#and they're criticised for not doing enough

[messrsrobyn]

for your anon concerned about tokenism which is a very important thing, it truly is. but what made me go easy on myself was realizing that fanfic is kinda not the place people should go for when looking for rep? now let me explain. it’s not that fics shouldn’t have rep, or that fic writers are exempted from having to incorporate it, because i don’t think it’s neither here and there. that’s not the argument we should be having. we should have rep in proper media, in things that actually make an impact in the world. that’s where the rep should happen and we should advocate for that etc etc. we also should be mindful of what we consume and how we do it and see if we only engage with cishet westernized stuff. but aside from that, if people are demanding from fic writers those things it’s kinda weird to me. like, my dude, you love the whitest, most cishet work of all times and that’s fine with you, but this random writer from xique xique bahia (brazilians will understand my joke) has to know all the intricacies of being a teen in the 70s in wales? or else they’re not doing a good work? like, maybe…! go read books that are diverse and engage in those fandoms too. a lot of HC are just like that anon said, so widely spread that just makes sense. desi harry is very dear to me. even if i also vibe with latino james. idk man, i think we can call off straight up problematic stuff. racist stuff. but if you go into fics trying to be educated maybe open a proper book and like, don’t expect fics to be a manifesto? i just want to see gay people kissing. and i think that’s the gist of it, i read books, i study, i educate myself so when i go into fanfiction im expecting to have a good time. i can also find amazing political stuff in it, but i don’t demand an academic work from writers. but some people are so braindead nowadays that the thought of actually opening a book and studying it too time consuming. so, anyways, yes please don’t be racist don’t be weird don’t be creepy, but also guys, maybe y’all should take fanfic less seriously and engage with other things outside of fandom.

I COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF ‼️‼️‼️

the beauty of fanfiction is how chill it is !!! which is something that's been lost recently with all the moral debates (noisy jegulus haters, i'm looking at you and frowning) !!!

i'm doing a lit + pol degree, and that really shows the difference for me. yes, whilst i read these works for university i'm picking apart everything, i'm cross-referencing it with the politics of the time and how they've developed, at the back of my mind i've always got this idea of representation.

i don't with fanfiction. because that's not the point.

fanfiction is the a FREE and OPEN resource. we don't have to worry about whether publication companies find value in our ideas, we don't have to worry about whether our words hold as much worth as others. we just Write.

people get too concerned with the morality of fanfic, they expect perfection from people Doing A Hobby. and i get it, i get where frustrations come from, but at the end of the day this is a bit of fun.

and yes, diversity is SO important but at the end of the day, fanfiction is already the most diverse form of media out there. if you want deeper explorations, either write them, or take your frustrations out on the core material that fandoms are derived from. take your frustrations out on the fact that we have to add diversity to fandom spaces because it's not in original media.

fanfiction is fun, it's a hobby and i am getting So So So tired of people nitpicking and deciding what words have worth when that's the exact reason i criticise official publishers.

BONUS YAP: "i think that big authors needs to step up and-" NO ‼️‼️‼️ just because they have more hits does not mean fandom etiquette doesn't apply. just because their works have more kudos does not mean they owe anything !! maybe stop putting people who are Having Fun with a Hobby on a pedestal to be your moral light.

IT'S ALL SO FRUSTRATING IM SORRY. every time i open tiktok it takes a year off my life because it's not even FUN anymore 😭 why are we policing everything

[scarlettfevor]

I just saw this video talking about actresses who've had to wear sexualized outfits on film that made them uncomfortable (think Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad) and it brought up an ongoing concern of mine about how films and tv shows are way more explicit now than they've been before. Thinking about how many actresses have been topless or nude on camera when it's totally unnecessary) Like I know Hollywood is experimental and would show sex and nudity in their films, I don't have a problem with that it's just how disproportionate the amount of women vs men who have to be naked and sexualized in film is. It's misogyny, pure and simple. Forcing actresses to put their bodies and sexuality on display for the pleasure of male directors and a male audience. And I hate that you can never point out how many actresses have come out and said that no, they didn't like wearing sexualized outfits on screen, they didn't like going nude/being pressured to go nude, they don't like sex scenes or explicit rape scenes but still anytime anyone mentions this you have to fight puritan allegations because god forbid you question how a notoriously sexualized and objectified marginalized community seems to always be sexualized and objectified in media.

[morgenlich]

fascinating to see both the far right and the far left blame jews/israel for hurricanes but for different reasons. it's like convergent evolution of antisemitism

[m0thlegs]

As much as purity culture IS penetrating fandom spaces and sanitising them beyond their core intent, I feel like some of you are overusing the phrase "don't like, don't read" (and others like it). Rather in response to people being nitpicky about certain themes merely existing in content (fan-made or otherwise), you guys keep using it as a way to shut down critical discussions of your favourite medias in a way that feels oddly anti-intellectual and ironically puritanical in and of itself.

[morelikeravenbore]

Feigning Indifference

"— And on the edge of it all, standing alone by the stands, there's you: arms crossed, little pout on your cute face, feigning indifference."

 (I promised Quidditch!smut for the girlies a literal year ago, oop. 🐢🐢🐢 Anyhoo...)

Rated: Explicit. MDNI. NSFW. 🔞

Content warnings: f!reader, no mention of house or appearance, size difference kink, semi-public sex, voyeurism/exhibitionist fantasies, possessive!Sebastian, Beater!Sebastian, feral!Sebastian, excessive use of the word fuck, p in v, unprotected sex.

Word count: 1.8k

[MASTERLIST] [WATTPAD]

Sebastian descends onto the Quidditch pitch, wind-swept, sweat-soaked — victorious.

Like a stone in quicksand, he's swallowed up by the cheering throng of admirers before he's even fully off his broom; Slytherin's mostly, their faces painted emerald, scarves transfigured into woolly snakes around their necks — they crowd around him, beside themselves with the thrill of Sebastian's triumph, back-slapping, hand-shaking, cheek-kissing. Sebastian is glad to be wearing his protective gear against the most enthusiastic among them — not that he's weak without his shoulder pads and arm guards, but some thump him so hard with their congratulations that he wonders if they're Gryffindor’s in disguise trying to put him out of action before the next match.

Once he's past the worst of it, he shirks off his Beater's gear: pads, guards, helmet (even cup, which he unashamedly yanks right out of his pants) hit the ground in quick succession, discarded for the teams’ first-year assistant to collect in his wake (provided his rabid fan club doesn't get to them first.)

Thanks to his seventh-year growth spurt, Sebastian is hardly any smaller without his bulky gear on — a fact he uses to his full advantage to shoulder through the crowd. It takes him several minutes to wind his way through; supporters and haters in equal measure jostle for his attention, girls squeal and find excuses to touch him, Imelda criticises his technique as he passes (even though he just won her the bloody match), and somebody lets off a series of explosions overhead that shower the crowd with green and silver sparks. — And on the edge of it all, standing alone by the stands, there's you: arms crossed, little pout on your cute face, feigning indifference. 

He wants to kiss the frown right off your face. 

‘There you are.’ He grins down at you. You glare up at him.

‘Seven different girls touched your shoulders just now,’ you grumble, scanning your narrowed eyes over the crowd. ‘Two more touched your chest, and that last one tried to climb you.’

Sebastian's grin widens, delighting in your jealousy. ‘Did they?’ He affects a look of innocence. ‘I didn't notice.’

‘Liar.’ You shoot him a deeply contemptuous look. ‘Maybe I should take up Quidditch, see how you like seeing your girlfriend being groped after every match.’

His amusement drops faster than a fumbled Quaffle. Usually, he finds your little jealous streak endearing — after pining after you for two long years, convinced his feelings were one-sided, your possessiveness makes him embarrassingly gooey-eyed and lovesick. But today he's too jacked up on adrenaline to let that comment slide: nobody touches you but him. Not even in your imagination. 

With no more effort than he expends on waving his Beater's bat around (less, even), he lifts you with one arm, bringing your face level with his. 

‘I wouldn't let you play Quidditch,’ he says lowly, his voice deep with authority.

Authority which you completely ignore, like always.

Incensed, you scoff and wiggle and squirm for freedom (‘Ugh, put me down, you brute! — You can't tell me what to do! — If I want to play Quidditch, you can't stop me!’) but Sebastian only waits, watching your little tantrum with a mix of resigned patience and wry amusement. 

