#if you've been here awhile you've seen me through a lot of sexuality confusion

[marleyrose]

in a shocking turn of events, i have a boyfriend now. a beautiful he/they who loves trains and has the most pure and understanding heart i've ever come across. here's hoping i don't chase this one away x

[stormblessed95]

Okay so hear me out. I've been on the edge of belief when it comes to jikook and there's just one thing that keeps holding me back. And I thought you'd be the best person to come to this with because I love your deep dives and I love that when you're mistaken about something you change it and apologize so I think you're trustworthy.

Okay so my issue with belief in jikook is the worry that we formed a narrative around them that could be formed with other band members to make it seem like something is there.

For example with minimoni. And no I promise with my whole heart I am not a minimoni shipper trying to infiltrate jikook territory lol. But okay so we could mirror some of the jikook talking points with minimoni. There was a shift with how namjoon treated jimin just like there was a shift with how jungkook treated jimin. Jungkook gave jimin alone a present for his birthday, namjoon gave jimin a ring for his birthday and was embarrassed about it.

Namjoon also has a habit of calling jimin cute and saying he'd date him if he was a girl just like jungkook. Namjoon also finds jimin's fingers cute just like jungkook.

Namjoon and jimin have hung out solo late at night before. That bike trip they had. And I'm sure a minimoni shipper could go more in depth but I only know this much because I'm namjoon biased.

And in my opinion none of this proves minimoni or jikook. They rather just cancel each other out. Proving neither of the two.

And I'm just wondering if we can basically form a narrative around any two of the guys and come to the conclusion that they're dating. What makes jikook so special?

The only thing I can think of is the obvious sexual tension jikook have that I don't think is really present in any other pairing.

But idk. Even in the most recent run episode minimoni were attached at the hip. Jikookers could say there was a certain air around jikook that was different with minimoni and I would agree but then I'm wondering if it's because that's what i wanna see ugh.

I know it's not your job to convince me but I just wanted your take on all this.

It's like you felt me starting to pull my minimoni dynamics post pieces together when you sent this. Lol love it. I'll also start this with a disclaimer that these types of conversations are so much easier to have through messages. We can go back and forth and chit chat about it. Share views and perspectives. Where here, I'm sort of just.... rambling. We can't bounce off each other and get into more nitty gritty details. So anon, if you want to DM me and we can get further into it, please do so! I promise, I am nice!

I'll say first and foremost that I disagree about Namjoon being shy about buying Jimin a ring. He got giggly and embarrassed a little bit over Tae teasing him out of the way he told the group not to worry about buying Jimin something super expensive just because HE did. Lol it wasn't shyness about the gift, but how he talked to the rest of the group and they got in a few digs over it 😂 but damn, what a gift. I have plenty of thoughts and a little confusion over that ring, but that's a totally different topic. It was an insanely sweet gift for sure. In every way. And again, not about comparing, but this was 2017. The same year that Jungkook's gift to Jimin was a solo trip just for them. Jimin obviously had a damn good birthday that year. Lol

Minimoni are best friends. Arguably one of the closest duos in the group. But I wouldn't say they are closer than jikook are. What makes me think jikook are special is well a lot. The way you phrased your ask makes me feel like you've been on my blog for awhile. I'm not sure if you have gone through my masterlist or seen most of it, but I would recommend it. I talk about why I think they are special in my jikook duo dynamics post. I talk about in my posts about how Jimin is obviously Jungkooks emergency contact. It's the sexual tension that you mentioned that is lacking with any other duo, which is a pretty big one I think. It's the exclusivity and consistency in their actions. Every duo has over the top eyebrow raising and sweet moments... jikook seem to be the only pair that have those moments consistently. It's the exclusivity in the way they behave with each other at times. It's the way they consistently are the ones who seek each other out back stage, who spend the most amount of time off camera together, who have gone on the most off work, off camera dates. It's the exclusivity in hanging out with each other's personal friends, in jungkooks gift giving to jimin, in the way they know things about each other that literally no one else in the band knows. The way that you often see jikook just together in the background of videos, just being together. The way the staff said they never see them apart backstage. The way their first response in embarrassing or emotional situations is to look for each other.

You are right, it's not my job to convince you. I love talking about this stuff though, so if you wanted to talk about it more, please feel free to jump into my DMs. We can talk there about more specific instances between ships or about particular moments. We can get deeper into as we go back and forth with the conversation. Again, I promise I'm nice! Otherwise this post gives a general idea about why I think Jikook are *different* than any other duo in the band. And again, my masterlist gets much more into the details of certain instances and why I feel the way I do about certain topics. You can find my masterlist pinned to the top of my page for anyone who doesn't know.

I hope this helped explain why I think the way that I do at least a little bit. Thank you for the ask and for how nice you were about it! I also appreciate the trust 💜 it means a lot. And for everyone else, I promise... Minimoni dynamics coming soon!

