#THEN WHY ARE WE USING THESE STEREOTYPES FOR SOAP??? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

skylarsblue · 1 year

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this isn’t really a request or anythin’, just a thought. 141 havin to deal with a southern team member who only gets progressively more accented the more they get mad.

100% projecting here

pretty unaccented, American, whatever —> ✨ anger ✨ —> Memphis called they want their “oo-ol” back (translation: oil).

i have no idea if they’d be annoyed, charmed, or just confused.

✦141 + Los Vaqueros With A Southern!Teammate✦

(My first C.o.D request and it's for pEOPLE LIKE MEEEE, southern traassh! This my shit. Fair warning, I've never played one of these games cause I don't have a console, so if they're ooc, please tell me how I can improve writing them!)

✦Random headcanons, Southern slang, GN!Reader, Race neutral as well but American, implied to be Oklahoma/Texas style southern, aggressive cursing because I have the mouth of a sailor, a bit of Google Translated Spanish(forgive me), Rudy doesn't have a color cause I ran out I'm so sorry precious boy✦

✧Simon Riley✧

He's not real fond of Americans, admittedly. He's got a little voice in the back of his head that automatically associates Americans with betrayal, but he'll keep quiet.

He cringes at your accent at first. He's not fond of Americans, even less so of most American accents. It's a very thick drawl and after being in the team for a while, he'll tease you about it, telling you to "Speak English" like he does with Soap.

He shuts up when you bring up his Manchester accent being illegible sometimes. It's all in good fun though!

After proving you're trustworthy, he'll basically call you his "special American", to show you're an exception. He will never stop poking fun at you though, just as you do to him. Particularly when you say something intensely American.

"Look at her ass, out here pitchin' a bitch fit with a tail on it." "...What in the hell is that even supposed to mean?"

He'll give you one thing, you treat beef well, which he appreciates. Given he used to be a butcher's apprentice. Americans from the southern states know how to make a hamburger and we know how to cook a steak, that's like...the one thing we can brag about.

If you're like me and you dunk on your own country, he thinks those moments are really funny. Especially when you sound so American.

He probably enjoys you being angry the most. He loves it so much, he thinks it's extremely entertaining. Especially if you're a more small, non-intimidating person on the surface.

"Fuck off! Out here makin' a damn mess of the place, runnin' around like a chicken with its head cut off, wrecking my shit! I outta whoop yer ass!" "Should we step in?" "No no, let it go on a little longer..."

Probably tries to make your call sign something heavily American stereotypical, in a funny way. (ie. Bald Eagle, Stars(JILL!), Shotgun, etc.)

A bit hypocritical but if you have a farm with cows on it, he doesn't really wanna see them. His first thought his how to butcher them from years of training, and if they're not butcher cows, he feels kinda bad for thinking it.

Congrats! You're the only American Simon likes, aside from maybe Alex but I don't know for sure.

✧Johnny MacTavish✧

Laughs when you first speak. He apologizes but like, he laughs at you, I'm sorry.

Definitely asks if you have a cowboy hat, and he will lose his fucking mind if you do. The more cowboy shit you own the more he's entertained, especially if you wear them around base/on field.

He understands you super well but no one understands how or why. Johnny explains that it's just because he's good with accents. He'll hear weird euphemisms and, though it may take a second, 9 times out of 10 he'll get it.

"Fucker's so cheap I bet he pinches quarters til they scream." "What?! What does that mean!?" "Means he's a penny pincher! He's cheap. C'mon, that one was obvious, keep up, yeah?"

If you're a woman/female leaning, he'll call you cowgirl. If you're male/male leaning, you get the nickname cowboy. Non-binary/Genderfluid/Etc.? He calls you partner, and he'll always say it with a shitty imitation of your accent.

Asks you a buncha questions about American-Southern stereotypes to see if they're true. If they are, he gets really giggly about it.

If they ever have a mission in America, he'll insist you lead them everywhere. He likes seeing how you interact with people, especially if you're in a big city where some nutsos are. This man would have a blast watching you in a Waffle House. It's the only time he likes seeing you yell in public, thinks it's hilarious.

If you have any farm experience he's gotta see it. He needs to. I don't care if the farm is your great grandpa's and you haven't been there in a decade, you better take him to see the cows and tractors right now, immediately. Especially if there are chickens. He loves chickens.

He makes fun of your accent but he thinks it's really hot sometimes and he's very annoyed at himself for it. Particularly when you speak softly, trying to console/comfort him, slipping in a typical southern pet name.

"You alright there, sugar? Took quite a hit there. You need anythin', sweetheart?" "...I uh, uhm, ahem. N-no, no I'm alright." "Are ya sure, sweetpea? Your face is goin' redder than a tomato."" NO, I'M GOOD."

Manages to get the entire team to call you a southern callsign, whether you like it or not. He'll force it to stick. Most are animal-based too. (Cowboy/Cowgirl, Chick/Rooster, Bull/Heffer, Big Tex, etc.)

Your accent grows on him significantly. While he thinks you're very sexy when you're angry, he's really affected when you're soft and sweet. (bonus note; if you're faux sweet when you're mad? The whole "Oh...bless your heart" type thing? He's prolly gonna pop a boner, not gonna lie.)

✧John Price✧

He's not American but there are a lot of American things he likes, admittedly. Specifically, old western stuff, horses, ranches, etc. That whole aesthetic is something he's always enjoyed. He won't say it, but he has a particular fondness for your accent when he first hears it.

Doesn't understand you when your accent gets super thick but he thinks it's entertaining nevertheless. Unlike Ghost or Soap, he doesn't comment on it, because he doesn't think he has room to talk. Maybe he'd do it once and then you'd throw it back at him and he'd realize that...yeah he has no room to talk.

He's a calm individual but he will yell when necessary. But, what he finds admirable is when you jump in and yell for him. Like you can read his mind and he can save his throat, watching the people who were pissing him off jump back at thick southern curses being yelled at them.

"I outta jerk a damn knot in your fuckin' tail, ya fuckin' dumbass! Didn't ya momma ever teach you respect?! You ain't ever gonna talk to my damn captain like that again or I'll skin yer fuckin' hide!" "Ahem, thank you, sergeant, that's enough."

Buys you a cowboy hat if you don't already have one, for sure. Whether you take it as a genuine gift or you take it as a light jab at your roots, he'll get a lil' dopey smile if you decide to wear it. Gaz definitely makes fun of you two. Soap points out that Gaz also wears a hat religiously and he & Ghost start callin' you the hat trio.

Man melts at southern-drawl-spoken pet names. He truly does. Much like Soap, there's something about it that makes the tension leaves his body, though he's not really sure why.

"You alright there, Cap? You're lookin' bout ready to drop..." "I'm alright soldier, just need to finish this." "Captain, it'll be there in the mornin'. How bout a nap instead, huh? You can't go workin' yourself to the bone, hun. It ain't healthy."" ...oh alright, just for a bit though." "Sure, sugarcube, just long enough to have some tea."

He'll probably pick up on a few pet names and call you them. Whether you wanna take it as platonic or not, it's really just a sweet gesture that he wants to return. Pet names are kinda just...a staple of southern slang. It's part of the accent that he really enjoys, therefore he wants to return it.

If he ends up helping you with a call sign, it's going to be a really sweet & nice one. Or perhaps something that's from an old western he's seen. Probably based on something you've said before. (Sugarcube, Lasso, Hun/Hunny.) Bonus points if you get a super sweet name that doesn't match your stature, he thinks it's funny if it throws people off.

Piggybacking off the last one, I think it'd be real funny if your call name was "Sugarcube" and you're like...a 6'0"+ buff dude with a deep voice. That shit would be funny. Anyway!

If you own/live on a ranch or farm in your off time, he'll feel honored if you invite him to see it. Don't worry, he won't laze around and just appreciate the cute animals. (Looking at you Soap) He's got a little bit of experience with cows & horses, so he'll do his best to help you move the hay and such. Don't let him drive a tractor though, it's one of the few things he just can't do.

John doesn't play favorites, he's fair and precise to his entire team. But...off the field? ...you might get a little favoritism, he's got a weakness for bein' sweettalked through southern drawl. Don't let that go to your head though!

✧Kyle Garrick✧

Kyle doesn't care too much, he thinks every country has shitty stuff and cool stuff. He's a pretty big believer in silver linings. While America is far from his favorite country, and he knows the common trope of uh...less than tolerant people from the south, that doesn't affect how he sees you at all.

He does snicker at your accent sometimes, but only when you say something really aggressively southern. Especially making up random southern phrases that he doesn't understand at all. He finds it endearing.

"We just gotta haul ass and go tear shit up, run through like a buncha Tasmanian devils, right?" "...I understood...some of those words. Uh, sure, right." "We need to move our asses and fuck shit up." "Ah, okay. Could've just said that, but alright."

Thinks you're kinda scary when you're mad. He'll be the type to try and calm you down, but he understands if it's someone who deserves it. Not that he doesn't find your drawl fun to listen too, especially if someone was being an ass, but he doesn't like seeing you upset.

If the person you're yelling at was being a real big ass, he'll let you yell for a little, but step in. However, if you're doing condescending rage? Oh, go for it, do it all you want. He thinks it's hilarious.

Finds it particularly sweet if you're angry on the teams/his behalf. He can fight his own battles but he thinks it's a big sign of trust, friendship, etc. that you feel the need to defend him.

"Bless your heart, your brain ain't firing off on all cylinders is it, hun? Tsk, that's a shame..." "Excuse me?!" "You're excused, sweetpea. You're not gonna talk to my team that way, but you can turn your happy ass around and walk away. I ain't gonna have you disrespectin' the people who've been fightin' the good fight. Have a lovely day!" "How can you sound so sweet and yet so angry at the same time?" "Southern livin', sugar. Southern livin'."

Gaz is a bit of a foodie type, he likes trying cooking from any area he can go to. Southern cooking would...it'd be a new weakness for sure. A lot of it is unhealthy, yes, but he doesn't give a shit. It tastes good. Sometimes he thinks American food is an absolute sin and a disgrace, and he'll state it as such. Usually, it's stuff you agree on. Like bacon-covered donuts or fried butter. That shit's egregious. But things like southern-style chicken or rib-eye on a grill? You're gonna make him swoon with them roasted vegetables. Cooking for him is a surefire way to make you an unapologetic favorite in his book.

He won't say anything at the little jokes that people jab at you for your accent, but he will tell someone off if they say something that's clearly not funny and upsets you. Like trying to imply you're stupid because you come from Texas. (Speaking from personal experience) He thinks it's such a dumb thing to give someone shit over and he won't hesitate to say they're an idiot for trying to use it against you.

