#in many ways me being bad at cooking and cleaning is feminism. in many other ways it’s just a terrible red flag | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

otnesse · 1 year ago

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I'll try and tackle these replies myself. One of them will probably be its own reply since that will be extremely extensive.

"Her desires at the beginning are ill-defined: she wants "adventure" and "more," but has no specific goal. This is true, but personally, I don't mind it. Plenty of us don't know exactly what we want from life, but do know that we want more excitement and wonderment"

Even with more vague goals, they generally still leave some kind of idea of what they want (case in point: while we didn't know until the end of Ash's run in Pokemon what exactly a Pokemon Master was and how to precisely arrive there, we DID know it entailed at least in part winning a league due to certain hints they dropped). And Belle... let's put it this way, even Ash's goal had some concreteness compared to her, and he was hardly concrete with his goal.

"She does nothing but read and complain in the village; she makes no effort to achieve her dreams of adventure, and she never does any realistic peasant chores, which makes her come across even more as a spoiled rich girl. I think it's implicit that Belle and Maurice are too poor to leave the village – that's why Maurice sets out to gain fame and fortune with his invention. And I think Belle's never doing housework onscreen was part of Linda Woolverton's feminist agenda. Maybe it's not realistic, and maybe it's overly "second wave feminist," but I do think it was fair of Woolverton to want to break away from the Walt-era Princess model and not show Belle cooking or cleaning."

Too bad the implicit nature was blown apart by the mere fact that she even had the luxury to read all day (someone THAT poor would not even be able to afford the time to read a book, to say little about visiting a book shop, which as I mentioned before is NOT the same thing as a library, being two fundamentally different concepts.). It also doesn't help that the stage musical, since you referenced it later on, strongly implies that Belle and Maurice DID in fact hail from a more wealthy background. And as far as Linda Woolverton's endgoal, quite frankly, forcing second wave feminism into this was NEVER going to work out well at all ultimately (especially considering that you could still have Belle do chores but make it explicitly clear she's not doing it for her father but more so the house can stay maintained at least until they actually CAN move out. That would imply agency on her part as well, which would still be implicitly feminist).

"Her dreams of adventure are side-swept in favor of a mere love story. I think there are two ways of addressing this issue. One is to argue that her dreams of adventure do come true, just in a way she never expected. The other, supported more by the song "A Change in Me" from the musical, is that she does lose her dreams, but for the better, as she realizes her life doesn't need to be like a romantic storybook to be happy."

Honestly, I really didn't have any objections to that bit, especially when her goals were too vague as it was.

"Her romance with the Beast isn't nearly as fleshed-out or as realistic as fans claim it is. This is subjective. Some people think it's one of the best-written romance arcs in cinema."

Honestly, considering many of the same guys claimed that Ariel left her family for a guy she just met (and that directly impacted Belle's creation as even Linda Woolverton made clear), I wouldn't really put much stock in the claims that it's one of the best-written romance arcs in cinema. Even less so considering Belle's method of taming Beast just came across as leaving him unable to defend himself or his servants.

"She affects meek politeness and plays games with Gaston instead of plainly refusing his advances. First of all, if Belle didn't care about politeness, she would be a hypocrite to criticize Gaston and the Beast for their rudeness. Secondly, Gaston is intimidating. Third, this is only the beginning of her journey – with the Beast, she arguably learns to stand up to someone who mistreats her, which lets her decisively reject Gaston and call him a monster later on."

You definitely have a point regarding the first bit. Too bad she STILL acted rude throughout the opening song by denouncing the villagers as little people and decried the provincial life in earshot of everyone. As far as Gaston is concerned, he had the potential to be intimidating but... well, let's just say the Gaston reprise killed any chance at any plausibility of him being intimidating (when I was younger, I was actually more horrified at the actual villagers going along with it than at Gaston making the plan itself, and now I know that's bullocks especially after doing extensive studies on how totalitarian regimes tended to work, especially how even the guy on top tries to avoid divulging his evil plans in THAT manner). No comment on the third point.

"She sacrifices her own needs for men. Yes she does, but it's not framed in a gendered way, and both the Beast and Maurice do the same for her."

I definitely agree it's somewhat of a redeemable trait for her (though it's debatable as to whether or not its not gendered).

"She emasculates the Beast. Well, I'll admit that the Beast's arc isn't very empowering for him – that's the whole point, that he learns to give up some of his personal power and love unselfishly. But is that necessarily a bad thing? I'll also admit that sometimes, I feel troubled that the Beast lets the mob attack the castle and does nothing to protect his servants. Still, we probably shouldn't judge a character whose mental health is clearly suffering at this point: immobilizing, suicidal despair doesn't only exist in fiction, so we should think twice before we call it "weakness" or "emasculation.""

Beast also had suicidal despair even BEFORE that event, though (heck, it's also implied in the director's commentary that part of the reason why Beast saved Belle from the wolves at great cost was in fact because of his suicidal nature due to the curse, feeling he could at least get ONE good thing out of it before he dies. And that's not even getting into the second issue of the prequel comic New Adventures of Beauty and the Beast where he was so consumed with despair over not getting ANY visitors at all he suicidally tried to live in the wild, resulting in Chip and the servants having to save him.). It's not like he couldn't just confront the mob to defend his servants (heck, even surrender himself to the villagers while specifically demanding as a stipulation that they not harm his servants). Both of which would have been far better ways to actually SHOW he truly developed selfless traits. So no, that was definitely emasculation that he underwent. Even moreso after Woolverton's involvement with that awful man-hating film Maleficent and her boasting its connection with Beauty and the Beast regarding themes. And I never liked the whole concept of giving up personal power ESPECIALLY if THAT is the result. Couldn't they have him, I don't know, actually USE some of that personal power to actually HELP others, I don't know, the entire POINT behind that lesson he had to learn?

"She needs male characters to rescue her – the Beast from the wolves, Chip from the cellar. I respect the complaint that the Disney Renaissance movies still rely too much on the "boy rescues girl" trope, but there's no shame in needing to be rescued. Especially because in the forest scene, Belle is just one human facing a whole pack of wolves, and in the cellar scene, her father is rescued too."

All I can say is, there's no shame in being rescued, whether it's a girl rescuing a guy, or a guy rescuing a girl.

"She never uses her skills, knowledge, or passions to solve problems – the only purpose they serve is to unite her with the Beast. I think this is just a genre problem. The whole story is geared toward uniting Belle and the Beast in love, and every story beat serves that end."

Look, even regarding the genre, they were grossly underutilized (especially considering she could have used all of those to actually come up with a far better plan to save her father WITHOUT either marrying Gaston or exposing the Beast to an angry mob). There simply was no excuse for this, especially when it really doesn't even help serve unite her and Beast ultimately.

"She almost leaves the Beast to die in the snow and stays angry about the West Wing incident even after he saves her life. The former is only a split second, while the latter is only in self-defense when the Beast unfairly blames her for his injury. Besides, consider the context of how the Beast has behaved until this point!"

I won't bother with the first bit, since we definitely agree she did good there. However, the second point ultimately doesn't work since she still doesn't own up to her role in this whole mess happening (and you can't blame self-defense for this bit, either: Ash Ketchum when literally whacked by Venusaur's vines when interfering with an evolution ceremony, while otherwise calling Venusaur out for trying to force his Bulbasaur to evolve despite it wanting no part in the process also made it very clear he himself screwed up by interfering in the evolution ceremony by intruding, owned up to that bit.). That was too much of a problem even CONSIDERING how Beast behaved up to that point. Besides, she still gave a spiteful glare to Beast when he tried to give her the library, and that was very clearly AFTER he turned a new leaf and not even like before.

"She's a hypocrite for giving the Beast a second chance yet dismissing Gaston as a monster. She doesn't give the Beast a chance until he risks his life to save hers. If Gaston had done anything like that, she would have given him a second chance too, but he doesn't. Gaston is also far more cold-blooded and narcissistic than the Beast ever is."

That argument I agree with ultimately. Of course, then again, she dismissed the entire village in a similar manner, and if we go by New Adventures of Beauty and the Beast was hardly much different than Gaston regarding views of the opposite sex (heck, if anything, she was arguably even WORSE on that front than Gaston EVER was).

"She plays a nurturing, motherly role to both the Beast and her father. I agree that heroines shouldn't need to be nurturing. But it's not inherently anti-feminist to be that way!"

Never understood that complaint, to be honest. That if anything ought to be a positive, not a negative.

"She's sidelined in the final battle. Yes, this is true, but her presence is still essential to the scene, and not every heroine needs to be an action girl."

My problem with the whole thing is less that she's sidelined and more that she's pretty much the only reason Beast even fought back against Gaston at all. Contrast that with the initial Woolverton draft where Beast at least made an actual effort to fight Gaston even BEFORE he was aware Belle had returned.

"Her portrayal falls short of the original Beauty's greatest virtues: her kindness, selflessness, and compassion. Belle still has those qualities, they're just combined with more "modern" ones (adventurousness, defiance toward unjust authority figures, etc.). Besides, Disney had already made several excellent movies about heroines defined by kindness and gentleness. What's wrong with giving Belle a slightly different set of virtues?"

The way they were talking, they came across as more radically different virtues. And I'm not sure she actually retained those qualities ultimately, especially when, I'll be blunt, she acted more like her sisters in the original fairy tale.

"She's too traditionally feminine and ladylike. I think most of us can agree that "femininity" ≠ "anti-feminist," and anyone who thinks that way is a little misguided."

Ah, have we even watched the same movie? The only ones in that movie who were in any way traditionally feminine and ladylike were those triplets, and they were demonized (they were the only ones who actually supported the concept of marriage, not to mention while obviously having the hots for Gaston don't really go overtly for him at all, last I checked, that's traditional femininity for you). Belle if anything was more of a rejection of traditional femininity due to hating marriage as a concept.

"Her creators glorify her at the expense of the other Disney Princesses. I agree that it was unfair and mean-spirited of Linda Woolverton to imply that the three Walt-era Princesses are "insipid," but I do respect her insistence on making Belle a different, more "modern" heroine. And I agree that Paige O'Hara was mistaken when she described Belle as "the first Princess not looking for a man" (neither Cinderella nor Ariel dream of romance until they actually meet their princes), but I don't hold that against Belle."

Not just the three Walt-era Princesses, unfortunately. She also implied the same with Ariel, even specifically indicated that they hired her for her feminist sensibilities to avoid having Belle basically do Ariel's actions (referring to her giving up her voice for a man). And while I may not hold it against Belle for Woolverton and O'Hara's bashing of her predecessors, I DO hold it against Belle for being, as explicitly stated by Woolverton in Time Magazine, the direct inspiration for her notorious rewrite of Sleeping Beauty with the Maleficent movie, particularly HOW she rewrote the titular Mistress of All Evil (a psychopathic, vindictive, evil-relishing child murderer being given the good guy treatment).

"She's too blatantly written as a role model – she doesn't feel like a real person, but like a living instruction manual for how a "smart," "empowered" woman should behave. This is valid. But I personally do think she seems like a real person as well as a role model, and I think she's engaging enough that I don't mind the obvious "role model" qualities."

Considering it helped set up stuff like Rey from the Sequel Trilogy, I'm not sure I agree with that, really. Besides, there are plenty of issues in there that make her role model nature flimsy at best, and not in a good way.

I've decided not to write any more long posts about why some people don't like Disney's Belle. I've probably been dwelling too much in other people's negative thoughts that I disagree with. But here are the rest of the critiques of Belle's character that I've read, and my short, succinct thoughts on each one.

I still think it's very interesting that some critics think Belle is too sweet and gentle, too feminine, and not "strong" or "modern" enough, while others think she's too defiant, too "modern," and not sweet or gentle enough.

Her desires at the beginning are ill-defined: she wants "adventure" and "more," but has no specific goal. This is true, but personally, I don't mind it. Plenty of us don't know exactly what we want from life, but do know that we want more excitement and wonderment.

She does nothing but read and complain in the village; she makes no effort to achieve her dreams of adventure, and she never does any realistic peasant chores, which makes her come across even more as a spoiled rich girl. I think it's implicit that Belle and Maurice are too poor to leave the village – that's why Maurice sets out to gain fame and fortune with his invention. And I think Belle's never doing housework onscreen was part of Linda Woolverton's feminist agenda. Maybe it's not realistic, and maybe it's overly "second wave feminist," but I do think it was fair of Woolverton to want to break away from the Walt-era Princess model and not show Belle cooking or cleaning.

Her dreams of adventure are side-swept in favor of a mere love story. I think there are two ways of addressing this issue. One is to argue that her dreams of adventure do come true, just in a way she never expected. The other, supported more by the song "A Change in Me" from the musical, is that she does lose her dreams, but for the better, as she realizes her life doesn't need to be like a romantic storybook to be happy.

Her romance with the Beast isn't nearly as fleshed-out or as realistic as fans claim it is. This is subjective. Some people think it's one of the best-written romance arcs in cinema.

She affects meek politeness and plays games with Gaston instead of plainly refusing his advances. First of all, if Belle didn't care about politeness, she would be a hypocrite to criticize Gaston and the Beast for their rudeness. Secondly, Gaston is intimidating. Third, this is only the beginning of her journey – with the Beast, she arguably learns to stand up to someone who mistreats her, which lets her decisively reject Gaston and call him a monster later on.

She seems to blindly love all books without questioning their content, which could be dangerous, especially when the French Revolution arrives. Belle has no trouble thinking for herself. If she can open her heart and mind to the Beast, and loathe Gaston while the rest of the town adores him, then I'm sure she can tell good books apart from bad and dangerous books. And the fashions in the movie are such a mish-mosh that I'm not sure if it takes place before the French Revolution or after... or if the French Revolution will even happen in this fairy tale world.

She sacrifices her own needs for men. Yes she does, but it's not framed in a gendered way, and both the Beast and Maurice do the same for her.

She emasculates the Beast. Well, I'll admit that the Beast's arc isn't very empowering for him – that's the whole point, that he learns to give up some of his personal power and love unselfishly. But is that necessarily a bad thing? I'll also admit that sometimes, I feel troubled that the Beast lets the mob attack the castle and does nothing to protect his servants. Still, we probably shouldn't judge a character whose mental health is clearly suffering at this point: immobilizing, suicidal despair doesn't only exist in fiction, so we should think twice before we call it "weakness" or "emasculation."

She needs male characters to rescue her – the Beast from the wolves, Chip from the cellar. I respect the complaint that the Disney Renaissance movies still rely too much on the "boy rescues girl" trope, but there's no shame in needing to be rescued. Especially because in the forest scene, Belle is just one human facing a whole pack of wolves, and in the cellar scene, her father is rescued too.

She never uses her skills, knowledge, or passions to solve problems – the only purpose they serve is to unite her with the Beast. I think this is just a genre problem. The whole story is geared toward uniting Belle and the Beast in love, and every story beat serves that end.

She almost leaves the Beast to die in the snow and stays angry about the West Wing incident even after he saves her life. The former is only a split second, while the latter is only in self-defense when the Beast unfairly blames her for his injury. Besides, consider the context of how the Beast has behaved until this point!

She's a hypocrite for giving the Beast a second chance yet dismissing Gaston as a monster. She doesn't give the Beast a chance until he risks his life to save hers. If Gaston had done anything like that, she would have given him a second chance too, but he doesn't. Gaston is also far more cold-blooded and narcissistic than the Beast ever is.

She's to blame for the Beat's near-death at the climax because she reveals his existence to Gaston and the other villagers. Of course she is. It's explicitly framed as a terrible mistake and she openly blames herself. But it's an impulsive act of desperation to save her father, and she tries to explain that the Beast is kind and gentle. Until it's too late, it clearly doesn't cross her mind that the villagers could form a mob to kill him!

She plays a nurturing, motherly role to both the Beast and her father. I agree that heroines shouldn't need to be nurturing. But it's not inherently anti-feminist to be that way!

She's sidelined in the final battle. Yes, this is true, but her presence is still essential to the scene, and not every heroine needs to be an action girl.

Her portrayal falls short of the original Beauty's greatest virtues: her kindness, selflessness, and compassion. Belle still has those qualities, they're just combined with more "modern" ones (adventurousness, defiance toward unjust authority figures, etc.). Besides, Disney had already made several excellent movies about heroines defined by kindness and gentleness. What's wrong with giving Belle a slightly different set of virtues?

She's too traditionally feminine and ladylike. I think most of us can agree that "femininity" ≠ "anti-feminist," and anyone who thinks that way is a little misguided.

Her creators glorify her at the expense of the other Disney Princesses. I agree that it was unfair and mean-spirited of Linda Woolverton to imply that the three Walt-era Princesses are "insipid," but I do respect her insistence on making Belle a different, more "modern" heroine. And I agree that Paige O'Hara was mistaken when she described Belle as "the first Princess not looking for a man" (neither Cinderella nor Ariel dream of romance until they actually meet their princes), but I don't hold that against Belle.

She's too blatantly written as a role model – she doesn't feel like a real person, but like a living instruction manual for how a "smart," "empowered" woman should behave. This is valid. But I personally do think she seems like a real person as well as a role model, and I think she's engaging enough that I don't mind the obvious "role model" qualities.

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jockpoetry · 4 years ago

Note

supernatural sees women as a tool for development and strengthening of narratives/motivation and dean sees his body as a tool. is that anything?

When I saw this ask I really made the 🥴in real life. So, yeah anon, I do think there’s something to this.

Quick Disclaimer before I actually launch into my thoughts™: A lot of my read of Dean stems from my experience as both an oldest daughter and a transman. Being the oldest daughter was an experience I lived for many years, but I am also a man. I wasn’t raised as a man, I wasn’t socialized as a man, and even though once I came out upon reflection my masculinity was obviously there. Like I was a man™ before I knew I was a man. Even when I actively tied my identity to femininity for a long time! A lot of my prideful moments were based around statements like: “I was the only girl who (fill in the blank).”

So I am just putting that out there before I launch into my spiel about Dean/Gender/Tool because they all interlock for me.

I am also going to apologize in advance because I know this has fully gone off the rails and I’m not even done writing it yet. If this is incomprehensible ! Well, happens to the best of us.

First off, most importantly I guess before we discuss womanhood and Dean and the way both are utilized on the show I need to say that I personally don’t subscribe the whole Dean is female coded thing.

It’s a read I can absolutely understand. But for me..he’s not.

He’s a hypermasculine man to the point that when (and because he is written as a punchline, as the stupid™ brother, as the whore™, as the mother/father™, as daddy’s blunt instrument™, etc) Dean deviates from the pre-accepted definition of hypermasculine it’s Wrong.

It’s Instantly Feminine.

I think the internet has made the world very black and white, or blue and pink maybe. This point, I think, colors a lot of these discussions. Dean cooks, he cleans and so therefor he’s female coded. When that really just feeds back into the whole toxic masculinity loop. You can’t be masculine and cook and clean and cry. That’s for feminine people only.

I get the argument! I do, I just think that Dean’s actions are not inherently feminine, it’s just in the vacuum of Female and in the Absence of Traditional Masculinity it makes sense to assign him female coded and move on.

IN FACT the way that Dean is the action hero of the show, the Masculine™ one on the show - but he cries, and he rages, and he cooks (Again and Again) and cleans (Again and Again). The fact he’s macho and confident but he has so little self esteem. Is frankly insane to me. You have this blaze of glory character who is so depressed that they have him kill himself. Twice. In explicitly “I hate myself, I hate hearing all the things I hate about myself, I want to destroy myself” ways.

