#I’m being very normal about things as you can see

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Yes this is heartbreaking as a concept but its also a really good answer - because it is exactly what I had hoped and wanted the case to be for Buck and Chris and their relationship. Because casue everything about Buck in 8a makes so much more sense if this is the state of things for Buck!

Buck going on a baking spiral makes a lot more sense if you add the idea that he is struggling with the Chris of it all. The baking as a response to a relationship that the show put next to zero effort into fleshing out and developing - but Buck is supposedly so broken up about it that he cant stop baking things! I never brought it up- even with the first mlm relationship of it all.

The clinging onto Tommy and clinging onto that relationship after it has ended makes som inch more sense when you think about the fact Buck is already in his abandonment spiral - that the spiral started with Chris leaving to go to El Paso.

Chris is someone Buck is super close with - someone who Buck is playing a parental role towards - someone who he regards as almost a son (even if he won’t admit that to himself). Eddie turns to Buck for help multiple times in s7 (and before that but especially in 7) - and Buck helps and failing to convince Chris to stay in LA - failing Eddie in his time of need - that is the beginning of Bucks abandonment spiral started- not the break up with Tommy.

And what have we seen Buck do when he is feeling abandoned - cling to things he shouldn’t - things that aren’t working. So Buck clings to Tommy as a coping mechanism - he can’t talk to Eddie about any of this - Bucks feelings about Chris are irrelevant and insignificant in relation to Eddies and Buck needs to be there for Eddie - to support Eddie. So he clings onto a relationship that is stale and uninteresting because it is a distraction from the feelings he isn’t supposed to have (in Bucks head) and therefore doesn’t actually look at the reality of it - he can convince himself that all is good and he can then be there for Eddie and follow Eddies lead

Then because he’s already partly in an abandonment spiral - finding out about the Abby of it all knocks him further into said spiral and bucks response is as we’ve seen before - to cling harder and be impulsive - so he jumps to asking Tommy to move in with him - tries to cling to that one bit of stability he thinks he as - becasue boring is stable right!

Then we have the fact he says he sees Tommy as this confident and comfortable person - and that’s what Buck wants desperately to be - the person he has never felt he is and that’s is nothing to do with him being bi and only just discovering that part of himself, its everything to do with the fact that Chris is a massive and missing part of his world and that is making him crumble a bit inside. It’s not about him actually having feelings for Tommy it’s him trying to “become Tommy” (which is why I remain convinced of my assertion that Tommy is meant to be a version of Buck!).

We’ve been given context clues that also play into and emphasise the Christopher leaving of it all - the party for Chris’s birthday in 801 - being shown Buck rearranging the lettering of CHRISTOPHER on the banner - a play on the fact Buck has been rearranged by Chris choosing to leave - that Buck is trying to cling on - but in the background - he is after all behind the couch - hiding - waiting behind Eddie - at Eddies shoulder - following Eddies lead - rather than being next to Eddie on the couch. We’re being shown where Buck thinks his place is rather than where his place actually is - on the couch next to Eddie - a place where he will end up.

That’s also why showing Buck and Eddie on the couch together at the end of 806 is so important - an episode called confessions - its a silent confession to the audience that Buck and Eddie are meant to be next to each other - meant to be equals - we’re only shown them from the waist up in the final shot - both drinking beer and both dressed - we cannot see the fact Eddie is not wearing pants - visually they are equals in that moment - and as it is the first and only tine we have seen them on the couch together ever - it is very telling and important.

So his reaction to being dumped by Tommy isn’t about being dumped by Tommy as much as it’s about not having that one boring thing that provided him some semblance of stability to cling onto any more, that thing that was helping him ignore his feelings of abandonment that had once more risen to the surface. So he starts baking - an aspect of cooking that he hasn’t really explored yet. And Cooking is all about family - and Chris is the part of his family that is missing - so maybe if Buck bakes and gets good at it - Chris will come back. So Buck channels all his energy into something that is heavily connected into family and the concept of building a family - the show has literally shown us Buck progressing form breakfast through to main meals as his family has grown and become something secure for him. So baking makes complete sense for Bucks character development.

Baking specifically is something kids tend to do with their parents or grandparents as a fun activity - and that plays into the childhood Buck didn’t get - because a child he views as a son abandoning him is bringing up a lot of the buried issues around Daniel - al this things Buck hasn’t dealt with. It’s why the show choosing to show him baking with Jee-Yun is so important - it’s a callback to Buck cooking with Chris (the steaks in s6) and ties into the family aspect very clearly. It’s also why Eddie being shown as the only one to actually eat and enjoy Bucks baking is important - again emphasising the family aspect of it all.

And now Eddie is also leaving - and as much as buck has been supporting Eddie - being there for Eddie in Eddie’s time of need - he was also doing that because Eddie was his rock to cling onto in the sea of his inner turmoil - Eddie has been his lighthouse and his one super stable thing - its the perfect example of them needing each other in such a deep and meaningful way that it cannot be expressed and doesn’t need to be.

And I’m not trying to say that Bucks first queer relationship hasn’t had a big impact on him and that it isn’t part of his baking spiral etc, just that the reason we’ve been shown Buck struggling to deal with this break up far more loudly than any of his other breakup ups (including the Abby one because that wasn’t really explicitly shown as a struggle for him - it was just lurking in the background until Buck chose to move on) is because it is about multiple factors being at play - because it is about the break up of his family and his queer awakening is an important part of that because it puts a different slant on the family Buck has been building and is seemingly losing.

[drdemonprince]

What do people do about dom guilt/shame after engaging with “hard” kinks? I just tried knife play for the first time last night and I had a really good time toying with my sub and just seeing this other side of him that really wants to get cut up. I’m worried I crossed some kind of invisible line and I’m evil now even though we both liked it.

We’re both inexperienced with engaging with “hard” kinks and we have some mutual friends and I’m unsure what they’d think of me if they knew. So that adds to the stress a little. At the same time though, I love that he trusted me enough to ask for that and the look he got in his eyes was incredible.

aftercare! Doms need aftercare! especially after doing darker or more serious scenes. One Dom that I know has his subs message him the day after a particularly intense scene to check in and reassure him that he is not a bad person, that they actively wanted everything that he did, and that they are doing well (or if they are struggling in some way, he wants them to tell him so that they can work through it and he can offer support). so much of the focus gets put on the needs of the sub in these matters, and on protecting the sub from harm, but it is equally important to make sure that the Dom is given space to self-regulate, reassurance, comfort, or whatever it else it is that they need to process this stuff.

you'll come to know a lot better with the more practice that you have. some people are really fired up energetically after a big Dommy see and what they really need is to eat a meal and take a walk and cool down a bit. other people like the conventional cuddling while watching a movie and eating sweet snacks form of aftercare that comes most readily to people's minds. but psychologically the impact of being a Dom is quite different from that of submitting, and so you may need things like seeing your sub exercise agency, having somebody else take care of you and making decisions, a lot of detailed feedback on how the scene went from the subs perspective, everybody to switch out of role and to act relatively normal and jokey, or some combination of these things.

for now, continue talking it through with your partner, ask them for support and care, and maybe journal a little bit on how you're feeling in the days after a scene. It is completely normal to experience a drop and to feel tired, disgusted, ashamed, we're like you're a bad person, and you can learn to anticipate this and work with it to minimize how much it bothers you and prevent a lot of larger meltdowns from occurring. but the only way we figure this stuff out is from learning! feeling a little bit bad or even a lot bad it's not a sign that you've screwed up here. it's just data. and so it's all very worthwhile to get.