[trueloveisrarelyafairytale]

20 Banned Books you've probably read

Banning books from schools and libraries is a form of censorship that predominantly hurts the people that would benefit most from keeping the book(s) available. It is not up to a few to say what book is available to who. Making a choice for a group of people based on the decision of a small group is morally wrong in my opinion. There is a difference from a book being challenged, which probably happens to just about every book at one point, and banning, which is when the book is actually removed from a library or school. The following is a list of some of the best books ever written that were banned at one time or another.  

1. The Scarlet Letter by: Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850) A woman has an affair with a man of the church which results in a love child. As a punishment for her transgressions, she has to wear the scarlet letter “A” for Adulterer.  There were some that felt the author was too lenient in the character Hester and that she didn’t get what she deserved. There was complaint of immoral content and sympathy to the sins committed. Considering the time this was written, this one isn’t too surprising.   2. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865) My wedding was Alice in Wonderland themed so this is obviously one of my favorite books. This has had some controversy because of suggested drug use (eating mushrooms that change your size, a caterpillar smoking a hookah…) as well as speaking animals which is considered evil or something. It was banned in Hunan China for that reason in 1931 because of the way the animals acted like humans. The Censor General feared children would see animals and humans as equals and also believed allowing the animals to speak was offensive to humans. I have also read something about the author’s sexual preference, but that refers to Lewis Carroll, not the story.   3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by: Mark Twain (1884) I enjoyed this book quite a bit growing up. I was oblivious to the racism in it as a child, but ultimately that is why it was banned. Now, of course racism isn’t ok, but during the time the story takes place (and at the time it was banned oddly enough), racism was a very large part of everyday life. Jim was Huck’s friend and seeing the way he was treated was cruel. Though, I personally feel it was showing the intensity of racism many feel like the book itself was racist. While it may have been called “trash”, it is now considered an American classic.   4. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by: Beatrix Potter (1902) When I saw this book was banned, I couldn’t think of a single thing that would do it besides the fact that Peter’s father was killed. That wasn’t it. This book was banned for portraying “Middle class rabbits”. Yep. I don’t even really know what that means, so while I technically know why the book has had controversy, I’m still really confused.   5. The Great Gatsby by: F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) This was fairly recently made into a film that did well, and it’s a favorite of many readers, but this novel has had its fair share of complaints. The novel contains a sexual affair (which is never portrayed in detail), bad language, and violence, which is the formula to set people off. The novel is set during the prohibition where the drinking was heavy and the partying described was also considered uncomfortable to some.   6. Winnie the Pooh by: A.A. Milne (1926) Pooh? Pooh was banned? This one was a little all over the place. The talking animals being against God is brought up with this one as well. Piglet being a pig had some controversy over if it would offend Muslim children. One thing that blew my mind, was apparently pooh wore a swastika and was seen as a Nazi supporter. It’s been awhile since I’ve read it, but I don’t remember that.   7. Gone with the Wind by: Margaret Mitchell (1936) This is the only book on this list that I have never read, which is horrible considering I am a romance writer. I will remedy that soon, but that is neither here nor there. The book was primarily banned because of the racism and the way they treated slaves. Like I said, I haven’t read it, but I’m pretty sure slaves were never treated well, hence the name “slave”. As an author I strive for authenticity, and while slavery has never been acceptable, it did happen. Slaves were, in fact abused, so reading about it isn’t going to be pleasant.   8. Of Mice and Men by: J.D. Salinger (1937) I remember the effect this book had on me the first time I read it. While it was intense I still don’t feel as if I was too young to be reading it (around 12). A major complaint was that this book didn’t fit in with the age group it was being taught to in schools. There is bad language and violence, but another problem was that the book glorified euthanasia. That seems like a bit of a stretch to me, but ok.   9. The Catcher in the Rye by: J.D. Salinger (1951) The Character Holden is often compared to number three’s main character Huckleberry Finn. The book follows a teenager who has a pension for drinking (Underage) and a potty mouth. Those were two large reasons the book was banned combined with sexual content. While the book still faces controversy, it has come back from being banned and continues to have an influence on teenagers all over the United States.   10. Fahrenheit 451 by: Ray Bradbury (1953) Yeah, a book about burning/banning books was itself banned. No irony there. Yes, there is bad language, blasphemy, as well as the bible being burned, which is what lead to the banning, but I think the message of this one was lost on more than a few.   11. Lord of the Rings by: J.R.R. Tolkien (1954) This was another beloved book that spawned multiple, wildly popular films. One issue with this book is the smoking. The characters do smoke, from a pipe mostly, but if we ban all books with smoking in them… that is a lot of books. The magic involved is seen as witchcraft and un-Christian. What I find interesting is that apparently, J.R.R. Tolkien was not only a Catholic, but the book are said to be symbolic to Christianity. Similar to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (with whom he was actually friends).   