‘You're not the boss of me!’ you wail. You’re tiny in his grip, slender limbed and delicate, but you’re agile enough to break free if he doesn’t handle you right. His arm tightens around you, pinning you so firmly against his chest that you squeak. 

‘Yes,’ he growls in your face, ‘I am.’

Despite all the height and the strength he’s gained since you met in fifth year (or the physique if all the giggles and whispers about his shoulders are to be believed), Sebastian is, generally speaking, an unapologetic softie when it comes to you: the most precious thing he's ever beheld, there's not a girl alive more loved than you. But fresh off the field, bolstered by the dizzying rush of glory and adrenaline, all his usual gentleness eludes him. — Suddenly, he wants to do more than kiss the frown off your face. 

A hot lick of desire alights in his belly, as familiar as it is impossible to ignore. Without another word, he hoists you higher and carries you off beneath the stands; game forgotten, celebrations be damned, he only has eyes for you, little doll, little bunny caught in his hungry gaze, so small and soft and devourable. 

You yelp when your back meets the wall, but hidden now deep in shadows, Sebastian only grins, wolfish. Grateful he'd thought to discard his cup, he pins you there with his hips, making sure you feel every sudden aching inch of him between your legs. 

You're his now. You both know it. 

‘How can you be jealous when you're the only one who does this to me?’ He leans in close enough to spill hot words right into your pretty, parted mouth. ‘I should fuck you standing. Right here,’ — he punctuates with a sharp thrust that makes you gasp, — ‘right now.’

Your eyes go wide, but whether you're scandalised by his audacity or desperate for him to keep whispering filth, Sebastian doesn't particularly care.

He wants to fuck the shock right off your face. 

‘R-right here?’ The wobble in your voice makes him twitch. He grinds into you again, sloooowly this time, rolling the entire length of himself against you while he watches you shift from stubborn brat to good fucking girl; no matter how many times he's seen you like this, flushed pink and panting, he's still utterly obsessed with the moment you finally give in. 

Because you always give in. 

‘Why not?’ He begins the careful crumbling of your resolve with the top button of your blouse, then the second button, third, fourth… But by the fifth his patience snaps and he yanks — hard; no need for a vanishing charm, he rips your shirt clean open. Buttons pop off in all directions; he knows you'll scold him for that later, but right now you only have strength enough to whimper. 

‘What if they see?’ You palm his shoulders — but you're pulling, not pushing. 

‘Let them.’ His lips are on the hollow of your collarbone, sucking shivers out of you. ‘Let them watch me fucking ruin you.’

Yanking you away from the wall, he spins you around and envelopes you from behind, one arm curled so tightly around your waist you couldn't wiggle free even if you wanted to. Not that you do want to; that much is clear when his other hand slides beneath your undies. Fingers slick, he fucking moans his way down the side of your neck, his tongue laving a hot, wet stripe down to your shoulder. 

‘You think I want to touch any of them like this, huh?’ He bundles your little body against him like a blanket, his arms taut and muscles straining as he works your moans free with his hands and his tongue. You buck obediently against his palm, and when he slides two thick, long fingers inside you, your knees give out. He holds you up, pinned pretty to his chest, your tits heaving in the open air, nipples begging to be painted wet by his hungry mouth. 

Sweat drips from his hair and lands on your face. ‘You think I want to fuck any of them the way I fuck you?’

Through the gaps between the stands, the Quidditch pitch is empty, quickly abandoned for post-match festivities (or commiserations if you're a Gryffindor). He imagines marching you back out there right now fucking you in the middle of it, stripping you bare and pounding you silly while the teams debrief in the changerooms and the Slytherin's celebrate their win in the dungeons. — He'd never do it for real, of course, but the fantasy of claiming you so openly, having you exposed and babbling on his cock for anyone to see makes him dizzy. 

He wants everyone to know you're his. 

The thought makes him fucking — lose — it. 

Hot and thick in his hand, he strokes himself free from his trousers with frantic pumps and a long, drawn-out whimper. If he's teetering on the edge of control, then you don't stand a chance; he hoists your leg up and rubs himself desperately against your underwear, mouthing your neck from behind, palming your tits with his big, calloused hand. Never has he been more grateful for all the grueling training sessions that have granted him the strength to manhandle you onto his cock whenever the mood strikes.

Undies bunched to the side, you arch your back and reach an arm around his shoulder, begging, begging, begging even as he's pushing in, in, into you. The sound he makes when he's fully sheathed is nothing short of feral; he stumbles forward, that hot, tight squeeeeeze of you so good it makes him weak in the knees. 

It's fucking unbearable what you do to him, the way you make him dribble and buck and moan all sorts of dirty things in your little ear — the way you make him lose control. 

‘Look at you,’ he slurs, anchoring you to his body with the full, hot length of his cock. ‘S'fucking good, s’all fucking mine.’

Holding your leg up, he sets a slow, deep rhythm and imagines himself watching you: a last-minute straggler drawn to your hiding place by your sweet moans. He imagines how pretty you'd look all stretched out and stuffed full of himself, tits bouncing, mouth agape with pleasure, too fucked out of your mind to realise how loud you are. He'd touch himself to it — oh fuck yes he would, edging himself to time his climax with yours. And maybe you'd notice him, a pair of dark eyes burning with desire. Maybe you'd like it. Maybe it'd make you cum harder. 

Fuck. Lust roils thick and luscious in his stomach and he makes a mental note to fuck you in front of a mirror next time. 

He's gasping now, slamming into you so hard your foot almost leaves the ground with every thrust.

‘If only —’ he groans, ‘— they could — see you —’ He drops his head to your shoulder and bites. ‘You're the — ngh — only one — oh, fuck —’

Surely you know — surely you understand that it's always been you; that the way you surrender makes him feel strong; that being inside you makes him feel less broken. Surely you know that he uses his body to say the things he can't put into words. 

It's more than sex: he fucking loves you. 

Your peak hits you first: a long, slow, wet release that Sebastian rides out as best he can without falling over. He moans along with you, echoing ecstasy into your ear, holding you up while your body succumbs to the overwhelming love he gives and gives and gives over to you. And when you're done, spent and shivering in his arms, sweet and limp and loved to the extreme, he follows. 

[nevereclipse]

Never Again

Pairing: Tim Bradford x wife!reader

Word count: 2.7k

Genre: angst, hurt/comfort

Requested: yes, here

Summary: When your parents come to visit you, they're as a toxic as ever. But after coming back from a brief undercover operation, Tim finds out the true extent of your parent's cruelty.

Warnings: mentions of police corruption, physical/verbal abuse and discussed past child abuse, mentions of bodyshaming and accusations of cheating (from y/n's parents.) Use of y/n. Probably incorrect representations of American & use of the metric system because I'm Australian.

A/N: I may have gone slightly overboard with this one, hopefully it's what you wanted. I thought y/n having rich parents added an interesting bit of backstory and dynamic with Tim, especially in her reasoning as to why she didn't tell Tim the truth about her family.

---

Your hands were shaking slightly when you put down your phone. You’d just ended a call with your mother, where she’d demanded that her and your father come and stay for a week with you and your husband while they were visiting LA. It’d been about a year since you’d seen them – probably around last Christmas. With them living in New York while you lived in California, visits were rare. An intentional fact, something you’d chosen very purposefully when you’d decided to join the LAPD instead of the NYPD. Not that you would’ve ever joined the NYPD in the first place. Partly because your parents would’ve done everything they could to lock you out, but mainly because you had no faith in the department after hearing your entire childhood about how your parents could get the police captain to do ‘anything they wanted.’

You set your phone on the sofa and took a steadying breath. Your husband, Tim Bradford, would be getting out of the shower soon, and while he knew some things about what your childhood was like, he didn’t know the full story (and never would). It’s not even that you thought he wouldn’t believe you, you knew he would, but how could you possibly complain about your upbringing when his had been… undeniably worse? So, you took a breath to steady yourself, and waiting for Tim to emerge from your bedroom.

Tim walked out, predictably, in sweatpants and a dark green shirt, his usual sleeping attire. You stole that shirt whenever he was away, because his constant wear of it meant it always smelt like him.

