#it was problematic & awful & the consent was weird & it was all so bad but i dont know how to describe the red flags beyond that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

eclipsecrowned · 5 months

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✩ for helstarion // @luxsclaris

Send ‘✩’ for the following:

Disagreements:

Who is more likely to raise their voice?

Historically? Astarion. His two modes when sufficiently irked are 'eerily quiet' or 'sudden bombastic Newbon intensifies.' Cazador even calls that the party has not seen his 'fits of temper.' It doesn't happen all that often, if at all, but if it is going to happen... It's definitely more Astarion's style than Hel's.

Who threatens to leave but never actually does?

So I get this is meant to be in a serious context, but it's probably to running gag levels between them. That's it, Astarion cannot take Hel ignoring him to do her work any longer! He is taking Myshka and packing his bags and leaving! That's it! Hel can take his sticky fingers no longer! She is packing her little hankerchief and going to her mother's! It's a cheeky non-starter...

Who actually keeps their word and leaves?

...because they both know they aren't going anywhere.

Who trashes the house?

Neither. They are perfectly happy with their little house in a glade, content to simply live and breathe for a time before going back into the world beyond. It's their own temple to what they've accomplished. They're not going to defile it.

Do either of them get physical?

Nope. Neither of them are that kind of partner, but if it did come down to nastiness... Words cut far deeper than blows.

How often do they argue/disagree?

So here's the thing. Astarion is an evil alignment, whereas Hel is decidedly not. They are always going to have differences in opinion and methodology. They are always going to oppose aspects of each other. But they also both understand where the other is coming from and seek only to shield them from undue consequences or short-sighted harm, not actively argue or try to change them. Hel is a fount of patience and understanding, where Astarion is both in awe of and greatly confused by her ability to be so, even against enemies. Likewise, Astarion is pragmatic and does not mince words, which Hel can appreciate in some cases and recognize as naked cruelty in others, so she will never condemn the act -- only the intent. It's a balancing act built on communication rather than needless confrontation.

Who is the first to apologise?

Hel will when she's wrong, or if it opens any kind of necessary communication between them. Astarion is slow to admit to his flaws, and likewise his virtues. He doesn't want to be wrong. Hel is trying to help him get used to the sensation and recognize it isn't 'losing' or 'weakness' via leading by example.

Sex:

Who is on top?

When it's just the two of them, Astarion. He flourishes in control and feels safest mentally when holding it. That's not to say he mistrusts Hel or anything, it's just that his trauma regarding agency/his own sexuality is still close to the surface. Once they gain a third partner, it fluctuates. Sometimes Astarion controls them both, sometimes their shared lover calls the shots, and on rare occasion Hel is a sweet but firm top to the both of them, coaxing rather than ordering.

Who is on the bottom?

Hel, 9 times out of 10. She isn't quite a pillow princess, but she enjoys submitting to Astarion greatly -- to a problematic degree in her bad end, honestly. But otherwise, it's just that she enjoys letting go for scarce moments in her otherwise orderly life. She enjoys making Astarion feel good in whatever way he deems best. She even extends that to their shared lover in the future.

Who has the strangest desires?

Look me in the eye and tell me 'Kelemvor's Grave Cleric-cum-Champion is fucking a Vampire Spawn' is not considered some kind of weird power play fetish by everyone around them. I mean, it's emphatically not a fetish thing on either side, but still, Hel takes it for some of the things she wants to do for Astarion.

Any kinks?

Obviously there's some heavy D/s agenda being pushed here from both sides, safely sanely and with overt consent. Per a discord thread with Ax, however, there's also overlapping desires towards impact play, bindings/restraint, begging, edging, hair-pulling, biting, marking... Negotiably, there's bloodplay, breathplay, and maybe some waxplay if Astarion is very, very careful. There's an element of breeding kink given who Hel is, but she's never outright admitted to it or asked to be catered to. She's a little shy about it, to be honest. Ax and I freely admit that while we never go for the Ascended route, the whole conceit of 'sexy dominating figure who uses all sorts of possessive pet names and power plays' is a part of sexual roleplay in their bedroom.

Who’s dominant in bed?

Astarion. Just. Astarion.

Is head ever in the equation?

Of course! Both love giving, but are receptive to receiving. Astarion in particular loves to go down on Hel for a long while before finally getting to the 'main course.'

If so, who is better at performing it?

Astarion. Let's be honest. The canon for Hel has always been she's a better carpet muncher than anything. He, meanwhile, is old hand at this.

Ever had sex in public?

They've had sex in the open, and behind unlocked doors, but never purely in public. Though they might tease each other terribly but subtly in full view of others, making a game of it.

Who moans the most?

Per canon scenes, Hel. She's loud. She didn't know she could feel the things he stirs in her. She is very vocal with Astarion, and he takes steps to actually ensure she be such.

Who leaves the most marks?

Astarion. Perhaps not intentionally, given Hel's propensity to bruise and be a delicate wilting flower of femininity, but it happens all the same. He leaves her bitten, bruised, and sore -- and she loves every second of it.

Who screams the loudest?

Hel's not much of a screamer, actually! She's vocal, but not making exaggerated or overt noises. Astarion, though... I mean... They were the sweetest --

Who is the more experienced of the two?

She was literally a 35 year old virgin before she met him. He was, unfortunately, forced to use his body to serve his master's aims. He has the experience between them.

Do they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’?

Depends on what they can handle. Due to Astarion's trauma and Hel's chronic conditions, sometimes they have to take things slow or table their plans. Other times, if all are ready and able, they go at it hard nasty as Kelemvor certainly did not intend. It is actually a gag between Ax and I that Astarion learns alchemy and starts brewing superior health potions just so he can get her to pound town more oftne.

Rough or soft?

At first, soft. Dialogue outlines as such, that Astarion didn't want to overwhelm the player their first time. Given Hel has a horrific 8 CON, this was reasonable and IC. However, one night Hel looks him dead in the eyes as he's trying to be slow an romantic and tells him 'Harder.' and it completely reframes their bedroom habits.

How long do they usually last?

I mean. 8 CON. As a standard mortal Hel can maybe make it two rounds before she has to tap out. Once she becomes Chosen and starts reaping some sweet rewards from Papa K, though... I mean, this is not what her god intended for her stat boosts, but it's what's happening. She's fucking a Vampire with them. For several rounds.

Is protection used?

Undead! 8 CON! No they do not use protection! It is irrelevant and does nothing their own physical states will no already negate.

Does it ever get boring?

Honestly? No. For them, sex is much more about intimacy than excitement or prowess. It's about trust and taking care of one another. Hel is demi while Astarion is... Astarion. Boring never enters the lexicon.

Where is the strangest place they’d have sex?

His grave. Definitely on top of his grave. Not just because of it being a grave, but because Hel is herself a Cleric of a death god. She had to lay down ground rules of 'only on your grave and only because you said so and hopefully I still have my powers come morning.'

Family:

Do your muses plan on having children/or have children?

Ha. So between her Constitution and his Undead nature, they never expect to have kids. In fact, they refer to their pet cat as their child post-canon for a long time. Plus, there's a lot for them both to unpack mentally before sharing their lives with anyone else. Still, several adventures and a lot of making peace later... Ax and I might have a plot involving a Dhampir...

If so, how many children do your muses want/have?

Via plotting, one of their own, and then the child Hel has with their shared partner. Two daughters, two dads, one blended family. The expectation/initial want was for none, but times change, circumstances arise, and characterization march on.

Who is the favorite parent?

Both girls love their Mama, don't get them wrong. But Astarion is the one they look to for guidance and to emulate. They both have a mean streak and deft hands that point to them favoring one dad over their shared mom.

Who is the authoritative parent?

Astarion is very good at teaching the girls to set boundaries and stand up for themselves. Hel is the one that has to actually set boundaries for them, because her husband is a very 'Do what thou wilt -- Within reason.' where Hel has to remind him 'They are 6 and 3, they do not possess reason!' and rein them in.

Who is more likely to allow the children to have a day off school?

Astarion thinks the girls need to go to school to prove they are better than everyone else, and Hel who has a piecemeal education past the age of 8 thinks they need to actually devote themselves to their studies. It's their partner who gets easily swayed with the idea the girls can learn more from observation and going at their own pace than in a structured environment.

Who lets the children indulge in sweets and junk food when the other isn’t around?

Hel. They're only going to be young once. Let them have the sweets while they can enjoy them recklessly and without consequence.

Who turns up to extra curricular activities to support their children?

Tell me Astarion is not that dad who takes ye olde teeball equivalent way too seriously and tells his kid to SEVER THEIR BLOODLINE DARLING! Like Hel and H*lsin are here for emotional support while Astarion is here to play hype man and inflict psychic damage on the opposing team.

Who goes to parent teacher interviews?

Helsin are discussing how they're going to help Hyacinth with her handwriting and teach Alraea to be kinder to her classmates, and thank the teachers for bringing these issues to their attention. Astarion, meanwhile, is saying it is the other children's fault that his daughter is using Vicious Mockery on them at playtime, and that have they considered it is the teacher that is wrong about Hya's clearly perfect penmanship?

Who changes the diapers?

Whole polycule. No idle hands on this ship.

Who gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby?

Hel, by necessity. Astarion will often keep her company when she does, though, take the baby to burp her when she's had her fill. Often just awed by the sight of his wife holding his child until then, though.

Who spends the most time with the children?

To the misfortune of the Sword Coast, Hel arises to divinity and her other mate is a community leader. Astarion is a wealthy twit with no day job. He's rocking that weekday warrior practically single dad life. The girls will be rotted out and spoiled by this fact.

Who packs their lunch boxes?

It doesn't matter. Lunch time rolls around, Alraea is jumping the schoolyard fence to hunt squirrels and other small woodland creatures for sport. Hyacinth has a big stick, an older sister who can cast Fire Bolt, and the hubris of a Dead God in approaching a honeybee hive. It doesn't matter what is in their packs, they are independent grade schoolers who can hunt and gather their own lunch.

Who gives their children ‘the talk’?

Hel is the only one that can be trusted to go about this logically. Astarion would start off fine I think but then get into teaching the girls about consent and start slipping. Hel would be able to hold her own the whole way through.

Who cleans up after the kids?

The kids clean up after themselves when they are able. It's about accountability and responsibility by Hel's edict.

Who worries the most?

There's always going to be that worry. Hel went through it even as a very young child, and Astarion, well... He knows the absolute worst the world has to offer. There will always be worries between them, fears for their daughters. But I think where Hel was able to counterbalance all that he went through, Astarion did not have that safety net before he met Hel herself. He's always going to be the most worried, trying to make sure the girls are stronger, wiser, have the sharper teeth and minds of any who might come across them in the dark.

Who are the children more likely to learn their first swear word from?

To the shock of absolutely no one, Astarion. And it will be enunciated clearly and with proper inflection, like a good girl.

Affection:

Who likes to cuddle?

Hel is so touch starved, she's always reaching for Astarion's hands, wrapping her arms around him, just trying to be tethered to him physically. She cuddles him like she'll die without his presence close at hand. Like at any second he'll realize he doesn't belong with her and go on with his life without her, so she has to get enough of him to go on.

Who is the little spoon?

Astarion is a little drunk on the concept of having someone he can hold and not have them be pulled away from him, to sincerely want to lay down and pass a trance with someone. He is holding her as often as he can.

Who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places?

This is a place where they are almost evenly matched. They make a game of it, when they're in the mood in public. How close can they get to what they both want without tipping others off. Astarion slightly outpaces Hel because... Again... Fucking a grave cleric on his own grave. Hel at least has hardlines regarding the truly sacred that Astarion doffs gleefully. Then again, she is also the woman who led him astray to fuck on her abusive uncle's literal seat of power long after the keep wound down for the night --

Who struggles to keep their hands to themself?

Neither? They might have little soft touches and hand holding, but nothing that's considered the classical definition of the phrase. Consent is key. Astarion probably gets the closest to this one because sometimes he falls victim to some giddy possessive part of his brain that says 'She is mine! I have an entire person to love that is MINE!'

How long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable?

It's less a matter of time as it is circumstances. If Astarion is not in the right headspace, touch is likely to be brief. If Hel has a chronic pain flareup, then she definitely does not want to be touched. It changes from day to day and sometimes moment b moment depending on what's going on.

Who gives the most kisses?

Astarion. He's ravenous in more ways than one. He doesn't just need touch, he needs to taste, too, to breathe her air, to make it something more than the tender touches she favors. It's not even strictly a lip thing, either -- he's as fond of the wrist, the neck, whatever he can touch.

What is their favourite non-sexual activity?

Adventuring! It's how they met and it's still a favorite bonding pastime. It encapsulates several of their favorite shared activities -- Travel, networking, problem-solving, and hitting back at bastards bigger than you.

Where is their favourite place to cuddle?

