#also obv if its well written or not is just my opinion so !! take this with a grain of salt

[cousticks]

I saw you talk about the colonel and. Can I ask if you have thoughts on the ability users that fought against verlaine? I find them all so fascinating, despite the fact they really weren't around for long.

I think they're all so interesting!! Let me see how many of them I remember off the top of my head.

Obv we have the Colonel and his earth-moving ability, and we know he survived Stormbringer, but I just think he was a really interesting guy from what little we know about him. Its in the Dead Apple Prequel event from Bungo Mayoi so take it with a grain of salt, but Chuuya and Dazai both seemed a little personally upset that the Colonel was killed. Sure, we didn't see much of him, but I kind of think of him as a jolly great-uncle type of guy that would have had one of those really full-bodied laughs when telling old stories from the Great War to his colleagues in mafia-owned bars. Like, he was certainly a powerful ability user, its a shame we didn't see more of him.

I think the only other ability user from that battle that got a name was Karen, the one with the frost ability. If I'm remembering correctly, she was pretty out of it, and only really did anything when she was told? I'd love to know more about her and why she was that way, only acting when given orders. She has to have an interesting backstory somewhere, right? Right?? And the range of her ability was quite impressive, too. She has to have some kind of personality to her in off-times though, which means she can't wholly be a weapon to aim and not much else, but I understand why she's not an executive if she doesn't really think for herself despite her powerful ability. I think she survived as well? Or at least survived the Brutalization phase, lord knows what happened once Guivre was activated.

I can't mention Karen without mentioning the Time-Wielding ability user, since he died shoving her out of the way of an attack. If he was included in the wet cat poll going around I think he'd have a fighting chance, because god this guy was miserable. Technically we have the most backstory on him, just because he mentions right off the bat that his family was killed by time. Parents, I'm sure this was old age, possibly, but he also mentions the death of a sibling if I remember correctly. I can't help but wonder what that time-related death was. Something running out of time? A terminal disease? Can't be sure, but I feel like its different. I find this guy really interesting even though we only see him for a brief moment, because for one second he isn't so gloomy, and that's trying to save Karen. Despite how gloomy he is, clearly he hadn't given up on forming attachments yet (this is also why I think Karen is more than a blank slate, the time guy saw her as something worth saving!). That, and his ability itself is rather rare, as time-based abilities are incredibly powerful and the only other one we know of is H.G. Wells from 55 minutes, but hers operates completely differently. He had soooooooo much interesting potential and its a shame he died, even though it was protecting someone! What a way to go.

The only other one I remember off the top of my head that we saw any true personality of was the guy with the keyhole ability that died getting sucked through his little viewport. Gosh, his was fun. It also kind of reminded me of Nikolai's ability in passing? I don't know anything about this little keyhole guy off in the control room, but I would bet money that he and Albatross got along fucking great because they were both absolutely ridiculous. I'd like to see what that guy came up with on April Fools day, because he had the personality and ability to cause some real havoc.

That's the really cool thing about these characters. We only saw them for an instant, but in such a short time we saw enough of who they were to remember them and form some opinions. I'd love to someday see Ango-style files written on them as bonus content or something, just to see what's left to say. They all had such interesting abilities and so much potential. And again, in theory, at least Karen may have still been alive. I can't help but wonder if, if she made it, she also had to fight her ability during Dead Apple, and if she survived it (or held it off long enough for the others to defeat Shibusawa). I almost doubt her ability to simply because of her thing with following orders, but there's certainly a chance. If she is still alive, I hope she pops up again some day.

#this was soooo fun to think about thank you so much #asks? answered. hotel? trivago. #bsd stormbringer #bsd dead apple #port mafia ensemble #kind of #sol!

[gecemi09]

Hello gonna ask a question that doesn't really have a straight answer but like why do blogs post opinions on jason and if they get a lot of notes they're suddenly treated like the absolute truth and only good interpretation of jason? Some blogs get treated like they know characters (jason) so much better than anyone else and you look and it's just the same complaints and takes over and over again. Like no I don't take every appearance jason has as canon because some of them are deliberately ooc or just written out of existence at this point. But you have people who just insist jason did every bad thing ever and you have to admit he's wrong and the replies are all "omg how does it feel to be completely right?" I don't think they know how it feels because they're not actually right lmao.

HEY thanks for the ask!!! <3

abt the answer to ur question, im pretty sure its mob mentality. if something reaches a certain amount of notes its kind of accepted as truth. esp bc ppl w lots of notes usually tend to have similar opinions and it makes you think "well if all these ppl have this many notes then they must be on to something" which isnt entirely wrong but its just rlly unreliable.

also the ppl who insist jason did every "bad thing ever" usually tend to be villain jason truthers(i wont deny that i think that way sometimes as well but but i think calling him a villain is simplifying it by A LOT) or canon truthers where they're like "ugh fanon sucks why do these ppl like this and canon rulz why do ppl like fanon better than canon" which honestly makes me question why they're on tumblr tbh. this place is THE fandom website (besides ao3 obvs) and oviously its not gonna be canon compliant most of the time. these ppl exist in all fandoms but i gotta say they seem very weird to me in dc. dc literally said "everything is canon" which is basically equivalent to saying "canon doesn't exist"+ esp batman stuff is like...80 yo?? so there is gonna be A LOT of inconsistencies bc of different writers and times and retcons. so i rlly dont understand why these ppl cling to canon so much.

also also these ppl are (again, USUALLY) the ones who say "if you like a villain/morally ambigious/anti hero etc. character you HAVE to acknowledge their wrongs :/" and agreeing w this stuff makes ppl feel morally superior over others so it kinda creates an echo chamber??

im not rlly qualified abt this but these are my thoughts lol thanks again for the ask!!

#ask

[majicmarker]

hypothetically, if a lurking fan had written a little hellcheer demisexual smut fic (with strong stream-of-consciousness ADHD vibes [every thought comes with a bonus thought!]) for you, but didn't really want to post it publicly, how would they go about doing that? and, relatedly – how does one overcome the crippling fear of posting their fics publicly? asking for a friend x

FIRST OF ALL... *eyeballs emoji* *eyeballs emoji* etc., etc., ad infinitum

b.) you're welcome to DM me in the little chat function and mayhaps i could offer up my email (but that is admittedly iffy, just, for privacy reasons on both of our parts). BUT ALSO, you can post anonymously to ao3! which, if that’s your comfortability rn, i recommend so hard, becaaaaause—

numero tres: we need more demi eddie in the tag pleeeeeease with rainbow sprinkles on top, i'm BEGGIN. obvs i can't speak for everyone except myself and also @agentmmayy @carry-the-sky gonna go out on a limb here and say @152glasslippers too, we're thirstin for certified virgin + demisexual disaster eddie munson who does in fact have a religion and it's worshipping the ground chrissy cunningham walks on (we're talkin slo-mo, we're talkin dreeeeeeeeeam weeeeeeeeaver 🎶 i believe you can get me through the niiiiiIIIIiiight, we're talkin sudden and drastic changes to the boy's blood pressure, okay u see where i'm goin with this)

4.) in that same vein, i'm gonna be honest here and hopefully it's like, inspirational, or something, but i have hand to dolly never had any qualms, never any second thoughts or hesitations, about sharing my writing. i think, for me, it's always been The Thing that i love, and at least ummmm 47% of my personality is dreamy idealistic goofball who believes that love—in any and all of its variations—is all you really need to get through shit.

writing has always made me feel good, so if i can pour that out and share it with other people, well, that's just second nature to me to do that. and it's evolved, too, into this thing where i truly and adamantly believe that writing, first and foremost, should be for the writer—you need to put your wants first, otherwise, like, what are you even doing, yk? just feeding into trends and algorithms and mass market appeal that can and will change like that *snaps fingers*, blech, i'd rather sell my soul for a mcchicken, but, anyway, point being...

just, figure out exactly what it is you're afraid of. because honestly, if that fear is other ppl's opinions, i'm tellin you, that's so irrelevant. i know it doesn't feel that way but, take it from someone who spent a looooooong time, long time, trying to curate my work into something that was wholly for others without ever asking myself hey asshole is this even what you want to be writing in the first place? (answer: no it was not.)

like i think, at a certain point, you really do have to go into creating anything with a very fuck it i'm ballin kind of attitude. like, you need to find your fulfillment and you need to have fun, and i promise you that other ppl are going to feel that in your work, bc that's the shit that makes you shine.

(also um quick postscript but i love you for doing this for me. that's so kind and so rad and honestly like, even if the rest of this has been nothing but a mixed bag of buttered-caramel-cheese popcorn with no discernable rhyme or reason, THAT energy you've got there is worth sharing)

#so anyway i hope this helped?? #i've still got one foot on my soapbox if u need more tho <3 #notquitecogent #ask #eddissy #hellcheer #a/n #writing advice #the advice being 'fuck it let's party'

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

yknow, if there's one piece of advice I can give to people who don't have special needs in school, it's that DO NOT under any circumstance, idek (???) apply to be a scribe/writer for a special accommodations kid just to solely get out of class.

I had this happen to me in year 11 or 12, when the public school I was at, as well as the nsw education board, were adamant that the ONLY way I was to ever sit my hsc (end of high school) exams and pass, was to have a scribe. and a scribe only since no one would take the time & effort to EVER read my OWN hand written responses if I chose to do them by handwriting only.... and also that the education board kept outright refusing my access to a laptop bc "exams are meant to be handwritten only!!!! this student obvs wants an easy way to do her exams and wants to cheat!!!!" and "obvs this student, her teachers, her GP and the occupational therapists we made her see..... are all lying that she kid NEEDS a laptop accommodation for her exams to let her have a chance of succeeding.... so instead, we'll give her depression and anxiety so bad that she won't bother studying, lol."

so the first couple of scribes i had were good, bc they were in the year below me, and so, didn't know me. they told me to take my time and breathe etc etc. all around being supportive. however, one girl who had volunteered to be my scribe was originally in my year, but forced to repeat bc she'd missed too much class or whatever. moreover, she never liked me bc of the ~stuck up catholic school bitch~ thing that some people still held against me even after I'd been there for a while and was nice to everyone.

but what did this girl's dislike of me lead her to say??? she demanded of me, for my ancient history or w/e the fuck exam she had to write for me, that: "can you just hurry the fuck up and get this done so I can GET TO LUNCH ON TIME???? bc I only signed up for this to get out of class and get extra lunch time if you're quick. its not my fault you're *the R word*."

like Sally. you full well know HSC exams are long. ancient history was 2 or 3 hrs, I can't remember now. of course you're going to miss lunch. why the fuck did you even bother signing up for this, if you actually D O N T want to help people, let alone help someone you don't like???? wow. what a kind soul you are, you dumb ass. I don't give a fuck if you want to miss class. you signed up to help, so get writing. you selfish ass bitch.

anyway, I took my precious, painstaking time in this exam mostly out of spite for this bitch, bc i didn't think she deserved to have lunch on time when she'd signed up to help people for the full exam time. and also for calling me the *R word*. like I get that. it was 2012/2013, and I'd had people call me it plenty at catholic school too, for being related to the special ed dept. but there was NO REASON to call me that right before my exam that you signed up to help me with.

as an aside, I was practically a low needs special needs student. all I wanted was a fucking laptop for my exams. but instead, I had to settle for this fucking cow, who actually didn't give a fuck if she made me fail or not.

anyway. my point is, if you sign up to help any type of special needs student at school or at uni, have some fucking empathy and patience for the other person. having a scribe should NEVER be an option in exams, in my opinion, because it's impossible to relate coherent thoughts under exams stress. or at least it is for me. and esp as someone who used to do writing as a hobby in high school, this was like purposely cutting off my arms, which I could ACTUALLY use and also the direct brain connection to: brain to arm, to hand and pen, to paper. I fucking L O A T H E D it so much, and esp in the case of this girl.

like yes I did end up getting a laptop, which ended up being pretty pointless anyway (diagrams in entertainment industry and biology and doing double the work for multiple choice).... but still. I have this experience buried in my brain whenever I think about how shit special accommodation organisation can be for exams for special ed kids. don't sign up if you don't actually WANT to help, and instead want to do it solely to get out of your classes and expect early and extra break times.