Hates sweet tea, I'm sorry. It's just tea but he can't stand it. He'll drink the unsweetened tea you make, but he'll make a dramatic face if he mixes them up. Something that you always laugh at.

He's great at driving basically any vehicle. Helicopters to mini coopers. He's never controlled a tractor before, but if you sit him in one and tell him the levers, it'll take him like...three minutes to get it down perfectly. Definitely gets a smug ass grin if you show you're amazed.

If he helps get you your call sign, he won't necessarily make it based on where you're from, it'll probably be based on a nickname, skill, or crucial event in your career. (Crash; you were thrown through a window, Hotshot; skill for sniping, etc.) But if he were to have one based on your southern ways? Sweet Tea, both for the fact you make it and the pet name you sometimes call him. (sweet pea)

✧Alejandro Vargas✧

Like Ghost, he's not super fond of Americans. His experience with most Americans are annoying tourists and Graves, leaves a pretty bad impression. He comes across unintentionally snappy when he first meets you, but Rudy will point it out, and he'll correct himself.

You aren't the annoying people he's dealt with and he knows it's not fair to say you are. Definitely talks shit on America though, and he'll honestly give you respect if you do the same. Since he's used to the kind of Americans that think being American give them a right to treat others like shit. He hates entitlement.

If you speak Spanish, he's gonna try really hard to not laugh at how your accent affects some words, but it's really hard. He means it in kind and if you're still learning when you meet him, he's proud when he hears you doing well in comprehension and sentences. Still, sounds just a lil silly.

He loves when your accent gets thick from rage, but he his favorite thing is if you speak Spanish in a rage, with your accent on top of it. It's a combination that fills his brain with serotonin.

"Eres un maldito idiota. ¡Tan útil como las tetas de un toro!" "Wha- Haha! What does that mean?!" "Did they say some super weird analogy?" "Si! They did!" "Yeaaah, they do that a lot."

He's notorious for having a naturally flirty personality, it's just how he's always been. Hence why not much phases him, but he does get a quite wide & genuine grin if you flirt back, making your accent extra intense. Especially with the pet names, another man who likes sweet words.

Thinks you having a southern call sign is really cute, especially if it's something your team calls you exclusively. He thinks it shows your endearment to your team. However, if your call sign is something you insist is only for friends, he'll get super giddy about being allowed to call you it.

If he were to pick? (Belle; Like southern belle whether you're fem! or not, Rodeo, and he might call you Americano- but like, in the coffee way. Like it's a sweet nickname, not just him saying your nationality)

Southern hospitality is something he is not used to. Again, bad experience with Americans. So if you explain all the various manners and nice gestures that are considered expected in your home state? He's completely confused, wondering why the Americans he's met don't keep that attitude up when they leave home.

Again, really likes it if you use southern pet names. Especially if you're trying to console him after a really tough day/mission. For some reason it really helps, like a cup of warm coffee on a cold morning.

"Aye, don't stress yourself over it, darlin'. Bad things happen that we can't control, you did everything you could and you were great at it. Don't let it eat at'cha, honey-bun." "Gracias, Bella. Lo necesitaba…" "Anytime, big guy. Now, you wanna see me try and fail again to open a de la Rosa without breaking it?" "Aha! How about I show you a trick to do it instead?"

Again, like Ghost, you're his special American. Gaz calls you his emotional-support American once and he thinks it's really funny, he'll call you as such every now and then.

✧Rodolfo Parra✧

Sweet darling man. He has nothing against you being American, nothing. But...he cannot understand anything you're saying. He's doing his best but he really doesn't know. He can feel his brain frying every time you bring up something super southern, trying to understand.

He'll have to lean over to your team to ask for a translation, anyone but Soap & Price will tack on an "I think, I'm not sure" at the end of their explanation. If he hears you use a phrase more than once, he'll add it to a little list of notes with the translation underneath it. Treats it like a whole different language. It's adorable.

Like Alejandro, he thinks it's funny if you speak Spanish with your accent. He'll keep a straight face because he knows you can't help it, but man is it fun to hear.

He's not very fond of a lot of yelling if he can avoid it, Rudy prefers disputes to be handled with calm words if possible. But he understands that sometimes it's necessary. Still, he'd want to try and calm you down if you're yelling. But, if you're just acting sickeningly-sweet, kind words that are clearly dripping with venom? He'll just watch. He thinks that shows you handle yourself very well and it's pretty attractive to him, not gonna lie.

"Awww I'm so sorry you're upset, poor thing. God bless you, sir, you have a lovely day. I hope that stick up your ass doesn't hurt too bad." "¡Soldado! No digas eso…" "Shh, sugar, it's fine. He wants to be rude, I can be rude back. An eye for an eye. Don't worry your pretty lil' head bout it, sweetheart." "Dios, a veces me asombras y me aterrorizas."

He's really hesitant about American food. It smells great sometimes but all he hears about American food is that it's greasy, or too salty, etc. Still, he won't deny any meal you make. He thinks it's rude to deny food unless it's something you're allergic to.

He ends up liking a few things, but he is biased to his home cooking. But if you start making his favorite foods, or somehow combine the styles in an honoring way? Oh, those are his favorites. He's particularly fond of American sweets though!

Please bake for this man, bake for him, I beg. Apple pie is an American staple for a reason and he'll jokingly claim he'll move to America if it means he can have apple pie every day.

"Rudy, that's your fourth piece! Ahaha, if I knew you liked it so much I woulda made ya more." "Ay, please do! ¡Fue enviado desde el cielo!" "Alright then, hun, I'll be sure to make you all the apple pie ya want."

Rudy really likes if you wear stuff like a cowboy hat. He's not really sure why, he just thinks it's really cute. If it's a staple of your whole look(like John's hat), seeing you protective over it, he thinks that's really cute. If you're protective of your cowboy hat but let him hold it/put it on his head to hold it, it's gonna fluster him. Even if your guy's relationship is completely platonic.

If you live near the border of Texas & Mexico, it makes visiting you pretty easy, so he'll have no qualms about going back and forth when off duty. He'll be more comfortable in his home but he won't turn down the offer to see your home, especially if it's a ranch. He's got a soft spot for farm animals. (Particularly goats)

If he has any control of how you choose your call sign, he'll likely pick something the same way Gaz does. But, if you have a thing about what certain people call you - like how only Ghost can call Soap "Johnny" - He feels really warm and fuzzy if he gets a special privilege.

(Translations; "Eres un maldito idiota. ¡Tan útil como las tetas de un toro!" - "You're a fucking idiot - as useful as a bull's tits/about as useful as tits on a bull!" "Gracias, Bella. Lo necesitaba…" - "Thank you, bella/beauty. I needed it." "¡Soldado! No digas eso…" - "Soldier! You can't say that..." "Dios, a veces me asombras y me aterrorizas." - "God, sometimes you amaze and terrify me." "¡Fue enviado desde el cielo!" - "It was sent from heaven!")

#call of duty mwii #call of duty x reader #call of duty #simon riley #simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #soap mactavish x reader #captain john price #john price x reader #kyle gaz garrick #gaz x reader #alejandro vargas x reader #alejandro vargas #rodolfo rudy parra #rodolfo x reader

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queerly-autistic · 3 months

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I think about this scene all the time because it's one of those moments that seems throwaway but, when you actually look at it, it's so fundamental to Ed's character.

Ed is very clearly depicted as someone who likes being clean. He hates being dirty, and he hates mess. We get quite a few moments that show us this quite explicitly, and this is one of them. It's why the weird fanon about Ed not knowing how to be clean or not understanding what soap is (wtf?) is such nonsense (and also racist) - he's explicitly depicted as feeling so strongly about being clean that he made a 'no pets' rule on his ship specifically to avoid mess.

But, liking being clean and hating mess? That's far too much of a soft feminine trait for Blackbeard to have. Blackbeard's very survival depends on being seen as stereotypically hypermasculine. Blackbeard can't dislike dirt or be finnicky about being clean. So, Ed has had to come up with another explanation as to why pets aren't allowed aboard his ship that fits the Blackbeard persona.

I think this is a really fundamental moment in terms of understanding Blackbeard as a mask that's been constructed in order to survive, and how it sits at odds with the man - Ed - underneath it. And it also highlights the significance of his time with Stede, and the impact that Stede's radical softness (his natural eschewing of traditional masculinity just by being himself) has had on Ed. Stede doesn't just accept all these soft (traditionally more feminine) traits that Ed has felt compelled to hide for decades, but he creates an entire space where Ed feels much safer to just...be Ed.

To the point where, by the time this scene rolls around, Ed has pretty much forgotten about the need to pretend that this is about anything other than him wanting to be clean.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ed teach #ed x stede #blackbonnet #ofmd s1 ep6 #the art of fuckery #ofmd meta #erin waffles

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blingblong55 · 8 months

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Improper -141

Based on a request:

I'm currently sick with the flu🤧 And made some tea this morning, but the American way lol. And it got me thinking about how upset the British guys would get watching an american!reader try to make tea (puts a mug of water in the microwave, then adds the tea bag to the hot water) Would they be gentle and show reader the correct way or would they stare at reader appalled and disgusted 😂😂

A/n: The gasp I let out, babes why would you do us brits like this!! you're breaking my heart here, but since you're sick I'll give you this pass, also a special delivery pookie<3 Get well

GN!Reader, american!reader, trigger warning for my brit readers, sick!reader, platonic!relationship, soldier!reader

You have been volunteering at the medic bay, wanting to help some of the new recruits get over this sickness and just 2 days later, you laid in bed, sick with the flu. Your nose is all red, tissues pilling up on your desk. "Fuckin' shit, it's always me." You complained and got up from your bed. You walked to the common room where the team was. "Hey guys" your voice raspy and low. "Mate, you al'right?" Gaz asked from the sofa and all you gave him was a thumbs up.

You grab your designated mug and pour water from the bottles of water by the fridge, You open a packet and put the tea bag inside the mug. The microwave does the work and as you stand and wait, Price walks up to you, getting a piece of the snacks Soap made. "You looked like shite, kid." he chuckles and eats some of the food. "Feel like shit too."

Ghost walks in, ready for his midday tea when you take your mug from the microwave. All the men in the room gasped. "What're yer doing, mate?!" Even Soap felt offended.

"Y'all never made tea like this?"

"We have a bloody kettle for this reason!" Ghost shows you the item and tosses it on the stove. You watch as the four men all argue against you. "Bloody Americans always want the easy way out!"

