#mackie does writing sometimes

[uhhbeans]

“I love your smile” with uhh Beanie and whoever you want :]

I HAVEN'T WRITTEN FIC IN SO LONG apologies for the rust.

Featuring @beanie-cleanies @professor-bab @guardtae (+ Peety...we love peety)

“You want me to look for a snake? In the I.R.I.S office?” 

“I want your help looking for a snake in the I.R.I.S office, yes.” Tae shrugs palm-up against the wall. “Very important distinction.” 

“My help…” Beanie purses her lips, setting down the jug of bleach she was holding. 

Tae nods firmly, grabbing Beanie’s hand and giving the widest puppy-dog eyes she could muster. Please, Beanie? Please Beanie you’re like the best. Please Beanie I’ll give you five million dollars. Please Beanie if you do this I’ll take you to a Miku concert. Please Please Please PLease Please--

“Why is there a snake in the I.R.I.S office, Tae?” Beanie audibly groans, wiping their hands on the cuffs of their denim and proceeding to lead against the wall as if trying very very hard to look cool. 

It’s only 8am, barely the start of first shift. Well, it’s called first shift, but in reality the guard had been there for about sixteen hours set already and there were at least a handful of scientists halfway through theirs. It was only called first because having 8am be “first” on record sounded better than saying “the building is alive 24/7 and you really don’t get off the clock, it’s just an extended-break”. 

It’s only 8am, and there’s already a snake missing. 

“Reptile room was left open last night.” Tae shrugs.

“There’s a reptile room?” 

“Uhm…” Tae kicks the mop bucket into a nearby closet, successfully eliminating Beanie’s only excuse out of this. “Yeah. Right next to the professor’s office?” 

“The Professor?” 

This exchange of detail, exasperated question, detail, another exasperated question goes for about six more cycles before Beanie sighs and actually meets Tae’s gaze. 

“Fine. I’ll help the professor--” 

“Help me help the professor.” 

‘Help you help the professor find their missing snake that could be anywhere in the--apparently--sixteen floors of this office.” 

And after about fifteen of those sixteen floors, exploring every nook and cranny, about two altr-incidents, and seven trips to the foodcourt--Tae asks a question

“Why are you so apprehensive?” Tae leans back out of the cabinet, holding up a mysterious liquid for inspection “I know your whole thing is all stiff and aloof but “begrudgingly stoic” just isn’t your thing.” 

Beanie thinks a moment, burying her head deeper into the lab’s liquids. Four hours spent looking for this snake. Honestly, she could be grateful--given I.R.I.S standards this might not even be a snake, and it’s the only real tour she’s gotten of the facility since starting the job. Still, though, her brows pinch forward and she flinches as she touches an acidic goop sticking to the back cabinet wall. 

“I don’t like snakes.” Beanie grits her teeth, voice dropping to a whisper. “Snakes are the one thing I can’t do.” 

Tae’s eyes widen in surprise, and she fully pulls herself out of the cabinet. “You…you don’t like snakes? But why, they’re so--” 

“Too many teeth. Too many scales. Apparently too many in this building.” 

“Look maybe we should just head back to the reptile room. Bab’ll be disappointed but…we’ve seen every inch of this building and…” 

Beanie locks eyes with a slithering mass in the corner, wrapped into a lollipop swirl and flickering it’s tongue towards a petrified mouse at the other end of the cabinet. 

“Tae.”

“What?” 

“Tae.” beanie pulls back, finger outstretched to point into the darkness. “Tae, I found it.” 

Her face lights up, “You found Peety!?”

“The snake. I found the snake, Tae,” 

“Here, here” Tae nudges Beanie to the side, away from the entrance. “I’ll get it.” 

It takes…a bit longer than necessary to pull the beast out of the deep-set cabinet, mostly due to Tae’s cooing and “hiii baby, you’re such a pretty baby, we love you so much”ies of the hour. But, eventually, after a long and drawn out process (and Beanie inching about ten feet closer to the door), Tae pulls out with Peety.

“Yeah, that’s the professor’s snake.” She sighs, holding it up for Beanie to see. 

“That snake has hands, Tae.” she swallows, barely above a whisper. “does that even count as a snake?”

“I mean yeah.”  Tae gives Peety a scratch on the cranium “Look at it’s little head.” 

***

It’s a week before Beanie enters the reptile room again, this time fully alone, not even cleaning supplies to keep her company. To be completely honest, she didn’t know why she made her way into that office--she wasn’t scheduled there, she still didn’t like snakes, and there wasn’t a reason to find that corner of the halls--but she was. 

She walked through the display cases, looking at all the sleeping reptiles flicker their tongues and have their silly little reptile dreams she couldn’t begin to comprehend. Gators, geckos, lizards of all kinds sat in waiting for meals, for enrichment. They were almost kind of cute, actually, with their beady eyes and their…rat diets. 

“Would you like to feed one?” The Professor pops out from behind a corner, Peety in arm. They walk over to the freezer, picking up a frozen mouse by its tail and dropping it into this lukewarm liquid on a nearby counter. “They don’t bite.” 

“Bab…I didn’t know you managed this department,” 

“I don’t.” they smile, setting Peety down in an open glass case. “I’m just good friends with Peety.” 

Bab goes to tinker with something in a nearby case, setting timers and mixing a few liquids. Important, important studies, we’re sure. The reptiles remain still, save for Peety, who is making their better home in the case. They’re slithering around…or more like walking? Crawling? Hard to say…touching their nose to the various pieces of their enclosure, sniffing out the glass, getting more accustomed to the environment again. 

Until, they make eye contact with the janitor, bug-eyed and dilated pupiled. It almost seems to grin, a little mischevous. 

‘I guess I can learn to like snakes. This one is kind of cute…the hands make it alright, like a little boxer.’ Beanie thinks, before poking a finger in the top of the glass. Peety gives a playful lick to the tip of their nail. 

“I love your smile.” 

“Oh,” Beanie snaps back to reality, pulling their hand back. “Uhm…” 

“Was that odd? Sorry if that was odd.” 

“No, No, I’ve just…I didn’t know I was smiling.” 

[fluffypotatey]

Mk : Okay so! since you decided to have two protagonists for the story, and they are great, but what are they? like yk the dynamic duo

The monkies : Oh yeah they're friends/partners.....

Mk : ...I was asking about they got along but okay, Imma just- here! so here says they fall into eachother arms and..uh wait-

MK learning some new specific desires Macky has as his beta reader

[night-faye]