#life #about me #shut up ilona #ilona's public school memories #soz for all the personal posts today

[innsjovide]

some misc thoughts about modern horror (especially indie horror video games & internet horror [such as args and whatnot])

tw for discussion of horror topics obv and also my very biased opinions

[please note that my interests are usually peripheral to this stuff and I don't actually consume almost any of it, but I still have opinions on it bc I am an opinionated bitch]

rant under cut

it seems to me that a lot of modern popular horror media follows the same general trends and themes & that this has been happening for the past decade or so

those themes in question being 'sick and twisted horror under the guise of innocence'

this has always been an element of horror obv its not like fnaf invented the idea of making a children's thing creepy but its definitely had a rise in popularity in the past few years

in part bc of fnaf

and now you see it everywhere, its the most prevailing theme in modern horror media.

its in horrible steam games called 'bimbaps playtime' its in every new arg that comes out its in fucking yandere simulator its in everything you see and because its in everything you see there's nothing else interesting

and yes there are interesting things to do with this concept but when its all that's being done then the amount of things you can do with horror based on children's media

like I genuinely thing having horror based on children's media and this pretense of innocence limits the depth of theme you can actually go into bc ur limited by the aesthetics of 'childrens media but with blood'

bc even when you're twisting it into something dark and evil and horrific its still in some capacity got the trappings of children's media. it's limited by the fact its pretending to be something else and that's ugly

and its not like this sort of theme cant work well I mean. religious horror (which I am a huge fan of always) typically does the same thing but with jesus instead of chuckie cheese but idk it works better IMO there's more u can do

its like. we get it. the children's thing is secretly fucked up bc of whatever reason its seems like theres nothing there its just lame

also body horror gets extremely more lame when its a plush/puppet/toy/whatever instead of an actual human being with actual guts. miss me with all that symbolism shit it just doesn't pack the same punch

the inside of a build-a-bear will never illicit the same visceral reaction as actual legit intestines

[little side note obv horror doesnt need to be gory to be effective but theres something to be said about how the lack of actual violence against humans tones down the horror]

[little side note 2 I am mostly referencing the welcome home arg with this point and also fnaf and those are 2 separate things bc I'm pretty sure that imitation gore is not what the wh creator is trying to do with their story (their project actually seems pretty well written for this genre) and ik fnaf has actual gore but its lame and all kinda the same concept IMO (machine stabs u or whatever) also I hate fnaf and all the terrible things its done to this genre]

these projects seem to be lacking some of the things that make horror such an evocative genre. things such as themes. and social commentary. and things that are actually scary instead of just jumpscares

it all just seems so vacant and stupid and I also hate the culture around having to dig around for the actual secrets of a story. arg culture has done a lot for internet culture and unfortunately that is one of the annoying things. the actual plot of ur thing should not be hidden in ASCII art in the code of ur development blog

idk man I guess I just cant take ur horror concept seriously when the thing I'm supposed to be afraid of looks like a funko pop

the genre just seems so confining rn and I know that's bc this sort of stuff is extremely popular bc it appeals to people who want lighthearted stuff in addition to horror content but its just so fucking. lame.

horror for children is lame and bad. its too violent for children and too simple for adults (at least adults who enjoy actually thought out stories) and all the horror that's really popular rn is. pretty much just horror for children

TLDR

cj innsjovide is pissed off bc modern horror/horror for children lacks themes and stories bc its. for children. also fnaf still sucks

#innsjotxt #rant #not tagging with anything or the fandom bitches Will Get Me #these are very unfiltered unorganized thoughts if I'm still pissed off about this later I might continue it

[ourravenboys]

ya books with (well written) multiracial main characters!!

(* means the author is mixed as well)

*darius the great is not okay by adib khorram

contemporary, coming of age, gay half persian + half white mc

(tw for depression, fatphobia (challenged), homophobia, terminally ill character, islamophobia, racism (challenged), suicidal ideation)

the summer of everything by julian winters

contemporary romance, coming of age, friends to lovers, gay half black + half white mc

(tw for panic attacks, character with cancer)

*meet cute diary by emery lee

contemporary, fake dating, bi & trans afro-caribbean + white + japanese mc

(tw for panic attacks, misgendering, toxic relationships)

patron saints of nothing by randy ribay

contemporary mystery ish, half white + half filipino mc

(tw for drug use, police brutality, mention of sex trafficking)

*when we were infinite by kelly loy gilbert

contemporary, half white + half chinese mc

(tw for child abuse, attempted suicide, racism, panic attacks, depression)

to all the boys i’ve loved before by jenny han

contemporary romance, half white + half korean mc

(tw for death of a parent)

plus some that i haven’t read yet but really want to

*turtle under ice by juleah del rosario

contemporary, written in verse, half filipino + half chamorro mc

(tw for death of a parent, miscarriage)

*starfish by akemi dawn bowman

contemporary, half white + half japanese mc

(tw for emotional abuse, reference to sexual abuse, suicide attempt, childhood trauma, panic attacks, racism, ableism)

*firekeeper’s daughter by angeline boulley

thriller, half white + half indigenous mc

(tw for alcoholism, colorism, drug overdose (mentioned), drug use, kidnapping, murder, physical abuse, racism, sexual assault, suicide, violence)

*the black flamingo by dean atta

contemporary, written in verse, gay half greek + half jamaican mc

(tw for drug use, homophobia (internalized), physical abuse, racism (internalized))

*everything within and in between by nikki barthelmess

contemporary, half white + half mexican mc

(tw for racism, child abandonment, drug use, alcoholism, abusive relationship (implied), sexual advances on a minor)

*sugar town queens by malla nunn

contemporary, half white + half black mc

(tw for racism, homophobia, forced institutionalization, emotional abuse, gun violence, violence, death of a parent, death of a child, sexual harassment, descriptions of blood)

(mixed people especially) feel free to add on with any other books! just know that if you add eleanor and park I will be blocking you immediately <3

#I also forgot I had this in my drafts oops #my book recs #also obv if its well written or not is just my opinion so !! take this with a grain of salt #the lack of books about mixed ppl who aren't half white is disappointing (but not at all surprising) #if anyone has recs for that pls lmk or add on!! #booklr #litblr #book recommendations #books #ya books #book recs #biracial #mixed race #authors of color #lit #reading #ownvoices #LGBT books #queer books #diverse books #to all the boys i've loved before #tatbilb #we need diverse books #poc authors #book list #lgbt #queer #multiracial

[aniy2k]

Riot Grrrl, Kinderwhore, and White Feminism

Riot Grrrl was an underground feminist movement that began in the early 90s. It was tied to the punk music scene, radical politics and DIY. It started originally with a Zine by Tobi Vai named Jigsaw in 1988 that expressed and spread radical politics and feminism. Vail later on decided to start a band by the name Bikini Kill. 

For most ‘Styles’, people don't even bother looking at the history of where it came from originally, so why is it important? 

While part of Alternative culture is Fashion and a way to express yourself that's against societal norms, there is alot of political significance that comes with it. When talking about it, Riot Grrrl tik tok creators, and other Alternative creators, say the political significance is based on what the subcultures are. Without that, you cannot be a part of the subculture. Obviously there are alot of conservatives in the scene (As you can see from the usage of lace code) Some complain and say that it's “gatekeeping”, but in my opinion, it's honestly… not. This isn’t the same as someone taking a popular music artist, then saying “You don't know this song? Ur fake lolz”.. This is separating mindsets that Alternative people strongly believe in and instead protecting a community that is supposed to be a safe place.

The Riot Grrrl movement provided a space where women in punk music tackled the conflict of inequality and sexism, and decided to fight it, united and organized.

Kathleen Hanna, Bikini Kills lead singer, ended up writing the “Riot Grrrl Manifesto” in 1991, which is a summary of what Riot Grrrl is and what it means to be a part of it. 

Summary: 

“ BECAUSE us girls crave records and books and fanzines that speak to US that WE feel included in and can understand in our own ways.

BECAUSE we wanna make it easier for girls to see/hear each other's work so that we can share strategies and criticize-applaud each other.

BECAUSE we must take over the means of production in order to create our own meanings.

BECAUSE viewing our work as being connected to our girlfriends-politics-real lives is essential if we are gonna figure out how we are doing impacts, reflects, perpetuates, or DISRUPTS the status quo.

BECAUSE we recognize fantasies of Instant Macho Gun Revolution as impractical lies meant to keep us simply dreaming instead of becoming our dreams AND THUS seek to create revolution in our own lives every single day by envisioning and creating alternatives to the bullshit christian capitalist way of doing things.

BECAUSE we are unwilling to let our real and valid anger be diffused and/or turned against us via the internalization of sexism as witnessed in girl/girl jealousy and self defeating girltype behaviors.

BECAUSE I believe with my wholeheartmindbody that girls constitute a revolutionary soul force that can, and will change the world for real.”

I’m not personally too much of a fan of how Kathleen Hannah ended up seeming like the regular ol’ white feminist that basically put WOC in the shadows within this whole movement. While this piece is about educating about the power that the Riot Grrrl scene had within punk culture, it has many many faults. The diversity within the scene isn’t there. It seemed to be a feminst movement, but only showcased one type of girl. White girls. 

