go of your face and went after the vamps.

"I swear if you say a word I'll leave you here" you told Sam who began laughing.

Back in the motel, Sam went out to grab good. You sat on your bed and took a look at the scratch the vamp left on your shoulder.

"Hey" Dean sat next to you.

"Hey" you replied back. Dean looked at you.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked when he noticed the blood on your shoulder. "Let me see"

"It's fine I eh- ouch !" you jumped up a little.

"Sorry" Dean said, not being sarcastic for the first time.

"Dean do I see worry in your face? Don't tell me you care" You teased him with a smile. Dean looked down for a moment before facing you.

"I told you before. I care about you"

"I didn't think you'd mean it" you admitted.

"Yeah well I did" Dean stood up. You wondered if he was hurt by what you said and if it meant he liked you. Romantically... Some part of you hoped so.

"Dean wait !" you jumped off your bed. "Back at the nest. What happened... I-"

"Yeah that was nothing" Dean said. His words hurt you. But part of you couldn't believe that. Not after the way he kissed you.

"Really? Because I was hoping it was something" you told him. Dean looked surprised.

"You do?" Dean was speechless.

"Yeah" you smiled. You leaned forward and pressed your lips onto his. This time not passionate like the first time you did. The kiss was short and soft. But it spoke for itself.

"I guess it wasn't nothing for me either" Dean admitted and kissed me back.

"I guess you are maybe not that bad after all Winchester" you whispered throughout kissing him.

#supernatural #supernatural dean fanfic #supernatural dean winchester #supernatural imagine #supernatural one shot #supernatural story #dean winchester x reader #dean x reader #dean winchester #deanwinchtser #dean one shot #dean winchester one shot #Dean Winchester story

[itsonlystrange]

I feel like a lot of people seem to forget the Mike is the wheelers only son. Meaning he has different expectations than Nancy has and that Holly will have.

Example:

Nancy was always expected (By Ted, at least) to marry in to a good family of her own. Take someone else’s last name.

However with Mike, and with men in general and heteronormativity and toxic masculinity, men are the ones that are supposed to “carry on the family legacy.”

Mike isn’t supposed to marry into a family, a young lady is supposed to marry into THEIR family. The WHEELER family. For a young lady to take THE WHEELER last name.

Nancy was expected to be the house keeper. The cook. The house wife. She bares the children, takes them to school, while her husband is off at work. Following the pattern of Karen and Ted.

However Mike isnt expected to do that. He’s supposed to find a woman that marries into their family. She bares the children while he’s at work.

I do think Karen noticed early on that their son isn’t what 80’s society deemed as normal, not even from a sexuality stand point.

We don’t know much about Ted, but we do know that he is wealthy. He makes “6 figures” (or more) in the words of Jonathan. He was probably in some sort of sport. Most likely popular. Very much similar to Steve.

And well, Mike isn’t.... any of those things.

He isn’t athletic... like at all. Which in the 80’s , was very looked down upon. He isn’t popular, and he’s a “nerd.”

While Ted probably had girls swooning over him 24/7, Mike doesn’t have that. I’m sure Karen noticed very early on that he wasn’t going to continue the Wheeler family in the most conventional way possible. He wasn’t going to get prom king. He wasn’t going to work at an insurance firm, marry a Kathy or a Susan or a Tina and settle down working a 9-5. And that doesn’t even involve his sexuality.

But most importantly, I’m sure Ted noticed that.

There’s often a lot of focus on Will’s relationship with his father (which albeit, is much more front and center.) and how Lonnie often tried to “man up” Will. (I’m not invalidating that in any way.) However, it isn’t very out of character that Ted had very similar concerns and expectations. Definitely on a different scale, but he had them.

No, I don’t think Ted has ever “abused” any of his kids. However I do think he reinforced his expectations in... unhealthy ways. Especially on Mike.