Outside, beneath the stars, laying on a spread cloak or blanket and feeling like the last two people on earth.

Who is more likely to playfully grope the other?

Whoever has consent. Also, come on, it's Astarion. There's not a lot to grope given how androgynously Hel is built, but by the gods he is trying. He found out she has hella ass under her demure layers and has never stopped focusing on it, especially when drawing her in for a kiss.

How often do they get time to themselves?

Early on? Very little, given the state of traveling and sharing camp with others. A few months traveling solo makes it a lot easier to spend some quality one on one time, and then settling at the end of another adventure allows them relative peace aside from their friend the alderman and those who also settled nearby dropping in. All bets are off once kids are in the equation, however. Their shared partner is a saint for taking the girls for nature rambles with daddy so they can get some time as a couple.

Sleeping:

Who snores?

Canonically? Astarion. He's sawing tiny little logs in the night and, post canon, changes to the day shift. It mystifies Hel. She thought Vampires didn't breathe.

If both do, who snores the loudest?

Ironically, Hel sleeps like the dead in silence and stillness, while Astarion is the only one snoring/shifting around.

Do they share a bed or sleep separately?

Bed, bedroll, using a cave bear boyfriend as a mattress, cuddled up on the ground, it doesn't matter where they rest their heads over the years, they're sharing that space.

If they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart?

As cozy as is comfortable. Again, due to Hel's chronic pain issues, sometimes Astarion can only hold her hand or press against her back. Most times, however, he is clinging to her.

Who talks in their sleep?

Astarion. Hel enjoys having little conversations with him based off of what he's mumbling about, even if he doesn't remember any of it when he wakes.

What do they wear to bed?

Hel is wearing either the simple linen chemise that sits under her robe or a long, practical nightgown depending on if they're traveling or at home. Astarion is either in his camp clothes, just his breeches, or at home is not afraid to let it loose. Two wildly different energies at play here.

Are either of your muses insomniacs?

Not by traditional definition. More night owls than true insomniacs, though I'm sure that's the perception outsiders might have of them.

Can sleeping pills be found by the bedside?

Hel has a few tinctures for rough nights, mostly meant to dull her senses and let her get some sleep when she ha a flare up. Ye Olde Knock Out Juice.

Do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side?

Usually they tangle up in each other, but again, sometimes they have to settle for just laying there.

Who wakes up with bed hair?

Astarion. Hel's hair is too dense to really be disturbed by sleep, while Astarion... Well, his bedhead is the stuff of legend. Curls askew, loose without any sort of styling. He hates it, she loves it.

Who wakes up first?

By definition, Hel. Even after finding a fix for his daylight woes, that man is decadent and prefers to laze. Hel has to be up to take care of the homestead, at least.

Who prepares breakfast in bed for the other?

Once they find a fix for certain issues, Astarion. He does his best. Hel, however, will sometimes tease him with 'breakfast' in bed by presenting his favorite part of her to a newly wakened Spawn.

What is their favourite sleeping position?

Wrapped up in each other, facing each other, his arms around her waist and hers draped along his shoulders or sides. Head resting against him, brows pressed. Sometimes he might shift to instead rest his chin on her head. It might not last the whole night, but it's their favorite way to wind down.

Who hogs the sheets?

Astarion. Were they in a more modern setting he would absolutely pull the 'It's a QUEEN comforter so it's already at max capacity' shit.

Do they set an alarm each night?

They have a rooster in the yard. Sometimes it even helps.

Can a television be found in their bedroom?

Given the setting, no. However... Books. Books everywhere. Pretty much every in-universe Drizzt book is within the confines of that bedroom. It's their equivalent of winding down every night with their favorite show.

Who has nightmares?

Always Astarion. He tries to avoid trancing or dreaming, but the memories still seep in when he's not able to properly hold them at bay.

Who has ridiculous dreams?

Still Astarion. Hel doesn't seem to remember her dreams all that much, unless they involve her god. Astarion, meanwhile, has a subconscious that appears to be making up for centuries of survival mode.

Who sprawls out and takes up most of the bed?

Neither. It's the boyfriend. Every time.

Who makes the bed?

Given their... disparate sleep schedules, it can be hard to stick to this chore. Once they get his 'allergy' taken care of, however, Hel is the one making the bed, sometimes around a protesting partner who wants to sleep in.

What time is bed time?

It depends! Factors like whether at home vs adventuring, pre or post sunlight ring, and certain lifestyle changes mean that over their time together there's no set bedtime. Sometimes they might be crawling into bed just short of dawn, sometimes they both turn in early in the evening.

Any routines/rituals before bed?

If possible, at least a chapter of Drizzt, a light feeding if Hel is capable, and playing gently with Astarion's hair as he goes on his final ADHD ramble of the night, one or the other eventually going down first.

Who’s the grumpiest when they wake up?

Astarion. Always Astarion. Hel is at that phase of life and illness where every morning is to be welcomed, even if the circumstances of waking up are not. Astarion instead wants to stay comfy, warm, and during the adventuring days does not want to get dragged back into marching for hours trying to find something.

Work:

Who is the busiest?

Hel. Given her status as Champion for most of post-canon and her eventual upgrade during the course of a far future plot, she's often caught up in work whether locally at a temple or abroad carrying out her duties. Astarion has his hobbies and might tailor when the urge strikes him to play at diligence, but mostly he's a trophy househusband and proud of it. The odd time they're equal tends to coincide with going on adventures together.

Who rakes in the highest income?

Both, when adventuring. Hel, when in the 'off' season or taking a break from the lifestyle, given how well people pay for her services -- even if they don't have to and some part of her feels dirty as a Champion taking such payment.

Are any of your muses unemployed?

Astarion. Listen, he's been through 200 years of pure shit. He does not have to generate income or work for anyone else. If he wants to do a bit of embroidery or tailoring for coin, that's his choice. If he wants to go out and play 'hero' to earn shiny trinkets and gold, that's his choice. He refuses to work a traditional position, and probably enjoys getting to laze in the comfort of a home that he owns more than most things.

Who takes the most sick days?

Hel. It tapers off once she becomes Papa K's Special Lil Problem Child, but she still has the odd flare-up or general poor health day. Find her curled up in bed being fussed over by Astarion who is holding off her cohorts in the Temple with barked orders to stop knocking, their Cleric can't come out and play today.

Who is more likely to turn up late to work?

Astarion. He gets there when he gets there, if he gets there, and if he wants to. Man is a disaster. His clients are either ignorant to who he is as a person, masochists, or willing to pay for quality and the rare open spot in his ledger with time gold and mental energy.

Who sucks up to their boss?

Hel has been sucking up to her divine patron for a long, long time trying to say that Astarion is different somehow from those she is honor-bound to slay. First it was that she could not refuse an ally or a chance to study how the tadpole affected an Undead for future reference. Then it was that he slew his horrific master and saved the world from a greater evil, and so she would stay her hand. Then it was arguing that after everything she did for her god, he would let her have this one man. It's a balancing act of sucking up to Papa K and putting her foot down with him about what this world owes to she and her lover. Her luck eventually runs out, but it's a solid holding pattern for some time.

What are their jobs?

Adventurers on both ends, lackadaisical tailor for Astarion, Chosen and later Minor Divinity for Hel. Hel also plays at homesteader on their property between world-saving missions.

Who stresses the most?

Both? Hel in more practical/anxiety-driven ways, while Astarion is just... A dramatic man copign with a whole lot of trauma. Badly, for the most part.

Do your muses enjoy or despise their careers/occupations?

So in truth, some of Gale's arguments got under Hel's skin about the gods and worship. She never encouraged him to ascend, either, but he was definitely the beginning of a change in her. She was no longer content just to serve something inscrutable and immutable. She wanted more for herself, even if it was something humble, something heretical in its innocence. But she needed her powers to help this world. There's been some friction just under the surface in her role as Cleric and late Chosen for some time, but it never really surfaces -- even for Astarion, who she otherwise tells everything.

Are your muses financially stable?

If not then they can be in a night, Astarion knows where to hit in the Gate to make sure they are never without gold.

Home:

Who does the washing?

Astarion. He knows how to handle all sorts of fabric, and has some practice in taking care of all kinds of stains.

Who takes out the trash?

Hel, ever since discovering her darling husband was just feeding refuse to her hog. Just because Raphazora can eat everything doesn't mean he should.

Who does the ironing?

Astarion. Not just because he's the linens guy, but because he doesn't want his precious burning her already delicate skin. Forget that she's a Tiefling with resistances. He's being nice. Let him be nice.

Who does the cooking?

Hel tried as the only one here not on a liquid diet. Astarion did make attempts for her sometimes. Eventually it's just their shared partner, and that's for the best for all involved.

Who is more likely to burn the house down just trying?

Hel. Hel. Hel. She'd find a way to make water catch fire. Woman cannot cook. The men in her life are firm in keeping her pretty face out of the kitchen.

Who is messier?

Astarion. Not by much, both take pride in their home and their presentation, but sometimes he just... Gets distracted.

Who leaves their dirty clothes on the floor?

Hel, sometimes. And yes he is whingeing about it as he picks them up.

Who is the prankster around the house?

Hel. What do you expect from the daughter of a card-carrying Mask's Special Little Guy? Astarion is so over it, but she's having a splendid time <3

Who loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere?

Astarion. His meat hard, his abs defined, his brain Swiss cheese, he soldiers on. Hel trying to cast a minor spell just to locate the house key he set down and the fantasy ADHD erased from the memory bank two seconds later.

Who mows the lawn?

The yard goats. Hel and Astarion sit outside at their little table and sip drinks as the goats nibble their way across the property. Best and smelliest investment Hel ever made as a homeowner.

Who answers the telephone?

Astarion is running for Sendings hoping it's Gale delivering The Tea. It's never Gale delivering The Tea. It's boring old men in dusty old robes asking for his lady wife on Grave Cleric business. He hates it here.

Who does the vacuuming?

Hel sweeps. It's a nice relaxing repetitive movement. Plus it's cute watching Myshka chase the bristles.

Who does the groceries?

Hel goes to market for groceries. Astarion goes to market to steal. They are not the same.

Who takes the longest to shower?

Both. It's a rare day they don't share baths. Need to wash each other's backs and all. But honestly, soaking helps with her issues and he just likes to luxuriate. They're even.

Who spends the most time in the bathroom?

Astarion. He's ready when he's ready! Quiet, darling, he's trying to put on eyeliner!

Miscellaneous:

Is money a problem?

If it ever is, not for long. As outlined, Astarion is not above robbing a snob of their coinpurse, and Hel can go adventuring. They made it, in some form or fashion.

How many cars do they own?

Hel ends up purchasing one lovely coal black horse. Astarion cannot stand it, but the beast is efficient for both travel and heavy lifting around the homestead.

Do they own their home or do they rent?

Owned, and largely self-built. Others may have put in the labor, but the design and resource gathering was down to the couple in question.

Do they live near the coast or deep in the countryside?

Countryside. They settled in the Reclaimed Lands, close enough to society to visit, but also a place where both can pass a time just existing, not having to do anything but live as they want to.

Do they live in the city or in the country?

Again, country. Private, comfortable, easy to slide in and out of, and slightly removed from curious rubberneckers. Plus, easy access to their eventual shared partner.

Do they enjoy their surroundings?

Astarion may whine about the smells and all the green, but if he was genuinely fed up, he'd just move. He likes it, he just can't stand letting things be perfect for once.

What’s their song?

In-universe, he regards 'Down by the River' as 'theirs' because performing that song was her subtle invitation for him to join her in bed -- or, rather, that she trusted him enough to have her that night at the party. Out of universe... Ax and I have so many, it's hard to narrow one down.

What do they do when they’re away from each other?

Astarion plays the sad wet cat for the first hour or day depending on the length of absence, but he ultimately turns to reading, sewing, playing knife games. Keeping himself and his skill sharp, as it were. Hel will say a little prayer, then go about her day as normal. Chores, rites, reading, composing, staying active as best she can. Her favorite thing is to have unaccompanid rambles, though, whether in cities when abroad or through the woods that surround them at home.

Where did they first meet?

The Wilds, not far from the Nautiloid Crash.

How did they first meet?

Her performing rites over some poor dead traveler, putting feelers out for the approach of others that eventually paid off -- and seeing him for what he is. And still staying her hand. Him verbally being put out by her disfigured apearance, and her snarking back good naturedly. That was it. Grave Cleric and (poorly hidden) Vampire Spawn have game, set, match, and will be vitriolic friends with time -- and then something more.

Who spends the most money when out shopping?

Hel, by virtue of actuall paying fair market value or haggling for goods. Astarion sees it, he likes it, he wants it, he steals it out from under the owner--

Who’s more likely to flash their assets?

