#but I like The Ted Bundy Precedent because it shows how this is not a new concept

[gemstarstarlight]

If I have learned anything in life, it’s that the Single Handsome Boy who does Bad Things will be adored.

Regardless of morality or level of Bad Things.

I think I want to call it The Ted Bundy Precedent.

[sockori]

thoughts on same age au sasosaku?

oh dear, anon popping off the cork to a controversial cocktail called SasoSaku. though, I believe open conversation about these things is important, so I suppose I’ll take the bullet and give you an answer.

I am going to preference this immediately and bluntly, I am not in favor of it, not even with an age change involved. Since the beginning, I have not harbored any love towards SasoSaku at all, however I despise it for more than just some personal vendetta, and yes I’m aware there are good eggs out there who write/create this shipping with good morals and strict rules involved in the process, and thank you for that. Even with the gap removed, I still continue to see content of this shipping that promotes or normalizes toxic relationships and behaviors. This is not proposing a restriction against writing such themes, as it is extremely important to discuss these topics and to show others how to identify them, yet I find many of these writings to be written with a green flag in mind. A common one I see for this shipping is romanticizing the fact that “cute, innocent sakura” is getting involved with a “hot cold-blooded sociopath”, and display toxic behavior such as grooming, manipulation, control (and even flat out murdering a lover at times) as “sexy”, “adorable”, “passionate”, “intimate”, of the like. An example I can think of right off the top of my head is @/evaartandadam’s Unexpected Connection, which is a romantic adolescent twist on ‘dates with somebody who wants to kill you’ and ‘all merciless people can be redeemed with a little love’ tropes that just rub me the wrong way in many directions. I understand that this was simply the shipping placed over and based on the TV show, which should be the target of blame as well, yet it is made with a favored display, and personally, I don’t appreciate it. And many other content that preceded or succeeded this have been the same, unfortunately. I’m sure you could make some SasoSaku AU for the Netflix original Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which dealt with Liz and Ted Bundy’s awful relationship (and famously romanticized all of it, along with a lot of false information), and I’m sure somebody would find it quirky. Which is exactly the problem.

When I discussed my plight with the fandom using Sakura as a tool for content on horrible relationships like this awhile ago, someone made a fantastic point to me that it could be because many people, especially young people, project into Sakura. I understand and acknowledge this reason, and I do not mean to rip on others specifically because Sakura is their mode of comfort- this is fine- though I do not accept this as a perfectly good reason to romanticize or refuse to identify red flags to the audience. Although keeping this in mind, it is not okay to promote this as a fantasy, or something to strive for in a relationship. To anyone, really, make efforts to show the warning signs in these connections and communicate to your audience that this is not normal and should not be promoted, even age gap rules included, and especially when they’re not. Place content warnings, have discussions, promote charities donating to those who have fallen victim to this behavior, of the like.

An age fix is not a viable reason to romanticize all other toxic behavior involved.

An age fix is not a viable reason to put a green flag on these tropes because ‘its not pedophilia anymore’.

An age fix is not a magical spell that makes you all of a sudden not worthy of any criticism.

Apologies for the extremely solemn tone, Anon, but I feel like this should be handled for the solemn topic it is. Thank you for this question.      

[imbellarosa]

omg hi it’s dandelion :) i’ve been in this fandom since 2011 (rip), and every so often i get sucked back in again. like this movie announce!! i immediately came on here to hear your thoughts as well! as someone who works in film marketing, i’m super invested in seeing how it plays out. tbh i see musician harry and actor harry having conflicting interests, and success in one area will not always translate. Musician harry has a public image and narrative that precedes him...

ohhhh also, I totally remember the (alas, false) rumor that he was slated for a dan gilroy project, which would have been a bigger leap in credibility imo. as for whether or not his acting success will mean his music is taken seriously, time will soon tell. i think it’s more baby steps, but definitely in the right direction! but really this conversation is just a reminder that sexist and ageist and racist institutions are continuing to define what the public takes seriously.

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I think that this is going to be a GREAT opportunity for him to show off his talent!! Like WE know that he’s a killer actor when he wants to be - we’ve been seeing it for YEARS haha. But this character is so wildly out of the box for him that it might go a long way in breaking his heart throb mold. I know Zac Effron tried to do that a bit ago by taking on the role of Ted Bundy, and it /sort of/ worked for him. ( I say sort of BC a lot of people DID take him more seriously, but some just took it as an opportunity to romanticize Bundy, which, sigh). I DO think it signals that he is miles away from being any more open than he currently is, but that’s totally fair and to be expected, tbh. ACTUALLY, I’m quite looking at Louis BC he’s garnering 1.) some rather serious industry clout and 2.) an upcoming tour which he seems to be saying will change everything. I’m 👀👀👀👀👀👀 HARD.

ALSO, fuck what’s “serious”, bc you’re RIGHT a lot of it is sexism homophobia and ageism but what I want is THOUGHTFULNESS. I want the media to engage with their art in the thoughtful manner their work deserves, because they have put a lot of themselves and their story in it.