Glad you’re enjoying all this ^_^ don’t worry about straining your eyes, by the episode doesn’t mean every episode, you actually can’t miss the change ;) Between whatever the OP before episode 8 was and those at the end, it’s in the last frame. A couple more trivia for you :D Sorry I keep referencing Macky’s episodes LOL esp this one but S3 Ep 4 that screenshot where he dumps the Skeleton Key in the grass and walks off is reminiscent of the scene where Wukong first leaves his staff in the pilots and walks off. And between two storyboard artists, we’ve seen Red Son being drawn in gender nonconforming fashions, using all pronouns and I quote, “Red Son cannot be contained by one measly gender and will be taking all the genders.” The characters are also given their own Pokemon Team by the artists ;) and although they aren’t stated to have confirmed ages so the fans are able to see them however, they are stated outside of the show to be seen as certain ages. Pigsy is 43, Tang is 41, Mei is 23, and MK is at least 18 but fandom mostly places him at 21. MK has also been thought of as going by He/They pronouns and was shown with the transgender flag. Wukong in JTTW is one of four celestial primates who is described as “knows transformations, recognizes the seasons, discerns the advantages of earth, and is able to alter the course of planets and stars.” While Macaque is "a sensitive ear, discernment of fundamental principles, knowledge of past and future, and comprehension of all things." And his name comes from the saying "a secret is not safe between six ears" or "the dharma is not to be transmitted to the sixth ear" which has sneaky dialogue potential. I love playing around with it. Also, the characters are merged with other JTTW characters of similar names. That goes for the entire Brotherhood + Macky, who is merged with the Macaque King who is presented as female in the English translation. This is where the “Great Sage Informing Wind” title comes from for Macky in fics + the wind and shadow magic people sometimes tie together with him. Altho you don’t see his six ears in the show, we get a lot of references through the mech, how sound effects him, and his…unique ability to react as if having heard into the future. You’ll see in the special. But his model sheet does show him with six ears if you ever wanted to know. But fandom draws him with rainbow colorful ears based on another show that has these monkeys :D Lego’s Chinese TikTok (official one) refers to him as “handsome max charisma villain” + mandarin dub calls him “phantom lord” LOL. In a game, he’s very tsundere about admitting he has a monkey king poster in his room. In S4 we like to say he’s homeless. I’m still struggling to verify if it was a show producers tweet I read about him forgetting to pay rent and losing the dojo. Mei’s placeholder name was “mary sue” and it makes me cry, why they do my girl like that 😭 Time passes differently in the Celestial Realm, so a few hours or days on Earth can be weeks or years up there. Might've been why Wukong was rushing in S2 yet seems to have been gone for months :) Lmao, I gotta catch up to where you're at. I've been slowly writing these up since Pitiful Creatures. Ah, it seems you've seen how MK parallels Mei leaving in S3 here! Fun times for everyone ^_^

Glad you’re enjoying all this ^_^ don’t worry about straining your eyes, by the episode doesn’t mean every episode, you actually can’t miss the change ;) Between whatever the OP before episode 8 was and those at the end, it’s in the last frame.

Aye aye cap'n I'll keep my eyes peels. about to go into nine so should be fun! (I missed it on eight because I wasn't looking)

A couple more trivia for you :D Sorry I keep referencing Macky’s episodes LOL

Never apologize for referencing Macky episodes. I wanna go insane over this monkey

esp this one but S3 Ep 4 that screenshot where he dumps the Skeleton Key in the grass and walks off is reminiscent of the scene where Wukong first leaves his staff in the pilots and walks off.

👀

And between two storyboard artists, we’ve seen Red Son being drawn in gender nonconforming fashions, using all pronouns and I quote, “Red Son cannot be contained by one measly gender and will be taking all the genders.”

THAT IS SUCH A MOOD!!!! HOLY SHIT! Red Son I feel you so hard

The characters are also given their own Pokemon Team by the artists ;)

If Macky doesn't have my (second behind squirtle) fave Mimikyu I will riot

and although they aren’t stated to have confirmed ages so the fans are able to see them however, they are stated outside of the show to be seen as certain ages. Pigsy is 43, Tang is 41, Mei is 23, and MK is at least 18 but fandom mostly places him at 21.

Noted noted noted :)

MK has also been thought of as going by He/They pronouns and was shown with the transgender flag.

👀

Wukong in JTTW is one of four celestial primates who is described as “knows transformations, recognizes the seasons, discerns the advantages of earth, and is able to alter the course of planets and stars.” While Macaque is "a sensitive ear, discernment of fundamental principles, knowledge of past and future, and comprehension of all things." And his name comes from the saying "a secret is not safe between six ears" or "the dharma is not to be transmitted to the sixth ear" which has sneaky dialogue potential. I love playing around with it.

Yeee I knew this. hehehehe. I am going to have such fun with this hehehe

Also, the characters are merged with other JTTW characters of similar names. That goes for the entire Brotherhood + Macky, who is merged with the Macaque King who is presented as female in the English translation.

Oh fascinating!

This is where the “Great Sage Informing Wind” title comes from for Macky in fics + the wind and shadow magic people sometimes tie together with him. Altho you don’t see his six ears in the show, we get a lot of references through the mech, how sound effects him, and his…unique ability to react as if having heard into the future. You’ll see in the special. But his model sheet does show him with six ears if you ever wanted to know. But fandom draws him with rainbow colorful ears based on another show that has these monkeys :D Lego’s Chinese TikTok (official one) refers to him as “handsome max charisma villain” + mandarin dub calls him “phantom lord” LOL. In a game, he’s very tsundere about admitting he has a monkey king poster in his room.

>*Taking notes very quickly*<

In S4 we like to say he’s homeless. I’m still struggling to verify if it was a show producers tweet I read about him forgetting to pay rent and losing the dojo.

WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME? LMAO

Mei’s placeholder name was “mary sue” and it makes me cry, why they do my girl like that 😭

JUSTICE FOR MY GIRL

Time passes differently in the Celestial Realm, so a few hours or days on Earth can be weeks or years up there. Might've been why Wukong was rushing in S2 yet seems to have been gone for months :)

Time passes differently you say 👀 oh I could Do Things With That

Lmao, I gotta catch up to where you're at. I've been slowly writing these up since Pitiful Creatures. Ah, it seems you've seen how MK parallels Mei leaving in S3 here! Fun times for everyone ^_^

I'm in pain :)

[theoppositeofartisshame]

abt me:

she/her(/any) | taurus sun (gemini cusp) - leo moon - libra rising (- cancer venus) | INFP | 2w3 (the second highest is actually 4 but yk) | pan

interests:

making stuff (baking, DIY, sewing), psychology, documentaries (abt animals, creation processes, plants), rocks, languages (french, spanish, russian), mythology, astrology, trying hobbies (yoga, gardening, scrapbooking), the operation of religions, writing (poems, journals, fanfiction), hungarian movies and series (Demimonde, SOS Love, Just Drop Dead), theater (Seagull from Chekhov, Party from Sally Potter, The Castle from Kafka), musical theater (Matilda, Heathers), chachkies (tiny clown statues, dolls, stickers), philosophy, baking (rather cooking), whimsigoth, Barbie dolls and their history (Bob Mackie Moon Goddess, Silkstone Lingerie Fashion Model, the halloween ones), witchy stuff and knowledge, series (Pretty Little Liars, Modern Family, Arcane), drag (local and global), queer cinema (TRHPS, The Hours, The Crime is Mine), vintage toys (Strawberry Shortcake, Lil Secrets from Mattel, Sylvanian Families), cartoons (Monster High), animals (frogs, pigs, the idea of bugs), warm toned lights, crosswords and sudoku, plants (willow trees, vines).

posts:

i have a conflicting relationship with what counts as art and what does not. sometimes i make something that looks undoubtedly great and took a long time but i do not feel like its art, and sometimes i make something that looks like crap and didnt take as long and yet i feel like it is art. so what now?

perhaps art does not have to be good and simply bc something is good does not make it art. i think its more abt emotions, that would make sense.

ill just say that i post things that i made. (or did something with?)

feel free to hmu! (be merciful please)

[concerthopperblog]

Review: Lucinda Williams- 'Stories from a Rock and Roll Heart'

Sometimes when you lose something, it makes you love it that much more. Beethoven composed some of his best music after losing his hearing. Film critic Roger Ebert, after losing his ability to eat to cancer, wrote beautifully about food and released a cookbook. So, one supposes, it should be no surprise that, following a 2020 stroke that left her unable to play guitar, roots legend Lucinda Williams is releasing the most guitar-driven album of her career, Stories from a Rock and Roll Heart.

