ironyismybestfriend

[ironyismybestfriend]

Fic: Forging Infinity with You

For @meljaymicrofics Day 6 Out of My League by Fitz and the Tantrums (and Day 7 Infinity by Jaymes Young if you squint)

Relationships: Jayce Talis/Mel Medarda, background Caitvi

Rating: G

Summary: The latest commission at his family's jeweler shop opens Jayce's heart to an unfamiliar feeling. One he'd be willing to dive all in to discover.

word count: 1392

Jayce didn’t often do much work when it came to tending to the front desk of his family’s custom jewelery shop. He thought his happy place was in the back carefully bending the metal to his will for rings, necklaces, earrings, the whole gamut. Whatever the customer wanted, Jayce would do his best to serve. Recent circumstances, however, pulled him to the customers’ faces as his mother Ximena has been down with a brutal illness for several days now. 

In the middle of doing final checks over recent commissions and inventory, Jayce’s eyes slowly drew upward upon the ringing of the front door.

“Hello, welcome to Talis Jeweler. How can I–” Jayce’s tongue swelled dry, stunned by the woman before him. Her elegance and beauty was overwhelming. As though being confronted by the sun that would blind him if he stared too long.

“Hello,” she said kindly. “I haven’t seen you here before. Are you new?”

Jayce smacked his lips a few times, scrounging together any semblance of sensation to his lips and tongue. Where were his words?  “I– I, um, no! Not at all. I, uh, I’ve always worked here, actually. This is my family’s business. My mother is curerntly out sick, so I’m taking over the front desk for now until she gets better.” He flashed a crooked half smile while rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh no! Please send her my well wishes. I hope she recovers soon.”

“Thanks I will. And yeah, me too.” Jayce drifted to a quiet, mindlessly toying with his pen.

The woman politely coughed, bringing Jayce to himself. Pen slipped through his fingers, making a clattering sound upon contact with the floor, rolling away to a forgotten place of the shop.

“My apologies, miss. What can I do for you?”

“I’m here to pick up an order I had put in recently. Under the Medarda name it should be. Mel Medarda”

“Medarda… Mel Medarda… ,” repeating her name several times while flipping through inventory lists until his eyes sparkled. “Yes! I’ll get your order, just wait right there!” 

Especially light on his feet, the animated confirmation Jayce gave brought a soft giggle out of the woman. 

Mel. What a beautiful name.

“Here you are,” he said upon his return, bearing a small bag. “Thanks for your patience and patronage. This was an especially fun project.”

Opening up the bag and checking out her commission, Mel went wide-eyed. “You made this?”

Jayce’s chest puffed up slightly. “Sure did. The setting for the stone to be crafted as a rose was an interesting challenge I hadn’t done before! Took a bit of finangling, but was neat. I hope you’re happy with it.”

“Wouldn’t even begin to describe it. Incredible work… erm,” she started.

“Jayce,” he supplied. “Jayce Talis.”

“Jayce… I see,” she said while eyeing both him and his work. “Well, it was a pleasure getting to work with you. I look forward to discovering more of your artistry in the future.” 

The quietly intense, yet almost sultry look Mel wore in her departure lingered at the front of Jayce’s brain for longer than typical, springing him to certain action. Chaotically dashing to the back he yelled, “Vi! Vi!”

“Woah, there. Where’s the fire?” she chuckled while shutting off the heating gun and sliding her goggles to her face.

Jayce rolled his eyes before giving a brief rundown of his latest exchange with Mel.

“... Well?” he said expectantly.

“Sounds like you’ve got yourself a little crush,” she snickered.

Jayce instantly deflated. He knew that– certainly wasn’t revelatory information. But this felt different. Not like any of the other crushes he experienced growing up. There was much more to it he didn’t yet understand.

But he wanted to.

“Did you see her?! She’s completely out of my league, I can’t do anything with that. I’m just… me.” Sliding to the floor, Jayce drew his knees to his chest, as if he could still his racing heart and protect his feelings from bleeding out any further.

Vi looked at him and rolled her eyes. “Ugh, don’t give me all of that. Come on, Jayce, you look like a dog that’s been kicked out in the rain.”

When he looked up at her with a pout in his eyes, Vi settled to sit beside him. “I had similar thoughts about Cupcake when we first started going out. Now look at us, six months in and going strong.”

Jayce’s face pulled to a grimace. “Do not call your girlfriend ‘Cupcake’ in front of me ever again. We’ve gotten closer since you’ve started helping out here, but not that close.”

Vi laughed. “Sure, whatever. That girl you like… She said something along the lines of working with you again, yeah?”

“Pretty much.”

“Well there you go! Now you’ll have something to look forward to. Get back to the front desk, we got shit to do!”

“Hey, that’s my job to tell you that,” Jayce corrected, though he smiled all the while.

Vi had a point. He did have something to look forward to.

****

Turned out he didn’t have to wait long before Jayce got the chance to see Mel again. The next business day, matter of fact. What was initially heightened concern over there being an issue with her new ring was quickly dissolved when she came bearing a gift.

A bag with several cans of soup, snacks, and a card for his mother.

She certainly didn’t need to do it, but Jayce was appreciative of the gesture. He would look forward to passing them along to his mother.

Mel was so far pleased with her new ring she wanted to commission more work from Jayce. A matching set of earrings and a necklace. The time spent together going over the designs went by too fast for Jayce and he was almost sad to see her go.