“Hey, baby,” you said, glancing up. You ran a hand through your hair quickly and forced another deep breath.

Tim’s eyebrows furrowed, and in an instant he was beside you on the couch, gentle grasping your hands in his. “What’s wrong?” His eyes searched yours.

You shook your head quickly, answering, “Nothing, Tim. I just got off the phone with my mother.”

Tim scowled. He’d never liked your mother, not since he’d first met her and had been forced to sit silently while she criticised you for how much weight you’d put on (it was less than a pound). Still, you insisted on maintaining a relationship with her, and with your father, so he softened his expression slightly and asked, “Oh?”

“She and Father are going to come over next week. Father’s in town for business, so they thought they’d… drop in.” You swallowed.

“And you’re okay with that, right?” Tim asked hesitantly. If you ever expressed even the slightest indication that you didn’t want your parents to visit, he’d call them himself and tell them to fuck off. But you nodded, and said it was okay, so Tim relented and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Okay,” he murmured into your hair, “I love you.”

You ducked your head and whispered, “I love you too,” all while guilt and nerves settled into your stomach.

--

You were panicking. Not enough for the average person to notice, maybe, but enough for your husband to. Tim sat on your bed, putting on his fancy shoes, and watched you struggle to choose which dress to wear for dinner with your parents. It’d taken you an hour to do your makeup, a process which usually took half of one, max, and nearly another hour just to put light waves into your hair.

“Sweetheart.” Tim finally said, coming to stand behind you in the mirror. He rarely used pet names, and the sound of the word softened the tension in your shoulders. “You’re going to look beautiful whatever you wear. You always do.”

“Not beautiful enough for my mother.” You almost spat the words out, alternating between holding two nearly identical dresses in front of your body.

Tim gentled grabbed your waist and maneuverered you around so you were facing him. “What did we agree about dressing for your mother?” He asked, cupping your face so you were forced to meet his earnest, dark blue eyes.

“…Not to.” You admitted begrudgingly, a slightly flush coating your face at the intense eye contact. Even after three years of marriage and five of dating, Tim always managed to fluster you.

“Exactly. You are stunning. I promise. But if you’re worried, I would go with the darker one.” Tim carefully avoided touching your hair, knowing a single hair out of place would send you into another spiral of panic. He hated seeing you so stressed, hated it with every fibre of his being. Especially when it was caused by your parents; he knew all too well the pain a well time jab (verbal or literal) from a parent could cause.

You took a breath and nodded. “Thank you.” You got into your dress just in time for the oven timer to go off.

--

Your mother never knocked more than once. It was, she believed, completely unnecessary for someone of her and your father’s social importance to ever deign to bang on wood like deliverymen. So, when you heard the one sharp, precise rap against your front door, you knew exactly who had arrived. Your stomach dropped in preparation, and with one last fitful look at the mirror, then Tim, you opened the door.

“Hello, Mother. Father.” You said with a gracious smile, sweeping your arm to the side. “Come in, please.”

Your father embraced you in a quick, impersonal hug, but even as you hugged him back, your eyes were glued to your mother. She swept her gaze over what seemed like every inch of your house, searching for the invisible dust she would inevitably find. She glided a finger along a bookshelf, looked at it, scrunched her nose in silent judgement, before finally turning to you with a precise smile.

“Darling,” She said, quickly taking you in, “It has been too long since we’ve visited. God knows you don’t want to see your parents anymore, hmm?”

You forced a slight chuckle, refusing to take the openly dangling bait, “Yes, Mother. It’s been too long. Please, come join us for dinner.”

Tim watched the interact out of the corner of his eye as he made small talk with your father. On the surface, the two of them should’ve gotten along – both outwardly grumpy and work obsessed. But where Tim’s grumpiness and work obsession came from a desire to not get hurt, and to help people, your fathers came from a cold disinterest and casual cruelty. Tim had never managed to force himself to like your father, but he pretended to, for your sake. In Tim’s eyes, it was a miracle you’d turned out to be such a soft, kind person. One hand on the small of your back, the other gesturing as he spoke to your mother, he led your family into the dining room, where the meal you’d slaved away at for hours sat waiting.

--

“So, Timothy,” Your mother asked, setting down her cutlery, “How’s Y/n treating you as a wife?” The was a sharpness in her town that made your skin prickle – the kind of sharpness that came right before a criticism, thinly veiled in polite conversation. Your father had an ever so slight smirk on his face, but he chewed his food silently.

Tim opened his mouth to respond, to brag with great pride about how lucky he was to have married you, when your mother interrupted him.

“I mean, if this is the standard of meals she’s making you, I can’t imagine marriage is living up to everything you dreamed.” Your mother made direct eye contact with you as she said that, her eyes seeming to pierce directly into your soul.

Your cutlery clattered to the table. Luckily, you were holding it only a few centimetres from the wood, and it barely made a sound. Just enough for Tim to reach out and clutch your thigh under the table, a silent comfort.

“Actually, Mrs. Taylor, I love the food that Y/n makes for me. I’m very lucky to call her my wife.”

For a brief moment, a scowl flashed over your mother’s face. Then she laughed, the sound high and sharp, and utterly fake. “Oh, I jest, I jest, darling. I’m sure Y/n here wouldn’t dream of letting you down. Would you, dear?”

“Of course not, Mother.” You replied, the food you’d earlier thought so delicious turning to cardboard in your mouth. It was an effort to swallow.

Your father chuckled at that, adding, “Our Y/n always knows better than to let people down, hmm?”

Your smile was as weak as your response was noncommittal.

--

Things were… okay for the next few days. Not good, but not as bad as it could’ve been. Tolerable. Your parents were always nicer when Tim was around, covering their critiques with smiles and sharp laughter.

So, when Tim announced he had to run tac support for Lucy for a few days, and your parents had another five of their visit, you almost broke down in tears. You had no problem with him going undercover – he’d done it a couple of times before, as tactical support, and you knew it was relatively safe. But you hadn’t been truly alone with your parents for years, and you didn’t want to be now.

Still, you couldn’t exactly explain that to Tim, not without telling him a lot more about your past then you really wanted to, so you swallowed your fears, kissed Tim goodbye, and prayed that it would be a short assignment.

Things went downhill quickly. Your parents stopped covering their insults, and you woke up each day feeling like you were seventeen again, crumpling under the weight of their words and expectations. It wasn’t long until you were at the end of your tether, and a casual insult turned into a proper argument.

“You know, he’s probably cheating on you.” Your mother’s word were completely unprompted, the two of you sitting next to each other on the sofa, browsing Netflix.

Your blood chilled. “Excuse me?”

“Timothy, dear,” repeated your mother. “I mean, honestly, what do you expect? He’s spending all his time with this… Lucy woman, and you’ve really let yourself go since you two got married.”

You took a deep breath and tried to keep your tone steady. You ignored the insult and simply addressed the accusation. “I trust Tim, Mother. And I trust Lucy. She was at our wedding, and I work with her every day. They would never do that.” You pushed off the couch, walking around the lounge room.

Your mother hummed noncommittally, and of course your father chimed in. “Y/n, all your mother is saying, is that men… well, they have desires. And if Tim feels you aren’t satisfying him as a wife…”

“He doesn’t.”

Your mother plastered on a sharp smile, “Good, then. Because Lord knows it’s embarrassing enough for us to tell our friends back in New York that you’ve moved here to become a cop, instead of a lawyer, but to have you be divorced? It would be pathetic, even for you.”

You scoffed, the tiny bit of the patience you had left disappearing. “It’s a good thing I’m not getting divorced, then.” You winced at the snap in your tone.

The shift on your mother’s face was instant, moving from bland cruelty to cold anger, and she pushed herself off the couch You felt your head snapping to the side before you felt the sting of the slap. Your mother grabbed your collared shirt, pulling you close.

“How dare you speak to me in that tone. You are nothing. You’re lucky we didn’t cut you off when you abandoned your family and moved out here like a little shit. Do you know how embarrassing that was for us? How much of an embarrassment you are? Where did our perfect little daughter go, hmm? Why do you insist on being such a failure?”

You stared forward, tears welling in your eyes. Your cheek stung, and you could tell a red print was already forming. Before you could open your mouth to come up with a half-hearted defence, a cold voice cut through the room.

“Get your hands off my wife.”