[k-nahriko]

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

Just a very amateur fanfic to practice my writing skills. Honestly, this kind of reflects my experience with getting my wisdom teeth extracted. Looking back on one of the bond stories with Zayne, he is clearly not a huge fan of the dentist, nor does he pay any mind to his own toothaches. I was curious about how MC would take care of Zayne after he had his wisdom teeth removed.

Synopsis: Considering how Zayne canonically acts when he's drunk, it's kind of silly, right? Think about it. It could go the same way when waking up from anesthesia. Heck, Zayne, being a cardiac surgeon, is well aware of how anesthesia affects people in general. So, I had the idea that MC, being his trusted caretaker for his own dental surgery, would put Zayne in a situation where he would be a bit nervous about how he may act when he's loopy on anesthesia.

Anyway, let me stop rambling. I wanted to write something very heartwarming and hopefully, it can be a decent read. This is just practice writing, after all.

Word Count: 2772

Content: female reader, SFW, sweet, cuddles, anesthesia talk, wisdom tooth removal surgery aftercare, drunk Zayne? (more like loopy Zayne)

5:30 am. It was a bright, early morning, and you were lounging on Zayne’s couch waiting for him to get ready. Today marked his appointment to have his wisdom teeth removed, and you were chosen to take care of him afterward.

The sound of Zayne shuffling into the living room alerted you to stand up. He was dressed warm and comfortable in a simple, thin sweater and pants. You notice him tugging at his sweater collar, and you can't help but point out the elephant in the room.

“Hey, are you nervous?” You step towards him with your hands clasped behind your back.

Upon hearing your teasing tone, Zayne tries his best to sound as nonchalant as possible. “It's not a big deal; it's just like any other visit to the dentist,” he answers as he clears his throat. You shake your head with a smile.

Ah, he is still the same as he was from his last visit to the dentist.

“Except, you’re going to be under anesthesia this time, and you’ll be super drowsy afterward. That’s why I’m here to make sure you don’t bump your head against the walls or say anything embarrassing.” You spread your palms across his broad chest, causing a soft blush to creep up on Zayne’s face and ears. 

“And I do appreciate that you’re here. But I get the feeling that you're teasing me about how I might behave once I recover from anesthesia. It’s not like I’m going to be drunk.”

You let out a sheepish laugh as you recall a previous date with Zayne. You had offered him a piece of chocolate that contained traces of alcohol. While you did not intend for him to get drunk, he was very lightweight that night. If it weren’t for you, he would not have found his way back home.

Sure, his drunk behavior was silly and the things he said were out of the ordinary, but it made you curious about how anesthesia might affect him. 

“I know, but I promise I’m just here to take care of you and make sure you’re okay.” You smooth out the rest of Zayne’s sweater and give him an affectionate pat. “Let’s get going! You don’t want to be late for check-in.”

You gently take Zayne’s hand and lead him out of the house to his car. Now, normally, he would be the one to drive, but knowing him, he would find any possible way to avoid the dentist. No way you were letting him get away that easily.

It was a chilly morning in Linkon City, and you tried to make the most of the 25-minute drive. You made no room for silence by asking Zayne about work or any movies you wanted to see together. Perhaps you could get Zayne’s mind off worrying for a little while.

You finally arrive at the oral surgeon clinic. Once you park the car, you feel Zayne’s hand enveloping yours. You respond with a loving squeeze and playfully jiggle his hand. “Hey, it's okay. I’ll be right here when you’re done. The doctors here will take good care of you.” 

Zayne exhales and gives you a nod. You both exit the car and arrive in the lobby for check-in. You were greeted by the receptionist with a warm welcome. “Good morning. Are you checking in for an appointment?” The young woman hands you paperwork for patient sign-in and an anesthesia consent form. 

“Yes, it’s under the name Zayne.” You turn your head to Zayne who is comfortably lounging on one of the lobby chairs. He lowers his head but you catch a faint blush forming on his face. 

As you fill in the paperwork, the receptionist types away at her computer. “Perfect, I'll have him checked in. Has he fasted the night prior?”

Poor Zayne. You remembered to follow the doctors' instructions to prevent him from indulging in any food the night before. When you stayed overnight at Zayne's house, you chose to sleep in the living room, taking on the role of "kitchen guardian." It wasn't that you didn't trust Zayne, you just knew he could be a bit sneaky when it came to sweets, even in his home.

“Yes, he had nothing to eat or drink at all. I feel so bad for starving him.” As you hand the receptionist the completed paperwork, she gives you a reassuring smile.  

“I understand. It is just for his safety when he's under anesthesia.” The receptionist continues typing on her computer and gives you a nod. “Alright, you can have a seat. I’ll let the doctor know you’re waiting.”

You thank the receptionist and take a seat next to Zayne, who appears a bit tense. Gently, you reach out and rub his left arm. Your heart sinks seeing him so nervous at his own doctor’s visit. But it’s normal; you’ve admitted that you also get anxious at the hospital. However, you’ve come to realize that with Zayne by your side, you feel a little less nervous, and you want him to feel relaxed with you. 

“Hello, do I have Zayne here?” Your ears perked up as one of the nurses called for Zayne. He stood up from his seat and approached the nurse. “Yes, I’m here. She’s with me.” 

The nurse clasped her hands, her eyes squinting as she smiled under her surgical mask. “Nice to see you again, Dr. Zayne. Just follow me, and I’ll lead you to the operating room.”

Zayne glances back at you in a brief attempt to look brave. You give him a thumbs up and mouth the words, “I’ll be right here.” He nods and follows the nurse to his operating room.

As he disappeared in the clinic hallway, you reclined in your lobby seat and scanned for any daily Wanderer reports from your hunter’s watch. Luckily, you were able to get the day off work to take care of Zayne. In addition, there were no Wanderer reports that raised any concern.

It felt like an hour had passed, and you were dozing off on the chair with your head resting on your palm. You suddenly hear your name being called by one of the nurses. 

“Hey, sorry to wake you. But Zayne is all done with his procedure.” 

You stretch your arms and walk up to the nurse. “Is Zayne doing alright?”

“Zayne is doing just fine. He is still very drowsy, so we’re just giving him a few more minutes.” She hands you a plastic medicine bag filled with prescription bottles holding painkillers and antibiotics, a curved syringe, and wads of gauze. She leads you to a separate room to give you further instructions. “I’ve given you his medication, mouth syringe, cotton balls, gauze, and some paper instructions on caring for him.” 