But he was also eager to put in work on this side project for her. Though Vi was around to help out, he’d much rather handle all the steps in this project in particular.

****

It was only several days later Mel got the call to come to the shop.

Astounded by not only the quick turnaround but the final products, an ear to ear smile came out of her. 

“Jayce… This is incredible. You’re incredible. And this,” she started, holding up a few bangles, “I didn’t ask for these, I–.” Her face formed the question when her words began to fail her.

“It was no big deal. This project was a lot of fun and I guess I got a bit excited. The infinity theme was fun, especially with the necklace and bangles. And don’t worry about those, I had plenty of leftover material, so feel free to consider those ‘on the house.’”

Peridot eyes glimmered with gratitude. “Thank you, Jayce. This is beautiful.”

“You’re welcome, I’m glad I got the chance to work with you more closely on this one. I mean, compared to your first commission when you were communicating more with my mother. She’s actually doing a lot better now, many thanks for your well wishes and gifts, by the way. She should be back at it by the end of the week.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Although the silence between them was easy, it lingered until Jayce swallowed down the knot in his throat. “So, do you have any plans to wear the jewelry, like an event or anything?”

Mel tilted her head in thought, lips slightly pressed together as she studied his expression. “Nothing set in stone yet, though I’m sure we can think of something.”

“I see…” Then it clicked. “Wait– ‘we’?”

“Think you’d want to see how your jewelery looks like out in the wild, so to speak?” Mel asked expectantly.

Jayce tried to keep his tone cool, though his racing heart made it difficult. “I get off work in a few hours. Would you be up for exploring some of the other local shops, or anything?

“Oh! So long as you promise to stay loyal to Talis Jewelers,” he tacked on jokingly.

“That would be too easy,” Mel casually replied. “I’ll see you in a few hours?”

“See you then,” Jayce said. 

Even when Mel had long left the shop, his dreamy expression stayed with him the rest of the day.

It was a date.

[ironyismybestfriend]

Fic: Cross that Line

For @meljaymicrofics Day 14: Cross That Line by Tinashe

Relationship: Jayce Talis/Mel Medarda, background Caitlyn Kiramman/Violet

Rating: G

Summary: To look into her eyes and see all the stars there, Jayce knew he was all in with her. He could never imagine having this feeling with anyone else. 

Bridging fantasy to reality starts one day at a time. One question at a time.

word count: 818

These particular thoughts invading Jayce’s mind were reaching a critical peak. He couldn’t focus on anything else. He had to do something about them. Anything.

Talking them over with Caitlyn only made matters worse as their conversations were often interrupted by delightful babbles of her and Vi’s newborn daughter Cassie.

Jayce had fun playing the uncle role in helping entertain and care for the little one at this stage. Caitlyn was more than willing to pass off the baby for “cuddle times with Uncle Jayce.” Setting Cassie to rest on his chest, his chest fluttered, primed to burst. Holding such a tiny human incredibly soft and smelling of talcum powder was a gift to hold dearly. With one hand supporting Cassie’s bum and the other cradling the back of her head, Jayce found himself swept away just as much as Cassie in his gentle rocks and sways.

Even when the particularly offensive toots yanked him to reality, Jayce didn’t even care to muster to squirm or complain. 

While Caitlyn and Vi were okay to manage that part of their childcare, Jayce allowed himself to consider the part of him to indulge in the thought of: What if? What would it be like to experience the down and dirty of it all? 

While Cassie was being tended to by her parents, Jayce buried his face in his hands, tugging at the thick brown shaggy hair falling over his face. 

Maybe it was time. 

He knew exactly what he wanted to do and how. Even though it would be a risk, there was an inherent risk in everything. This was something he was more than willing to take a chance on. Self-containing such sentiments stretched his chest, threatening it all to burst at the seams. 

It was one thing to talk it out with Caitlyn and Vi, however, the best person and only person that mattered in this conversation was traveling abroad for a work conference.

Mel would be back in a couple of days, though. It was perfect timing for Jayce to get matters in line.

Starting off with question number one: should it be store-bought or artisanal?

It was an obvious answer that the latter would be the best. Browsing through the local shops confirmed such suspicions. The cuts and styles were nice and all but she deserved better than what was out on the market. Something that was from the heart. Something that screamed ‘Mel.’ In any case, at least Jayce had an idea of what was popular and typical design choices. 

With his raw materials assembled, Jayce got to work. He didn’t have much time and he wanted it to be perfect for her. Even born from the fires of the forge, with his years of experience, Jayce still took his time playing with and tweaking different designs, sizes, and cuts. 

Every single element had to be perfect for her. 

Jayce let the depth of his feelings for Mel flow through his fingers in molding his craft. When words got lost on him or weren’t enough, he could turn to this. A gift so specific to capture the feeling of being with someone you saw as the love of your life. Jayce didn’t want to miss this opportunity. He would dive in with everything he had. 

One of the late nights working on his project, Jayce carefully inspected his latest iteration from all angles. Wearing a broad toothy smile, Jayce rushed out of the forgery to assemble the proper package.

It was ready.

****

“Mel!” Jayce called to his girlfriend as she offboarded the airship at Piltover’s HexGate. When she turned to find him, Jayce rushed her in a bracing hug. “Welcome back, love. Glad you made it back okay.”

Feeling Mel relax under his touch, Jayce held onto her words. The first ones he was able to hear in a little over a week. Far too long.