Williams, who had always written on guitar, enlisted the help of husband and co-producer Tom Overby and Jesse Malin in the writing process. Assembling a crack band of musicians including Doug Pettibone, Stuart Mathis, Reese Winans, and Steve Mackie, Williams cranked the amp and called up her rock and roll friends, including rock's first couple, Bruce Springsteen and Patty Scialfa.

Springsteen and Scialfa guest on two tracks, and they're two of the hardest rockers on the album. “Rock and Roll Heart” kicks off with an electric guitar wail that could have pulled right off Darkness on the Edge of Town alongside “Badlands.” It's a “blue collar kid finds salvation in rock and roll” story, one that's been told a dozen times but Williams and Springsteen manage to make it sound fresh. The Boss also appears on “New York Comeback.” Here his signature voice is more prominent and blends perfectly with Williams' own.

The album's most fun song is its opener, “Let's Get the Band Back Together.” A post-COVID celebration of togetherness and a call to old friends who only “see each other every couple of years / at funerals and weddings / laughs and tears” to reconnect more often. And reconnect Williams does, bringing in a raucous chorus to sing along that includes Margo Price, Jeremy Ivey, and Buddy Miller. They all sound like they're having the time of their lives and the joy is infectious.

Williams also pays tribute to some fallen rock legends on Stories from a Rock and Roll Heart. “Stolen Moments” remembers Tom Petty, an artist who Williams released a tribute album to as part of her “Lu's Jukebox” series in 2021. “Somewhere between First Avenue and Second Street / I think about you/ It's like a heartbeat,” Williams sings. Petty would have been proud. “Hum's Liquor” pays tribute to The Replacements founder Bob Stinson. For the song, Williams tapped Stinson's brother and Replacements bassist Tommy to provide backing vocals.

But it's beautifully orchestrated by Lawrence Rothman “Where the Song Will Find Me” that provides the album's most poignant moment. A song that could only have been written by someone who has recently stared mortality in the eye and found her way back through her music, Williams croons the chorus “I know they will find me / like they somehow do / I know they will find me / when it's time to” like salvation is on the line.

Stories from a Rock and Roll Heart is an album I want to listen to in the car while driving with the windows down. There are tender moments here but, at its core, it's an electrifying rock and roll mission statement that's more fun than it has any right to be.

[writer-monster]

11 reasons why cap 4 should reintroduce Bucky Barnes as the love interest, an essay

to start this off, i am not writing this essay from a shipping place nor do i believe that this would have any influence at all over the upcoming movie. i expect nothing. this is simply something that i would personally like to see. (of course no hate to anybody who thinks differently)

here are 11 reasons why i think making Bucky into Sam Wilson's love interest in Cap 4 would be a good move for Disney.

-

1. on the Chinese film market - and why it's an irrelevant argument against the inclusion of homosexual themes in Cap 4

the Chinese film market is something that has been blamed for a lack of diversity in Hollywood films a lot lately. many people claim that this market with a lot of buying power has been responsible for the lack of gay and black representation in particular within Hollywood films.

and we have certainly seen Hollywood treating it as such, going so far as to cut gay scenes from movies for their Chinese releases, and vastly minimising John Boyega's (a black actor's) presence in the Chinese poster of Star Wars The Force Awakens.

[image ID: on the left is an image of the American poster for Star Wars The Force Awakens, featuring John Boyega prominently on the right-hand side. And on the right is the Chinese poster for the same movie, in which John Boyega is barely visible.]

so we know at the very least that Disney believes this through their own actions and efforts to self-censor for the different markets.

but Captain America 4 is a black-led movie, don't you forget. and Disney can't minimise Sam Wilson/Anthony Mackie in the movie or the poster because it's his movie and his poster. and no amount of creativity in the editing room can change that (thank God!).

so if by their own argument the film is already going to be either banned, panned or slammed in China... then what do they have to fear from making it a gay movie too?

-

2. oh, the queerbaiting

queerbaiting is an unusual cultural idea. and sometimes i find myself thinking that the term is far too easily used, but then all of a sudden i will stumble upon a movie or show that is so quintessentially cruel and overt in it's... well... queerbaiting that i will start to wonder what the hell kind of a bizarre relationship all these straight people seem to have with their friends. take Troy and Abed from Community or John and Sherlock from Sherlock as the perfect examples of this. (in which my reaction to the show's creators saying the show wasn't gay was to ask so then why did you make it so gay?!)

i felt that Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in tfatws were getting quite close to this level of queerbaiting.

there was the field scene, the couple's counselling scene, the boat scene, the couple's counselling scene, Bucky going with Sam to face Karli when she told Sam to come alone, the couple's counselling scene, ALL the staring scenes, Sam checking out Bucky's ass here as they said goodbye, the "i would move in with him but" hidden scene, "Uncle Bucky" showing up at the cookout scene, the romantic walking off together into the sunset together ending scene, and the couple's counselling scene. did i forget anything? but i mean seriously, the couple's counselling scene!!! that thing they did with their legs and their crotches while staring deep into each other's eyes, would any straight guy willingly do that? do straight guys crotch-snuggle now?

[image ID: an image of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes during the therapy scene with the quote, "Isn't anybody going to drag me into impromptu couple's therapy and slot my legs firmly between theirs before staring deeply into my eyes?"]

(yeah i stole this image from a buzzfeed article on the fan reactions to the couple's therapy scene. but given that they stole 80% of the content of that article from fandom tumblr, i think it's pretty even-steven.)

there's also the fact that people started talking about bisexual Bucky Barnes a lot after the tiger pictures line, and the lead writer Malcom Spellman responded to the talk of Bucky's bisexuality with "just keep watching". well we watched, Malcolm. but it's beginning to feel like you were just jerking us around.

-

3. the writing

seriously though, what else is Bucky Barnes doing right now in the MCU? his only remaining connection to anything going on right now is through Sam. there is literally nothing else established that's left for him to do that doesn't involve Sam. he moved to Louisiana to be closer to Sam (canonically), he hangs out with Sam's family (canonically), and Steve is presumably gone and is definitely not coming back for more adventures.

he has no villains or loose ends left. he has no other superheroes that he appears to be in contact with. he has no girlfriend or potential love interest, or even other friends or family. he is living in a tent that he has secretly set up in Sam's backyard and is mysteriously appearing from the bushes when it's time for dinner like a stray cat.

in my opinion there is no other meaningful and pre-established progression for Bucky's character that wouldn't just feel cheap.

plus, i don't think the general audience would be all that surprised if they kissed. i think a LOT of people picked up on all that tension. i think a lot of straight people picked up on all that tension too.

-

4. the chemistry between the actors & the chemistry between the characters

the original pitch for tfatws was essentially just this, it was the chemistry between Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie and their respective MCU characters of Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson.

now obviously Anthony and Sebastian are simply friends, and i wouldn't mean to imply anything more. but they are also not their characters.

Sam and Bucky's scenes together before tfatws were both limited and short, and yet audiences still fell in love with the dynamic between the two characters.

in interviews, these two actors are constantly slipping into character and flirting with each other and frankly it's adorable. plus it's really entertaining. i'd love to see that dynamic, unfiltered, in a movie.

because believe it or not the flirting is actually even more open in their interviews than it was in tfatws. and i'm leaving some links as proof.

this here is known as the "married" compilation

and here's a "lucky dip" selection of interviews - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

and here's Anthony trying to get Seb to take his jacket off.

i'm just saying, why not let their chemistry shine? these two are so talented and so entertaining, especially when you put them in a room together. and can you imagine how absolutely hilarious and brilliant it would be to watch them navigate being a couple?