Your mother dropped you instantly, and you turned to see Tim, a little dirty and a lot furious, glaring at your parents from the doorway.

Ever defensive, your mother spat out, “What did you just say to me?”

Tim stalked forward, towering over your mother, “I said ‘get your filthy hands off my fucking wife.” His voice was a low snarl. “Get out of our home. Now. Before I arrest you for assault and harassment.”

Your fathers jaw dropped, “Excuse me-.”

“I said GET. OUT.” Tim’s voice was so full of venom, that even not directed at you, it made you flinch.

Your mother grabbed her purse with a huff, and, with one last glare at you, scurried out of your house, your father following behind her.

Instantly, Tim was in front of you, leading you to the sofa with gentle hands and warm concern.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly, eyes flickering over the palm-shaped mark on your cheek.

You shook your head numbly, unsure what to say. You’d never wanted him to see this, and a few stray tears fell down your cheeks.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Tim pulled you against his chest, gently rocking forward and backwards. The soft touch was all it took for you to start sobbing, clutching his shirt in shaking fists. All the while, he rocked you and stroked your hair, whispering comforting words into your ear.

When your tears finally subsided, you pulled back and sniffled.

“Has this happened before?” Tim asked, and even though he tried to soften his voice, he couldn’t quite hide the rage that was clearly racing through him.

Still unable to speak, you just nodded.

Tim cursed under his breath, “Why the hell didn’t you tell me? Has this been happening all your life?”

You pulled your knees to your chest and wiped the heel of your palm against your nose. No point in hiding it now, you supposed. You took a shaky breath, and forced yourself to say, “Yes. It has.” Tim glowered. “I don’t know… I didn’t want to tell you. You… you had such an awful childhood, your father was such a monster, and I didn’t want you to think I was trying to one up you. Besides, I grew up so lucky, I mean, you know how loaded my parents are… I was worried… I…” Your voice broke. “No one ever believed me. When I was a kid. Even when I’d go to school with bruises, people would look at my parents and the circles we were in and assume I was just clumsy or deserved it. The only person I ever told laughed in my face. I guess I just… I didn’t want to be that stuck up little rich girl complaining about mommy and daddy being mean.” Your face was wet, and guilt writhed in your stomach. Guilt at lying, guilt at telling the truth, guilt over your parent’s words, but still, you continued to speak. Continued to pour your heart and soul out to your husband.

Tim’s face crumpled in time with his heart as he listened to you tell the whole sordid tale. When you finally stopped speaking, he was silent. After a moment of just staring at you, he just pulled you into another hug.

“I am so, so, sorry, my love,” he whispered, stroking a hand over your back, “I’m sorry that happened to you, I’m sorry you were born to such bastard parents, I’m sorry no one believed you, I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t tell me, I… I’m just sorry. You didn’t deserve that. And they’re wrong. You’re not pathetic. Or a failure. Or anything else they’ve ever said.”

At that, Tim pulled back slightly and looked directly into your eyes. Into your soul. “You are the most important part of my life, Y/n. I am here for anything, anything, you need, and it kills me that you were hurting in silence this whole time. But never again, okay? We’re going to deal with this together – whatever you want to do. I will never let those bastards hurt you again.”

And for maybe the first time, you believed him.

--

FIN.

hope you enjoyed :) i love protective tim

[miwiheroes]

okay time for my rant

i feel kind of upset that i know that a lot of people will be disappointed with season 5 byler because they have this one view: past byler moments need to be referenced.

assuming that it is endgame (bc yeah ofc it is), i don't think that will be enough for everyone, which i totally get <3 like if they do it in a poorly written way (i.e. no depth into mike's queerness or a cheating plot on el) i would totally get not being happy with it. but i know that some people will think that it's not that good because they may not reference past byler moments??

like some things that i've seen people hope for are understandable. for example, wanting a kiss with heroes in the bg, or wanting a mention of the painting. those make total sense because the writers set those things up in a way that implies it'll be referenced later on.

some things i just don't stand by. for example, wanting them to show ANY reference to them meeting each other for the first time, any reference to the crazy together scene. those are already canon moments. it's almost as if people needing these scenes to be referenced is a kind of insecurity in the existence of those scenes in the first place? like we need to them to be rehashed in order to make them like- double canon in a way?

now, i totally get wanting this to happen. for the reasons i have just expressed and the fact it would be really cool. but what i don't get is: saying that the new season's byler would be poorly written without a reference to a past moment.

i can almost see it now, post byler endgame, people getting mad there was no reference to their first meeting, people getting mad they didn't reference 'lets start a new party'. them saying it was poor writing. me going:

honestly......... i think it would be better written if they didn't reference these. More specifically, if the miwi flashback isn't them meeting each other for the first time, i would be equally as excited, because it means a NEW THING for us to reference, a new thing for me to explore in analysis.

the writers will hopefully give us some new lines. new soundtrack songs. new things to analyse and make memes about. i don't neeeed them to say they're crazy together for the third time*.

so if i catch anyone calling writers who have made an effort to create new, romantic, beautiful scenes that deepen the complexity of byler's relationship bad writing just because they didn't reference old moments, i am going to have an aneurysm <3 and then giggle in heaven, because why ur working urself up over literally nothing, i'll be sat, positive and happy, looking at fresh and new things to obsess over.

if you feel attacked by the post, im sorry, i just want to get you guys excited because no matter what we are getting new byler content, new lines and new complexities. sorry for making u feel bad in the future for criticising writers for taking the hard way out, and writing new lines LMAO

and in the possibility that they do reference these old moments, i'll also be happy, i just hate the idea that some people won't be happy if they don't do it, if that makes sense

*if you're wondering what the second time is, it's when mike gives will that post it note with the line on it.

[lagosbratzdoll]

White fantasy fans love to police the emotions of Black and other fans of colour. They love it more than words can describe. Their anger is always valid and right but ours is always irrational.

We can't be upset about anything that happens on TV because if we're upset, that'll ruin the show somehow so we should shut up and be grateful that they even cast Black and other actors of colour in the roles in the first place.

We can't talk about colourism, the disposable Black girlfriend trope, or the way race-bent characters are made incompetent in ways their white versions are not because, again, we should be grateful to even be in the room.

We must worship the creators uncritically. They're the ones who allow us the privilege of seeing ourselves on screen and a refusal to do so means that no one will ever cast Black and other actors of colour in those roles again. Criticising harmful, racist behaviour means that we're no different from the racists who hate seeing people of colour on TV at all.

White fantasy fans love to pretend that just because racism, colourism, homophobia and transphobia don't exist in most fantasy worlds, that means that it doesn't exist in the real world. The characters might be free from bias, but the writers certainly aren't and neither are the fans.

However gently the critique is framed, white fantasy fans refuse to hear it and paint us as irrational for having said it. They'd rather we shut up and uncritically enjoy the show. Although, how much can you really enjoy a show when everyone who looks like you is either an incompetent fool, dies brutally or is evil, almost cartoonishly so?

I don't understand it. Black fantasy fans are a minority in fandom and we don't always agree. Shouldn't it be enough to find Black fantasy fans who agree with you? Why go out of your way to police the ones that don't?

[queerheadcanoncentral]

James Wilson sfw alphabet.

Prompts from @imagineimagineimagine (I just changed one)

—⁠☆—⁠☆—⁠☆—⁠☆—⁠☆—⁠☆—⁠☆—⁠☆—⁠☆—⁠☆—⁠☆—⁠☆—

A = Attractive (What do they find attractive about their partner?)

Physically: Their neck, hands, eyes.

Mentally: Them being more confident than him.

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?)

He definitely wants kids, but he is afraid that he would be an absent father because of his work and because House would constantly drag him away and criticise him for not spending more time with his kid/s.

C = Cuddle (How do they like to cuddle?)

He likes to be the big spoon, make you feel secure and warm, but after a hard day at work he’d like to be the little spoon.

D = Dreams (How do they picture their future with their S/O?)

After three failed marriages he isn’t sure that he wants to get married again. He would put it off for a long time until you finally get sick of waiting and propose to him.

E = Exception (Are they willing to cross their boundaries for you?)

Yes.

F = Feelings (When did they know they're in love?)

