#At least they got a kiss at the end so it wasn't rushed and queerbaited

[doctorbunny]

I don't think anyone else cared about the Villain manga but goddamn

After a months long hiatus the last chapter came out and it was so rushed, the last 7 chapters were clearly a slower pace, it wasn't meant to end yet. The characters got a happy ending I guess but it skimmed over a lot including the main character's gender identity which is kind of a big deal in the hit Teniwoha song 'Villain'

Anyway, go listen to the voice drama, its a complete version of the story

[thiswomanshouldbewriting]

Ho postato 6.198 volte nel 2022

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#something something not a single person in my family is capable of rational thought and i have no idea of what to think of anything anymore

I miei post migliori nel 2022:

#5

I don't usually want to get my hopes up, but it Rhys "great at physical comedy" Darby and Taika "these are two innocent fully erect eggplants" Waititi don't get to play an over-the-top, ridiculous fight that quickly becomes a sex scene in S2 what was even the point.

901 note - Postate 1 giugno 2022

#4

Absolutely devastated at the idea that, for most of human history, for you to hear music there had to be someone physically playing/singing in your vicinity. I would have gone rabid over a good musician.

989 note - Postate 25 novembre 2022

#3

Ok but episode 5 is such a turning point and I feel the need to ramble about this a little.

When I first saw the almost kiss at the end of the episode, I was kind of surprised. I knew from tumblr that the relationship between Ed and Stede was going to develop into a romance, I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly and so explicitly (the damage queerbaiting does to a mf). That scene signed a tone shift that I wasn't expecting, and the more I think about it the more absurd it feels that I didn't see it coming.

While Edward and Stede have lots in common and get along from the moment they meet, they are not on equal footing at first.

Stede treads Blackbeard as a friend, but he is also in a kind of hero-worship situation. He's known about him for a long time, he just had his life and crew saved by him, he is learning crucial skills from him.

And Ed, well, Ed also liked Stede from the moment he heard about him but, as lovable as he thinks that Stede is, Ed is still going along with his own plans. He decides to contact Stede because he's bored. He's learning about upper class because he wants to be one of them. As much as he likes Stede, he does not need Stede, while Stede pretty much needs him to survive.

What changes this dynamic? Well, the way Stede reacts to Ed's vulnerability.

In episode 4 we see Blackbeard in complete control of the situation while Stede panicks, until we learn that Blackbeard was wrong about the day. At that point Ed just... gives up, and retreats to drink himself into a stupor, and is joined by Stede. While they don't exactly bond in this moment, they are for once on equal footing, both musing on their own failings, and come up with the same plan at the same time. They work together, and while Ed still does not need Stede in his life at this point, he has learned that, at the very least, Stede is not the kind of person that would stab him (physically or emotionally) the moment he shows weakness.

Then episode 5 comes along and, despite Blackbeard's attempts, Stede starts to see more through the facade. Stede sees how the "rich donkey" comment got to him, and offers a support that Ed is not yet ready to accept. But later, when the party gets ugly, Stede "soft boy" Bonnet tells motherfucking Blackbeard to stand down, with so much authority that Ed actually does listen to him. Stede not only sees how much those comments got into Ed's head, not only stops him from doing something extremely rush and stupid in response, but actively takes the matter in his hands, punishing a boat full of people for the crime of hurting someone he cares about.

Ed has grown up in a world where every man has to fend for himself, where pirates don't have friends, where weakness means your crew will mutiny, and suddenly he is faced with someone who not only doesn't shame him for his moment of weakness, but tells him don't worry, I can deal with this so you don't have to. The look that Ed gives Stede as the boat burns is, I believe, both because he didn't think Stede had it in him, and because he definitely didn't expect Stede to do this for him.

Cut to the moonlight scene. Ed is still processing everything that just happened, when Stede approaches him and offers, once again, support for what he just went through. He gently takes (after asking!) something that Ed cares about, a symbol of his softness, and treats it with such care and respect, showing Ed how to display that to the world. Ed knows, in this moment, that he can trust Stede, that it's safe to be vulnerable with him, something that he probably hasn't felt with anyone in years. Of course he takes that step forward, of course he is tempted to kiss him.