(and for those who bring up the "friends would be uncomfortable pretending to be dating" argument, i'm not here asking for a sex scene or anything. i don't think anyone would expect them to show any more intimacy (physical or emotional) while playing a couple than what they've already shown together in say... tfatws or in their own interviews. not that i actually expect anything regardless.)

-

5. if they were a man and a woman they would've gotten together in tfatws

i have no more to add here. just that... yeah, they would've.

-

6. and i'm not talking about the comics here, i'm talking about the MCU.

i understand fully that none of what i'm saying here falls in line with these characters from the comics. but the mcu itself doesn't fall much in line with the comics either, and these two characters especially are very different from their comics counterparts.

i'm not asking for these two to get together in the comics. tbh i don't think that it would work.

but the mcu Sam and Bucky are different and closer than their comics counterparts. they've got different histories, different backstories, and a very different dynamic. please rest assured that i am only talking about them in the mcu.

-

7. Bucky Barnes is believably bisexual. and Sam Wilson has never been proven to be straight in the mcu, nor has he had a love interest.

(now please continue to keep in mind that these points only stand for the mcu versions of Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson, and not at all for their comics counterparts.)

Sam Wilson has never had a love interest, which is crazy because have you seen that man! he has had two blink and you'll miss it moments of verbal expression of attraction to women, both in TWS. and that's the extent of it, through his entire history in the mcu.

Bucky Barnes has had a number of surface-level female love interests, but none of them even came close to the level of connection and chemistry that Bucky shares with Sam.

and i'm sorry SarahBucky fans, but i just don't think there's very much to their relationship either. i love Sarah, i really do. but it's Sam who shares all the meaningful moments and history and chemistry with Bucky. and i don't see what making her into a love interest would do for Sarah's character either, what would that add to her story?

[Picture ID: Bucky at the cookout with Sam, Sarah, Cass and AJ. Bucky and Sam are looking at each other and smiling.]

and also there is the whole tiger pictures thing... again. which does strongly suggest that Bucky is bisexual whether this was intentional on behalf of the writers or not.

-

8. it's representation... AND it feels natural

marvel hasn't had a lot of queer representation that's been noticeably present in the MCU at the time of writing this.

there have been a lot of failures so far, from the bisexual erasure of Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok to the wlw erasure in Black Panther.

there was queerbaiting almost identical to the bisexual Bucky baiting for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. when asked if he had considered featuring a gay hero in gotg2, director James Gunn stated that "We might have already done that. I say, watch the movie." after the movie's release audiences were understandably confused about the lack of queer representation. To which the director followed up his comments with, "But we don't really know who's gay and who's not. It could be any of them."

there is also Loki, considered by most fans after the airing of his six episode series on Disney+ to be both a poor attempt at both genderfluid representation and bisexual representation. with both attempts being summed up fairly well by the term "blink-and-you'll-miss-it". (also it's just terribly written and Loki doesn't wear any interesting clothes! fanficcers are a Goddamn blessing in this hard time!)

and let us not forget that Andrew Garfield was apparently FIRED for pushing for a bisexual spiderman. a bisexual spiderman within an interracial mlm relationship no less.

so for all these failures, marvel, why not allow us queer fans this? two brilliant and heroic men in a loving interracial relationship. two heroes that we can look up to.

now, one of the biggest detractions from the argument for representation is the idea of "forced diversity". and some poorly written characters certainly do end up feeling forced into the narrative. take Iceman in the comics for example, with Jean Grey just straight up suddenly telling him he's gay. like, marvel, sweetie, that's not how this works! and i don't know a lot of queer people who thought much of that "representation".

but the crux of the "forced diversity" argument is almost always that it feels unnatural within the story, right? and i don't think that anyone could say that about MCU Sam and Bucky ending up together, given these characters' existing chemistry and their history. they've both played characters in gay relationships before so we know that it's not outside of either actor's wheelhouse. and y'all know that Anthony and Seb can act, people. if it's in the script i believe that they'll make it seem like the most natural thing on earth.

-

9. it'd be a nice change

there's been an ongoing meme lately about "Disney's first gay character", the joke being that they continually announce gay characters without really ever including gay characters in their films.

this is to the point where Disney has formed a reputation amongst queer audiences of being homophobic.

if Sam and Bucky were to become a couple, then Disney could have its first actual gay character within a gay relationship. AND have him be in the lead of his own movie, no less.

it's also worth keeping in mind that there's likely an overlap between the people who were outraged by a Sam Wilson Captain America, and the people who'd be outraged by a gay Captain America. and if they were already not seeing the film, then i don't think much is gonna change that.

queer audiences would definitely love it, and the media attention would be guaranteed to be huge. i mean, simply look at the amount of media attention mere rumours of a character's queerness gets you and multiply that by a canon confirmation of said rumours.

but i'm pretty sure that Disney already knows this.

-

10. and yet, in truth, it's not about the representation

in truth i've never felt that i had any trouble relating to characters of any sexual orientation, race, gender, sex, body type, etc. (although that is not to throw any shade at all on people who do wish to see themselves represented) but for me, i think it's more about the story than the packaging.

and yet, a love story is still just a story. straight or queer, monoethnic or interracial. when two characters have chemistry and history and have sacrificed for each other time and time again, and they also can't keep their hands or their eyes off each other, then i'm pretty sure that that's a love story.

straight or queer, monoethnic or interracial, it shouldn't be about these simple labels. it should be about how well written the relationship is. it should be about chemistry, and history, and sacrifice.

because i'm fucking sick of all the hollow, forced romances in media no matter the genders of the participants. i'm sick of lazily written, shallow relationships where any two people sharing the same space for any extended period of time will simply fall in love. it's boring, it's repetitive, and as a writer myself it drives me up the wall!

romance stories suck! and everyone knows that romance stories suck. between twilight, and most of the entire YA genre, and love triangles (so boring), and romance used as poorly-written throwaway subplots in Hollywood movies, the world is in agreement that the romance in western media is simply dreadful. and yet we still want love stories. it's an entire genre that sits at the heart of the human experience (<3), and yet one which so few of today's best known writers seem truly able to capture.

i don't think that i'm the only one who feels this way, either. i suspect it's actually a large part of why fandom is so romance-centred in the first place, that we're all just starving for a good love story.

(btw i think fandom has a reputation for being something that as a whole that it is not. it has this reputation for straight up demanding things and harassing people until they get their way. while unfortunately there are a few people who do this, they're fucking annoying and i swear that they're far from the majority.

in my experience fandom is mostly about writing a five thousand word story at three am while drunk off your ass because it might make someone whom you've never met smile, editing it in the cold light of day, and then posting it. expecting nothing. sometimes getting nothing. and sometimes getting someone send you kudos or a comment so heartbreakingly wonderful that it makes you smile in return.)