Multiple black punks from that era came out and said that they felt that the riot grrrl scene wasn't for them. Honestly? I don’t blame them. You look up Riot Grrrl on pinterest or on tumblr, you can probably count on your one hand how many POC women are showcased.. This moment for women of color is probably the epitome of White feminism in some cases. Author, Gabby Bess, adds that “The history of Riot Grrrl is inevitably written as "predominately white," glossing over the contributions of black women and other women of color”.

Just like the article from VICE states, 

“In contrast to this ironclad narrative of the white Riot Grrrl, black women did participate in the movement. Few and far between, maybe, but they participated nonetheless, and they deserve more than to be swept under a rug of whiteness--These women carved their own feminist pathways into the hardcore scene, precisely because they were rendered invisible by the Riot Grrrl movement.”

One very powerful punk from that time, Ramdasha Bikceem, made up a whole Zine when they  were 15, that illustrates the conversation of race and gender in Riot Grrrl so perfectly 

This would all result in another black punk from that time, Tamar-Kali Brown, to make her own movement called “Sista Grrrl riot”. Out of all of the information that is circulated about the Riot Grrrl scene, Sista Grrrl Riot was probably one of its least talked about movements. Tamir-Kali Brown and her bandmates brought together a community and showed people a version of themselves on a stage where they weren’t represented.

> Kinderwhore 

Kinderwhore is a very popular style within the RiotGrrrl community. A lot of people Champion Hole lead singer, Courtney Love, for this style's popularity, but actually her bandmate Kat Bjelland introduced the style first. Though, with that being said, Courtney Love definitely made Kinderwhore one of many staple styles for the Riot Grrrl Subculture. 

What is Kinderwhore exactly? One thing about styles like this one is, there isn’t a specific definition to what it is. It was a bold, punk and sophisticated subversion of the classic "girl" stereotype, with a mini-feminine dress and bold makeup. The great part of the Kinderwhore Style is that it was about power. The power of femininity. It was so much more than just a style that included small dresses and mary janes. It was taking the most “fragile” feminine image and making it into something that is punk, and that takes all of the power back. 

Another part of Riot Grrrl fashion is just a subversion of regular punk fashion. DIY, big boots, Plaid, Skirts, Spikes. 

The idea of taking every inch of femininity that men manipulate and instead using it to make them realize that they can't handle what we are, is such a powerful thing to me as a fashion lover, but also as an aspiring social activist. As the rise of social media attention of Alternative Subcultures continues, I believe the next generation of Riot Grrls are going to kick butt and be more inclusive than the 90s scene was.

ani ok.

pls give me feedback and for those who obv have more education abt this pls give me feedback as well!! i think this is super interesting and enjoyed researching this <3

#riot girl #punk girl #bikini kill #hole band #courtney love #black punks #alternative #alt rock

[separatist-apologist]

Hi, it’s me, riling up anon (I really should get a tumblr account to ease my introductions and so we can become besties). Obviously, LOVE part 4! Part 5 ideas- Lucien repays the favor (obvs). He wakes up wondering how he is going to get Elain alone in the house when a gift falls into his lap - a rogue Illyrian war band is attempting to gain new territory. Exit the IC, enter elucien smut in the garden.

First of all, I would love to be besties.

Second of all, no rest for the wicked am I right? Like yesterday this is NSFW, 18+, practically unedited and obviously guarantees a part 6. It's also the longest part I've written so far. PART 5!

Elain woke with some regrets. The throb between her legs was at an all-time high and with so many people around, there was little she could do but put on a breezy, cotton gown, her wide-brimmed sun hat, and vanish into the garden where at least no one would be able to smell what was going on with her. Elain kept her thighs pressed together, hoping some of the friction would help alleviate the burn.

It didn’t, and by the time the sun was high in the sky, Elain was weeding with a grim brutality. Had Lucien left? She wanted to tug on the bond and see where he was but she didn’t want to bring him anywhere near her. Her control was too tenuous as it was. She might jump him in front of her sisters and then what? How would she possibly explain what was going on between them? She barely knew herself. None of it was ladylike…and perhaps some small part of her liked having something that was just for her. No one could offer an opinion or butt in if they didn’t know.

“Elain?” Feyre’s voice wafted from the garden wall. A moment later her youngest sister appeared in her Illyrian leathers. Elain stood, dusting off her dirty hands. “Hey…it’s nothing to worry about and not a big deal, but there was a disturbance with the Illyrian’s. One of the chiefs slaughtered a village and is attempting to take more territory. Rhys and I are going up to handle it, and I know Cassian and Nesta plan to join with the Valkyries….you’ll be alone in the house.”

Elain shrugged. “That’s fine,” she agreed, wiping sweat with the back of her arm.

Feyre bit her bottom lip, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “Mostly alone…”

Elain narrowed her eyes. “What does that mean?”

Lucien will be in the house too…not all day! But…for a while. He’s working on a treaty for Rhys and should stay in the study. He’ll leave you alone but…just in case you wanted to go out…”

Right. Elain offered Feyre a tight smile, her heart pounding in her chest. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Feyre’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “If we can’t make it back tonight I’ll send word.”

“Be safe.”

Feyre vanished, leaving Elain alone in the garden. She stood there, wondering if she ought to find him in the study and demand…demand what, exactly? It wasn’t like she was well-practiced. As she stood there, contemplating how to get what she wanted without having to just blurt it out, a hand brushed the hair from the back of her neck. Warm breath tickled her skin and when Elain spun, already aware of who was just behind her, Lucien caught her easily. He was smiling, his one russet eye dark and hungry as he gazed down at her.

“I’ve promised your sister not to bother you unless you ask,” he told her, his deep voice a shade darker than it typically was. “May I bother you, Lady Elain?”

“That depends,” she replied primly, unable to take her eyes off his lips. “On what kind of bothering you plan to do.”

A grin began to stretch across Lucien’s face, giving him a near feral appearance. “I owe you for last night.”

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear nervously. “Of course you don’t.” Lucien’s body was pressed against her own as he reached for her face, tilting it towards him. “Wrong, Elain. Tell me…can I bother you?”

“Bother me how?” She whispered, the words nearly sticking to the back of her throat.

“With my mouth, ideally,” he murmured, ghosting his lips across her own. “But I’m happy with just my hands.”

“Why not both?” She asked without thinking. She felt him smile against her skin.

“I like the way you think,” he practically purred before kissing her gently, out in the open where anyone could see. There was nothing to hide them; the garden wall would hardly come up to his hip were he standing right beside it, and though there were some lovely trees scattered about, none were broad enough to obscure what was happening between them.

Elain felt a thrill run up her spine at the thought of being so open with him. It was her that deepened the kiss, running her tongue along his lips until he opened for her. She surged upwards on her tiptoes, arms wrapped around his neck so she could revel in the way he tasted. No one had the right to smell half as good as Lucien did, like crisp Autumn air and sun washed apples, but for however good he smelled, he tasted ten times better.

She was half-drunk on the moment, lost in the feel of his hands running the length of her spine. It was so sweet, so unhurried that some small part of her wanted to revel in it. Lucien, though, had decidedly different ideas regarding what he hoped to do. Some of the sweetness shattered when his hand cupped her breast through the thin, white material of her dress while his other began rouching up the fabric.

She broke the kiss with a gasp. “Out here?” She asked. He chuckled, teasing her nipple almost absently as he gazed down at her.

“You have somewhere better in mind?”

She opened her mouth to protest, to say yes, very much so, but the look on his face stopped her. She glanced at the soft grass just beneath her feet and, before she could talk herself out of it, promptly sat down at his feet. Lucien stared for a moment and then laughed as if she’d told him the most hilarious joke, his tanned face reddening as he attempted to keep himself together.

“What?” She demanded as he dropped to one knee, and then the other until he was kneeling before her.

“You’re funny,” was all he said in response. No one thought she was funny…and never had. She wasn’t sure what to do with that information, so she tucked it away for later. “I never meant for you to sit in the grass, though.”

She frowned. “Oh?”

He was chuckling again as he hefted her into his lap. “I ama gentleman, you know.”

“Where should I sit, then?” She asked, genuinely curious. His lips curled upwards as he lowered himself to the ground and gestured at his face. Heat rose through her body and she balked, one hand pressed against her mouth.

“You’re obscene,” she accused, completely unaware people did such things. Lucien waited a beat and then, with strong, sure hands, merely dragged her across his chest until he had her placed exactly where he wanted.

“Tell me to stop,” he replied, his face half hidden beneath her dress, his breath hot against the fabric of her underwear. Oh, Gods,she thought, her embarrassment shifting towards anticipation. She swallowed hard and draped her gown over his face entirely, not that it was keep anyone from instantly recognizing what was going on between them.

“Off,” his muffled voice ordered, his finger hooking in the fabric of her underwear. It was awkward, shimmying them off while he attempted to keep her exactly as she was, but Elain managed it. Still nervous, she shoved them into the pocket of his pants, just in case anyone came by. They were still clothed…perhaps she’d lie and say she was injured and he was patching her up.

She gasped when she felt his fingers spread her open. Lucien hissed softly. “Pretty,” he murmured, she suspected more to himself than for her though the praise settled hot in her belly.

“What are you—”

He licked right up the center of her cunt and Elain nearly flew off his face. He brought one hand from beneath her skirt to hold her in place, dragging her even closer. Was he breathing, she wondered wildly, suddenly desperate for him to continue?

He licked a slow circle and Elain whined, grinding her hips against his face without thinking. Lucien groaned beneath her, the guttural sound spearing pleasure through her but.

“Am I frustrating you?” His muffled voice asked, his lips speaking practically into her cunt.

“Yes,” she gritted out, wishing he’d shut up.

“Do you want me to stop?” He asked, withdrawing his mouth completely.

Elain screamed softly, shoving him back into her wet folds. She heard him groan again and she wondered which he liked; the assertiveness or being that close to her body. He gave her what she was asking for, licking up the center of her, letting his tongue work over her clit in the same circular motion as before, faster, then slower, while she canted against him, urging him on.

Heat mingled with pleasure, building up, up, up and when she thought she might fall over the edge, Lucien’s tongue vanished from her clit and dipped into her entrance to fuck her with his mouth instead.

“Lucien please—” She begged. She was close, so mind-shatteringly close it had stolen her ability to think of anything else but his soft, wet mouth rubbing against her, the sweet friction almost unbearable in its pleasure.

He dragged his tongue back to his clit, his pace quickening as one finger slid into her body. Elain was lost to the sensation, unable to do anything but grind against him. Darkness crept into the edge her vision as the heat in her gut threatened to take her completely.

“Please, don’t stop, Lucien—” Her legs clamped around his head, his cunt pulsating on his finger as she screamed his name to the sky. Lucien rode her through it before sliding her down his chest just enough to sit up and kiss her roughly. His mouth tasted like her and she thought she ought to have found it disturbing or disgusting but she found the taste of her mingled in his mouth erotic.