And this fully progresses in epsiode 6. The episode opens with a montage of the two of them enjoying each other's company, finally on equal footing, because Ed has realized that he does need Stede, not for his plan, but as a person he wants to spend time with, someone cares about (much to Izzy's chagrin). Not only that, but the hilarious/flirty "stab me" scene is all about physical trust. Ed trusts Stede enough that he's willing to be physically vulnerable when he's around. But this isn't the highest level of trust for Ed. Ed would probably rather be stabbed than talk about his feelings, but by the end of the episode he's ready to show Stede what, by pirate standards, is the worst part of him. He's crying, he's scared, he's showing all of his emotional vulnerability, and once again Stede only shows him care. Stede reassures him that he's not a monster, that they're friends, and that their friendship won't change because Ed planned to kil him or because he was too soft to go through with the plan (there's a wonderful post about this, I can't find it right now).

It's not a coincidence that from episode 7 onward these two are clearly and openly head over heels for each other (still screaming about Ed trusting Stede to take something out of his beard), so much so that other characters start to fully acnowledge theirs as a relationship. The progression of their romance - from the instant chemistry to the weird tension to the full flirting - is dictated by how vulnerable Ed is willing to be with Stede, and how gently Stede treats him in response. And it breaks my heart because when Ed finally brought down his final defenses, when he was ready to leave it all behind for Stede, he had his heart broken in the worst possible way.

1.093 note - Postate 16 aprile 2022

#2

Stede Bonnet is literally THE Unkillable Gay™.

Stabbed in the guts and hanged? He is fine by the end of the next day. Blackbeard plans to kill him? Too late, Blackbeard has already fallen in love with him. Run through with a sword and impaled until (at least) the following morning? It's fine, there are no important organs on the left side of the body anyway. A guy tries to shoot him? He accidentally trips and shoots himself in the head instead. His wife plans to murder him? They have a nice heart-to-heart and end up hugging.

He literally cannot be stopped.

1.554 note - Postate 13 aprile 2022

Il mio post numero 1 del 2022

Currently screaming about Stede instinctively saying that Blackbeard is lovely and then immediately realizing that this is not the answer that people wanted and, crucially, it is not an answer he can give them.

He spent weeks at sea, on the naval equivalent of a gay pride parade, surrounded by people who were welcoming, if not of his pirate style, at least of his quirks. He read them stories, he saw them being queer with no guilt, he showed them all of his heartbreak about Ed leaving and was only met with support.

He has forgotten what hiding feels like. Or, rather, he has forgotten that he's supposed to hide. He's not on the Revenge anymore, where he could have donned his silk robe and talked with Lucius and Olu about his feelings. He once again has to hide who he is and, he realizes, he has to hide who Ed is as well.

There are so many layers on which this is true. He has to lie about Ed's vulnerabilities because they are something Ed himself keeps secret, and Stede can't breach that trust. He has to hide Ed's softer side because it won't be accepted, just like Stede's own softness isn't. He has to keep up the Blackbeard persona because that is keeping Ed safe through the fear people have of him. And yes, he also has to hide their relationship because, as far as I can tell from Wikipedia, that was a crime punishable by death.

Stede has, in the span of two seconds, to take all of this in and quickly shift back into his old mask, profoundly aware that as friendly as these men are right now, he can never be honest with them. Which is only highlighted by the fact that they openly cheer after his speech about death, despite it being clearly traumatising for him.

Idk maybe I am projecting, but I truly felt what Stede felt, the need to smile and lie through a family dinner on order to avoid outing yourself or someone else you know. Brb I'm gonna cry now.

4.264 note - Postate 18 maggio 2022

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Adding a few comments to this:

I can't believe (but actually yes I can) that ofmd completely monopilzed my tags and top posts. Awesome.

I posted on average 1.6 posts a day. I'm on this website too much (no, I actually use it just the right amount)

@omarfor-mp3 I'll take the cookies.

[yammoba]

@raspberry0rain

It wasn't actually queerbaiting though. They were actually a couple, and Shiro did have an on screen marriage. It might not be quality representation, and if you were watching voltron specifically for representation i get hating the show, but queerbaiting it is not.

I wasn't happy with it either, just from a pure writing standpoint, it wasn't as strong as it could have been, and there were probably other options. But a lot of those other options would have taken more time, and the last season was rushed as it is. They could have cut some other stuff for sure and I think that it maybe would have been the smarter thing to do. But I also personally don't think the last season was that terribly written. It was flawed for sure, but in a way lots of endings are. Especially if you're writing and planning season to season and don't get to plan things from the begining, or aren't able to stick to your plans for what ever reason.