-

11. so once again, it is all about the writing.

i want to see Sam and Bucky get together in the mcu, not because they would be a gay couple but because i genuinely believe that their story has potential to be an amazing love story.

and i know the mcu isn't about the romance. it's why in my personal opinion we haven't gotten a lot of good canon romances besides Peter Quill and Gamora. and i don't think that the mcu should be all about the romance either. i fucking love the action and the fighting scenes. i love the comedy. Captain America: The Winter Soldier had no romance and it was a fucking treasure, it was an amazing spy-action-thriller and it made my little gay heart dance. Thor Ragnarok had no romance, and it was an utterly brilliant comedic spectacle action film. not every movie needs romance.

but mcu Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes were doing couple's therapy and fixing a boat and walking off into the sunset together in tfatws. they were inseparable on the battlefield. they've got a dynamic. it's beautiful, it's romantic, and it's gold.

a budding relationship between them in the next movie would be a good way to explore both characters more without the narrative feeling too stilted and separate. at the end of tfatws, both Sam and Bucky fans found that their respective fave felt somewhat underutilised and that their characters were underexplored.

now, that problem would be even more difficult to remedy in a movie, because the plotline of a movie needs to be really tight to work (giggity). and we know that the central conflict of the movie is gonna be action-based (which is good), but we still need each character's personal journey and growth to tie into the main conflict. (which is another issue that some fans found with tfatws, that these characters didn't really feel connected to the action-based plot on a more personal level.)

if Sam and Bucky are already in a relationship, however, this whole dynamic changes. first, their relationship has already been set up for nicely since TWS and through tfatws and they would officially be the best-fleshed-out couple in the mcu. but most importantly, a relationship gives them a perfect vehicle to explore both of their pasts comparatively and connect them personally to the action-based plot.

do you want to establish that Sam is a little too trusting and naïve? then establish this through his relationship with Bucky, and through showing his placing his trust in Bucky. (rather than through having him sympathise with a villain who threatened to murder his sister and his nephews).

perhaps you want to show Bucky recovering from his trauma? show us how comfortable he is with Sam. they get along, they're enjoying each other's presence, we see more of Sam's life and of his family, and then let Bucky tell Sam something that's raw and dark and honest about his life as The Winter Soldier. something about a memory, one that he only just recalled. he's opening up. and maybe what he tells Sam is even something that sets up the future action-based conflict, to ground that in something real.

you want to explore that Sam has trauma too? do this through Bucky. he tells Bucky a story about his time in the military. in the form of a flashback, he shares his own story of loss to evoke before the audience the shared theme of feeling at fault even when you're simply a helpless bystander to an act of pure destruction.

then, action sequence! and it's directly connected to Bucky's time as the Winter Soldier. explore the grief of someone whose life the Winter Soldier tore apart manifesting into a villain perpetuating the cycle of pain. establish your villain.

Later, Sam is dragged into battle against this villain for protecting Bucky. But Bucky doesn't want Sam to protect him. He feels guilt for what he can't control and he doesn't want Sam getting hurt because of him. Bucky reminds Sam that he has a family, one who needs him and who loves him. He tells him to go home.

Sam reminds Bucky that he's a part of that family. And that sure Sam's a hero and his job is to protect anyone and everyone, but that he's doing it because he wants to. It's not simply to prove that he can, or to prove that he's not a bystander (this connects to Sam's trauma here), but that he's doing it to help people.

and this gets Bucky thinking about who he is and what he's doing here. is he a hero who stands by Sam's side? or is he an ordinary man who stands aside? or perhaps, does he stand alone? what does he stand for? Maybe Sam knows. But does Bucky?

Sam and Bucky fight off the villain again, and for the first time Bucky meets this adversary face to face. And Bucky recognises this villain, and has a flashback to the genuine pain that he inflicted upon them in the form of the Winter Soldier. Bucky freezes mid-fight, he almost dies, and Sam has to save him.

Sam chews Bucky out for almost getting killed because he was afraid for him. but Bucky takes this the wrong way and goes off to fight the villain alone, or perhaps to die alone, he's not quite sure.

He puts up a half-hearted fight. He apologises for what the Winter Soldier has done, and he waits for the killing blow, when Sam swoops down and he saves him. He asks Sam why he saved him and Sam calls him a moron. And then, Sam asks him what sacrificing himself would solve. He tells him that you can't choose your past but you can choose your future (connecting to his own experience of loss and guilt and grief). And that no matter what Bucky Barnes still has a future, whether that's as the Winter Soldier or the White Wolf or just some dork with a day job. And that he has a future as a part of Sam's family too.

Sam fights the villain, and it's toe to toe. He delivers a few good blows, but receives a fair few himself. And then the villain tears off his wings, first one and then the other, in a manner reminiscent of what the Winter Soldier did to him in TWS. Through Bucky's eyes there's a flashback to highlight the parallels. Sam gets back on his feet and he fights his best fight, but is now losing.

And then the heavily injured Bucky steps up and fights by Sam's side, and only together do they take down the villain.

"So... I inspired you, huh?" Sam teases with a smile, utterly exhausted. "With my heroism and-"

"You inspired me." Bucky said, equally exhausted. "Let's leave it at that."

Together, Sam and Bucky go back to the safety and warmth of their family. Sam fixes his wings. Sam goes back to being Captain America. And Bucky... he's around, but it's unclear what he's doing.

That is, until the very end. When Sam is in a fight, and suddenly Bucky shows up and helps him out.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asks.

"I've made up my mind." Bucky says. "I'm the Winter Soldier. But now I'll save lives, Sam. Now, like you, I'll be a hero."

Sam smirks. "So does this make you my sidekick, then?"

Bucky smiles. "C'mon, at least make me a partner." He says.

"How about co-workers." Sam says (in flashback, he remembers back to the death of his last on-the-job partner).

"How about friends." Bucky says, with a wry look.

"Bucky... I don't want to see you put your dumbass self in danger." Sam says.

"Oh, and it's ok for you to go running off into danger on your own all the time?" Bucky asks.

"Yes." Sam says stubbornly. "Absolutely it is."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not a dumbass?!"

"Sam, if you think I'm not gonna be watching your back for the rest of time... then you're the biggest dumbass I know. And I don't care if you need me or not, I will be there for you."

"Because Sam, you're more than Captain America. You're more than a good soldier. You're a good man. And I think sometimes, the world forgets what the difference is."

-

...or something like that.

(i only spent like 15 minutes on that. you know if i were actually writing this movie i would come up with something much better. and if anyone from marvel is seeing this, yes i can come work for you. i will make the time, let's do this thing right!)

-

finale

at the end of the day, whether or not the mcu chooses to make Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes a couple, it's their decision. and they don't owe me anything.

i'm just some random person on the internet. who thinks that Captain America 4 should #givecaptainamericaaboyfriend

[whiskeyncoke-redux]

Headcanons: Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan

Chris Evans x Reader; Anthony Mackie x Reader; Sebastian Stan x Reader

*a/n: I’m reposting some of my fics here, I will be writing more soon!

Summary: My headcanons for Chris, Anthony, and Sebastian

Warnings: None really, implied smut? a lot of fluff

*First Meetings…

Chris:

You meet Chris while volunteering for a Kids’ Field Day at your job. It was for the kids of employees and such. You love working with kids and of course he does too so he found out through his mom and he signed up too. Chris didn’t expect anything to come out of the day but having some fun in the sun while playing with some kids. But then he sees you. You’re showing the kids the proper way to do a sack race and even though you fall a few times, you get right back up laughing. And he is smitten with your smile and the sound of your laughter.

Even though he is regulated to other games, he always finds a chance to catch a few fleeting glances of you. When everything is finished for the day, you stay to help clean up things, exhausted but exhilarated. He makes his way over to you on the pretext of helping you organize some of the supplies. You smile at him, which sets his heart hammering so hard he is sure you could hear it, but he decides to strike up a conversation, albeit an awkward one.

“So, um, do you do this often?”

You snort at that. “Did you really just say that?”

“Sorry,” he says, going all red. “That was really bad huh?”

“Uh, yeah,” you say, but seeing his discomfort you add. “But, it was kinda cute, so I’ll let it slide.”

He grins at that and you both continue cleaning while chatting. When everything is finished he asks you, “So, I know this may be a little weird to ask, but d’you want to maybe get a coffee or something, finish this conversation?”