The nurse points to the paper, neatly folded in the bag. You unfold the paper and read the instructions meticulously. The nurse continues to instruct you on keeping Zayne on a soft diet, making sure his gauze is changed, rinsing his mouth after eating, giving medication, and ice-packing his face to reduce swelling. The nurse is then alerted by the surgeon.

“Zayne is ready now. You can follow me.”

The surgeon smiles and leads you to the room where Zayne is resting. As you enter the recovery room, you find Zayne in quite a state. He is reclined in his chair, with small ice packs surrounding his face. He appears to be half asleep, and his cheeks are stuffed with thick gauze. You try your hardest not to laugh as he reminds you of a sleepy squirrel. Gently, you tap his shoulder. He slowly looks up at you and greets you with a slurred tone.

“It’s you, my love. Where have you been? I can't feel my face.” Zayne reaches his arms out to you as if he wants to be picked up.

What a sight this was. This was a little bit like how Zayne talked when he was drunk. Childish, but still so sweet. His voice was also a bit nasal with the gauze stuffing his cheeks. 

You lower his arms down and hold his hands. “Hey, sweetie, I’m here to take you home.” You turn to face the surgeon as he enters the room. “Is he going to be talking like this for a while?”

The surgeon approaches and chuckles. “The anesthesia will make him loopy, but it should wear off in about 1 to 2 hours. So just be aware he will feel pain once that happens. Let’s help him get to the car.”

You went out to park the car by the curb outside the clinic building, and Zayne was brought to the passenger door in a wheelchair. You opened the car door and assisted Zayne into his seat, noticing that his limbs and body had the consistency of cooked udon noodles. You grabbed a neck pillow and a blanket from the back seat to ensure he was comfortable. Once Zayne was securely in his seat, you waved goodbye and thanked the dental clinic staff.

On the drive back home, Zayne rambled for what felt like 20 minutes about how much he missed you and how hungry he was. It was more lively than the drive to the oral surgeon clinic. 

Upon arriving at Zayne’s house, you helped him to the front door, supporting him with your hand around his waist and his arm over your shoulder. You could feel his weight against you as he struggled to keep his balance. Despite holding him like a ragdoll, you managed to input the passcode to unlock the front door. You led him to his bedroom and tucked him in, patting his chest under the thick bed sheets before planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Now, just rest here. I’m going to heat the soup I bought you and make you a strawberry banana smoothie.”

You could hear Zayne slightly groan and rub his eyes. He reaches for your hand and requests with a slight squint in his eyes. “After I’m done napping, can please you buy me some macarons? I want the blue ones..”

You giggle and shake your head. It was like he was a little kid who was innocently begging for something sweet. Then again, you found it very endearing when Zayne was young at heart. You ruffle his hair before you exit his bedroom.

You wag a finger at him. “Sorry mister, doctor's orders state you can’t have macarons. They may be a soft dessert, but you shouldn’t have anything sugary until you recover! But I promise I’ll make the smoothie sweet enough for you.”

Zayne’s habit of indulging in his sugar cravings was no secret, but you were the one to call him out for it and keep him accountable. You both shared a love for sweets, but you could vouch that Zayne had the stronger sweet tooth. 

You leave the room and enter Zayne’s kitchen to prepare his meal. The store-bought chicken noodle soup was boiling along with the blender, forming a smoothie from the fresh-cut fruit.  It wasn’t uncommon that you were the person trusted most to care for Zayne, especially when he needed it. 

For as long as he’s been your primary doctor, he’s insisted on taking care of you most of the time. This meant Zayne would barely take the time to take care of himself, whenever he got sick or hurt. 

Especially when it came to his toothaches. 

Zayne would mostly just brush it off or try to hide it from you. It was his nature to put others’ needs before his own, and it was something you always adored about him. But..

He shouldn’t ignore his health. A doctor must also be healthy to keep others healthy as well. 

You twitch as you hear the creak of Zayne’s bedroom door open. You hear shuffling footsteps behind you and see a very sleepy Zayne trudging towards you while wrapped in a blanket. 

You step away from the stove and catch him before his hip can hit the kitchen island. While you cradled his tall figure, he rested his head on yours. You seemed stunned, but you greeted him with a rub on his lower back. “What’s wrong? Can’t sleep? Is the pain bad?” 

Your questions were left unanswered, instead met with a lazy moan from Zayne. His arms wrap around you with the blanket surrounding your body like a cocoon. “The bedroom is too dark… I want to see you..” He replied, his tone with a tinge of slurring and vocal fry.

As he spoke, his warm breath blew strands of hair on your scalp. You continue rubbing his back, and his heartbeat thumps against your ear. “You goof.. I’m not going anywhere.”

Zayne is cute when he’s needy.  The warmth of your body starts to resonate with his. “It’s lonely in my room. I want to sleep on the couch with you and cuddle. You’re so warm. Like a baby seal.”

You can’t help but giggle. Zayne wouldn’t usually express such gushy words, but even under the effects of anesthesia, you could tell he was still himself. You let out a heavy sigh and pushed his black bangs to the side. His cheeks were flushed; the heat was practically radiating off his face. “You should go lie down, Zayne. Your food is almost ready.”

You point to the couch, but Zayne didn't budge. He leans on you again and nuzzles your face. You pull his face down and kiss both of his eyelids. “Go on now, Zayne. Then I’ll feed you.” 

Zayne pouts and then starts to drag his slippered feet towards his couch. He looks back at you. “Then we can cuddle?”

Before resuming your cooking, you reply with a smile. “Yes. Then we can cuddle.”

You hear Zayne grunt as he plops onto the couch. After giving the soup a final stir in the pot, you pour it into a bowl. The delicious aroma seemed to have caught his attention. You grab a glass and pour some strawberry banana smoothie from the fridge. Taking a seat next to Zayne, you set the soup and smoothie on the coffee table in front of him. 

Zayne slowly sits up and opens a part of the blanket as if he were a bird lifting its right wing. You scoot over and feel his warmth envelop you once more. You start feeding him small portions of the soup, cooling down each spoonful with a blow. He shivered slightly after taking a sip from the smoothie. 

Maybe you put a little too much ice..but he seemed to like it.

After Zayne finishes his meal, you assist him in the bathroom to rinse his mouth, change his gauze, and give him his medication. You guide him back to the couch and embrace Zayne. While he rested his head on your chest, he prods at his left cheek, seemingly favoring the numbness in his face. To soothe him, you whisper in his ear and run your fingers through his hair. “Shhh... It’s okay. Is your face feeling tingly?”

Zayne lets out a quiet, “mmhm”. You could have sworn his voice was wavering behind his words. “I appreciate you so much. You’re always taking care of me.”

You continue shushing him and plant a kiss on the top of his head. “I’m here for you, always. My big, cuddly snowman.”

You heard him reply “I love you.” in a muffled voice. 