Depends on what we mean. Astarion is the king of conpicuous consumption while Hel knows better than to make hersef a target for thieves and rogues. As for the other kind of assets... Neither. Astarion is no longer a slab of meat to be viewed, and Hel had a hard enough time for years showing all of herself to Astarion.

Who finds it amusing when the other trips over?

Hel is too earnest. Wants to make sure her love is alright and didn't hurt himself. Astarion muses it looks like Hel is falling for him all over again then gives her a once over to make sure his fragile favorite companion didn't ctually hurt herself, which is always a risk.

Any mental issues?

They are half the DSM masquerading as an Elf/Tiefling relationship. Both have ongoing struggles with PTSD, both are disassociative as fuck, both are totally fucked by their individual histories. They are multiple diagnoses in a trenchcoat trying to kiss. It's a mess, especially when they keep bumping into each other's trauma.

Who’s terrified of bugs?

Unless it's a spider, which are pretty neat actually, Astarion is wielding one of the Drizzt books and huntign vermin for sport. Hel at least lets the non-pests be sent outside in a little glass.

Who kills the spiders around the house?

Myshka their beloved son/pet. He is a big game hunter. He find spider. He kill. Mermer is so unhappy.

Their favourite place?

A small clearing on the other side of a narrow waterway, the boughs swaying in the breeze, the grass warm beneath them. It's a little sanctuary Hel found not long after they settled, and they love to just be there for a variety of reasons.

Who pays the bills?

These are tax evaders. The Governement Has No Right To What They Rightfully Pilfered. That their boyfriend is in local government is irrelevant.

Do they have any fears for their future?

Hel is genuinely and realistically terrified of what happens to Astarion after she's gone. Has he helped him rebuild, to stand on his own, or will her eventual loss upend everything? Will he survive her or join her? Or worse, will he survive her, but in some new, worse shape? It's a genuine source of stress to her in the relationship, knowing her time is limited and he now has something to lose. She's also holding her breath that one day he's going to wake up and realize he deserves better, that he's beautiful and charming and can have far better than her. She won't hold it against him. It will just hurt.

His fears mirror hers. That one day she's going to decide he's too much and leave. That whatever she sees in him will one day be gone and he'll be left with nothing,

Who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner?

Astarion. He loves to spoil Hel and even if he's sat there watching while sipping wine, he wants to see her taken care of. It's a good payoff for something he probably over or underthought from the jump.

Who uses up all of the hot water?

Astarion. He's cold. Keep the water warming by the hearth. He needs more. Hel who actually needs hot water to deal with her health problems is just staring at the back of his head and wondering who gave him the right.

Who’s the tallest?

They are actually evenly matched -- 5'9". Astarion is more likely to wear heels, though. The actual tallest in their household is the 6'6"+ boyfriend.

Who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other?

Astarion has blanket permission to do this to Hel, and will do it with impunity. He locates her in the bath and just strips and clambers in. A menace who gets in the way of her actually trying to clean and soak.

Who wanders around in their underwear?

Astarion understands the concept of shame. It is simply immaterial to him. Hel tries her best to cover up, but Astarion literally cannot care less at this point.

Who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio?

Hel will hum along with any performance when out and about, and sings to herself when busy with things. Astarion refuses to sing. No. You can't make him.

What do they tease each other about?

Astarion is vain. Hel is completely over the concept of appearance as any indicator of worth. She is absolutely ribbing him on his vanity without demeaning him -- It's not about his looks. It's about his attitude. Which is incidentally how one can describe his attraction to her, she laughs, as he just 'Darling don't be cruel to yourself--' He, by contrast, is so befuddled and bemused by her hopeful ways. He's going to slow roast her for helping every poor bastad they cross, and helping ducklings cross the road, and he's just waiting for the day his beloved grows up and joins the nightmare world the rest of them live in --

Who is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times?

Astarion dreams of dressing her in finer clothes, in a wider palette than simply blacks and greys and greens. Hel not getting what's wrong with her fashion sense is the kind of thing that makes him cry himself to sleep at night.

Do they have mutual friends?

Their old traveling party, and in time Hel ends up friendly with what fellow Spawn he keeps contact with.

Who crushed first?

Per Ax, Astarion. Hel went from composed and gentle idiot preaching on the world being what you put into it and a bunch of other bullshit he doesn't believe, and yet the second she went feral on the graverobbers with grease traps and fire, he knew this woman was one to watch.

Any alcohol or substance related problems?

Hel leans heavily on alcohol to cope with her own history as well as her ongoing health problems. Astarion is impulsive, but never really gets hooked on anything, be it due to his drifting attentions or his Undead nature.

Who is more likely to stumble home, drunk, at 3am?

Hel's part-Goliath. She imbibes with abandon. Can't feel the aches and pains if she's too sloshed. And then she's going home to the man she loves.

Who swears the most?

Astarion. Hel will only swear if she's run out of all other verbal options. Astarion does not care. He will enunciate it clearly and with glee.

#luxsclaris #helstarion #heltbt

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heretherebedork · 2 years

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I’m glad to see your thoughts on LITA, because most ppl’s reactions that I see are calling the show bad + “people who watch this are awful” or they try to excuse Payu’s actions with victim blaming rhetoric 😓 not many in between who watch the show and actually acknowledge the problematic aspects of it!

To be clear, I totally get why people wouldn’t like the show/are uncomfortable with it and don’t want to watch it themselves, it’s 100% fine! I like the show because it’s trash, but it’s just frustrating to see that I’m apparently in the minority who want to discuss the show WITHOUT excusing Payu’s actions or trying to brush it off like “we don’t watch BL for the life lessons” :/ sorry this is a sorta vent but tl;dr I always appreciate your thoughts on shows even if I don’t always agree! But I can always respectfully disagree with you

I am so, so happy that I keep my following list so tiny sometimes because I just hear about these takes second hand and it's enough to stress me out.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying these shows. Nothing. Enjoy them! Have fun! Turn off your brain and let yourself frolic in the fields of dubious consent if you like!

But that doesn't magically fix or remove all the issues.

Look, @absolutebl and I are having a ton of fun trashwatching this and probably will through the end. And we will both talk about the issues in the show, both from MAME and from the sound (though nothing will ever be as bad as the sound in The Cupid Coach or that shower threesome scene in UN where I suddenly felt like I was in a different show with no sound editing).

We don't need to watch BL for life lessons but we also don't need to watch BL to watch boys be assaulted. There's a place between those two extremes!

No worries, I accept vents, questions, weird asks, yells, friendly disagreement... whatever. My inbox is open and continues to be.

I think it's important to enjoy shows but also to enjoy shows while thinking about them.

#love in the air #love in the air the series #bl drama #thai bl #thaibl #thai drama #bl series #thai series #mame #mame cinematic universe

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sholeh675 · 3 years

Text

Hello,

So there’s been a lot happening the last few days, some of it centered around the most recent TopJoe server event. It’s also come to my attention that another “list” was made and accusations of racism.

I don’t think it’s a secret that I’ve written a number of TopJoe fics that have darker themes: underage, dubious consent, immoral!Joe (in an AU setting), unsafe sex, tentacles, etc.

I like dark, morally grey, weird shit. Those are things I like to write about. Not all the time (you may notice if you look at both of my profiles that I’ve also written femslash, Non-Romance Crossover fic, Character studies, Meet-Cutes, Slow Burns, etc). But yeah, I like weird stuff, and I try to tag for it extensively so that anyone who does not like the idea of the fic can avoid it. And then I write extensive author’s notes warning people about the content in greater detail so that you can backspace it if it’s not your thing.

But it seems that writing Joe in certain ways (again, always in AU settings for me) is unacceptable because depicting him in these scenarios can only be maliciously racist and is part of the larger systemic racism present in many societies.

Okay, so what if the premise of my most controversial fics were flipped? Joe is an underage Muslim teenager and begins a relationship with an older white man, or Nicky makes revenge porn to blackmail Joe, who has blackmailed older men to further his own career. I can totally understand why you wouldn’t like a fic with Joe in those roles I’ve described, and that’s why I tag so much. But a white man preying on a POC man can also be extremely problematic.

(Also I’d love to have it known that I don’t write Nicky as an uwu helpless white boy in the face of the aggressive brown man. If you think that’s in my story after reading it, please DM me, that was not my intention and I have edited my fics after getting feedback before.)

So if a Muslim man doing these things is feeding into dangerous stereotypes, a white man doing these “awful” things to a brown man is… what? Not reminding people that there’s a long, hateful history of white men being hyper-aggressive toward people of color? Both scenarios can be disturbing to certain people, and the repeated dismissal of that fact by the people in this fandom who only go after “TopJoe” fics is galling.

Nicky gets abused too much, and it should be Joe instead because we like him more and only people who are abused or whumped get sympathy. Does this sound right to you? Because this is a hottake I’ve heard making the rounds a few times. If you like extreme kinks and want to see Nicky, or Joe, or Andy, or Nile, or Booker, or whoever, being the focus of that, that’s up to you. Everyone has their reasons for what they want to write/read and I don’t know anyone here well enough to make assumptions about their motivations.

Also, I have never told people, not once, what they could or couldn’t write. I have never said that people should block another person’s content because I felt it was disgusting. Everyone’s thoughts and feelings and what might be disturbing to them is unique. It’s up to individuals to decide what content is safe for them to consume, and so to allow someone to do that for you, without an explanation as to why you should besides “here are the bad people”, is something I find extremely disturbing.

By all means, though. If you need to block me on ao3, please do so. I have absolutely no problem with that. The same goes for the #TopJoePornathon2021 event. There are several people that I have blocked on tumblr and ao3, and it’s not for personal reasons, but because their content makes me extremely uncomfortable.

However, I don’t believe the main architects of the most recent “discourse” are genuine. I have never spoken to any of them personally, and when I started writing “problematic” fics, not one of them approached me about it. Instead, that’s when the vagueblogging started (though to be fair, the originator of the “list” was not one of them. In fact, she left a lovely comment on one of my fics in October, so I guess I wasn’t that awful then- even with my ~problematic~ underage fic already published). I have since blocked many of them because of how they vagued me or because they’ve vagued people I know, or because I don’t think a constructive conversation with them is possible, for one reason or another.

I’ve always considered myself a reasonably open and friendly person. If you come to my DMs or my askbox, I won’t be dismissive or rude. I’ve thought a great deal about my own stories, about how I’m portraying the characters, since I’ve joined the fandom, and I really do invite the opinions of people who are respectful, who aren’t interested in condescending to me or assuming I must have bad intentions because of what I like to write.

But I don’t hate anyone in this fandom. I don’t know any of you, not really. We’re all strangers on the internet, no matter how well you think you know a person whose blog you follow or whose fic you read or whose art you like.

Emotions are high right now- there are so many awful things going on in the world and this feels so small in comparison. Especially stories written for a small fandom that are tagged for their potentially triggering content and rarely get over 3000 hits. So again, please block anything that you feel needs to be blocked. But don’t pretend that the current discourse is anything other than a tumblr performance.

#the old guard #tog #tog discourse #sorry guys it's personal this time #old guard discourse #and this is all i'll say on this #block me if you need to

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aretheyaterf · 3 years

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um. i'm not the person you tagged about the situation, but--i will say that, things you like to read and consume don't denotate that you yourself are a bad person, and that someone's kinks also don't define their morality. a lot of people indulge in kinks as a form of self-therapy--and as someone who's part of that community, it works wonders to help work through trauma. i don't think that the very legitimate good that saint-dionysus is doing should be sullied by what he consumes fictionally, and i don't think his kinks should define him. as for the omegaverse stuff--i have seen MANY aboriginal people say that so long as it is all-capsed (ABO) or has slashed (A/B/O) it is clearly an acronym and not a slur, and that's a slur that people outside of australia do not know and do not use, hence why it became the shorthand for the fic trope anyway. i think that decrying him a racist for saying "it's an acronym" is unfair, especially when he himself is a black man. i also agree with the screenshot in his callout post which says "please do not force other people to look at extreme kinks in a callout post; my sexual ideas are none of their business". none of this--and i am saying this as a trans person who has been assaulted--NONE of this makes him a bad person. none of those kinks. a lot of trans people explore detransition as a degradation kink, a lot of trans men identified as lesbians before they were trans men and explored orientation play at that time to cope with trauma, a lot of assault victims are into r*pe play to reframe that experience as something they consented to and can safeword out of. i think that callout post was misguided at best and malicious because OP just doesn't like SD at worst. i'm gonna keep talking about transmisandry! and even if he were awful, we didn't throw out sexuality labels just because they were created as mental illness labels, so why would we toss this? this genuinely feels like people wanting trans men to shut up about what they go through, because taking away the language to talk about it is the easiest way to do that.

..also i glossed it, but i wanna note that liking """problematic""" ships isn't a sin, and that he correctly warned for and tagged every bit of content that the person making the callout talked about. it isn't up to him to curate someone else's internet experience, and censorship of any kind will crack down on queer content and spaces first--isn't that exactly why we're fighting against the EARN it law right now?