On just a regular ol’ network show that is just ungodly bad at times. They let their Male Hero cry - all the time (if I linked every example of this the essay would be...longer than it already is, but just take my word for it). Dean tears up and grieves and shows more than just Angry Horny Violent™ (he shows plenty of that, don’t get me wrong) but he’s Emotional (Again and Again and Again). In many different ways!

I mean, beyond even just tearing up, they make their Male Hero™ face sexual violence in pretty, uniquely horrifying - and queer! - ways.

Let’s make it clear, they did a lot of this unintentionally.

Or they do it as a joke.

Off of dean for a moment to say women are plot devices in this show. I could probably count on one hand female characters who have sincere depth to them that have roles outside of progressing plot, filling a filler episode, and who are still alive. Like even characters such as Charlie who are wholly developed, and interesting, are only remembered/mentioned/utilized to progress plots or fill an episode out - and then she dies. For pain™ for plot™ for no other reason than to traumatize a character.

Which let’s also make it clear Dean’s trauma is also only used as a plot device (as is Sam’s but in a different way, and Cas’ trauma is a whole other barrel of fish we’re not gonna dive into right now). Like wholesale full stop they don’t actually care about what happened to him. Unless it’s relevant in an episode.

Oh that boys home he was left at when he was 16 for months? Sure we’ll sprinkle that in in the back half of the series. Oh he was covered in bruises and said it was from a hunt (when it’s clear contextually they were from his father but saying the fantastical but true is easier than saying the uncomfortable but true). As Dean says though the story became the story, he was sixteen. He just went along with what John said.

We only see Dean ever truly rage at John, by the way, when either Dean is dead (when he’s between life and death and he rages at John, right before John “apologizes” for traumatizing him, for putting too much on Dean’s shoulders, and fucking dying) or John is dead (the Djinn episode where Dean is straight™ and John is dead™ and he goes to his grave and just yells and rages like he should have to his father in the real world).

Dean’s trauma from being both tortured and torturer in hell? Yeah, we don’t talk about that after it’s Relevant™. Even though it’s clear - especially in the demon!dean, mark of cain era, all those years later - Alastair still has his hooks inside of Dean. I stopped watching originally after s8 ended. I was fed up with the show, and with this whole renaissance I’ve been doing a rewatch and I’m into season twelve now and it really has never come up again.

Even when he had the mark of cain and he was tasked with questioning and accused of torturing it was “the mark has changed you” and not “you were victim and victimizer in hell for forty years, which is longer than you’ve been alive on earth” (and, was about as long as he wound up living. Which is desperately sad.

Because we talk about Sam’s desire for a “normal” life but, Dean wanted out too. He was tired in the first few seasons of this show, he never had a chance to taste freedom (we don’t count the boys home, because that was a different kind of regimented life, and it was a false freedom) the way that Sam did in Flagstaff with Bones or at Stanford with Jessica. Love for Dean is sacrificing, it’s putting himself/his happiness/his well-being last.

Because Dean only knows love in the context of violence (like all of these fun examples, for starters) is a phrase that I’ve said a lot both in private chats and on here, and I absolutely think it goes to him being a tool (a blunt instrument, a plot device, so both textually and metatextually) instead of a person. Which Cas sees Dean’s shame/guilt and sees that side of Dean because he touched his soul, and saw more than just the Righteous™ man, more than just the tool, he saw A good man, not a machine.

On the other side though you have how “bad guys” view Dean: Desperate, Sloppy, Needy, Dean’s hole (Again), which is again so wildly counterintuitive to the story of a Macho Man Hero™. You’re using vocabulary that is both queering him and feminizing (and I know this a meme format, but sincerely it is done in a derogatory way it is feminizing. It’s breaking him down to bare parts, to a sloppy hole).

My whole rewatch I have been absolutely fascinated by how identity and free will is utilized/conceptualized on this show. Castiel has been my main focus, but Dean and how he is framed by himself and others is...fascinating - and frustrating. The writers inconsistency lends itself not only to this unintentionally queer character, but also one that again is incredibly easily read as a non-traditionally masculine character.

As a feminine character.

This show has so few female characters that of course it had to foist the roles/behaviors/plots that a female character might have onto a male character. Which I think is part of why reading Dean as trans (either transmasc, or transfemme) is so easily done like.

Half of these are shit posts, but you can find trans allegories/textual evidence in this show again, again, again, again, and again. And this is unintentional, they don’t want you to look at Dean and see woman, former future or present. Like a lot of these I’m sure are punchlines for them, because women/queer folk are punchlines to them.

Sometimes the only women in an episode are random witnesses who get two sentences of dialogue, and then the main guest character is a man. Who flirts with Dean, and Dean is receptive to it.

They paint themselves into a corner, there are female Rabbi. So easily could Aaron have been a woman instead of a man, but they made the choice to play up the HaHa Dean & Men card.

Because, again, Dean has filled the slot of Woman™ of Female Lead™ and the flirting would’ve been straight if Dean was a woman. It’s a plot device, they needed to have the guest character be disarming, be cute, make the main character flustered.

It’s just the main character is a man, because they’re allergic to women. But they still need those female plots, tools of femininity, to move their show forward. I mean I am a big subscriber to transmasc Jo (no idea if anyone else is with me on this one, but let me explain). Jo is in love with Dean (concept) not Dean (actuality). Which, we’ve all had our eggs cracked by someone like that. We were in love with them until we realized we just wanted to be them.

He loved her like a little sister, she loved him like a lost idol. He’s a golden calf and she dies for him, because she believed in him, she was the original character dashed at the altar of the Winchesters.

I fully believe if she had lived and if this show had a crumb of actual good writing Jo could have been a deeply compelling transmasc character. But I also think she’s a fascinating inversion of Dean. Dean is a Masculine Character who subverts Toxic Masculinity, Jo is a Tomboy™ she’s not your (if you take it straight, literally and metaphorically) average female love interest. She’s angry, she’s not soft at all, all edges and corners and thorns. She isn’t helpless, she’s stubborn but not in a “you’re going to get punished for this” way. She’s right when she’s stubborn. She’s helpful, she’s a martyr.

I could do a whole other essay just on Jo (and Ellen, and Ash, what a fucking trio!) but needless to say Jo was one of the first...plot device feminine tools sacrificed to this show. She was a regular, she was unique, she was an engaging character, and she still died (to progress the plot? no. for man pain? yeah, for like three episodes maybe, and then it’s forgotten just like the rest of Dean’s trauma, as we mentioned above).

Dean and Women and Love is a very interesting tool used too because. Boy they sure try to make Dean love women and it fails in small ways, and in big, meaningless, failed het domesticity (again) ways. Not to mention whatever Lust (in the form of a woman) having no effect upon him, when they could have used that moment to assert his Masculinity and Heterosexuality. He behaved normally? And...also...whatever the fuck the Adios thing was!

Like they have these opportunities to make him Traditionally (toxically) Masculine, but make the choice to...not? To soften him. Because it’s a tool. He’s their female lead, textually he had to take on the role of mother(/father) to Sam, but...I mean this is a million miles long already. I know, but we absolutely can’t not talk about his Paternal/Maternal behaviors. (Which appear again and again again and again, outside of his relationship with Sam even/especially). He’s the mother hen, sage, safety net, beacon, home to so many side characters they meet.

I mean in many ways Jody is also a Dean comparison. Lost her family. Found a new family. She is non-traditionally feminine, but easily flustered and Silly™ (let’s just drop the entire sex talk over family dinner scene with Alex and the boys and looking to them for help, even though she was already a mother, and she’s a cop, and a hunter and this confident no nonsense individual.... She’s not). We are meant to see her as this hard ass, but she makes extra food for the boys to take back to the bunker. She’s deadly in a fight, but also still easily overwhelmed and put into damsel mode, and she cares so much even in the face of adversity.

It’s also fun to see how Jo | Jody are reflections of Dean at different points of his life. Younger, cocky | Older, settled.

Even when the text tries to tell us that he’s not.

When it reminds us that he’s violent. That he is his father, even if he says that Sam is more like John (which was reflexive, which was angry because of Adam and how Sam was behaving like Dean in that episode, and yes there are parallels to be drawn between Sam and John, the show barely dives into them). Instead we’re told that Dean is John (Again and Again and Again and Again).

So intensely that a fanfictionalized version of the Winchester Gospels makes it an entire fucking musical number.

And yet, despite the texts insistence to make Dean Macho Man Father Reborn™ We get this Dean who is silly (and directly compared/contrasted to the female character in this scene), soft, in heels, nagging, and... Sully (you know Sam’s imaginary friend who has the same Haircut Dean has, who is a softer, shorter, friendlier, campier, version of Dean who was a replacement For Dean until the real one let Sam back in? That? Sully?) it’s hard to take them seriously.

Hell, even when he was A DEMON? What did they do? They had him sing off-key drunken karaoke, they had him doing this ! Like that’s your hero, unhinged, free to be as bad as he could be, and you put him in a cowboy hat in a romance with the king of hell.

The Female Lead, everyone. Who’s biggest betrayal(s) comes at the hands of his love interest (again, a man even though it was an angel who could’ve taken any vessel! who could’ve been recast, who canonically dies admitting his love to Dean - that one), who he tries so hard to be loyal to.

The contradictions of his character are laughable. He is so emotional, but if he is engaged about his emotions? He shuts down, or he’s exasperated about being asked about them. It really is Female Lead/Only Here For The Plot disease, because everything is more important than him. How’s he doing? Doesn’t matter outside of the context of how x character is doing or that y character is dead. Or his emotions only matter if they’re done in penance.

They also really do frame him as Pretty Boy™ in a violent way, or in a derogatory manner. They’ll give us homoerotic shots like this or these and never really acknowledge how these are gay shots. Sorry the gun scene is a a straight up sex scene, the beer sip spilling out over his mouth is oral, the scene where Cas fills up Dean’s glass with whisky is also a sex scene, they do this shit on purpose but accidentally queer it up. If Dean was a woman these scenes wouldn’t even matter. They’d be passing moments, but because he is not just a man but A Man™ they’re insane to see.

Not to mention all of these scenes and all the ones I haven’t linked where Dean dresses up. He performs masculinity, but he performs femininity too. He’s a plot device that is slotted in to whatever role they need. He’s Super Straight Butch Man™ but coaches the lesbian on how to successfully flirt with a man. He’s Action Hero™ who sits through a montage with the same lesbian and yays and nays her outfits, and enjoys himself.

Fuck he loves dressing up, he feels better in these costumes because performing a character is easier than being himself. Because who is Dean? He’s a tool, both textually and metatextually. It is exactly how the women and because of the women on the show that Dean is the way that he is. If there was a more steady female presence Dean would not be half as much of a plot device or half as camp/gay/feminine/non-traditionally masculine/queer coded as he is.

In conclusion....

#dean winchester #supernatural #spn meta #spn #gender #anon #replies #messages #my writing #ANYWAYS PHEW okay anon i don't know if i even fully got to your point but i woke up at like 3:30 to this ask and i've been fixated on it #HOPE THIS IS EVEN JUST a little bit coherent #the way i meant for this to talk so much more about transness and eldest daughter syndrome and just FORGOT #oops #oh well

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mermaidenisaacs · 4 years ago

Text

isaac is a soft warm husband pt. 2

isaac unwittingly becomes a househusband to his high-functioning workaholic wife. and he’s a little salty about it.

romance/humor

warnings: graphic sexual language

“You know, when this is over, we should really have angry sex.”

“Isaac,” I sighed. “You’re not listening to me.”

Isac reclined further back against the pillows on our bed and crossed his arms over his chest. “I am listening, honey. You’re upset. You’re upset because you think I’m trying to control you. Just because I said I wanted you to stop working so much, you think I’m trying to turn you into an obedient little housewife.”

“Stop saying ‘you think.’ It’s dismissive. I know these things to be facts.”

“Do you, love?” The corner of his mouth turned up in a subtle smirk. “I love it when you act like a little know-it-all. It’s such a turn on.”

“I-saac, stop flirting with me like we’re teenagers. I’m being serious. You knew when you married me that I wasn’t going to be a typical housewife for you. Now all of a sudden, you want me to stay home and stop working?”

Isaac shook his head. “That’s not what I meant, and I feel like you know that. Will you just come back to bed?”

It was a tempting offer. The covers were up to Isaac’s waist, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and normally I’d have zero reservations about climbing into bed with my husband, but he was trying to distract me and it was not going to work. Not this time.

“No,” I muttered, regretfully tearing my gaze from his sun-kissed chest and the light smattering of hair that covered the hard plane under his stomach, the treasure trail that led to happier places than this conversation. “I’m not getting back in bed until you apologize.”

I was standing at the foot of the mattress, my hands on my hips. I probably looked like a stern vice principal or something. I felt a little ridiculous but I had to hold my ground. This wasn’t about me. This was about feminism. This was about my right to live my life how I wanted. I was standing up for women everywhere. That’s what I told myself.

“What exactly do you want me to apologize for?” Isaac asked, too calmly for my liking. “Fine, I’m sorry for noticing that you're basically a workaholic. That you’re always tired and frustrated after you come home from work. Baby, all I did was suggest you should cut back on work, delegate some of your responsibilities to other people.”

I shook my head. “No, I can’t. I don’t want my boss to think I can’t handle all of it. He already makes sexist jokes about how I’m the first woman he’s ever promoted to my position. Besides, you said you wanted me to stay home, not work less.”

“That’s the same thing.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Okay, fine, it’s not. Is it so bad that I want to spend more time with my wife?”

“We spend time together...” I mumbled, sounding unconvincing even to myself.

Isaac laughed. “Oh yeah, I get to talk to you five minutes before bed because you pass out right when you get home from the office, which lately has been about 10 pm. Oh, and if I’m lucky I get to talk to you on the weekend in between your 15 minute breaks because you bring the office home with you.”

I groaned and paced to the other side of the room. “Well, what do you want me to do?! I’m sorry I care about my job!”

“I get that! I care about my job too, but at least I’m here. And you’re not. I feel like all I ever do is cook and clean and wait for you to get back, holding out some small hope that you might stay awake for just a minute longer so I can share maybe two words with you--that’s if you’re not too tired from crying into my shoulder because you had a bad day at work.”

“W-well,” I stammered, aimlessly grappling for another line of argument, “so, that’s what this is about? You’re tired of comforting me when I have bad days?”

“No, of course not--”

“So then, you’d rather I cook and clean, have the house spotless and dinner ready on the table when you get home from work?” Isaac didn’t say anything. A knowing grin spread across his face, accompanied by a playful twinkle in his eyes. He didn’t even have to say anything; at this point, his facial expressions were pissing me off. “Well? What the hell are you smiling about?”

“I’m not doing this with you anymore,” he said calmly. “I’m not engaging in this because we both know you instigate fights when you’re defensive. And you’re defensive because you know I’m right. You’re trying to spin this into a feminist issue, willfully ignoring my valid points. At this point, you’re just Fox News-ing soundbites to make me sound sexist.”

I snorted. “Fox News-ing soundbites? Really?”

“I thought I was talking to my wife, not Bill O’Reilly.”

“Wowww. You really just called me Bill O’Reilly to my face. Have fun sleeping on the couch tonight.”

Isaac chuckled.

I stared back, trying to appear unmoved, because it was at this moment that it occurred to me that I was kind of turned on. I was still angry, but now I was horny too. It was a biological response and completely out of my control. It was Isaac’s fault, the way he managed to keep a clear head and stay calm while calling out my bullshit. Not many people could do that.

It was why I married him. He could put me in my place. I needed that sometimes. Still, I didn’t like admitting I was wrong.

“You’re only hearing what you want to hear,” he continued. “You’re not listening to what I’m saying, so I’m not arguing with you anymore.”

“Fine, whatever. You’re the one who brought it up.” I threw my hands up in frustration and headed towards the bedroom door, stopping when he called out my name.

“Woah, slow down. Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he said.

I turned the knob and opened the door. “Um, I’m leaving? Since you don’t want to talk to me anymore?”

“This is true. I’m done talking, but you’re not going anywhere.” He tilted his head and looked me up and down. Five years married, I still hadn’t built up an immunity to The Look.

“Why’s that?” I challenged. My defenses were crumbling with each passing second, my skin burning each time his eyes raked over my body.

“Because darling, you’re really hot when you’re mad, and having it out with you always turns me on. And I know you’re turned on too, so why don’t we stop talking in circles, and fuck. Now.” A few moments passed and we stared each other down, both waiting for the other to make the next move. “Come on baby, I can almost taste you from over here. And you look so good standing over there in nothing but panties and my t-shirt. Please come get in this bed with me, Mrs. Lahey.”

Shit. He pulled out the last name card. He knew what that did to me.

“Dammit,” I muttered, and stormed angrily across our room. I crawled over the mattress to straddle him. I peeled off my t-shirt and his fingers wrapped around my throat, reeling me in for a kiss, gnashing together teeth and tongue.

“You really know how to get under my skin,” I murmured against his soft mouth, weaving my fingers through his hair to tug on his curls.

“That's exactly where I intend to be,” he said.

Isaac’s hands traveled up my thighs and cupped my ass. He roughly squeezed it, then swiftly smacked my ass. I yelped at the unexpected contact, then moaned as he rubbed the stinging area. He spread apart my cheeks and moved aside my underwear. Isaac slipped a finger into my folds and spread my wetness over my clit, circling the bundle of nerves slowly. Whiny little moans started tumbling from my lips. I was mewling and riding his hand.

“How about you ride my cock? Or are you still mad at me?” he mocked.

I rolled my eyes, removing the covers from his naked body and putting my fist around his shaft, holding it steady so I could spit on the tip. I spread the slick saliva all over his cock while he fucked my mouth with the fingers he just took out of my pussy. He knew I liked sucking on his fingers. They were long and elegant and pretty and I loved the way they reached the back of my throat.

I continued to stroke him, albeit needlessly. “Well, that didn't take long,” I observed out loud, staring at his very hard cock. “You must really like it when I'm mad. Do you just piss me off on purpose, honey?”

Isaac smirked. “Like you’re complaining. You like makeup sex as much as I do. So why don't you stop messing around,” Isaac continued, gently extracting my hand from his cock and lifting my hips so he was positioned at my entrance, “and take me where you really need me?”

I scoffed. “Me, need you? I think it’s the opposite way around.”

“Is that so?” He removed his hands from my body altogether, sat back, smirked, and crossed his arms over his chest. I stared back, unimpressed.

“Really.” I deadpanned. “You’re gonna stop now?”

Isaac shrugged. “It’s not like I need you.”

I glanced down. “Your raging boner suggests otherwise.”

“I can take care of that myself.”

“What, and pass this up? You like your hand more than my body?” Isaac remained unfazed, challenging me with one raised brow. “What was it you were saying earlier? Something about getting under my skin?” I wound my arms around his neck and kissed along his jawline. “Don’t you want to be inside me, baby?” Positioning myself on his thigh, I rode him the way I did the first time we fucked.

It was a while ago, but I still remembered our first time, the way Isaac’s mouth tasted like champagne and vanilla icing when I shoved him against his car, pulled him down by his tie, and kissed him.

“Remember the first time I rode you like this?” I asked. He grunted an affirmation. Isaac pressed his thumbs into my hip bones and guided my movements. His cocky pretense was gone, replaced by hazy lust. “It was right after Scott and Kira’s wedding. We fucked for the first time that night, and you made me come twice. In a fucking car.”

Isaac groaned. “You were incredible. I wanted you for so long and it finally happened.”

I let out a heady moan as my clit brushed against his leg in that perfect angle. “You felt so good inside me that night. I love the way you feel inside me, Isaac. Please, baby, I want you so bad, please fuck me...”