You and James have been dating for just a few months and in that time you have been spending at least half of the nights at his place. One night you were cooking dinner in his kitchen and you heard loud knocking on the door. When you looked through the peephole you saw a pair of bright blue eyes looking back at you. You opened the door unsure if it’s the right thing to do. 

“To be honest I expected a female hooker, but I guess Wilson likes some variety.”

 “Ah, you must be House, come on in.” He had a slightly bewildered look on his face but he followed you inside and into the kitchen.

“People usually don’t mention their  best friend to a one night stand.”

“I’m dating him, he’s in the shower right now, should be out soon.”

“Whatcha cookin?”

“Falafel, pita bread with some vegetables and hummus. Want some?”

“No, I don’t want to be eating your dinner.”

“It’s fine. Some of it was gonna be for his lunch tomorrow and from what James tells me you usually eat it anyway so might as well eat it warm.”

“I like you.” Just as he said it James walked into the living room in time to hear a part of your conversation.

“What did you say to them? What did he say to you? What did you say to him?” he said panicked. But who can blame him. It’s dangerous to leave House alone with someone you care about.

“I offered him to stay for dinner, I heard a lot about him and want to see what’s actually true.”

That night you talked for hours. You dogged every jab and rude joke that House threw your way. By the time that your plates were clear and wine glasses empty, you and House became quite good friends and James saw that there might be a long future with you.

G = Gratitude (How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their S/O does for them?)

There are times when he is just too exhausted all the time to notice you doing nice things for him and just responds with a half-hearted thank you. When he finally feels better and gets out of the rough patch, he realises that he wasn’t grateful enough, so for the next week or so when you do something nice for him, even as simple as passing a water bottle, he looks you in the eyes and with a smile says thank you. He will also randomly tell you how much he love you and how lucky he is to be dating you. 

H = Honesty (Do they have secrets they hide from their S/O?)

The biggest secret that he would have would be his feelings. He wouldn’t mention his depression or what annoys him about you. For the good of your relationship you would have to pry it out of him.

I = Injury (How would they react if you got hurt?)

He would absolutely freak out. Even if it wasn’t a complicated injury (like you broke an arm of something because you fell) he would still be overprotective and boss around any doctor that is taking care of you. He would insist on taking you to PPTH even if another hospital is closer.

J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous? How do they deal with it?)

Oh yes he does! Because he cheated on his wives he is “slightly” paranoid about you cheating. He usually bottles it up and doesn't want to talk about it so you have to bring it up and reassure him that you would never cheat on him.

K = Kiss (How do they kiss you? How do they like to be kissed?)

He likes slow and passionate. If you are trying to give him a quick peck on the lips he will pull you back in for a longer one.

L = Love (Who says ‘I love you’ first?)

He does. I mean…have you seen him? He moves faster than U-haul lesbians.

M = Memory (What’s their favorite memory together?)

Getting drunk at night at some medical conference and sneaking away to an orchard to cuddle and have a makeout session(maybe more).

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?)

Absolutely yes. He never asks for anything back tho. Especially when he feels guilty about something (even if there is nothing to feel guilty about). But when you buy something expensive for him he’ll be like “No, you didn’t have to. Are you sure? Let me repay you with a nice dinner.”.

O = On Cloud Nine (What are they like when they're in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?)

It’s very obvious to everyone. He is immediately in a good mood and has a pep in his step. Before he confesses his feelings he's more cuddly, hangs out with you more and buys you gifts all the time. “I saw it and it reminded me of you so I bought it. You look good in it- I mean you always look good- I mean-”

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?)

Darling, Honey, Babie, Sweetheart.

Q = Questions (What are the questions they’re always asking?)

Are you okay? How was your day? How do I look? Wanna go grab dinner? Is it okay if House joins us?

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

Read, cook, cuddle, and watch movies together.

S = Sad (How do they cheer themselves/S/O up?)

Cuddles, tea, words of reassurance, doing anything you want, stupid movies.

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?)

We know from the show that he is a bit of a movie buff, so probably movies and anything film related.

U = Understanding (How well do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?)

He wants to know the whole you. Always listens and asks about your feelings. He’s afraid of making the same mistakes he made in his previous relationships and losing you.

V = Value (How important is the relationship to them? What is it worth in comparison to other things in their life?)

Absolutely. When James Evan Wilson loves, he loves with his entire heart. If you asked him to move to Alaska with you, he would.

W = Wedding (When, where, and how do they propose?)

If he is the one to propose, he proposes in a place that reminds him of the first time he met you.

X = XOXO (How affectionate are they? In public/in private)

He doesn’t really like PDA (except when he’s drunk). In private he can’t get his hand off of you.

Y = Yearning (How well do they cope when they're separated from their S/O?)

Depends. If he has nothing to do he is completely love sick and mopes a lot. If he is busy with work or with House, he mostly forgets that you exist.

Z = Zeal (Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship?)

Yes! (I don’t think I need to justify that. Just look at what he has done for House.)

[disconnectedkat]

On Judging Older Rep By Today's Standards

This wall of text inspired by this take that bioware are pussies for not having an all-pan romance cast until Veilguard. This idea that all past representation is mediocre or bad because today's is better is very irksome. I'm irked.

To begin, a little history:

Bioware has been including queer romance in their games since the early 2000s. First in 2004, when they released Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This game had a character you could recruit named Juhani. Juhani would become the first LGBTQ+ Star Wars character. She could be romanced by a female player character, though it basically amounted to a couple lines of dialogue. Why so little? Because it was 2004 and they practically had to sneak even that much in.

In 2007, Mass Effect 1 released. This game had arguably the 'safest' queer rep, an attractive woman kissing and having a fade-to-black implied sex scene with another attractive (alien) woman. A while later a mainstream media outlet (Fox News, you may have heard of them) ran a hit piece on the game. They ran the usual stuff, degenerate porn simulator, think of the children, etc. This was a big deal, as having a mainstream, large and popular (unfortunately) news channel targeting your game is not great for several reasons.

Keep in mind this was the, again, arguably the safest queer rep you could go for, and it still received that level of attack.

In 2009 Dragon Age: Origins released. Not much to say here, some time had passed and DA managed to avoid the targeted hate that Mass Effect received, despite having a bisexual man and woman as romantic options.

Mass Effect 2 is believed to have suffered the most from the Fox News debacle. Jack was originally planned as a pansexual character, and while I don't recall if the devs have stated exactly why that was cut, the obvious guess is they feared another round of attacks.

Alrighty, history recap over. Now to address the issue:

"They should've done it years ago." Well, they actually did with DA2 and it received a good amount of flak. Because that was 2010, and this is 2024. Representation is a social thing. It changes and grows as we do. In 2004 Juhani, with a minimal amount of actual content, became the first LGBT Star Wars character. You do what you can and try to push the envelope a little more each time. People struggled and fought for all that old rep you see as not good enough by today's standards.

"They bowed to the bigots because of money." Games, and all media, take money to create. They then need to make money to create more. There would be no Veilguard without the successes of previous games. And unfortunately, in the past that sometimes meant choosing your battles. Frustration is understandable, but misplaced.

None of this is to say that Bioware, (or any company or media, this post is just focusing on them) is beyond reproach as long as they're trying. There will always be things to criticise, and areas to improve, of course. But that isn't what I'm seeing here.

This to me is indicative of a common sentiment I've been seeing far too often in queer and leftist spaces recently, people judging older rep by today's standards and decrying it and it's creators without understanding the history.

[enemywasp]

Alright so someone on tiktok sent me a link to a compiled list of arguments against proshippers and so I wanted to put a sort of brief response of my own thoughts of each point.

Long post warning!

"Proshippers are non-offending minor attracted people in a fresh paint of coat"

What a start, am I right? Okay so first off this is a huge generalisation, not every proshipper engages with or is even comfortable with anything that sexualises fictional children, or ships them with adults. And of those that do ship adult/minor ships, it doesn't always mean they're attracted to the character themselves or gains any sexual pleasure from that.

They then went on to say that although they might be non-offending, they still fantasise about and romanticise children- in the case of proshippers by creating art and stories. And I am not personally educated enough on how people's minds works to go in depth here, but I do know a lot of pedophilic thoughts can be intrusive and unwanted. And I would much rather people engage in this and deal with their thoughts through fiction where no actual children are harmed, than actually go touch a real child or engage is any form of CSEM.