Look, I'm not an expert on the situation, I'm not going to pretend to be either. And there's certain personal reasons why I can't comment on people involved as well. But I will say that the best solution to these situations is ignoring it, this is to both parties. Pick your battles. Not everything and not everyone needs to be argued with.

I will add though that censorship of media, whether that be on a teeny tiny scale such as tumblr, or governments banning a book outright is damaging, regardless of if its 'morally' correct (which you can also argue as a concept on its own.)

My final note on the topic of A/B/O; I'm not indigenous, but I do live in Australia, and even at 13 years old discovering that genre, it definitely struck me as weird. Yes, this slur really doesn't exist outside of my country. I do personally think I would be more comfortable if people adopted omega-verse, but I also think there are bigger issues in the world than arguing over a niche micro-community specific word.

#mod posts #mod answers

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unforth · 4 years

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Are there issues with svsss and consent (Just things I’ve heard I wanna know before I read it invade it’s rly not my thing lmfao) or are they more “issues” like in mdzs?

Hmm...okay, so I read SVSSS a bit ago, and pretty quickly, but the answer is basically...yes there are consent issues but I honestly think they’re actually more mild than in MDZS? But it’s also a little complicated, and some of them are different issues...

(spoilers under the read more)

Okay. So, on an overarching plot level, I can think of three potential things that might lead people to say there are consent issues related to the main ship, Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe. Note that I haven’t really seen any posts on this topic so I don’t, like, know what issues people single out? I’m pretty much just guessing.

1. Shen Qingqiu is an advanced cultivator and a teacher. Luo Binghe is considerably younger, and his student. This, obviously, could be seen as problematic. However, I personally didn’t feel it was (even though I’m personally sensitive to this dynamic and generally uncomfortable with it) for a few reasons:

a. Shen Qingqiu has absolutely no idea that Luo Binghe is crushing on him when they’re young. He’s as clueless as can be. (I’ll explain why when I get to “thing two that might make people think it’s problematic”). Like, to a reader who knows where things are going, it’s pretty darn obvious, but Shen Qingqiu is entirely fixated on a belief that Luo Binghe is developing a relationship with another disciple named Ning Yingying, and while he’s occasionally confused, like, “huh why did that happen?” he really is absolutely clueless.

b. Then, for plot reasons, they’re separated for five years...and when Luo Binghe returns, Shen Qingqiu thinks Luo Binghe hates him (for plot reasons), and then they’re separated AGAIN for another five years (or maybe it was 3? something like that) and only then does Shen Qingqiu finally realize he’s massively misunderstood literally everything. So...they haven’t had a student/teacher dynamic for about a decade by the time they actually start having a relationship.

c. While their apparent age difference is pretty big, their actual age difference isn’t, because...

2. Alright, so the basic premise of SVSSS is that a young man named Shen Yuan dies after reading a stag/harem novel, and then wakes up and discovers that he’s been transplanted into the novel he was reading...in the role of one of the villains. From that point forward, the older man “Shen Qingqiu” is actually Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan is still older than Luo Binghe, but less so...Luo Binghe is roughly 14 or 15 when the book starts, and Shen Yuan is probably 20 or 21. Now, that might be an awkward age difference if they started a relationship right away, but as I say above - years and years pass before anything happens. First, the story advances by about 4 years (give or take, it might be more even) before their first separation, and then ten more years pass before they get together. So at the point when Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan (in the body of Shen Qingqiu) actually get together, Luo Binghe is probably around 30 and Shen Yuan is probably around 36, which...that age difference is not significant between two adults, imo.

Further, because Shen Yuan “knows” what happens in the novel, he also knows - it was a stag harem novel. So instead of seeing Luo Binghe’s behavior toward him and thinking, “oh no my student has a crush on me,” he spends ALL the time before the separation being like, “oh, Ning Yingying - she’s in his harem! Oh, that other character - also in his harem! Aw look, first meeting with a member of the harem! Oh oh look he’s talking to a harem member.” He has absolutely no fucking clue and it’s ridiculous.

However, all that said...Luo Binghe never actually finds out that Shen Yuan isn’t the same person as Shen Qingqiu, or that Shen Yuan is even in there. It’s clear in the extras that basically everyone who knew Shen Qingqiu figured out that something had changed and collectively decided... “well the change was for the better so uh let’s just not do anything about it okay?” Luo Binghe isn’t part of that conversation, so it could be argued that while Luo Binghe consented to be in a relationship with Shen Qingqiu, he never consented to be with Shen Yuan. It’s a weak argument, though, since Shen Yuan’s arrival is what derails the original harem plot of the “novel” and causes Luo Binghe to fall in love with Shen Qingqiu - so Luo Binghe never loved the original Shen Qingqiu, he always loved the Shen Yuan version of Shen Qingqiu. So...there is a minor consent issue here since Luo Binghe doesn’t know but it’s small.

3. Now, the third point also relates to the Shen Qingqiu/Shen Yuan divide. Shen Qingqiu BEFORE he becomes Shen Yuan is a nasty piece of work, and is highly abusive toward Luo Binghe. Early on, Shen Yuan is kinda...forced...to continue being abusive? Like, there’s this computer System that’s forcing Shen Yuan to “stay in character,” and he’ll literally die (again, for real and permanently this time) if he doesn’t do things at least somewhat like Shen Qingqiu would. But as soon as he “levels up” high enough that he is “allowed” to behave out of character compared to Shen Qingqiu, he stops being abusive and goes out of his way to help and support Luo Binghe. Now, despite that, I could see a case being made that the weird combination of “highly abusive toward” and then “nice” could be seen as manipulative and gaslighty, so that would open up another potential avenue for consent issues.

Now, on a specific “things that happen” event, all of the ACTUAL consent issues are in the other direction - Luo Binghe toward Shen Qingqiu. Cause Luo Binghe is...kinda a whiny bitch...and he is not very good at taking no for an answer. Like, at one point he literally kidnaps Shen Qingqiu and holds him prisoner. Actually wait, he does that at two separate points. And he always kinda...bullies...Shen Qingqiu in a way that pushes into Shen Qingqiu’s comfort zone.

Further, their first time is flat-out fuck or die (Luo Binghe is the top in the book and Shen Qingqiu is the bottom). That’s explicit, it’s not played as romantic, and Shen Qingqiu doesn’t enjoy it and doesn’t pretend to enjoy it. That’s not to say he’s unwilling - by that point it’s fairly clear he’d like to have sex with Luo Binghe in other circumstances, but it’s very rough and injures him pretty badly, there’s no prep, etc., so it’s not a good experience and it’s not treated as one, but Shen Qingqiu does volunteer because it’s important to him to prevent the “die” part. Luo Binghe feels bad afterwards. Reading it actually gave me more appreciation of MDZS because the scene made it clear that MXTX really does understand consent in ways that hadn’t been clear to me when I read the translation of MDZS.

In general...these two communicate for shit, and so things are never as clear cut as they should be. Also, at least for me personally, I never really fully “bought” that Shen Qingqiu was in love with Luo Binghe. Like, he’s affectionate and indulgent, but in romantic love? I dunno. So in that regard their being a thing always left me a little...unsure...maybe? But that’s a personal preference, and I’m sure there are others who felt differently, and it also might read differently in a different translation or in the original Chinese.

As an aside, there is a side ship which isn’t featured prominently in the novel but is significantly developed in the extras (like, a lot of the extras are literally about them, instead of the main ship). ngl...I wasn’t very interested in them so I didn’t read all their extras? So I couldn’t say for sure? But certainly, those two have some huge power level differences that I could see leading to consent issues, and also, one of them is also from “the real world” and transported in the “novel” (he’s the author) so that also adds a layer of complication.

Sorry if this is confusing...it’s not the easiest book to explain to someone unfamiliar with it.

tl:dr, I personally didn’t think the consent issues were severe; the structural ones (ie, age difference and teacher/student) might LOOK severe on the surface but aren’t as the story is executed, and the “actual” consent issues (ie the fuck or die) are handled, at least in my opinion, better and more clearly than the ones in MDZS were.

Everyone else reading this...did I miss anything? I can’t think of anything else but my memory is so fucking shot that I can’t say I trust me as much as I’d like to.

Overall, I think it’s my least favorite of the three novels, not because it’s bad but because it just doesn’t quite feel...finished. Like, it’s such an interesting idea, and MXTX does a masterful job of twisting tropes throughout it, and more than either of the other books, it improved my opinion of her as a writer, but it feels a little incomplete, like maybe it was more story than she was actually ready to write? Like...she had this idea and she wasn’t quite a good enough writer to see it through to it’s logical conclusion yet, but all the pieces were there, so the potential is through the rough but the execution is a little lacking. Especially, the ending felt a bit rushed/abrupt to me. Then again, I feel that way constantly so some of that was probably me, I like a lot of denouement at the end of a story. (My favorite is TGCF, with MDZS in second and SVSSS in a close third...purely as a novel I didn’t like MDZS all that much but some of that was probably a translation issue.)

ANYWAY.

I’ll stop now.

If, after all that, you’re interested in reading it, I read two translations:

1. This translation, hosted on Tumblr, is really good but still a work in progress (they’ve released like four chapters since I read it in October.) I thought it was excellent and really enjoyed it.

2. Since that one wasn’t finished, I read the rest and the extras here. It was also good, but not quite as good in my opinion.

Hope this helps!

#unforth replies #svsss #svsss spoilers #Anonymous

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bisexual-horror-fan · 3 years

Note

Ok, so confession to make (since I know you don't judge)

I would like to preface this with the fact that I hate cops IRL and have since I was a small child (thats not a virtue signal, I just hate authority in general)

But I have a weird obsession with cop movies/show and cop characters in media generally. (I guess I just want to believe in the fiction that the world isn't as corrupt as it really is and that the people in power do want to protect everyone else)

Like, it's super conflicting too because I want to make art related to my fixation, but I also know that it would REALLY give the wrong idea about where I stand. Like many things it's a sort of "In Fiction = Ok, IRL = Bad" thing for me, but like I said, it's conflicting

Anyway, I'm not asking for advice, just wanted to get that off my chest

Oh damn Anon.

Yeah of course no judgment here what-so-ever! We don’t do that here and I mean I don’t think you are doing anything wrong. And I know you just wanna vent and don’t need advice but I still wanna comment on this if you don’t mind.

You are obviously aware of the differences between fiction and reality. And if you don’t wanna do the art for any reason then sure but I mean look at me and what I do, I write porn about fictional slashers, I obviously abor murder and the criminal activities of these characters yet I give a vehicle by way of my writing for people to romantizie and get off to them and do so myself. (Regularly may I add, ayyyy-)

Whenever you put any kind of art or writing out there people are gonna interpret it however they want, always, regardless of how problematic or not the source material is, it’s the nature of the beast with being a creative person putting content out there on the internet. Once it is out online it is outta your hands. If you are worried and stressed enough about it then sure don’t do it but just know I think you aren’t doing anything wrong though I do understand the complex feelings that you have.

It isn’t the same (like AT ALL, anyway here goes-) but I LOVE dude bro comedies, I do a yearly re-watch of all the American Pie movies, I love shit like Blue Mountain State and EuroTrip, Harold and Kumar, and all those kinds of movies. And in those movies or some of those shows there are AWFUL jokes and terrible characters, all sorts of things that make light of serious shit.

I mean in the first American Pie movie the forign exchange student, Nadia, is broadcast over the internet while mostly nude and masturbating without her knowledge or consent while she is a high school senior. That is fucked, fully, I recognize that. I totally do not support a lot of these characters actions and yet I still watch and love those movies even with all of the terrible shit in them, but I certainly don’t think that makes me a bad person for liking those kinds of movies.

What we watch and consume and choose to make art about, I feel like it doesn’t make any kind of commentary about us as people. We just should be aware of what we watch and acknowledge its flaws, faults and problems and that is enough. No media is free from criticism or problems, so all we can do is our best and parse through it. More power to you Anon, love what you love and you have my full support.

Also Brooklyn 99 slaps and The Thin Blue Line is one of my fave british comedy tv shows so I totally get where you are coming from on there, some great media is centered around cops and the police force.

#BHF asks #Love and positivity to you Anon #And honestly as far as confessions go this is v mild #You all good!

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assless-chapstick · 5 years

Note

Would also love to hear more about javi's Knife Stuff 👀👀👀👀👀

Oooh feller you’re in for a treat!!