Nancy was (in season 1, but still is.) the “perfect daughter.” She was on the cheer squad. She was pretty, popular (to an extent at some point), good grades, likable, she was doing everything her family wanted her to. She dated the most popular guy in school, and even in season 3, while she is dating Jonathan, she still seems to be doing pretty well. And although she is definitely more independant now, and isn’t following the structure her parents have set up for her (letting the man do the discovering and hunting and all of that, while she sits back as the damsel in distress.) it doesn’t seem like her parents are “disappointed” in her,, or worried about her future. Unlike Mike.

Very early on, I assume, Mike definitely wasn’t the “star son” Ted was looking for. Not the extroverted popular guy, the one who all girls swooned over. I’m sure Ted complained about this and to Karen, and expressed his concerns on why their son wasn’t fulfilling the expectations they set up for him. Instead of star football flayer, he’s a nerd. Instead of a ladies man, he’s well.. not a ladies man. I believe Ted set up these expectations at a very young age. And reinforced them, not in the best ways. He probably tried to in force “manly” stereotypes onto Mike. Maybe even tried to get him into a sport. We see in season 2 that he is forcing mike to “grow up” by giving away some of his toys, because in Ted’s mind, growing up means Mike could finally “man up” which then snowballs in season 3 to Mike feeling like he has to “grow up” so he can “man up” so he won’t be so childish. So he can finally fulfill his parents expectations. So he won’t be such an out cast (which we now know backfires, as he’s in the Hellfire club and will probably be under a lot of scrutiny.)

Mike is aware of these expectations, which only affect his personality and attitude further. I’m sure Ted had ridiculed him on not being athletic enough... failing PE. Not having a girlfriend. Not being very talkative, and when he is talkative having an attitude. Lashing out. Not being popular. Playing board games inside all day instead of going out and playing soccer. And this only affects Mike’s insecurities more.

Mike is insecure that he will never be able to fulfill his parents desires. That he will never be the star football player and valedictorian that all the parents think is phenomenal. And even though Mike hates to admit it, he relies on people, especially his father, for validation. His father very obviously didn’t and doesn’t give him enough love, and his mother, while definitely being more open and caring, can be distant. His family doesn’t give him much attention, which is why he lashes out. He needs attention, and if he can’t get it from his parents, maybe he can get it from other people. Or even worse, he does things, graffitiing the bathroom stall, cussing out people, stealing from Nancy, to get a rise out of his parents. So maybe his parents will notice him, pay attention to him. Ground him, take away his Atari. He may act like he hates it on the outside, but he subconsciously does it on purpose. So he can feel something again. So he can feel recognized. Mike possesses self destructive behavior because of his parents. Because at school, people don’t pay attention to him. At home, people don’t pay attention to him. He’s lost. He’s alone.

And in ways, Mike thinks he’s a failure.

This is where the party comes in.

I think a lot of people seem to round up Mike being against Max joining the party is because he doesn’t want someone to “replace El.” However, while that may be the case, I don’t think that’s all of it.

The reason he didn’t want Max to join the party is because, they are the exact. Same. Type. Of. Person.

Mike was projecting his personal insecurities onto Max because they are so similar. He seems himself in Max. And because he refuses to talk about his own personal problems he will be seen as “more of a freak” he takes them out on Max and ridicules Max for things that he actually ridicules himself for. And also, on a different note. Mike was scared. Scared he’d be replaced. Because his whole life that’s how he was treated. Ted seems to only give out love and praise when it fits his expectations. And when Mike doesn’t reach those expectations, Mike feels like a failure because he is told he is.

Mike is scared of being replaced or abandoned by the Party because he already has been by the rest of his school and his own father.

So Mike was upset that Dustin and Lucas found Max so entertaining, because he was afraid Max would take up his spot in the party. Because although he hates to admit it, she was awesome. Way more awesome than he could ever be. And he saw how cool she was. He felt threatened. Threatened that Dustin and Lucas, and probably Will too, would ditch him for Max.

Max radiates “leader” energy. She has the ability to take charge of a situation when she needs to. She’s cunning. Sarcastic. She can be slick, and doesn’t usually take no for an answer. She’s intimidating.