Isaac’s fingers weaved into my hair and he pulled me down to kiss me. “Are you fucking begging me?” In a flurry of movement, Isaac had me on my back, and positioned himself at my entrance. “This what you want?” He slid into me so fast and hard my eyes nearly rolled into the back of my head.

My back arched away from the mattress, and he wrapped his arm around my torso as he slammed into me relentlessly. “Fuck, how do you always feel so good?” He grunted into my shoulder. Suddenly, he stopped. A whiny little noise escaped my throat. “Turn over. Good girl, now stick your ass out.” He slapped my ass again, leaving it stinging and aching for more. “Higher, just like that. Wanna fuck you just like that...”

For the second time, Isaac entered me, sheathed hilt-deep in my pussy. Tthe new angle was making it hard to stay on my knees. He put his hand on my hip to hold me in place.

“Isaac, fuck,” I moaned, “I’m gonna come.”

He leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on my spine. “Good, me too,” he said.

Isaac snaked a hand around my hip and toyed with my clit. All the while he fucked me slow and deep, with his chest against my back, talking filth into my ear. My moans came out in silent mewls. Isaac’s pace was torturously slow.

“You hate it when I go slow like this, don’t you?” he muttered. “It’s too bad since I like taking my time with you.”

I could feel my orgasm bubbling up, so close to brimming over.

“Please, Isaac,” I moaned pathetically.

“Please, what?”

“Please let me come,” I whined.

“Shhh, baby, you’ll come soon enough. You’re just gonna have to be a little patient--oh, shit,” he said in response to me clenching around him. “Your pussy feels so fucking good, you’re so wet.” Isaac grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled, tugged sharply the way I liked it. “Is this what you wanted?” he muttered. He rubbed my clit in quick circles and rutted into me fast and deep. He came before me, and my walls milked out his orgasm before he sent me over the edge.

I dug my nails into Isaac’s shoulder as my body quivered. The jolts of pleasure continued for a good minute afterwards, and Isaac laid me on my side and cradled my body against him. He cupped my cheek and peppered soft little kisses all over my face.

“Shh, I got you,” he said softly.

When I finally came down from the high, in the clarity that followed, it occurred to me that I was no longer mad.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.

“Don’t be. I told you angry sex would be good.”

I chuckled. “No, I mean that you were right. About all of it. I’ve been working too much. We barely see each other.”

He kissed my forehead. “S’alright. I just get worried about you. You’re so stressed out all the time. And I miss you.” Isaac moved his fingertips against my back, tracing lazy, comforting circles.

“I miss you too.” I snuggled deeper into his chest. “I’ll cut back on work. Wanna spend more time with you.”

“Is that right? You’re actually gonna listen to me?” He feigned shock.

I giggled and lightly punched his arm. “Shut up.” I pressed a contented kiss against his chest, right above his beating heart. “Love you,” I mumbled as I dozed off. Isaac’s fingers combed gently through my hair, lulling me into slumber.

“Love you more.”

fin.

#isaac lahey #isaac lahey imagine #daniel sharman #daniel sharman imagine #stiles stilinski #stiles stilinski imagine #dylan o'brien #dylan o'brien imagine #isaac lahey smut #dylan o'brien smut #daniel sharman smut

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sukirichi · 3 years ago

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hiii, it's 💎anon!! don't know if you remember me, it's been A WHILE. i had to study for my final exams and sign up at different universities etc., but now i finally had the time to catch up and OML.

first of all, all the new little naoya one-shots, ESPECIALLY the fluffy dilf ones,, i'm ascending to heaven. I LOVE THEM SM. of course naoyas son would be as bratty as his him, but seeing naoya really respect and appreciate his wife, PLEASEEBKS and then your reckless series; loved it!! it's unfortunate that people just did not respect you and your work and just be grateful that you deliver this content for FREE, giving away time of your own-free time while probably being busy with irl things. but thank you for giving us the plot outline for the rest of the series!! though you didn't even have to!! (maybe i'm even relieved lmao i don't know if i could have handled all the coming angst omg i'm once again amazed by your master big juicy brain energy HAHAHA,, and you come up with so many great fic ideas so fast?? i really wanna write too but i can't seem to be focused for too long idkk you're simply amazing!)

AND THEN; tokyo revengers.

i just recently started reading the manga as well (currently ch.42) and seeing that you read it as well made me so happy. ALSO GIRL HANMA SHUJI YES. i hate him but i love him. the moment i heard his voice i knew i'd be down bad, and he's so powerful too?? god please stay by my side and lend me strength during these difficult times. yk i'm for feminism all the way, men ain't shit! but for hanma i would do all the house chores, i would cook for my king, clean for my king.

imagine a feared and powerful hanma, but for you he's a fluffy mess, spoiling you rotten, trying to protect you from the bad influences around him. you're his sweet little angel he would give the world for. maybe he would also corrupt you unintentionally and when you pull a 180 he would be so surprised but so turned on, because it was his doing, HIM who turned the halo above your head to little horns, oh god imagineee. i also just KNOW hanma would be the type to pull you into the corner of a party, light a blunt and share shotgun kisses with you (or in general, i KNOW this man loves them. like, you never tried marijuana or any type of drugs, but you want to after seeing hanma smoke some before with his friends and so he would sit you on his lap and then do shot gun kisses with you, slow and passionate AHAHAJKSH. also prayers to those who try to lay a hand on you (and me who's babbling all this shit about hanma 🤢🤢 i just know this aks reeks of pick me girl energy lmfao.) but also imagine it the other way around. you are already in this line of work, a badass bitch and you have hanma being all submissive to you. THE hanma shuji, leader of valhalla, notorious delinquent, hanma shuji being wrapped around your little finger. he's so down bad for you.

PLEASE, i just looove them all. and OMG YOUR DRAKEN FICS. i just simply liked him before BUT AFTER THOSE TWO STORIES. i'm about to become a whole draken simp lmao.

dream was so well-written. you described draken as a soft and calm lover so well. i already love those 'jealousy' and angsty type of stories, and you writing one as well?? AHHHSJS i can only say it again and again, i'm absolutely in love with your writings. you have so much talent and it's so much fun reading them. the way you express things and word them is just indescribable.

i hope you have a great day/ night and thank you once again for writing all these masterpieces,, you are amazing!! 💗💗 - 💎 anon

diamond anon yes i remember you, you’re like one of my earliest anons and if i’m not mistaken you sent me an ask before about fall from grace and thats how it came to be ??? and aah i hope you can rest well and enjoy your break now, you deserve it !! AND THE LITTLE NAOYA DRABBLES IM ABDKEKWKW i just think that daddy naoya and baby naori is the cutest ever like,,,i wanna live in my own tfc drabbles, thats my home right there. and as for reckless, i suppose it was pretty dramatic and wild in terms of plot 😫 aaah actually i struggle from having too many ideas bcos im like UGH WHAT DO I WRITE NEXT THERES SM I WANNA WRITE but not enough time like spspsps.

AND HELL YEA LETS TALK ABOUT TOKREV

babe PLSS HANMA SHUJI SIR HMU IM AVAILABLE AND IM FREE JUST FOR YOU 🤤 hes so fine and so evil and so wack that he just ??? stole my heart ??? AND HIS TIMESKIP I CANNOT QJEKWKWO. yesss omg hes so powerful like he stopped mikey’s kick and stoof his ground that the whole time i was like YEA LETS GET ITTT like dont get me wrong, toman all the way but hello ??? If the antag looks that fine, you bet im cheering as well !! and hngrrr all this hanma brainrot, i actually have an arranged marriaged hanma fic with a really innocent reader just bcos the corruption kink is real. i mean look at him. he has bad intentions and i’d let him tbh, but the idea that hes so soft and sweet to his lover ??? yeah yeah that gets me sm like i LIVE for it. And aaah im so sorry bb but i am not actually into stories that include like drugs asjalalao but YESSS omg having hanma shuji turn to putty at your feet HMMM just seeing his annoying little smirk turn to a submissive smile... yeah thats a good image 😌

And aaaah thank you sm im so happy you liked my draken fics and how i wrote him 🥺 im a huge draken fan too so cmon lets simp together ABSKWKAKA like draken is perfect mmkayyy if ran haitani didnt exist then yea i’d be into draken. also ur kind words i am just ,,, extremely soft rn i dont even have words but thank you so much 😭😭💕 i hope you have an even better day or night as well and much love sent your way !!

#asks with naoya's trophy wife #anon:💎

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oh-boleyn · 5 years ago

Text

jane / infamy

words: 6216, one shot, language: english

anne / jane / katherine / catherine

as I said on my ao3, this might be my last one shot in a while (I’m really struggling with college right now, like in this moment I should be doing two assigments which... clearly I’m not doing), but still I hope you all enjoy this piece of garbage of story!

TW: canon, Jane being mean? probably more swearing that what is expected from a jane one shot

the commentary between scenes are things I got from internet about Jane Seymour

Remembered for: being the only wife to provide Henry with a son and male heir.

(…)

Jane Seymour was relieved.

The light is brighter, and her dizziness is starting to fade.

No more pain or ache in her lower body, and she feels quite better than in a long time. Her arms are longing to hold her baby, dear Edward, who has just secured her the position of queen.

She opens her eyes, but instead of finding her chambers, she is in a strange looking room, with Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon. Jane wants to cry, knowing immediately what it meant. She is dead, there is no other way to turn it around. She died and was found guilty of her sins, was it her hell? Being with the other two queens? God punishment for seducing a married man?

They all stare at each other, not knowing how to proceed.

(…)

Virtue and common good sense.

(…)

The new house is nothing like what she was used to, and sharing a room with both Catherines wasn’t exactly in her dreams.

She had less problems with accepting Catherine rather than Anne, after all, with the last the relationship had been more than rocky, but Catherine probably wasn’t Jane’s biggest fan either. Even after the older queen’s death, Jane had always tried her best with Mary, attempting to help her image, trying to reconcile with the religion.

Parr wasn’t bad, but she was quite closed. They weren’t acquaintances in their past lives, but that didn’t mean Catherine would introduce herself and invite her to grab a snack or something. It was hard to think about her, how connected both were but how apart too. The most she would talk was about history, or science, or another thing Jane couldn’t bring herself to truly understand and would be left just nodding along.

(…)

When she died, he actually sunk into depression, officially mourning her for two years before marrying again.

(…)

Looking for a job is not an easy task, it’s not like she ever had to do that before. Her kinsman secured her a good place as the lady of the queen, and even when the court became hostile and fell apart, she managed to still have her place.

But now jobs required so much, not just her needlework and knowing how to perform the arts —whatever arts you want that to mean. Modern positions searched for way too many qualities she doesn’t have.

When Catherine offers the idea of doing a show, she says yes out of desperation of not knowing how to do anything else, not even how get the oven to work. Once it goes out of her mouth, she truly wishes the rest of the queens don’t notice how needy she is of the opportunity.

(…)

By that account, she was practically a saint!

(…)

Opening night was stressful to say the least. There are at least a hundred pairs of eyes on her, and her song – her song! While everyone clapped along Aragon’s and Boleyn’s, her part was different, way out of the upbeat modern pop style.

She couldn’t even have a fun, upbeat song.

It’s not like she didn’t want to, Jane tried so hard to add comic relief to her story, trying puns and obnoxious screaming. But her song was slow, more of a ballad instead of the pop-rock songs the show featured. And, to top it, she was the only one who talked about understanding Henry, about loving him, staying by his side.

Of fucking course, she had to be the sweet woman who just happened to love a horrible man.

(…)

Jane was Henry’s true love.

(…)

It is hard to fill her place, her own shoes she left behind when she died.

Jane Seymour, known because she was the one he truly loved. The one he asked to be painted years after she died, instead of just letting her rest in peace. Jane, the dutiful wife, the one who had the son he so desperately wanted.

And the audience loved it, they loved to see the dutiful mother, the one who can’t stop talking about her son. They cheered, they heard everything they always knew.

Because she wasn’t an interesting character in the story, she was just another woman there to obey the orders of the king.

She wishes she was known for something else, but that’s not her life. Of course, playing another character would be fun, being the temptress, the evil stepmother, the fun one, someone people actually cared about. Instead, she was the tedious, boring perfect wife. Reduced to her uterus capacity, and ability to shut her mouth.

(…)

I assure you she is as gentle a lady as ever I knew, and as fair a Queen as any in Christendom.

(…)

“Good morning, Katherine.” Jane says.

The teenager enters the kitchen with heavy steps, still not quite awake from the night of sleep.

“Morning.” She replies, voice small.

“Would you like something to eat?”

“Do you know how to cook?” Katherine retorts, a smug look on her face. “Don’t worry, I will buy something. Maybe cheesecake? Or apple pie?”

“Why not a chocolate cake.” Jane offers, getting the water off of the stove, almost burning herself in the process.

“Do you like chocolate cake?” The younger asks, “I would have pinned you as a vanilla kind of person.”

Jane feels judged. The smile on Katherine’s face just says it all.

“I prefer it, but never mind.” The teenager finishes.

(…)

Here lies Jane, a phoenix / Who died in giving another phoenix birth.

(…)

They move into a new house.

The moment Jane enters her new room, she knows it will take at least two months to get it completely clean. There are spiderwebs, and the white walls look more of a light grey. She makes mental notes to buy bleach, and other cleaning supplies.

At least her bed is clean, but she makes sure it doesn’t touch any wall for the sake of it not getting dirty.

(…)

Jane Seymour was a kind woman too, a better person than Anne.

(…)

“Are we coming to the bar tonight?” Anna asks.

Cleves is nothing less than an interesting character to say the least. They never got to meet in their past lives, but the woman knew her son. She even lived long enough to see him dead.

“I’m not sure,” Jane replies, “I don’t think that Boleyn is going to want me there.”

“But I would want you there.” The fourth queen says easily. “If it’s your decision, that’s alright, but I would like you to come.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

(…)

Her ladies-in-waiting and her maids were held to a strict code of behavior and insisted that they “serve God and be virtuous”.

(…)

The people, and society as a whole has changed.

Feminism is a common term, and women can ��almost, to a certain point– hold the same power as men do.

Still, Jane feels more judged than ever. In her past life it was easy, if she did exactly what she was told, nobody would question her. She was bound to serve and obey, and planned to let everyone know about it. Unlike Anne, she was not going to take her chances. She couldn’t say that it brings her happiness, but it gave her peace of mind.

Nobody would contradict the orders of their king.

Nowadays it is different. People talk about freedom, about being able to own yourself, your body, your choices. Nonetheless, they talk about her. Judged her for saying good things about Henry in her speech, for loving him when it was her only choice.

It was her choice to keep her hair long, not like Anna’s. Her choice to wear make-up, to prefer dresses rather than pants. To talk about her son, to own her past. The public sometimes hated her for it, for her decisions, calling them a part of patriarchy leftover from the century in which she used to live.

They hate that she reduces herself to it, to being a mother, to fill what was expected of her, but that is still the only thing they know about her.

(…)

Jane herself was known for her quiet and soothing manner.

(…)

She sometimes sees it; the way Aragon and Boleyn are mothers.

Sometimes it is just a word, a name. Something totally irrelevant that snaps them into it, into caring in a way only mothers do. The way they treat Katherine, or how they look at a little kid on the street. How they talk to the younger fans of the show.

Jane feels like she doesn’t have it. She doesn’t care about babies and kids. Doesn’t have an attachment to them, to the idea of being a mother. If someone handed her a baby she would probably freeze and don’t know how to proceed.

Was it justice? Did she die so Edward wouldn’t have to put through with her as a mother?

Jane thinks she was just not born for that, to have a kid, to care for them. There were women who had maternal instincts, but she didn’t. Instead, when having to tend for Katherine, she grew overwhelmed, not having a clue of what to do next.

(…)

We will never know if Jane sought the king’s favor or was a frightened pawn of her family and the king’s desire.

(…)

“Would you like to go to brunch tomorrow?” Aragon asks one day.

It’s Saturday night, which means she is totally exhausted after a two show day, but still, she nods. Slowly, Aragon and Jane had started to rebuild the good relationship they once had. Both of them holding so much respect for the other.

“Have you seen Kat?” Parr interrupts Jane’s thoughts.

“She was here just a minute ago.” Aragon says, looking around.

“Well, Anne is looking for her and there’s no trace of where she could be.” The survivor explains quickly.

“Let’s look for her.” The first queen concludes, taking action.

They pass fans, excusing themselves, still taking a few pictures just for the sake of fulfilling the stagedoor the queens always did. Once they are out, a cold breeze hits their faces. Walking through the streets seems dangerous, but luckily enough Kat is near, curled up in herself. They signal to Anne and Anna to quickly come with them.

“Kitty, can you hear me?” Anne is fast to get on her knees, getting to be at the same height as Katherine.

“We should take her inside,” Jane states, “it’s not safe here.”

“Outside air can help, Jane.” Boleyn snaps at her. “Kat?”

She wishes she could be mad at her, but at the same time the second queen is just trying to do the best for her cousin. She acts almost instinctive, as if anyone would do that. The way she stays near her, but without invading personal space amazes Jane, even if that decision makes sense. She would’ve tried to pull the younger girl closer, thinking about it makes it seem like not such a good idea, the immediate response to fight or flight after a panic attack wouldn’t help.

“I’m okay.” Her voice is small. “Can we go home?”

Jane nods, and starts walking behind her towards the car. It comes as a surprise the fact that Katherine rides with them, instead of Anne and Anna as she usually does, but they don’t say a thing. She maintains her eyes on the girl, worried about her.

Once they arrive, Katherine is the first to get into the house, leaving the other two queens alone.

“I’m worried about her, should we try to have a talk?” Jane asks, Catherine denies with her head.

“No, we have to just make her trust us,” she says easily, “once she does, if needed she will come to us. Confrontation is mostly not the way to go with teenagers.”

“How do you know that?”

Aragon smiles.

(…)

She was the only one of his wives to be buried next to him.

(…)

If Jane said that she never wanted to be queen, it would be a lie.

The idea always sounded appealing. Who wouldn’t want to be one? Even in a modern context, girls still pretended to be queens, to live in the prettiest castles. Being queen came with power, not nearly as much as men had, but still a fair amount. The chance to change things, to have opinions. Not counting how good it could be to the family, to secure a future.

Jane would be lying if she ever said that becoming a queen was not something she longed for. But she didn’t want Anne to suffer such a horrible death, no matter if it was or wasn’t fair.

(She used to think that another kind of death wouldn’t be as bad, to die for natural causes would just be God’s will, and to have a divorce would be the Man’s will.

Now she thinks every ending is horrible until proven different.)

In this life she kept quiet about it, knowing how she might have interfered in what Henry ultimately did to Anne. She preferred to not talk about her time as queen, how he threatened her with the same fate her predecessor suffered.

She once thinks about boarding the subject with Parr. She saw that the writer went through the same, a warrant order for her head that was never finished, and the painful death after a childbirth. Still, she doesn’t do so, knowing that her and the survivor are not the same.

Catherine Parr was smart, got her way because of her words. Jane Seymour was just the ignorant fool who kept quiet to please the man.

(…)

The ladies in waiting were expected to wear a belt of pearls with at least 120 pearls in them, and if they didn’t, they weren’t allowed to appear before her.

(…)

“Did you bring something for the cold?” Jane interrogates.

“Yeah, my pink sweater, I left it in the dressing room.” Katherine explains.

“Okay, I will look for it, finish taking your makeup off.” She orders.

The third queen stops staring at the queen, instead looking around. Finding the piece of clothing, she reaches out for it, but winces for a moment when the younger talks.