He’s so adorable. Zayne's behavior was slightly different when he was under anesthesia. Despite his ramblings, you couldn’t bring yourself to make fun of him. He could be silly around you, no matter how serious he claimed to be. You cherish the moments when you and Zayne would reminisce about your childhood and engage in playful activities together, even as adults. It didn’t matter whether it was just spending time at home or doing something extravagant; for you, it is time well spent with him.

You whisper back. “I love you too...” Before long, both of you were napping on the couch together. The afternoon sun streamed in through the cracks of the blinds, filling the room with a soft light. It was quiet and still in Zayne’s house, the only noticeable sound being the synchronized breathing of the two of you. The voice in your head whispered.

"I’ll be here to take care of you. Just like you always take care of me."

[ban-styles]

I’M BACK! with a little intel and a lot of projection.

who listens to what? let’s see

JIMMY

so, i didn’t have many idea for him believe it or not,

but i believe he honestly just listens to whatever’s on the radio or whatever anyone puts on.

he’s pretty indifferent about music, he normally blocks out background noise anyway

but for a bit more of an answer, i feel like he’d maybe listen to that classic rap stuff, like pac, snoop, icecube.. eminem

he probably only picked up eminem because he kept getting compared to the guy. poor jimjim

also, my gut tells me he dabbles in a bit of numetal, moreso the rap side of things; the biggest example i can name for you is limp bizkit, but he’d slither his way into the lesser known stuff, like primer 55, snot, saliva, 311.. so so

but mainly whatever’s popular at the time.

oh, jesus, how could i forget punk? this guy’s all over the dead kennedys, the stooges, sex pistols. yeah! maybe stand alone Iggy Pop too.

GARY

so.. my heart tells me he would listen to nightcore, just straight away.. the rise of nightcore, what a time

he’d be totally embarrassed about it though, but it makes him feel cool.

now for my more thought out ideas,

i /personally/ think he would be really into nine inch nails, more specifically pretty hate machine

i feel like the music swoons this kid’s adhd, anything that really plays into his ‘evil’ demeanour.. whatever fuels him to continue writing plans to take over the school

not to be stereotypical, but also kmfdm, as much as i hate to admit it.

again, very motivational music. i feel like he’d be into industrial rock/metal all together

he’d be one of those guys who insist on hating the mainstream too, but would occasionally find himself attached to the odd cheesy pop song you’d /also/ find on radio

PETEY

rubs my evil fly hands together

here’s where i start projecting

so, petey is EXTREMELY big into music, but it’s something he’s quite embarrassed about.

when you ask him about it? he gets shy and just says he listens to whatever, that he doesn’t really care.

but he likes to listen intellectual’ stuff.

first up: tool. this kid is crazy about tool. he can’t get enough of it.

owns and has listened to every album and ep of theirs, knows every song off by heart,, has researched the band’s many smart ways of producing the music; the fibonacci sequence in lateralus, the whole concept of parabol(a), everything about the newly released 10000 days.. he can’t leave rosetta stoned alone, so much to look into

again; absolutely insane about the band, and is itching to tell someone all about it, but his confidence really nails him down.

i also imagine he’s quite a big fan of MJK’s other works - puscifer and a perfect circle.

that being said, he’s also a big fan of thirteenth step by apc.

i feel like mjk’s feature on white pony’s “passenger” would have also swindled his interest in deftones. he started off by listening to white pony, but found himself to enjoy deftones’ self titled, too

to say he was a music nerd could be a descriptor. he definitely knows his way around the niche, and is always looking at more stuff to listen to. you’d find him pondering at the cd racks in your local shop

‘i like the album art’ he says, ‘that’s why im taking so long’.

i believe it’s what makes him feel a little better about being a complete loner. nobody to hang out with? tool will sing you to sleep, petey, you don’t need much else

tldr; if you start talkin music, he’ll speak your language. he knows the entire spectrum

for some extra, i believe he enjoys some old jazz too. duke ellington and john coltrane ..

and to finish, he dabbles in michael jackson if he needs a break from the evocative emotion tool brings

peacceeee….. my music loving self might come up with stuff for more of the students.

[rainbow-sunshine-unicorn]

Can you explain what you mean abt how productions treats simone? I dont follow any bridgerton official accts are they like saying bad things about her?

Hi Anon!

It has taken me a little bit to get to this one, mostly because I have been genuinely sad about it. Not just in a silly little show way, but viscerally. Not just the way Simone has been treated but to see certain parts of the fandom go out of their way to defend this treatment.

Anyways, I’m adding a link to this unfortunately very long thread the lovely @chrkrose made detailing everything, including things like the Executive Producer calling Kate “a hooker” and Kate being depicted as a lizard on an official Bridgerton collaboration (so the answer to your question of are they saying bad things about her is a resounding yes)

But I will also quickly explain everything that went down post season 3 under the cut

Post Bridgerton season 3, when the cast list for season 4 came out, Simone’s name was not on the cast list. Now, if this was a normal production one would assume that she was not a part of season 4.

But this same writer had left her off the cast list for season 3 AFTER pictures of her from the set had already been leaked. And Simone had said multiple times, during the season 3 part 2 premiere that Kate is here to stay.

So there was considerable confusion among fans and the media as well. Several big outlets, including People, reported on it. There was nada from the production team, not a statement, not a single word, even after all this uproar.

If you’re tempted to think “oh maybe there were scheduling issues to sort out”, don’t be. Because when she won her Glamour award, an interview was released in the magazine. This interview happened earlier than when it was released, it took place somewhere around July 2024, when Bridgerton season 4 was scheduled to start filming. In this interview, she confirmed that she would be on season 4 and spoke about how much Kate Sharma meant to her as a character.

Then when Simone began doing press for her animated film The Night Before Christmas, in interviews, she once again spoke definitively about Kate being in season 4.

Now remember that in all this time, the cast list, that mentions everyone from Anthony to Varley, was still not updated to include Kate. Despite Simone outright confirming her presence 272839 times. And this is the second time a shondaland writer had left her off the cast list after her presence was confirmed.

Finally, during the Valentine’s Day event for season 4, in 2025, mind you, Jess Brownell says, “we are glad to have Jonny back with us for season four, oh and Simone”. And that’s the first statement in all this while mentioning anything about Kate.

And just as a cherry on the this cake, the trailer for season 4 shows every single character BUT Kate. And according to the finally updated cast list, Kate is “additional cast”, even though Anthony is a series regular, despite the fact that Jonny also only filmed for two weeks and both Anthony and Kate will likely appear in a similar amount of episodes.

And this is all just from this time around, the thread I linked has stuff like this from all the way back in season 2. So you can imagine how evident it has been for a very long time.

[xsweetcatastrophe]

You Broke Me First

part 36.

trigger warnings: sappy chapter, mother / daughter relationships… if you missed my post i made about this chapter you can read it here.

It's been 4 days since she left the hospital, 4 days since her mom dropped everything to fly across the country to stay with her, 4 days since she texted Cillian that she’s done, 4 days since Dana took her phone and blocked Cillian on texts, emails, phone calls, everything.