See, the thing is, I’ve talked about Javi’s knife kink (and others) on the discord server, but not here on tumblr because I am very afraid of Getting Cancelled. I simply cannot stand the idea of someone coming across my post and then deciding that, because the fantasies I wrote about aren’t particularly nice, I’m deserving of derision and punishment, because all media has to be Pure and Good and anyone who has the thoughts I write Javi as having are Evil Bad People. This is, of course, not true!! I think it’s important we normalise healthy relationships with our sexualities, even the parts that make us go “yikes,” and recognizes that kink is a way of taking the danger and fear and wrongness out of something so we can experience it in a non-damaging way

What I’m saying is, be chill, guys. be cool. Just be cool, ok?? Don’t hit me up to tell me how problematic I am because chances are you’re wrong. One study from 2018 showed that for all genders, greater than 50% of people had at least one sexual fantasy involving consent play (Lehmiller 2018, though I can’t find the actual quote). So just everyone be cool, chill out, and enjoy what I have for you

It’s taken Javi like, a long time to kind of accept and come to terms with this side of his sexuality. He’s always avoided it, tried his best to push it down and away – being raised Catholic, he felt like he was gonna go to hell simply for liking boys, nevermind the weird shit his brain conjured up in the throes of late night jerk-off sessions. He also never really had a safe way to explore it, most of his girlfriends have been sweet, young, vanilla virgins or there-abouts, girls his own age but with less experience (he knows now that that was kind of what he liked about them, coaxing and guiding them through it, showing them how good he could make them feel and revelling in their inexperience and being able to be sweet and kind to them).

So like, until he met John, learned about what John and Arthur get up to and how they can practice it safe, Javi thought he was broken, and wrong, and awful. His fantasies scared him, made him worry – what if he hurts someone one day? What if he’s as bad as the killers on those true crime podcasts his sister likes? What if he’s fucked up beyond all repair?

Cuz the thing is, Javi likes knives. Likes the way holding a blade feels, the power it provides and the compliance of a victim held at knife-point. Javi likes knives, and Javi likes – he doesn’t know what to call it. When he finally admits it, John calls it “rape play” but that leaves Javier’s mouth feeling dry and his stomach full of bile, so John calls it something else instead. Consensual non-consent, ravishment fantasy, something like that. Javi has spent so long running from it, fearing it, that it doesn’t really matter what it’s called, so long as it’s not Sick or Evil.

The first time they try it, they don’t even really do anything that different; Javi kinda just holds the knife (a kitchen knife with tape over the blade, just to be extra safe) as he fucks John from behind, harder and faster and a little more vicious than their usual gentle, sweet fucking. When Javi cums, it’s intense and leaves his legs trembling as he coaxes John onto the bed (knife discarded, cum leaking from John’s ass) so he can finish him with his mouth – and after he’s taken John’s cum and kisses for back into John’s own mouth, they hold each other and talk and Javi realizes that maybe this is ok after all.

After that, they explore some more. I think John’s a surprisingly good actor – so much so that, when they maybe first try something more intense, Javi has to safeword out. John is sobbing and gasping as Javi approaches, knife in hand, and he looks so real and upset and afraid and is begging like “please, no,” with such commitment that Javi kinda freaks out, has to call “red, red!!” and cut the ropes that bind John to the chair so he can lay John out on the bed and just hold him for a really long time., with John being like “babe, I’m ok, it’s ok. I’m ok, see? I’m not afraid of you, I know you won’t really hurt me. You’re so good to me, dude, so so good to me. I love you, man, I know you’d never”

(and that’s absolutely the first time John says “I love you,�� because of course it is)

So John tones it down, going forward. Begs with a little less conviction, doesn’t turn on the waterworks, makes sure to look more aroused than afraid, throws in a little bit of pornstar moaning for effect, and that seems to really put Javi at ease.

They roleplay, a little; Javier the night intruder who sneaks in to John’s room to tie him up and cut his panties off to fuck his tight, wet pussy (Javier had fingered him open before hand, asking over and over “is this ok? You sure you won’t be scared? You’ll tell me if you want me to stop?) Javier the mobster with John tied to a chair, gagged and defiant until Javi holds the (dull, could-barely-cut-butter) knife to his neck and tells him to “suck it, pendejo.” Javier the bad-boy boyfriend who tries to coax the sweet, young ingenue John into taking it, just the tip, even though John’s got curfew at 9 and if he gets cum on his skirt the stain will never come out (John especially likes this one cuz Javi pushes in so slow, tells him how tight he feels and calls him a “good girl,” even as he pins John’s wrists to the bed, and even when he pulls out to splatter cum on John’s ruined panties, carelessly pushed aside in Javi’s haste).

For Javi, the aftercare on this is super important – if he’s gonna enjoy playing the bad guy, he’s gotta make up for it after. He always gets real sweet on John afterwards, kissing him and thanking him and bringing him a glass of water; practically giving him a bath with the way he uses the warm, damp cloth to wipe John down all gentle and sweet. Brings John a granola bar and then kisses at John’s cheeks and forehead and chest as he chews, wraps his arms around John to pull him close and bury a face into his armpit to inhale John’s familiar, if slightly unpleasant, boyish scent.

Of course, this isn’t an all-the-time activity! Javier is still sweet on John and loves to tease him in private, make John his good girl, call him “sweetheart” and “flaquita” and “corazón” and tell him how good he’s doing, ask him if it feels good and make John blush. Loves to slide his dick between John’s thighs as John trembles as tries not to groan, Javier’s hands sliding up his loose, soft t-shirt to palm at his chest as if he’s got tits (“I love your mosquito bite titties, mami”) as John’s toes curl in his stupid fuckin fluffy Fenty slides.

Now I know that may not be as much Knife Stuff as you wanted, feller, but that’s what I got for you and I hope y’all enjoy it!! Remember that if you think this fun fantasy shit between two consenting adults is like, gross or evil or whatever you uh should direct all complaints to my uncle Tacitus… Anyway, thanks, mister!!!!

#the couch au #knife #idk what to tag this #for real if you wanna dm me lookong for a fight I'll jist do rhis but more and harder #rape #consensual non-consent #content warning

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vecna · 5 years

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Oohh for the fandom meme! Dragon Age?

Send me a fandom!

Oh boy, this is going to be spicy.

It’s also very Anders-negative, so apologies up front.

The character(s) I first fell in love with:

I’m actually not sure which was the FIRST, but it’s a tie between Morrigan and Alistair. I saw fanart of them going around at the time Origins first released, and that’s what got me to try the game!

Alistair was a breath of fresh air, because at the time, I was used to warrior men in games being all Edgy and Rough, and he was the total opposite and a sweetheart.

And Morrigan was just instantly my goth wife, and had Claudia Black as a VA, so I was sold immediately.

Both still hold a special place for me!

The character(s) I never expected to love as much as I do now:

Loghain is the main one. He does a lot of truly reprehensible shit in the first game. But once I sat down and read the prequel novels about young Loghain, plus saw what he’s like if you recruit him, he grew on me A LOT and now he’s a top fave.

Nathaniel I expected to hate as soon as I saw his name + who his father was, but then the expansion came out and I ended up loving that dude almost immediately. I really wish he was around more after Awakening, and also really wish he’d been a romance option, especially for a Cousland haha.

Merrill is a weird one because she was totally uninteresting to me in DA:O, so when they announced her as a companion in DA2 I was like, “Ehhhh.” Then they punked me by making her adorable and sweet and now I love her.

Plus a bunch of side-characters like The Architect? I liked him a bunch in the novel + Awakening – although I found his Plan in the novel much more appealing. But as the years have gone by, I keep surprising myself at just HOW disappointed I am he’s never appeared again haha.

The character(s) everyone else loves that I don’t:

There’s a few, and all of them will get me yelled at, but here we go.

First: Isabela. This one’s a bit complicated, but it really just boils down to her attitude towards how you play your character. I actively dislike characters who are super sexual – regardless of gender. But Isabela in particular bothers me because she’s constantly pushing her lewdness and sexual humor on you, and when you try to discourage it, she admonishes you with, “Well, you’re no fun.” Her whole character is just… like that for me. Super pushy, overly lewd, gets uppity when you don’t have the same ~liberated~ opinions she does, and this is all played up in the writing like she’s this Empowered Woman the player absolutely must love, especially if they’re playing a male character lol. I hate her for the same reasons a lot of people hate Liara in Mass Effect, but with the addition of pushy lewd jokey characters always rubbing me the wrong way.

Second: Iron Bull. I’ve written a lot about why he makes me more uncomfortable than any fictional character I’ve ever encountered, and I just outright hate him, he makes my skin crawl. If you want details, feel free to DM me, I don’t really want to rant about it again publicly.

Third: Anders. Again, I’ve written a lot about him before, but. I hated him in Awakening, for a lot of the same reasons I hate Isabela in DA2. But the changes they made to him in DA2 are just kinda :/. While I absolutely agree with him about Mage Rights, the level of preachiness they added to him drove me nuts, and the fact that you’re painted as a Bad Guy if you don’t like him blowing up the chantry. And from a purely OOC standpoint: He’s become a figurehead for all the aggressive Discourse people in the fandom, and if I see someone list Anders in their sidebar bio, I know pre-emptively that their blog is going to be full of 6 page long essays of meta about how everything is Problematic, and no thanks.

To a lesser extent, I’m also not fond of Zevran. But in his case, it’s not anything major like the others, I’m just tired of Bioware’s habit of making the bisexual characters overly lewd sex-focused rogues/deviants.

The character(s) I love that everyone else hates:

Loghain, lol.

But also Sebastian Vael? There’s so much about him that I find genuinely fascinating, especially regarding his backstory, and his struggles between his feelings of responsibility to his family vs his dedication to the Chantry and bettering himself. He’s such a dear character to me, and such a pivotal part of any playthrough, I’m always blown away when I remember he’s a DLC character and many people don’t have him.

HOWEVER Anders being the fandom darling means that people tend to unfairly shit on Sebastian for reacting poorly to the Chantry explosion. People also like to label him as a poster child of a White Straight Church Boy, while refusing to acknowledge he’s… not straight, and not exactly a church boy either lol.

Also Vivienne, but I think that one’s really self-explanatory. I love her, and she gives a really needed perspective on the Circle, since most of the mage companions previously were apostates. But of course, she gets written off as a Chantry apologist, and an uppity bitch, when people would def love her for the same traits if she was not black lol.

The character(s) I used to love but don’t any longer:

Justice. And by extension, Anders. A lot of people like to rant about how Justice ruined Anders, but I always saw it the other way around.Justice was my favorite character in Awakening. The whole concept around him, that he was a Fade spirit who took human form and was experiencing life for the first time was SO fascinating. I felt like there was so much to explore there with his character.

Buuuut then they had him merge with Anders. With the narrative being that he WAS a spirit of Justice, but the moment he connected with Anders, it corrupted his entire spirit into something he wasn’t anymore. So essentially, the character I used to love no longer exists, thanks to Anders. And it reminds me of that phrase recently, about how the destination is so terrible you can no longer enjoy the journey? I can’t even appreciate Justice in Awakening anymore, knowing what happens to him.

To a lesser extent, Corypheus. He was SO COOL and the premise of him was AMAZING when he first appeared in the DA2 DLC, but then Inquisition had to go and turn him into a weird shallow mustache twirl villain.

The character(s) I would totally smooch:

None? Idk I don’t really have the Smooch Fictional Character gene.

The character(s) I’d want to be like:

MAEVARIS TILANI. May I one day finally have the confidence in my identity that she does, and also marry a sweet bear man who adores me.

The character(s) I’d slap:

Too many to list, really. Probably Anders.

The pairing(s) that I love:

THERE’S SO MANY. And most of them are with the PC, because I generally don’t ship NPCs together. But my top 3 are:

M!Hawke / Fenris is my ultimate OTP in the Dragon Age series, by a long-shot. Not even sure where to start on how much I love it, but two damaged guys leaning on each other to work through their respective loneliness and trauma is MY JAM. And lmao I love silver-sideburned Hawke chillin in retirement somewhere but being a supportive husband while Fenris goes off hunting the Bad Guys, it’s great.

Solas / Lavellan is a close second, with the caveat that I increasingly prefer it with a male Lavellan. Having the Inquisitor in love with Solas just changes the entire tone of the game for me, for the better, and him actually being the villain trying to end the world while in love with this normie elf is just (chef kiss). Too bad I’m burned out by how overly spammed it is.

Dorian / Inquisitor is in third, I will just always be fond of how it’s a story of the Inquisitor helping Dorian be happy with who he is, escape an abusive family, and realize that he’s allowed to be loved. Good shit good shit.

Some others:

Warden / Morrigan is probably my favorite Origins ship, and that only intensified with the way she talks about the Warden in Inquisition, esp if they’re Kieran’s other parent. What a cute goth family, regardless of the Warden’s gender, cause you can pry Bi Morrigan from my cold dead fingers.

Cassandra / Inquisitor might have a lot of Romance Cliches, but I adore it – although, similar others, I increasingly prefer it with a female Inquisitor. I actively dislike the weird no-homo rejection with her, and come on, a lady Inquisitor being her Knight In Shining Armor is just good storytelling.