“Lucien?!” A distant voice called. Feyre, she realized. Lucien groaned.

“We’ll continue this later,” he promised, quickly righting himself. She looked away from the bulge in his pants, still panting on the ground. Lucien vanished a moment later and she realized when she’d finally managed to climb back to her shaking legs that he’d taken her underwear with him.

#elucien fic #elucien smut #elucien prompt #my girl just out here in PUBLIC getting her some #Part 6 tomorrow #and then idk #maybe we only need 6 parts????? #as always #u tell me i am but a slave to your will

[bloodbenderz]

humaniterations (dot) net/2014/10/13/an-anarchist-perspective-on-the-red-lotus/ this article from oct 2014 is very dense — truly, a lot to unpack here, but I feel like you would find this piece interesting. I would love it if you shared your thoughts on the points that stood out to you, whether you agree or disagree. you obv don’t have to respond to it tho, but I’m sending it as an ask jic you feel like penning (and sharing) a magnificent essay, as is your wont 💕

article

i know this took me forever 2 answer SORRY but i just checked off all the things on my to do list for the first time in days today so. Essay incoming ladies!

ok im SO glad u sent me this bc it’s so so good. it’s a genuinely thoughtful criticism of the politics in legend of korra (altho i think its sometimes a little mean to korra unnecessarily like there’s no reason to call her a “petulant brat” or say that she throws tantrums but i do understand their point about her being an immature and reactionary hero, which i’ll get back to) and i think the author has a good balance between acknowledging like Yeah the lok writers were american liberals and wrote their show accordingly and Also writing a thorough analysis of lok’s politics that felt relevant and interesting without throwing their hands up and saying this is all useless liberal bullshit (which i will admit that i tend to do).

this article essentially argues that the red lotus antagonists of s3 were right. And that’s not an uncommon opinion i think but this gives it serious weight. Like, everything that zaheer’s gang did was, in context, fully understandable. of course the red lotus would be invested in making sure that the physically and spiritually and politically most powerful person in the world ISNT raised by world leaders and a secret society of elites that’s completely unaccountable to the people! of course the red lotus wants to bring down tyrannical governments and allow communities to form and self govern organically! and the writers dismiss all of that out of hand by 1. consistently framing the red lotus as insane and murderous (korra never actually gives zaheer’s ideas a chance or truly considers integrating them into her own approach) 2. representing the death of the earth queen as not just something that’s not necessarily popular (what was with mako’s bootlicker grandma, i’d love to know) but as something that causes unbelievable violence and chaos in ba sing se (which, like, a lot of history and research will tell you that people in disasters tend towards prosocial behaviors). so the way the story frames each of these characters and ideologies is fascinating because like. if you wanted to write season 3 of legend of korra with zaheer as the protagonist and korra as the antagonist, you wouldn’t actually have to change the sequence of events at all, really. these writers in particular and liberal writers in general LOVE writing morally-gray-but-ultimately-sympathetic characters (like, almost EVERY SINGLE fire nation character in the first series, who were full on violent colonizers but all to a degree were rehabilitated in the eyes of the viewer) but instead of framing the red lotus as good people who are devoted to justice and freedom and sometimes behave cruelly to get where theyre trying to go, they frame them as psychopaths and murderers who have good intentions don’t really understand how to make the world a better place.

and the interesting thing about all this, about the fact that the red lotus acted in most cases exactly as it should have in context and the only reason its relegated to villain status is bc the show is written by liberals, is that the red lotus actually points out really glaring sociopolitical issues in universe! like, watching the show, u think well why the fuck HASN’T korra done anything about the earth queen oppressing her subjects? why DOESN’T korra do anything about the worse than useless republic president? why the hell are so many people living in poverty while our mains live cushy well fed lives? how come earth kingdom land only seems to belong to various monarchs and settler colonists, instead of the people who are actually indigenous to it? the show does not want to answer these questions, because american liberal capitalism literally survives on the reality of oppressive governments and worse than useless presidents and people living in poverty while the middle/upper class eats and indigenous land being stolen. if the show were to answer these questions honestly, the answer would be that the status quo in real life (and the one on the show that mirrors real life) Has To Change.

So they avoid answering these questions honestly in order for the thesis statement to be that the status quo is good. and the only way for the show to escape answering these questions is for them to individualize all these broad social problems down into Good people and Bad people. so while we have obvious bad ones like the earth queen we also have all these capitalists and monarchs and politicians who are actually very nice and lovely people who would never hurt anyone! which is just such an absurd take and it’s liberal propaganda at its best. holding a position of incredible political/economic power in an unjust society is inherently unethical and maintaining that position of power requires violence against the people you have power over. which is literally social justice 101. but there’s literally no normal, average, not-politically-powerful person on the show. so when leftist anarchism is presented and says that destroying systems that enforce extreme power differentials is the only way to bring peace and freedom to all, the show has already set us up to think, hey, fuck you, top cop lin beifong and ford motor ceo asami sato are good people and good people like them exist! and all we have to do to move forward and progress as a society is to make sure we have enough good individuals in enough powerful positions (like zuko as the fire lord ending the war, or wu as the earth king ending the monarchy)! which is of course complete fiction. liberal reform doesn’t work. but by pretending that it could work by saying that the SYSTEM isnt rotten it’s just that the people running it suck and we just need to replace those people, it automatically delegitimizes any radical movements that actually seek to change things.

and that’s the most interesting thing about this article to me is that it posits that the avatar...might actually be a negative presence in the world. the avatar is the exact same thing: it’s a position of immense political and physical power bestowed completely randomly, and depending on the moral character and various actions of who fills that position at any given time, millions of people will or won’t suffer. like kyoshi, who created the fascist dai li, like roku, who refused to remove a genocidal dictator from power, like aang, who facilitated the establishment of a settler colonial state on earth kingdom land. like korra! she’s an incredibly immature avatar and a generally reactionary lead. i’ve talked about this at length before but she never actually gets in touch with the needs of the people. she’s constantly running in elite circles, exposed only to the needs and squabbles of the upper class! how the hell is she supposed to understand the complexities of oppression and privilege when she was raised by a chess club with inordinate amounts of power and associates almost exclusively with politicians and billionaires?? from day 1 we see that she tends to see things in very black and white ways which is FINE if you’re a privileged 17 yr old girl seeing the world for the first time but NOT FINE if you’re the single most powerful person in the world! Yeah, korra thinks the world is probably mostly fine and just needs a little whipping into shape every couple years, because all she has ever known is a mostly fine world! in s1 when mako mentions that he as a homeless impoverished teenager worked for a gang (which is. Not weird. Impoverished people of every background are ALWAYS more likely to resort to socially unacceptable ways of making money) korra is like “you guys are criminals?????!!!!!” she was raised in perfect luxury by a conservative institution and just never developed beyond that. So sure, if the red lotus raised her anarchist, probably a lot would’ve been different/better, but....they didn’t. and korra ended up being a reactionary and conservative avatar who protected monarchs and colonialist politicians. The avatar as a position is completely subject to the whims of whoever is currently the avatar. and not only does that suck for everyone who is not the avatar, not only is it totally unfair to whatever kid who grows up knowing the fate of the world is squarely on their shoulders, but it as a concept is a highly individualist product of the authors’ own western liberal ideas of progress! the idea that one good leader can fix the world (or should even try) based on their own inherent superiority to everyone else is unbelievably flawed and ignores the fact that all real progress is brought about as a result of COMMUNITY work, as a result of normal people working for themselves and their neighbors!

the broader analysis of bending was really interesting to me too, but im honestly not sure i Totally agree with it. the article pretty much accepts the show’s assertion that bending is a privilege (and frankly backs it up much better than the original show did, but whatever), and i don’t think that’s NECESSARILY untrue since it is, like, a physical advantage (the author compares it to, for example, the fact that some people are born athletically gifted and others are born with extreme physical limitations), but i DO think that it discounts the in universe racialization of bending. in any sequel to atla that made sense, bending as a race making fact would have been explored ALONGSIDE the physical advantages it bestows on people. colonialism and its aftermath is generally ignored in this article which is its major weakness i think, especially in conjunction with bending. you can bring up the ideas the author did about individual vs community oriented progress in the avatar universe while safely ignoring the colonialism, but you can’t not bring up race and colonialism when you discuss bending. especially once you get to thinking about how water/earth/airbenders were imprisoned and killed specifically because bending was a physical advantage, and that physical advantage was something that would have given colonized populations a means of resistance and that the fire nation wanted to keep to itself.

i think that’s the best lens thru which to analyze bending tbh! like in the avatar universe bending is a tool that different ethnic groups tend to use in different ways. at its best, bending actually doesn’t represent social power differences (despite representing a physical power difference) because it’s used to represent/maintain community solidarity. like, take the water tribe. katara being the last waterbender, in some way, makes her the last of a part of swt CULTURE. the implication is that when there were a lot of waterbenders in the south, they dedicated their talents to building community and helping their neighbors, because this was something incredibly culturally important and important to the water tribe as a community. the swt as a COLLECTIVE values bending for what it can do for the entire tribe, which counts for basically every other talent a person can have (strength, creativity, etc). the fire nation, by contrast, distorts the community value of bending by racializing it: anyone who bends an element that isn’t fire is inherently NOT fire nation (and therefore inherently inferior) and, because of the physical power that bending confers, anyone who bends an element that isn’t fire is a threat to fire nation hegemony. and in THAT framework of bending, it’s something that intrinsically assigns worth and reifies race in a way that’s conveniently beneficial to the oppressor.

it IS worth talking about how using Element as a way to categorize people reifies nations, borders, and race in a way that is VERY characteristic of white american liberals. i tried to be conscious of that (and the way that elements/bending can act in DIFFERENT ways, depending on cultural context) but i think it’s pretty clear that the writers did intend for element to unequivocally signify nation (and, by extension, race), which is part of why they screwed up mixed families so bad in lok. when they’ve locked themselves into this idea that element=nation=race, they end up with sets of siblings like mako and bolin or kya tenzin and bumi, who all “take” after only one parent based on the element that they bend. which is just completely stupid but very indicative of how the writers actually INTENDED element/bending to be a race making process. and its both fucked up and interesting that the writers display the same framework of race analysis that the canonical antagonists of atla do.

anyway that’s a few thoughts! thank u again for sending the article i really loved it and i had a lot of fun writing this <3

#this is 2.1k words LMFAOO #asks #analysis #do i have an analysis tag? #crit #lok crit

[mcaxolotlenthusiast]

(All lore, just forgot to add the c! before every character ahha!)

Just a rant of what I want to happen in the next streams and stuff and how I want the plot to go out!!! :D

-----

Tbh, all this new info is making me kinda shift my opinion a lot on what I want things to happen lmao!