"I mean the fuckin' microwave!" Gaz's voice squeals a little. "It's just tea, calm your tits." and that comment earns another gasp from the men.

In unison, "Just tea!"

You nod and reach for the sugar, Price shakes his head. Ghost reaches for your mug and dumps it out on the sink. "Bad human!" he scolds you. You laugh, you never knew the stereotype was an actual thing. "Now y'all will tell me you really got offended over the Boston Tea Party."

"It's tea, mate." Gaz looks at you disapprovingly and pats your back. "It's time we teach our little American 'ere to make proper tea, yeah?" All men nod and Ghost slowly and I mean slowly as if you were some child gives you a step-by-step on how to: use the kettle, understand when the tea is ready, that you must pour milk first and then the tea.

They all watch as you drink a sip and wait for your comment. "It's..tea, I still don't get why y'all are so pressed about this?"

"Look 'ere Hollywood, it's not just tea, we have customs 'ere for them. You must always follow these steps, yeah?" Gaz tried to talk you out of your usual American ways. You sigh, "Fine, but you better not try to change my way of fucking talking, fuckin' brits." You walk back to your room. The tea was possibly the best you've had and it did make you feel better now.

Meanwhile, the team tried to console a devasted teammate Ghost. "I can't believe I trust this person with my life on the field and they can't make one proper tea!"

Price rubs his back and shakes his head, "Shame Hollywood will go back to their ways." The four men stand there, meanwhile Gaz has already sent you four links to stores near you that sell kettles and YouTube links to teach you how to properly make tea.

Tags: @warenai

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cherylmaso · 1 year

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how to get a grip and write soap non cringeworthy (by a glaswegian lass)

this may or may not be half a rant. but. okay. okay. i made a post like this before, but i kinda wanted to detail it a little more as i've seen posts like these popping up, but made by english people.

so i'm gonna make one about being scottish for non scots and how to more accurately portray soap as scottish. this is probably mostly aimed at people from tiktok, so feel free to share it around. this is also educational as well as light-hearted and is meant to be taken as such, don't get offended or just be fr

1.) okay, i'm gonna start off by saying... some of these unintentional(or intentional) stereotypes are fucking mind blowing. i'm not one to necessarily get offended by things like this, but i think it's worth mentioning. not all of us play bagpipes, or run around wearing kilts... or - for the love of god - RUN AROUND SCREAMING "SCOTLAND FOREVER." honestly..... it's so odd? i know you would be heavily offended if i called you a fat american, but really what's the difference?

(also the scotland forever is so cringe. i've never in my entire life heard anyone from this country say that)

2.) since i don't think there's any canon of where soap was specifically brought up in scotland(city-wise), i'll have to go off accents and his voice actor for this point. which is alright with me, because scottish accents can be very easily identified.

a lot like the english, scottish people can have MANY varying accents, and a lot of varying phrases. for example, someone down in ayrshire might say "i ken" instead of "i know" whereas people from glasgow usually wouldn't. you catch me?

...now, soap. soap would not go around saying certain phrases. from what i hear, he sounds glaswegian/edinburgh, which is east/west of scotland. the tiniest... TINIEST... bit of research will unveil a plethora of things that people from there would actually say.

aye/yes, naw/no, cannae/cant, could'nae/couldn't, fizzy drink/soda, how/why(this one is weird)..... that's an extremely small portion but you get the point. the scots talk EXTREMELY different than americans do, we have new words for almost everything.

and, before i lose my mind, PLEASE STOP HAVING SOAP REFER TO HIS MOTHER AS MOM. thank you.

3.) the general cringe. i've literally seen people say he would refer to himself as a big scotty boy. no one in scottish history has ever referred to themselves as that unironically. ever. again, circling back to the similarities between the english and scottish, we both have very sarcastic/edgy/cynical humour. ours won't be the same as the americans. our definition of sarcasm differs from yours. headcanons are fine, sometimes, but it's so out of character most of the time if you aren't from the country. bro would NOT spend his free time listening to lana del rey but don't let that stop you from saying he would LMAO

4.) we don't call ourselves british. i mean, some of us do(if yer a bastartin tory x), but most of us will literally get offended if you call us british. we'd all just much rather call ourselves scottish. don't ask me why.

5.) also! please educate yourself on how to properly use scottish slang. the amount of things that just genuinely do not make sense is appalling. it takes two seconds. also my dms are always open... feel free to ask a literal glaswegian lass. context also matters. if you don't know what you mean, just shut the fuck up x

6.) ...he wouldn't be a tory. none of them would be fucking tories. none of them would be sad about the queen. i know americans can't comprehend we don't actually worship the queen in britain, but considering they all probably grew up in some form of poverty or just a bad household, they just wouldn't be tories. or they literally wouldn't care.

7.) props to codie for this point. circling back to the stereotypes, i think it's MENTAL to see what you guys think are "funny" and "relatable" when really, you're absolutely perpetrating harmful scottish stereotypes. ha ha you are so funny when you make jokes about soap being really aggressive and a "gremlin" and an alcoholic and ahahha scotland forever and ahahahha he has bagpipes as his alarm clock... sorry but it's really not as funny as you think it is. like, there's a line and a lot of the time all you cunts online love crossing it with your poorly written headcanons and tiktok videos. i think a lot of you deserve to be told that it's not okay. i know you would all cry if we done the same and also it's just kinda embarrassing

8.) learn our culture but don't forget theres so much more to it. this isn't even primarily about scotland culture but more so british culture as a whole. it's completely different from any other culture and it's also not super hard to do your research. kinda hard to explain if you're not part of it but yk what i mean. sometimes it's obvious to me that you guys don't care to educate yourself and don't care to understand different cultures but i appreciate those that do lol

9.) where soap is from, he wouldn't speak gaelic either. i'm sorry, he just wouldn't. not really a thing in big cities. it's scots he would speak, and there's a difference. don't say they're the same things or you """prefer""" to call gaelic scots. yes someone actually said that LMFAOO. scottish gaelic isn't just saying aye and naw either. jesus fuckign christ x if you don't understand the difference or what you're even saying then just don't say anything LMAO

that's all for now. i'll probably randomly think of other stuff to add, but for now it's currently 5am and i cba. sorry if theres mistakes/typos, again, cba x

also if u get offended u need to get a grip and this is obvs aimed at u. ok have a good day pookie bears xx

(i promise i don't have a problem with americans but it's funny how it's always you guys)

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callsign-bunnie · 1 year

Note

Umm I have a request of a slasher AU with alpha Ghost x omega soap and alpha alejando x omega Rodolfo

Rudy and Soap go on a class trip to the woods with there teacher. The class goes into this abandon building where they soon find out that serial killers are there. Soap and Rudy run but gets pushed by some class mates to the killers.

I did a little different from a class trip since that's the exact plot of the first chapter of Slasher Fieldtrip and went with a party, instead

Rodolfo rolled his eyes as Soap went on and on about the party they were going to. A party in the woods in the middle of September. What a great idea! It’s apparently at this abandoned school, too, which…

“Why are we even going to this again?” Rodolfo sighed and turned to Soap, hugging himself. He didn’t like dressing nearly as… showy as Soap. He would not slut shame his best friend. Even if he dressed in a manner similar to one. And had lots of sex. He would not slut shame him.

Soap looked over at him. “God, Rudy, could you be more of a stereotype?” He came over, pulling Rodolfo’s shirt back and tying it. “Try to look a little sexy! Come on! We’re having fun!”

Rodolfo huffed and pulled away, untying his shirt. “No. I’m only going to this party because you want to go. Which, again, I ask, why are we going??”

“Because I am bored.” Soap sighed. “It is our second year of college and maybe you’re content with doing nothing but studying and being bored all year, but I want to do something. You don’t want me to go alone.”

Rodolfo sighed, since Soap had a point. “Yeah, I guess…” He shook his head. “Fine, but don’t expect me to dress… sexy or whatever. I’m content like this.”

“Of course you are.” Soap shook his head. “Fine, fine.” He smiled and then he kissed Rodolfo’s cheek. “Let’s go!”

Rodolfo snorted, unbothered since Soap was always affectionate. “Yeah, yeah, let’s go.”

They took Soap’s car and Rodolfo let Soap drive, his nerves growing as they went down the dirt path that led to the old school. He wondered why it didn’t have like a road or something that led to it, but he didn’t ask out loud, doubting Soap had bothered to find out.

He loved his best friend, but he didn’t ask very many questions. Rodolfo was the opposite, constantly asking questions. When they parked in what look like a very beat up parking lot, he wasn’t shocked to see a fair amount of other cars. “What if the cops get called?”

“Eh, no laws are being broken, save for maybe underage drinking. The owner of the property’s daughter is running the party.” Soap explained as they got out, locking up the jeep he’d bought the year before. “So, we should be fine. Are you going to be drinking?”

“No, I’ll have to drive us back.” Rodolfo snorted. Not to mention, he rarely drank at parties. He shook his head and followed Soap inside, cringing as they went into the doors of the school. It was apparently an elementary school, which maybe added to the eerieness a little.

The lights were off, though floodlights had been set up, and most of the party appeared to be in the cafeteria which could be seen through this big glass wall in the direct entrance. So, Rodolfo and Soap went there.

Soap immediately dragged him to the drink table, getting a beer, and Rodolfo made a face, just grabbing a soda. “Loosen up,” Soap nudged him. “At least try to have fun! Come on! It’s a party!”

“Yeah, exactly, I don’t go to those!” Rodolfo groaned and shook his head. He was grateful he’d made the choice to wear scent suppressants, cringing a little as some people accidentally got too close to him. He got an idea, knowing how his best friend was. “Can we explore the rest of the school a little?”

“Sure.” Soap grinned. “I want to check it out.”

Rodolfo relaxed, his head pounding from the loud music, and he grabbed Soap’s wrist, dragging him out of the cafeteria and to a random hallway. There weren’t any flood lights down it so Rodolfo got out his phone flashlight and they hesitantly started down the hallway.

Rodolfo glanced into doors, seeing mostly bare and empty classrooms and they paused at a door that was closed. Soap just immediately opened it and Rodolfo went to stop him. Both cringed and froze as the smell of sex hit them and Soap immediately shut the door. “Gross.” Rodolfo muttered.

“I dunno, gives me ideas.” Soap laughed and Rodolfo just lightly shoved him. “Come on, when was the last time you had sex?”

Rodolfo winced. “It’s been a while.” He admitted. “I don’t have time for sex.” That was a lie, he just didn’t like hookup culture and he had no interest in trying to form a lasting relationship with the alpha douchebags that went to their college.