Mike felt threatened because, well, he is the leader of the party. And he didn’t want this girl to come in and take a hold of that. Because the party is literally all he has. He may act like he has this big ego or whatever, but this is all he has. He’s an out cast. And he needs validation from the party. He likes being a leader, because this is the only setting where he can be one. He isn’t popular, yet the people in the party look up to him. And he likes that attention, the attention that his parents didn’t give him. While Karen and Ted were busy paying attention to Nancy, he was alone. He had no nobody. He still sort of has nobody. But the party is his comfort. It’s his validation, the validation he needs from Ted but doesn’t get. He saw Max’s potentional and was afraid he’d be kicked to the curb. His attitude towards her in season 2 wasn’t because he wanted to be a jerk. It was a defense mechanism.

And the thing is, they really are so similar.

Both have fairly absent fathers. Both are sarcastic. Both are leaders. Both are witty. They are both pretty smart (in different fields.) They are quick thinkers and are both able to take charge of a situation. The reason Mike “hates” Max is because he hates himself. Max is so similar to Mike which makes her an easy target for projection. He both envies her yet holds resentment towards her at the same time.

So Mike’s hatred of Max is because of a few things:

A coping mechanism and fear of being left behind and kicked out of the party because she is the much “cooler” version of him.

And a projection of his true feelings of himself on to her because they are so similar .

Mike has abandonment issues and unhealthy coping mechanisms. But even worse, he has high expectations that he can only meet in unhealthy and unhappy ways.

Mike believes that in order to become a “man” he needs to grow up. That’s something his father taught him. Mike believes that in order to become a “man” he must find a young lady to settle down with. He must settle in life. Work a 9-5. Have a wife that bares children.

Which is why it utterly shocks and scares mike that he can’t even fulfill that expectation either.

When Mike first realizes his feelings for Will, I don’t think he fully acknowledges it. I don’t think he wants himself to. Because he is fully aware that in his fathers eyes he is a failure. And even to himself, he sees himself as a failure. So it upsets him that the one thing, the ONE thing, that he thought he could do to make his parents happy, the one thing that would dig himself out of this hole, the one thing that would make Ted “proud” of him, being straight, isn’t possible for him. It scares him. He’s already messed up this far. He isn’t athletic, popular, talkative. Why can’t he just have this one thing? This one sense of normalcy?

So he pushes it away. I think he’s had these feelings for Will for a long time. In season one, he definitely had them, but didn’t realize or acknowledge them. In season two I definitely think he realized something was up, but just didn’t wanna believe it.

I do think he cares about El, and loves her platonically. However I also think that after he accessed that his feelings towards Will weren’t totally “bromantic.” , he began overcompensating. He pushed Will away in fear that if he connected with Will even more he’d act on his feelings. Now I don’t think he’s fully acknowledged his feelings yet, all I think is that he knew something was up and tried to stop it from flourishing. He was still under the impression that this was a “phase.” That all he has to do is “grow up.” Because he equates straight love with growing up and settling down. His feelings for Will are “childish.” He attempts (and fails) to act like an “adult” or a “man” by saying misogynistic things against El, (like the usual 80’s man would), by regularly using slang like “Man” or “Dude” against Will, which was a first. And calls himself a “7 year old” when he reverts back to talking about getting new toys for Christmas. This boy is reallyyyy trying to push his straight agenda here.

Then, after about 10 months of trying to push this “straight agenda”, by constantly reminding the party that he is in a STRAIGHT RELATIONSHIP. By acting all lovey dovey in front of the party yet never showing that alleged affection to El on screen. (Saying he loved el, came off as if he was trying to impress the party, or further prove he is “straight”, yet not being able to say it back to her. Acting like he’s all in love and crazy for el when he runs off the weather top in s3 e1, yet just going through the motions of making out with El and even taking her hands off of him behind closed doors.) Point is, he barks more than he bites.

Remember how I said this boy needs a lot of validation to function? Yeah well this is where that comes in.