12. Lolita by: Vladimir Nabokov (1955) When I first heard what this book was about, I was shocked that it was put into print, but later found it was done so through a pornographic press.  When my curiosity got the best of me and I read it, I was stunned because it was so beautifully written. Yes, the story is about a pedophile that makes my skin crawl, and is infatuated with a twelve year old, but the truth is, it was so tastefully told that it didn’t make me as uncomfortable as it would have otherwise. Humbert Humbert was the narrator, and I hated him, but still, I loved the book. France, United Kingdom, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa have all banned it for its obscenities and is was temporarily so in Canada.   13. Green Eggs and Ham by: Dr. Seuss (1960) I thought for sure we would have more talking animal issues, but the only complaint I have been able to find is that portrayed “early Marxism”. Dr. Seuss was open about the fact that he wanted kids to question their government. From what I can gather (because I had no idea what that meant), Marxism is a belief that our social class system, and the constant conflict between upper and lower class, is responsible for the way history has turned out. And apparently that’s why it was banned, but the ban has been lifted since the death of Dr. Seuss.   14. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by: Ken Kesey (1962) This book is pretty crazy. There is a lot of sexual material and has been called “pornographic”. Many parents and school boards have fought to get this removed from shelves. It was said to glorify immoral activity and the profanity, torture, and death was seen as inappropriate for high school students. Let me just say, the story is told by a character who is mentally ill, which I always saw as unique and eye-opening and is set in a mental hospital so it isn’t going to be gumdrops and unicorns.   15. Where the Wild Things Are by: Maurice Sendak (1963) The fact that any childhood is without this book is sad to me, but when I saw why this book was banned, I had to laugh. Because Max was sent to bed without his supper, apparently his hunger sent him into hallucinations of monsters, and is “psychologically damaging” to young children. Really? Because he missed one meal? The book made it clear that Max has an active imagination and was rambunctious hence why his mother called him “Wild Thing”.   16. Where the Sidewalk Ends by: Shel Silverstein (1974) This book is a fantastic compilation of poems that often have the message to not listen to everything you are told, and use your imagination. A lot of parents and teachers don’t like that message because they believe it teaches them to be disrespectful. It was also accused of having references of suicide, Satanism, and drug use. There is one poem called “Dreadful” about the baby being eaten and the narrator burps at the end insinuating he ate the baby. Ok, maybe it’s a little disturbing, but children are just going to find it funny and amusing, not resort to cannibalism as some parents were concerned would happen.   17. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)  In Australia, the book may be purchased by someone over the age of eighteen, but at one point in the State of Queensland sale and purchase of the novel was illegal. The story is of a man who is extremely concerned with how the world sees him is also a sadistic killer. It was a concern that the book would bring about violence. Simon and Schuster dropped the title three months before the book was scheduled to be released because of a lot of pushback from the media. The problem people had was with the inner dialogue of Bateman, but when you write, the characters become their own entity in a sense. That was who Bateman was, and being true to the characters and their story is the art of storytelling.      18. Harry Potter Series by: J.K. Rowling (1997 -2007) The most common problem with these books, is the fact that the characters are good witches and wizards that perform magic. Since religious teachings say witchcraft, demons, sorcery, etc. are a sin against God, they feel this is confusing to children because the [main] characters are seen a good. The themes in the book can get somewhat dark and there were concerns that it would be too intense for children. However, the millions of adolescent Harry Potter fans would probably disagree. Another problem is the fact that Harry and his friends lie, sneak around, steal, and break other rules to accomplish what they are doing in the story. Parents were upset that he never got in trouble, but that’s probably because the headmaster was in on it half the time.   19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by: Stephen Chbosky (1999) This is a novel about teenagers coming of age. The sexual content is the main concern, especially the witnessing of date rape. There were complaints by parents for drug and alcohol use…did I mention the book was about teenagers? The mention of masturbation was reason for some controversy (Again…teenagers). What really got me, is the fact that people were appalled that homosexuality is even mentioned in the book. Like homosexuality is some terrible thing. You want to talk about offensive… and this was published less than twenty years ago.   20. Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy (2011-2012) Compared to the other books on this list, this isn’t exactly surprising, but I primarily read and write within the same genre as FSOG, and this book is like the training wheels for the genre. I kind of have to wonder what these people would say about books like “Captive in the Dark”. It was taken out of libraries for immoral content and sadism. They don’t want pornography or erotica in their libraries, and there were also concerns of the character’s religious views. It’s no secret what these books are about (Hot young Billionaire + Virginal young woman + mild BDSM= Book), so if someone wants to read it should be available for them to do so.   These are the books that have shaped us (Well, maybe with the exception of number twenty) and if these books aren’t safe, I don’t know that any books are. I am a proud reader of banned books and will do my part to fight censorship in any way possible.   *What would you add to the list? Did you enjoy this post? I would love to hear from you!     Charity B.