But I really want shit to go down on the breakout of dream. I want everything to change from there on.

I want conflict between Tommy and Wilbur again, because we know how much Wilbur adores Dream, right? So he'll take Technos side I want it to be just like that same scene where they fight and Dream steps in, but this time nobody can step in, this time they actually talk it out or not. I want Tommy to actually explain to him what Dream did in the most painful way possible, and then Wilbur ignoring it anyways (because the bastard hasn't learnt anything) but then some moments after the breakout have second thoughts (maybe triggered by something that Techno says? Or maybe Ranboo says!) and then be like, oh shit, what have I done what am I doing. And this time actually do things right, actually realize what the fuck he did, ACTUALLY APOLOGIZE, and stop doing wrong.

I also want Techno to die, I want him to realize that he isn't fucking immortal and that he can die. I want him to die during the breakout and FAIL. I want this to be like a big moment where everyone is overpowering him, he has no longer control and gets. killed. No philza to save him, daddy can't save you, boy!

I also want Sam to be fucking stupid as fuck! Even more!!! I want Dream to convince him that he has to set him free.

-

So basically: Techno, Phil + whoever else are going to attack prison. Las Nevadas people don't know this but Techno or Phil mention this to Ranboo, they tell him their plan and that they are going to attack the prison. Ranboo obv goes and tells everyone about this because he doesn't want Dream to be set free at all. So he tells Las Nevadas people + Tommy and others. This is like some days before the attack.

Before the attack happens, Wilbur and Tommy have a discussion again. Tommy tells Wilbur everything that Dream did to him, and that it's either Dream or him. Wilbur, in denial and conflicted, shrugs it off and goes with Techno to set Dream free, deep down he is really questioning everything and whats the right thing to do rn. Tommy will remember this (he stays really mad with Wilbur). They both go their different ways to prepare for the upcoming battle. Las Nevadas + allies make a plan. Sam stays inside to monitor Dream (Sam eventually tells everyone that Dream is still inside just when Ranboo goes and tells that Techno is attacking the prison. Everybody kind off put Sam as a traitor, but he says that they cannot get rid off the revival stuff. What they are going to do to Sam stays kind of pinned for later, but its implied that they understand why they shouldn't kill Dream.) Meanwhile everybody else stay outside to fight. If anything goes wrong, they will kill Dream. It's like some minutes before the attack, Wilbur is talking to Phil about what Tommy said, Phil doesn't really get it but says something that gets Wilbur to open his eyes, he realizes "...oh shit, Tommy is more important than my idol" and he kind of goes as fast as he can back to where Tommy and he discussed, but he isn't there (he's like in the prison getting ready to fight) So he goes to the prison because he assumes he's there.

So, the battle is going to start. Wilbur is running to the prison as fast as he can. Techno is giving a speech again or something meanwhile, they are going to start fighting. As soon as the battle starts, wilbur arrives and finds Tommy as soon as he can, he apologizes very quickly because oh god no you are more important sorry little brother!!! Tommy, still mad says something like "save your apologies for later, we got a fight to win". So they begin to fight. Everyone is fighting the withers (because we know techno is going to bring those) and trying to survive and kill them (this time they are more prepared). They go into a point where they are even, nobody is really winning. Quackity goes up to Tommy and says that they need to go inside and kill Dream right now. They leave Tubbo, Fundy and Wilbur in charge of the fight now. They have a wholesome moment, Tommy kind off says "Don't die buddy" to Tubbo which he responds to something like "I'll try my best, big man" (Ranboo is by his side like "I won't let him die"). As all of this is happening, Dream has been talking to Sam, begging him to set him free already Techno is going to set him free anyways. But Sam refuses, he makes Dream doubt himself again, is he really going to die? Is he never going to be set free? In this, Quackity joins the vc and tells Sam that they are going to kill Dream and leaves without many explanation. Dream obvs starts freaking out and Sam doesn't know what to do, HE DOESN'T WANT THE REVIVAL BOOK KNOWLEDGE GONE. So finally, he says that he's going to save Dream, he's going to set him free and escape together. So they leave, Quackity and Tommy arrive to an empty room, no Sam or Dream to be found. They freak out, they don't know where Dream is, they didn't see Sam die in chat, did Sam let him go? Did he really escape with Dream? At that same moment Philza also enters the room behind them, he left Techo. Questions what is going on, where is Dream? Quackity and Tommy kind off are very mad at him, so Philza just dips before they can kill him (is not known how Philza got in or out). Meanwhile outside everybody is ganging up on Techno as they eliminate the withers, they are winning. One by one is starting to follow Techno around giving him more and more damage. Until they finally pin him down. Tubbo and him get in a fight, since Tubbo catched up to him first. Tubbo loses, he is dead. Everybody sees this. But they don't have much time to react as they need to kill Techno. And they do. He loses a life. It's over, they won.

Tommy and Quackity get out, Tommy in distress as he saw the death message of Tubbo, yelling and demanding an explanation. Ranboo is fucking DESTROYED, (in my version, Tubbo and Ranboo are still super platonic husbands, they get reconciled pretty quickly because, c'mon :() he can't explain, he was supposed to protect Tubbo, he couldn't save him. Tommy immediately fucking goes off at Wilbur, saying that it's his fault (he didnt really go off on Ranboo because my mans fucking sobbing and crying at this point over his dead husband LMAO) that Tubbo died, he's honestly just looking at somebody to be mad at. Wilbur stays silent, let's Tommy let out all his anger and grief on him.

The streams ends with Ranboo and Tommy sitting on the bench. Completely silent. Listening to some discs. Sam and Dream dissapeared, Techno lost a life, Tubbo died. And Wilbur now actually has a redemption arc, not whatever the fuck he's trying to do now. (not cc!wilbur I bet he has an amazing thing written for his character!)

---

SO THATS HOW I WANT THAT TO GO!! I also have ideas for how I want it go after that. I know that this shit will never happen but wouldn't it be so cool? I think it would, idk!

Well anyways that was LOOONg, maybe I'll follow up with the other part that I have planned.

#i dont know how to tag this #dsmp #dsmp writing #dsmp rant #dream smp #dream smp writing #dream smp analysis #dsmp analysis #IDK HOW TO TAG THSI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #tw death mention #tw death #c!techno critical #c!sam critical #c!wilbur critical #c!dream critical #dsmp theory #dream smp theory #c!dream #c!quackity #c!tubbo #c!ranboo #c!wilbur #c!sam #c!tommy #c!techno #c!philza #hyper ramblings #i really don't know how to tag this!! sorry!!! #tw caps #tw caps in tags

[tolerateit]

i really dont feel like wonders a good book to read, idk its not really my place to talk about it that much but the author was 100% using people with facial deformities for "inspiration porn" (a term commonly used in regards to able bodied people using disabled people and stories about them being successful purely for their own inspiration while not actually caring about them as people and perpetuating the idea that disable people have to be successful in order to have worth, obviously it doesnt fit this idea fully but its the most accurate term i could think of as it is a story written by someone without any facial/physical deformities or who even knows anyone with any (she says in the end notes of the book that her inspiration was that she saw a young girl with a facial deformity on the street in passing and it doesnt seem like she ever consulted the people whos experiences she was writing about and profiting from, thought i may be wrong as i havent looked into it that much) purely to write an inspirational narrative that imo rigs very hollows since shes just co-opting something that should be told by people whove actually lived that experience) on top of that (and this is something i do feel like a can somewhat talk about as an autistic person who has extra education needs because of it) the book tends to be very weird about education/developmental disabilities imo, like theres an entire subplot about a mother at the school he goes to inditing he doesnt belong there because the school isnt one that includes special needs students and its 100% treated more as that he doesnt have special needs and is just as capable at learning at other students and not that what that lady is saying is very abelist which just leave a really uncomfortable feeling imo (there are other examples too, like in one scene the r slur is used by the protagonist saying he isnt that, which doesnt sit right with me when it comes to a book that does seem to take the stance that there is something wrong with the disabled people that slur is aimed at) also totally a smaller note but as someone who did read it when i was younger for school and later tried rereading it it 100% feels more like a book that feels kinda inspirational when youre younger (and dont really know better in regards to the really messed up aspects) but isnt really as good when you get older but thats just my opinion on it, obvs nothing ive said can stop you from reading the book but i hope you at least consider it because the book does just feel very gross to me for these reasons (and ofc if you want to look further into this i recommend listening to people with facial deformities and what they have to say in this book since they are the ones this story is about and who are the ultimate authority on narratives about them admittedly i havent looked into this as much as i feel i should but most of what i have seen is them making the same points i did here)

I am very familiar with this concept and I just watched the trailer for the 2017 movie and it is coming off like so so yes thank you for sending this in because it's much more well put than I could have, and if I do read this book I will be mindful of the fact that the author may not have done as much as research as they should have and that the depictions might not be accurate always

#you ask for the tab* #long post tw

[tsukidrama]

j anon ♡

the coolest mf on the planet sent me a review of my most favorite fic i've ever written. i ended up breaking it up for ease of reading as we both ramble more than usual (this is not an issue, you know how i love to talk)

links:

cold hands, cold heart part 2 [nsfw]

(and also part 1 too just in case)

i didn't want the ask to leave my inbox because i've been rereading this every day recently 🥺 you're amazing, can i just say that?

IM LITERALLY SOO GAYY FOR WRITING THAT QLDHEKSJ AND SO ARE YOU FOR THOSE BEIN UR FAVORITE PARTS IWLEUKJDS. seriously though, thank you!! i don't even know how to properly respond to this i just start kicking my little legs happily. the imagery rly is what pulls you into the story 😩 ngl i wrote this so that i would know what it felt like to be there with her in that moment but it's sooo endearing and sweet to hear other people's reactions to reading it, especially for the emotional aspects and not just the steamy bits. omg j, the experience of being understood 💕

oh damn yeah i see why you say that! it's the heavy visual imagery and the association with the moon, too. it makes me feel so 🥰 to know that somebody is out there and making connections between my different works 🥺 that's so personal and i love you so much for it holy shit.

and thank you for the validation too, i feel so seen!! exactly! all the details are essential to the plot and to the experience i'm describing, it literally could not have been shorter. hell, if anything, i could have made it longer.

NONO ITS NOT DUMB AT ALL OMFG THIS IS HONESTLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE COMMENTS YOUVE EVER MADE! LMAO I HAD TO GIVE IT IT'S OWN SPOTLIGHT WLKEJHWKDJF I AGREE SO HARD! in canon there is no way in hell that they'd have the time or care to make sure their pubes are shaved. i dont like when people give them hairless pussies, i know it's not that deep but i feel strongly about it qjsnemmddn

in my humble personal opinion, Annie would TOTALLY have a bush anyway. always, even in modern AUs. lmao she doesn't give a fuck, and anybody that would take issue with that just wouldn't get anywhere near her pussy to begin with! also pubes are sexy, i said what i said. it's like a welcome mat yknow? soft and inviting.... honey,, i'm home!