He needs validation that people believe he’s in a straight relationship. He constantly reminds the party that he is and almost seems like he’s really trying to push it. He’s overcompensating. Because he NEEDS people to believe that he’s in a straight relationship so that he believes it himself. Because in his head, if people believe he is then, he is. Nobody knows what they don’t know. They never have to find out about his attraction to guys if he doesn’t show it. And in the beginning it’s paying off well. The party really believes it. But then he messes up big time and it all crumbles down. Very curious if Lucas ever realized how quickly Mike went off in the rain to fetch Will when he couldn’t even call El by phone.

But as I said, after 10 months of this “facade”, El says she loves him back, something he either actually forgot about or lied about forgetting, and kisses him. And then he stands there, and it turns out, all that work, all that time he spent, lying to himself and to the party, didn’t work. He realized that this isn’t just a phase. It’s real. He can’t just overcompensate for this. He cant just pray it away.

Mike, early on, developed an insecurity of not having a girlfriend because of the bullies at school and his father. No girl ever paid attention to him. He was sidelined, and the only people that even really knew his name were the members of the party. He saw how Will got bullied. And he was bullied for similar things too. He saw the aids epidemic spread infront of his eyes. He saw how homosexuals were treated. He didn’t want that to be him. Because he had already failed his parents and their expectations (Atleast in his eyes.) He already failed the kids at school and is seen as a nerd or outcast, why couldn’t he just have one thing that would make him “normal” . Being straight was essentially Mike’s only opportunity to be “normal”, to not be seen as such an outcast, and now that opportunity is taken away from him because well, he isnt straight.

So then El came in and to El, Mike was this warrior. To El, Mike was this strong, charming, fearless ‘man.’ And Mike knew that wasn’t true. He knows he’s just a small town kid that’s a total nerd and a total joke to the kids at school, but El didnt and doesn’t know that. With El, he’s allowed to be something he’s not. And that made Mike happy. Someone gave him attention. Someone didn’t actually think of him as a “failure.” All the girls at school found him repulsive. He had already assumed he’d have to settle for a trophy wife. But El came into the picture and allowed him to appear normal for once.

I do think Mike loves El platonically, but I also think that he subconsciously liked her for his own personal benefits. Lucas said it the best. He liked her because she’s the first girl that isn’t grossed out by him.

He cares about El a lot, that’s undeniable, but he also thought that in El, he saw a chance to be normal. To impress his father who already assumed he was a lost cause. El was his gateway to being straight.

TLDR:

So what I encourage you all to realize is:

Being gay In the 80’s is hard as it is, but mike’s personal complexes and his parents expectations make it extra hard. He feels even more like a failure. Because out of everything, he isn’t straight. He isn’t athletic, popular, isn’t well liked, and he’s disappointed his father, when all he’s ever wanted was to impress his father, and now he knows he never really will be able to.

Mike’s journey in season 4 deserves to be about self acceptance. About learning to love yourself. Mike relies heavily on other people’s validation and attention. So when he isn’t given that attention he lashes out. Mike feels unloved and like a failure. He needs to be the leader of the party because he feels like that’s the only form of leadership he’ll ever have. He likes that in the parties eyes and in el’s eyes, he’s on this pedestal, because in his mind that’s the only pedestal he’ll ever stand on. Mike is full of self esteem issues, anxiety, ptsd, and most likely depression. He deserves to be uncondiontially loved by someone. But most of all, he deserves to love himself and become comfortable with the fact that A. A nerd and shouldn’t be ashamed of his nerdy hobbies and B. He isn’t straight and that’s okay! He needs to learn to accept his sexuality. Season 4 is the deciding season. I believe we will see him go through a lot of ups and downs, and a lot of realizations. But the end of season 3 was very telling as to where his arc is headed.