“Jane, just stop it, okay?” Katherine asks.

“It’s cold, put on a coat or something more, you will catch a cold.” She tried to give the teenager her pink sweater, but all she got was rejection.

“Just don’t. Stop acting as if I’m a child.”

It doesn’t come as a surprise, after all, Katherine usually snapped at her.

“You are nineteen.” Jane indicated, anger bubbling up in her voice.

“I am like almost five hundred years old.” There was bitterness in the statement. “Nobody cared about me being eighteen when the king beheaded me. They didn’t even care when I was younger, why now?”

“Because I care about you.” The words come out before she can really think about it.

Did she really? Cared for the younger?

Of course, she didn’t want harm to come to her, but then again also not to any of all the strangers she knew in this life. Nonetheless there is something about Katherine, an innocence, a broken past. Jane wanted to take care of the girl, to help her through whatever she was going through.

“You shouldn’t.”

It comes out almost aggressive, like a threat. The queen who died of natural causes doesn’t know how to feel about it.

(…)

She learned pretty quickly that it was best to stay out of religion and politics, and instead focused her energy on domestic issues.

(…)

Jane doesn’t break like Katherine, but she still does.

The way Katherine breaks suddenly, they can all point at that moment and say that is when she started changing. Harming herself in not obvious ways, drinking more caffeine than what she should, sleeping less, eating the unhealthiest food she can find. They notice, but their own egos and need to not gossip in order to not be the catty bitches fighting against each other like history has painted stop them from acting as a group.

Instead, the way Jane breaks is slowly, anger destroying her. Consuming every inch of her, growing and taking parts of her life.

It starts as a bitter, indignant feeling when she is left to cook or help cleaning up, but it quickly grows. Gets infuriating, maddening when people call her good . She is not, she might have been in another life, but not in this one. She was not innocent, but rather had a fair amount of guilt. It evolves to be hostile when she realizes that nothing will change it.

Jane Seymour, the mother figure who not only failed at being educated and staying alive, but also failed at having maternal instincts. The good queen, who did nothing but harm. The mother of the king, a king who died young and so did she.

She hates herself for it.

(…)

Her ladies-in-waiting and her maids were held to a strict code of behavior and insisted that they “serve God and be virtuous”.

(…)

She tries to self-isolate, to take a step away.

It doesn’t help, instead the anger comes back stronger each time, and she hates it. Jane hates how violent the feeling can be, how abrasive. She controls herself as she had always done, but it doesn’t make it any better, a resentment towards her fellow queens growing.

Seymour was not a jealous woman, not in her past life and not in this one. She didn’t want to be like the other queens knowing that there were so many things wrong in their lives. It was not about it.

It was about making a mistake, and how she never got to commit those. Jane couldn’t regret anything in her life without someone telling her that “she had it easy”, after all, she was the one he “truly loved”. Even when her problems were addressed, it always came before a way to minimize it, or worse, blame her for them.

The queens knew that it was none of their faults, but people still pinned them against each other, choosing favourites, giving each other a role. And she couldn’t say a word, because hers was good.

It didn’t matter what she truly wanted, or what her opinions about it were, because their mind was made up.

Why change something that is not broken? Why get mad over a good thing? What was better, being a bitch or a saint ?

Jane thinks that being the villain of the story would be easier, liberating. Heroes are just too unreal to exist, but pushing the narrative meant forgetting her own flaws, thoughts, problems.

But who cared?

All they ever wanted was a devoted woman.

(…)

Jane curbed her tongue and accepted her place as the dutiful wife.

(…)

"Can you stop being such a stuck-up child and act mature for a fucking moment?" The third queen asks, becoming irritable, "I just fucking asked you to do one thing. One fucking thing. You are not a toddler, stop throwing a fit!"

It turns out, living up to five hundred years of expectations become harder the angrier you get. The worse the feeling of burning grows, the worse it hurts inside. Jane refuses to let it slide, to let it show, but Anne is not making it any easier.

"Go off, Janey," the green queen laughs, "or chill out, it's not that deep."

"Except, it is." She demands. "I asked you to please do one thing, and it's not the first time. I ask you, you do it for a week, and then forget about it. Are you taking me for an idiot?"

"Honestly? No," she replies easily, "I just don't care enough."

They stay watching each other for a moment.

It brings back memories, but their roles are reversed. In another timeline Jane would be childish, not caring enough, or maybe caring so, so much, about the locket and chain around her neck. Anne would watch her with such a fury in her eyes, and the blonde would internally laugh.

She regrets it. Jane hadn’t seen it coming. The dreadful ending.

“But I know you do; I will try to change it.” Anne answers, her voice just above a whisper.

A soft: “Thank you” it’s all Jane can say.

“You’re welcome, darling .” A playful smirk passes through her lips.

“Bloody idiot.”

“I know.”

Boleyn gives her a sincere smile.

Maybe sometimes yelling is useful.

(…)

It is also true that she was not as sharp or witty as Anne Boleyn.

(…)

It doesn’t last long. Before she knows it, the show must keep going.

Jane smiles, sings her song, sings about Edward. Edward, her Edward. Her brother too, was named Edward. He died. Her brother too, was Thomas. Thomas who did so much wrong. Thomas who apparently loved Parr. Thomas who got sentenced to death.

Thomas and Edward. Thomas. Edward.

She doesn’t realize how much panic creeps in until she is alone in her room crying. An unexpected feeling of grief for the family she once had, as much grief as hate and resentment towards them. Horrible atrocious acts made just for the sake of it.

The Internet says that her son, her little baby, luckily died young.

They talk about luck, something good. And even as much as she wants to believe that her kid won’t ever be a threat, she knows his father. Henry was atrocious, ruthless. Growing under his influence was probably not the ideal childhood. If only she hadn’t died.

Her skin aches, and she has to ground herself controlling her breathing.

Was it possible that every man in her old life was terrible?

(…)

She never seemed to cause drama or do anything without her husband’s permission, and she managed to maintain her carefully crafted image of being virtuous, loyal and obedient.

(…)

“Jane, can we talk?” Aragon questions, knocking on the door.

The blonde nods, slowly looking up.

“What’s going on?” The divorcee asks, rather bluntly. “You stopped coming out of your room, and when you do, it’s just to fight. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m good. Great even.” She smiles.

“Do you think I’m a fool?”

Bloody hell.

Jane doesn’t want to hold this conversation, knowing that she has all the cards to lose it. But at the same time, she wishes to reach out, to explain what is going on. To say that she doesn’t know how to be angry, how to defy someone, how to speak up. All she knows is shouting, crying and hiding her real emotions.

She must conceal what she feels, to not let it show. The less she thinks, the less she feels, the less danger it represents. Jane can’t be the next one. If what happened to Aragon was an awful experience, where she couldn’t see her daughter or talk to her for the last years of her entire life, and Anne’s death was way worse, what is left for her? Torture worse than death.

“ Bonita, breathe with me.” Aragon commands, sitting a hand on Jane’s shoulder in an attempt to ground her. “Jane, breath in. Hold. Breath out.”

“Go away, Catherine, please . ” The queen begs.

“No. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want you here, please .”

“I just want to help.” Catherine says, trying to get closer.

“Why don’t you try and help yourself first? I know I’m dumb, but even I can notice what you do, Catherine.” Her voice becomes steady. “Why are you so obsessed with fixing people? Is this because you couldn’t fix Mary from the monster she became?”

The venom in her words acts quickly, Catherine’s face changing in a few moments. First a pained expression, then developing hurt. She stands up from the bed, and Jane rage rises.

“Why can’t you just keep for yourself, Aragon?” She expels the name. “Is that because you don’t know us? Is this a trick? I know you loved him, is this your way to check us as competition? Or just because you want to see which one of us can take the blame for what happened with baby Mary?”

Catherine stays silent. Humble and loyal after all.

“I told you I wanted you gone.” Jane finishes.

“And I told you, you need help. You should seek it before it becomes too late.”

(…)

Jane’s son Edward was at best a useless boy-king, and at worst a divisive religious extremist who disinherited his sisters.

(…)

Maybe no other queen truly understands her.

Or maybe she doesn’t understand the others.

How Anne talks about her beheading makes it sound like a celebration, a great day everyone was looking forward. She talks about how people cheered, even if it sounds mostly like an old tale made by people who hated her. Jane doesn’t try to tell the truth. She hides it in her silence, just like she hid from Henry.

She should. She should make it better for Anne, but a part of her can’t do so. Can’t bring herself to tell the truth. To confront the other queen. She can’t break the need to be perfect, the need to be good, and innocent.

Talking to Boleyn would be an admission of guilt she is not ready to commit.

(…)

Jane Seymour fulfilled her most important duty as queen, but she was never crowned and died just twelve days after the long and arduous birth.

(…)

Catherine is distant, which shouldn’t surprise her.

Asking for help sounds like a trap. She can’t trust anyone. Even if she knows how much it would change things, even if she doesn’t feel like the queens would hate her or judge her, deep inside something tells her they will. And she can’t allow that.

She can’t break the idea of being perfect after fighting so much for it in the past.

(…)

The fact that she had died producing Henry’s only surviving male heir gave her a mythic near-martyr status in his eyes, and he would do creepy things like having her appear in a family portrait eight years after her death (and not even as a zombie or vampire, much to my dismay).

(…)

“Why are you here?” Her therapist asks.

Wasn’t being a reincarnated Tudor queen who died after giving birth to the next king of England enough reason to be?

“I think I’m having problems with being impulsive, and out of control, and managing my emotions.”

“Which emotions would this be?”

“I’m not sure.”

“It’s good that you are looking for help, Jane.” The woman says.

She takes the files and starts asking more questions, Jane finds herself being more honest than in a long time.

After the session she feels happier, lighter.

(…)

Let’s get down to business and look at just why Jane was in fact not a cute little wifey BUT a calculating master manipulator.

(…)

It doesn’t last long, and that is what hurts the most.

Feeling good for a moment just to then descend into the pain of unbelievable sadness that invades her. Not knowing how to handle it, making her go slowly mad.

It makes her think of her death.

Everything was good, happy, easy. But then it started going bad, failing. Her own body, organs shutting down, fever, agony. A pain in her chest that barely leaves her breathing. Death coming to her. And sometimes she feels it again.

Short, confused breath. A weight so heavy on her chest. Her thoughts all over the place. Death creeping on her. Her psychologist calls it a panic attack, stress coming to her. And she doesn’t know how to react to the idea that it’s just her brain. Drowning in thoughts, so deep that she can’t see the surface.

(…)

That’s two Queens brought back into the folds of power, a feat Jane achieved in just 6 months, thanks to her skill at manipulating Henry without him even realizing.

(…)

Anna doesn’t come to her, just the contrary. Jane tries to help.

Watching the queen crumbling down, makes her feel smaller. Just the contrary to her stage presence. This Anna is not partying, no joking. She is broken. Not a unidimensional character that they pull each night. Cleves has kept a mask for so long, that is just now breaking.

Jane can’t help but wonder if they all do. But it’s different. Jane had always been allowed to be sad, to cry, to be sensible and weak, while Anna never had that privilege. Each role assigned to them had their good and bad parts.

“We might not be great. I know I’m not. But we are here for you. We are all in this.”

“Do you really mean it?” The fourth queen asks.

She doesn’t doubt it. It’s just the way it worked, everyone had their places, what they tried to fulfil. It was harder on some of them. To keep or to destroy what they were. Create a new self being idyllic, impossible.

“Of course, I do.” Jane smiles.

(…)

Jane was not beautiful. She was not outspoken, or alluring, or exotic.

(…)

An article said he was sick for months. That he died slowly, painfully.

Her son had died when still young. And she never held his hand. She wonders if he was scared. If he thought what death might have felt like. Sometimes it keeps her up at night, her sick son who had to lay in a bed. Who she can’t help.

She wasn’t scared of death, as she never quite understood, fever coming to her, letting her slowly go. Making her confused, as she didn’t understand if she died until she came back.

What was better? To go without knowing or to stay knowing that the ultimate end is near?

Jane used to be catholic, used to devote herself to religion. But since she came back it all feels like a lie, an elaborated truth that kept her from making errors. Still, for his supposed last words, she hopes God had mercy on him.

(…)

Nobody wants an unfun queen.

(…)

“Jane, may I sit with you?”

The older nods, making space on the sofa. Katherine practically jumps to the spot but doesn’t relax until Jane opens her arms for the girl to get into the embrace. They stay like that for a few moments, just enjoying each other’s company.

They had managed to somehow have a good relationship. Maybe because Jane never feels as if Katherine judges. Maybe because Katherine never met her in life. Maybe because they know the least about their past. It somehow brings them closer.

“Is everything alright, sweetheart?” The third queen wonders.

She keeps in mind Aragon’s words, if Katherine feels safe enough, she will open up. Slowly the changes had been more noticeable, especially after starting therapy.

Maybe it’s the need to be a mother, maybe it’s just the way Katherine can charm anyone, with shy smiles and childish glee.

“I feel bad.” Katherine admits. “I… I have tried to ignore things and I just feel guilty about it.”

Jane nods, knowing what the feeling is about. Remorse is an even more common feeling in the queens’ household than it is probably in others.

Maybe they are both broken.

“What about?” She wonders.

Maybe it’s just meant to be.

“They beheaded the woman who helped me.” Katherine admits. “They beheaded her too.”

Maybe it’s because they both feel the blood on their hands.

“But it wasn’t your fault. You can’t make yourself responsible for others’ actions.” Jane confirms.

“I never cried. Since I came back, I never cried for her. I just pushed it to the back of my mind, acted as if it did not happen.” Her eyes water. “She died for me. And I am back, and she is not. I still don’t try to bring those memories back.”

“Some emotions need time.” The older one tries to explain. “Grief it’s not lineal, there’s denial, there’s guilt.”

“She didn’t deserve it.”

“You didn’t either. But you can honour her. We have a second chance, something impossible.”

“What are you using your second chance for?” Katherine wonders.

Jane doesn’t have an answer.

(…)

Jane Seymour: (shrug) enh.

(…)

Sometimes talking with fans is easier. They comment about the play with blissful glee, about the shiny costumes and loud music. Some go as far as making copies of her costume, to draw her, to write letters. They still don’t know her fully and they mostly don’t care to find out.

Jane can’t help but wonder if Edward ever felt love like that, blind, from someone who doesn’t know who you are. She can’t help but wonder what her son knew of her, because he never met her. She didn’t get to really meet him either, but she has Anna, who sometimes would drop a funny story of a young king, Katherine who remembers a little boy, and Catherine who talks about how smart he was.

She hopes that he had someone to tell him her story.

(…)

In her entire 18 months as queen, Jane Seymour failed to say one single thing that anybody thought was worth preserving for the future.

(…)

“Catherine, can we talk?” Jane asks.

The first queen nods sternly, sitting in front of her. Even though their relationship had been less tense since she started therapy a while ago, things were still not quite resolved within them.

“Yes, I’m sorry.” Catherine starts. “I shouldn’t have pushed, specifically not when I told you not to push Katherine.”

“No, it’s alright.” The blonde smiles. “Katherine shouldn’t be pressured, that’s true. But we are different. I didn’t understand what you were trying to do but now I do. And I’m sorry. I have been realizing things slowly and it’s just a matter of time until I will feel better again.”

“Penny for your thoughts?” The first queen asks.

“It’s the idea of being perfect. To fill in my own shoes. To comply, and obey and serve. You knew me before, and you know me now, but I just feel so much responsibility to be who people think I am. I talk about how I stayed, firm by his side, but in reality, I didn’t. I was scared. I am scared. And it’s such a weird feeling, because it drives me to do the exact opposite thing of what I try to do. My death was just something that happened, but I can’t help and think that I was lucky to have died. Who knows what could’ve been of me otherwise?”

“You don’t have to be perfect.”

“But I do.” Jane replies. “It’s just my place, and I’m a character. I just have to learn where and when I should be myself.”

“Are you sure? No one is expecting anything.”

“They are. And it’s okay. They want it, the love story, the tragic ending. I wish it was like that, but it was not. But I’m going to be fine, because I’m pretty tough. And it doesn’t come from screaming, being the loudest or the most anything. It comes from me, and I don’t have to prove it to anyone else.”

(…)

Or, god forbid, are you a fan of the insufferable Jane Fucking Seymour?

(…)

“I might miss some foods from the past, but I love this.” Anne said happily, devouring some chocolate lentils.

“Stop it! I want some too.” Her almost namesake replied, trying to take some.

“Anna, don’t worry about chocolate and help me pick a movie.” Parr insists. “I saw that this one was good, this account said that they used a new kind of animation to do it. Created a new program and all.”

Jane smiles, laughing lightly at Catherine who can’t keep facts for herself. Each time it becomes better, less superior talking and more nerdy, passionate about useless knowledge.

“Whatever you choose, please let it be short, I’m so tired tonight.” Aragon asks.

“That one is ninety minutes long.” Katherine offers.

The third queen sits, gossiping about the plot

(…)

So, don’t overlook Jane. Sure she’s quiet, but remember it’s the quiet ones you have to watch.

(…)

Second chances were overrated, that much could be said for Jane Seymour.

Sometimes, people don’t change, themselves or their minds. In her two lives, she dealt with it all. With trying and not, with fighting and keeping quiet, with being looked up to and with being irrationally disliked. Society, as a whole, would never be pleased. Setting standards too high, as much as those vary from time to time, from one century to the other, there was always going to be something wrong.

But it didn’t mean she had to just follow it.

Second chances were overrated, wasting hers into demonstrating things to anyone except herself. The general opinion might not change, but Jane does. She learns, grows. She cries, gets sick and has horrible days, she fights, speaks out, she loves, she smiles. It’s hard, to live a life she shouldn’t have, but it means that is her opportunity, not to be revolutionary, not to be a queen nor a mother.

Jane learns to be herself, to explore, to know her limits. And it never ends.

Second chances were overrated, but it doesn’t mean that Jane was going to try and make the best out of hers. Maybe it is boring, or naïve to not try to take an impossible opportunity, but she doesn’t need it. To be true to herself is more than just enough.

#six the musical #six the musical fanfiction #six fanfiction #six fanfic #jane seymour

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randommusersmusings · 4 years ago

Text

Childfree CAN be freeing: A Response to a Response

“'Childfree' may not be as freeing as it sounds”. The name of the article by a mother named Tamara that I accidentally stumbled on, browsing Google with my free (of children) time. The article was meant to be a reply, of sorts, to the Guardian's “Childfree Women” series. I rolled my eyes. Here we go, I thought. Another person who thinks being childfree is an attack on mothers everywhere. Another argument to birth children we don't want to have. Another rebuttal to our reasonings, fears, and wants, trying to strip it all away until we reach the conclusion that we can now just go ahead and start making babies, and you're welcome, by the way, for making up your mind for you. Maybe it's not that bad though, I thought. Besides, it's fair for her to voice how she feels. I clicked on the article. “I wonder where they've put all the articles that make the case for having kids,” it began. I clicked off the article. I'm not subjecting myself to that, I thought. But curiosity killed the cat, as they say, and I have to imagine it's that same curiosity that led to me crawling right back to that article. Still reading, still trying to make sense of it. Where are the articles for having kids? Well, let's see if I can answer that.