“Jayce… I’m back home,” murmured into his chest.

While returning to their penthouse from the airship boarding dock, the couple’s conversation drifted to catching up on Mel’s business travel. Tiring but fulfilling and all that which it entailed. Jayce couldn’t help but be proud of her and all she’s molded herself into becoming. 

Assisting in carrying her luggage from their car to their home, Jayce found the weight of her suitcase paled in comparison to the weight of the tiny box tucked away in his front pocket. 

Soon. 

He would ask her very soon. 

To look into her eyes and see all the stars there, Jayce knew he was all in with her. he could never imagine having this feeling with anyone else. 

His fantasies and dreams over what they could be did not have to stay that way. The bridge to reality was built one question at a time. This one to kick start it all.

Hand in hand he was ready to cross that line 

With her.

[ironyismybestfriend]

Fic: Only The Two of Us

For @meljaymicrofics Day 20 Power Couple by Labrinth

Relationship: Jayce Talis/Mel Medarda

Rating: T

Summary: Gods, he couldn’t wait to marry her. As Jayce pressed his lips to her forehead, he whispered, “I love you, too.” 

OR Even though class differences told them “no,” Mel and Jayce would prove it all wrong.

cw: briefly implied sexual content

word count: 1299

It was a decidedly lazy Thursday night. Nothing in particular was going on, making it the perfect night to relax and spend time for nothingness together. Mel was lying inverted on Jayce’s couch briefly admiring her newly painted nails while watching her boyfriend Jayce sit on the floor before her workon his latest side project of tinkering with materials for his 3D printer.

Playing on the stereo, soft R&B was the perfect background noise for the time to unwind together. Life has been busy lately on both ends they didn’t have much a chance to simply be in the other’s presence.

When Jayce finished what he was working on, he scooted back to the base of the couch, visibly trying to piece together certain words that had been steaming at the back of his head for at least the past couple of hours since Mel’s been over.

“You know…”

Mel’s ears perked up and she turned her head to the side, facing him curiously. “No. Tell me.”

The tips of his ears heated with a soft blush. “I’ve always dreamed of a quiet life like this. Admittedly indulgent in the possibility of marrying you one day.” 

His confession immediately made Mel swivel to an upright position and take her seat from on the couch to the floor beside him. “Jayce…”

“I mean it, Mel. I know we are still pretty young in figuring things out with work and our place, but I… I wouldn’t want to do any of that with anyone else but you!”

Mel cut Jayce off, her lips capturing his in a charged kiss. Pulling away she swatted at the air between them. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said. “Go ahead,” she offered encouragingly. 

Jayce smiled at that. “I want to be able to work towards building a house with you. A life with you… Kids, too! If… if that’s what you want, of course.”

The sheepish addition to Jayce’s proud confession made Mel stifle her giggle with a hand over her mouth.

“I love you, Mel Medarda. Would you–”

“Yes,” she breathed eagerly.

“Would you at least let me finish asking?”

Every fiber of Mel’s being was vibrating into another plane and she nodded, pulling her lower lip between her teeth. The gold reflected in her green eyes sparkled with excitement watching Jayce compose himself and dig a hand into one of his pant pockets.

“Would you marry me, Mel Medarda?” The small ring box flicked open, Jayce presenting its contents to Mel.

“Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!” Barreling her boyfriend– fiancé– in a hug powerful enough to tip the both of them over on the floor, Mel placed kisses long and short all over Jayce’s mouth. 

For a long time, Mel and Jayce laid on his bedroom floor, chests heaving trying to catch their breaths. When they finally evened out, Jayce wrapped a strong arm around Mel’s waist, holding her steady as he pressed themselves up to an upright position once more. 

Cupping his face tenderly, Mel whispered sincerely against his lips, “Yes, I would love to marry you, Jayce Talis”

Caressing her left hand in his, Jayce slid the ring onto her finger delicately. A perfect fit.

Admiring the new jewelery from all angles, Mel’s eyes widened in awe. “Jayce… you made this, didn’t you?”

His lips twitched to a half smile. “You caught that? I wanted to get you one of the nicer rings from one of the stores in the fashion district downtown, but the tight salary of a budding engineer doesn’t have much grace right now. Metallurgy has been a skill paying dividends, though.”

A kiss planted on his lips silenced such doubts and insecurity. “Your signature touches to your crafts are unmistakeable. I love it and you, Jayce. I wouldn’t have wanted this any other way.”

“Part of me wanted to wait until our futures were more secure, but I don’t think I could have waited any longer,” he sheepishly admitted.

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

“I do want to ask your mother for permission, first.”

Mel’s eyes fluttered into a soft eye roll. “You know that’s a long outdated practice. You don’t actually have to do that anymore.”

“I know, but I want to. This is a big deal and your mother deserves to know. I’ll probably do it tomorrow.”

“Mhm. Okay,” she murmured, pressing soft kisses to his neck and strong jawline. 

That night they rode the high of commencing a new chapter into their lives in making love, bubbly with anticipation of what the future could bring them.

As they laid together under the sheets on the precipice of slumber, Mel nuzzled deeper into Jayce’s firm chest. “I love you, Jayce,” she said dreamily.

Gods, he couldn’t wait to marry her. As Jayce pressed his lips to her forehead, he whispered, “I love you, too.” 

 ****

Ambessa Medarda was one of those women whose aura alone could make even the strongest of soldiers cower at her feet. 