Mike’s reliability on validation and need for attention leads to unhealthy coping mechanisms. He’s been keeping up this fake agenda of “being straight” and shoving it in his friends faces in order to convince himself that he IS straight and that these feelings for Will are just a matter of “being a child” and needing to “grow up” , which backfires. His father has implemented a lot of these insecurities into his head. He wants to grow up faster than the rest of the party because growing up means finally being a man, which would in turn, impress his father. And impressing his father means he’d be loved by his father. And being loved by his father means getting attention from his father. The attention he has never received. Ted has affected Mike in more ways than most people notice. That needs to be addressed. I hope to see Mike come to terms with who he is. The fact that he’s a nerd, the fact that he is a “freak” and that’s okay, and the fact that he’s not straight, which is also okay.

Mike isn’t a bad character. He is misunderstood and really really just needs a hug.

SUPER SORRY FOR LONG POST. PLEASE REBLOG AS THIS NEEDED TO BE SAID. GOOD NIGHT YALL <3

#stranger things #byler #stranger things 4 #mike wheeler #st4 #byler is endgame #stranger things season four

[meta-enthusiasm]

You know what I am really fucking tired of seeing in popular media?

The "evil, hysterical woman in power" trope. The clichè that potrays women who are in a position of power as overzealous, unhinged, power hungry maniacs who are a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

Female leaders are shown as less resonable and down to earth as their male counterparts, and are often villainized by either the fandom or the narrative of the story itself. They are doomed to fail because of their womanliness and need to be taken down before they enact their evil plans, preferably by a man, or a woman who performs the 'right' kind of femininity.

This trope relies on the sexist misconception that women are more fragile than men, more emotionally unstable and unpredictable.

"Women aren't cut out to be leaders, they should be nurturing and supportive and tend to their families. Having higher aspirations is against their nature and will eventually break them and drive them crazy."

That type of bullshit that was designed to keep women out of leadership positions and keep oppressing us. To keep us quiet and submissive.

Here are a few examples to further explain this stereotype:

Daenerys Targaryen is one of the most well known characters to fall victim to this trope. She is an abuse and rape victim, seeking to change the current social and political systems of the world because she knows how many people suffer under its injustice. ("Crush the wheel.")

For all her compassion and charity she has shown over the series, the writers decided that it would be reasonable for her to go crazy at the end of the show and, despite promising she wouldn't inflict more damage than necessary, kill thousands of innocent people whose government had already surrendered to her.

And guess who had to kill her in the end? Yup, another man. Her love interest, who was "forced" to betray her.

Next, we have:

Morgana Pendragon, from "Merlin". To remind you, she is an abuse victim who had to endure her father's controlling behavior and bigoted attitude towards people with magic abilities which, suprise suprise, she turned out to have. She had to watch as her father murdered and oppressed people just like herself, and when she challenged that behavior, he would come down hard with punishment. (Going so far as to actually throwing her in the dungeons for a couple days.)

Eventually, she rebelled against the corrupt system and had her genocidal father killed. She led a rebellion against Camelot after Uther's son (Arthur) continued to oppress magicians under his reign, and sought to create a better future for herself and her people.

So far so good, right? Well, no. The problem here is that she is the antagonist of the story. She is portrayed as being in the wrong for not quietly taking the injustice and watching it happen.

Halfway through the show, she becomes obsessed with power and status and desperately chases after the throne of Camelot. She is extremly vindictive, manipulative and cruel to others to archieve her goals. She is a "hysterical woman" who is out of control, emotionally unstable, challenges the patriarchy, and therefore needs to be defeated.

Her death was portrayed as tragic, yet absolutely necessary.

(Of course it had to be a man who killed her.)

Azula is the epitome of this horrid, misogynistic trope. She is a fierce, ambitious leader and highly skilled fire bender, respected and feared among her people. She is highly driven and succeeds at almost everything she sets her mind to.

Ever since she came into this world, she was better at everything than Zuko. She was a better fighter than him, a better bender, better strategist, better child. And that is precisely the reason why she had to lose in the end.