Soap didn’t look convinced but shook his head and they continued down the hallway. Finally, they found a room that still looked like it had stuff in it, so they went into the room, using Rudy’s flashlight to look around. Rodolfo found the drawings still taped to the wall to be eerie, going up to them. They looked to be drawings of apple trees. “Why did this place close down, anyway?”

“One of the student’s father kept killing kids and the school did nothing about it.” Soap explained. ��Apparently another kid went missing, too, and the school just didn’t care.”

Rodolfo blinked and frowned. “What were both kid’s names?”

“Uh, the first was Simon Riley I think? The second was Alejandro Vargas.”

Rodolfo winced, holding his head. Why was that second name familiar? He shook it off and tried to clear his sudden headache. “So they just closed it?”

“They had to, I think. I dunno, Rudy, I’m not a lawyer.” Soap snorted and came over to him. “Oh, shit, see!” He pointed to one of the drawings and Rodolfo looked at it, frowning as he saw Simon Riley was the name on the drawing. It was a fairly normal drawing.

Kind of.

Then, Rodolfo noticed the weird like demon thing which appeared to be standing behind a tree. “Creepy,” he mumbled as he pointed it out to Soap, who nodded in agreement. “Wonder if Alejandro Vargas’s is on here.”

“Yeah, probably,” a voice came from behind, startling them, and both whipped around.

But, no one was there.

They shared a look. “Maybe let’s go back to the rest of the party.” Rodolfo suggested and Soap immediately nodded.

Rodolfo was glad for the silent agreement to just not talk about what just happened as they started back down the hallway. But right as they got to it, the doors which separated the hallway from the rest of the school closed, cutting them off. Rodolfo jolted back at the sudden noise and looked at Soap, who was making a face.

“I think we’re being pranked.” Soap muttered.

“Yeah, by who?”

“Don’t be mad.” Soap winced. “Please.”

“Soap.” Rodolfo crossed his arms, already mad.

Soap pouted. “Please, Rudy, don’t be mad. You have to promise first.”

Rodolfo narrowed his eyes before sighing. “Fine. What did you do?”

“I told Wayne you’d be here.” Soap cringed. “It was how I even got the location in the first place.”

“Soap, you fucking asshole!” Rodolfo groaned, touching his forehead.

“Don’t be mad, you promised!” Soap immediately said and Rodolfo just glared at him. “Please! Besides, I only told him you might be here.”

Rodolfo couldn’t fault Soap too hard. Soap didn’t fully know why Wayne and Rodolfo had broken up the year before… “So you think he’s pulling all of this shit?”

“Maybe…” Soap mumbled. “I’m really sorry, Rudy.”

“It’s fine.” Rodolfo shook his head, even though it wasn’t. He just went to the door, yanking it open, and relaxing when he saw the rest of the party. Just don’t react, don’t give in. That was the best way of dealing with Wayne.

Rodolfo and Soap went back to the cafeteria, where they found a small area for Soap to continue to drink in and Rodolfo just hugged himself as he watched to make sure no one got too handsy with Soap, not wanting his best friend to get taken advantage of.

“Hey, Rudy…” An arm snaked around Rodolfo’s shoulders and Rodolfo immediately felt uncomfortable. “You might want to be careful, I’ve heard this place is haunted.”

Rodolfo shoved Wayne’s arm off his shoulders. “I think I’ll take my chances, thanks.” He glared at Wayne, who just laughed.

“Are you sure you want to, baby? Come on, I’ll keep you safe.” Wayne grabbed his waist and pulled him closer and Rodolfo gagged at the scent of him. He shoved Wayne away, again, and shook his head.

“Eat shit, Wayne.” Rodolfo muttered and pulled away.

“God, you’re such a bi-”

Soap shoved Wayne down to the floor. “Don’t talk to him like that.”

Wayne snarled and was up a moment later, but Soap moved in front of Rodolfo, puffing out his chest. Wayne looked between them and just shook his head. “Whatever, you’re not worth it.” He spat and then walked away, immediately finding some omega to start grinding up on.

Rodolfo relaxed as he was gone, shaking his head. “I think I’d rather take my chances with the fucking ghosts.” He joked as Soap shook his head.

“Fucker.” Soap muttered. “I shouldn’t have told him you were here.” He turned to Rodolfo, who just shrugged and shook his head.

“Whatever. You did, not much we can do to fix it.” Rodolfo shrugged and sighed. He was almost tempted to drink, now, just because of that interaction. Even still, he did not accept the beer Soap offered him as he grabbed another.

Soap grinned. “Well, you wanna take your chances with another hallway?”

Rodolfo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure.” He muttered, since they knew whatever “ghost” was haunting them was Wayne, now.

So, Soap tugged him out of the cafeteria and to another hallway. Rodolfo followed him as they walked down it, avoiding the closed doors. They’d learned their lesson. They found one that oddly had a floodlight in it, but was completely empty, save for some old desks and some posters on the wall.

Soap shrugged and climbed up onto a desk, sitting on it. Rodolfo grabbed the teacher’s desk from behind the desk and pulled it over, sitting in it. “Figures.” Soap muttered. “We’re at a party and we find some way to be alone.”

Rodolfo laughed. “We’re best friends, aren’t we?”

Soap shrugged. “Fair.” He smiled. “Wish I’d brought my weed.”

“Fuck, me too.” The one substance Rodolfo had no problem consuming, but he had a card because of a head injury when he was a teenager.

Soap leaned back on his hands after putting his beer in his lap and looked up at the ceiling. “Kind of eerie being in a place where a bunch of kids died, you know?”

“No,” Rodolfo huffed, “because I was trying not to think about it.”

“Yeah, you like to do that, don’t you?” Soap snapped and Rodolfo flinched.

Rodolfo shook his head, looking away. “Fuck you, that was uncalled for.”

Soap was silent and then he sighed. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” He mumbled. “I don’t know, I’m just… Maybe this party wasn’t a good idea.”

Rodolfo wasn’t sure he disagreed. He wasn’t ready to face how awkward things had been between them since Halloween. That tended to happen when your best friend randomly started crying about how lonely he was and then tried to make out with you in front of an entire party. “Still, we’re here now.” Rodolfo lifted his foot, nudging Soap.

Soap smiled and nodded. “You’re right, we are.” He relaxed and sighed, shaking his head. He downed the rest of his beer and then cursed. “I should have grabbed a second one, just in case. Stay here, I’m gonna go grab another.”

“Please be quick,” Rodolfo pleaded as he sat up.

Soap laughed. “I will be. I promise.” He then left the room and Rodolfo found himself tensing, immediately.

He tried not to panic, taking deep breaths and closing his eyes. He really didn’t like being alone in dark rooms. Not for any reason, he was just a normal human being. “Fuck…” He muttered and scratched at his arms, getting up and going around the room, looking at the posters which were lit up by the floodlight in the room.

They looked to be for a slightly older age group. Fifth graders if Rodolfo had to guess, since that had been the oldest in the school. Well, he was assuming since it was an elementary school. He frowned as he heard someone enter the room, turning around and then stopping dead in his tracks when he saw someone was standing in the doorway, wearing a black skull mask.

Rodolfo froze, noticing blood on their mask. He tried not to shake, hoping this was just another shitty prank by Wayne. “Wayne, I’m not in the mood.” He glared at them.

They didn’t move.

Rodolfo made a frustrated sound. “Wayne, I fucking mean it! I’m not in the mood! Go play your games with someone else!”

They still didn’t move, except to slowly tilt their head. Rodolfo frowned, deeply. Wayne had never been able to hold onto a bit for this long… Maybe he’d gotten better. Rodolfo took a deep breath and clenched his hands into breath. “Wayne, I mean it.”

They finally moved, stepping further into the room and then stepping up to Rodolfo.

Rodolfo tensed as the scent of alpha hit him, but they were wearing light enough blockers that he couldn’t distinguish their smell. Wayne hadn’t been wearing those, he didn’t believe in them. But, he did believe he’d try them just to torment Rodolfo. That was kind of his whole thing.

Rodolfo took a deep breath and then slowly looked up at them, met with warm brown eyes. Wayne’s eyes were blue. This was… not Wayne. Rodolfo flinched back as they moved their hand, watching them pause and stop moving for a moment before they were continuing to lift their hand and then they were pulling their mask off.

The face underneath was young, probably around Rodolfo’s age. They were a male alpha, their skin only a few shades lighter than Rodolfo’s, with hair that was black. They didn’t look especially cruel, but they also were wearing a mask splattered with what looked like blood, so he wasn’t too sure.

Rodolfo backed up a little and they didn’t move again, their eyes just watching him. “I- Did- Did Wayne set you up for this?”

“No.” They shook their head.

Rodolfo’s heart finally started to race. He took a deep breath, only backing up more in his fear. “What do you want?”

“Eres hermoso.” They smiled, softly, continuing to watch him.

Rodolfo’s skin flamed despite the situation and he looked towards the door as he heard his name called, recognizing Soap’s voice. He went to call back but he was shoved to the floor, landing on his front. When he looked back, they were gone and Soap was rushing into the room. “Rudy- Rudy we have to go!”

Soap came over and helped Rodolfo up and Rodolfo shook his head. “Did someone come out of the room??”

“Fuck, I couldn’t see, it was too dark! Whatever, Rudy we have to go!” Soap grabbed Rodolfo’s arm and started to yank him out of the room.

Rodolfo’s eyes widened as he saw something dark streaking the floor in the hallway, his mind only able to imagine what it possibly could be. “Oh god, Soap, what’s going on??”

“Someone is killing people or- I don’t know. There’s just a lot of fucking blood.” Soap was pulling him to an emergency exit and Rodolfo quickly rushed with him.

Right as they got there, however, they were yelping and jerking back as someone slammed against it. Another person in a skull mask, though this one was white. Or, it looked like it used to be because it was covered in blood.

They both backed up from the door and watched them reach down and Soap immediately lunged forward, locking the door with the deadbolt it had.

The person on the other side of the door stopped moving and they just stared at them. In the very faint light spilling out from the room behind him, Rodolfo saw they also had brown eyes, which were so dark they looked black.

He took deep breaths and looked at Soap, who looked just as at a loss. So, Rodolfo grabbed his wrist and tugged him in the other direction, running with him out of the hallway. They saw the main area was now dark where it’d been previously lit up and Rodolfo took deep breaths, looking around and trying not to panic.