@micros0ftpaint

I honestly don't remember it being as bad as everyone seems to think it was?? At least to warrant the level of frothing hatred and dismisal the show receives?? Admittidly I didn't pay that much attention to the marketing, because i didn't need to, I was already going to watch the show. but the most from the actual team i remember is some tweets and like 1 interview that got quoted to hell and back. The fandom kept talking about it and asking about it and theorizing and I honestly think that it skewed people's perspectives.

I think it was a stupid move to try to hype up Adam in the ways that they did, given what was there and what the show was actually focused on. Especially because most people who were gonna be watching the final season, were already watching the show. It was pointless, and probably more of an attempt to pander, than anything? So, as someone who mostly just watched the show as it was coming out, people calling the show itself queerbaiting irrideemable media is baffling to me. Comparing it to something like Sherlock for example, it doesn't even come close. (I also wouldn't even call Sherlock "irrideemable" I think there's very little media that is genuinely that)

From a writing perspective it might have been good if Shiro had been able to mention or think about Adam or have flashbacks or w/e in earlier seasons. And I think it is pretty clear that they chose to add him in last minute. And to be real, I don't think they gave much thought to the character's sexualities and if that should be a thing in the show until the fandom started bring it up. Which is why if feels more like a case of "pandering" gone wrong. (To be clear i don't think "pandering" is inherently bad) However you could make serveral in character arguments for why Shiro didn't mention Adam or discuss his sexuality. They are reasons that could have been written around, but given what the show was actually focused on, and how much time they ended up having, I think it was mostly reasonable. The last season was rushed, and probably tried to cram too much stuff in, and maybe could have been better if it focused on character development and cut out the plane guys... but I love the plane guys and it honestly felt like they were trying to have a bunch of ~epic action fun moments~. Which, as a meatheaded mech fan, I enjoyed immensely.

It just bugs me because when people talk about queerbaiting a lot of the time they are using one word to refer to a wide variety of practices which have different origins and effects. And using it as a buzzword to declare the something somehow uniquely morally bad?? When I honestly think people were just disappointed for a variety of other reasons, a lot of them ship related, and some not. But it feels like people think its not good enough to just be disappointed, its also like an attack on them personally, which is a mindset I see continuing to be popular in various forms, and I think it does damage to discourse and how people think about and write queer rep. And using words in a "buzzword" fashion to get people to immediately agree with you is a general internet problem as well, and causes lots of issues. which is why I'm salty.

This is also more of a general thing, but I also think in a lot of cases people's expectations for queer rep in shows is a bit... high? Its good and fine to have high expectations, and to keep pushing things forward, but I also think sometimes people loose perspective on the actual state of things and how difficult it is to actually get away with good queer rep, especially in kids media. And I think people tend to loose sight of how far we've actually come, in not that long a time. Especially considering how long it takes for a show to go through development and being made. And I think fandom plays a roll in this skewed expectation. Because queer fanworks and interpretations are so popular. And that is a good thing! I am happy that people have more space to be comfortable and talk about these things, it used to be so so much worse, and I'm happy that people get to write 120k word fanfictions about dudes kissing and not get sent cease and disist letters, or wildly mocked by the majority of internet users. But I also think tempered expectations can be a valuable thing, especially, especially if you're engaging with marketing for a property. Thats just like... a general thing for marketing, not even just for representation.

[elizabethrobertajones]

Hi! Do you think the teeth-gnashing and outrage about queerbaiting that happened after s8 was because s8 was when the Destiel narrative really kicked into gear in a more visible way? Like, suddenly Dean/Cas is a huge part of the story, romance tropes are everywhere in a way it never was before and then as the show got renewed things slowed down and people felt, well robbed? I'm rewatching s8 right and I feel Dean is like so close to just kissing Cas but I think Cas wasn't there yet. And now...

Yeah, I think so, and it seems weird now because it all feels so kind of abstract and NONE of it was REALLY there yet when you look at it with hindsight and knowing it didn’t happen.

A lot of accounts I’ve heard say basically the same thing - that the combination of the Netflix watchers marathoning and Tumblr’s rise as a fandom space made the destiel community blossom here, and season 8 felt like a huge fresh start and the tropes were different and the showrunner was different and there was a whole fresh new optimism and excitement about the show like it was basically brand new but also, like, already closer to 200 episodes than not… And a lot of meta got written which was very very optimistic and excited for Destiel. 