Cullen / Inquisitor, for a lot of the same reasons as Cassandra. I love me a cliche romance, but I’m also fond of the narrative w/ him of someone he loves helping him heal through the lyrium withdrawals and take time to rest.

Josephine / F!Inquisitor is just adorable all around, and wholesome, and great.

Varric / Hawke COME ON HOW WAS THIS NOT AN OPTION.

On the rarepair end:

Sebastian / Hawke doesn’t seem like it would be a rarepair – you’d think everyone who loves Cullen/Inquisitor would love this one too. I do! But alas. That said, I’m also pretty aggro about this one with a male Hawke because SEBASTIAN IS CANON BI. WHY WAS HIS ROMANCE STRAIGHT.

Maric / Loghain is a rarepair I will take with me to my grave LOL. Never forget the scene where Maric thought Loghain was leaving, and bolted across the camp with almost no clothes on to beg Loghain to stay. Come on.

Nathaniel / Cousland is dear to me, and I love it so much more than Alistair / Cousland haha.

Greagoir / Wynne, I can’t believe this got validated in canon ahhhh.

The pairing(s) that I despise:

Again: THERE’S SO MANY.

Iron Bull / Dorian is my least fave by a longshot. Again, I have written about why I hate this pairing a great many times, but it’s awful and toxic and makes me deeply uncomfortable, and I could happily go the rest of my life without seeing anything about it ever again. Please keep poor Dorian away from that man. He deserves someone that doesn’t sexually harass him until he’s finally worn down into dubious consent (while drunk) and then outted to everyone about it.

Isabela / Fenris. Sorry, but it’s just bad writing that Fenris bails on Hawke because the physical intimacy triggered his PTSD and he needs space to process, but then will turn around and have a casual sex relationship with Isabela instead. Yikes.

Anders / Fenris. Aveline / Isabela. Alistair / Morrigan. All of the DA2 Hawke/companion rivalmances. I don’t enjoy “these two people hate and antagonize and want to kill each other… but they fuck” in any form.

Cullen / Amell. Yikes.

And basically ALL of the canon wlw pairings in this series suffer from the fact they have men writing them, and as a result they’re almost always some kind of abusive or racist, and skeeve me out. See: Celene / Briala, Leliana / Marjolaine, Branka / Hespith, etc. Please Bioware, I’m begging you to consult some actual queer women. It’s insane how badly they’re treated compared to how the canon mlm couples are written.

FINALLY, I recognize this will be the most unpopular of all, but. As much as I love M!Hawke/Fenris, I just honestly cannot stand seeing F!Hawke/Fenris. There are some pairings where I’m so attached to the m/m or f/f version, I cannot deal with the m/f version anymore, and that’s one of them. (The others are mainly non-Bioware.)

#LONG POST #REALLY LONG #SORRY #misc: text #misc: asks #misc: meme #series: dragon age #gen: bioware #utopianoverlord

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eternitas · 4 years

Text

Okay listen up

"Fiction can affect reality" , "just because you read about something doesnt automatically mean you condone it in real life, even if you enjoy it" , "there is a correlation between what people consume and their behavior or way of thinking" and "most people should be able to put fiction and reality apart"

Are all statements that are true at the same time.

People are different, psychology is weird, the human mind is weird. so seeing something as just black and white and treat every person like they need to abide to some morality code is peak hashtag REPENTyouSINNERS

Look. Childporn is bad. No question. I wont be making an excuse for people drawing it, nor for those consuming it. However there are people who dont seem to realize that not everything is automatically pedophilic in nature.

The romantization of abuse is an atrocity, 50 shades showed how aweful it is. Doesnt mean that every couple that safely does consensual non consent roleplaying or reads fanfiction about dubious consent also condones that shit irl.

Otherwise, hell lets get everyone locked up who enjoyed the SAW franchise bc it is a gore fest and most only cared about the traps and how cool they are. Anyone who ever enjoyed something with problematic content in it? Jail.

The thing is: people are versitile and not everyone is a) young and prone to influence b) not aware enough to make a clear cut between fiction and reality and c) fucking stupid.

Do i enjoy a villain from time to time? Yeah sure. Would i lust for a real person doing something absolutely horrific? Fuck no.

More than half of the deadly sins are /mental/. Greed, Envy, Pride, Lust, Wrath-

And i hate how it seeped through the ages now into fandoms where you are executed on sight if you think a ship that isnt fluffy and pure would be interesting to explore.

People like to make statements that are all encompasing and clear cut. If you like this then you're fine. If you like this, you are an asshole. In some cases it is easy to make that distinction. If you enjoy racist, fachist, homophobic or sexist jokes then maybe you're an asshole. Or maybe not educated enough. But we cant stretch this to /everything/ because fiction and its correlation to reality is so deeply complicated and versitile.

in short: dont be assholes and use that brain of yours a bit more.

#but that is just my take on this shit *shrugs*

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wichols · 5 years

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Friday the 13th Date Story Time

Now that we have all successfully survived the most recent Full Moon/Friday the 13th week it feels right to finally post this story!

Let me set the scene!

It’s 2009. I am a sweet 15 year old Sophomore going out on one of her first official dates with her 18 year old Senior football player boyfriend. We had been dating for probably a month (or less) at this point. And he wants to take me to the movies. Now I bet you are thinking, “surely they would go to a feel good, romantic, sweet movie right?” Well I hate to break this to you but he ended up taking me to the premier to Friday the 13th.

Yep. You read that right. We ended up going to a rated R horror film for our first date. And let me do you one better. In 2009, the first Friday the 13th fell in February. So Friday the 13th then the following day February 14th- Valentine's Day. Swing and a miss. Potential lovey-dovey date squandered.

And let me tell you I am weak for a bad boy type. This guy was no good for me and I did not care. He smoked. Blared angsty punk music in his sleek silver sporty car. Had a tattoo and his septum pierced. My young impressionable mind and heart were smitten.

He kept me out late and my parents were not strict in the slightest. Basically, as long as I was not doing anything illegal (drugs, underage drinking, committing petty crimes) I was free to do whatever. Hindsight a 15 yr old dating an 18 yr old could have been problematic considering at the time (he told me later when we dated a second time- don’t worry he changed- ps he really didn’t change at all) he only wanted to date me cause he thought he could get into my pants (TOTALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN ILLEGAL- age of consent in that state is/was 17).

Anyways, now you know. Let’s continue to this trainwreck of a date.

He pulls up to my house to pick me up for our date. Then informs me that we have one more stop to make before we go to the next town over to the movie theater. We end up picking up one of his friends. So one of my first official date with my boyfriend now includes a third wheel of a friend. What in the actual? So I was a little peeved at the beginning and should have foreshadowed just how bad this night was going to be for me. So my boyfriend, myself, third wheel guy make our way to the movie theater. Since it is the opening night it is PACKED. And we didn’t necessarily arrive early so you beggers can’t be choosers when it comes to seating.

So we find a place where we can all sit together. It is in the front section of the theater and on the end near the isle. It looks a little like this.

(Isle)Third Wheel - Myself - Boyfriend - Empty Seat - Rest of the row filled with people.

T-5 more minutes left before the lights dim and the upcoming previews start playing. We are all chatting about stuff and both guys are making fun of me because I admitted that I am a little jumpy when it comes to horror films and its not my fault if I accidentally scream or yell. They both laugh it off and tell me not to worry.

T-4 minutes till dimmed lights. All of us were looking forward at the screen when all of a sudden a familiar voice catches my boyfriend’s attention. It is none other than his recent ex-girlfriend. This girl was not a short fling but they dated for over a year. She and I are nothing alike personality-wise because not only have I not had sex with my boyfriend I am also not a crazy person. So she repeats herself.

Ex-Girlfriend: “Can I sit in that seat?”

Boyfriend: *Looks at the empty seat beside him* “Sure we can scoot over and make room.”

Ex-Girlfriend: “Everyone doesn’t have to move I’ll just take the empty seat in the middle.”

Boyfriend: “Ok.”

So now our seating looks like this.

(Isle)Third Wheel - Myself - Boyfriend - Ex-Girlfriend - Rest of the row filled with people.

I wish I was kidding. Really. I do. So at this point I am not even happy a little. I had compromised up to this point with the extra person, the movie selection, and the poking fun. I am generally a fun, bright ray of sunshine but not tonight. If I had any kind of backbone back then I would have said something or done something. But I did not. So instead of saying something, I resigned myself to sitting through this awful hour and a half movie fuming.

But friends it gets better. And by better I mean worse.

T-2 minutes till movie time.

A loud group of tipsy/drunk adults (4 total drunks in this group) stumbles into the theater looking for some seats. They sit approximately five rows directly behind us. All of a sudden a woman starts yelling.

“EX-GIRLFRIEND’S NAME! EX-GIRLFRIEND’S NAME!”

That’s right folks. One of those drunks was this girl’s mom and her friends. They end up getting reprimanded by staff and that ended that.

PREVIEWS START

Again, I am beyond mad at the circumstances that have lead up to this point. Third wheel guy and I share comments between each other throughout the movie. Boyfriend attempts redemptive handholds throughout the movie that was unsuccessful. In fact, I was so mad I was leaning and practically facing third wheel guy. My body language said, “Absolutely fucking not.”

If my memory serves me right we broke up less than a month later (pretty much right around my 16th birthday). It was super weird and he lied about the reasons behind the breakup. In reality, I didn’t give it up so he didn’t want to try anymore.

I should have learned my lesson then but I was dumb. I went through some really big changes between May and August and he wanted to get back together (I became a Christian and he renewed his interest in Christianity). And my dumb ass went back to him. Almost 4 years later I broke it off with him during my Sophomore year of college.

I have one other really awful date story that happened much earlier than this one. I believe I was 12/13 during that one. Want me to share? Let me know in the comments below!

#horrible date story #Friday the 13th #Happy Valentines Day to Me #story time

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jjbablocklistcallouts · 6 years

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The Blocklist: A essay (this is very long)

I know everyones sick of it at this point but I got shit to say so feel free to not read this absolute unit of a poorly written essay. The jjbablocklist divided their list into two different list now. One for creators and one for consumers/rebloggers and I cannot stress enough about how dumb that is since it shouldve been done since the beggining. Also, following alot of these artist and “consumers” of these medias, I noticed some of them are falsely accused, others while being minors. here’s why:

1. A lot of teens and young adults in the community like ships like GioMis, FuMis, NaraGio, MisTrish and plenty more and I know your singular shared braincell cannot handle the idea of 2-3 year age gaps not being pedophilia, but uh, newsflash for ya, THEY AINT. Legally, it is not a crime and that in america where the age of consent is 18, not in Italy where its 15 and not in Japan where its even less. Under the general United States Law, which is where I assume the list makers/defenders are mostly from, these ships are not classified as pedophilia or should be problematic and the ages of consent change to lower ages depending on state. The only way you can add these shippers for their “crimes” is if they promoted or created the interactions of these characters in a sexual or intimate manner whether they are aged up or not, which is still wack if their age is above that of the age of consent in writing/art and the fact that minors, in this case teenagers with the VA cast, are allowed to express themselves with people of their own age group in a sexual manner, real life kids do it all the time amongst themselves so why shouldnt people be able to create it, the whole ordeal is ridiculous imo BUT I can see how it makes a lot of people uncomfortable, a lot of it makes me uncomfortable too so we gotta make compromises somehow so absolutely no lewding the mafia lolis/ jojo lolis in general and if you do, tag it properly so it doesnt spread onto the basic hastags of characters and the show. If you dont you on the list.

2. Claim genderswapping/r63 is transphobic all you want but until I see clear and definitive proof of it being purposely made for that purpose then it’s absolutely ok. If someone makes it to offend someone then its wrong and they should be called out for it (which has never been the case in this fanbase as far as I cant tell) It’s creative, it allows people create new desings for characters or adjust current ones for cosplayers or other artist. Im sure one of your mods can relate, since the do the exact same thing as we do while not addressing a certaint character properly by their canon pronouns. Genderbending does not promote the attack or harrasement of the trans community and that is a fact unless its done by actual problematic artist like Sh*dbase and others, which is still a stretch because I dont think they’ve done it to target people or make fun of them but they are the popular problem icons. So get the actual transphobes on the list, aka those who created the content specifically to harras a specific person, or remove the catergory entirely. Its unnecessary and hypocritical.