“People can draw and ship whatever they want!”

Here they went on to say that surely to ship and create content you must justify these things in some capacity regardless of them being fictional. And immediately I'd argue, the justification it that they're fictional. And that sometimes you want to read about things you'd never approve of in real life, it's a natural curiosity. And again, regardless of what the dark content is I would take someone engaging in fiction over harming a real person any day.

They compared this to alt-right groups and dark humour justifying racism and transphobia, etc. And whilst I think something we should always be aware of in fiction is stereotypes and how we may be representing people. Youtube videos like this are usually a type of propaganda that AIM to change people's mindsets and turn them against groups. Whereas fiction tells a story, some may have meanings and connections to real life, be a political piece, etc. Not everything is that serious and has a clear distinction from reality.

Think for example, reading/watching about murder and gore. More on that in a second.

"Fiction doesn't affect reality!"

I'm going to be honest I rolled my eyes at this as their main example was slenderman. If you don't know about that, those girls were schizophrenic. Anything could of set off and caused delusions, it just so happened to be fiction. Those girls needed help- not to just read purer content. They also basically brought up propaganda again, which is again deliberate and designed to warp peoples perceptions. Its based of lying and spreading misinformation and passing it as facts. The only thing I strongly believe can be directly harmful is stereotypes if not handled with care. But I think that's something for anyone who writes and consumes content should be aware of regardless of their stances.

Again here they implied that all proshippers are peodophiles. And that they normalise abuse of children. I'd also like to point out that most proshippers I've interacted with online have age boundaries to avoid interacting with minors depending on how graphic or sexual their content is.

"What do you think all stories about murder should stop existing?"

Here they basically argued that killing in media isn't the same as its not romanticised or condoned. YA Novels disagree- mafia stories being the most immediate example to spring to mind. Furthermore, morally grey villains. One of my favourite films is Mr Right. It's about a hitman killing people. Anna kendrick falls in love with him and its framed as a romantic comedy. Funny how its only fanfiction that's criticised like this? I actually have more thoughts on this if anyones interested.

Again they bring up kids not knowing adults pursuing children is wrong, and I'm questioning why children this young are unsupervised on the Internet. How young were you when you were allowed to watch anything with graphic blood or violence? This content isn't made for kids! Especially not anyone so young they can't seperate fiction from reality as most sites have a specific age you have to be to join. And I'm sorry to say it, but on websites and social media where adults can interact with kids, anything can be used to groom kids. (The real thing you should be mad about here is how there's no websites aimed just for children and safe spaces on the Internet anymore cause it can't be monetised as easily)

"Artists are allowed to draw and write about dark people"

They basically said, yes but it's not the same as promoting. Writing something under a romantic light and not saying "Don't do at home!" Isn't promoting. No ones encouraging these things in real life. Or rather, if they are its not because they're a proshipper but rather who they are as a person and their intentions.

The trans example they used is very extreme and honestly something I agree with a little more, fiction can definitely be used as an excuse to say and act out hateful and discriminatory things. Whilst I do think it's something we should discuss and unpack more, I'm not certain of my view on how I would fix this without risking silencing people talking about their experiences.

"Its not my responsibility to look after other people, just block me and the tags"

Here they threw all kinds of accusations. And says that we're making traumatised people jump through hoops to avoid getting retraumatised. I hate this argument, you know people have actual triggers they may not be able to avoid in real life? The world can't bend around you. And I am very sorry if any content online is traumatising to you, but someone could also be traumatised by a certain breed of dog and not want to see it. Should no one post dogs online ever again? A bald man reminds you of an abusive ex? Bald men get off the Internet! You see how this thing can just keep escalating? The tags and warnings are important because they're the best you can get. You can't control the world to protect everyone from everything ever. No ones forcing you to interact, and if you're on any algorithm based content that will encourage that content on your for your page more.

The only thing I think we should take from this is the reminder that warnings and tags are always important.

"You only care about censoring creativity"

Here they defend themselves that oh wouldn't you want freaks out the community! Which again immediately makes me lose respect for you, if you're just going to brand us all as freaks as an argument and generalize us.

No comment on that first line when you can easily argue antishipper do the same.

"Proshippers are not remotely innocent of targeted harrasement" Neither are antis. There's people who take things too far both sides and I'm not going to defend either for that.

"Real kids get assaulted and all you care about is censoring people online!"

Here they shout "oh I can care about both!" But what I don't think they realise is censorship can make it difficult for kids and to learn about how to speak up and to look for signs, or to speak up about their experiences. How do you plan on removing the topic from the Internet whilst also letting victims speak up? And people may want to write fiction based off their experiences. Who are you to go through it and proclaim what is too far, what romanticises it too much? More on this later.

"Antis are reducing my trauma"

They compared this to saying "date rape victims are reducing my trauma because they weren't taken advantage of in the same way as me" which is a disgusting parallel?? Date rape is still rape. Someone writing about something isn't the same as it happening. Although it can be used as harrasment, grooming, etc if directly addressed to you or being constantly sent to you, written about you. But the content existing in general? No.

"I'm coping"

Compared it to self harm, and such. Poetry and diaries are also used to write about your experiences and unpack trauma. Some of which may write it in an unrealistically positive light cause that's how they want to unpack it or explain those thoughts. And yes these things get posted online.

I can't imagine a single therapist or professional psychiatrist of any kind disapproving of creative writing because, again, it's much better than any alternatives of doing real harm to yourself or people around you. Although I do agree that if something is traumatising for you to read about and just upsets you further, be aware of your own boundaries but not everyone is the same so how are you going to police people's own thoughts and emotions.

Also I can't remember who or where as it was years ago now, but I have heard of people who actually realised they were being groomed or abused and just how bad it was through reading about it in a fanfic and seeing it in an outside perspective.

They also say to do it in private, but doesn't everyone on the Internet now have an understanding of finding a community and looking out for eachother and sharing experiences?

"There's more nuance here than just calling proshippers peodophiles"

Here they say no matter what it still comes down to whether it's ever okay to sexualise minors in certain contexts. And again, not every proshipper does this or is even comfortable with engaging in this kind of content. And further, no one is sexualising real minors in this context.

"I'm a proshipper and a minor tho!"

I'd agree minors should be wary of the spaces they're in but proship spaces aren't always necessarily sexual, graphic or 18+. Saying they're being groomed feels like you're watering down that term. I was a proshipper at age 13, I didn't interact with anyone online about it though, I didn't even know that was the term. I just came to the conclusion that it's just fiction all on my own. Minors aren't idiots.

At then end they talk about their own experience being groomed and I'm obviously not going to nitpick or criticise their experiences. I will point out that one person being bad and taking advantage of you and using content to do so doesn't mean everyone is like that. I am sorry to anyone who has been taken advantage of by someone who claims they're a proshipper though. There are people who have turned out to be horrible on both sides.

I am ill and it's late but I want to get this up sooner rather than later so please ask for clarification on anything. I'm always up for a discussion on this topic as I do believe some of these points do have merits at times and that this whole topic is not black and white

[pretty-mik-97]

The Other Woman or the Other Victim? (Ari’s Story in Tears on a Withered Flower)

Ari, in my opinion, is a painfully realistic representation of how young women are manipulated and used by men who don't respect them as human beings.

Whenever we're introduced to a mistress/side chick in every piece of media, typically, we all automatically villainise her. Or in damn near every case, the mistress is portrayed as the villainess/antagonist. A good example I can think of is Yena Ban from Muse on Fame.

Then we have the mistresses/side chicks who are villainises, but the only thing they're good for is to make the female lead good. Some good examples I can think of are Sumin from Marry My Husband and Aisha from Divorcing My Tyrant Husband.

And a lot of the time, these women go after or pursue taken men knowingly, and a lot of the times, these men give into the temptation and end up cheating on the female leads with these mistresses.

And who receives the most backlash and hate and becomes the punching bag? The mistress, of course. Because she knowingly pursued a man who's already in a relationship and is the homewrecker - as if the man wasn't an active participant in the affair/cheating.

But then we have Ari - a 25 year old young woman who works at the same company as Mincheol, develops feelings for him but unknowingly becomes his mistress, and has no idea the mofo is married. She then finds out about it, gets pissed (rightfully so) at Mincheol for lying to her and leaves him, only for her to take him back after he sweet talks her enough to give him another chance.