“...talks about opting out of having kids for a number of purposes, most of which struck me as excuses rather than really good reasons”. Did... I miss something? Pray tell what is a “good reason” to not want kids? Who do we report to, and do we need a note from our doctors? In any case, one of the reasons (or “excuses”) was the overpopulation of the planet and climate change, and fear of exacerbating both issues by adding more children to it. Tamara's argument was that one can simply counter their offspring's existence by donating to charities and organizations that battle climate change. There's a few things wrong with that. Number 1: we still just don't want kids. Number 2: she's assuming we have money. If we don't have money to spend on children then how do we have money to spend on charities? Now on the other hand, we do have enough wealth and resources on the planet to feed everyone, and to maintain ourselves and any children we see fit to bring into this world. If we only spread the wealth and share the resources. Ah. There's the catch, we're doing exactly the opposite of that. Families are still living in poverty in... everywhere, while the rich get richer. Families already struggle in a world where one medical emergency can shoot a family far down the poverty well, then take the ladder away.

“...also talks about kids being difficult and costly, but isn't anything worthwhile the same”. Not always, actually, but for the sake of argument let's say sure. Not only can I now refer back to my previous point (we have no money) but I'll raise Tamara the problems that can come with wanting to do all the things you find worthwhile. Where is everyone going to get all the money they need to provide a good living situation for their kids and also, say, go to college? Not only would that be incredibly costly in terms of our money, but also in our time. It can be done, sure, but it's hard, and only gets harder the less money, time, and overall privilege we have. If your spouse isn't supportive, if your have a job, if you have no one to watch your kids during the day, if you have no car, need to bus it, and be back in time to make dinner—the list goes on. It can be so, so hard to be able to do everything you want to do with a tight budget, and the time and demands can simply be too much for the person trying to do them. It can be done, we've seen it before, but there's a reason those stories stand out. It's because they don't happen often. So if a uterus-bearer decides they want to prioritize their education and/or career over having children, then more power to them, I say. It's a fair choice for many in a world where's it's near impossible to have it all.

“...insists...it is not selfish for a woman to decide to never have a child”. It's not. “...But I can say that having children does involve selflessness”. Well...in theory, yes. Sadly not always in practice, though. But do continue. “A woman’s body changes for her child, her mind changes for her child; every moment is affected by the existence of that child”. We know. That's what we're trying to avoid. “I, for one, think personal growth involves being more selfless, and if having kids helps with that, then great”. Well sure, unless we don't want to actually raise a kid. I'm sorry but what's so difficult to understand about that? One can grow as a person without forcing a child to come along as a crutch to help one deal with their emotional baggage, thank you. In fact, I would argue it's much more beneficial to do whatever you need to do (therapy, medication, anything) to help manage your struggles, and then bring a child into the world if you see fit. For many people, dealing with their issues as well as their child's issues can hinder their personal growth, rather than help it. Not everyone seems to want to hear this, but children don't “fix” a parent's problems and they don't “fix” the parent. Managing problems is so personal to each individual, and it's frankly dangerous and irresponsible to tell them having a child will help with their personal growth. That's just not always the case.

“Sources please? I don't hear women being told that their only value is domestic”. Well Tamara isn't listening enough, then. Here's the thing about getting sources on something like this: it's awfully hard to do. The problem is it's not something that we have proof of just laying under couch cushions like loose change. It's an attitude, an idea, ingrained into society. In the way we talk, in our attitudes, our assumptions. How often do we hear about the lazy stay at home mom trope? Now if this has never been an issue for Tamara, then great! No seriously, that's good to hear, because that's how it should be! But the problem is, that's not everyone's experience, and it isn't the norm, either. Society has this unspoken assumption that a woman is going to stay home, take care of house and kids, and split precisely zero of these responsibilities with her husband, whom she also takes care of. Children assumed to be female at birth are pretty much trained to take care of the house and the men in it once they're old enough to stand. How many families leave the menfolk to watch football or drink a beer and talk while the women (including children) cook, clean up, and otherwise serve the men, before they are allowed to enjoy themselves, too? Don't ever try to tell me that women and feminized people aren't valued for their domestic contributions more-so than men, and that there's no pressure on them to prioritize that over everything else. Just don't.

Now, this next point...it made me angry, I won't lie. The author recounts how a couple of women writing in didn't want to have children, as their families were alcoholics and neither wanted to pass on their addictive genes. To that: “Having a loved one who has struggled with addiction and has now been in recovery for many years, I see that the lessons he can pass on to his kids – whether they have addictive personalities or not – are so, so valuable. He is more the inspiring person for the difficulties he has been through and overcome, and he is evidence of the good that can come out of suffering”. I...how dare she? How dare she diminish those women's experiences like that? Listen, I'm glad her loved one is doing well, okay? I am. But I'm sure he would be heartbroken to watch any of his kids go through what he did, knowing how hard it was for him. Also, to be frank, not everyone does overcome those struggles. Not having experience with addictions myself, I'm reluctant to talk too much about this. I haven't seen or lived with this. But please, if you read how someone grew up with parents struggling with addiction, and talking about not wanting to pass that struggle on to their own kids, don't counter with “A world devoid of suffering doesn't help kids –teaching them how to move on from it is what counts”. It's tone-deaf, dismissive, and sickening.

“Yes, there are burdens associated with being a parent”. We still know that. We still want to avoid those. “But there is also the freedom of choosing to love, choosing to live for others...to be less self-seeking”. Oh my God. Choosing to love? Excuse you? Is this that “you don't know real love until you have children” thing? Do I, She Without Children, actually hate my parents, my pets, and my brother, because I don't have the love of a child? Man I hate that argument. It's truly pointless. Many childfree people are perfectly capable of feeling love, as is...any human being out there, really. Also, “choosing to live for others” doesn't necessarily have to mean bringing kids into the world. If one wants to one can adopt a kid already here and waiting for a good home. One can volunteer at or donate clothing and food to a homeless shelter. One can donate to charities, if you have the funds to. Adopt a pet from a shelter. There are so many ways someone can make other's lives richer, and procreating isn't the be all end all to that selflessness. Which again, doesn't always happen. “If you ask me, there’s still a very strong case for motherhood”. There is, and that's if you actually want to have children.

Well. There we have it. “I wonder where they've put all the articles that make the case for having kids”. Do I have an answer? I think I do. Go and read her article. I'll wait. Back? Good. Now, in that whole article, the tone implies that people with a uterus definitely want to have kids. Like the default is just “you want kids”. Of course you do. What do you mean you don't? Why don't you want kids? There it is. When women and feminized people don't want kids, that's an attitude that's outside of the norm society has imposed on us. We don't want kids, so now we have to argue out way through an invisible judge and jury to give us permission to feel that way. The pro-motherhood sentiment is already all around us, in societal pressures, in the media we consume, in our medical practices. Uterus-bearers are often turned down for medical sterilization on the grounds that they “might change their minds”, or worse, their husbands might want kids. This line has been used on people who aren't even married. Our bodies are already forbidden from being ours on the grounds they belong to men. Sometimes hypothetical men we haven't met yet! That's why it's time, finally, to give childfree people the platform we need to let our voices be heard. To explain something that we should be able to say in five words: “I just don't want to”. So instead of counter-pointing and arguing and trying to get people to change their minds about deeply personal decisions about their own bodies, just stop, and try listening to us instead.

#feminism #feminist #femnists #childfree #lifestyle #childfreelife #motherhood #tw: alcohol #tw: abuse #childfreewomen #writing #lifechoices #child-free #life #canwestoparguingaboutthisalready

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persephoneiam · 5 years ago

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Snow White: What Everyone Gets Wrong

This is my very first post in my “What Everyone Gets Wrong about [insert Disney movie]” series. Though some facts are sprinkled into this post for context, most of this is an opinion. Nothing in this text is meant to be insulting or offensive. Thank you.

To start off here is some background for those of us who need a refresher:

This was the world's first full-length animated feature

It was released in 1937

The film is only 1.5 hours long

4.5 years of work went into making it

The film was completed 2.5 weeks before its premiere

Now that we know the basic facts, let’s talk about the things that everyone gets wrong/ that tick me off.

Number 1: Necrophilia

Now, I get that memes are supposed to be funny, but the random corpse thing just doesn’t make sense. Firstly, she’s in a coma, not dead. Secondly, this kiss isn’t sexual in nature; its a goodbye. He really liked her (as seen in the first few minutes of the movie) and now she’s gone. She’s a fourteen-year-old that left too soon. It's sad with no sexual motivations involved. That said, a person can interpret this however they want. Which brings me to my third point: the timing of the film. As I stated earlier, this film was completed 2.5 weeks before it’s premiere. There was a huge time (and budget) crunch for this film. In the Brothers Grimm telling of this story (which Walt Disney decided to base this film on), Snow White awakens from the apple-induced coma when the dwarfs are carrying her coffin to the prince’s castle so she can be buried in the family crypt for whatever reason, and a dwarf trips, causing the apple piece that had been stuck in her throat to dislodge and fly out of her mouth, allowing her to wake up without the kiss. Having such little time and budget, I doubt the animators could have put what would have equaled an extra half hour (the coffin carrying and wedding where the evil queen would dance to her death) of animation for the film. That’s not even including the cursed corset or poisoned comb that were taken out of the story. Not to mention each frame was hand drawn, making even the smallest scene a time-consuming piece of work. Who wants to draw all the extra stuff involved to take the coffin to a castle somewhere far off? It’s much easier to draw a kiss and be done with it. Why else do you think they cut out a bunch of animation backstory by including the written story in the middle of the film (as seen below)?

Number 2: She’s Not Feminist Enough/ All She Does is Cook and Clean

What the actual heck is it with this argument? I get that we want our children to be strong, independent people who realize there is more to life than being with a man/woman/significant other, but why should strength and independence only mean going into the workforce? My dad lost his job, so he was a stay-at-home dad with me and my little sister for a couple years. It was awesome! Not to mention his value as a human being didn’t diminish every time he touched a mop or dusted. He taught his children how to keep a home tidy and guess what? I didn’t have to pay anyone to do my laundry when I got to college. I was a better-adjusted adult because I knew how to keep a home, and I was healthy to boot because I know how to cook.

Feminism is about the equality of the sexes, so its really easy to bash Snow White because she cooks and cleans and takes on traditional gender roles. But the thing everyone seems to forget is the fact that this movie was made during the Great Depression and premiered two years before World War II. As large as the Disney empire has become, there is no way it could have possibly seen the future and made a film that was more in line with today’s feminism standards.

Furthermore, this movie is set in 16th century (1500s) Germany and made in 1937. It’s history. As in, an amazing, revolutionary work of art that changed film forever. Yes, it is very traditional in its approach to what Snow White does/ doesn’t do, but she’s a fourteen-year-old fugitive in 16th century Germany! She doesn’t have a lot of options. Keeping house in exchange for food and shelter is not a bad choice considering the only other option is prostituting herself. Also, the way she takes charge of the house is pretty awesome. She doesn’t take any sh*t from the dwarfs (as seen by her “go outside and wash” speech). She may only be fourteen, but she’s managing things like she’s the next CEO of Disney.

History aside, it seems like all the parents I meet that don’t like/ don’t show the film only do so because they don’t want to encourage gender roles. I get it, but telling kids that cleaning and cooking aren’t useful or that you can’t be strong and independent if you like/subscribe to traditional gender roles is kinda backward. Afterall, isn’t feminism about the right to choose? If I want to be a stay-at-home mom and my sister wants to be the next Steve Jobs, aren’t we both entitled to go for it?

Number 3: Saved By a Man

This is just a continuation of my above point. Snow White is fourteen. The prince (who is credited as ‘The Prince’ because Snow White and the Dwarfs are the only characters with names) is only seventeen. Now in Europe in 1500, a girl as young as twelve could get married no problem. Most girls did. Or they became nuns. All of that doesn’t really matter when your audience is Americans in 1937. What matters is that a studio just completed the first, full-length entirely cel-animated feature. When Walt Disney started this project, he wanted to focus on the dwarfs. He gave them names and personalities. By the end of the film, however, the focus had turned to the relationship between Snow White and her stepmother. All really good things. That said, the plot changed a bit from the start to the finish. The original storyboard was much more comical and very different from the storyline we know today. With all these changes, it makes sense that the one element that stayed the same through production was the happy ending where Snow White and her prince marry. It’s a classic ending, and there is no reason that true love shouldn’t win out in the end. Of course, the true love argument becomes problematic considering they’ve only met once before the coma, but considering the film is only an hour and twenty-eight minutes, I think we can forgive the quick progression of their relationship.

Also, it’s not so much Snow White’s beauty that makes the queen jealous, it's her youth. Snow White is young and growing into her body whereas the queen is aging. But that’s a whole discussion for theorists that I don’t want to get into.

In conclusion, Snow White is a classic film that doesn’t deserve to be hated on as much as it is. Because of its success, it paved the way for many of my childhood favorites, and I am thankful for that. She may not wield a sword and shield, but Snow White is still a bada** princess who teaches the value in being kind and making the best of a terrible situation. I for one think that those are still relevant lessons no matter what time period you are watching it in.

This has been a rant. Thank you.

#snow white and the 7 dwarfs #snow white and the seven dwarfs #snow white #disney #disney rant

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takaraphoenix · 6 years ago

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So today my mom did something ..... Disturbing. I was talking about sexism in general, and wondering how it originated and she just yelled "because all men are assholes!". When I (I'm female) protested, she said "they all just want women to cook and clean, and only work if it's needed for the men!" When I said that not all men are like that, she said that 99% are. In the past she's said stuff that implies that men can't get raped.(basically jokes on that). I'm a huge feminist but seems (1/2)

(2/2) I'm a huge feminist, and she claims to be one too but only when it's in a way that's convenient for her, (e.g she cooks the food, so she says that women shouldn't have to cook.) But multiple times she's forced me to wax/shave, and she talks about how women should dress decently, and lots of other stuff. I love her, but I kinda feel like the older I get the less I like her. It makes me really sad how sexist she is, because she's my MOM and it's hard to accept that someone you love is bad.

“the older I get the less I like her” is very sadly quite the reality for many people, because parents are still... old, in lack of a better word. All the jokes about Baby Boomers and such, they do bear their truth and at their core, our parents are the last generation and even if we ourselves don’t want to see it about those we love, they still might have outdated views.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s bad. Very often, it’s simply a lack of understanding. A lack of actually knowing better. Instead of just saying “That’s that”, I do think that the ones who do know better should then educate.

So, have you tried actually having a serious conversation with your mother? And maybe a bit more than just a conversation. Like, news about men getting sexually abused or raped exist with explicit examples, so have you tried approaching with such a thing to show “How can you say that when this is a reality?”.

Having an open conversation, trying to bring your point across in detail, with what exactly about her views is outdated and how it is outdated and how it might be harmful to real, actual people.

Explain to her what exactly feminism means, if you say that she claims to be one too.

Only when someone is actually given the chance to learn better and they actively refuse to learn can you really talk about them being bad. You shouldn’t give up on the people you love without trying first, in my opinion.

#Phoe Giving Advise #Feminism #Anonymous

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fujubun · 7 years ago

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do you agree with the fandom interpretation of your character?

Mun Interpretations ⦙ ⦙ open

[DABS] N O NOT AT ALL

In case its not known, you’re completely free to reblog any meta I write (aka this) if you like it. I enjoy sharing my loud words with others, so there’s no need to ask if you can reblog!

[BIG EDIT]: I get over hyped when writing, solely focusing, and putting actual thought into one thing for too long, so the original draft of this was far more aggressive and salty than I meant for it to be. (Even if some things do make me salty, it’d no reason for me to be a jerk.) I’d like to personally apologise if I upset anyone, as I assure you I didn’t mean to do so! (I didn’t neccessarily see anyone upset but still.) There’s an edit to this because I’m adjusting the tone and how I phrased things!

I’d also like to say that everything I’m stating is based on the fandom itself, not this lovely roleplay community! Nothing I state here is a personal attack on anyone; its all simply my personal opinions! I’m more than happy to discuss anything in a calm and respectful manner, but any form of actual arguing is a no go, alright? I’m not here to argue, after all, simply to share my opinions.

The MOM Trope:

Ignis is a very caring, very loving guy, and he’s not afraid to show it. He takes care of his friends, both in and out of battle. He cooks, he cleans, he heals, and on occasion he probably dotes on them too. There’s nothing wrong with this at all, its okay for him to do things like this; to be open about his feelings and to actively show how much he cares for those that matter to him. However, I desperately hate when people shove the mom trope on him. Not only is it incredibly degrading to women (specifically mothers who are always seen as able to do everything), it’s also harmful to Ignis because it feminizes him. Guys can be loving a supportive too, its not just a female trait! Guys don’t always have to be overly pulsing with constant testosterone to be proven that they’re male (you know the stereotype I’m talking about), they can be soft too!

Another thing that makes the mom trope bad, is that from what I’ve personally seen, quite a bit (maybe even most?) people headcanon as Ignis as gay, which I love! I also personally headcanon that! (And if you don’t, that’s okay too!) But when you pair someone who is gay (or someone who you see as gay) with the mom trope (especially males) its extremely harmful. Gay males are heavily feminized (and fetishized) and are often seen as the mom type, its honestly kind of really homophobic! Its not cool to label someone whose gay as the mom friend (unless they give you permission, that is). And you may be thinking “yeah but Ignis is a fictional character!”, and you’re absolutely right! He is, but the thing is, representation matters! If its widely accepted that Ignis is possibly gay, then it’ll probably give a lot of hope to younger fans (and honestly even older fans too!), but when you attach that trope it kind of makes you go “o h… so this is the bad representation then?”

Ignis being soft and caring for those he cares about doesn’t make him a mom friend, it makes him a good character! Its what makes him human! And then, now this is just an extreme personal pet peeve of mine but: please don’t headcanon Iggy as gay because he’s so openly caring about his friends. That goes hand in hand with what I said earlier about gay males being feminized! Its super rude! Regardless of what you think on his orientation or sexuality, please just let him be a sweet soft boy without giving him a harmful label!

The SKILL Portion:

As I touched on above, something else that the mom trope does, is it expects Ignis to be able to do everything perfectly immediately (which is more often than not, expected of moms) and that’s just not humanly possible. Ignis is only twenty-two years old, he’s within the same age range as the other boys (and he’s only two years older than I am, and look how I act!), he’s a big dingus! He’s still young, too young, to know how to do everything perfectly. Even in the future when he’s thirty-two, that’s still fairly young; sure he’d be much more wiser than at twenty-two, but still!

Ignis has worked hard at every skill that he knows, whether its fighting, cooking, sewing; anything! He works hard to achieve his success, but I’ve seen so many people erase that fact and play it as if he’s naturally talented and that hurts. Natural talent doesn’t exist, no matter who you are, even for someone as seemingly perfect as Ignis. Everything he knows and does is through dedication and hard work!

Something else too, is that people so often portray him as absolutely perfect, and that really makes him… inhuman. Ignis is a doofus, just like us! He’s human, and he has his faults; he cries and breaks down and gets frustrated when things don’t go as planned. He burns new food, stabs his fingers when he’s sewing, gives horrible advice, all of it. He’s not perfect, and he’ll never be perfect, and that’s perfectly okay! Its okay for him to be bad at things, for him to have faults, and for him to faulter under pressure; its okay for him to crack and for him to be a mess, its what makes him a believable and human character.

Often times when I read how perfect and good at everything he is, it ages him greatly in my mind. Instead of him being close to my age, he’s suddenly far, far older, and that’s not a good thing. He has to much experience, he’s too good at what he’s doing, he’s too smooth with his words, he’s too old sounding. I understand he’s a very prim and proper person, and its hard to keep him in character while keeping him acting his age, trust me its a very fine line, but it is possible to accomplish.