Due to distance and scheduling conflicts there were few opportunities Jayce and Ambessa got the opportunity to meet, but every time they did, Jayce could feel his balls shrinking up into his stomach. It was hard to admit that feeling never got any easier.  

Pouring his heart out to Ambessa, Jayce’s hands itched to fiddle with his ascot, as if the action would bring more air into his lungs. He chose to cling to his dress pants instead.

Ambessa’s critical eye and heavy silence only amplified the tightening around Jayce’s neck and blood thundering in his ears. The drumming finally ceased when her answer cut through the tension as a spear. 

“No.”

Jayce slowly blinked. His face contorted into multiple depictions of confusion. “Wait, what?”

Ambessa took a brief sip of her tea and shook her head. “The Medardas are a conglomerate force who have their hands in industries from entertainment to politics to general education. You think my daughter would be truly satisfied by someone such as yourself? You have a fraction of a fraction to your name compared to the Medardas. Be honest with yourself, child. She can do better. And she will. For that I cannot give you my blessing.”

Jayce could not have been more grateful that in that moment he was already sitting. His kneecaps were jelly.

“But…” Jayce began to scramble in his justification, which turned futile. “But I love her! I would live and die for her!”

The sentiment rolled off Ambessa as a water drop on impermeable stone. “Your chivalrous nature is commendable, child. My answer, however, is set.”

As Ambessa called for one of the butlers to escort Jayce to the exit, he shrugged it off bitterly. He knew his way out, clearly unwelcome in the Medarda’s circle. Fuck it all, he would prove them all wrong. Ambessa, tradition, matters of worth…

All of it.

****

As he laid in Mel’s lap recounting the events with her mother, the light scratches Mel provided by the nape of his neck abruptly ceased. “She what?!” 

“I’m sorry, Mel.”

Coaxing him to sit upright next to her, Mel wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. “There’s nothing to apologize for. Granted her disapproval stings, it is honestly surprising, knowing we’ve been dating for a while now. We’ll figure this out… together, okay?”

A glimmer of light returned to Jayce’s eyes. “You’d still want to get married?”

“Of course. She doesn’t get us and we’re going to be okay with that. Career matters and other affairs will be sorted another day. I don’t want or need the Medarda name, Jayce. Only you.”

A kiss to Mel’s inner wrist then on her lips, Jayce’s chest bloomed with warmth and he smiled. It was the first genuine one that reached his eyes all day.

[ironyismybestfriend]

Peak m/f

Black women and their brown malewives

[ironyismybestfriend]

Hi, melmedarda here! I sent you a message with the Meljay discord link, all though I am not sure it went through! :)

It did!! I’m definitely grateful and am spending my evening browsing through the threads lol

[ironyismybestfriend]

Is there a Meljay discord I can join cuz I’m lowkey tired of Tumblr lol

[ironyismybestfriend]

And do people who excuse the erasure of black rep with 'i'm trans/autistic/gay so ofc i will gravitate towards characters who give that vibe above the rest,i'm not racist,,,,,' know black people can be trans/autistic/gay too?????Black trans folks of all genders(including xenogenders and black otherkins/therians)exist,as do black autistics and black gays.It's like you're saying you see blackness and transgenderism/autism/gayness as completely mutually exclusive and that is itself racist!!It's dehumanizing and treats them as 'white people shit' and it's all just so ridicilous.Bestie please just throw in the black mcs in there in your pieces even if you're not actively into them,you not only won't hurt anybody but you'll be being intersectionalist.And that term was coined by black women btw

[ironyismybestfriend]

Yes. You are racist. (Buckle up, this is gonna be a long one)

So approximately half a year since the premier of the Disney+ Percy Jackson show, and almost two years since the announcement of the Trio's casting, I would like to take this moment to look back at the insane, racist and anti-black backlash that was launched at Leah Sava Jeffries and a few other cast members from the PJO fandom.

I'm not concerned with the trolls who are openly racist, who resorted to racist slurs and outright threats, everyone agrees that they "took it too far". I want to talk about the rest of you, the "I'm not racist, but.." people, the "What's wrong with wanting book accuracy?" people. Just to let you know, for the unasked question... yes, yes you are.

I've noticed the Percy Jackson fandom has been lording some weird superiority complex over a certain *unnamed* fandom that has fallen out of grace due to their recently outed bigot of an author. But honestly, y'all are not much different. The amount of vitriol and anti-blackness I have seen from this fandom (beyond just bullying a 12 year old girl), y'all don't have a leg to stand on.

Below is a breakdown of the most common arguments I have seen used to justify y'alls absolutely insane bigotry. I am going to explain why none of these justify the amount of anger and vitriol y'all have sent towards Leah, Rick or any of the cast.

I am not here to argue, and this is not a democracy. I am giving you a chance for some self-reflection and to understand that this pattern of violence directed towards POC actors (mostly black women) has never been justified in the name of "book accuracy"/"comic book accuracy"/"ending forced diversity" or whatever other excuses y'all try to make up.

If you still try to justify or argue further for any of these points, I will just block you. I am not coddling you through your racism. If anyone has seen any other dumb arguments floating around that I might've missed, feel free to sound off in the comments.

She's not book accurate:

Neither is Percy, Luke, Grover, Dionysus, Poseidon, and just about every other named character.