"Then she doesn't have an excuse since she's taking him back after knowing he's got a whole wife."

You'd be right. I also thought the same thing and was like: GIRL WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

But here's the thing:

Ari is a perfect example and representation of young women who get preyed on and manipulated by grown ass men, especially married grown as men.

I would know coz I had TWO grown ass married men attempt to make moves on me (gag). One of them was a work colleague and the other was a family friend who've I've known since I was 8 years old (mind you, I've known his wife around the same time as him before they got married and have met their kids). And I'll be 26 this year.

These men don't even view these young women as people. Like we've seen and read the way Mincheol describes Ari when he's with her and when he thinks about her. A toy that he can pick up and play with then throw away when his bored. Not to mention, Ari is everything Mincheol wishes Haesoo were. You see this through the way he criticises Haesoo for not making herself pretty and being tired all the time. (Even though he knows she works three jobs to pay back the debt HE PUT HER IN and CLEARLY sees her coming home tired, exhausted and damn near lifeless.) But she's NOT Haesoo.

And I honestly and genuinely feel bad for Ari coz she's in her 20s, a period in her life where she's trying to find her place in the world, figure out who she is and what she wants. So obviously, she's entering into the real world with a bit of a naive perspective and experiencing a lot of things for the first time, and that's what men like Mincheol prey on.

She is genuinely in love with this man. Like baby girl already sees him as her future husband and is already picturing a life with him. Meanwhile, this mofo is lying in bed next to her, wondering when Haesoo is going to call him and take him back.

And one thing about men like Mincheol is that no matter how many times they cheat, they will NEVER leave their wives for young women like Ari. That's the sad and harsh truth. And I wouldn't put it past Mincheol wanting to win back Haesoo so he can pull the same shit again.

And I personally find it refreshing that there's a story that doesn't villainise the mistress or make her the stereotypical mean girl out to ruin and bully the female lead even though the readers are still going to villainise the mistress just coz she's not the protagonist.

Coz stuff like this DOES happen in real life. Young women fall prey and get manipulated by these men who whisper sweet nothings and make promises they will NEVER keep just to trap them to be their toys whenever they want something their wives can't and won't give them.

[transmutationisms]

caden are you excited for the revival of strategic demand to stop criticising psychiatric diagnoses as a defense of ssris and antipsychotics now that trump seems to be attacking them

antara help i finally had a moment to look at the executive order and it's so stupid. first of all every action point is like "increase trust in american science by increasing its methodological rigour" "produce gold standard research on the root causes of childhood disease" "communicate research to the american people using clear and transparent language" like it's hard to even be intimidated by this because it's not a political agenda it's a wishlist 💀 i also particularly enjoyed the bit at the beginning where they're trying to prove the US is a uniquely unhealthy country or whatever but all they can come up with is some selectively framed cancer stats (incidence not prevalence, and %increase over time without reference to actual incidence OR prevalence) & then like three lines about autism being more common in "developed countries, including the US" like okay

i honestly think the real significance of this is spelled out here:

and here:

absolutely insane list of factors that means you can blame any disease on any statistical correlation you produce + "chronic inflammation or other established mechanisms of disease" tells me we're just about to get a bunch of nonsense correlational studies that do a piss poor job eliminating confounding factors and are usually done in lab animals or petri dishes and purport to scare us into being cancer-free by using badly determined thresholds à la california EPA to show anything and everything has a carcinogenic effect (save for those products made by companies with large enough or flattering enough wallets that this admin cares to protect them lol)

like i doubt this will even make a difference for the availability of prescription drugs: biden's DEA already manufactured an ongoing amphetamine shortage and clearly no one has any real appetite for going after SSRIs or antipsychotics so long as the prevailing medical attitude is that they make you normal and productive. even RFK thinks this i guarantee it (ask him if he'd rather be alone in a room with a person diagnosed 'psychotic' while they're on their prescription, or not on it) and ultimately what he wants is not to get people off psych drugs but for those people who use psych drugs to be socially marginalised into invisibility or death. joke country i hope they ruin the credibility of its scientific infrastructure forever <3

[graysedai]

Now that I've had a few days to let my thoughts on 03x08 percolate I think I've nailed down my exact notes/gripes with how they handled the Tower scenes.

In the cold open, they chose to have Siuan begin to lose the vote for Amyrlin, only to be suddenly supported by Alviarin whose sudden defection from Elaida's camp brings enough votes to let Siuan win. This makes no sense to me. I think it undermines Siuan's political acumen to such a degree I honestly do not know why they would have done it, unless it was to show how petty Elaida is, to hold a grudge against Siuan for her own allies abandoning her. I truly think it would have been better to have Siuan win the minimum vote, then for Alviarin to abandon the losing cause and throw in, bringing a larger number of votes to Siuan's win. This would have allowed Elaida to feel just as small, insignificant, and angry, while still giving Siuan HER win.

My second point I'm a little more hesitant about. I did wish when I was watching the show that they had killed Siuan in a different point in Moiraine's fight with Lanfear. Perhaps after Moiraine had just fought Lanfear off, then she feels Siuan die. However, I watched some show-only reactions and when talking about it they were discussing how they thought Siuan would have been happy to know she gave Moiraine the strength to fight a Forsaken toe-to-toe, and now I'm torn. Still, I think they should have done that a bit differently, and in conjunction with how they undermined Siuan's skills in the cold open, I think it should have been done differently.

Siuan's death was gratuitously violent and that was unecessary. I understand wanting to make everyone believe 100% she's dead, and decapitation is pretty final death. But they didn't need to have her be so physically abused. Simply stripped to her shift and mussed, with a minor injury or two, would have sufficed. The sheer brutality of Siuan's injuries were not necessary. We were all already going to hate Elaida. Her underhanded move of manipulating Siuan into sending all her strongest supporters out of the Tower, barring Siuan from the vote and her own trial, and not permitting her to speak in her own defense before being sentenced are all despicable acts and everyone would have hated her for it.

Overall I am a supporter of Siuan's altered arc, and I have no reason to disbelieve Rafe's interview saying Siuan will be back. I have theories on how, which I've posted about both show-only friendly and full book spoilers. But I do think they mishandled her fall from power and with no other lesbian couples, and as Ivhon was also killed this season, that doesn't leave many queer romantic relationships intact, which does make it feel like it's toeing the line of Bury Your Gays.

I know they're always intensely pressed for time, but having Bain/Chiad being more obviously, on-screen romantic with each other would have helped. Still, the optics of having the BIPOC/interracial queer relationships be broken while the straight relationships get developed is not great. In-universe there's basically no homophobia or colorism, but it's disingenuous to refuse to scrutinise a work through a Doylist perspective simply because the Watsonian perspective is more comfortable and lets us give the showrunners a pass. They can do better. They should do better.

I'm also unsure of how to communicate anything to the showrunners, particularly as this is my only social media. So for anyone on platforms where the showrunners are active, I suggest you tag them in conversations that constructively criticise them. If anyone thinks my posts would help, feel free to post screenshots. There are people far wiser than I who've talked about this more eloquently and from a place of more education and lived experience, and wherever possible please uplift queer, BIPOC voices. I'm grateful beyond words can say that this fandom is so willing and eager to talk about issues like these.

[miwiheroes]

Dropping Byler Evidence Every (Other) Day Until Season 5

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ Day 31: The Painting is Chekhov's Gun . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Sorry for not doing one of these in like.... a really long time lmao I've just been writing fics really hahaha

Anyways I'm back to talk about 'Chekhov's Gun' and how it relates to the Painting in S4. In summary, this basically means that the lie about the painting can't not pay off. There is no way that the painting conversation will go unanswered, or the writers would kind of be making a bad decision, leaving the story unsatisfying. It is a dangling plot, a introduced plot point that can't go unanswered.

So what is 'Chekhov's Gun'?

In short terms, this is the principle that any detail in a story should serve a purpose in the overall narrative to fulfil the viewer/reader's expectations. This basically encourages writers not to make false promises in their narrative by including random details that seem important, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats, but with no payoff.

This literary device has actually been used in Stranger Things a lot already. There are so so many examples, but some examples I can think of include:

Will coughs up slugs in the sink at the end of Season 1 -> D'art appears in Season 2 and the Demodogs are grown from this.