You are a little shocked but you nod eagerly with a smile and agree.

Anthony:

You meet Anthony in a grocery store of all places. You’re searching for this one item and you can’t seem to find it. You go up and down all the aisle at least four times looking. Of course he notices you the second time you push your cart past him, mumbling to yourself. When he spots you again, you have apparently found whatever you were looking for, but you are struggling to get it down.

“Do you need some help?”

“Actually, yes,” you step back and sigh. “I dunno why they put these things up so high.”

He laughs and reaches up to grab what you had been struggling with. While he’s reaching, you can’t help but check him out. He glances over at you and sees you and that makes him grin at you. You quickly look up at the object he has.

“Oh, careful, it’s heavy too.”

He gives you a look that says I got this and it makes you laugh. Once it’s down and in your cart. You thank him.

You stand there a bit awkwardly not knowing how to proceed, but he says to you, “You need help with anything else?”

The two of you end up finishing your shopping together, having fun and chatting, and head to the check out. While you’re in the parking lot, putting your things in your car, he heads over to you.

“Listen, as strange as this may sound, I had fun, you know in there and I want to get to know you better, so how about I give you a call sometime?”

You look at him for a moment, not believing this is happening. “Uh, yeah sure,” and you proceed to give him your number and he heads back to his car and pulls off, waving at you as he passes.

You get in your car, smiling, and drive off. As you’re driving your phone rings. You answer it and it’s him.  

“So, I was thinking dinner Saturday….”

Sebastian:

The way you meet Sebastian is a total meet cute: it is in a coffee shop over a mixed up order.

You both order the same drink and it is so busy that the overworked new barista forgets to take down your names for the order. So instead they just call out the order and hope for the best. When they call out your order and set the cup down, you both reach for it.

“Oh, sorry,” you say. “I thought this was mine.”

“I think we ordered the same thing,” he says to you. “You go ahead.”

“Are you sure? You can take it.”

“I’m sure, I can wait. Go ahead,” he says again with a nod and a smile that makes you feel a little wobbly. His eyes are so blue and the way they crinkle up at the corners made you feel warm all over.

“Uh, thanks,” you take the drink and head over to a table, pulling out the book you brought with you.

After he gets his drink, he scans the shop, looking for a table. He spots one that’s free and surprise, surprise, it’s right next to you. He quickly makes his way through the crowd, over to the table and takes a seat. He stares at you for a bit, and when you look up, feeling his eyes on you, he looks away. You grin and go back to your book. This happens a few more times before you decide to speak.

“You know,” you say, putting your book down. “You don’t have to just stare, you can talk to me too.”

“Oh, I didn’t want to interrupt you and your book.”

“It’s okay, it’s not that interesting anyway.”

He smiles at you again and you’re glad you’re sitting down, because you feel your knees go weak. You two strike up a conversation that lasts for hours. Once you have to leave, he asks you for your number so you can continue talking, maybe grab something to eat…

————-

*First Dates…

Chris:

Your first date with Chris is so much fun. It’s either a game night or a trip to the fair; either way you both have the chance to relax and goof around.  And you both get a chance to be a bit competitive. At the fair, after you exhaust yourselves on the rides, you head off to the games.

“Oh, this is gonna be fun,” you say pointing at the ring toss. “Get ready to lose.”

“Lose? Oh, no, not me.”

You both lose at that one. You try every game, neither of you winning at either, but you still have fun trash talking to each other.

The final game he wins. And he picks the biggest stuffed animal, waving it in your face making you laugh at him being a big kid. At the end, when he drops you off at home, he walks you to your door, still dragging the stuffed animal with him.

When you give him a hug goodbye, he says, “I want you to have this. To remember our date.” He hands you the animal.

You smile and hug it tight, and give him another hug and a quick peck on the cheek, that makes him blush.

Anthony:

Anthony decides to be a little more traditional with the first date. It’s a nice dinner. You dress up, nothing fancy, but you decide to look nice. He comes and picks you up and takes you to a nice restaurant that he’s managed to rent out for the night, so it’s just the two of you enjoying each other’s company, talking and laughing.

If it’s not a restaurant, he plans a nice picnic in the park for the two of you. You’re still dressed nice, but a little more casual.

“Uh, where are we going?”

“Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

Once you get to the park, he gets out and opens your door, helping you out. You look at him with a questioning look, and he grabs your hand and leads you over to a nice, shady, secluded spot where an entire spread is set up. You stop in your tracks, a huge grin plastered on your face.

“Well, what do you think?” he asks.

You can’t say anything but “Wow.”

He leads you over and you sit down, on the blanket. He starts serving you the food and you both relax and chat for hours.

Sebastian:

Sebastian decides to do a movie night with you, but it’s a bit different. He invites you over to his place and when you come in he leads you out to his backyard. You see snacks and drinks in a cooler surrounded by pillows and blankets.

“I thought we were going to the movies?”

“We are, well, it’s something like that,” he says, pulling you down next to him.

He has a projector set up and when he turns it on the whole side of his place lights up like a screen. He puts on one movie then another. And you both sit back watching old movies in his yard. Goofing around, throwing popcorn at the screen and each other.

When you suggest some Disney movies, he eagerly agrees and you both sing along to the songs, not caring how goofy you look.

Once you run out of movies, or rather get tired of watching them, you both sit back and talk to each other, getting to know one another. You end up leaving around 3 that morning, only because you started to get a bit sleepy.

—————

*First Time Making Dinner…

Chris:

Bless his heart, Chris tries to cook for you one time. He’s not bad, but he isn’t that great. You come into his place to the smell of something, you didn’t know what but it didn’t smell that appetizing.

“Uh, do you need any help?” you ask him, setting your stuff down.

“No, I got it,” he says, at the same time a smoke alarm starts beeping.

He rushes to the oven and pulls out a pan that has something that’s burned out. “Shit.”

“Umm, Chris, this all looks… nice,” you say, picking up a burned piece of something and wincing. “But maybe, we can order something instead.”

He looks at you and you can tell he’s a little upset. He wanted to have a nice meal for you. You feel bad.

“This was all so sweet of you,” you tell him, going to hug him tight. “But maybe next time, I can come help you instead? I think that would be fun.”

He nods, warming up to that idea and hugs you back.

“So, what should we order?” you ask, pulling out your phone and going to your DoorDash app.

Once you order and you finish eating, you insist on helping him clean up. You go about scraping the charred remains out of the pots and pans and set them to soak.

When you get to the pan he’d taken out of the oven, you have to ask, “Umm, what exactly were you trying to do here?”

He sighs, “It’s supposed to be lasagna.”

You peer into the pan again, looking at the burned food. “…Why- why is it green?”

Anthony:

He’s probably the best cook out of the three. When he invites you over, he decides to set up his grill outside on the patio. Before you go out, he leads you over to the bar he has. You watch him curiously as he mixes you a drink.

“Try it,” he says, handing it to you with a smile.

You take a sip and your eyes light up. “Okay, wow,” you say and take another sip.

“I knew it! I knew you’d like it!” he exclaims as you finish it.

You laugh at his grin as he goes to make you another one.

“C’mon, I got the grill goin,” and you follow him out onto the patio.

You sit back and watch him as he cooks, chatting to him about your day and such. While you’re eating outside, the sun starts to set.

“So um what do you do when it gets dark?”

He shrugs, “Go inside.”

It’s so nice out that you want to stay outside, so you ask, “Do you happen to have any of those white Christmas lights?”

“I think so,” he says looking around. “Why?”