YEP THATS IT THATS THE FIC. that's the best way anyone has ever summed up the central point as well as "Annie opened up and gave herself to reader while still holding back deep down". yowch! my heart hurts.

hnmng... yeah. hehe. wouldn't you just die? every single time i reread that scene it still has the same effect of like, needing to hide and bury my face away lololol. why thank you! i do my best to try to do realistic smut in general, it makes me feel closer to them.

GIRL.... you're over here like "does this make sense???" and i'm over here shrieking and dancing because this is like,,, what i've always thought about the fic. nobody but one other friend and my literal wife has ever pointed out to me that they don't think the story is just about sex. like yeah obv they fuck so in that regard it is, but it's not about getting laid. it's about a genuine moment of connection between Annie and somebody who has a very pure love for her, even if it is to the point of naievity. especially if it's to the point of naievity.

they care about each other so much :') it takes a lot to make her cold heart melt (pun intended)... i guess i got you too! aHA caught you slippin ;))

thank you 🥺💕💕 like yeah it's just fanfic but it was also a character study, and my only way of giving a fictional character the love and gentleness that i feel she deserves 💕 I LOVE HER SOOO MUCCHHH 🥺😵

girl stoppp that's such a mood. you should see my drafts. recently i wrote the phrase "in the barn" three times all in the same sentence, it made me cackle. while writing I jus let the spirit flow thru me...... and then i edit like a madwoman to make sure that it's not chickenscratch gobbledygook because it often is at first. lmao i'm not always as well-spoken as people seem to think.

i think that the awkwardness is actually essential! especially since it's their first time. but like i was saying earlier about liking things to be realistic: when having sex, soemtimes you accidentally get trapped in an awkward angle, or slip and smack your partner in the face. it's messy and wet and sweet and funny, and my goal is for my writing to reflect that.

drljlakjdfh like a wwe match 😂 positions are important and worth describing in my opinion! i'm glad you don't think it's too much though, sometimes i worry that it is.

yesssssss kldjfhkaj thank you!!! for the millionth time thank you! hheheh i love the gentle and sweet talking during smut, it means everything to my soft heart. shockingly i haven't written more smut for Annie (it's because i loooooove her it's so EMBARRASSING actually! I used to be smut queen) but i swear to god just u wait until i post more and you see how consistent i am with reader doing things that she likes.... reader remembers.... and do i seem like the kind of person who is going leave my beloved princess and the queen of my LIFE unsatisfied??? i'd die first

I LOVED IT!! sorry i took a while to post my response though! i went back and forth between not wanting to publish it at all (literally i want it in my ask box forever i can never let go) and then being too overwhelmed by my feels to respond coherently akljfdhlasjd I just have a lot to say and so many feelings, I MISS YOU BTW

#j anon #spicy #annie-isms #cottagecanon #my writing #snk #annie leonhardt #annie leonhart #ar/uan/is dont interact oof i shoulda put that higher up in the tags #but fr if any of u shippers try and give your opinion you will be blocked and your comments deleted #this is a wlw blog and i am simply not interested. also i will k!ll you dead #tsuki answers

[shirkers2018dirsanditan]

what do u think of how shows like 'lovecraft country' & the new show 'them' use their 1950s setting? obv it's trying to subvert the idea of 'the good old days' wrt the blatant vicious racism the characters suffer through, but i worry the period setting detracts from the message a little ('oh we're so much less racist than we were in the '50s') while also coming across as not super grounded in reality? idk i think they portray a very important pov and timely message...but idk, they feel more like "message" movies (which isn't bad!) that utilize its '50s setting in order to show the harm of blatant racism rather than being realistic/fair to the decade? not to downplay the very real racism of the decade *at all*, i mean just that it's hard to believe that real black people who lived in the '50s were just suffering relentlessly. maybe that's an unfair criticism as i know showcasing the horrors of racism is the point, but...idk. it'd be nice if we got more period pieces w/ black characters that wasn't heavily centered around the racism they face (and who were actually written as black instead of just colorblind casted)

oh it’s actually so funny you send this just as i was drafting another post about lovecraft country, a show i love very dearly. i think its great actually that shows are exploring the 50s! lovecraft does its period elements very well. them to me just comes off as a knockoff. but lovecraft country is not really a “message” show, it’s a show about family, about heritage, community, and sacrifice. they dont just suffer in it either; its a complex and dynamic story about black life, black pasts, and black futures. and really thats why discourse like this is unfair to me. because first of all, these two shows are not the same (although them is clearly derivative, it more so seems to copy from us) and it’s not accurate or fair to put them in one box. second, black creators have a right to make the art they want, and deserve the same consideration we give white people without question - why is it that both of these shows are distilled down to nothing but what they “teach” the audience, rather than being regarded as works that contemplate certain themes and make certain critiques but are first and foremost works of fiction, works of art. also, both shows appear to, and in the case of lovecraft designed to, criticize contemporary race struggles through the lens of the past. i mean, them seems to literally be racial horror. but both are also not entirely grounded in reality on purpose. lovecraft country is genrebending, it’s fantasy, horror, and science fiction all in on. like i said, them seems to be racial horror a la us dir. jordan peele. the creators take certain liberties to tell the story they want. the mere inclusion of racism as a part of a story does not inherently mean the story is about suffering and i would find a period piece about black people that did not acknowledge the reality of the time in SOME way to actually be childish and entirely ungrounded in reality, to borrow from your phrasing. and this in my opinion is part of a larger problem in which everything black people create is supposed to be everything to everyone all the time, and is supposed to be a vessel for someone else. its either that the black creators are marionettes controlled by studios or networks with no vision or creative input or that black fiction is actually a textbook to “teach” antiracism (see: all the fucking movie and book and tv lists people made during the summer). white people make misery movies all the time. maybe some black creators want to explore black misery in a way that isn’t hokey or overly theatrical. maybe they want to process their own traumas and pain through their art. maybe they’re interested in how black people in the 50s lived (i am!!). maybe they just like the costuming, production design, and world building of period pieces (i do!!!). maybe they like black history (i do!!!). why they choose to focus on what they inevitably create is as complicated as any other creator’s and they deserve the same consideration. i mean, how many period pieces about black people BY black people that treat racism seriously do we actually have? we didn’t even make roots (save one lone writer). 12 years a slave is about the only damn slavery movie thats any good and its the only one by US for US. there has not been and there is not enough space for black people to create things on their own terms, and every time a visionary work like lovecraft country or judas and the black messiah or 12 years a slave or small axe (and so on) get the recognition they deserve, theres always a backlash that tries to limit the scope of possibility for black art. and i think it’s unfortunate. for decades we have had to endure white people cheapening our lives on screen and relegating us to the background. i want to see our actual reality on screen. that reality includes lynching and slavery and incarceration and poverty and struggle. that reality includes sharecroppers and maids and porters and freedom fighters. and that reality is one of resilience, community, and love. i want to see it all

#i hope this doesnt come off as coming at you sorry im just very passionate about this lol #anon

[pateldevs]

Hello! I am a little new to your tumblr and love all the stuff you post particularly the wolfstar. I'm a pretty-solid-sorta-background-reader-but-sometimes-talker in the hp ao3 fanfic crew and have read a LOT of dramione and a variety of rare pairs BUT I have been wanting to read wolfstar for like a year and have just never gotten around to finding my jumping off point in that. Do you have an recs? Thanks in advance <3

hey!! first of all welcome and thank you so much for your kind words! (i’m also super honored that you’re looking for my opinion on wolfstar fics!!) tbh i tend to read like the same 5 fics over and over ~for comfort~ but here are some of my faves, putting them below the cut bc i did also include my thoughts and opinions:

if you like marauders-gen fic...

the lost generation — this is it folks. this is the holy grail of fics for me. it’s well-written, it expands way beyond canon, it has lots of regulus content, it develops all the marauders era characters so perfectly. mostly set during marauders era at hogwarts, canon-compliant, with lots of jily as well. it’s super long (it was started in 2013!!) and is still in progress so there is plenty to get through although i did fully get totally up to date (then 130 chapters) in like 2 days when i read it lol. really i can’t recommend this fic enough, i’ve read it like 6 or 7 times in its entirety and it gets me every time.

it never goes out — completed and canon-compliant, another amazing marauders-gen fic set during hogwarts years. if you like reading cultural backstory (e.g. remus being welsh and seeing him interacting with his home & culture during the holidays) then would highly highly recommend since this has a lot of personality & character beyond just “boarding school” kind of vibes. lots of jily, lots of dorlene, much more contemporary in language compared to TLG above (like imo you can tell it’s american influenced but i don’t mind at all), and very in-tune with the 70s time period. cw for themes of abuse, addiction, and self-harm but relevant chapters are always marked. again i’ve reread this like 3 or 4 times and it was also one of the first wolfstar fics i ever read so <3 the author is also super nice!!

holy things — pretty young fic (as in they haven’t gotten together yet) but again it’s canon-compliant, set during the marauders’ years at hogwarts. if you like thoroughly developed metas and hcs about the harry potter universe this is for you! cw for themes of abuse and violence but relevant chapters are marked. background jily and dorlene and bonus content with cho chang’s parents lol. 

sanctuary — ok i always leave and come back to this fic because it’s quite slow-moving and the author is VERY specific about everything. whenever i come back to it i’m just floored by the level of detail. slight au where remus thinks his lycanthropy can be passed through touch but still very much canon-compliant.

brave faces, everyone — THIS IS THE SEQUEL TO IT NEVER GOES OUT and it is fantastic, again same exact vibes as its prequel in terms of historical context/late 70s vibes and a lot of cultural backstory to everyone. LOTS of domestic wolfstar and jily, plenty of background dorlene. again, canon-compliant. cw for themes of addiction, but again the author is super sweet and always marks all the chapters concerned

if you like aus...

the last great american dynasty — ok i don’t read wolfstar aus much BUT i love this one because it’s politics and i love that vibe. also it’s set in the states. slightly young adult (post college), kind of rwrb vibes if you like that! still very young but chapters are super substantial <3

if you want some angst...

the last farewell — ok this is the king of angst fics, it’s set before book 7 where remus tries to grapple with his guilt over marrying tonks so if you like stuff that respects canon/fits with the canon universe/timeline and you don’t mind remadora but still want wolfstar, this is for you. cw for grief obvs

several ways to apologize — a post-whomping willow prank fic, personally i like this one a lot because it’s a refreshing change from the usual “remus is angry everyone is picking sides” kind of fic

it’s alright — this is more hurt/comfort than angst but if you love nightmare hurt/comfort fics this is for you!! i regularly return to this one because i like to ✨project✨ but it’s just such a lovely wholesome fic with a happy ending :’)

to perish by the power of fire — very long one-shot set during hogwarts years with a particular emphasis on remus’ pov and his relationship with his lycanthropy and sirius, plenty of angst but with a happy ending

if you like dadfoot and domestic wolfstar fics (where sirius and remus raise harry)...