They heard screaming down one of the hallways and looked at each other, both seeming to make the decision to go literally anywhere else. Rodolfo looked around, seeing the entrance they’d came in through and headed that direction before yelping as he was grabbed and yanked into a room.

Soap was yanked with him and they turned around to see that most of the party goers were in the room. Several of them appeared to be bloody and the room was lit up by a flood light. “What’s going on?” Soap immediately asked who’d yanked them in.

Rodolfo recognized them from classes as an alpha named Brandon. Brandon shook his head. “Fuck, I don’t know. We heard screaming, saw blood, and most of us filed in here. A couple of them might know, but… From what I’ve gathered, two alphas are running around killing people.”

“Were they from the party?” Rodolfo asked.

“I don’t know.” Brandon shook his. “They were wearing masks.”

“Great.” Soap grunted and then sighed. “Has anyone been able to get a hold of the cops?”

“No, the school has some sort of data blocking thing.” Brandon winced.

Someone suddenly pushed through everyone to them and Rodolfo groaned as he saw Wayne emerge from the crowd. “It’s two alphas, right?? Let’s just chuck them back out there as sacrifices. They’re both omegas, right?”

Rodolfo rolled his eyes. “Real funny, Wayne. I don’t think that’s going to work.”

He looked around the room, seeing everyone was avoiding his eyes and he shared a look with Soap, who looked incredulous. “You’re fucking kidding! Why would that work?? They’re killing people! They’re just going to kill us and then come after all of you!”

“It’s worth a shot.” Brandon mumbled. “Only alphas seem to be missing…”

“Seriously?!” Soap spoke up. “Have you considered that maybe we don’t deserve to die?!”

“You’re the last ones in here.” Wayne snorted. “Here, let’s pull a vote. All in favor of throwing these two out and then running the other direction?”

Rodolfo just felt… in awe at how many people raised their hands. “Assholes.” It was really the only thing he could say. They were seriously going to fucking sacrifice Rodolfo and Soap and… there was no fucking way it was going to work.

“Absolutely not.” Soap muttered, grabbing Rodolfo’s arm and yanking him out of the room. However, both were grabbed before they could get anywhere.

Rodolfo was shoved to the ground and he tried to struggle, but his hands were bound behind his back despite his struggling. He could hear Soap cussing and growling beside him, and his heart started to beat faster and faster as his brain caught up to what was happening.

Oh god, these bastards were going to leave them to die.

If he survived this, he was going to kill Wayne.

They were eventually lifted back up and borderline dragged to the hallway they had previously came from, where Wayne said that the killers had came from, and Brandon had just nodded and agreed. Rodolfo did try to struggle a few times, but it was really of no use because he and Soap were forced to sit with their backs to each other in the middle of the hallway.

“You think that’s fine? Should we like… do anything else or?” Brandon asked.

Wayne looked at Rodolfo and Rodolfo’s heart spiked with fear. Wayne laughed and just shook his head. “Nah, this should be fine. Let’s go.” He gestured and Brandon left. They closed the big doors behind them and Soap cursed, softly.

“Someone unlocked the deadbolt…” Soap muttered.

Rodolfo had another spike of fear hit his heart. He swallowed and took deep breaths, trying not to throw up from fear. It was an old habit, one that had yet to die. “This… this could all just be a prank from Wayne.” Rodolfo mumbled. “We don’t know if anyone has actually died…”

“Rudy, I’m… I’m staring at a pair of bloody legs right now.”

Rodolfo squeezed his eyes shut, taking deep breaths. “It could be a really good prank.”

“They’re not attached to a whole body.”

“Oh god, we’re going to die…” Rodolfo felt tears fill his eyes and he shook his head, leaning it back against Soap’s shoulder. “Fucking bastards!” He kicked at the ground, cursing loudly.

“Rudy?”

Rodolfo finally stopped moving and just slumped his body, opening his eyes and looking at the ceiling. “Yes?” He asked, after a moment.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry for telling Wayne you were coming and… I’m sorry for constantly trying to change you…” Soap’s voice sounded rough, likely with tears.

Rodolfo’s whole body trembled and he took more deep breaths, trying not to break down sobbing. “It’s… It’s okay… I forgive you… I’m sorry for… treating you like you’re dumb and… thinking you’re a whore.”

“You think I’m a whore??”

“I don’t- Yeah…” Rodolfo admitted. “I’m… I’m sorry. You’re not one, you’re just… not like me and I shouldn’t judge you for that.”

Soap was silent for a moment and then his shoulders dropped. “Heh, maybe I am one.” He mumbled. “It’s okay, though.” His head fell back, hitting Rodolfo’s shoulder. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and they won’t even know we’re down here.”

Rodolfo snorted and then his head was jerking up as the doors in front of him were swinging open. He watched as a very bloody Wayne was held up by his collar and dropped in the doorway by the alpha wearing the black skull mask.

They dropped down and lifted Wayne’s head by his hair. “Go and apologize.”

Wayne didn’t even hesitate, scrambling across the hallway to Rodolfo. Rodolfo tensed up as he neared, doing his best not to just start screaming. He could feel how tense Soap was behind him, and he managed to find Soap’s hands, linking fingers with him.

Wayne stopped in front of Rodolfo. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” He was sobbing and Rodolfo gagged as he saw Wayne’s stomach was cut open. How he was even alive was beyond Rodolfo, since his organs had started to spill out. “Please forgive me.”

The alpha came over to Rodolfo and crouched down beside Wayne, standing in front of Rodolfo. “You can decide if he lives. Do you forgive him?”

Rodolfo glanced between the alpha and Wayne, who was begging for forgiveness, his hands together. “I…” He couldn’t speak, he could barely breathe. “Oh god…” A sob escaped his chest.

The alpha’s eyes softened under the mask. “It’s okay… I know this is a hard decision. Why don’t I ask Johnny?”

Soap tensed more, somehow. “How the fuck do you know my real name?!”

Rodolfo would definitely like to know as well, since it was not something he gave out to just anyone. But, he didn’t say anything as the alpha grabbed Wayne’s hair and dragged him around Rodolfo and disappeared out of Rodolfo’s peripheral.

He heard a soft thud and Wayne sobbing harder. “Should Rudy forgive him?”

Soap was dead silent and then his voice was hard as he answered. “No. No he should not.”

Wayne screamed, the sound guttural, and Rodolfo felt Soap gag before hearing him, and then he heard Soap vomit and felt him hunch over. Another sob forced its way through Rodolfo’s body as he forced himself not to think about why Soap might be throwing up.

“It’s okay…” The alpha was speaking again. “It’s over, now, see?”

“You’re a sick bastard!” Soap yelled and Rodolfo tried not to choke on his sobs.

The alpha didn’t reply, coming back around to in front of Rodolfo. “It’s okay that you couldn’t decide… I’m not angry at you… It’s a hard decision to make. Not to forgive someone. We’re taught that forgiveness is… natural. That choosing not to forgive someone gives them power, but it doesn’t.” The alpha crouched down and then he removed one of the black gloves he was wearing, wiping Rodolfo’s face. “You’re too pretty to be crying like this…”

Rodolfo flinched back from the alpha’s touch, only able to cry harder. “Don’t touch me…” He meant it to sound harder. Stronger. But it only came out weak and scared. “Please..”

The alpha went still and watched him. “I’m going to be back.” He said as he stood. “Don’t go anywhere.”

Rodolfo wasn’t exactly sure they had a choice, taking a deep breath. “Soap…”

“You don’t want to know.”

Rodolfo decided to believe him and put his head back, again. “Do you… Do you think he’s going to kill us when he gets back?”

“What else could he do?”

Rodolfo had a bit of a fear as to what exactly the alpha could do and he was starting to think just dying was the best option. “I’m scared…”

“Me too.”

Rodolfo tried to take more deep breaths, but they just ended up shaking as he sobbed. “If we get out of this, you can dress me however you want for the next party…”

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” Soap answered, clearly trying to joke. “Actually, I think I’m done with parties after this.”

“Me too…” Rodolfo relaxed and took a deep breath. “I love you. You’re a really good friend. Better than I give you credit for.”

“You are… a fucking phenomenal friend. It’s my fault we’re even in this shit.” Soap took deep breaths.

Rodolfo shook his head, but didn’t respond, closing his eyes and clasping hands with Soap, again. He again tried to take deep breaths, but it just didn’t work.

He opened his eyes as he heard footsteps approach and he tensed as the alpha in the black skull mask reappeared in the large doorway. He shook his head as he neared. “Please, I’ll do anything, just please don’t kill us…”

He saw another alpha enter as well, the one in the white skull mask. In the doorway, Rodolfo was able to see that this alpha was… fucking huge. It only added to Rodolfo’s terror and he tensed up as the alpha in the black skull mask crouched in front of him, again. “Shh… I’m not going to kill you…” He murmured and then he reached up, pushing the mask up on top of his head and pushing the hood of the hoodie he was wearing back. Even his face was splattered with blood and Rodolfo tried not to flinch back as his hand moved to touch his face, again. “God, you’re beautiful…”

“Alejandro, the police are on their way.” The other spoke. His voice was a lot deeper than Rodolfo was expecting, but maybe Rodolfo hadn’t really been expecting anything. “We need to get them out of here if we’re taking them.”

“Alejandro?” Soap spoke up. “You’re… you’re that kid that went missing.”

“In the flesh.” Alejandro nodded.

Rodolfo’s brain was more focused on the “taking” part. “Where… Where are you taking us?”

“Away.” Alejandro shook his head and then he was moving to touch Rodolfo’s waist.

Rodolfo jerked back, immediately, and shook his head. “No, no, I’m not going anywhere with you and neither is Soap. Leave us alone!” He kicked at Alejandro, but Alejandro moved out of the way before his feet could connect.

Alejandro frowned at him and held his hand up as the other moved forward. “They sacrificed you.”

“You killed people.” Soap spoke up.

Rodolfo sniffled. “I want.. I want to go home. I want to go back to the college.”

Alejandro stared at him and then his jaw clenched and he almost looked angry. Rodolfo tensed, now growing afraid of what the consequences of that action might be. “You don’t remember me.”

Rodolfo paused and then he looked over Alejandro’s face but… nothing. “Why would I remember you? I don’t know you…”

Alejandro looked away from him, glaring at the floor. “You grab the other, I’ll grab Rudy.” He spoke to the one in the white mask and Rodolfo screamed, shaking his head and kicking again. He managed to connect with Alejandro’s knee, causing him to fall backwards.

Rodolfo flinched back as Alejandro stood and then he winced at a splitting headache starting. Oh no. Oh no no. “Soap, Soap, I…” Already, he felt lightheaded. It made sense, this honestly should have happened sooner.