The COOKING Jokes:

Another personal pet peeve would be: the mass amounts of cooking jokes that everyone (a collective everyone, nobody specific of course!) makes. In the Anime and Game it can be up for grabs on whether on not he actually enjoys cooking (I’ve heard it both ways, and both are good! Personally I headcanon that he likes to cook and bake, and even does so as a destresser!) but what annoys me is that everyone takes it way too far! (This doesn’t include the AUs! Only the canon content or super similar to canon content! It also doesn’t pertain to his “That’s it! I’ve come up with a new recipe!” line/habit!) But there have been so many times where I’ve seen people take as if cooking is the only thing for Ignis, that he has no other hobbies or likes, that its all just narrowed down specifically to cooking and its super sad to me to see. It strips him of so many possibilities!! There’s more to him than just cookin’ and bakin’, y’know?

THE EPISODE IGNIS PORTION:

Episode Ignis has caused a lot of drama and a lot of arguments, so I’d like to take a moment to reiterrate what I stated up top: I’m not here to start drama, or cause arguements. I’m not here to personally attack anyone, I’m simply throwing my opinions out for others to eithe rlike or dislike. If you dislike? That’s okay! Opinions usually differ, but please don’t come to me to start an argument, or vague about me or something. I’ll probably just ignore you, or block you if you’re personally harrassing me.

Something that was super recently brought to my attention for Episode Ignis was the shipping matters. And while this doesn’t neccessarily pertain to Ignis’ character interpretations, I’d still like to take a moment to address it because Episode Ignis means a lot to me:

Please stop with the shipping wars and the petty (and sort of guilt tripping) comments to one another. Episode Ignis didn’t destroy or hurt any ships availible for Ignis (the one brought to my attention specifically was Gladnis). Each of them got their own bits in the episode and none of them were harmful at all (I’m not counting Ardyn in this statement because he’s the main villain and he’s supposed to be horrible).

No ships were destroyed, and even some were revived! It even brought along new ships too! So please, no more wars, yeah? They’re kinda………. really dumb.

The next thing I want to talk about is the uproar of “I don’t like this DLC because Ignis feels really out of character.” I’d like to start off by saying: Nobody knows Ignis and his character better than the people who created him. Fans have a very bad habit (and this goes for every fandom, not just FFXV) of thinking they know better and know whats best for the show or the character. Sure, in some cases, the writing could be very horrible (personally, I would throw shade on the anime RWBY, but I’m not here to rant about that.), but the writing in the game and the new DLC isn’t bad. Sure some parts can be pretty…. eh, I suppose (I honestly enjoyed all of it!) but none of it was actually bad.

As I stated at the beginning, Ignis is a very loving and caring guy. He’ll do anything for those he loves, and that includes Noctis, Gladio and Prompto. Yes, I did just say loves, because regardless of what you see his sexuality or orientation as, he does in fact love them. Its up in the air for canon as to if its romantic love, or brotherly/familial/platonic love, but it is there! There are several types of love, and people often forget that, which is why I think a bunch of people think his actions were out of character.

In the original ending, he did what was best for the people of Insomnia; for the people of the world. He was selfless, he kept the information he learned to himself so that it didn’t burden the others, and he let Noctis kill himself so that the dawn could return. In the new ending, for once in his life he was selfish. He wanted to keep his friend there with him; his brother. He didn’t want to lose Noctis because of some (honestly kind of bullshit) fate, because he loved him (and again, that love can be romantic/familial/brotherly/platonic) and didn’t want to give him up. He was selfish and did what was best for Noctis (and by extention, himself and Gladio and Prompto) instead of what was best for everyone else in the world.

Whether or not its exactly healthy to do something like that is up for debate (could be co-dependency or something far worse for example) but that’s what he chose. Ignis sacrificed his everything, his entire life, to save Noct’s because he cares so much about him. Even if it meant his own life, and that he would never see Noctis again, he was willing to do it so that Noctis could actually live and rule. (Honestly I’d do the same thing for my friends, so I can’t say too much really). ignis would probably offer that same sacrifice if it was Prompto or Gladio’s life on the line too.

He loves and cares about them so much and he just wants them to be happy (I mean look at all the things he’s done for everyone specifically so they were happy!), he’ll do anything for them. They mean the world to him, so if they were in danger? Of course he would do everything in his power to save them. He’s such a selfless person, and even in his own, finally selfish act, he was still… pretty damn selfess. He just wanted Noctis to actually be able to live his life, and I personally can’t blame him for that.

Small Sidenote Personal Pet Peeve: If you disliked the Episode Ignis DLC because of the possiblity of what he states to be out of romantic attraction to Noctis, then that’s fine; but you’re walking on a thin line with me personally. I’m not saying you have to ship them by any means at all!! What I’m saying is if it puts you off because of the possibility that it’s gay, then you might be sorta…………….. homophobic, and I’d rather not deal with that, ya feel?

The NSFW Portion:

People tend to go all or nothing with Ignis, and I don’t really understand why. Of course there will always be people like that, and that’s fine, but I’ve never seen such a clear cut on all or nothing before? From what I’ve personally seen, Ignis is either a sex god, or he’s had absolutely no experience what so ever. He’s either a complete sub, or a complete dom, there’s no inbetween, and its odd to me.

While I may personally present my Ignis as a tad shy when it comes to affection and touching because I heavily headcanon him as being extremely touch starved and awkward (so he never really knows what to do with himself) I really dislike this trend. Middle grounds exist, honestly I personally see him in that middle ground. Its perfectly okay if you don’t, I’m just upset with the fandom as whole clearly neglecting it is all!

His age is generally the sort of “experiemental” stage where you try new things! So honestly, he’s probably had at least some experience with general sex, and even kink stuff too! He’s probably tried some things, but I really doubt he’s perfect at any of it. He’s probably dommed, and he’s probably subbed and there’s nothing wrong with any of that. Let him be awkward and try new things; let him feel out what he likes and does like! Let him be silly, or unsure of what he’s doing! Again, its okay if he’s not perfect, he’s not supposed to be; nobodys perfect!

EXTRA:

I really really really fucking love Ignis and I hate it when I see him get treated so poorly. Please stop treating my good boy so badly. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

#sagefire #⟣⇢ Out of Character Asks #I told you I had many words to say #[Edit]: Updated version! Much better than the original draft!#⟣⇢ The spicy boy ⇠⟢ ⟣⇢ Atty. ⇠⟢

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orionredstarr · 7 years ago

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Homage to Diana Rigg

For those of you into the amazing television series Game of Thrones (I, being addicted to it as well from its inception) let me loan a bit of interesting ‘trivia’ to you about one of the actresses there in the show. She is so incredibly amazing, and yet she does not get the true coverage or tribute she deserves. That actress is none other than Dame Diana Rigg.

Back in the swinging and Mod sixties, meaning 1960 where yes, I was actually alive and there in person to receive the phenomenon known as the British Invasion. It began through music which was ignited by the arrival of the Beatles to our shores. England and all her country’s imports were a breath of fresh air to our stale American colonies. Perhaps we’d become creatively inbred and needed that injection of refreshing Anglo artistry. Well, along with the influx of fashion, music, and actors we gobbled it all up with fork and spoon in hand. Lo and behold, along came a little British television show called “The Avengers.” It was broadcast here in 1965 and rolled over our black and white tellies in the USA. It was an instant hit.

Do not worry, I am not going to bore you with all the bio statistics of the real-life of the amazingly talented Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, or drone on about the television show itself. That information you can look up on your own in Wikipedia and I implore you to do just that, because it makes for an interesting read. I would prefer to tell you of my personal first-hand impressions as a young teenager, living in an oppressed country where women at that time, and still are, considered mere commodities and not complete human beings. No dear fellows and gals, not a history lesson on feminism either, but a real old timers experience being female and existed through that time period. I would like to speak of the amazing impact on woman’s roles in film and television, their impact from a woman’s perspective. I would hope that the reason will become self-evident and why they are so important! Naturally, I will tell you why it was for me, but first just a wee bit of ‘60s nostalgia to pepper the palate. Those who lived it can grasp the political implications, but todays women can only guess. I think it’s nice for we of sage years (ahem!) can pass along the experience baton. 😊

Think of the British groups like The Who, The Stones, Herman’s Hermits…. the list is exhaustive of male imported groups, but only speckled with a few distinguished lady singers such as Petula Clarke and Dusty Springfield. Ladies who I absolutely adored and can warble their 60s hit tunes in a flash. And the British Actors, we saw Sean Connery (who I personally think he is still a stone silver fox), Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, Richard Harris, Alan Bates….. on and on, I think you’ve got the picture. There was a distinct imbalance of gender when it came to those who became important figures of the times.

Now although women were seeping into the music, movies and television media industries, it was still predominantly the same rule of thumb -- big tits, round ass, plop a shock of blonde on top of it, and if she could act, model, sing or breathe on cue, she was dubbed as the female lead in that venue presented! Basically, all the men in the films made back then, got to drool, grope, make bad and lecherous jokes, along with sexually biased comments to accompany their leers over her, and perhaps toss a few intelligent lines of dialogue. If the lady could convince the director and the public that she could actually think, or have a creative, original thought at the same time she was being ogled, better yet. She could breathe huskily at the male leads and say her lines whichever way her enormously molded boobs, in a torpedo bra pointed! That was it, a star was born!

That actress I used for example, was what is now affectionately known as the female sexual object. A woman to which most men would only consider worthy for a healthy romp in the back seat of a Chevy or Ford, and then offer her cab money to get home. Anything else in female form which could also include cooking, the darning of socks and the ability raise children and husband, was the other side of the coin. That optional image was called mother. So, we all pretty much can assume that was the steady diet and definition of the only real two role models represented to our young girls nationwide. We were all fed the notion of good girl-- bad girl prototypes, and please no matter what, you had better select the right one! That formula was especially doubled-downed to --we of the smaller boobs, short in stature, brunette of hair, and did not have a British accent! If we did not find our mate and learn how to keep him in order to survive…well, we could kiss our boring butts good luck on the road of life!

As a teenager in the States who was brought up in the era of Pat Boon, Mickey Mouse, and the Ed Sullivan Show, plagued with pimples and trapped within a training bra…watching anything remotely suggesting what we females were supposed to look like via the media roll out -- the future looked pretty grim! Point in fact, all the top television shows, recording artists, and every movie created in general throughout the 1960s period up until today; all dominant roles were slated for men. So, although the British invasion brought us a fresh new face, the atypical stereotype of tits and ass or blonde bombshell, was just as prominent with our cousins on the British Isles along with we here in the States. What was a girl to do?

Then along came The Avengers in the 1965-1968 series with the advent of starring an unknown (at least here in the USA) British actress named Diana Rigg. With a bit of research, you can find that she was indeed a talented thespian with the Royal Shakespeare Company. A beautiful woman, who also had many roles in film as well as stage at the time. However, she was a stranger in the woods to us on the other side of the pond.

When I first sat down in my tiny bedroom, laying on my side and too lazy to get up and change the channel of my 16 inch black and white television (no remote folks), or to adjust the antennae to obtain a clearer picture, I was all set. I was prepared to watch the brand-new show called The Avengers. The show actually ran in England much earlier, but we here did not savor those shows until the latter broadcasts. However, everything British was an instant success here, and I dare swear that along with The Saint, those two shows were my main staples. I could not exist without watching them! But little did I know what to anticipate, and wonder at my chagrin, when I first laid eyes on the character of Mrs. Emma Peel.

I tell you what I had not whispered to a single person in my life at that time--I loved every single thing about that woman’s character! It was not just a silly girl-on-girl childhood crush. I suppose today you might call it a girl crush that happened? But I did not want to possess Emma Peel in any sexual context …….not that simple. NO, I wanted to BE EMMA PEEL!!! LOL! I may have been a budding teenager, sexless, awkward, no boyfriend yet, and at the time when I truly grasped what Mrs. Peel was like, I could be found gaping at my tiny television in a catatonic state each week to admire her. I was wondering if I was a hopeless mental case and going to face a lifetime of psychiatric analysis………I wanted to BE a television character! I wanted to emulate everything about Mrs. Emma Peel.

Now I will tell you why.

Despite black and white television limitations, I could easily discern at a glance that Emma, or Mrs. Peel as Steed called her, was most definitely NOT a blonde! A rarity indeed in the 60s. The next feature of prominent notice, she did not have the torpedo tits, but had a svelte and sleek frame with all the normally padded spots we ladies have. Interesting, I thought. How many shows was it going to take to bleach her hair white and pad her bra with sewn in nipples? Shock of all shocks—it never happened. In fact, her Mod clothing of clean and crisp lines had transformed into a body hugging jumpsuit. Later on, with popularity of the show, it became affectionately known as the Emma Peeler. That was an item of clothing, which thank goodness, I never had the gumption to purchase. If I had been so brazen, I would have looked like a sausage tied in the middle and coming out of both ends wearing one of those! But, on Mrs. Emma Peel, it was perfection. It hugged her lady-like frame and showed off her womanly curves, without having boobs she could write her name with!

Her auburn hair (thanks to a new 18 inch color tv I got for Christmas-still no remote-and the event of the Avengers going to color) was coiffured into a manicured flip. During the first season, it was a bit too teased and starchy with hair spray, but later on transformed. It blossomed into these sumptuous waves of sexy dark hair. In fact, there was no woman on the face of this earth who could comb the nozzle of a gun through their hair the way Mrs. Peel did! She flicked her wrist and combed the gun through to sexily flip a tousled bit of hair askew from her eyes. Amazing.

Those wise eyes, of course were lined like cat eyes. It was the common phenomenon of female sexuality and style back then, and only just recently those luscious cat eyes have returned to us. She had sparkle and wit in those eyes too. Sexy, sophisticated……..and drumroll please, Emma Peel was SMART. Not just Oxford smart and book-wormish, but cheeky, sassy, witty, and dead clever. This was a smart brunette playing a lead role in a hit show, and she was intelligent! Not simply book smart and scientific, Emma was saucy, pert, ingenious, and she knew enough karate to beat the shit out of all the bad guys!! Unimaginable!

What the hell was I watching? I felt as if I had wandered into an altered state in another universe! This woman was married (I felt the only flaw) but she was self-sustained, intellectual, independent, lived alone, and could hold her own in a fight with a MAN. This was no ‘I Love Lucy,’ this was the 1960s and this sexy bitch ruled!! Is it any wonder I took a bag of henna to make my blonde hair auburn….a mistake that only Bozo the clown and I share in secret, but I worked hard at it! I forced myself to learn proper nutrition, spoke with wit and cunning, trained my mind with firm education, and watched people to be cleverly funny. Last of but not least, I was independent as hell both mentally and financially! Mrs. Emma Peel was my role model and damn it, I was going to pull it off or die doing it! I refused to be Wally Cleavers mother or a Donna Reed! BORING~~

Nobody in the show came right out and stated it, but for years alluded to the idea that Steed and Mrs. Peel were no doubt having it off in the back rooms. However, on screen and up front, their chemistry and sexual dalliances were electric and refined. Not some guy drooling over torpedo tits, but a man who desired this chic, classy lady who was also sexy and had panache. She did not have to parade about with tits up to the chin, play stupid, fend off a barrage of sexually debasing rhetoric, or she’d bash your face in! Wonderful! Sign me up for more of this!

As I sat there enthralled, week after week, watching Mrs. Emma Peel slink her way from one episode to the last, she was brilliant, beautiful, sexy, and fathomed how to best the bad guys with a presumptuously cheeky wink. I made a concise and determined decision, one that sculpted the remainder of my long life. I chose that year, that no matter what I had to do, learn, review, adopt, or steal from another…I was going to mold myself to be that sharp and vampy creature with a brain that was respected. I craved to be that type of woman.

There has never been a female role model in the media since the creation of Mrs. Emma Peel, except for the role Keira Knightly created to play Elizabeth Swann in the original Pirates of the Caribbean films. Only that characterization of a strong woman came very close. Elizabeth Swann was beautiful, smart, sexy, and yet she was fiercely independent, challenging, and idealistic. Sadly, Disney clipped her wings and reduced her into the usual cliché. She became a woman who was supposed to fall into the typical mother role men wanted; she had to behave a certain way living in a man’s world. By the third installment, that ideal of Elizabeth Swann being a true heroine and role model for today’s girls to follow, was swiftly kyboshed by Disney executives, writers, and producers. I feel sorry for that and for them.

What a shame our actresses are not given roles like that for young women to look up to. I did not have the ideal mother as a role model, and if it were not for revamping myself from watching that television character, deciding for myself that I was going to be different…who knows what would have become of me. But I became a strong leading lady of my own life, independent, formidable. Outspoken, clever, intelligent, classic and classy. Men have tried to rule me, but none could capture the phoenix. I reinvented my role as a woman in this male dominated world, as difficult as it was to choke on the ashes. And no matter how much men beat their chests, bragging how they rule this world of theirs, I am gravely disappointed over what they have done with their power. Another story altogether.

To my grave, I will always be thankful that I had the chance to peer into the other side of the mirror. I did not pander to the reflection I was told to model, I chose a different path. It was not always easy, and many times it came at a cost. But, I can only hope that for the young women of today WHO WANT THIS, take that step into a leadership role and become the stars of their own lives. Strive forward with a quest and desire to be your own powerful role models. Do not wait and remember to first do this for yourselves. Only then invite your friends, co-workers, family, and maybe someday include your own daughters on the charm! Give them the gift of independent thought, honor and self-respect! 😊

When in doubt, watch the television show The Avengers if it can be seen on Netflix, YouTube, or Hula. It would be worth your while to see a female character to cast your lot with! I never regretted my choice, and never found my own Steed, but I came pretty darn close to living an extraordinary life!

Thanks for taking the time to read, and my best to all!

Pass this post on to the ladies you admire and lift them up~

ORS

I dedicate this post to the few ladies here I know and admire:

@apirateslifeforme123, @princesspenelopenerfherder, @colorblindly, @mysticalgalaxysalad @snowbryneich

Love you, to those powerful and graceful ladies on Tumblr!

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nikiforoov · 7 years ago

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as i mentioned yesterday, i’m posting asterisk anon’s further asks in one post under a cut bc there are so many of them! here we go!

Original discourse anon: I'm glad I'm not alone. I don't have a problem with bottom Y in general, I have a problem with his characterization. even in fics where he's "power bottom" V is still portrayed as "the man." And power bottom Y wouldn't be an issue if i didn't notice it was a trend that that's the only way that he can be "dominant" or w/e. Y often wear lingerie too. Not an issue in itself, if it wasn't so prevalent that he's never allowed to be "manly" at all.

It's not a specific author, it's a trend. I mean it, people can do what they want. But I just get an uncomfortable feeling that it's a fetish to make Y feminine. And dgmw, it's not that lingerie in and of itself is my problem, it is the trend that makes me worried for the general mindset. AND IT IS FINE INDIVIDUALLY. I don't care, it's fine. If it's ya thing that's ya thing. Bottoming or preferring bottom Y isn't my problem at all. Powerbottom Y all day long. But is V ever the power bottom? Does he wear lingerie? it's just not the trend I see at all. If Y is setting the pace, he's still the bottom. And preferring that is fine (Ill keep underlining this, I'm walking on thin ice.) but I the trend is what bothers me. That Y is the bottom and wears lingerie and V isn't. (There's exceptions. But I feel they're rare.) and most often he's not even the PowerBottom or w/e, he's submissive, cooks and cleans, like a stereotypical wife. V isn't taking part in the chores and is portrayed as clueless as to how to do simple household chores. Like a stereotypical husband. That also penetrates. (Pref top isn't a problem.)