hold on to this lullaby — canon-compliant, where sirius manages to get to godric’s hollow and the order shows up right after voldemort finds james and lily :( fast-paced writing but it’s sirius & remus raising harry!! which is super sweet and cute all the time :)

a store of happiness — ok this is another one of my comfort fics, canon-divergent/fix-it starting at the end of book 3 where sirius is exonerated and he and remus take care of harry :) i come back to it probably once a week, it’s so cute <3

#i hope this is good enough to get you started!! #again i'm super honored and flattered that you're asking for my opinion lol #and i hope u enjoy these fics as much as i have!! #i come back to them all the time there's something so sweet and comforting about them #but also like the lost generation. GOD that is the KING of all fics for me #anyway pls feel free to ask/talk/anything else!! #answered #inwildernessandsea

[neo-shitty]

toffee!

hehe glad i could make you laugh, oooh that sounds awesome! yeah id love to be tagged it sounds great :)

YES the differences are so fucking weird. like, they do know they're the same age right? i feel like its just an exagguration of how much the persons role in the group matters, like we see chan being held up as such a mature, old leader while jungkook who is literally the same age, is still babied etc. like enha hyung line is basically the same age (if a bit younger) as chenle and jisung but somehow the rules are different?? as you point out, still legal but still bizarre. hehe yeah, i mean where else are we going to rant? quora lol. mmm, hopefully more people can just write less smut abt people who are barely adults

ah, no prob it didnt take long. yeah i think thats right (i keep forgetting you know my url lol) mmhmm :( i think if that happened irl there would be some major trauma going on. knock wood it never happens to you or me lol (/hj)

hehe same! oooh glad Redemption For Cheese was realised! yess we cant rllycomplain that theyve written/produced too much good music lol. yeah, ive dragged him into being a stay so *dusts hands off* mission accomplished. mmm yeah, they tend to have a certain vibe but tbh it couldve worked if they were any other group but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ahh ur one step ahead of me on the stages of listening to ssick i think, still not convinced but thats okay! hehe, it had to be said. yesss the itch in the back of my brain is very satisfied by sorry i love you, felixs vocals deserve to be appreciated! (side note i feel like hes trying to sing more like his speaking voice, sorta husky, but tbh i wouldnt be mad if he sang like in glow, his sweet honey vocals made my life lol. but i think ive heard him say he doesnt like singing like that cos it makes his normal voice less husky, so what can you do)

> YES SOMEONE SAID IT. seungmin rap KING, he sped thru that rap like it was nothing, he deserves more rap lines. i do like how they gave minho some melodic rap lines this comeback, my guy deserved to show off those skills that made him not be eliminated (flashbacks to stay collectively wanting to murder jyp) and we already know changbin can sing, my man murdered masked singer. hyunjin can obviously sing as can jisung and felix, and i want to hear chan rap more! i feel like he started as part of 3racha (as a rap unit not producing) and then just became a vocalist (which im fine with, but it could be nice to hear him flex his rapping skills) and was partially replaced by hyunjin. anywayyy

back to album talk. lmaooo sad music to twerk to PERFECTLY describes silent cry. yes secret secret is and will always be, a masterpiece. hehe glad i could make you laugh :) i just felt like they have similar vibes. putting off skz stuff bc of not having time to cry IS the kpop stan life summarised. oh my beloved track, red lights. ahh thats okay, we can have different opinions, but by god the lyrics are *chefs kiss*. *banging on table* TWISTED AU TWISTED AU TWISTED AU. yess id love to see ur take on it! sdfghjkl it would have been glorious

no no! not stupid, just able to predict my brainwaves. ooooh thats so cool! makes me want to go there (wherever there is lol) yeah the waves are pretty good here, but none of my familys a surfer, so we dont rlly enjoy the full potential lol. YES moving on to gone away, it is indeed a heartwrenching track, but the vocals and the bloody key change? makes me want to brave being sad just to listen to it. mmm yeah, good point :( i feel like ive just gotten used to overthinking so much so that it doesnt matter what mood im in, ill do it anyway, so might as well just do what i feel like doing anyway.

yeah i think ur right! it is quite comforting knowing that all the tracks will get the love they deserve. i feel like also people assume kpop is just one genre which is utter bs. there are so many different vibes and feels and songs, i couldnt get into kpop (of which i thought only the bright cheerful present day bts stuff existed smh) until i heard gods menu so... idk where i was going with this but yeah. :)

YES FUCK YG, theyre literally on the brink of being kicked out of the big three and they are holding their salvation hostage without letting them do ANYTHING. idek what thought process goes thru their minds but arghhh its so infuriating. yess lisa's cb will be awesome but ot4 is the gold standard here.

hehe, glad u could get to this point. no no! u dont sound like a cult member at all lol yeah, i loooove some of their songs but the whole 23 members thing is getting to me. thats prob a common problem with nctzens but what can i say? im a simple girl with a limit to how many korean boys i can give my money to. atm im just trying to get into ateez and finish memorising enhypen's faces. also kard is kinda sucking me into their fandom atm, as well as eric name lol. ah what can you do? ooh thats good!

hehe i love it too! its exactly like online penpals, that was rlly well put. aww ty! hmm im okay, recovering from a bad case of rsv so thats fun. im doing okay mentally, starting therapy soon (after having to convince my mother that its not just smth i can brush off). physically i wont go into, basically i should be doing stretches to help but they dont completely fix it so my lazy ass doesnt do them, plus i got told recently im going to be stuck with this condition for the rest of my life so thats fun! ah, before you type smth dw abt me ill be fine. the weather atm is cloudy but warm, its been raining on and off today which is good for the garden. uhh i just finished reading sunburnt veils and im in the middle of prom theory which is rlly good. ummm ive got a concert tonight? that i may or may not be able to sing in (bc of the whole rsv thingo) and uhhhh idk. my dog is cute? im drinking tea rn? ive got a school dance coming up?

wbu? hows ur day going, how are you? whats the weather like on ur end? done anything interesting lately? found smth that makes you rlly happy? just any random thing youve been dying to tell someone?

no no! dont apologise, i love these exchanges. i think im happy to continue them for a long time :) on the other hand, if you get tired of them, feel free to just not answer at any time. goodness gracious this was a long ask haha hope it isnt too annoying

<3 w.a. 🐺

sorry it took me a bit to reply, i was fixing my theme ;n;

yeah, i figured it was because of the roles too. my friends and i still get taken aback when 3rd gen idols are the same age as 4th gen ones. in my head it doesn't add up sometimes. PLS THE RANT AT QUORA SKJDK tbh tho it's just going to be normalized as the years pass? esp that the boys are growing older and the amount of explicit fics will just increase. i might have to start blocking tags.

i had to look up the previous ask to remember what we were talking about xd i hope the events in champagne problems never happens to anyone. realistically, it probably happens a lot. damn i really won't wish that pain on anyone. dragging your brother into being a stay i whEEZED JFKSA additional noeasy music enthusiast o.o and ALL I CAN SAY WITH YOU GUSHING ABT FELIX IS AHA WHIPPEEEED OML can't blame you tho, i also want to hear felix sing more in other shades (if that makes sense HAHA) i really hope they'll do the role exchange in the next comeback :( or like in the near future bc i know they can do it :( the day i hear seungmin rapping it i will respectfully pass away. minho was given more lines this comeback thank fUCK i could rmb my irl being vocal abt her frustration. i don't get why minho barely has center time/lines in title tracks??? like the line distribution in the past eras just made me ???? if seventeen can balance lines with 13 members why cant a group of 8 do the same? moving on. i haven't watched the stray kids show simply bc i don't want to cry HAJS but i've seen clips. imagine if skz debuted without minho and felix?!?!? i rmb another irl catching bias feels towards changbin bc of the masked singer only to find out that the man's a rapper. i love how skz's vocals were highlighted this comeback :c there were a lot of mellow tracks! i find it cute when chan sings/raps bc it gets kinda obvious that he's a foreigner? the accent (im not even sure if it's the accent) it just shows. "putting off skz stuff bc of not having time to cry IS the kpop stan life summarised." CORRECT.

abt the twisted au o.O i'll inquire my irl if she wants to write it or not. if she doesn't want to, i'll do it. i miss writing twisted aus <3___<3 and i also miss going to the beach with my friends :' ) but it's starting to get cold here and i don't think i'll be able to enjoy the beach as much as i would if i went beaching in the summer. so maybe next summer? gone away really has an sm-ballad vibe. the thing about skz being a self-producing group, their songs don't sound like typical jype songs? and i just appreciate that bc in all honesty im not a fan of jyp groups at all. PLS the overthinking. i wish i could mute overthinking.

anyone who assumes kpop is just one genre obv hasn't listened to a single track. if kpop was just one genre why do i like some tracks more than the others??? oh you've only recently become a kpop stan? tbh im not a fan of the bright songs of bts either. i liked their older ones *chefs kiss* really matched high school vibes. yg has good artists and they're just wasting the talent ~.~ that strategy they have will get tiring eventually. people will stop waiting on blackpink and move on to newer more active groups ://

HAHAHAH yeah the 23 members is pretty overwhelming! it was the reason i didn't bother stanning before quarantine started. i don't regret stanning tho, met my ult bias in that group <3___<3 i don't really purchase albums unless i like the tracks xd ohhh getting into ateez just in time for the comeback! let me know what you think about them! i was fond of them at some point but grew out of it. good luck with memorizing enhypen! it took me a while to distinguish to people there XD i haven't checked out kard yet but chan plays their songs during lives and they're sexc hype music me likey *u*

i had to look up rsv im sorry. i'm glad you're recovering! please rest more and don't stress yourself out. bro i wish i could go to therapy too bc i have weird issues i can't justify and i need a professional to tell me what's the reason behind it. stuck with what condition btw? what happened? i'm sorry in case i just forgot. yesterday was a bit rainy for me too :(( it's not the type of rainy that makes me anxious so B) oh concert! good luck and i hope you'll be able to sing but i also don't think it's best for you rn :c what's your dog's breed? and yes i just finished drinking tea too. AAAAA i miss school dances :(( the last one i was supposed to have was cancelled bc of covid.

i was less productive today and i'm teetering between being mentally stable and becoming a hermit again. i'm anxious with a lot of things atm so like : D not the best state. today it was a bit sunny but not hot hot which was nice. i changed my theme today bc i couldn't wait for sept. 1st. and no i haven't found anything that makes me happy HAHAHA shit like that's hard to identify. don't have anything to say too, i'm just thinking about why i'm procrastinating too much atm T_T and i'm listening to this rap song atm and one of the rappers sounded like han.

it isn't annoying! i enjoy the long exchanges but i do admit it takes me awhile to type down a reply. so if i get more busy, it'll prolly take a bit longer for me to reply.