“I think it would look nice out here if you strung some up, that way you don’t have to go inside when it gets dark.”

He thinks about it and decides to indulge you. He goes inside, digs through some closets and finds some, bringing them out. You both string them up and finish by the time the sun has completely gone down. You turn them on and smile.

“See, I told you,” you say, turning on the spot. “Looks nice right?”

He nods and after a bit he decides to break out some of his kids’ board games. You beat him easily at Sorry, Battleship, and Checkers. Then you decide to play Uno… at which you beat him three times.

“You got lucky,” he says, making you laugh. “I let you win.”

“Sure you did.”

Sebastian:

Sebastian falls somewhere between being a good cook and a total disaster, depending on what he’s doing.

When he makes you dinner, you sit there watching him a little surprised and a little worried. You have to say the dessert comes out great. It’s a tiramisu, and since it doesn’t really require any use of the stove, you’re fine.

But when he goes to make the main course, you get apprehensive. You watch him for a bit, offering to help him, but he declines every time saying he invited you and since you’re his guest you are supposed to sit and relax.

You watch him a bit more, but when he burns his fingers for the third time you jump up from your spot and go to him.

“Okay, okay, step back,” you say, moving him out of the way.

“I told you that I had it.”

“And I can’t watch you maim yourself anymore, it’s giving me anxiety,” you argue back. “Now where’s the recipe?”

He shrugs.

“How - how are you even making this then?”

“From memory.”

“Oh, sweet baby Jesus,” you say and, pulling out your phone, you search for the recipe.

Turns out he was making it wrong anyway. So you both end up standing around the kitchen cooking dinner, giving each other tastes of food, and joking around. All in all three burned fingers were worth it because you ended up spending so much time together.

—————

*First Kiss…

Chris:

With Chris, the first kiss comes almost out of nowhere. You’re at his place playing either a board or video game; just goofing around and having a chill time together. You’re completely annihilating him at whatever game you’re playing. And once the round you’re on finishes, you look over at him. His brow is furrowed with a mix of frustration and surprise. He’s shocked that you’re so good at this.

When you see the look on his face, you laugh, “Aaawww,” you say, grabbing his chin in your hand.

You try to make him laugh and he doesn’t. So you get up and start tickling him, and that works. He starts laughing, trying to push you off of him. You smile and kiss him on the cheek, something you’ve done plenty of times before. He gets this serious look on his face this time though. And before you know it, he goes in and kisses you for real. A deep kiss that takes your breath away. You’re surprised, but it’s so good that you kiss him again.

Anthony:

Anthony’s been holding out on kissing you for real, even though he really wants to and you want him to, too. After you go out, he’ll kiss your hand, or your cheek, or your forehead. And while you find that totally sweet, it’s also a bit frustrating. Especially when after he kisses you, he gives you a look that says he wants more.

So finally you decide to go for it.

You both are at your front door after a date, saying good night to each other, and he goes and kisses you on the cheek. When he turns to walk away you call after him.

“What? I don’t get a kiss good night?”

“Huh? I just did.”

“No, I mean a real one,” you say looking at him with a grin. “I’m just saying after all this time, I want a real kiss.”

He looks at you for half a second before kissing you, really kissing you. When you finally break apart, you let out a soft sigh with a smile.

Sebastian:

Your first kiss with Sebastian is like something out of a romance movie. He didn’t really wait to kiss you. He did it on the second date. He suggests that you two just take a walk on the beach, which you readily agree to.

So, you walk along the beach, either hand in hand or with his arm around you. And you’re talking about whatever topic comes up; anything, everything, and nothing. And you’re having a good time just being around him.

After a point you get tired of just walking around.

“Let’s sit for a bit,” you suggest.

He nods and you both plop down on the sand. You keep talking and scoot closer to him, laying your head on his shoulder. He puts his arm around you, squeezing you a bit.

You get quiet and he looks down at you to see if you fell asleep or something. When you look up at him he smiles at you, then leans in and kisses you softly. Once you don’t pull away, he goes in for another one.

————-

*First Time…

Chris:

Your first time having sex with Chris just kinda happens. You didn’t make a plan for it or anything, although it has been on your mind for a while. You go out that night, but there is something about this vibe he is giving off that has you completely turned on. That vibe has both you and him a little more handsy than usual. Normally you aren’t like that in public.

Anyway when you get back to your place, you didn’t really want him to leave, but you don’t exactly know how to broach the subject. So you go in to kiss him goodnight, but when you try to pull back, he keeps his hold on you. He kisses you deeply, and ends up pinning you to the front door. You don’t think anything of it, until you hear a car honk as it goes up the street.

“Maybe, we need to go in,” you say against his lips. “You know, before the neighbors get nosey.”

He lets you go long enough to unlock and open your door, but as soon as you walk in, he’s all over you again.

You end up leaving a trail of clothing leading from your front door to your room that doesn’t get picked up until two days later…

Anthony:

With Anthony, the night starts off like any other. Sex isn’t really on your mind at first. You’re just at his place with him, on his patio while he’s grilling. Which, you had to admit, has become one of your favorite things to do. Besides, you love watching him cook and the drinks he makes are really good, and they make you feel good too.

After you finish your meal, you decide against playing any games this time. You tell him you brought some old albums you’ve been collecting and you bring them out and put them on. It’s all old school music like Al Green, Otis Redding, and Marvin Gaye.

You lounge around listening and singing along to them for a bit, before you pull him up to dance with you. A slow song comes on and he pulls you in close. You dance cheek to cheek for a bit before looking up at him. He has this look on his face, a look that you hadn’t seen before. And then he kisses you in a way that he hasn’t ever done before.

When he finally pulls away, he looks at you as if asking you if you want to go on. As an answer, you pull him in for another kiss. He moves from your lips down to kiss you on your neck as he walks you backwards to the love seat he has on the patio. He sits and pulls you down on his lap, his hands exploring your body.

It’s not until the second time that you decide to take things inside, but you don’t make it all the way to his room….

Sebastian:

Sebastian wants things to be sweet and romantic (not that the others don’t) so he plans this romantic dinner at his place: candles and roses, the works. He nervously goes around checking, double checking, and triple checking that everything is as near perfect as it can be.

When you come in you are absolutely excited and you exclaim over everything, which makes him smile with relief. You notice that he’s acting a little nervous and you’re kind of confused as to why. He’s normally so comfortable around you, his awkward behavior mystifies you a bit.

You make conversation during dinner, trying to get him to loosen up and he does a bit. You even get him to laugh, which always makes you feel good. But you notice he’s still not making as much eye contact with you.

When he gets up to get dessert, you look around and it suddenly clicks with you. The dinner, the set up, his behavior. You smile to yourself knowing what he wants. When he comes back out with the dessert, that he proudly announces he made without hurting himself. You grin and take a few bites. Letting him know that you love it because it is good.

After a bit you put down your fork and get up, going over to him. He looks up at you curiously as you stand over him. You then sit in his lap, his arms going around you. You look him in his eyes before kissing him deeply, trying to put everything you want to say and do into that one kiss. Once he realizes what you want, he loses all his apprehension and he stands up, picking you up and carrying you into his room…

*First Fight…

Chris:

Your relationship is pretty peaceful because Chris doesn’t like to fight with you. It messes with his anxiety. Your first fight happens when you’re stressing about something silly. He tells you so and you raise your voice at him out of frustration. He doesn’t like that and he raises his back at you. You both start arguing over something so trivial that it annoys you, which makes things worse. You don’t remember who started crying first, but you both end up in tears. You hate it, so does he. And once you both take a deep breath and calm down, you go into each other’s arms, apologizing over and over again, because whatever it is you are fighting over isn’t even that serious.