Zoe was on the couch back in her apartment, under a soft blanket with a cup of tea warming her hands. To say her mom dropped everything and flew to Zoe was an understatement - She called her mom while in the hospital and she was at Zoe’s doorstep that night. She stayed on the couch and was set to fly home the next day, but she kept postponing the flight; she always found “one more thing to do” and she “rather not rush to the airport.”

Zoe was shocked. This was not the mother she was expecting, nor the one she was used to. She treaded lightly, but that’s not to say she didn’t enjoy the sense of protection and motherly care she was feeling from her mom - a feeling she never really felt from her before.

At home, they were surrounded by cardboard boxes and chaos. Dana worked fast; she arranged movers to grab Zoe’s stuff from Cillians house and bring it back to her apartment - thank goodness she never broke her lease. Dana also arranged a dog sitter to stay with Scout until Cillian came back. She forwarded the info from her own phone, with a middle finger emoji at the end. Cillian did not respond, but the read receipt showed that he got the message.

“See, he doesn’t even care enough about his dog to respond, what a douchebag,” Dana had said when she showed her. Zoe was silent.

Her mom was on a cleaning spree, she was currently scrubbing the baseboards in the living room. Watching in shock, as she bore witness to her mom on her hands and knees scrubbing away, Zoe couldn’t help but wonder who this woman was. Simone Parker scrubbing baseboards? Right after pigs fly and we accomplish world peace!

Snapping out of it, Zoe sighed and pulled the blanket off her and put her mug on the coffee table. Zoe’s mom’s ears perked up at the sound of the porcelain mug hitting the wood table, and head snapped towards a now standing Zoe.

“Need anything, Bunny?” she said, standing up and wiping her brow with the back of her hand. “Want some more tea?”

“Just getting a sweater. I’m a little cold, and I want more ibuprofen,” Zoe replied.

“Sit down, I’ll grab them for you,” Zoe’s mom said, wiping her hands on her pants and walking to her bedroom.

The worst of the pain / bleeding was over, but Zoe still had some lingering cramps - the doctor assured her this was normal. Her mom stayed by her side in the bathroom, holding her hand and rubbing her back through the worst of it. Zoe couldn’t help but think about those (embarrassing, drunk) times in the bathroom where it was Cillian rubbing her back and holding her. Both were very different scenarios, but they were similar on one thing and one thing alone: They both assured Zoe “it’s okay, I'm here.”

What a fucked up comparison.

Zoe plopped back down, not fighting her. She leaned her head back against the couch, mind drifting to Cillian for the 5th time that day. He would be on set, probably the last scene of the day. He’d be annoyed with his haircut; he usually had it touched up every other day. He would probably go back to his room, take a bath, and go over the script for the next day. That’s the Cillian Zoe thought she knew.

She’d be lying if the pictures of him and Lizzie didn’t bother her. She saw them as she was being discharged; Dana, now on a warpath, saw the pictures and took it upon herself to also block his name on instagram and twitter on Zoe’s phone so no pictures from anyone would come up in her feed. Zoe was thankful for it; She tried to play it off and act like it wasn’t. big deal, but deep down the pain of seeing them together as she’s literally miscarrying his child was a betrayal and type of hurt she didn’t wish on anyone.

“Here you go, and let me get you some more tea,” Her mom said, draping a sweatshirt over Zoe’s lap as she made her way to the kitchen, grabbing her mug.

Zoe looked down at the sweatshirt and smiled; it was her dads old Fire Department sweatshirt.

She held it up to her nose and smelled it; if she concentrated hard enough she could find the faint smell of cigarettes and menthol gum that was embedded in the fibers. The sweatshirt was so old - the collar was fraying and there was a growing hole on the cuff, but it was still her favorite sweatshirt.

“How’d you know I was gonna grab this one?” Zoe said, smiling.

“Ugh, please. I used to have to pry that out of your death grip while you were sleeping just so I could wash the ratty thing,” Her mom said, placing her mug full of fresh tea in front of her on the table.

“Yea, I had this one for a while,” Zoe said, pulling the sweatshirt over her head.

“Your dad gave that to you on the days he’d have the night shift. He didn’t know you’d still have it in your 30’s. If he knew that I'm sure he would have tried harder to get the barbecue stain out… that is, if he even knew he got food on it in the first place, that slob,” she muttered.

Zoe frowned. “Mom, did you…. How do I say this? I know you two loved each other. But did you even like him? The way you talk sometimes ….” Zoe trailed off.

Zoe’s mom looked down at her lap.

“Zoe.. regardless of how I feel about him, the most important thing to me is who your father was to you. The way you looked at him and adored him was everything to me. There is nothing, nothing like seeing your child have such a connection with their father … As for me..I..” her mom hesitated, “You know what? I want you to remember him the way you remember him. Hold onto that, honey. Never forget it. And don’t let me, your sister, anyone tell you otherwise.”

Zoe blinked at her mom. She was so confused. “Is there something I don't know?”

Zoe’s mom finally lifted her head to meet Zoe’s gaze, with tears in her eyes. Zoe’s heart dropped.

“Zoe… I know I'm not the best. I don’t know everything. I say the wrong thing. But I'm not your enemy, I don’t know when i became one but it’s the farthest thing from the truth. I love you with every fiber of my being, I will do anything to protect you. You’re my daughter - my baby. Nothing could keep me from getting to you. Your father and I didn’t have the best relationship but I know for a fact,” Zoe’s mom paused, wiping her tears from her cheeks, “Your father would be so proud of you.”

Zoe let her tears roll down her cheeks. This is all Zoe ever wanted to hear. Zoe’s mom came over and sat next to her, pulling her into her arms.

Zoe felt like a kid again, curled up in her dads lap, crying over something that was bothering her. Her dad was the first person she ran to - “dad always makes it better,” he’d tell her. He’d shush her and rub her back until she calmed down. It’s been a long time since she felt that feeling.

And now, 20 years later, she’s feeling it again .. this time, as an adult, with her mom.

What a weird, fucked up week, Zoe thought.

After about 5 minutes, Zoe sat up, taking a deep breath. She felt like the conversation left off with things unsaid, but she didn’t want to budge. Maybe one day she would ask her mom more about her relationship with her dad. But for now, she’ll listen to her mom - she’ll keep her memory of her dad close, and don’t let anyone compromise it.

She looked at her mom differently, maybe this could be the start of a different relationship with her. It’s been so rocky, she assumed it was broken beyond repair. Maybe it’ll be different this time, maybe her mom will be a changed woman...

Zoe’s mom reached out and took Zoe’s face in her hands. “Okay, enough crying for the week. My beautiful girl, you get your looks from me you know.. Bunny, are you using that wrinkle cream I sent you? Your crows feet by your eyes are getting bad. Morning and night, don’t forget-“

Zoe laughed.