— The rest of these are just things that bother a lot of people in the community so if you only cared about minors being on the list then you dont have to continue reading. —

Tumblr is infamously known to be a shitshow of a site where all you can find is problematic content. If you dont like this kind of content, why the hell are you here in the first place? There’s a lot of safer websites to use where like instagram, twitter, amino, facebook, and more. They have actual filters unlike tumblr and finding content you dont like is a lot harder unless you are purposefully looking for it, and even then it could be a challenge due to shadow bans or privatized accounts. Tumblr has none of that, everyone knows it, all of those who dont like it try to stay away from it or use it very scarcely. Why do you think that most of these “problematic” artist/creators/consumers are here? Tumblr has always been its own weird realm, trying to make it anything else goes against what it stand for.

You’re crimes make are literal nonsense sometimes because you include such obvious personal attacks like “Made a literal essay defending GioMis” and “All kinds of awful stuff” as crimes. You added a few account because they message you about how ridiculous the whole ordeal is and you take to findind the slightest bit of “evidence” that can aid you into making them look bad. You know thats not a good reason right?? Even if it were, yall are even more guilty for committing acts of Liable and Defamation and you are choosing to for those you incorrectly put on the list, invluding the minors! Let alone hypocrisy but yall are tired of hearing that one.

Dont add other fandoms into this mess. The Hetalia fandom has been dead for more than 5 years and it aint none of your buisness. It has nothing to do with Jojo. Unless you plan on making more blocklist for ALL fandoms then, goodluck, though make em better.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a wonderful and yet problematic series, guess who’s fault it is... its Araki’s. Created a hilarious nazi character, nah its the fanbases fault for roleplaying such a funny character. Pedophilia and rape represented in Jojo and not treated seriously, nah its the fandoms fault for romanticizing it. Homophobia as character traits and degradation of women in Jojo, pfft nah f a n d o m s f a u l t for painting such “false” representations of the characters. Ah, but yall wont drop Jojo cuz that kid your trying to control media for wont drop it either. It is not your responsibility to create a childproof community when the show already has heavy themes. Its their caretakers/parents or the childs own responsibility.

I despise the argument “well Jojo is a 17+ only show so no kids allowed!” you might be right, but has that really ever stopped kids from doing anything?? It does the opposite, it creates a sense of overwhelming curiosity which leads to venturing unkown territory which they may or may not end up enjoying. The problem lies wether young teens are mature enough to watch it or not and judging by this whole fiasco, alot of the people, teens and adults, involved are not.

YOU ARE NOT JUDGE JURY AND EXECUTIONER AND YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO POLICE A MEDIA YOU DO NOT OWN OR TAKE RESPONSIBILITY INTO DOING IT FOR SOMEONE ELSE

I will give you this guys this, theres a few artist and creators that do belong there, very few as far as I could see and read into and some are missing since they are mostly on twitter instead of tumblr. But hey, I managed to find like 12 accounts that I probably wouldn’t like seeing the content of, and I found a lot of good accounts too. A hell of a lot more.

I know Im harsh and a total loser but y’all really gotta do some damage control and think ahead. Merely ignoring the fact that your movement cause a floodwave of hatred, deaththreats and suicide baiting is disgusting, adress it properly, dont condone it. Cuz Im yall wouldnt like 200+ messages of “Kill yourself you of lowlife degenerate. I dont like your the disgusting trash you like so I hope you rot in hell for the rest of your life” It isnt fun, a lot of people have received these, some are even worse and a lot dont even deserve it.

Run the list correctly, its a good idea, it could’ve been handled way better than this and you guys know it. This would’ve been great for 14 year old me not stumbling onto a lot of problematic ships when I first looked up Jojo and it can help many children in the community in the future, but you are ruiling out a majority of the fanbase with such vague and pointless rules as regular shipping and creative freedom. You are demonizing people who like basic shipping and different character desings, and that’ll scare them because they dont want tobe hated for something they like. Because a few biased opinions decided to rule out that what the kids liked is morally wrong and irredeemable. Cuz thats all I can see on the list with the exception of maybe a 12 people on the list. Thats all the rest of the JJBA community sees.

#jjbablocklist #probably getting added to the list now but I hope they read this fully #I cant believe I had to talk to a lawyer and judge just to see if shipping crimes were valid #of course they werent #I probably wasted my time but I needed to get this out

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angel-wings-and-broken-things · 5 years

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A rant about Vanya Hargreeves

(Note: this is decidedly anti-Vanya. If that bothers you, I suggest you click off right now, you have been warned. That said, I'm always up for some friendly debate if you see anything that I’ve said is incorrect, but please don’t respond with bullshit comments like “Luther made her” as it’s an embarrassing display of the pure immaturity that comes from Vanya stans.)

So I’ve been putting off this rant for a long time, mainly because I’ve been busy with school and other stuff. Also, I’ve been getting my kicks ranting to my sister about the pure idiocy that is Vanya Hargreeves and Vanya stans. However, my sister now says that she is done listening to my hour-long rage-fueled rants. Let me tell you that I cried, because a staple in my morning routine has become eating my toast and spilling tea with my younger sister. However, when presented with the facts, for example, that she has never watched the show and has no opinions on the character nor on the cataclysmic stupidity of the fandom for idolizing this psychopathic monster, I realized that perhaps it was the proper time for me to make this, and pray that I can move on to a life of happiness after expelling my hatred of these unintelligent people and arguments.

Also, I’m extremely high on caffeine and procrastinating my essays. So please bear with me as I take you on the journey of my three AM coffee induced rants. I understand that there is a very slim chance that I will change anybody's mind about Vanya, as many people choose to be ignorant about the problematic and hypocritical behavior of their favorite character. Society is relentless in its enablement of the truly moronic behaviors, and nothing has made me lose more faith in the world than the actual arguments I have seen from the half-witted, mindless Vanya stans. I’m not saying that everyone who stans Vanya is an idiot, but if someone else were to say it I would not disagree. Unfortunately, that is simply the conclusion that all evidence leads to. This introduction has gotten away from me a bit, so without further ado, here is every single bullshit argument that I have seen Vanya stans argue debunked.

Vanya’s Childhood.

First of all, I would like to point out that I have the utmost sympathy for all of the Hargreeves children for having to grow up with an abusive father. At no point in this rant will I disvalue Vanya’s trauma. As much as I truly hate her character, invalidating traumatic experiences and PTSD is a fucking dick move that I will leave to other parts of the fandom (*cough* anti-Luthers *cough*).

Now that that’s out of the way, let me dig deep into her psychopathic tendencies and unflinching lack of remorse for her actions that clearly has been present since adolescence. First, let us address her powers. I see people everywhere saying that having her powers bound was abusive and horrible, that Allison could have rumored her to have control instead, that she didn’t mean to do any of the things she did, etc. However, please consider that Reginald didn’t have a choice. Or rather I should say that his choices were limited and he made the best possible one given the circumstances. I’m not condoning his actions at all, I will be the first to denounce his actions and character. However, we need to consider all of the facts; not only did she physically attack him, but she also murdered several innocent people because she didn’t like oatmeal. This was to the point that Reginald designed Grace for the sole purpose of having someone who could control Vanya. Vanya was clearly displaying apathetic tendencies towards murder at a young age and cares nothing for the people she killed as long as she got what she wanted. She murdered people over oatmeal, and people stay defending her?

I was shocked when I saw this scene and realized that people were still stanning Vanya, because do you know what this points to people? A pattern. Vanya is a power-hungry maniac. This is shown many times in the show. She knows that she’s the most powerful person in the room and she shamelessly abuses that privilege. When she is a child and she realizes that she’s more powerful then Reginald can handle, what does she do? She explodes the glasses and hurts him with her powers. When she is fed a type of food that she doesn’t like and knows she can use her powers to get whatever she wants, what does she do? She murders her nannies for the sole purpose of getting her way. When she is an adult and realizes that she doesn’t have to listen to Allison, what does she do? Slits her throat and attempts to literally murder her, then runs away. When she doesn’t want to be held captive she destroys their house. When her siblings try to stop her from hurting people she burns the world to the ground. Do you see the pattern?

Furthermore, let us discuss The Umbrella Academy. Also known as Vanya once again showing her true colors as a spoiled brat. We see in both her autobiography and in the flashback scene where she destroyed the house that she felt excluded. Listen, I am a sibling, I have felt excluded before and I’m sure that my sisters have as well. But somehow none of us have burned our house to the ground. I know, you’re probably sitting at your keyboard shaking your head in awe at out restraint. I get that people sympathize with her loneliness throughout childhood, and I can see why. But honestly, I didn’t see anything too terrible in the flashback scene. What? Diego was pissed at her for barging into his room and Allison didn’t want Vanya to see her macking on Luther? Call me crazy but that just seems like siblings being siblings (aside from the making out with your other siblings part, that’s weird). Yes, the one about her being left out from the family portrait was kind of rough, but no reason to attempt to murder your whole family, kill your mom and father figure, and destroy your house.

She clearly has a being left out complex that began in adolescence and carried through adulthood. It’s okay when you’re a kid and you’re whining that Jimmy and Tommy won’t let you play tag with them, but it crosses a line when you act that way as a grown ass woman. Her book was also crossing a gigantic, fat red line that says in all caps YOU’RE TAKING THIS TOO FAR. What, Ben didn’t want to share his toys so in return you write a passive-aggressive novel about how much your siblings suck and left you out of their super secret club? Let’s say that Klaus also published a book talking about all of his traumatic experiences, and at the center of it was perfect Vanya who was normal and never experienced a single hardship. Different story, right? We don’t seem to talk about the fact that being in the Umbrella Academy seemed to suck. Klaus was forced into a mausoleum and made to live his worst nightmare, Ben was made to kill people using his powers, Luther was transformed into an ape-man without his consent and exiled to the moon, Five ended up stranded in the apocalypse for 45 years, and that's just when was shown on the screen. I’m positive that there were tons of other horrible things that the academy experienced, so where does Vanya get off pretending that she invented tragedy all because her precious feewings were hurt?

Locking Vanya Up

Listen. Listen. I said that I wasn’t going to invalidate Vanya’s trauma, and I plan to stick to that. Luther locking Vanya in that cage was fucked up. He shouldn’t have done that. However, in order to properly make my case we need to analyze everything, so allow me to play devil’s advocate for a moment. Vanya slit Allison’s throat. In what universe is that even a little bit acceptable? Not only was Allison her sister, but she was just trying to help. She says repeatedly that she loves Vanya, that she wants to help her, that she’s trying to rescue her from her abusive boyfriend, and once again we see Vanya turn to violence when she doesn’t get her way. I see tons of people saying that Allison had it coming because she rumored Vanya into thinking she was ordinary, but consider this: you’re an asshole. Allison was a child, she didn’t realize that what she was doing was wrong. She even admitted it to Vanya and said that she was confused/just remembered it. Guilty people don't admit their sins. Allison was confused and hurt, and Vanya tried to kill her.

Additionally, let’s refer to Leonard. Vanya killed him. Now, I’m not particularly broken up over his death, the bastard sort of had it coming. However, this is yet another example of Vanya overreacting with violence when she’s upset. Her murdering Leonard wasn’t self-defense, as he wasn’t attacking her, nor had he ever physically hurt her. While I’m aware that emotional abuse can be just as bad as physical abuse, and that Vanya was definitely in an emotionally abusive relationship with Leonard, it was still murder. There is no way that it would have held up in court, and I get that people can get trapped in abusive relationships, but if you want to leave a toxic relationship, the answer is not murder. It is never okay to kill someone unless it is in direct defense of your life. or someone else’s. Vanya killed Leonard and showed absolutely no remorse. In fact, the only time she ever showed any sort of guilt over what she did was to Allison, and she got over that in about 30 minutes.

I have gotten a bit off track, so going back to Luther locking Vanya up, he shouldn’t have done it. That much is clear, you should never subject someone to their worst fear. I could go on about Luther and his motivations, but I’ll save that for another rant. All I’m trying to say is that he had a good motive, it's still not okay but I feel that the entire fandom already holds Luther accountable for that, whereas no one holds Vanya accountable for her actions. Additionally, consider the other timeline. In the time where Five came from, Luther didn’t lock Vanya up. Why would he? We can see from Five’s flashback to finding his family dead that Allison’s throat wasn’t slit, therefore because Five was the one who pointed them in the direction of Harold Jenkins, and he wasn’t in the original timeline, there is only one conclusion to draw based on the evidence. In the original timeline, no one went after Vanya. Therefore, Leonard was able to convince her to go destroy Hargreeves mansion, and sometime in the process, Luther ripped his eye out. This is supported by Five saying that while he has assumed that the mansion fell with the apocalypse, it has actually happened before that. Vanya then, after murdering all of her siblings, went on to destroy the world, Leonard, and herself in the process. This shows that Luther was actually somewhat justified in his actions, Vanya has already proven that she is capable of killing and has no qualms about doing so. She has killed billions of people in multiple timelines, and Vanya stans still want to act like none of it was her fault? Okay.