It's the general mindset that almost makes it a personality trait that Y is always bottom, does chores, (Idk if I'm properly making sure I don't revive the dishcourse. It's not the same. I might word it poorly, but I'm trying.) and he wears "feminine clothes." I get that feminine clothes and makeup isn't really a gender thing, and it shouldn't be. Sometimes it's about reclaiming men being allowed to be feminine. And I think that is great. But it's always Y. And it often doesn't come off to me as trying to break genderoles to me. It comes off as a personality trait. And as a "sissyfication" fetish (ppl can do what they want, I'll never censor anything.) and it's the trend and impression I get that makes me feel like it's very not-progressive, more often than not. AND YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU WANT. Maybe I just don't see what the author/others see and that's fine. There's clearly a demand.

But I feel like it should also be ok to talk about over-feminizing men, especially gay Asian men, as if them being in any way masculine is a bad thing. That they don't switch, cuz Y is a feminine person. It's a preference, and I don't think it's a personality trait (I'm terrified of coming off wrong. It's not about the "dishcourse" pls dgmw) but I just feel the first impression as feminine has eliminated his "right" to be masculine and making a gay Asian man overly feminine, makes me wonder if he's being feminized as a way of self-insertion for women to have sex with V in fantasy. Or perceiving masculinity as not as arousing. And that's their right. No one has to conform to my opinion and no one has to agree. It's critique. And I hope I've articulated it.

I don't think Y always bottoming/anything I've talked about in an author's fic is problematic. I just wish there would be more -in my impression- accurate portrayal of them as an equal couple. And no one has to agree at all. My impression isn't everyone's and it's not more "true" than anyone else's. I just wondered if I was alone in my thoughts. And it seems I'm not. /Sigh/ it's not bottoming or powerbottoming at all. It's portrayal. And what I've come across as I'm gay. And maybe I've overlooked something, and it's fine. I just wondered if I was all alone. And everyone is free to write what they want. It's ok. You're not wrong for writing Y as feminine or wearing lingerie or anything. I don't hate those ppl at all. It's MY thoughts and MY impression and no one should be censored or called out. Pls write/draw what you prefer. I'm gay, I have thoughts and I was just not sure if I was alone. It's not about the "dishcourse" even if it has some similar elements. It's thoughts if it's a fetish. +that I see it as OOC.

Aight That was it. Sigh. I hope I was as clear as possible. Have a nice day. <3 (also to those that disagree)

---

Also original anon about the gay heteronormativity: I wanted to add an asterisk to my long ass monologue about Yuuri and portrayal* Gay people aren't a hive mind, so lots of other homosexuals disagree and that fine and everyone can do what they want that's fine pls don't misunderstand me ;-;

Original anon yet again with an asterisk* I'm hella nervous about even saying anything because I don't want to come off as calling anyone out or censoring or anything. I hate call out culture and I don't want to come off that way. If people want to be heteronormative that's their right, i don't have to agree with them or vice versa. I just wondered if I'm the one that is wrong or in any way old fashioned if I'm alone or anything. I'm rambling and it's probably not even that big a deal. OTL sorry

i only included your first two asterisk asks, bc i don’t think it would be fair to publish you being anxious without your agreement! but if you want them here, let me know and i’ll add them! ♥ please remember that you are definitely not alone anon, and be kind to yourself okay? things will be fine, regarding everything ♥♥

#asterisk anon #anonymous #yuuri katsuki #victor nikiforov #victuuri #really anon if you ever feel like you need to talk or even just vent you can hmu okay

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ambivalentlyyours · 7 years ago

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Keep resisting

crapppyyy wrote: Hello there

I just wanted to tell you how much your work has inspired me. As a female muslim, I was always told that marriage was the most important thing in life and that it’s something I should strive for. The truth is, I could care less if I got married or not. I just want to go to college and get a good job, I want to be independent.

Even my own mother tells me that marriage is more important than education. She gets frustrated if I talk about delicate matters such as women’s rights and wonders where I get these stubborn traits from. Little does she know that the reason I’m stubborn and restless is because of her. She raised me on her own in a foreign country, working multiple jobs to help her family from where we’re from and make sure that I was fed. She raised me without a man in her life and I just want her to see that I can be as strong as she has been this entire time. Every time she denounces feminism my heart just breaks, because she is my role model and she made me into the feminist I am today.

You can probably understand how confused I am when she tells me that I need to focus on finding a husband. When she tells me that I need to keep my mouth shut or people will gossip about me and I will never find a man. When she tells me that I need to learn how to cook or need to learn how to clean the house so my future husband won’t divorce me. When she tells me that women should not speak up if their husbands beat them, because it’s probably the wife’s fault she got beaten anyway. She tells me to be sweet and ‘feminine’ and quiet, because that’s the only way that men will ever like me.

I don’t want to be quiet, sweet and girly and I don’t want to hold my tongue. I want to speak up on women’s right and climate change and other issues, I want to be a good person and make a difference in this world. Next year I’m going to college to become a badass doctor so I can help sick people and hopefully others too. I hope my mother will still be proud of me if I ever decide not to get married.

Your work has had such an impact on my life and I wanted to thank you for being such an inspiring woman.

@ambivalentlyyours reply:

The things you are sharing here are things that a lot of us can relate to, so thank you for taking the time to write such an open and honest message.

Like you, I have always felt a great deal of pressure from some members of my family to follow “traditional” paths for women like marriage and having children, and as someone who was mostly raised by a single-mother, none of those traditional gender roles ever made much sense to me. I don’t think that getting married or having children is necessarily bad or anti-feminist if that is the right path for you (I will actually be discussing this very question with a feminist mother in an upcoming podcast episode in two weeks), but these things are not right for everyone and it is unfair to force them upon those who want to do things differently.

What is particularly interesting about your story is that you talk about how your mom did so much on her own and is actually your role model, even though she seems to be telling you to do the opposite of what she herself has done. I think that parents tend to have a lot of anxiety about their children’s futures, and most of the time they just want their kids to have as easy a life as possible. (I talk about this a little bit in my podcast Rebelliously Tiny, episode 1) This may be why your mom is encouraging you to do all of the things that society expects of you. Maybe this is her way of guiding you towards a simpler and happier life. And while this may seem like a huge contradiction, I don’t think it is necessarily done out of anything other than love (perhaps misguided, but still love). We are living in a time where information about feminism and gender roles is more available than ever thanks to the internet. Theories and texts that were once reserved for the academic elite are now downloadable online. For me, learning about feminism was like opening a floodgate. Suddenly I finally understood where so many of my frustrations and so much of my pain originated from. It completely altered my life path and changed who I am. I want everyone to feel that feeling one day, but not everyone knows where to look for the information, not everyone knows that there exists any other way of being. I think you should keep talking to your mom about feminism, explain how her life and your choices overlap for you. She may change her views one day, she may not. I’ve sometimes had to take breaks from some family members who tried to oppress me out of misguided love. It is hard with family. But the bottom line is, you can’t compromise on who you are, so keep following your own path, keep trusting your instincts.

I know it is hard and frustrating, but at least you know what the problem is, you are able to name the things that you don’t want to do and be. That is a powerful place to be. To quote Rebecca Solnit from the book “The Mother of All Questions” (which I would recommend): “What can be recognized can be remedied or resisted.”

Keep resisting.

The next drawing I post is for you <3

#feminism #ambivalence #ambivalent advice #ambivalentlyyours #submission

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hope-for-olicity · 8 years ago

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When a King is Really a Queen 1/4

Oliver Queen writes romantic suspence novels under the name Olivia King on his way to reveal his true identity he meets one of Olivia King's biggest fans, Felicity Smoak, and she is not very happy.

This is based on the Hallmark Movie "A Novel Romance." I'm writing as a bit of a love letter to all the amazing romance writers that bring me happy. I so hope you enjoy! Also available on AO3.

I am doing my own proofing so all mistakes are mine.

New York City

“I think it’s time you tell the world you are Oliver Queen!” Oliver’s publisher said like it was a genius idea.

Oliver and his publisher Tom Edwards, or Edwards as he was known, were the only two people sitting at long boardroom table.

“I don’t have to tell you that the sales for your last book have been less than spectacular.” Edwards continued.

“No, you don’t. But I don’t have to tell you I’m not surprised. The reviews all said what I knew they would, given what you had me do to Julia. It was completely out of character. My fans are mad and rightly so. I’m trashing their heroine!”

“Maybe we were wrong about her wanting her to take on more of a domestic role.”

“You think?” Oliver stood up from the table and walked toward the large window that replaced one of the walls. As he looked out, he ran a hand through his hair. He really was trying to keep his cool.

“We just thought with the political climate that many people would relate to Julia becoming a stay at home wife.”

Oliver turned around to face Edwards “It’s not that Julia became a stay at home wife, there absolutely nothing wrong with that, if that was her choice. But I didn’t show why she made that choice. People read my books because Julia’s job as an undercover CIA operative takes them to places they would never go. Her job was exciting and that’s why people loved the books. Now suddenly, for no reason, she gave that all up to marry a man neither my readers nor I like. She loved her job and I gave no reason for her to suddenly quit. This was insulting to both stay at home and working wives who are the bulk of my readers.”

“So, we were wrong. Now we have an idea of how to get your readers back.”

“I’m not sure if that’s possible. Smart Bitches Trashy Novels and all the other big sites have written articles condemning me. They say I’m moving feminism backwards. And they are not wrong! How do you think they will react when then find out Olivia King is really Oliver Queen? This might be the worst time to point out I’m a man.”

Edwards stood up from the table and began to walk toward Oliver. “Men can be feminists too.”

Oliver made a grr sound. As if he didn’t know. He considered himself to be a strong feminist raised by Moira Queen after his father died, she drilled her feminist beliefs into he and his sister Thea. Of course, he believed women are equal to men. He spent all his time writing from a woman’s point of view!

“I am a feminist Edwards. I think I’d rather start a new book saying the last one was all a dream - no, a nightmare.” Oliver sat down in one of the many empty seats at the table.

“Will you at least consider to our idea?”

******

One Week Later

Oliver stowed his carry on bag in the compartment above and got settled into his window seat on the plane. Was it just him or were the seats getting smaller? And forget leg room. Oh well, he would survive, first world problems, he reminded himself.

He noticed the beautiful petite blonde as soon as she boarded the plane. She was dressed in jeans and a bulky red sweater with tennis shoes, but she was striking as if she were wearing a ball gown. There was just something about her.

And she stopped right next to his seat.

Felicity could not help but notice the super attractive man who appeared to be looking at her. Super attractive men with piercing blue eyes don’t normally check her out.

“Do I know you? It’s just you are looking at me like you know me.” Felicity said as she attempted to put her bag in the overhead compartment. She actually began to jump a little to give herself leverage.

“No, I don’t believe we have met.” Oliver stood, well hunched to get out of his seat and into the aisle. “Here let me help you with that.”

Once her bag was secured, he turned “Hi, I’m Oliver. Sorry for the staring….I must have been off in my own little world.” He quickly scooted back into his seat.

Of course he was, Felicity couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

She sat down, stuffed two books into the pouch of the seat in front, and put her seat belt on and held out her hand. “Hi. I’m Felicity.”

Oliver could not be sure but he thought one of the books Felicity had was his. Should he mention? No probably best not, all things considered.

“Nice to meet you Felicity.” He smiled suddenly feeling like a teenager and totally at a loss for words. This did not normally happen to him, he had no problem schmoozing the ladies. But this lady seemed just a little bit different.

“Nice to meet you,” Felicity smiled and then began looking at her phone. They still had sometime before all electronic devices had to be put in airplane mode.

Oliver decided to check his phone as well and sent a quick text to his mother saying he was on board the flight and he would see she and Thea soon.

*****

They had just reached cruising altitude when Felicity hauled his book out of the pocket in front of her. Oliver hesitated saying anything. If he did say anything he should tell her who he was - he was after all about to tell the world.

He had decided to follow his publishers’ advice and tell the world that best-selling author of romantic suspence Olivia King was actually former billionaire playboy Oliver Queen. He had to admit he was a little nervous.

“Did you read it?” Felicity said holding up his novel. “The way you are looking at it, I think you know it.”

“Yes, I know it.” Was all he could get out before Felicity started talking.

“Isn’t it terrible? I mean beyond terrible. King created this amazing heroine built her up for five novels and the does this?! I really don’t understand. I want to shake her! What was she thinking?! To be honest the first time I read it I cried. But I’m trying again. You know I want to give her the benefit of the doubt maybe there was some reason I missed that she decided to suddenly marry that man that she was way too good for and stay home and cook and clean for him. I mean come on! It’s 2017. Our President might be moving backwards but women aren’t.” Felicity suddenly realized she had unloaded on a complete stranger.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry. I should not have said all that to you! You must think me a terrible seatmate. I’m so sorry. I’m just so upset about this book and yes, I know it is just a book - but it isn’t for me, you know?” Felicity looked up at him seeking understanding.

Oliver could not help but smile. This woman had just torn his book apart but they were all the valid reasons he had. Wow. He wished he could bring her to his publisher and say - SEE!

“Don’t worry. I get very passionate about books too. I liked hearing your opinion. I actually feel the same way.”

She looked at him a little suspiciously. “You read romantic suspence? Not that that is impossible - it’s just most men won’t give it a chance.”

“My mother was a big fan of the genre. Julie Garwood, Amanda Quick who is Jayne Ann Krantz by the way and so many others. She left them around. I read them and became hooked.”

“Wow. I don’t usually see many men into that section of the bookstore.”

“They are missing out.” he smiled.

“Yes, they are. It’s always been my favourite genre. Especially when you have a magnificent heroine like Julia Quinn.”

Okay now Oliver really felt like he should tell her. But maybe she would be embarrassed for the things she said and there really was nowhere for her the go. It’s not like he’d see her again. He decided to be a chicken and not tell her - to spare her the embarrassment of course.

“I think I’ll just read my other book,” she said hauling out a Sarah MacLean - historical romance. “Do you read these?” Felicity asked with her eyebrow raised.

“No. But here they are quite good. Would you recommend that author?”

“Yes, you should give her a try.” Oliver took out his tablet and quickly typed the name of the book and author. Feeling inspired by his conversation with Felicity, he opened a new doc and began brainstorming the outline for his new book. It might start with it was all a bad dream - no - her husband drugged her! Much more exciting! As Felicity said no one liked that character anyway.

*****

As the plane landed in Star City, Felicity turned to him and said “Are you here for business or pleasure?”

“A bit of both actually. This is my hometown so I’ll see my family but I have some business to attend to as well. What about yourself?”

“I actually live here. Was just in New York for business and pleasure. Now I’m back to reality.”

They began deplaning. “If you wait a second I’ll get that bag down for you Felicity.”

“Thanks! There are lots of good things about being short, but overhead compartments are not one of them” Oliver raised his eyebrow. “What?” She smiled “I had no problem with the legroom on this flight.”

“Touché.” he couldn’t help but smile. He turned to grab his belongings from the pocket and realized he really did want to see her again. He turned to ask her for coffee and she was already gone. Damn. He was so disappointed

He took one look back at their seats and noticed she had left his book in her pocket. Maybe not by accident? He swiped it anyway and looked inside and sure enough her name - Felicity Smoak - was written inside. He just had to find Felicity Smoak in Star City.

*****

As Felicity exits arrivals with her bags she saw her roommate and co-business owner Caitlin Snow waving at her. She smiled this was a surprise!

“Hey,” Felicity hugged Caitlin. “What are you doing here? I was just going take a cab.”

“Thought I’d save you the money. Plus, I know how sad it is when there is no one here to greet you.” Caitlin began to take one of Felicity’s bags and lead her out.

“Wait. Do you see that guy?” Felicity spoke lowly, Caitlin turned, “don’t be obvious. But do you see that really hot guy that just came out of arrivals? You know the one with the awesome scruff and the body of super model. You know like one of the guys in our books?”

Caitlin didn’t need to look long. But she did. “Did you sit next to him on the plane?” Caitlin did not keep the eagerness out of her voice.

Felicity nodded.

Caitlin could not help but smirk. “Do I know Oliver Queen? Well, not personally but we did go to the same high school but I was a few years younger. I knew his sister, Thea better.”

“Oliver Queen? As in Queen Consolidated Queen?” Felicity was shocked.

Caitlin nodded and smiled.

“But, but he didn’t say anything. He just told me he was Oliver.”

“Well his name is Oliver.” Felicity and Caitlin began walking toward the exit. “Did you tell him your full name?”

“No,” Felicity admitted.

“I suspect that’s why he didn’t. So you sat next to him on the flight. Did you talk? Is he as nice as he is hot?”

“Caitlin, shh he might be nearby!” Felicity blushed.

Caitlin looked around “I don’t see him. Spill!”

“Why don’t wait until we are at least in the car!” Felicity began walking faster.

*****

“My beautiful boy! You are home!” Moira enveloped her only son in her arms.

“Mom. It hasn’t been that long. I was here this summer.” Oliver said hugging his mother.

“It feels like it’s been a long time Oliver. Perhaps, you could move back? You don’t need to live in New York City to write you know.”

“We haven’t even left the airport Mom, be careful or he’ll board another plane.” Thea reached up to give her older brother a hug.

“I was just letting him know how much we would like it if he chose to move back. You understood that right Oliver?”

“Yes, Mom” Oliver grimaced “But New York City is my home.”

“Are you seeing anyone darling?” Moira asked as they began to leave the airport.

“No…” Oliver looked around hoping to see Felicity Smoak. Maybe she was still here.

“Looking for someone Ollie?” Thea turned back to look at her brother who had stopped following them out of the airport.

“Nah, just thought I saw someone I knew,” Oliver walked to catch up with his Mom and Sister and listened to his mother as she listed the reasons who should move back to Star City. He smiled as he knew she only did this because she missed him.

*****

Felicity loaded her bags into Caitlin’s trunk and got into the small blue Volkswagen Golf that Caitlin had owned for years. Caitlin turned the key in the ignition as Felicity buckled her seatbelt.

Caitlin turned out of the parking lot and began their drive home. “So...we are in the car. Spill. Tell me all about Oliver Queen!” Felicity could tell from Caitlin’s smile she couldn’t wait for gossip.

“Sorry. I don’t really have anything thrilling to share. Except to say he was very nice. He did not ignore me after I totally unfairly freaked out about the new Olivia King book to him...although I guess there was nowhere for him to run…” Felicity stopped talking and started thinking. Maybe he wanted to run.

“Earth to Felicity,” Caitlin waved her hand in front of her friend.

“Oh sorry! Lost in my own thoughts!” Felicity smiled at her friend. “So yes, he was very nice and if possible even better looking in person.”

“Tell me more! What did you talk about?”

“We talked about books, well mainly I talked and he listened. He is a very good listener.”

“Did you tell him about our bookstore? Maybe he’ll come by.” Caitlin sounded like she was trying to think of a way she could make this a good thing for their store.

“Oh no, I completely forgot to mention our store! Sorry!”

Caitlin looked a little disappointed but quickly the spark came back in her eyes. “Anything else? You do realize you did what many women dream of doing? I’m totally fangirling now!”

Felicity could not help but laugh at her friend. But if any man deserved fangirling it might be Oliver Queen. She honestly didn’t think real men could be that attractive! “Oh my God! I almost forgot he was a total gentleman. He helped me put up and take down my bag from the overhead compartment.” Felicity grinned at her roommate because she knew Caitlin loved that can of stuff.

“Were you jumping? Please tell me you weren’t jumping to get it in at first?” Caitlin made a face that could only be described as a cross between worried and mocking.

“I jumped a little. But I didn’t know he was going to help me and, and I’m short.” She said a little exasperated.