Changed woman, maybe not so much. But she’ll take what she can get.

tags: @lau219 @kikimurphys @cillianmurphyvevo @bleakmidwinter00 @amelyyyyyy @teawonderfultea-blog1 @lavender-haze-01 @cillianinlove @supershowdymiraclestudent @shopgirl6us @allie131313 @borntodiemp3

[spookyyew59]

long rambling about Kevin smh, but this thoughts been bothering me for a bit, sorry if it’s unorganized.

Y’all can we stop reducing Kevin as a single celled organism 💔, he’s his own character with numerous traits, why do people reduce him to “Kevin boy failure!!! So cutie patootie skunkle-bob skinny twink man!!!!! He’s absolutely die if we was by himself!!”, like vro what 😭

I haven’t done a full character analysis on Kevin, so correct me if I’m wrong, but I very much do NOT believe that “he’d kill skid and pump if given the chance!” Like what??? No he?? Wouldn’t??? He’s a normal man??

Kevin is a human being, not a monster. He doesn’t hate them (not a lot anyways, I assume), he gets very irritated with them and it’s very understandable why he does.

Skid and Pump, in all honesty, need to learn basic manners and like, not cause several crimes. You can say that “they’re just kids! They don’t know any better!” But I don’t know anyone who had a childhood where it involves messing up several stores, causing problems for the employees, committing damage to private property, and assault (if you’re counting when they got possessed by Moloch.)

But back to the main thing, Kevin would NOT kill them! He’s tired of working and I get that, he’s tired and most likely underpaid, being the only one to work there at the CandyClub each day so he’s tired, underpaid, and Skid and Pump make his job and mental health worse. He’s not some “twink” who would kill two kids, he’s probably in his mid 20’s trying to get a date somewhere while also trying to pay his rent, afford food, afford clothes, and pay for all his entertainment needs (streaming services, WiFi, etc). He wants to be happy just like anyone else, and he wants to get money the LEGAL way.

He wants to be happy, and despite people saying “he’d kill skid and pump!” he DOES care about them. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have asked that question in episode 6, “and why is an old dude hanging around kids?”, if he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have asked. Kevin cares about those kids, like he cares about anyone else, even though it was his first day in the shirt and he snapped at them, I don’t entirely blame him for it.

Two kids came into your store on your first day, asked you for free things and when you declined they mess it up so you end up giving them free stuff anyways. I understand why he snapped, and me personally, I would have too. But that doesn’t mean he hates the kids, it was his first day and he just didn’t wanna be fired!

I also gotta love how society sees a man interested in more than one gender and go like “OOOOOOO YESSS. Let’s get rid of his ENTIRE character traits and EVERY theory, and lets mold his character into ONE singular shape and lets only use him for bad angst and shipping purposes!!”

Kevin is MORE than a side character used for shipping purposes, the man’s had a prophetic dream of all things and you all are focused on the fact that he’s into every gender possible?? Can we get some theories about this man? Cause where are those at??? I don’t see anything about that, and it all depends on where the timeline is for the Kevin short.

“I had nightmares you two!”, was a line he said in episode 5, so if everything they’ve done was true, shouldn’t he technically be able to guess what happens to himself and the town? And possibly the WORLD???

You all can have your headcanons and see Kevin in your own eyes, but we need to STOP reducing cool characters as a single celled organism who revolves around “twinks twinks twinks twinks. Ooo gay men. Twink twink twinks.”

[maroonshirt81]

for trope requests-- carcar as chefs in a high-pressure kitchen?

ok so I kinda ignored the high-pressure part here, sorry. I pretty much just used this request as an excuse to write burger carcar content...

______

"PIASTRI!"

Oscar was grateful for his well-trained mask of calm, which, after many years, had learned to endure American tourists, small explosions, country music blaring in their kitchen 24/7—despite this being an Australian burger joint—and overly passionate co-workers bursting through the door, yelling his name in a pitch that could probably summon an entire flock of seagulls to terrorize their customers.

Otherwise, he might have sliced right through his fingers instead of the carrots he was chopping.

“Oh, happy days,” he muttered without looking up. “You’re back.”

“Yes, and I immediately need another holiday!” Carlos was fuming, waving a flyer in his hand. Slamming it down on the counter next to Oscar’s cutting board, he squawked, “What is this?”

“Our new bestseller,” Oscar said. He didn’t need to look at the flyer to know exactly what had Carlos so worked up. He’d been looking forward to this reaction for the past two weeks.

“Oscar!” Carlos cried. “Why is it black?”

“Activated charcoal, Carlos. I’m surprised you’ve never heard of it. It’s been a thing for years.”

“I know what—” Carlos started, but gave up his attempt at a reasonable argument halfway through, opting to whine instead. “You cannot possibly expect me to cook this abomination!”

“I don’t,” Oscar said with a shrug. “But Zak sure does. He loves it! It’s got Wagyu beef.”

“It’s got carrots!” Carlos screeched.

“Exactly. Which means we can advertise it as healthy. Low sugar, high protein, detox benefits thanks to the charcoal… So many buzzwords for the menu boards.”

Carlos looked about ready to tear at his very pretty hair—hair that should have been covered by a hairnet, considering he was standing in the kitchen. He must have seen the flyer and immediately lost it.

“Of course it is high in protein!” he cried now, flailing his arms so wildly that he almost took out Lando, who was trying to squeeze past him with a tray of finished orders balanced in his arms. “It is a burger! It has two different types of meat! Who is falling for this crap?”

“Paying customers,” Oscar offered helpfully.

“Because paying customers are idiots!” Carlos yelled, flailing even harder.

“Mate!” Lando ducked underneath Carlos’s swinging hands again, this time freed from the plates he’d been carrying. “Look, just be glad you managed to talk Zak out of that Hawaiian burger idea last time and call it a win.”

Oscar took advantage of the distraction as Carlos shot his best mate a betrayed look and pulled an extra hairnet out of the pocket of his apron.

“Lando’s right,” he said as he tugged the net over Carlos’s head until he looked less like a movie star and more like someone’s cranky granny, just like the rest of them. “Now stop yelling about our customers being idiots when they’re only a door away, and start chopping some carrots, yeah? Otherwise, Zak might just send you on a permanent holiday next time.”

Carlos just blinked at him, wide-eyed, his jaw still unhinged. Oscar was pretty sure he’d managed to make him so angry that a fuse had blown in his brain.

He had kind of missed that look these past two weeks.

“Oscar,” Carlos finally growled, snapping out of it. He jabbed his index finger into Oscar’s chest, glaring. “After work, I will make you a burger. A normal, classic burger. And it will be so good, you never want to eat anything else again.”

“Hm,” Oscar said, turning back to his carrots. “Reckon we’ll see.”

****

Oscar sat at a table in the empty restaurant while Lando shook his arse to a country song he, unfortunately, knew the lyrics to from start to finish, using the broom in his hands more as a stiff dance partner than the cleaning tool it was supposed to be.

His stomach was growling, but Carlos was deliberately taking his time, insisting that perfection couldn’t be rushed.

