I just can't stop thinking about what an EE writer has recently posted online about current storylines. If I remember correctly, he claimed they're working hard to keep the show fresh and relevant - or something along those lines.
Therefore, I should assume they will soon get rid of Ballum (well... they have been in the process of making them irrelevant for quite some time now, actually) because the novelty has worn off and the audience can no longer relate to them or their relationship.
I can't even find the words to express how insulting that statement sounds to me.
They're telling me that the ordeal of an SA survivor - a male survivor at that - getting professional help, learning to accept and live with his trauma - and possibly getting justice, one day - would be of no interest to the audience.
They're telling me that said survivor and his husband (who loves him unconditionally) endeavoring to overcome their intimacy issues and slowly rebuilding their physical connection, despite inevitable triggers and setbacks, would be in no way relevant to viewers.
They're telling me that watching these two husbands raise THEIR(!) motherless daughter and navigate through the troubled waters of teenage life, helping her develop her potential, always supporting her despite their own personal struggles, possibly arguing because of different parenting styles, would not resonate with anybody in the public.
They want me to believe that nobody would relate to a young man struggling with an eating disorder (but willing to do whatever it takes to get better) who is currently in therapy, and who is inevitably faced with issues such as lack of control, anxiety, feelings of shame and guilt.
They are seriously stating that they don't know what to do with a character who's a detective, somebody who could provide endless opportunities to explore the social/economic/cultural roots of a number of common offences (and a sensitive, kind-hearted copper, who would empathise with at least some of the offenders, and thus feel conflicted about his job).
So, I'm confused..., what exactly is considered 'fresh and relevant' in their universe?
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Is this a good moment to cordially invite the Ballum fandom to BL tumblr? Look, we have almost everything you want for the low price of reading (sometimes slightly wobbly) english subtitles!
cocky short gays with too much trauma:
shady gays:
gay mechanics:
gay signing:
complicated father-son relationships:
desperate kissing:
thighs:
aaaand we even have dark rooms!
actually... yeah, for our photographer gays:
I know we're all a little heartbroken right now, so I hope this suggestion maybe helps someone fill the void that Ben's exit will leave. A lot of BL shows are free to watch on youtube and if you go in with an open mind, they can be so much fun!
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For the Better (ao3 link)
Rating: General audiences
Word count: 922
Tags: Missing scene, comfort, bruises
Requested by @leximitchells
His keys were in-hand, outstretched towards the lock, but he hesitated. Closing his eyes, Callum took a few breaths and tried to anticipate the conversation waiting for him just beyond the door to the flat.
It wouldn't be good; he knew that much. But it wasn't as if putting it off for a few minutes would be any better. The throbbing pain beneath his left eye would only get worse the longer he waited to get ice on it, his skin forming a deeper, darker bruise. He didn't need Ben to be angrier at Jay than he already was. None of them did, Lexi most of all. But this was Ben. Of course he's gonna be pissed off.
Callum opened his eyes, turned the key, and headed inside.
"That was quick!" Ben teasingly shouted from the kitchen.
As Callum made his way down the hall to the living space, Ben came into view, stirring a mug of tea at the worktop. He had his back to the doorway, but started to turn his head towards it with a cheeky grin on his face.
"Can't tell if that's good news or-"
The smile dropped from Ben's face, as did the spoon from his hand as it clattered against the counter, his steely eyes fixated on Callum's cheek.
"I'm okay, Ben. I promise."
"I'll kill him." Ben's voice was cold, steady and quiet.
"Don't. I said I'm fine," Callum reassured him, taking the few steps needed to be within his husband's reach. Though both of them found comfort in each other's touch, Callum always made sure to be aware of Ben's boundaries now. The fearful look in his eyes when Callum had gripped his wrists during their last shouting match, the way Ben had ripped himself out of his hands terrified him. That he could unknowingly inflict that much hurt on the person he loves most, it cut him deep.
Now, Ben's lip was twitching, his gaze flicking back and forth from Callum's eyes to the swelling mark. The fear he was feeling in that moment was for Callum's well-being, not his own.
"I was more shocked than anything, really," Callum said with half a smile. "It's nothing."
"That ain't 'nothing,' Cal. He fucking hit you!"
"It's alright." Callum tried to soothe him, reaching out and placing a hand on Ben's arm, giving it a soft squeeze. "Guess it's all Mitchell men who get offended at the mere mention of counseling, eh?"
"Not funny." Ben lifted a hand to Callum's face, cradling his jaw, Callum reflexively leaning into his touch. "It ain't like Jay to try and knock your teeth out over something like that."
There was a familiar look in Ben's eyes, one that filled Callum with guilt; he was searching for an answer, as if he could see it hidden just behind Callum's irises. That threw Callum off a bit, casting his gaze to the floor and shifting his weight from foot to foot. Ben could tell there was more to it, that Callum wasn't telling him the whole truth.
But he couldn't tell him. Not now that Ben was improving, truly getting better after suffering for so long. If he knew Jay was doing drugs and spending his time with a sex worker, Callum wasn't sure how Ben would handle it. If he could handle it. Tensions were already high enough in their house. And maybe Callum could get through to Jay on his own.
"Jay ain't really been himself lately."
That was as much truth as he could let himself say. It killed him to keep things from Ben, but if Jay could sort himself out it wouldn't matter in the end.
Right?
"If this don't prove that he really needs help," Ben said with a sigh, "I dunno what would."
Ben's thumb gently brushed across Callum's cheek, right below the bruise, soft enough that it tickled slightly. Callum lifted his head just enough so that their eyes met, and he could tell Ben's anger had eased off. Instead, what he saw there was saddened concern.
"I hate when you're hurt." Ben spoke the words quietly, because they were only for Callum to hear even if the two of them were the only ones awake in the flat.
Callum was going to correct him again, but in all honesty he was hurt. Not by Jay's fist–well, not entirely–but by his words. How easily he had discredited Callum's relationship to Lexi as if she meant nothing to him. Callum didn't want to hold it against Jay; he obviously wasn't in his right mind. But that little girl meant everything to him. She had nestled right into his heart straight away, just like her dad did. She was just as much his family as his own flesh and blood were, and he loved her as if she were his own.
A piece of paper isn't what makes you a family.
"I should get you a bag of peas for that or summat before it gets too swollen," Ben told him, Callum genuinely smiling over his fussing. "If Jay's messed up your beautiful face too badly I actually will kill him."
"Promise me you won't go off on him over this, yeah?" Callum asked. "Let him cool off and I can deal with it myself tomorrow."
Ben didn't seem satisfied, but eventually nodded in agreement.
Callum leaned forward and pressed his lips against Ben's forehead. He just needed to get Jay back on track and things would be alright.
Wouldn't they?
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