Will falls off his bike and the camera lingers on this when he goes missing -> Hopper and the police find his bike and bring it to Joyce.

Hopper says that falling off the quarry into the water will kill you -> Will's 'body' is found there and Mike later jumps off.

Argyle talks to Jonathan about taking 'Purple Palm Tree Delight' -> They use the same thing to distract the SBP guy when they're trying to commandeer the store.

Max draws her and Lucas in the Creel House -> Drawing is later seen in the hospital.

Eddie says that he wants to be a hero -> ends up being called a hero and dies one.

This is just some. Notice how all of these cause a shift to the plot.

Already in this scene, the Chekhov is gunning, the painting which we have constantly been shown during the whole season is finally being revealed to Mike. Which means the gun goes off in that respect. But, another gun is introduced:

Will's Lie - the painting is from 'El' not him.

This lie needs to be revealed. This would be the case in any other show. But in Stranger Things??? The show where El's lie about her friends is revealed to Mike and Will criticises her for lying??? The show which has its main slogan as Friends don't lie????

But didn't Will's painting pay off in the Love Monologue Scene?

No, because Mike still holds the disbelief that this was about El. That's my first point which should convince you, but also:

There are consequences to Will's lie of course -> Mike ends up being called 'The Heart' by Will in a crucial moment, which causes him to say I love you to El. This could not have happened without the van scene between him and Will. It's kind of insane that the only reason Mike feels like he can say I love you to her is because of a LIE. Will has no idea what El really feels.

So now we've established that this scene has it's impact as a lie, we must also see how it can have impact once the truth is revealed:

EITHER:

Mike finds out that Will's painting is a lie but it doesn't change his feelings for El. They stay together and Will accepts that Mike doesn't love him back.

OR Mike finds out that Will's painting is a lie and confronts what this means for the way that he told El he loved her. Mike and Will, despite the reasons for Will's lying (that he's given up on Mike loving him back), end up together.

Scenario one cannot happen because it will not change a thing. The plot will not change or shift.

If the 'gun' in this case actually fires, why would this mean things stay the same?

Mileven's relationship was doomed the moment Mike was motivated by a lie to confess. It automatically makes his words inauthentic and not strong enough because they aren't coming from him. It heavily involves the second love interest's feelings, which would be very strange not to address. The writers have done this lie thing before:

Jonathan told Nancy that Steve took her home - to make her feel more secure in their relationship instead of telling the truth.

Said selfless love interest ends up with the person they wanted. Because writing it this way makes the second love interest look more deserving of the love from the person in the middle. It's pretty simple. They are the one shown to give up so much for them. The writers made the choice to have Will be the one to constantly reassure Mike about his troubles and insecurities. They made him the one to make him feel confident again and give him the exact love that he wants -> to be needed.

Mileven has been shown not to understand each other in this way - El explicitly says that Mike doesn't understand her and she no longer acknowledges that he was bullied.

Will knew that Mike was feeling worthless so he emphasised that he was a leader and protector that inspired and guided everyone. And Mike clearly loved hearing all of that! He was completely enamoured in this scene, and no one can argue against that right? Even if it was just because of the words, they're still Will's feelings!

Mike felt insecure in his relationship, it makes him feel like he's not needed anymore, but Will was able to get rid of that with a single painting and a half-confession about his own feelings. It is a very obvious way of showing the contrast between 2 love interests.

Basically, the painting was a plot device, but not to fix Mileven's relationship at all. Lots of Bylers thought that at first, but that's the thing. It's supposed to seem that way at first. Instead, it is actually a way of fooling you and setting up Mileven's inevitable downfall and Byler getting together. There is no other way of satisfyingly resolving this plotline.

People may come up with other reasons, but that's not because they are plausible reasons, it's just because people don't want Byler.

[sylvieserene]

No shade to you, but about ur post complaining abt that one twt post…man the accounts gimmick is hating on purelily. That post was not actually serious they Dont care about what people ship or not. It’s not that deep to them they just like lily a lot. Also dont use ship tags if it’s not about the ship, especially if it’s complaining about the shippers, even while it’s a valid complaint

Anon, I may understand where you're coming from but it's not just them though.

Things like these are said on the regular such as:

It's always the Purelily fandom which is getting the hit of everything.

We had a few mentally deranged individuals in our community yes, no one is denying that BUT.

We also had a whole minor grooming n*zi prolife ShadowVanilla controversy on twitter which just proves no fandom is safe from fucked up things... People are happy to point fingers for what one Purelily fan did but no one is willing to talk about it or anything at that really. The moment something screwed up happens in their own shipping space, suddenly everyone turns a blind eye to it or its not talked about as much.

So why must just one fandom get the blame? If we're being fair, all of these should be talked about, no?

Which brings me to my whole post's point. NO shipping space and by that I mean NO one is exempt from doing screwed up things. So I'm gonna repeat, accusing it's always just Purelily shippers is insane.

I'll not name anyone but there are very popular artists who also accuse Purelily fans of actively mischaracterising the characters even though ShadowVanilla + Elderlily shippers have also done it.

Suddenly, they are no longer in the picture and it's always those damn Purelily shippers' fault.

And I can assure you, I have enough ss and proof to show you that these people are very much serious. This isn't for the hahas or giggles. It's very much meant to be taken seriously and these people will defend their stance and posts seriously.

Even @reshramlove1ob has said this and even I have personally seen this attitude in the fanfic community as well. You get BLATANT hate for just letting WL exist where both SM and PV are in the same fic. It's insane.

Liking WL is one thing but wanting her to get isolated from everyone for an old af guy she just met? That's not funny anymore. You are actively objectifying her and are making her life revolve around male individuals. You're taking away agency from her.

That's not being a wl fan. That's being a sham fan who is more invested in what they ship instead of seeing how it impacts the character.

The twitter user is that. They deny PV's involvement in life, actively accuse Purelily fans + shippers + ship of being horrible and are actively making Elderlily being the central focus for what they like about WL.

More about that twitter user. That person is very much serious in what they say and if you try to pretend that they're not then I believe we need to sit down and have a talk lmao

Anw,

Everything is fair to hate when it comes to Purelily but the moment you even try to criticise their ship on valid grounds? All hell breaks loose.

You tell me that this isn't about the ship and to not use the tags for such. While I understand where you may be coming from but.

This whole thing directly ties to the ships itself.

All of this? All those threats and screwed up comments? All that for shipping a fictional character and people coming to attack Purelily shippers from 2 very specific shipping communities.

It VERY much ties to the ships cuz shippers don't exist without ships.

If we don't spread awareness of what's the state of Purelily fans atm, most of ppl will continue believing it's just us who is problematic and others are fine WHEN THEY ARE NOT.

So please, I say spread the word and condemn ppl who are spreading this type of hate.

I am not complaining about anything, I am merely pointing out the state of the fandom rn. And I'm gonna say it again, If you cannot practice peace yourself, then expect back what you're giving as well.

Just like secularism, respect of boundaries can never exist unless mutual. One sided respect cannot exist in long term.

You can't be like "WAAAAHHHHHH STOP HATING ON MY SHIP YOU A**HOLE" but also be like "YOUR SHIP SUCKS A** MINE IS SO MUCH BETTER"

I don't participate in dramas, especially fandom dramas cuz I hate these. But this? This is way too much.

In my culture, there's a saying:

"If you throw a stone at someone, expect a brick back."

Think about it once.

Karma leaves no one. Not even Gods are exempted from it.

Tldr, let's not pretend ShadowVanilla and Elderlily folks are very peace loving, innocent fellas. Y'all also have fucked up individuals in your communities and it's about time you guys start calling them out instead of blaming Purelily folks for everything. Cuz if generalising Purelily shippers continues, I don't see a day too far where even ShadowVanilla or Elderlily fans may also start getting generalised and it would be very easy too cuz a lot of stuff has happened already but my question is, why let that day come? If we as a fandom unite and stop this behaviour, we can stop this toxicity from spreading.

So please, live and let live.

Do NOT threaten to harm irl individuals which includes hate comments just for not shipping what you like.

Stay in your boundaries and let me stay at mine without throwing rocks and acid over the fence.

It's not funny and it will never be.