“Fuck!” Soap cried, starting to struggle.

Rodolfo’s head fell back and he watched both Alejandro and the other freeze. The vision in his right eye was fading and the whole right side of his head felt heavy, thick. “Soap…” He mumbled, hoping Soap was catching onto what was happening.

“Rudy, no! Keep your eyes open, you can’t let yourself pass out! Goddamnit! Your fucking medication is in the car!” Soap struggled harder behind Rodolfo.

Rodolfo was trying to keep himself awake, but his head just felt so heavy. “Soap… Soap…” Everything started to fade and he shook his head, desperately trying to keep himself awake. He could vaguely tell that Soap was speaking, again, but his brain was just not picking it up.

Oh well, maybe this was better than dying by them.

Rodolfo blinked open his eyes, wincing at how bright it was. He held his hand up, shielding his eyes from the light, and frowned as he recognized the gray tile of a hospital. He looked around, seeing Soap was asleep, his head laying on the bed.

“Fuck,” he muttered, holding his head.

Soap immediately jerked awake, looking at him. “Oh thank god, you’re awake!”

“Reluctantly…” Rodolfo mumbled, touching his face. “What happened?”

“Well, when you passed out, Alejandro asked what the fuck was going on. I explained about your TBI and how you have… episodes and that the only thing that could save you from potential brain death was going to the hospital, so they both sort of waited until the police came and then just… left.” Soap winced. “Well… not completely left. I… Alejandro said they’d be back. They just have to ‘fix some things’ and then they’d be back.”

Rodolfo wished he could be afraid, but the medication made his brain too foggy. “Great…” He just sighed and shook his head. “Have you been here the whole time?”

“Not quite, I did talk to the police, but other than that… yeah.” Soap winced. “They said you can go as soon as you wake up.”

Rodolfo snorted. “Good. Get a nurse so I can get the fuck out of here.”

Soap nodded and stood, leaving the room. He came back a bit later with a nurse and Soap told Rodolfo that the police wanted him to give a statement when he woke up, so they resolved to go to the police station after that.

Rodolfo changed and then he was discharged, and so they went out. Apparently the police had let Soap bring his jeep, which Rodolfo was grateful for, not wanting to have to bother with public transport. He went up to the jeep, frowning when he saw Soap freeze.

Then, a presence came up to his back. “Miss me?”

Well, his brain certainly was working through the fog, now. He closed his eyes, feeling something press against his back.

“Let’s go.”

Tempted to jokingly call this Slasher Party. Fuck it.

Do you want to be added to this taglist? Reply to this post that you wish to be added to the taglist and I will start to tag you in it every time I post it. You can also use this form!

@wittymanatee @the_pluto_828

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genericpuff · 7 months

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Hope you don't mind my asking but do you mind elaborating on why you don't like Mongie too much? I know all about why everyone dislikes Let's Play itself. There are various videos and post upon post online tearing it to shreds with criticism but I've not heard much about the creator herself like I do Rachel Smythe. Does she also run into the same issues that Rachel does or is her behavior different but equally questionable/annoying?

It's kinda equally questionable, kinda different. They both have the same issues of like, fetishizing youthfulness and creating unhealthy power dynamics. They also haven't done a great job at depicting POC in their comics, you can tell they're written by white women who don't understand other cultures but are trying to make their series more "progressive" by including stand-ins for representation.

That said, considering Let's Play is set in a real world setting, the POC characters (and the casually racist issues in their writing) are a lot more obvious than in LO (where you have to know the context that the neon-colored nymphs are based on POC to really realize that they're lower class POC people who are getting the shit end of the stick from the rich upper class main protagonists).

And I don't even mean in the usual "there aren't any POC in this comic" or "the POC in this comic are stereotypical/poorly written", I mean in the sort of white-victim-complex "I added in other ethnicities and people got mad at me anyways so what more do you want!" kind of way (paired with the "they're poorly written and stereotypical" aspect).

Dean is a good example of the stereotypical designing and writing, IIRC he's a Hispanic man but he's written like some Spanish soap opera character who flirts with every woman he sees and always has rose petals falling around him.

Even in that sentence he says "part Asian" which is weird because he's looking for Marshall who's supposed to be his best friend and it's been established in the comic that Marshall is half-Japanese, but that brings us to the other instance of mongie being casually (if not directly) racist and even more so than with Dean...

Apparently mongie thought it was a good move to say that it was "more inclusive" to make Vikki only vaguely Asian. Which is just... so not true LOL Asia is an entire continent made up of MANY different cultures and ethnicities and so generalizing all of them to just "Asian" is not a great take from someone who's trying to seem "more inclusive".

But of course, when her community called her out on this and asked her to elaborate, she and her mod team basically dug their heels in and made up excuses that made mongie out to be a victim instead of just acknowledging she made an error that didn't connect well with members of her audience.

And theeen in comes mongie ready to torch the place. Note that up until this point, it's basically been her mod team speaking up on her behalf and giving her benefit of the doubt, so when mongie DID get her chance to speak, she jumped right to:

"FINE, SHE'S HALF CHINESE HALF KOREAN THEN, STFU AND STOP ANALYZING ME WHEN I INCLUDE CHARACTERS FROM RACES THAT DON'T ALIGN WITH MY OWN !!!" (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻ is very much the vibe people got from this, understandably so. It's also odd (and extremely privileged) for her to say that she'd "rather focus on a character's personality and not their race" because it's very "I don't see color" which has been proven to be counterintuitive to understanding and celebrating different races.

And then we get a lot of self-victimizing "well I can't win no matter what so you people are ungrateful and actually it's MY feelings that are hurt" excuses:

Again it's weird because she had NO problem specifying that Marshall was half-Japanese and she didn't make him into any sort of weird stereotype like she did with Vikki. So I don't know why she's having such a hard time grasping that being vaguely Asian for Vikki isn't inclusive.

Although, let's be real here, the only reason Marshall is half-Japanese at all is because he's a self-insert of Markiplier, a half-Korean Youtuber who mongie apparently worked for on payroll as a graphic designer prior to Let's Play. Which is just a whole layer of ick that I think surpasses even Rachel Smythe and Mads Mikkelson. Like the Rachel and Mads thing is definitely creepy and weird because she's literally drawn herself - an adult woman nearing her 40's - being swept off her feet by a smoochy-faced Mads. But at least she didn't work for the guy or ever interact with him directly like mongie did with Markiplier. That's a whole separate level of "ew".

That said, mongie continues:

Which is just such a half-assed non-apology. Not "I'm sorry for misrepresenting a culture" or "I'm sorry I didn't do proper research", but "I'm sorry people think I'm being insensitive or that they need specific representation in my work that I'm claiming to be representation to be good". Completely shifting the blame from herself onto her audience for not being happy with the bare minimum that she gave them.

There's more though. Probably one of the worst parts and it's not even her, but one of her mods:

The fact that this is one of mongie's mods telling mongie's audience that her feelings - as a white woman who's just legitimately patronized her audience - are more valid than the people whose feelings were hurt by mongie being so insensitive... it's a real gross move and I can't believe they even pulled that.

Oh, and of course, as people like this tend to do, she goes on about "cancel culture" and how "terrifying" it is to her and then comes up with some imaginary scenario where a kid pays a hitman to kill her ?? as a defense for herself that really just further victimizes herself over her own misled actions ??

And this is something mongie does a lot, at least in this instance - she comes up with justifications for her decisions based on completely imaginary scenarios that she came up with and assumed, rather than just, idk, doing her research and being open to learning new things about cultures she's clearly not educated on. Shit like "well if I do xyz you'll be mad at me anyways so fuck you!"

When in reality? No one would have been mad at her if she didn't have any non-white characters in her comic. Would readers be disappointed? Probably. But - and I can't speak for everybody out there obviously so this is just my opinion - I know I'd much rather representation from someone who wanted to represent my respective groups and identities and put love and effort into it, than get it from someone who was just doing it because they made up a scenario in their head that they would be cancelled for not doing it. No one really has any tangible ground to stand on if they get mad at you for writing a cast of all-white characters you wanted to write, there are plenty of webtoons like that on the platform. We do need more stories that uplift and represent POC voices, but it shouldn't be from white victim complex people who only do it to virtue signal and ensure they don't get "cancelled". You know what WILL get you cancelled? Attempting to write other ethnicities and racial groups purely based on stereotypes for the sake of "representation" and then getting mad when people ask you to be a little more specific than "Asian".

Oh yeah, and then have your mods censor/delete any mentioning of educational resources regarding Asian cultures, and then essentially dox one of your community members by revealing their Twitter to the entire Discord group to boot!

oh boy mongie, if you think THAT'S drama, wait until you see the shit I do here LMAO

#so yeah that's the tea on mongie #don't write characters outside of your own worldview if you aren't prepared to do the research #it's OKAY if you're white and only familiar with writing white characters #just don't go writing POC or other ethnicities and then acting like a martyr over it when people call you out for it being badly done #bare minimum stereotypical vague representation is just as harmful as no representation #webtoon critical #ama #ask me anything #anon ama #anon ask me anything

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xoxoemynn · 1 year

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you can just not like a fandom joke without it being racist

Absolutely! I see posts on my dash every day I don't find particularly funny, so I just scroll right past.

However, as I said in my original post, "jokes" about Ed not understanding how to use soap not only aren't funny, but are racist as well.

I really hope I do not need to say that white people have a long history of accusing people of color of being ignorant savages and simpletons as an excuse to brutalize and enslave them and to decimate their communities. I'm just going to assume you're already aware of that angle.

But there's also a very long history of people of color being viewed as dirty and unclean, based solely on the color of the skin or the texture of their hair. This article includes an advertisement from 1884 showing a white child washing a Black child with soap and, gasp! The blackness just washes away in the tub. And lest you think that's a distant phenomenon, Dove got called out for a similar advertisement in 2017. This article also cites a number of examples of the ways white people are allowed to talk about how little they shower or wash their hair in a way that people of color cannot. Not to mention the articles that are in the news seemingly every other day about school/workplace bans against natural hair. Granted these are not scholarly articles because I'm just pulling this together quickly while I have a few minutes on my lunch break, but trust. The sources are there. It's a disgusting stereotype that has done, and continues to do harm to our society, end of.

Also, frankly, I find it really difficult to believe that if the roles were reversed, and Stede commented about yummy lavender soap, that we'd see anywhere near the amount of posts and art about Stede eating soap. Because why wouldn't we assume Stede was just commenting on how good it smelled? Because obviously Stede knows soap is for washing and not eating because he's a grown ass man.