The Guy In The Car

This is a pretty specific sub-category, but I felt like I had to bring it up because it is so fucking incredible the things that Vanya stans are willing to look past. Vanya literally murdered someone because he honked at her. Even if you can justify everything else she did, how can you justify that? Is road rage seriously worth killing over? People are so quick to say “YAS badass Vanya! A QWEEN!” but was Luther a badass when he grabbed Klaus by his fucking neck? No, so why is Vanya a badass when she nearly kills her sister and actually murders innocent people? The fact of the matter is, Vanya shows a continuous pattern of killing without remorse. She has not only killed many nannies, Leonard, her siblings (in the alternate timeline) and the whole fucking world (twice), but she murdered the man in the car for absolutely nothing. He could have had a family, he could have had children, but did Vanya think of that? Probably not, because she’s a psychopath.

Stop and take a good long look at any of these gifs and try to tell me she wasn’t in control. Try and tell me she isn’t a murderer.

The Apocalypse

Finally. The part of this rant that I’ve been the most excited to get to. This is where I get the most idiotic comments about Vanya. I may have to write a whole other section addressing the most stupid comments I have gotten. But nonetheless, everyone seems to be unanimously in agreement that it wasn’t Vanya’s fault, and this is where I run into some issues. Vanya isn’t a child, she’s a grown ass woman. Correct me if I’m wrong, but when you’re almost 30 years old, its time to take responsibility for your actions. Some of y’all’s mamas didn’t raise you right and it shows. When I was a kid, it didn’t matter if my little sister told me to steal the candy bar, I still stole the candy bar. It was my fault, I got punished. No one held a gun to Vanya’s head and forced her to burn the world to the ground. If you rewatch the final scene, it’s pretty clear that she’s in control of her actions. The only times I saw her lose control was when she was defending Leonard from the muggers and when she was ranting about her siblings. During the apocalypse? All I saw was pure vindictive pleasure. She was pissed off, so she would have everyone die.

I would like to point out, because I haven't seen anyone else talking about this, that Vanya was straight up ready to kill Luther, Klaus, Five, and Diego. At the end, when they all were trying to stop her (from destroying the world) she had them suspended in air and was clearly hurting them. You could see them in pain, their lives were literally draining away. It was pretty clear that they would have died if Allison hadn’t stopped her. And through it all, she didn’t care. She didn’t care that they would die, she didn’t care that the world would burn. The bottom line is that Vanya Hargreeves is a psychotic murderer, and the fandom needs to stop treating her like a goddess.

In conclusion

To summarize, Vanya displays the characteristics of a spoiled toddler. All she does is lash out when she doesn’t get her way and destroy the world and other people. She has killed countless people, and the fact that people keep saying it wasn’t her fault is such a classic example of the world’s stupidity. If you say that she wasn’t responsible, or that Luther made her do it, then congratulations, you are just as mature as Vanya is and that is not a compliment. No one can make you do anything. You always have choices, Vanya chose to destroy the world and that is something that she needs to be held accountable for.

I can kind of understand the appeal to Vanya, I suppose. She could come across relatable because of her lonely childhood. Or maybe shes just amassed such a large following because people love Ellen Page (which I get). But the fact remains that I have heard so many idiotic Vanya supporters preaching her psycho gospel and completely ignoring every shitty thing she’s done. So next time I reply to someone’s moronic, unintelligent, not thought through comment, and they try and start beef with me, I’ll just link this rant. I’ve gotten tired of repeating myself. So hey, if you said something to me on twitter about how Vanya isn’t responsible for all the people she killed in cold blood, and I commented with this link, then congrats! You are such a moronic mouthpiece that I felt the need to spend hours writing this essay detailing every single reason as to why your opinion is invalid. Save us both some time here and just stop talking. Either that or turn on your notifications and fight me irl, I won’t hesitate to cleanse the bloodline of your stupidity. Sucks to suck man, don’t let the door hit you on the way to hell.

If you finished this, congratulations. Grammarly tells me that this takes an average of 12 minutes to read so thank you for sticking with me throughout this 2,500-word monster of a rant. You’re a real one. And if you still stan Vanya, then no worries. Believe it or not, I’m not against stanning Vanya. The problem is that most Vanya stans love her on the grounds of believing that she’s innocent, and the fact of the matter is that she’s not. It’s okay to like whoever you want to like, but acknowledge that your fave is problematic instead of being an idiot and naively trying to convince me of her innocence. The facts are on my side here, people. You’re not going to win this argument.

#anti vanya hargreeves #anti vanya #not anti luther #not anti luther hargreeves #vanya stans are idiots #tua #the umbrella academy #rant #the umbrella academy fandom #ben hargreeves #Allison Hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #diego hargreeves #five hargreeves #not anti anyone but Vanya #cuz shes a bitch #i get that ellen page is hot but c'mon #idk man #im gonna go get drunk now peace out

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diarythebookwyrm · 5 years

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Thoughts on Stranger Things 3

So Stranger Things 3 aired almost two weeks ago. I binge-watched the entire season on that Friday afternoon/evening/night. Naturally, that meant I had to take some time to sort through what I had just watched. I have since sorted through my thoughts and decided to share them.

Below the cut, because this is gonna get long and I don’t wanna spoil anybody who hasn’t caught up yet.

So...first, some character thoughts.

This season absolutely cemented in my mind exactly which characters are my favorites and which I couldn’t care less about. This is particularly true of the two main characters who just rub me the absolute wrong way; Jonathan Byers and Mike Wheeler.

Now, I’ve had issues with Jonathan since season one. Let’s explore why that’s the case, shall we? Within the first half of the season, Jonathan not only stalked Nancy but took pictures of her naked and having sex without her knowledge or consent. That’s already pretty damned creepy, but it gets worse when you remember that Nancy is a minor. Jonathan’s pictures count as child pornography by the modern definition. Yes, this is in the 80s, but that doesn’t make it any less creepy. Yes, he and Nancy have “shared trauma” after being in the Upside Down for a short time, but that...is not enough to build a relationship on??? Then the way he and Nancy do end up together is sketchy at best.

So...yeah. Jonathan is not my favorite character.

As for Mike...

Mike, Mike, Michael, Mikey. He is my absolute least favorite of the original Party. Why? Because he’s a selfish, entitled little asshole. I have two younger brothers; one five years and one ten years younger than me. I’ve lived in a house with a 13-15-year-old boy when I myself was 18-20. It was...a trial, to say the least. But Mike takes the typical early teen boy angst and dials it right up to thirteen. Not eleven; thirteen.

In this season, that was just emphasized even more than the past two seasons for me. His behavior towards Hopper has always been a bit of a pain for me to watch, but this season it just got worse. Just because Mike is El’s first boyfriend, he acts like that means he’s entitled to all her time and attention. Hopper was completely justified in flipping out the way he did.

Which brings me to Hopper’s characterization this season. I thought it was perfectly in line with the man we’ve spent so much time with so far. For one thing, this is the mid-to-late 80s.

Let me put that in perspective for everyone. My dad was about Steve Harrington’s age in the mid to late 80s (my mom was about Nancy’s age). My dad was a bit of a...snark as a kid. My grandfather was and still is a very down-to-earth and straight-shooting man. He did not put up with my dad’s bullshit. Full stop. End of story. Hopper is similar to my grandfather in that respect. The scene where Hopper gets Mike alone and then lays down the law? My grandfather would have pulled that if he had a daughter with a snarky, disrespectful asshole of a boyfriend.

Hopper is also raising a teenage girl for the first time. His daughter died before she ever reached her teen years, so Hopper is figuring out what is the best method for handling things like a first boyfriend or a girl’s nights at the house. This is a man who spent years after his daughter’s death living as a confirmed bachelor who was a bit of a slob because he was also self-medicating with alcohol. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t actually follow through on the thought to kill Mike.

Joyce was, as always, my favorite of the parents. She’s a wonderful mother who is just trying to keep shit going for her boys’ sakes more than her own. I can’t really blame her for wanting to move out of Hawkins after what happened with Bob. Did that mean I enjoyed that plotline? No, of course I didn’t. But that doesn’t mean it was a bad one.

Murray was...Well, Murray. I did like his interactions with Hopper and how he’s the only person who actually was calling Hopper by his first name.

Nancy’s plotline in this season...it felt a little weak to me, I’ll be honest. Ever since Nancy and Jonathan got together last season (which...again, I think that was poorly handled from the start), Nancy has not been my favorite person. Am I saying she should have stayed with Steve? Absolutely not. It’s very clear that Nancy was not nearly as invested in that relationship as Steve was. I honestly think that if Nancy were not in any relationship, her story might have been a bit better written. As it is, she just feels like she’s filler alongside Jonathan while Steve actually grows as a person.

Steve, as always, is continuing to grow and develop in ways neither Nancy nor Jonathan has in the course of the show. When we first meet Steve, he’s the hot man on campus, the popular jock, etc. etc. etc. Did he do and say some problematic things? Yes. But, I would like to remind everyone of just what kind of dumbasses we all were at seventeen. Do you remember being seventeen? I do. I was a bitch. And it’s very clear in season one that most of Steve’s assholery comes from having shitty friends as much as anything. He had a point about Jonathan being a creep, and while breaking the camera might have been extreme, it was certainly justified. I think the worst thing he did was helping with spray painting Nancy “The Slut” Wheeler on the sign, and that was clearly more something that Tommy H. came up with. He even stayed behind to help clean the graffiti up. Was Steve an idiot in season one? Yes, but I still loved him even then because I saw potential and he has more than lived up to that.

The rest of the Party along with Max and El remained pretty firmly where they had been in my estimation before season three with only Max and Will moving slightly higher up on my list. Lucas has never been my favorite, but neither is he my least favorite. Dustin is my son and I will protect him. Will has grown on me and I just want to bundle him up in a blanket and feed him cookies. El is, as she always has been, a badass. Max wasn’t necessarily my favorite last season, but I didn’t dislike her, and she’s certainly grown on me with this season.

Robin and Alexei are darlings and I love them both dearly. Erica...yeah. Those of us with younger siblings either are like “yeah, been there” or find Erica a bit too close to home to enjoy. I’ll let you judge for yourself where she falls.

Now for the one character I never thought I would ever feel sympathy for: Billy. When Billy entered the show in season two, I hated him. I hated everything about him, and that was kind of the point. We were supposed to hate him. What I think is a great credit to both the writers and Dacre Montgomery’s portrayal of Billy is the fact they did invoke sympathy from me this season. Billy has still done awful things, but as I watched him become the pawn of the Mind Flayer, I actually felt sorry for him. Dacre was amazing in this role, and I’ll never forget the scene where El and he are facing off in the Starcourt Mall. It’s one of the most poignant scenes in the entire series, as far as I’m concerned.

Moving past the single characters and into the relationships:

I...have never shipped Mileven or Max/Lucas. Why? Because they are children. Mike and Eleven are about 12-13 when they meet, so...for me, the idea of shipping children has never sat well with me. It’s part of why I don’t actively ship series-era Kataang in Avatar: The Last Airbender. By season three, Mike, Eleven, Lucas and Max are about 14-15 which...is better, but not by much. I’m twenty-nine, so for me, those are babies. Also, they’ll grow up and probably have other loves in their life. Shipping children that young is problematic because most people don’t stay with their first love forever. It’s considered healthy to have multiple early loves, and I think that’s part of why I was so adamantly against Mileven this season.

I’ve already addressed some of my biggest issues with Jancy from last season, and I mentioned that I just felt like they were filler this season. Also, Nancy talking about “what if I just...don't let you go” made me facepalm so hard. Again, Jonathan is one of Nancy’s first loves. Few people stay with their high school boyfriend for the rest of their lives. True, it was certainly more common in the 50s-80s, but that doesn’t mean it’s something that should inspire great shipping material. Nancy is at least 17 or 18 in season three. She’s still figuring out what she wants out of life, and so is Jonathan. Making them out to be this great romance that will last forever is just...weird?

Jopper...Jopper broke my heart this season. I’d shipped it on the side since season one, but put it on the back burner when I saw how happy Joyce was with Bob. This season, it just reminded me why I love the dynamic between Joyce and Hopper. I’m so sad that they’ll never have that date at Enzo’s, and I wish the writers would stop making Joyce watch the man she thinks she could settle down with die horribly.

The plot:

I knew the Mind Flayer was going to be the Big Bad, so that was no surprise. What was surprising was the army of the Flayed, and I rather enjoyed that. The Russians were a wonderful addition as far as I’m concerned. I loved the way it was handled, both comedically and dramatically. It makes sense to me that if American scientists discovered the Upside Down, the Russians would have too. I mean, this is the end of the Cold War after all. America and Russia were constantly racing against one another to find the next great discovery first.

Overall, I loved this season. It was not a let-down in any way for me, apart from the focus on certain characters that still irk me. Also, I’ll just be in my lovely house on the river Denial quietly shipping Jopper.

#stranger things #spoilers #my thoughts

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