I know at least one notorious fandom-hopping troll got in on it because it was a great way to earn popularity and followers… No one had said it wasn’t happening yet, and the show was using really obvious and easy to read romance tropes and like, it seems to me like a gold rush town fandom? People were writing a lot of speculation and stuff about three act structures and what have you, and I think “meta” became synonymous with “writing about how Destiel will go canon” and it was being gobbled up.

Something that makes me sad now is that I see a lot of people in stuff like the arty gifsets, edits, fanart or fic side of the community who talk about how they’re never trusting or reading meta again after feeling burned by its promises? (ETA: And meta is SO much more than this; I think that sort of stuff is just speculation, but actual meta is the deep analysis. You can USE it to speculate, but usually more like themes and plot and character than endgame and story structure and HOW these things will manifest)

Because one of the other things was if you survived the season 8 finale and hiatus, which sound like hell (there was teasing that Cas would have an episodes-long love interest in either/both Nora or April by the sounds of things, and maaaybe Dean would have one too with Robin, so that must have been a delight >.>) and the actual 9x03 AND fandom vs TPTB fight that followed, AND JIB that year where Jensen said they “don’t play it that way” (that is, like a secret relationship where Dean and Cas are fucking off screen) then by the end of season 9 the whole bubble seemed popped, AND after all that, they began what Jeremy Carver kept on calling the “Plot Accordion” of the Mark of Cain, where they still had a plan (that three act arc meta I mentioned tentatively circled as an idea still but with a wiggly line in the middle stretching it all out :P) and they had to keep on stretching and circling, and so all the speculative meta from previously or even just before whatever was currently happening was often useless. And if it’s main plot speculative meta, well okay you can probably nail the themes but be baffled by their application or misuse of connected characters, but you’re not missing out on much. But if it’s waiting for payoff on an emotional arc (ANY emotional arc) it’s a horrific wait, and if you’re only or mainly in it for Destiel, the season renewals start to feel like a horrible game with your feelings?

(I mean I’m a fairly content-to-sit-here type fan, mostly because I’ve been invested since season 2 was as far as you could get in this country, and actually *remember* my friend being excited to grab season 3 DVDs and being there in the shop when she found them :P And I’m invested in a lot more than Destiel, I’d buy season 12 on DVD JUST for Mary… At the end of the day I am a bad sample fan for just being a Destiel blog even though I ship it to the ends of the earth and see it firmly embedded in canon at every level) 

But yeah, idk, I think season 8 is such a weird one to me, especially as season 7 & 8 correspond to a horrendously painful and busy time in my life and I was all hopped up on painkillers for most of them so I really do not remember those seasons clearly. Of season 8, I remember the LARP episode from first impressions, and that’s it. But it seems such a weird and inoffensive season to me (I mean… ignoring 8x15 entirely, as I usually do :P). 

In hindsight it’s got a beautiful and well-written Destiel subtext and romantic arc, which lays it all out extremely clearly, but wasn’t ever really heading to canon, just exploring and explaining, and putting tools on the board, to build up for angst and tension. And a lot of stuff for character development for later - the seeds of a lot of things are in season 8 that get repeated again and again getting closer and closer to the truth underneath them that was only a hint or a suggestion or wry comment in season 8. I don’t think they ever were going to make it canon that year because the build up was subtextual instead of overt. In season 12 a lot of things like the mix tape or 12x10 were so in your face romantic tropes or the elusive episode about angels falling in love with humans that was always needed to crack the whole thing open, complete with making it all about Dean n Cas at the end, and the season ending with a heap of Destiel vs John and Mary or Sam and Jess parallels, that it’s feeling like the REAL build up to what you might have to do… 

It’s SUBSTANTIALLY different to season 8, which for example, used Remember The Titans to make the same point as Lily Sunder, and it would be fascinating to compare them as sister episodes, but the first thing you see is that one is about an allegorical thing with greek gods, and one is *literally* using OUR Cas and HIS feelings in the story, even the historical part of it, and it’s about ACTUAL angels falling in love with humans and doing plot-mirroring stuff as a result. 8x16 has a Crypt Scene parallel the episode before the Crypt Scene and Sam specifically READS THE SUBTEXT that it was about love, whereas in Lily Sunder, Ishim is just like, yep I wanted to bang Lily woe is me, I’m gonna go murder her kid to make myself feel better and also Dean because that will probably cheer you up. 

(I’m now having a weird “I cba to check this but I think Zeus and Ishim wore the same costume” moment)

Anyway, idk where I was going with that. I think to say, that the blowback against season 8 was maybe because it was so unprecedented, and I think we trod the same waters for the rest of Carver era, but now it’s Dabb era and I am very very scared :P

[thiswomanshouldbewriting]

Ok but episode 5 is such a turning point and I feel the need to ramble about this a little.

