#because it feels like their wish of their ship becoming canon completely overshadows the importance of platonic love

[physical-manifestation-of-spite]

Let's be crystal clear. Queerbaiting is real. But it occurs when the creators intentionally hint at a queer relationship to lure in a queer audience to give them money, but never actually follow through on their heavy-handed implications of a queer relationship. Queerbaiting does not occur when the creator has been transparent from the very beginning that Malevolent is about friendship and platonic love, meant to work through the toxic masculinity they've lived throughout their entire life, and to express healthy platonic love (and sometimes unhealthy love) between two male-presenting characters. It is not queerbaiting when they emphatically tell each other that they love each other, because love isn't exclusively romantic, and while it is absolutely okay for people to ship them (and something that the creator is totally FINE with, btw), it is not okay to accuse the creator of lying about their relationship when he's been clear about it from the very beginning.

Friendship and platonic love is just as meaningful as romantic love and that's the whole point of Malevolent.

[occupyvenus]

Omg, no where in the leaks does it say Jon bends the knee! After the wight hunt, he wants to bend the knee bc he's really grateful that dany decided to come help them and he's also feeling bad about viserion dying but he physically can't. Dany asks him about the north indp. then says shes doesnt want him to bend the knee anymore. At the dragonpit meeting he sides with dany over cersei but doesnt bend the knee to her. The issue is him picking a side bc it doesnt unite the realm like he intends

Hi nony! This has been sitting in my inbox for a couple of days (sry it’s pretty full and I do have a life outside of tumblr ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, plus, I’m shit at replying in an acceptable time-frame anyway … don’t take it personally) 

That would actually … make a lot more sense. Since everyone is going ape-shit over the leaks again, maybe read this. This is the exact problem of taking written leaks and spoilers at face value. They lack context. Reading a couple of sentences about what happens isn’t the same thing as actually seeing it on screen. Even the official epsiode abstracts don’t do it justice. Or was I the only one who expected shit to go down in the north when I read that “Jon was facing a revolt?”. 

You are missing the events precedenting the incident, camera-work, facial expressions, music scores, background reactions, etc. All the things important to conveying information and meaning in a visual and continual medium as television. It’s way to easy to read something into it and intepret them according to your own biases, wishes or fears. The spread of spoilers and leaks on the internet is nothing but a global game of telephone / chinese whisper’s. Whatever truth is in them is buried under a mountain of other peoples thoughts, speculations and (miss)-interpretations. The more people talk about it, the more false information is out there. And as stated above, even the things that are factually correct, can be portrayed in a misleading light. 

So basically Jon is willing to kneel for Danys help, but after seeing the white walkers with her own eyes she offers to do so anyway? That’s something that would make sense for both characters. I can accept that. Jon being ready to give up northern independece for her asisstance, with her assuring him that there is no need to do that. I could see Dany pressing her claim anyway, but that would actually be a good character moment for her. 

Jon doesn’t pledge himself to Dany in the Dragonpit and gives the North to her, but simply sides with her on the Iron Throne over Cersei ruling the (remaining) kingdoms? That makes sense as well. As King in the North he would be expected to choose between supporting one of the two candidates. Favouring Dany is not the same thing as kneeling to her. She clearly is the better choice (even if I’m starting to believe that Jonny will end up on the westerosi throne in his own right). I have no problem with that. 

They way you put it nony, I could see this happening and it wouldn’t completely destroy Jons character, or Danys. It would be mostly consistent with their characterization so far and wouldn’t completely go against the goals and motivations established for them this season. Thanks for sending me this. 

I do stand by my opinion that Jon shouldn’t feel too heartbroken over Dany losing a dragon while saving him from a suicide mission SHE SENT HIM ON. A bit of sympathy, sure, but to the point where it makes up for her previous misssteps and denying him aid in the first place? After both he and (assumingly) Melissandre and Tyrion try to convince her the threat is real? It also strikes me as implausible that Dany wouldn’t believe Jon when he is right in front of her, giving his testimony, but any kind of message from Bran will completely change her mind? That’s what will convince her to take her dragons north and help them? Seriously? Well, D&D aren’t known for their consistent characterizations so, yeah, possible. Doesn’t make enough sense for me, but probably makes enough sense for them. 

I do also stand by my opinion that Jon has absolutely no real reason to go to the dragonpit anyway and that meeting with mad queen lannister in a locale of her own choosing, in the middle of wildfire-infested kings landing is a stupid as hell idea, that both Tyrion and Sansa should warn them about. They should really know that Cersei cannot be trusted. Also Cerseis little sheme of promising and then withholding any help makes no sense as well - as a viable threat to our heroes - but I could accept that as on par with the shitty writing D&D have done before. 

Btw, I am going to take a back-seat in discussing the leaks from now on. It was fun before the season-premiere, given that it was all we could work with, but now I would much rather spend my time analyzing and talking about the actual canon-footage. I still have so many scenes from the first two episodes I want to dissect and it seems more meaningful to me to concentrate on this. I am honestly so exhausted that every discussion and analysis of actual canon-material is overshadowed and judged or dismissed by their consistency with possible future events as described in leaks, which’s ultimate accuracy we will only be able to judge at the end of the season. I will speculate on the shows direction based on what the show has given us so far. I am tired of people granting the leaks more significance than the actual show so far. Seriously, if I have one more anon telling me “You’re analysis is bullshit because in tha leeks (｀Д´) this thing happens in episode xy “ I might just scream. 

I will be talking about the leaks every now and then, but I will withdraw from most general discussions. I will not focus on them. I still have some anons about it in my inbox and maybe I’ll write a combined answer to them, but chances are I will neither find the time nor the energy to do so. Send me an ask if you think I’d be interested to talk about it, or if you want to hear my opinion, but I won’t promise to do so. Sry, but I really hope you understand where I’m coming from.

Putting this in the jonsa tag, because people over there are freaking out once again and maybe this will ease their minds. I don’t usually like to put jonsa-unrelated content in the tag, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Hope you guys understand. Jonsa is still possible and while s7 will be a rough time for us, it has done nothing but continuing the subtle foreshadowing of season 6. I will not change my mind about jonsa becoming endgame because of tha leeks, I will make up my mind by the way canon proceeds from now on. If they really butcher Jons character I might leave the canon-side of the ship, but not the fanon one. We have one of the best fandoms with the one of the best ships I ever was part of / rooted for and I will not let canon take that away from me. Bryke has been trying for almost ten years to destroy my conviction in zutara, without any success. I will simply keep shipping them as if season 7 (and maybe season 8) never happened, but thus far nothing in the show has given me a reason to do that. Canon material > leaks on the internet.