And yet it's supposed to be funny that Ed, also a grown ass man, would not know not to eat soap because???? Very curious. Would love to hear what's funny here. What exactly is the joke?

Not to mention, as @thermoskind pointed out in their tags on my original post, Ed clearly washed up between the raid and properly meeting Stede, and he also commented to Stede's crew that they looked grubby. The man knows how soap works.

I get it. It's "just a silly joke, it's no big deal." And to that, I'd urge to reflect for a few minutes why it's more important to you to have a quick giggle than to stop perpetuating rhetoric that actively plays into ugly racist stereotypes.

#ofmd #edward teach #fully owning there are better sources out there but I gotta get back to work #truly there is nothing funny about a grown man not knowing how soap works #and when said grown man is also a brown man......#seriously please just stop and reflect for a minute #I know it doesn't feel good to realize something you found cute is actually racist #but we gotta do better #emynn.op

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st4rbwrry · 1 year

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as a black woman I just HAVE to ask why must you mention shit like “shea butter”, “black African soap”, “sza”, etc. etc. in your fics? its all sooo unnecessarily distracting and honestly corny because we get it… y/n is black. tone it down a bit?

ummmm, how about because i actually USE that stuff and LISTEN to that stuff and it’s MY fic so i’m allowed to write what IIIII want ????????????? don’t like it? go somewhere else. write your own fic love. plz don’t tell me how to craft my own work. sounds like you think it’s stereotypical.

#☆. hater anon alert !#YOU tone it down.#telling me how to write my shit BYE #as if black people are the only ones who listen to sza and use shea butter. soundsssss like a stereotype #like that’s like me reading a fic and the reader is mentioning her using shea butter or braiding her hair. you think ima come in they inbox #and be like “um that was sooo unnecessary to say’ STFU #‘we know the reader is black like ugh’#YOU SOUND DUMB #‘tone it down a bit’ who tf are you talking to? not me love

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halfmoth-halfman · 6 months

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About the scene you just talked about:

I actually saw it (or interpretated it) as less problematic because Samara was part of Farahs group and therefore a freedom fighter, then she was forced to do you know what by Makarov. Makarov used not only the negative stereotypes that exist against middle eastern people, but also the fact that Farahs group is one of his main enemies in Urzikstan and this is where I think that COD actually did a good job i guess? Because stuff like this happens, especially in these times of the war in gaza, middle eastern (also mainly muslim people, but idk if Samara is explicitly muslim) people have it harder to fight against stereotypes and media are quick to blame them and use these stereotypes (which was also shown in mw3 with the news thing). Idk if it was their intention or if I just optimistically interpretated it like that, but I thought the scene was like a depiction of what happens in real life, short: middle eastern people being negatively used to push an agenda which is easy because of the existing stereotypes

I hope i was able to explain it well and not offend anyone. I would love to hear more opinions on this :)

(there are spoilers below)

i can understand that they may be trying to emulate real life, but personally i think regardless of samara's ties to farah and her being a former ulf soldier, they should've chosen a different way to go about the mission. yes, it could be understandable for makarov to want to frame farah and urzikstan, and that it could be playing off of real stereotypes and experiences that middle eastern people go through, but i don't think activision put that much thought into it and i don't think they care.

the original no russian mission involved makarov framing america despite the 141 (also his enemies) not being american, but activision chose to change that to specifically frame the middle eastern country for terrorism (mirroring a 9/11 style event) and kept that in during a time when there is actual genocide happening in palestine and islamophobia is growing back to a post-9/11 high in the us, the country they're based in.

and honestly, the change really cheapens makarov's character for me. he's supposed to be some big, menacing villain who is at the forefront of his movement and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goal, and in the og games we see that in the way he carries out the no russian mission himself. in this game, he does what? threatens samara then jumps out of a plane and that's it? the worst he does is give a speech explaining why he's doing it - it's his men that do most of the work forcing her to carry out the hijacking.

he's also supposed to be the 141's big bad, their mortal nemesis, but there's more emphasis on the way he and konni group terrorize and kill farah's friends and soldiers - dena and samara, in particular - than when he shot soap, a main character, and i think that's very telling.

if it were another gaming company that put more thought into their plot and considered the nuance of their storylines, maybe i could be convinced it was well intentioned, but activision makes military games. these game are meant to be military propaganda above all else, so i'm not willing to give them that kind of grace. i think it was a deliberate choice for an american company to not have their villain frame america like in the original game and instead fall back onto the same, tired "let's frame the middle eastern people as terrorists storyline" that's in every pro-military game and movie, during a time when there is a humanitarian crisis happening in palestine.

#luvmeraxes #moth answers #answered #mw3 spoilers #mwiii spoilers

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nicnacsnonsense · 2 years

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I feel that there are certain portions of the OFMD fandom that could definitely benefit from taking a step back and asking themselves why their depictions of a post-season 1 Stede glow up involve changing him to make him more stereotypically masculine. I just see so many descriptions of Stede, framed to make it clear this is showing us how much he’s grown and improved, that go like, “He has a beard now. And he’s gotten rid of all his fancy, frilly clothing and how wears a plain and simple outfit. He no longer has his yummy lavender soap or any other oils or creams so his face is tanned and weathered and his hair windswept and frizzled with sea salt. He does all sorts of hard manual labor involved with sailing now and his hands are rough and calloused. And of course he’s super skilled at fighting now and comfortable with casual violence.”

Of course, nobody’s out here explicitly saying they’re turning Stede into a generic romance novel pirate explicitly because they want to make him more masculine. They all have other reasons which sound good and I believe that they genuinely believe are true. It’s just when you start to interrogate those reasons, they don’t really hold up.

The one I see the most often with the clothing is throwing a casual mention in there that it’s practical; a pair of trousers and a simple linen shirt (it’s always a simple linen shirt) are more practical for sailing in. And you’re not wrong, but my babes. Ed is sailing around the Caribbean in full body black leather. Let’s not pretend practical is an actual point of consideration for the clothing on this show. Not to mention I don’t love the implication that Stede should give up his little joys in life (he loves his frilly clothing! He fancies a fine fabric) because it’s always more important to be practical.

The other thing I see with the clothing, and this applies to the fancy toiletries too, is that giving them up is saying something about wealth/class. And I’m fine with us passing through here as a waypoint in Stede’s journey to gain a deeper understanding of these things, but I very much object to having that as the end goal. Because the point is supposed to be that Ed’s mom is wrong; they don’t have fine things not because that’s what God decided but because they live in an oppressive society where those in charge maintain power by creating a hierarchical system of haves and have nots. Which is bullshit, and everyone should get to have some fine things. Now if you want to argue that two closets full of fancy clothing crosses from everyone should get luxuries into hoarding them, then that’s probably fair enough. But Stede shouldn’t need to be from generational wealth to have just a couple of nice outfits and a stock of yummy lavender soap.

The class aspect also plays a role in why people want to have him running around hauling on ropes or whatever it is you do on a ship. And I do kind of get the point, and think it’s probably important to have him willing to perform those kinds of tasks if needful to show he doesn’t consider them beneath him, but that does mean he needs to be doing physical labor on the regular. He should be working, yes, but there’s all kinds of options that appeal to his strengthens much more than manual labor. We already have seen him doing story time for the rest of the crew and saw him as captain making the executive decisions about where they should go and what they should do next. Beyond that, being one of the few members of the crew proficient in reading, writing, and (presumably) arithmetic, he could keep the accounts and stock of their loot and supplies, he could do navigational work, or if they got their hands on some medical texts he could study and start helping Roach as the doctor. He could be in charge of planning events & activities for the crew to keep everyone happy and entertained. Or he could be in charge of planning their fuckeries.

And that indirectly leads into the last bit, about Stede being skilled at fighting and violence now, the idea being we’re showing his growth from incompetent pirate to skilled and respected one. And look, I have my own thoughts that I am planning on writing a separate meta on hopefully about how piracy is actually meant to be understood in this show and whether or not it actually is the correct long term career choice for Stede, but let’s take it as a given for now that we’re sticking with piracy. In that case, yeah, I agree that we are going to want to see him become good at the job. But why on Earth would that involve him doing a lot of fighting? The show has been very clear that Stede’s strength is in his wits not in his fighting skills. His crew manages to get away from the English naval ship with the rowboat fuckery. He defeats Izzy and gets on of his hostages back with the haunted island fuckery. He and Ed team up and escape the Spanish with the lighthouse fuckery. He takes out the French ship by realizing he can use their darkest secrets to get them to tear each other apart. He beats Izzy in a duel by tricking him into rendering his sword inoperable. And finally he escapes his old life and unhappy marriage by faking his death with a fuckery. Stede’s brand of piracy is fuckery not violence, and I don’t know how that could have been made more apparent.

I just sometimes feel like I’ve watched this show about a guy who spent his whole life miserably trying to force himself into a stereotypically masculine box and failing only to finally find freedom and happiness by being allowed to be himself and not hold himself to societal standards of how to be a man. And then fandom came in and said, “Wow, yeah, this guy is pretty great. But you know how he could be even better? If he were more stereotypically masculine.”

#ofmd #stede bonnet #long post

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that-ari-blogger · 5 months

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Writing Your Own Story, Together

Sense and Insensitivity is the single most terrifying episode in the Owl House. More than Hollow Mind, more than King's Tide, this episode is nightmare fuel. It's got all of the greatest hits, giant spiders, tight spaces, publishers. This episode should have been the Halloween episode.

But that is just me. If you don't get scared of these things, what is in this episode for you?

Well, this episode is about teamwork, it helps to nurture the friendship between King and Luz, and it shows that sisterly cooperation is possible between Eda and Lilith.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The main plot of Sense and Insensitivity is the collaboration on a book by King and Luz. It shows the differing opinions on what they want the story to be about, and it leads to argument.

And I'm going to get on my soap box for a second here, because something needs to be said. Opinions about what is a good story do not contradict each other. If someone ever tells you a story "must" or "can't" include a specific element, they are objectively wrong, because a story can be whatever you like. I have seen a level of argument online about people going after others who like or dislike certain story elements, and I find that ridiculous for one key reason: If you don't like a thing, you don't have to read a book or watch a series with it in. For example, I have hemophobia (fear of blood), but instead of complaining that everybody writes gory books and telling people not to, I find media without blood in it, and I watch or read that. It's a simple solution.

Anyway...

In the Owl House, this comes to a head when the two split paths to write their own stories, and my wording there is important. Because one of the main themes of the entire series is witing your own story. So, you would think that the split would be framed as a good thing, based off this, right?