Rick already made it clear that physical features were not the priority with casting, rather it was actors that embodied the role. So why are the biggest complaints about Annabeth and Zeus? 🤔

What? You're gonna say everyone else got backlash too? I see you trying to obscure the main issue by playing dumb 😉

See my friend, yes, there were one or two comments about how Percy's hair should be black or how Luke is supposed to be blonde, but as soon as Leah was cast, none of those actors got any significant backlash. In fact, Walker and Charlie literally have an army of fan girls at their beck and call, calling them the perfect Percy and Luke, despite neither being "Book accurate". But then again, have we not observed the pattern of White boy of the month vs WOC to hate for the year? (Yes, I know Charlie isn't white. Further adds to the irony, doesn't it).

Why include character descriptions if you won't stay true to them, you cry? Well, my dear sweet moron, see, books and TV are two different mediums. Because in literature, you can't *Literally* SEE the characters, the author has to add descriptions to paint a picture in your mind, in TV... that's not an issue. So unless the character's appearance is necessary to the plot (like Luke's scar, or Nico being Italian) the show runners can actually focus on more important things.. Like ACTING and PERSONALITY.

2. It's just not how I imagined her:

News flash, babe! ANNABETH ISN'T REAL. None of these character are. They are concepts that originated from the brain of Mr. Rick Riordan. It doesn't matter how YOU imagined her. There are millions of people who read these books that imagined her several different ways. When the creator of the character watched Leah's audition and said, 'Yes! She embodies the character I created!", your imagined version of Annabeth ceased to matter. And guess what? The books still exist... they have not been burned. Your version of Annabeth has not disappeared. Go read the books.

3. Zeus can't be black/Gods have to be Greek/*Insert Character* can't be black:

Y'all did not read the books, I swear. You have to be fake fans looking to troll atp.

The gods move based off the center of western civilization. They change their forms/environment to reflect the culture they are occupying (they did it with Rome, now they're doing it with America). The gods change forms all the time. How we see them is not their true form as a mortal would disintegrate if they were to see their true form.

America is a cultural melting pot (specifically NY where Mount Olympus is now based). If the god's choose forms that reflect the current society they inhabit, they could literally be any race (keep in mind NYC is only 33% white).

All of this is literally SPELLED OUT in the Lightning Thief.

Furthermore, if you're going to push the ethnically Greek thing... Poseidon is British with a British accent and Hermes is Latino. The only ethnically Greek actor is Dionysus (who still doesn't look book accurate). Y'all are sounding like some white supremacists because do you forget that race is a social construct?

Before the advent of the transatlantic slave trade, I can promise you that the Greeks and the Anglo-Saxons did NOT view themselves as the same people. Why are y'all not taking issue with Poseidon's actor then?

Also, Percy Jackson has canonically had a slew of explicitly black demigods since the second book (including Harriet Tubman, which I have mixed feelings about 😭), so I genuinely have no idea where some of y'all are going with this point.

4. She was our smart blonde representation:

Don't pmo. I swear to God!

White, blonde women have NEVER been excluded from Hollywood. Representation is not something you lacked. The dumb blonde stereotype was a simple branch off of a larger misogynistic "dumb woman" stereotype. It has not truly been relevant since the mid 2000s outside of childish jokes.

This iteration of Percy Jackson will probably not go beyond the first 5 books, based off pacing and the age of the actors. So here's a fun game: 5 bucks to the first person who can find me a quote in the first 5 Percy Jackson books, where Annabeth laments her insecurities about being blonde (hint: there aren't any).

Also, her blonde hair does not hold her back at Camp because she is head of the Athena Cabin who are highly respected (and guess what?), ARE ALL BLONDE!

Her insecurities about her hair color are two or three lines at most in the later books, not this fundamental, core part of her character y'all all of a sudden wanna pretend it was. And guess what, as a non-blonde black girl, I was able to read those scenes of Annabeth feeling undervalued because of her looks and relate to her even if she didn't look like me at the time.

Why all of a sudden can y'all not do that with a black Annabeth? By every metric black girls are undervalued for their intelligence in academia more than white girls are, regardless of hair color. So your little representation of a woman undervalued by her looks would still hold. Do y'all dehumanize black women so much, that you are incapable of empathizing with show!Annabeth's plight in the way I could with Book!Annabeth simply because she doesn't look exactly like you?

Your issue isn't that she isn't blonde, it's that she is NOT WHITE.

Furthermore, Becky Riordan had tweeted previously (before the show was even cast) that Annabeth never needed to be blonde (probably recalling the BS y'all put Alexandra Daddario through), so even if they cast a white Annabeth, the blonde hair was never a guarantee. the author and producers all agree that it was not a significant part of her character. It's been a non-issue since day one.

Also, stop acting like smart blondes are rare in media... If you don't go watch some Legally blonde, Iron Man (Pepper Potts), Zack and Cody (Maddie), Liv and Maddie, FMAB (Winry), Captain Marvel, She-Ra, Buffy, The boys (starlight) etc. etc., and go sit down somewhere 🙄🙄🙄 (those were literally all things I've watched recently, off the top of my head, btw 💀)

5. It's not about race, but...:

Yes it is. It was always bout race. No other actors got as much hate as Leah. Her grandmother and other family members on IG had to mute their comments because they were getting so many threats.

Alexandra Daddario had to come to her defense on Twitter. Rick had to put out an official statement on his website. This girl has endured years of psychological torment for simply having the best audition. No one else is book accurate, no one else is ethnically Greek (except Jason Mantzoukas). Walker literally has British and German ancestry.