When I first saw the almost kiss at the end of the episode, I was kind of surprised. I knew from tumblr that the relationship between Ed and Stede was going to develop into a romance, I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly and so explicitly (the damage queerbaiting does to a mf). That scene signed a tone shift that I wasn't expecting, and the more I think about it the more absurd it feels that I didn't see it coming.

While Edward and Stede have lots in common and get along from the moment they meet, they are not on equal footing at first.

Stede treads Blackbeard as a friend, but he is also in a kind of hero-worship situation. He's known about him for a long time, he just had his life and crew saved by him, he is learning crucial skills from him.

And Ed, well, Ed also liked Stede from the moment he heard about him but, as lovable as he thinks that Stede is, Ed is still going along with his own plans. He decides to contact Stede because he's bored. He's learning about upper class because he wants to be one of them. As much as he likes Stede, he does not need Stede, while Stede pretty much needs him to survive.

What changes this dynamic? Well, the way Stede reacts to Ed's vulnerability.

In episode 4 we see Blackbeard in complete control of the situation while Stede panicks, until we learn that Blackbeard was wrong about the day. At that point Ed just... gives up, and retreats to drink himself into a stupor, and is joined by Stede. While they don't exactly bond in this moment, they are for once on equal footing, both musing on their own failings, and come up with the same plan at the same time. They work together, and while Ed still does not need Stede in his life at this point, he has learned that, at the very least, Stede is not the kind of person that would stab him (physically or emotionally) the moment he shows weakness.

Then episode 5 comes along and, despite Blackbeard's attempts, Stede starts to see more through the facade. Stede sees how the "rich donkey" comment got to him, and offers a support that Ed is not yet ready to accept. But later, when the party gets ugly, Stede "soft boy" Bonnet tells motherfucking Blackbeard to stand down, with so much authority that Ed actually does listen to him. Stede not only sees how much those comments got into Ed's head, not only stops him from doing something extremely rush and stupid in response, but actively takes the matter in his hands, punishing a boat full of people for the crime of hurting someone he cares about.

Ed has grown up in a world where every man has to fend for himself, where pirates don't have friends, where weakness means your crew will mutiny, and suddenly he is faced with someone who not only doesn't shame him for his moment of weakness, but tells him don't worry, I can deal with this so you don't have to. The look that Ed gives Stede as the boat burns is, I believe, both because he didn't think Stede had it in him, and because he definitely didn't expect Stede to do this for him.

Cut to the moonlight scene. Ed is still processing everything that just happened, when Stede approaches him and offers, once again, support for what he just went through. He gently takes (after asking!) something that Ed cares about, a symbol of his softness, and treats it with such care and respect, showing Ed how to display that to the world. Ed knows, in this moment, that he can trust Stede, that it's safe to be vulnerable with him, something that he probably hasn't felt with anyone in years. Of course he takes that step forward, of course he is tempted to kiss him.

And this fully progresses in epsiode 6. The episode opens with a montage of the two of them enjoying each other's company, finally on equal footing, because Ed has realized that he does need Stede, not for his plan, but as a person he wants to spend time with, someone cares about (much to Izzy's chagrin). Not only that, but the hilarious/flirty "stab me" scene is all about physical trust. Ed trusts Stede enough that he's willing to be physically vulnerable when he's around. But this isn't the highest level of trust for Ed. Ed would probably rather be stabbed than talk about his feelings, but by the end of the episode he's ready to show Stede what, by pirate standards, is the worst part of him. He's crying, he's scared, he's showing all of his emotional vulnerability, and once again Stede only shows him care. Stede reassures him that he's not a monster, that they're friends, and that their friendship won't change because Ed planned to kil him or because he was too soft to go through with the plan (there's a wonderful post about this, I can't find it right now).

It's not a coincidence that from episode 7 onward these two are clearly and openly head over heels for each other (still screaming about Ed trusting Stede to take something out of his beard), so much so that other characters start to fully acnowledge theirs as a relationship. The progression of their romance - from the instant chemistry to the weird tension to the full flirting - is dictated by how vulnerable Ed is willing to be with Stede, and how gently Stede treats him in response. And it breaks my heart because when Ed finally brought down his final defenses, when he was ready to leave it all behind for Stede, he had his heart broken in the worst possible way.