“You are short but you are also cute. I’m sure he noticed!” Caitlin said turning to smile at Felicity as they stopped at a red light. “When are you going to see him again?”

“I don’t think I will. It’s not like we run in the same circles and besides he’s only here for a visit. He lives in New York City.”

“Don’t give up hope,” Caitlin rubbed Felicity’s arm. “Did he say why he is here? Come to think of it did he say what he does in New York City?”

“He said he was here for business and pleasure. But no we didn’t talk about what we did for a living. Oh well let’s chalk it up to my Felicity meets a celebrity moment.”

“You never know. He is in Star City. You could see him anywhere.” Caitlin said as she pulled into their apartment complex.

*****

Morning came too soon and Felicity felt like she just went to bed when her alarm went off the next day. She lured herself out of bed with the thought of Merlyn’s coffee. Merlyn’s was the local coffee shop near her bookstore and lucky for her made the best coffee anywhere. She had missed it while in New York City.

She quickly got ready for the day. She left a good morning post it on Caitlin’s door. Felicity worked the earlier shift and Caitlin the late and they overlapped in the middle. It worked for both their schedules.

Felicity threw her black trench coat on over her black pencil skirt and vintage Bangles t-shirt. With a bounce in her step she breathed in the fresh Fall air. This was Felicity’s favourite season. The air was fresh and the leaves were changing colour.

She was so glad that she and Caitlin had found an apartment downtown as it enabled them to walk to work. Something Felicity, who grew up in Las Vegas, never took for granted.

Before she knew it she was at Merlyn’s. The bell above the door rang as Felicity walked in and got in line with the rest of the morning rush. Still keeping with her good mood, she bounced along to the poppy but not too annoying music coming from the overhead speakers.

Felicity began scrolling through her phone checking her email, Twitter, Facebook and she saved the best for last Tumblr. Those ladies always made her smile. She was so engrossed in her phone she didn’t realize it was her turn to order until she heard someone clear their throat.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry! Good Morning! Can I get a large Merlyn’s Awesome to go please?” Another thing Felicity loved about Merlyn’s - how he named his coffees.

She grabbed a lid for her to go cup and headed out the door. Now everything was perfect. It was a beautiful day, she had her coffee and thanks to her New York business trip she had some new books coming - all and all things were grand.

Felicity was so busy thinking about all the happy, she almost collided with none other than Oliver Queen.

Truthfully, Oliver had seen her coming but he didn’t want to avoid and he was having another awful moment when he couldn’t think of what to say. So “accidentally” colliding seemed like as good a plan as any.

As he had the upper hand in the collision he reached to ensure she didn’t fall or spill her coffee.

Felicity smiled up at him, “Good Morning stranger. Long time, no see”

Oliver felt even more nervous. She was so beautiful and nice. He wondered if she would be so friendly if she really knew who he was.

When Oliver didn’t say anything in return for a moment. Felicity felt like she had to fill the quiet. “So I know who you are. You are Mr. Queen. No, Mr. Queen was your father but he died so now your Mr. Queen. Oliver Queen. My roommate recognized you at the airport. I’m not from Star City. But I have heard of you. I mean I have hear of your family. I’m going to stop talking now.” Felicity was blushing furiously by the time she forced herself stop to talking.

“Yes, as you say I’m Oliver Queen. Nice to meet you officially Felicity Smoak,” he didn’t miss Felicity’s raised eyebrow when he included her surname.

“How did you know?” She asked more than a little surprised.

“You left your book in the seat pocket and your name was inside. I hope that doesn’t make me sound like a stalker. I had the best of intentions, in case you wanted the book back of course.”

It was so sweet that Oliver had collected her book just in case. He clearly had no idea she owned a bookstore!

“That was so kind of you to collect my book. I’m so sorry but I have to rush off to work right now,” Felicity looked down at her watch definitely running late.

“Oh I’m sorry to have held you up. Of course, don’t let me hold you up!”

Felicity had just begun to walk away when she heard steps behind her and “Felicity.”

She turned and there was Oliver.

“Yes.”

“Can I get your number. You know, so I can text you and return your book. If you don’t mind giving out your number.”

Oliver looked so nervous. Felicity didn’t think men like Oliver Queen got nervous. Turns out she was wrong.

“Of course! Hand me your phone and I’ll add myself to your contacts.”

Oliver quickly handed Felicity his phone. She entered her details and handed it back.

“I’ll text you later.” he said with a smile.

“Sounds great. See you later Oliver Queen.”

“See you Felicity Smoak” and Oliver could not lie there was a bounce in his step as he walked away.

// @almondblossomme // @mel-loves-all // @memcjo // @tdgal1 // @vaelisamaza // @stygian-omada-fan // @miriam1779 // @laurabelle2930 // @lalawo1 // @oliverfel4 // @felicity-said--yes // @geneshaven // @nalla-madness // @captainolicitysbedroom // @pleasantfanandstudent // @spaztronautwriter // @somewhatinvisible // @dmichellewrites // @charlinert // @marytagus // @mammashof // @wherethereissmoak // @bringbackianto // @jaspertown //

#olicity fanfiction #When a King is Really a Queen #au #alternate universe #oliver queen #felicity smoak #My Fanfic #MyFanfic

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missjackil · 8 years ago

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The Not-So-Bitter Sam Girl

Let me first establish that I love Sam Winchester with everything in me. I eat, sleep, drink,and dream Sam Winchester. Often times, like many Sam girls, I feel like he is treated unfairly, and that makes me bitter, but I read a lot of the meta from other Sam girls, but I don’t agree with a lot of what you all are bitter about. Let me also say, that I love Dean too. The brother’s relationship is the only reason I am addicted to this show. I couldn't care less about the monsters and most side characters to be honest, but I definitely favor Sam. I have only been watching the show, via Netflix, for just under a year, but I am a CHRONIC re-watcher. There isn’t an episode or season I havent watched at least 15 times, and some more than 40 times (yes its a sickness) the only episodes I dont watch much are Bitten and Bloodlines. I will try to explain my view on some of the most common things I see bitter Sam girls write about, and hopefully give a new perspective. WARNING: This is indeed long, you may scroll through and read topics of interest, and feel free to send me an ask or a message about anything you would like to debate or discuss further :)

Dean gets more air time! From my point of view, I will agree this is the case, but not throughout the whole series. A prime example is the S4 episode In The Beginning, when Sam is only in the first 45 seconds of the episode. I dont consider this the show favoring Dean, but the knowledge that it was in a time when no one was sure if Jared could continue do to his mental health. He had a breakdown during the filming of Mystery Spot, and things were rocky for a while. I don’t know what was going on during the time of In The Beginning, but it’s quite possible that Jared needed time off. Granted there are no episodes were Dean is only in 45 seconds of, but they probably don’t like do episodes that the boys dont share time, after all, the show is about them both. The Panic Room! Yes, definitely the panic room! It might be the first time I felt my bitter Sam girl come out. How DARE they lock him in a room to detox alone??? It tore my heart out! But on one hand, it was an extremely Sam heavy episode. We got to see inside his head through his hallucinations, which up till then, we’d only see glimpses. It was hard for me to piece together what exactly was going on with Sam in S4 until this episode. It was confusing. On one hand he had been his normal, cute, nerdy, sensitive self, but hiding his baddass, sexy, dark side. Up till then i thought he just didn’t want Dean to be angry with him for what he was doing, but then I realized, he was genuinely addicted to the demon blood, and didn’t want Dean to know because he’d want him (make him) stop, and he also feared Dean would hate him like a monster. He felt like he disappointed everyone he loved, even himself, and coming off felt like torture. (hence the Alistair hallucination) So story wise, we needed for him to be alone this time so WE the viewers would see what all he felt, which he may not have, if Dean sat with him to comfort him. And having dealt with addicted people personally, I know that sometimes, an addict will use their addiction for the sole purpose of having someone sit and suffer with them, which sometimes makes the addiction worse. However, the second time Sam was left to suffer alone in the panic room was 100% uncalled for (S5 My Bloody Valentine) If the writers wanted to show how bad Sam’s problem was affecting Dean, which Im sure it was... he could have prayed that prayer while holding Sam through the detox, and it would have been 1000 times more powerful. So this one, I am bitter as well. Soulless Sam wasn’t that bad!! No, he wasn’t. I actually really enjoyed him! He was definitely hornier than our normal Sam, less inhibited, snarkier, funnier, but still, not quite Sam. Why would Dean be so freaked out? Well, we’ll overlook Sam allowing him to be turned by the vamps, because Dean felt creeped out before then. So consider the fact that dozens of years, Sam and Dean were glued to each others hips for the most part. Especially when John left them alone as children, and since Sam was back from Stanford, and now, he was back from Hell, no one knew how, and not his normal self at all. Dean, being Sam’s soulmate, knew something was wrong, and at first was scared that maybe it was still Lucifer in Sam’s vessel. That to me, sounds like it could be scary. Think just for a moment, if the person you love the most, that you thought was dead, is suddenly back but not anything like they used to be. This would be terrible, especially if you thought there was a good chance they were actually Satan wearing their body. Once Dean knew it was actually Sam, but without a soul, he could have lightened up a bit. Yes, I think so too, BUT Sam was still not anything like what Dean loved about his brother. Sam didnt love him back, didnt even care about him, he was Sam otherwise, but i dont blame Dean for wanting to get Sam’s soul back, especially with the knowledge that he could be fine, so long as he doesn’t regain the memories. And even if he did, there’s a good chance he could fix him. Dean did act irrationally, wont argue, but we know they are both irrationally co dependent on each other, and if the tables were turned, Sam would have done something equally irrational to get Dean back. (As we see in About a Boy when Sam wasnt in favor of Dean being 14 so that the Mark was gone. He’d be willing to take Dean back, Mark included, so long as Dean was the Dean he knew and loved today) The narrative is heavily in Dean’s Favor! No, I dont think so. Occasionally yes, but for the most part no. When bitter Sam girls see Dean scolding or berating Sam for being wrong about something, most of the time Sam isn’t wrong about the thing. We see it, and most people see it, so the narrative makes Dean look like a douche. Yes, there are Dean girls that throw Sam hate all the time, but they’re not the majority. They’re just loud on Tumblr. Honestly, in real life, Dean girls, just like Dean’s looks, or personality better than Sam’s and thats simply taste. Tall, long haired, sweet, intelligent, badass, nerds arent everyone’s favorite flavor (dont know how that’s possible but....) thats fine, but ive yet to come across a real life Sam hater. Theres some on tumblr and occasionally some might give Jared grief at a conference, but again, thats not the majority. And I see bitter Sam girls also throw the same hate Dean’s way too. But anyway, getting off point. Dean has always been “its not what you do but who you are” and Sam has always been “its not who you are but what you do” from early on. And we all know Sam’s view is better. Sam is always willing to talk, and give people/monsters a chance to choose good. Dean has only recently agreed to go that route too, but will still think “monster” first and then bend Sam’s direction. killing Sam’s friend Amy in S7 just because she was a monster, was a huge douche move on Dean’s part and everyone thought so Im sure. It was also the last time Dean killed someone for just that reason. Sam’s view of situations like that have always been to give the monster the benefit of the doubt if they wanted to be good, from the beginning, so that narrative has always been in Sam’s favor. Dean was mad that Sam’s happy memories didn’t include him!! Not true. Dean may have been disappointed that Sam’s happy Thanksgiving memory was at someone elses house, but after that, Sam’s best memories were Deans worst. That’s what upset him. Not that Dean wasnt in them, but they were terrible times for him. When Sam was alone in Flagstaff with his dog, Dean was home worried sick that Sam was dead because he ran off while he was watching him. “And when Dad got home....” Dean probably got his ass beat. When Sam went off to Stanford, Dean says it was one of the worst nights of his life. Zachariah was manipulating their memories so it could appear they were happier without each other. Sam didnt get to see the part when he and Dean shot off the fireworks, only the part of Dean’s life when he was happy with Mom. I am sure that if they got to explore more of their heaven, they would have found plenty of memories that were just those two. The writers feminize Sam and make him the Damsel in Distress!! Lord, I have seen HUGE meta on this and I disagree with so much. The male/female formula when there are two protagonists is a common formula to use. This is true, but it is not the only formula to use and its not always Sam that is feminized. Other formulas are the classic comedic/tragic, the big one/the small one, the smart one/the dumb one, light/dark, good cop/ bad cop and so on. The brother have fallen into all these formulas at different times. Sam has a few feminine qualities, it’s true, he cries sometimes and he’s generally nicer than Dean, he has long hair, compassionate and empathetic, he isnt as “butch” as Dean and is conscious of his diet. Dean also has feminine qualities, he cooks, cleans, and irons their clothes. He is very much a nurturer, not only to Sam but to Kevin, Garth and Charlie as well. Dean is much more physical than Sam is. Dean is usually the one initiating the bro hugs, and its not likely that the “Dean is bisexual” thing, would be a thing, if he initiated as many manhugs as Sam has. He cries more than Sam does, he admitted to have enjoyed wearing women’s underwear, loves chick flicks, and said “All women lie about their age” and Sam said “Wait, you told our waitress you’re 29″ and Dean said “Yes”. Often times Sam and Dean are paralleled with married couples, but not always, sometimes its siblings, sometimes best friends, sometimes Rocky and Bullwinkle LOL... but not always male/female, in fact, in the parallel of John and Mary Winchester, Sam is John and Dean is mom. Sam was named after their grandfather, and Dean after their grandmother.

Also, Sam is NOT a Damsel in Distress! My friend went through S1 thru 11 and counted how many times each saved the other, and Dean only beats Sam by 3 saves. Ahead by 3 out of 240 (some episodes have more than one salvation scene, some have none or they save each other) episodes is well within the margin of error and it means neither one is a damsel in distress. HOWEVER Tumblr makes Sam overly feminine! But that’s a whole other rant. Season 8 was a horror fest of Sam hate! Omg is so was NOT! i felt there was more love from Dean towards Sam than any season before it. This season was an emotional roller coaster between the boys, its by far one of my favorite seasons (5 and 11 are my other faves) but i think all the meta written about being a Carver catastrophe and trying to explain WHY it wasnt OOC for Sam to not look for Dean, made some of you not watch the season, or at least, not all of the season, or watched it after reading the meta and thus missed the whole point. However I will agree, like even Jared did, that Sam not looking for Dean definitely was OOC for Sam, especially only knowing what we knew in the beginning. Sam went right away to the promise the boys made not to look for each other, even though he knew Dean looked for him when he went to Hell. It was very OOC for Sam to at least try to make sure Dean was dead first, he had no idea where he was, there was no blood or body, just black goo. Take into consideration that 1) It has been said that S8 was going a different route, but the producers decided to change it, so it’s likely there was more to that story than we actually got. 2) it was the beginning of the season and neither we, nor Jared knew that Sam would later say “I lost my brother a few months back, and my world imploded and everything rained down on me, and i ran” None of us knew that before hand, and Dean was never even told. All he was really told was that Sam was alone, and didnt know what to do so he fixed up the Impala, and just drove. Took time to enjoy the good things, and get a dog and a girlfriend and a home in Texas. Will I will agree that Dean didnt have the right to berate Sam, but he had every right to be hurt and feel betrayed. Sam later turned the table and berated Dean for having Benny. Again, Sam had the right to feel hurt and betrayed, but had no right to berate him, but since they both griefed each other about how they spent the last year, Ill call them both even. This fight that was nothing less than watching a married couple fighting over each other cheating, but once Sam decides to stay with Dean, and Dean cuts ties with Benny, the boys relationship is beautiful again. I say there was so much love shown even in their fighting because we learned part of the depth in which they love each other. Not unlike a married couple.” Don’t ever let someone be more important than me” And though I know, at the end of S8 when Sam was reminded of his “failure” by Dean, Sam was ready to die, but in the middle when the trails are about to start, Dean recalls what kind of life Sam wanted, and was ready to die so Sam could have it. Watch Trial and Error, I think its a great place to see where the boy’s heads are at, at that point in the season. Dean had no right to trick Sam into letting Gadreel possess him! Absolutely true, he had no right to do that, but Dean knew it too. He knew Sam would never agree to such a thing, and he would rather die. But Dean JUST saved his life back at the church, despite that good that would come of if it Sam finished the trials. This didnt matter to Dean anymore if he didn’t have Sam beside him. It wasn’t like Swan Song... now he KNEW what life without Sam was like and didnt want to do it again. Now he sees that Sam is moments from dying, and has an option... a bad option, but an option. He acted in sheer panic. I cant honestly say I wouldnt do that either. But immediately after, Dean had regrets and fears. Did he make the right call? Was this angel gonna take Sam over or tear him apart? Dean wrestled with this every episode till they finally got Gadreel out. He knew Gadreel taking over and killing Kevin was his own fault and whatever backlash was coming from Sam, he deserved. Now after this I fully understand Sam’s hurt 100% and I think he was even hurt that Dean chose to leave afterwards, but his words at the end of The Purge hurt me for Dean’s sake. Not “Same circumstances, I wouldnt” because of course he wouldnt do the same thing. But telling Dean theres no upside to him being alive, and how Dean tells himself that he does more good than bad, but he doesnt, and “Ill hand it you, you;re willing to do the sacrificing, as long as you’re not the one being hurt” was crushing. Dean has always been hurt in his sacrificing, it was like Sam forgot Dean sacrificing his soul for Sam to live and spending 40 years in hell. So, where I will agree Dean says some crappy things, Sam has been guilty of that too. Both have every right to feel what they feel, but that doesnt give them the right to do or say whatever they want. Dean always gets friends and Sam doesnt! Now this I think is basically their make up, not a narrative bias. Sam learned in S1, Skin that friends are a liability and having them in their line of work, puts them in danger. Sam is kind and compassionate and the one who talks to the victims and witnesses with care so they trust him, but he doesnt try to pull them closer, to be friends, because he knows its dangerous for them, as he explained to Adam in Jump the Shark. Dean knows this too, but he needs people. He makes friends and tried to have a family outside the job... it never works out, but he still tries. I think Jody is more drawn to Sam, and probably even Rowena, it also looks like Mary is more drawn to Sam, but Sam is still leary of being close to people. I dont think this has anything to do with the writers wanting us to think Dean is more likable, but to see that the boys need different things. Like Dean has a lot of sex, he needs physical, Sam doesn’t he needs verbal. This is why he has conversations with everyone. Dean has more dialogue than Sam! He does, often times, I guess if its measured, Dean has probably had more onscreen lines than Sam, but I think they make up for that by giving Sam the bigger story arcs. They give Jared the harder roles to act. Dean’s arcs are almost always the same, he is either more violent, or less violent, whereas Sam has been possessed numerous times, went through addiction and withdrawal, Soullessness, fighting against himself, and acting along side his own different personas, insanity, twice, hallucinations,severe physical illness, loss of loved ones, sexual assault, and torture, torture, and more torture. He’s been as weak as a child and yet the biggest badass on the show ever. Dont think because Dean says more that Sam doesnt impact the show just as much, if not more. If both shared the same character arcs, it would be monotonous, if Dean didnt have more dialogue than Sam, compared to Sam’s story lines, Dean would look like the antagonist. Oh trust me, I wish every episode was Sam centric, but its not, thats not how the show works, and I have accepted that. I know I missed many more, but I tried to hit all the ones I see the most meta on. i just want all you Sam girls (Bitter or not) to know that not every Sam girl has gotten as negative of a view as many of you have. Feel free to add to this if you want to, I welcome opposing view points too :)

#supernatural #sam winchester #sam girl #not so bitter sam girl #sam love #dean love

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