Why was she being called racial slurs on reddit and in youtube comments?

I know what you're gonna say, "I actually had problems with the entire cast", "I actually had a bigger issue with Walker's hair color", blah blah blah. Then why aren't you in Walker's comment sections? Why are you only making your displeasure known on posts defending/advocating for Leah? Why is she always your first example of 'wrong casting"?

Well, she "looks the most different"... Look up the term "scapegoating".

"Oh, I don't agree with the harassment. I just don't like the casting." Guess what? She's already been cast. They are not going to uncast her. What do you get out of still complaining about it.

All the vitriol you're stirring about her when you complain about her on Social media, it is directing people to send her hate, even if you're not writing it directly. It's is not enough to "not agree" with the racism, it is your duty to actively prevent it. And btw, these are young gen z actors, they are active on social media. They see the edits of themselves (even comment on it) and they most likely see these little "harmless" complaints you're posting. Are your upset feelings really worth contributing to the racist dogpile on this poor girl?

6. Why couldn't they atleast give her blonde braids?:

Why should they? Y'all wanted blonde because of the "dumb blonde" trope... that doesn't apply to POC.

A blonde black girl is gonna be viewed the same as a non-blonde black girl (or at worst, someone might decide she's "ratchet" or some shit for wearing colored hair). What difference would it make?

Why shouldn't Walker dye his hair, then?

7. Annabeth has Gray eyes:

Less than 3% of the global population has "gray eyes". Even if they cast a white actor, they would've needed contacts. Her being black is not the reason Annabeth's eyes aren't gray. Simply put, it is a plot element they removed, like the whole "names have power" element, or Ares having flames for eyes, or Dionysus using his powers to grow strawberries at Camp.

That's how adaptations work. Unnecessary plot elements are cut to save time and budget. This has nothing to do with her casting. They probably also didn't want to make child actors wear contacts (not a new practice).

8. Even if Rick chose her, he was wrong/Disney is forcing him to be okay with it:

Where do I start? Rick created the character. He can't be wrong. Do y'all have no self-awareness? Death of the author has no place here, because y'all are hung up on an aspect of the character that is not relevant to her arc or development.

Y'all's justification for wanting a "book accurate" Annabeth is that she was such an inspirational and important character growing up, and yet your behavior is so in conflict with the character you claim means so much to you. You're narrow minded, dismissive of bigotry and injustice, and disrespectful to the wishes of the creator of your favorite character; everything that Annabeth would never be. Y'all were never genuine fans of the books. You're bigots that needed an outlet for your rage.

Keep in mind, Rick has said countless times that PercaBeth directly mirrors his relationship with his wife. Y'all think he would have allowed them to cast someone who doesn't live up to the woman who has been by his side for decades? The mother of his children?

Regarding Disney forcing him, show me one piece of direct evidence that proves Disney in anyway pressured Rick to cast her. Cuz if you can't, that's baseless speculation. And if you have to resort to baseless speculation, maybe try to examine why it's so important to you to hold on to this belief.

9. So, I'm racist because I hate "race swapping"?:

To start, there is a difference between "race swapping" and "color blind casting". Often times, when y'all complain about the former, you're actually mad about the latter.

It would be "race swapping" if Rick and the team decided ahead of time that they wanted a black Annabeth and ONLY allowed black actors to audition. But the actual reality was that they accepted auditions from everyone (there were white actors and non-black poc that also auditioned for the role) and chose the best person who embodied the role. They didn't "make Annabeth black" and they didn't "make Zeus black", they cast black actors for those roles.

Y'all think you're being slick with your wording. Dismissing that is implying that they did not earn their roles fair and square. Which is racist. It's the equivalent of going up to a black college student and telling them they only got in because of affirmative action. You're dismissing the achievements of a person solely because of their racial background.

For all you people complaining about "unfairness" and "forced diversity", I would think hiring based on merit would appeal to you 🤔

71% of theatrical Hollywood leads were white in 2024 in comparison to 29% POC and you still think "black washing" is a thing? You still get this angry over a black person fairly earning a role because you think in a time where Hollywood only knows to do remakes and adaptations, that the majority of lead roles still *have* to be reserved for white actors?

Once again, white people have never been excluded from Hollywood for being white. Representation has never been something you lacked nor is it something you can lose. Your anger comes from seeing a black face where you think they don't belong. Because you feel you are owed a disproportion of representation in Hollywood.

10. Woke agenda/DEI/Forced Diversity:

If you are unironically using any of these terms in a negative light, it's already too late for me to reason with you. Look up the term "dog whistle". If you are sharing the same terminology with Elon Musk and his fanboys, maybe reevaluate some things.

POC are objectively underrepresented and have been historically excluded through actual laws and policies in Hollywood. There is no such thing as "forced diversity", you have bought in to a right wing conspiracy theory.

"Woke" is a term that was intentionally appropriated from the black community. It originally meant being aware of injustice and systematic threats to the community and is now being weaponized by bigots. Good job.

Diversity and inclusion is a good thing.

11. But POC deserve to have their own stories told:

We do. And we have been fighting for it for over a century now, and we've made great strides, no thanks to y'all.