Despite coming from the exact same circumstances as Zuko, the story and the fandom at large see Azula as way less redemable and likable than him. Even though she is an abuse victim whose own mother hated her and is a literal child soldier, she doesn't get any sympathy from the protagonists of the story. The otherwise so understanding and wise Iroh even calls her "crazy", (which is, if you've done some basic research into misogynistic expressions, really fucking problematic.) and tells Zuko that there is no saving her. Why? He doesn't tell, but it's obvious that the writers made him say this because of their own internalized sexist beliefs. She isn't offered a way out of her toxic environment like Zuko was. She didn't get the support from Iroh because he had already given up on her.

To top it off, she has a nervous breakdown near the end and loses her remaining sanity. Because, you know, "She's craaaazy!! And SO unstable!! Typical woman." (Not to mention how this further stigmatizes mental illness and portrays it as something only evil people get.)

She was supposed to become the next fire lord, a position that carries utmost power and influence. Of course, such authority could not be given to a woman. That's why Zuko, a man, gets to be the next fire lord, and we are left assuming Azula will be spending the rest of her days in prison.

The writers assume the audience detests Azula and wants her to suffer. She doesn't deserve a happy ending, or the love and support that Zuko got.

Why? Because she poses a threat to the status quo, the patriarchy. She challenged the belief that men had to be the best and most efficient at everything they do, that women could indeed be better leaders and be happy with having a career and not be nurturing, motherly figures to the men in their lives. And for that transgression, for breaking gender stereotypes, Azula was punished.

(It's also why Katara, someone who performs the "right" kind of femininity by being nurturing, motherly, supportive, healing, doting, and is the care taker of the group, ends up taking Azula, the evil and perverted form of femininity, down. I believe @batboyblog has made a similar post about this.)

This is Carmilla from the popular Netflix show "Castlevania", and if you've payed attention to my previous points, it should be pretty obvious what her character represents and how her story ends.

Note that she is also an abuse and rape survivor who is represented as evil and cruel for being angry at what was done to her.

To top it off, she is also an example of the man hating woman stereotype, whose anger at the misogyny and sexism of the world is portrayed as an "overreaction" and as "too much".

At the end of the story, she had to be taken down by another man (Isaac) so that the status quo could be preserved, and the reign of a crazy bitch like her could be stopped. Horay, the day is saved from yet another unstable, selfish woman who would have brought suffering and pain over her country if allowed to rule. Hysterical women with their demand for equality.

Conclusion:

In all these examples, we can see female abuse victims thriving for power and status, for respect, being represented as something negative and something to avoid. Trying to fundamentally change a system that is rigged against women/female representing people is a fruitless endevour that will eventually fail and drive us crazy, because our minds aren't strong enough to handle this type of responsibility and status.

Holding on to anger and bitterness over what was done to us is the sign of a bad person, and the only morally acceptable path is to forgive/ignore our abusers and let the injustice continue to happen.

Strangely enough though, that same gaslighting, victim blaming mentality gets almost never applied to male characters. Men who seek vengeance are never portrayed as weak or crazy for giving in to the wish of changing a corrupt system/killing bad people. (Batman, the Punisher, Hawkeye, John Wick, Jason Todd, Erin, Scar from FMAB, Iron Man, and so on)

The reason why these stereotypes almost never apply to men but almost always to women is sexism. There is no other explanation for this. These tropes were specifically designed to make society believe that women aren't cut out for leadership positions and are happiest with domestic, easy tasks like watching after our children and taking care of the household.

Women who are angry, women who are dominant are to be feared and distrusted. They are represented as a danger to the general public and need to be taken down before they enact their evil plans.

Feel free to add further examples.

#got #game of thrones #daenerys targeryan #merlin #morgana pendragon #castlevania #carmilla castlevania #carmilla karnstein #trevor belmont #atla #azula #atla azula #zuko #uncle iroh #katara #john snow #I was thinking of adding sylvanas windrunner #but her story isn't finished yet #though I think we all know that Blizzard is a misogynistic piece of shit whose creative team are sleazy scumbags to women #sexism #misogynistic #tw abuse #abuse #tw rape #rape #victim blaming #gaslighting #tw blood #tw death #vampires