#toff.asks #wild anon 🐺

[pynkhues]

Hi ! I'm sorry if you have already talked about that, I'm just new to the fandom. I just finished s3 and I've felt so conflicted since Lucy's death.. There was a sort of lightness in the show despite of the crime element and obvs flirtation between Brio.. But now, everything seems so dark and Beth is trying to kill him. I feel like there's been a shift and that they'll never be able to come back from it.. What are your thoughts ?? Thank you and stay safe !!

Hi! Welcome to the fandom, anon! :-) 

Season three definitely has a darker feel overall, so I completely understand why you feel conflicted! I think you’re right too - the balance between the lighter elements of the show and the darker ones was really different in s3 compared to seasons 1 and 2, and it gave the season a very different energy. Interestingly though, I don’t actually think the content itself was all that much darker, but rather that shift was felt more in the way that that content was framed and paced.

After all, violence – and the threat of violence – has been a pretty integral part of the show since it began, and while I think there’s a bit to be said about how much of the violence of the show made its way from subtext to text – Eddie’s death happened off-screen, but Lucy’s didn’t, for instance – I also think that there have been moments of textual violence since the show began. Beth knocked Boomer out with a whiskey bottle after he’d tried to rape Annie in the very first episode after all, something that was echoed with Boomer’s completed rape of Mary Pat and her hitting him with her car in 2.03. In that sense, the violence might’ve escalated in some ways across the first two seasons – culminating with Beth shooting Rio in 2.13 – but it’s always been a part of the DNA of the show overall.

In that sense, I think what’s really changed isn’t so much the violence and threat of violence itself, but rather the way that the show frames that violence and the effect that has on the pacing, tone and character beats.

So hey! Let’s break that down a little.

Catch and Release

When it comes to scenes of intense drama or violence – played out or inferred – Good Girls is really a show that, at least for its first two seasons, relies on a pretty defined structure that I’d say goes something like this:

1.    Contextual joke that builds tension and/or sets mood.

2.    Act of violence or drama.

3.    Throwaway joke that breaks tension and/or resets mood.

As a structure, it’s generally pretty effective and is ultimately used to manage the tone of the episode. After all, for a show like Good Girls which is a dramedy, leaning too hard on the joke or too hard on the drama can create the off-balanced feeling we got in s3, but I’ll come back to that later.

This structure essentially presents the violence or drama of the scene as the meat of a burger, allowing the jokes to both complete the meal (delicious!) while also softening up the richness or intensity of the meat itself.

Generally speaking, I’d say Good Girls did this quite simply and effectively in s1, experimented and tested the elastic of it in s2, and more or less got rid of one crucial step in s3. It makes for an interesting exploration of narrative structure, I think, but that’s just because I find this sort of stuff interesting to explore, haha.

So what’s that actually look like in action?

Okay, let’s take 1.01 with the scene I described above.

1.    Contextual joke that builds tension or sets mood

I’d say in this case it was the entire scene at the end of the episode where Annie, Beth and Ruby are arguing about what to do about Rio.

2.    Act of Violence

Boomer attempts to rape Annie, Beth hits Boomer, Boomer falls into the coffee table.

3.    Throwaway joke that breaks tension and resets mood.

And again in 1.02.

1.    Contextual joke that builds tension or sets mood

Annie trying to sell Rio on the dolls.

2.    Act of Violence

Rio ordering Mick to kill Beth.

3.    Throwaway joke that breaks tension and resets mood.

Boomer popping out of the treehouse.

(please forgive my horrible screencaps, I took these after I’d written this post and it’s now late, hahah)

Annnnd again in 1.04

1:

2:

3:

By 1.09, they were already starting to leave wider gaps between the jokes and the tension – which makes sense as it was building towards the climax and they were wanting more drama than comedy – but importantly, this framing was still present. 

1: The girls joking about the van job

2: The tense climax of the van job

3: The joke about the result of the tense climax

And in 2.01, it kept those gaps big as a direct continuation.

1.    Contextual joke that builds tension

Beth putting the mug on the coaster as she scrubs blood off her floor.

2.    Rio shooting Dean in a flashback.

3.    Annie and Ruby bickering about Annie stealing a hospital meal (tone reset as a result of violent climax)

The series went on to test this further in s2 by adding extra beats to create more complex (and interesting, in my opinion!) variations. The clearest example of this is in 2.03 with the Boomer and Mary Pat sequence:

1.    Tension establishing joke: the girls in the hotel bickering about the price of the room.

2.    An act of inferred violence – Boomer rapes Mary Pat

3.    An act of textual violence that builds off both the joke and the inferred violence of the previous scene – Mary Pat runs over Boomer.

4.    A throwaway joke as a tension breaker – Mary Pat worried her kids have heard only to see them engrossed in their devices while the Power of Love plays in the background.

5.    Takes us straight into an even better tension breaker joke with Mary Pat telling the girls she chopped Boomer up.

(That is such. good. snowballing. tension. And I could talk about it forever. Like, seriously. It’s not a sequence we talk about a lot, but 2.03 is an excellent example of complex dramedy writing).

That said, it often still fell back on that classic structure too in satisfying ways. 2.07 being a perfect example.

1.    Contextual joke to establish tension

2.    Tension / act of violence

3.    Tension breaker.

Whiiiich brings us to 2.13.

King

Look, 2.13 doesn’t work for a lot of reasons, but in no small part, it doesn’t work because it doesn’t play with the above structure like the Mary Pat and Boomer arc did in 2.03, nor test the elasticity of it like 1.09 and 2.01 do, rather it completely abandons it altogether.

It doesn’t build tension effectively through that blend of drama and comedy that the show can do really well, nor does it break it afterwards for us with a lighter moment that commentates on that tension, rather it thrusts the violence and drama onto us in a way that wasn’t well established narratively, and – quite frankly – was badly written.

I could talk a lot more about why that narrative choice doesn’t work, but that’s not really what we’re here to talk about. What we’re here to talk about is:

A Change of Pace

Because the thing is, season 3 does actually return to it’s s1 and s2 structure, only with one, crucial change.

It abandons Step 3: the joke that resets the mood.

What this means is that we have the contextual joke which establishes the tension and the mood, and the tension, but then the tension’s never actually broken for us afterwards.

This is perhaps clearest in 3.05 with Lucy’s murder.

1. We have the establishing joke with the girls debating which Au Jus hostage photo to use.

2. We have the act of violence.

And then we have only aftermath.

Ruby crawls into bed with Stan, Annie with Ben, and Beth takes Au Jus home.

On it’s own, I think this is an effective break from structure. I think it underscores the power of this sequence overall and the importance of Lucy’s death as a narrative moment and the ‘innocence lost’ theme. 

Only it’s not on it’s own.

The season kept breaking structure. Over and over again.

It happens after Rio kills Turner in 3.01 (there’s a slightly lighter scene that caps that with Rio checking out of the hotel, so you could kind of argue that it was returning to the same structure, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark for me), it happens when Rio confronts Beth in 3.03 and when he takes her to the OBGYN, it happens when Max tries to confront Rio at the bar in 3.06, and it happens in most of the scenes with the hitman.

In fact, I’d argue that the only scenes that returned to the catch and release structure in s3 were the scene where Ruby stole the hockey jersey, the carwash scene which ended with Mick wanting to go to IHOP and, most effectively, in the Sweet P’s job in 3.10.

You’re talking a lot about sequence structure here, Sophie. 

Right! Sorry! Tangents, haha.

What I’m getting at is that I don’t think the content of the show itself is any different. Murder, crime, intimidation and violence has been central to the show’s DNA since 1.01, and a lot of this has been textual. Lucy’s death I think definitely feels different because she’s the first true innocent we’ve seen killed on this show, but y’know, Rio was threatening to murder random PTA moms way back in 1.07 when Beth’s secret shopper scheme proved – err, unvetted, and Dean was trying to organise hitmen in s2 too.

Structure is important. Structure is what sets up audience expectations and establishes the rhythm of a story as well as – most importantly for this discussion – the tone of one. Seasons 1 and 2 presented the dramatic and comedic elements of the show ultimately as a marriage. The comedy was used frequently to guide us as viewers in and out of tension, and ultimately, I think this is why season 3 felt so different. That three point sequence structure was unbraided, the comedy divorced from the drama, which stuttered the rhythm and ultimately affected the tone.

SO, in answering your question as to whether or not the show can come back from the darkness to find its balance again, yeah, I think it can!

I think the writers sort of wrote themselves into a big, ugly corner with 2.13 and spent a lot of s3 struggling to find a way back out of it. Like, I think on a narrative and a character level, they had to show Rio kill someone in s3 to re-establish him as a character with teeth, because if they hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been the source of tension and conflict that they rely on him to be. I think they committed themselves to darker elements of Beth’s character and to asking the question of what it is the girls are capable of, because that’s the sort of thing you commit yourself to when you throw a grenade into your own story like they did with 2.13.

And look, I don’t think they got themselves out of it perfectly by any stretch of the imagination – in particular sacrificing parts of the way they typically structured tension in violence as they tried to reset the board meant they ultimately also chose to sacrifice both rhythm and tone too – but I think they were rebuilding by the end of s3. I think the Sweet P’s job was this show at it’s tonal best, with that marriage of comedy and anticipation and both personal and criminal stakes really working together to build a great sequence (Beth and the Caesar Salad! Anticipation building with Ruby and Stan as Stan figures out what’s happening! A crime plot! Stan coming through in the end!)  

I think the note the show chose to end the season on with the promise of Boland Bubbles, Ruby and Stan reconnecting and the first glimpse of Phoebe infiltrating the girls does reset the board in a way that leaves a lot more room for lightness than the end of season 2 did, while still offering hooks of conflict and tension too. I also think it allows for a return to the sort of sequence structure that lets the show balance it’s tone in a way that 2.13 frankly didn’t.  

Of course, that’s ultimately if they decide to return to it, haha. I hope they do, and I think we were heading there, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see! :-) 

#and thank YOU anon #i've been thinking about this for a while haha #but i spend an embarrassing amount of time thinking about story structure #this was extremely fun to write! #it's been a while since i actually wrote long analysis #i think maybe i just needed a break #i have a bunch of asks inviting long analysis in my inbox too #maybe i'll try and do another one this week before i go to the water #we'll see! #nbc good girls #writing #gosh i don't even know what to tag this as haha #welcome to my ama #and stay safe too anon <3 #Anonymous