No thanks to y'all gaslighting us about how little representation we get or that representation matters at all. No thanks to y'all pushing the idea that POC can't sell globally and obscuring POC actors in international promos. No thanks to y'all continuing to whitewash even to this day (Bullet train, the beguiled, gods of Egypt, atla, every portrayal of Jesus ever, etc.). No thanks to y'all calling every piece of media that has more than one black lead and more than one queer couple "woke". No thanks to y'all throwing a fit every time a black person in a fantasy setting isn't a slave.

Fact of the matter is, y'all never cared about POC "getting their own stories", you're only parroting our own words back to us now as a politically correct way of saying, "leave white roles alone" lmao

Well fun fact, actors of color getting opportunities to play lead roles and allowing poc to "tell their own stories" are not mutually exclusive. If y'all cared that much, instead of bullying a 12 year old actress, you could actually support up and coming independent POC writers, directors, and studios 😱

12. Studios need to stop "setting up" actors of color:

Do me a favor and google the term DARVO.

Your racism is not the fault of the studios for giving a POC actor a role that they earned. It is not up to the rest of society to tiptoe around racists to avoid their vitriol. It is our responsibility to hold them accountable and protect minorities from unwarranted hate. At most, you can say it's the responsibility of the studios to provide adequate support to POC actors who face this backlash.

At the end of the day, Hollywood only allows very few spots for POC actors (especially WOC), while simultaneously pushing a new white boy every month to put in everything. Putting minorities in these roles that are usually closed to them, usually opens the door to more actors of color than before.

Brandy being cast as Cinderella did a lot to push her into the mainstream (yes, she was already extremely famous in the black community atp), Halle Berry being the first, black, bond girl literally shot her to icon status, and even going as far back to what Anna Mae Wong did for Asian American actresses with her "femme fatale" roles.

At the end of the day, even with the backlash, *some* rep does more good for POC actors than *no* rep. The solution to racist backlash isn't to take away those opportunities, but rather to not be racist??? 🙄

Also, for everyone that claims that "POC race-swapping" is just as bad as "white-washing", despite white washing having a longer history and objectively causing more harm, note how the backlash to white washing never lasts as long as the harassment that POC get.

Like, no one brings up Scarlett Johansson's ghost in the shell role anymore, but you can best believe Candace Patton is still fending off racist trolls. As much as people hated the atla movie, people moved on quick from Nicola Peltz playing Katara since she was just a kid that accepted the role (re: daddy bought her the role), but y'all would not have any of that consideration for Leah Sava Jeffries.

But I digress...

13. What if we made Tiana white? Wakanda white? Hazel white...:

Ah, my favorite inane point. I was so excited to get here :)

See, I could start out by pointing out how "White washing" and casting a POC actor as a traditionally white character are not equivalent.

I could point out the history of hollywood ACTIVELY excluding POC actors and POC stories. I could point out how grossly over represented white people are in hollywood. I could point out that POC characters are so few in comparison that whitewashing them causes actual harm, where white people have never lacked rep.

I could point out how, because poc characters and stories are so often tokenized that their racial/cultural background is often directly tied to their character's identity, in opposition to a lot of white characters, since hollywood treats white as the "Default".

See, I could make all those points, but the thing is, the people who make this argument already know all that. They are trying to waste time by drawing me into a pointless circular argument that will sum up to "fair is fair", while ignoring all the context and nuance I previously provided.

So you know what? Forget it. Let me play your game.

I am actually fine with a white Tiana. Would it make sense, for her and her family to experience Jim Crow era racism, in the south while white? No. But we can look past it. Disney was never known for historical accuracy anyway 🤷🏿‍♀️

However, in exchange, the live action frozen will have a black Elsa and Anna, live action Rapunzel will be black, live action Merida will be black, we're re-filming Cinderella and Beauty and the beast to cast a black belle and Cindy, snow white will need to be recast as black, and we also get aurora whenever the live action sleeping beauty is announced. But then y'all can keep Tiana, deal?

You want a white T'Challa? Fine! (I'm partial to Ryan gosling), in the meantime, we'll be recasting Iron man, Captain America (Steve version), Bruce banner, Thor, Loki, hawk eye, black widow, ant man, captain marvel, Bucky, Peter Parker etc. All the avengers and their side characters, then y'all can have Sam Wilson, war machine and the whole of Wakanda (will it make sense that a sole, hidden, African nation is randomly made up of white people? Who cares? We get the avengers!).

You want white Hazel? You got her! I hope you have no problem with us taking Percy, Nico, Will, Poseidon, Jason, calypso, Rachel, Tyson, Silena, the stoll brothers, Sally Jackson, Hades, Hepheastus, ares, etc. But y'all can have Hazel and Beckendorf.

If we're gonna do this, let's commit all the way. Fair is fair, after all.

14. Leah isn't as "pretty" as Book Annabeth/Movie Annabeth:

I wish I could say this wasn't a genuine point I had read, but when all else fails, they will always go for a woman's appearance.

Now first of all, as a rule, I will never hold black women to white beauty standards. Our hair will never be long and silky enough, our nose will never be narrow enough, our skin will never be fair enough and our eyes will never be light enough (Might I recommend Toni Morrison, when you get the chance?). But Leah is unfairly gorgeous idc what any of you say, and you're not gonna have me use my defense of Leah as an opportunity to bash Alexandra either because she is also beautiful. These two queens slayed to the best of their abilities within this toxic ass fandom.