Which was ridiculous because burgers were literally fast food. And Carlos was making the simplest one of them all.

Finally, the kitchen door swung open, and Carlos stepped in with a plated cheeseburger, carrying a mouth-watering, delicious smell along with it.

“Here you go,” he said, setting the plate down in front of Oscar with a flourish. “Perfection!”

It actually did look like perfection. Greasy, slightly soggy, and definitely not instagram-worthy, cheese melting off the sides and pooling onto the plate. Oscar gave him a polite smile, then brought his fingers to his mouth for a sharp whistle.

A moment later, the kitchen doors swung open again, and Danny strolled in. He must have found a sparkler somewhere because the black-bunned burger on his plate was adorned with one, making his grand entrance even more dramatic. He was grinning from ear to ear, more than happy to assist in Oscar’s mission to be an absolute menace to their co-worker.

“What is this?” Carlos groaned as Danny reached him, setting the burger down on the table before promptly forcing Carlos into the chair in front of it.

“One Piastri burger, extra carrots,” Danny announced, pulling a paper bib from his pocket and tying it around Carlos’s neck like he was an uncooperative toddler. Which, to be fair, wasn’t far from the truth right now.

“There is no way I will ever eat this monstrosity!” Carlos protested.

“Well, that’s not really fair, is it?” Oscar pointed out. “You keep critiquing my creations, but on what basis? You’ve never even tried one.” He gestured toward the burger sitting on his own plate. “I mean, I agreed to try yours, didn’t I?”

“Because mine is a perfect, classic burger!” Carlos argued, flailing his hands again. “And yours is a representation of everything wrong with the world!”

“Mate,” Danny said, patting Carlos on the back, though not very soothingly. “Come on. One bite won’t kill ya!”

“I’m not so sure,” Carlos muttered, scowling down at the burger like it had personally wronged him.

Lando, glad for the distraction, tossed his broom aside and joined them at the table, eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Carlitos!” he snickered. “Come on, it’s time for you to grow up! Time to try a Piastri special!”

Carlos shot him a dangerous look from beneath his thick eyebrows.

“If you do it,” Lando continued, “I’ll take your opening shift tomorrow.”

That actually made Carlos pause in thoughtful consideration. He lifted his head to look at Oscar, who raised a challenging eyebrow, and finally, Carlos groaned.

“One bite!” he declared, putting the burnt-out sparkler away and gingerly lifting the burger off the plate. Oscar did the same with his own. They shared one last look before simultaneously biting into their respective burgers.

Oscar barely managed to suppress a moan. Because, obviously, Carlos’s burger was heaven. It practically melted on his tongue, the perfect balance of bun, meat, and sauce. The pickles and cheddar complemented each other flawlessly. He felt like he might float right out of his seat and into another plane of existence.

Next to him, Carlos was making actual gagging noises, only barely managing not to spit the burger back out. Danny crouched beside him, phone in hand, capturing the moment on video, while Lando was doubling over, making his signature dying-seal noises.

“Mate,” Oscar said, maintaining his outward calm despite wanting to laugh along with them. “You are such a drama queen.”

“I think I’ve been poisoned,” Carlos wailed, grabbing Danny’s hand and pressing it against his forehead. “Do I have a fever? Please, call Triple Zero!”

Oscar rolled his eyes, then set his own delicious burger back on his plate, swapping it with Carlos’s.

“There,” he said as Carlos suddenly fell silent. “It’d be a shame to waste it.”

Lifting the black-bunned burger to his mouth, he took a big bite right from the spot where Carlos had nibbled and chewed with exaggerated satisfaction. It was… well, truth be told, it had never been good to begin with, but after tasting Carlos’s masterpiece, it was downright miserable. Still, Oscar chewed like it was the best thing he’d ever eaten—carrots and all.

Carlos was staring at him again, dumbfounded.

“Honestly think mine’s better,” Oscar lied through his teeth.

Carlos didn’t even take the bait—just kept staring, which, unfortunately, meant Oscar had to take another bite.

“Are you gonna eat that?” Lando piped up, already reaching toward the cheeseburger sitting in front of Carlos.

Carlos snapped out of his stupor just in time to smack Lando’s hand away, hard enough to make him screech. 

Then he grabbed his burger, looked Oscar right in the eye, and brought his mouth down to where Oscar’s bite mark was.

****

“You know, there are so many better ways to flirt with him,” Lando chattered as they unloaded the dishwasher the next morning. “Just ask him for a round of golf. He’d never say no to that.”

“I hate golf,” Oscar said flatly. “And it’s not like I want to date him.”

“Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that,” Lando said, rolling his eyes.

Oscar shrugged. “It’s not like you have to understand. We have our own dynamic, and it’s rooted in unfounded dislike and competitiveness. I think it’s exciting.”

“You think a walk along the pier is exciting!” Lando pointed out.

“So would you if you’d ever been chased straight into the sea by a flock of seagulls!”

“Everybody’s been chased straight into the sea by a flock of seagulls, mate! This is Melbourne!”

Oscar let out a noncommittal grunt, hoping that would be the end of it. He wouldn’t even have minded if Lando went and put on some country music again. Ever since last night, when he’d had his little burger date with Carlos while Lando and Danny danced through the background belting old Taylor Swift songs, he’d kind of opened up to the genre.

Unfortunately, a conversation about Oscar’s weird crush on Carlos was to Lando what an open bag of chips was to the common Melburnian seagull.

“I just think coming up with dodgy burger ideas specifically to piss him off is a little much,” Lando continued, taking a stack of clean plates out of Oscar’s hands. “I mean, I get it—he’s very pretty when he’s pouting, but—”

“Lando,” Oscar interrupted. “Remember that one burger idea I had a few months ago? The one I didn’t take to Zak because you got on your knees and begged?”

Lando blanched immediately.

“The salmon burger?” he asked, gulping.

“Right,” Oscar said. ““Reckon it’s time to bring it back? Maybe we could even do an Aussie breakfast burger with poached eggs and smoked salmon. Think those’d fly right off the shelf. We’ll just use the slimy, raw fish so you don’t have to cook any of it.”

“Osc!” Lando squeaked in horror. “Please! I’m shutting up! I’m so shutting up!”

“On the other hand,” Oscar continued, stroking his chin as if deep in thought. “Picture this: a Spanish burger. We could do a chorizo patty, some Manchego cheese, pair it with aioli and olives… Call it the ‘Sainz Special.’ He’d love that, wouldn’t he?”

“Oscah…” Lando wheezed. There were actual tears in his eyes, and the stack of plates in his hands wobbled dangerously.

“He’d love that, wouldn’t he?” Oscar repeated, unfazed.

“Fuck,” Lando snorted, barely managing to set the plates down on the counter before they toppled over. “I can’t believe I ever thought you were shy. Or nice!”

“He’d—”

“—love that,” Lando finished, mirroring the small, slightly evil grin on Oscar’s face. “I think he’d be absolutely gassed!”