But no, because this episode makes something clear about forging your own path. It doesn't mean that you have to travel everywhere alone.

That soapbox I mentioned earlier is important to understand, because people having different tastes is the whole point of humanity. We are a diverse species, physically, culturally, but also emotionally. If we all only liked the media I personally enjoy, the world would be stale. We need people with different tastes to make life interesting, but we also need them to guide us.

We need people who are different from us to help us along our journeys. Writing your own stories doesn't mean not taking inspiration. It means doing what you like, the way you like. You can certainly be inspired by others if you want.

But writing your own story doesn't mean you are right in every decision you make. Watch Doctor Who: The Giggle to see why that is a bad idea. Sometimes you need people to keep you back from danger, or you might fall prey to people and things that want to exploit you.

Enter Piniet.

Piniet's character design is funky, and I love it.

First up, there is the reptilian element. Reptiles have a reputation for being cold and emotionless, while this is a subject of debate (Dr. Gordon Burghardt is a co-author of a book titled The Secret Social Lives Of Reptiles which I highly recommend you check out), but the stereotype remains. When you think of a snake, you probably think of a trickster or a liar. When you think of a lizard, you probably think of the "lizard part of the brain", a concept of, once again, dubious accuracy. Psychology today has an article that discusses the concept.

The point I am making is that Piniet's appearance is evoking ideas of heartlessness. Using the stereotype, it is telling you that whatever this character says to King, none of it is genuine.

But there is another little element that I quite like. That third eye. A few reptiles and amphibians have a third eye in real life. It is located on the top of their head and is called a Parietal Eye. Science Direct has a collection of sources on the subject. But Piniet's eye is different from the real world. Because it appears functional, but he keeps it hidden. Piniet has more eyes in play than those he talks to, he can see from more angles, and be aware of things others are not.

There is also the references to a third eye in specific real world cultures and religions. And without getting too far into still living cultures about which I am far from an expert, this is generally related to extra insight or foresight. (Source)

Once again, this links to my reading of Piniet as a character who can read people like books, and if you combine that with the reptile thing, you get someone who is intellectually empathetic, but not emotionally. In other words, Piniet is a manipulator.

I'm not going to recount the plot beat for beat, but needless to say, it takes King and Luz being confined to the nightmare box to get some thinking done and actually work out their differences. And notably, to get out of it, they work together. Luz with the light spell and the plan, and King with that confidence and charisma that he has shown off in previous episodes. Teamwork. Forging their own path together.

It is also notable that the agent is only satisfied by the entrance of Nina Noseworthy, who in this shot litterally eclipses King. The agent is chasing the next big thing, without any care for the art itself. That's just a neat little detail.

Eda and Lilith also have that co-operation on display. And while their similarities have been shown already. When both feel powerful, they both act incredibly pompously. But here, we see a different side of Lilith.

When Eda and Lilith are stressed, they react in completely different ways. Eda laughs it off and gives a veneer of not caring, this isn't new, she's been doing this the entire series. But Lilith on the other hand, she gets scared. Lilith is a very different person to the sneering villain that she is shown to be elsewhere.

This is why I think the redemption later on works so well. They have already proven they can work together. But also, Lilith doesn't have to shift character to switch sides, she just has to drop the mask.

I will also mention that in the scene above, Eda, despite being a fugitive, is open and relaxed in body language, but Lilith is on edge and guarded. Lilith looks like she is hiding something from Eda and afraid her sister will find out. I wonder what that could be.

Final Thoughts

I despise this episode on a personal level. I don't think it's bad at all. This is about average for season one, if not slightly above. My feelings around this episode are entirely centred around that shrinking box and the little cube people, because they are more terrifying than anything Bellos can do.

In all seriousness, this episode has a simple premise, teamwork, that is executed well. The animation is cool, the character designs are awesome. The humour is decent. This is a good Owl House episode.

Next week is Christmas, and I'll be taking a look at wild magic itself, as discussed in Adventures In The Elements, so stick around if that interests you.

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#rants #literary analysis #literature analysis #character analysis #what's so special about...?#toh #the owl house luz #the owl post #the owl house lilith #the owl house king #owl house #toh luz #toh lilith #toh king #i cant be the only one who thought the shrinking box was terrifying

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thestrangestthing89 · 1 year

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Season 1. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Season 2. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Season 3. Part 1

Mike Character Analysis: Season 3 Part 2

I'm going to go off about Dawson's Creek in general for a bit before I get to the relevant plot point.

A bit of background for those of you unfamiliar with Dawson's Creek. It was a teen-angst filled soap opera drama from the late 90s-early 2000s that scandalized many people because it covered some pretty dark topics that most teen shows shied away from (teen suicide and drug and alcohol use being some examples). It's funny in retrospect because most teen shows now cover all the complexities of growing up in a pretty realistic way. But at the time they got a lot of backlash. Now this show was incredibly popular with teens during this time because it was the first time people saw anyone discussing and addressing a lot of the uglier, darker aspects of growing up. It's worth a watch if you haven't seen it. But one of the things it did that was radical was have one of their characters be openly gay - a thing that did not happen on teen shows at the time. And yes they got a lot of backlash and homophobia for this. But what they also got was people being incredibly grateful that they finally saw someone struggling with their identity in a way that was relatable. And not only that but it showed how straight friends can help support their friends who are questioning their sexuality. So this show that most teens were watching decided to suddenly in season 2 make one of their characters gay. People were already invested in the show and the characters when this happened and this wasn't labeled as an LGBTQ friendly show because that label didn't exist. So it wasn't just people who were apart of the queer community who were watching. And the thing is - even after this gets revealed, people kept watching. Because they were invested in the show and the characters already and the coming-out storyline was written in a way that people could understand and empathize with even if they weren't gay. Which brings me back to Stranger Things and Mike and the impact this story could have on mainstream media. Because while LGBTQ friendly shows have come a long way since then (they are often better written and less stereotyped now) they are still labeled as LGBTQ friendly shows which makes straight people not watch them because they think that content isn't for them. So people who don't have first hand experience dealing with homophobia or internalizing that hate have a difficult time understanding it and it's why we are seeing such a disconnect with audience and Mike. But here's the thing - Everyone watches this show. Everyone on the goddamn planet. And everyone is invested in the plot and the characters. It is not labeled as an LGBTQ friendly show, even now that we have 2 characters openly gay. It is not just for a queer audience and it shouldn't be. Because this implies that straight couples are the norm and mainstream and that if Stranger Things went and did the crazy, radical thing and made byler happen it would alienate the audience. But we have seen this isn't true. Because Dawson's Creek wrote a well-written and relatable coming-out 20 years ago when this was just not ever done, and it didn't alienate the audience. It was well-written so people could understand it. That's really all that matters here. It needs to be done right. Stranger Things has the potential to change the game again and make this kind of storyline more mainstream. And I think that they will because they have already been writing it this whole time. It's been there in the show already, people just don't know how to recognize it. But once they do I think it will help them to reconnect with Mike and understand him better and maybe be more comfortable seeing this in the future. Of course there will be backlash, homophobes aren't going anywhere. But I don't get the impression that they care or that Netflix does. Because again, they are already doing it. It's already the story.

So now back to the relevant plot point for Mike.

On Dawson's Creek, Jack moves to town and he starts dating Joey (Josephine). They date for a couple episodes and do all the normal teen dating things- they kiss and hold hands and at one point almost have sex. But then Jack's asshole English teacher makes him read a poem he wrote in front of the whole class. And this poem is about his attraction to men. Jack starts getting bullied for being gay and Joey is confused and asks him about it. Jack denies it and Joey is relieved but it's clear to the audience he is lying. But we don't understand why or have context for it until he has a break-down at his father. He talks about how his father recognized he was gay when he was little and he tried to fix it and all it did was confuse him and make him hate himself and it's his fault he's insecure. He is correct and it's a pretty emotional moment that allows for the audience to not only understand him better but understand why he is dating Joey. Because he was ashamed and afraid. Because Joey is a girl. How could he date her and kiss her and almost have sex with her if he knew that he was gay. And the answer is this - he was trying to be normal. He was trying to fix himself the way his father told him to. And the audience understands this because of the way it is written. Jack, like anyone else, is fully capable of dating, kissing, and/or having sex with someone he isn't attracted to because being attracted to someone is not required for any of those things. Does this sound like Mike yet? It should, but here's some more. After his revelation, Jack goes to talk to Joey. At this point she realizes that he's gay and is basically just waiting for him to tell her. He talks about how he cares for her so much (Michael in season 4 not being able to tell El he loves her - I care for you so much. It's the same damn thing) and how she's been such a good friend which is why he didn't want to tell her. He didn't want to hurt her. But she is grateful for the truth. She remains a good friend to him through the series (albeit not his BFF like Jen becomes). Jack also struggles the rest of the series with internalized homophobia even though he's openly gay. I will fully admit that this part of the story isn't always well-written and is at times cringey. But the gist is this - even though he accepts his sexuality he is still struggling with his identity as a gay man and this is shown through his discomfort with being around other gay men. Especially gay men who are feminine and stereotypically gay. Because Jack isn't like that nor does he want to be associated with that. He even goes as far as joining a fraternity to prove how manly he is even though he's gay. So here we see what happens when people are presented with one type of person. That person - in this case feminine/stereotypically gay men - are treated as embarrassing when there is nothing actually wrong with this. But the other important thing is that it makes it difficult for people who aren't this to understand their own identity. They have no frame of reference. Because Jack is gay and masculine so it's hard for him to come to terms with what his identity as a gay man means because he isn't seeing anyone else like him do it. And this also provides a nice excuse for Mike, because he also isn't a stereotype (neither is Will). He likes video games and nerdy things so internally he can tell himself easily that he isn't gay. Because he doesn't act like he is in the way that he knows gay men to act. He isn't feminine. He only has the one frame of reference. So it makes it very easy for him to tell himself that he isn't gay. And it's the same reason the audience can't recognize him as gay either. Because he kisses a girl and he doesn't act like a stereotype and they don't have many other references in media (at least not ones that they aren't avoiding watching).

So when people say they'll never do Byler, it's too crazy and out of no where and it'll alienate too many people. I'm assuming these people are either very young or they have been living under a rock (or deliberately avoid content not about them personally). Because of course they will. They have no reason not to. They are already doing it. And there is also precedent for it. So back to season 3 and Mike. Part 3

#gay mike wheeler #mike wheeler #will byers #byler #mike x will #anti mileven

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