I find it funny, however, that so many of you harped on the "blonde" issue because you thought it was important that Annabeth be seen beyond just her looks, but quickly devolve to bashing an actress's looks when it comes to why she's not right for this role 🤔

I would also like to sincerely apologize that the 13 year old girl they cast in the show, wasn't as sexually attractive to you as the 24 year old woman they cast in the movie and sexualized through like 25% of her screen time (I'm actually not sorry. You're very weird if this is an actual point for you).

15. I don't agree with sending hate to the actor, but she's just not right for the role:

Once again, what are you doing by complaining about her casting on no other basis than her race?

The creator of the character said she embodied the role. She has already been cast, and Disney would be in a legal/production hell to recast her atp. Just because you're not directly leaving comments on her social media doesn't mean you're not part of the hate mob.

No matter how you look at it, your issues with her casting come from a very entitled and narrow-minded place. When you join in on these dialogues you are bolstering a sentiment that pushes more people to harass this teenage girl. When you leave these "harmless" complaints, on show content, fan posts or posts defending her, she's liable to read them because the cast regularly interact with fans online.

What do you have to say that is so important that it trumps protecting a young girl from the long-staying trauma of racism, of being told she doesn't deserve something she worked for because of how she was born?

16. I can't even criticize the show without being called racist:

Get. Over. Yourself.

Y'all are not the victim. Have fans of the show gotten protective of Leah and the young cast? Yes.

With good reason. This fandom is unbearably toxic.

Racism outweighs your need for a "perfect adaptation", sorry.

If you explain yourself properly and keep your critiques fair (like, even I don't think this was a perfect season, and will be sharing my thoughts shortly), no one is gonna call you racist.

You're preempting with that because in all honesty, you're probably planning to use your "critiques" of the show to pivot to one of the many points that I just outlined, and you want to pre-empt the criticism.

If a black Annabeth is the end all be all for you, just don't watch the show, no one's holding a gun to your head. Geez.

17. I'm Black/POC and I don't agree...:

Hey, Candace Owens... No one gives a shit.

First of all, for all the "I'm POC and I don't agree" people, you don't speak for us. Anti-blackness is rampant in just about every culture globally. You being not-white doesn't somehow make you less prone to hating black people.

But for the "I'm black and I don't agree" leftovers (assuming you're not just a 👩🏼‍💻 behind a keyboard). Black people are not a monolith. You're not obligated to think a certain way because you're black.

But consider why you're putting yourself up as a barrier to protect this hate mob. It's one thing to just state why you don't like Leah's casting, but to start off your spiel with "I'm actually black" as a way to weaponize the very identity politics you're critiquing... very strange. Not to mention, what are you defending?

The black community is coming together to defend one of our own, a kid who has been receiving death threats since she was 12, and this is when you feel the need to back the opposition?

I mean whatever... sometimes the house slaves would snitch to the master. There will always be some of y'all in the woodwork. It is what it is.

But when the exact ideology you defend is turned against you, when a Baltimore elected official is being accused of getting his job through "DEI", when conservatives are claiming that they wouldn't "trust a black pilot", don't decide that's where you'll finally draw your line in the sand.

All that being said, This is my Annabeth:

May every tongue that rose against Leah Sava Jeffries Shrivel and die in 2025 🙏🏿 My girl will keep winning ❤️

(video by @/waleahhasmyheart on TikTok)

[ironyismybestfriend]

i dont even get mad anymore when i see people reducing mel's character to manipulative girlboss because like. isnt it embarassing to not have your understanding of a main character progress past your first impression of them? did you watch half of season 1 and just kind of call it quits??? are you not ashamed of your poor literary comprehension

[ironyismybestfriend]

This may be an unfavourable observation of this whole ordeal but it feels as though some white leftists only perform anti racist views and are in fact constantly chomping at the bit for the permission to go full mask off anti black as soon as it is perceived to be given by a non white non black person. Its ugly to see and I can’t imagine how unsafe this could make black people In leftist spaces feel.

You pretty much called it lol. It's a gigantic performance, it always has been, and you'll get the world's strongest backlash if you ever have the audacity to say that. It's incredibly ugly and unwelcoming. An ongoing mentality that is "we want your labor but not your presence", because God forbid we also say "well fine, then I'm not helping you".

And it happens like clockwork by the same group of people on here every three months or so. It's so predictable it's crazy. They do the same shit bc it keeps working on people 🤣 and after this recent one, as overt as it all was and they still made ol girl the victim somehow, it's clear it's taking even less effort.

[ironyismybestfriend]

The group chat rn

[ironyismybestfriend]

red flags

calling the legitimate anger of oppressed people “drama” or “hate”

referring to allocation of human rights as simply “politics”

referring to basic human empathy decency as “political correctness”

the childlike refusal to admit mistakes and throwing a literal tantrum

“it’s just my opinion”

[ironyismybestfriend]

Sharing arcane headcanon/analysis tweets that spark joy to me :> (part 17)

[ironyismybestfriend]

First year, Class T, Leonardo sensei!

More anime parody. The original audio is from Gintama : Third year, Class Z Ginpachi-sensei!

[ironyismybestfriend]

I ship Meljay and Skyvik cuz I think black women should get whatever they want

[ironyismybestfriend]

Child someone just spent time out their day to say Mel abused Jayce and I’m like…just throw the internet away. Get a hobby, read a book. Volunteer. Leave the think pieces in 2024 cuz you sound stupid and pretentious.

[ironyismybestfriend]

Omg my ovaries

Waiting for Santa...

This is part of the Mutant Christmas 2024 art challenge

Almost didn't make it today