[howlsofbloodhounds]

When you think about it, Cross and Killer have a lot in common.

Like, they both killed all their friends, they both have Charas with very questionable morals, they both are capable of being redeemed if they try hard enough, they both have different souls than normal monsters, they were manipulated by Nightmare, both have alternative versions of themselves as best friends and, most importantly, ...they both like chocolate.

It's because of these similarities that I believe that, if they tried, they could empathize with each other and have a strong relationship.

Actually, Killer doesn’t seem to have any preferences or likes about food at all—or if he does, he either doesn’t know them or refuses to say what they are—he just avoids the ones that trigger him, such as ketchup, potentially spaghetti as well.

He’ll take “hot melting chocolate” over ketchup, and he’ll take ketchup over being someone’s friend, but it’s not a favorite. Killer has stated he dislikes everything when asked about favorite foods, and stated that he doesn’t eat.

Which, sure enough, seems to have remained consistent—as rahafwabas never draws Killer eating anything, but he does drink a mysterious smoking beverage from a cup from time to time. Also that one red, mysterious liquid that seems to imply that Killer drinks the human blood he jars for scientific research purposes.

I’m personally of the opinion that their differences would be much more apparent before any empathizing happens—and Killer will not be open or vulnerable with Cross, nor trusting, right off the bat, and thus will not tell him anything about himself besides what he allows Cross to see or know. Or whatever Cross has managed to learn on his own, or from those closer to Killer.

I do think Killer likes his privacy, and genuinely prefers that people know nothing about him that he hasn’t allowed them to know—he prefers to control the information, control the narrative, control his narrative. Maybe it’s even the closest he gets to feeling shame, if something about himself slips out, more than he intended.

I can see Cross trying to understand him, trying to get Killer to admit to things, trying to relate to Killer and show him they’re just as similar as they are different, but Killer’s kinda “stonewalling” him at every turn and just generally resisting the idea of being known or related to, as if resisting the idea of “being controlled” or “overtaken”—even subconsciously— wanting to maintain his own sense of control for a feeling of interpersonal safety, or from a sense of indifference to the idea of social relationships.

[sesamestreep]

sexy himbo jock interpretations of James Tiberius Kirk are silly and do a disservice to the character for a lot of reasons, not least of which is that it fundamentally ignores all the times in canon when Kirk is faced with a scientific discovery or oddity and you can see the effort it takes for him not to clap and skip with excitement. like in ‘the devil in the dark’ when Spock posits that they might be dealing with a silicon based life form and McCoy’s like “but that’s impossible!” and Kirk literally crosses the room to flirt talk excitedly with Spock about the prospect and how it could work! and what it would mean!

What I’m saying is, Kirk’s gotta be smart and a huge dork because how else could he pull a bad autistic bitch like Spock?

[lunarkittenn]

I rarely take pictures anymore. It’s like I just don’t want to remember any moment from this part of my life lol

[creativity-deficient]

“South Park is a satirical show that goes after everybody and at the end of the day is meant to make you laugh and not be taken seriously” and “south park jokes about sensitive topics that hit close to home for a lot of people and it’s absolutely valid to feel uncomfortable by some of it” are statements that should be able to co-exist tbh

[kavehayati]

I support girls but NAH THIS IS REACHING “if you look carefully LIKE REALLY CAREFULLY 🤓☝️”

[dykedvonte]

why do you hate Joshua Graham or Honest Hearts so much?

This DLC and character represents a bigger issue with fandom spaces I have but particularly fallout fandom in general.

Fallout tends to tackle a lot of topics controversial and not. The first two games it’s heavy cause they are the most satirical and direct with how anti-war, nationalism and etc… they are. 3 loses this as it’s very clear once you play or learn about all the games that Todd and a bunch of guys at Bethesda just liked the 50s post apocalyptic aesthetic and refuse to actually critique the ideals of the time period like the earlier titles.

New Vegas is the game that really gets back into it a degree it almost seems like it’s taking too much on. There are things done exceedingly well while other things are done horribly wrong . I’ve made posts about it before and plan to make a big series of posts (it’s a lot of writing) but my biggest gripe is with Honest Hearts and all the gross and white savior esque depictions it has of indigenous peoples. The entirety if FNV does not do the injustices faced by indigenous people correctly on any count. My two biggest complaints are with the Khans and the tribes in Zion but I’ll talk about the former on a different post.

Both characters of Daniel and Joshua are the most accurate depiction of white saviors I’ve seen and I hate how the DLC tries to justify and defend them. The DLC treats Joshua like this man who has repented for his past actions when he is just retracing his steps after his cruelty bit him in the ass. He was one of the worst parts of the Legion and it is all but explicitly stated that if you don’t force him to be non-violent he will turn the tribes of Zion into the legion 2.0. The Dead Horses and the Sorrows are horribly infantilized by both Daniel and Joshua who both use them for self serving purposes guised by religious duty. The White Legs are the horrible stereotype of violent and savage indigenous and I personally think a lot of their interlinking with Ulysses, his hair and Ulysses character in general are distasteful and very telling of how BIPOC or POC where involved.

But outside of the game it’s the weird obsession people have with these characters ideologies and trying to make them seem more interesting/philosophical than they are. Tumblr is an echo chamber and many fans of Fallout are not the people on this site. Many people are not educated in the issues these characters convey and how poorly they do or used these characters as a poor introduction for their takes. Contrary to what a lot of people believe in, fallout has a prediomeny white cis male fanbase. More importantly a large portion of the fanbase is white.

You can joke how FNV made you trans or see the numbers on post/fics or diverse headcanons but these are kiddy numbers compared to the millions that consume the franchise and aren’t in those more aware spaces or don’t engage in the spaces the same way someone like me does/has to. Their views shape a lot more than people realize and it’s exhausting to be in a space where people don’t correct the more subtle yet toxic aspects of it but also adopt them into some weird quirky view point on the characters or issues. Some people don’t realize and some people don’t care.

My main issue is just the idolizing of these sort of thing in this fandom space and people try to acts like a game like fallout whose tagline is “War never changes” and has never had a game not revolve around political or militaristic factions issues isn’t that deep or doesn’t relate to real issues. I think it’s mainly caused by how over powered you can become and how you can strong arm your way past these learning moments as majority of people who play this game do play it as a power fantasy where they can do so as they please (which of course, go ahead it’s fun) but never take in parallels or lessons in the story as if it was just another first person shooter.

Also like another personal gripe is Cazadores spawn like hell whenever I’m there and I have not found a mod that works to mod them out so I have to play Indigenous Racism the DLC while getting jumped by giant wasps WHILE helping Mormons. Like I cannot catch a break.

[lesbiansplaining]

not to bring tiktok drama on tumblr but like every time a ‘scandal’ comes out with one of these ‘production companies’ that make fan films i always hope we’re finally gonna discuss how they professionalize something that should be an hobbyist endeavor… and yet every single time i’m disappointed.

[james-spooky]

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