Anthony:

While you don’t argue much with Anthony, there are times when you do push each other’s buttons. And Anthony will argue back with you. Which will turn some simple disputes into shouting matches. What’s worse is you both know what to say to hurt each other, although you never do after the first time it happens. When he says something to you that cuts so deep you can’t even say anything back, you both stand there in shock. Tears start to well up in your eyes. And when he sees them all the anger seeps out of him. He made you cry and that hurts him more than anything. He immediately goes over to you, wrapping you in his arms and apologizing over and over again until you forgive him.

Sebastian:

Sebastian isn’t the type to argue with you whether he’s upset or not. But one time you push him and he pushes back until you spend the day sniping at each other. It’s not a full blown argument, but you do pass little jibes at each other here and there. Eventually he gets tired of it and says “You know what? This is pointless.” And he walks off. You two go to separate corners or just away from each other for a few hours. Needing your space. After a bit you both end up in the same room and you just look at each other. “I’m sorry,” comes out of your mouths at the same time and you hug each other.

————-

*First I Love You…

Chris:

After dating a bit, you decide one day to teach Chris how to cook. A man cannot live on take out alone. So you’re in the kitchen starting off slow. He already knows how to make breakfast food, so you move on to dinner stuff.

You show him how to make something a little complicated and you work on a part that’s a little easier so you can supervise at the same time to make sure he doesn’t burn himself or cut off a finger. When you see him struggling with some appliance, you step in and show him how to do it, which he replicates perfectly.

You smile up at him. “See, you got it!”

He laughs. “See, this is why I love you.”

You giggle at that and continue to work on the stuff you started on. But you’d notice his chatter had quieted and you look back at him.

“What?” You get a little worried because he has this serious look on his face.

“No, I mean it, I really do.”

“Mean what?”

“I love you,” he says again before kissing you on the forehead. “I really love you.”

Anthony:

Anthony loves challenging you. At first, while you were joking around about something and he made you laugh, you say to him:

“I can’t stand you.” You were joking of course, you adore that man.

“Yes you can,” he argues back. “Matter of fact I know you love me. And I know you know you love me.”

You just roll your eyes, but from then on, he tries his best to get you to say it.

“Go on, just tell me you love me.”

“No.”

“We both know you do. But, okay, if you don’t wanna admit it right now, fine. I can wait.”

You just shake your head and smile, because, yeah, you do love him.

You finally crack one night while he’s with you at your place. You’re on your couch and he starts it again. You playfully shove him, making him laugh.

“You know what?” he says. “Things would be so much easier if you just admit you love me. It’s okay, you know.”

You sigh and look over at him and he has this huge grin on his face.

“Okay, okay, fine. You’re right.”

“Fine what? Go on and say it.”

You scoot closer to him and take his chin in your hand. “I do love you. I love you to the moon and back.”

“Bout time! I love you too, more than words can say.”

He leans in and kisses you.

“Now was that so hard?”

You shake your head with a laugh.

Sebastian:

Sebastian first says it without really thinking. It just comes out. You had spent the weekend with him and you were about to leave. You give him a hug and kiss goodbye.

“I’ll talk to you later okay, babe?” you say, walking to the door

“Okay, bye. Love you.”

You stop in your tracks and turn to look at him. Did he really just say that? You think.

And you can tell by the look on his face that he did and he didn’t really mean to. You walk back over to him slowly.

“What did you just say?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You’re a terrible liar, you know that right?”

He doesn’t meet your eye.

“Say it again.”

He shakes his head no.

“Seb, say it again, please. I want you to say it again.���

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

He finally meets your eyes and says it again. “I love you.”

You look into his blue eyes and you can see that he really, really means it. And you jump into his arms and kiss him all over his face, making him laugh, saying it back between kisses.

[kaiaiswriting]

Being co-stars with Tom Holland

Tom Holland x teen!co-star!reader

Warnings: none

A/N: this is my first time writing a headcanon and i really enjoyed it! i couldn’t finish the requests i currently have in my inbox cause i spent most of today out with my family, but i hope to finish them in the next few days. i also just realized how all my fics are with tom, so i hope to “diversify” the actors/actresses i write about in the future. feel free to leave me a request other than tom holland ones as well! 

you guys met on the set of civil war

and it just so happens that you two are the youngest

so naturally

you both got along really well

shooting scenes with tom are really fun

in between takes you both make jokes 

and tease each other 

when one of you gets hurt doing a stunt

the other is quick to help

as a prior gymnast, tom knows how much stunt related accidents hurt

so he’s ready to do anything he can to help you when you’re injured

be it very limited medical aid 

or emotional support

and accompanying you when you’re resting

when you’re done with shooting your scenes

you both hangout by the snack table together

you share snacks

tell stories

chat

take pictures

he also is nice enough to help you with homework

even though he doesn’t know half the things you’re learning at school

and often resorts to asking other cast members for help doing your homework

and maybe even post instagram stories

(though your time may be spent teaching tom how to use instagram)

the rest of the cast just watch you guys 

and can’t handle how absolutely cute you are

as in: they want to squish your cheeks and hug you guys

because that’s the aura you guys radiate for being the youngest

you both also always team up to harass the producers and directors to give you the script

“okay y/n, here’s the plan: give Joe and Anthony both cheesecakes and while they’re eating start asking them about the script”

when you’re on press tours 

your hotel rooms are always next to each other

that way you can communicate easier

it also makes playing late-night games much more efficient

tom would sneak into your room late at night

and despite having interviews the next morning

you’d stay up all night playing just dance

or uno 

sometimes you guys would go on late-night 7/11 trips 

and being the gentleman he is

if it was cold out 

tom wouldn’t hesitate to lend you his jacket

most of the time, the jacket would be too big for you

but you didn’t mind

back to interviews

you two are always paired up with each other

you don’t give out spoilers as easy as Tom does

so you’ve been entrusted by Marvel to make sure Tom doesn’t let out any spoilers

interviews consist of inside jokes

funny stories about each other

playing around

and earnestly listening to whatever Tom has to say

because if he lets out a spoiler

you both are in trouble

your other fellow MCU cast members always gush over the both of you

about how cute you guys are

and how talented you guys are

Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan constantly teases both you and tom for being the youngest

“They always need their juice boxes,”

“I didn’t know Marvel was letting babies join the cast,”

“Tom Holland and y/n can never stop talking,”

stuff like that

but it always made you and Tom laugh

because you knew that it was all jokes

and that Anthony and Sebastian secretly loved you both

during premieres you and Tom always stick together

and the paparazzis can’t get enough of you both together

you guys have fun striking poses

and your fans love it

whenever you were nervous during premieres or interviews

tom would always calm you down

you tell Tom everything and he does the same

because you guys trust each other that much

overall being friends with Tom is the best 

and you guys always have fun

tom looks out for you

you look out for him

what is there more to ask in a friendship

[ofherriddlerways]

Good omens Preferences 1

How much they love you❤️

This is my first time writing for people so sorry if it’s bad in the beginning

Crowley👿:

Crowley loves you very much. He might not show it since he is a demon and does not love. But when you came in his life, it changed him. He is very protective over you and loves you more then his Bentley. (Yeah you heard me 😂) Crowley also likes to flirt with you from time to time and lets everyone know who you belong to ( ;-) ) So the score is 50/10.

Aziraphale😇:

Aziraphale is the sweetest boyfriend ever he is also very loving and cares wayyy to much about you he is an angel (literally😂) he always loves to share everything with you and loves affection and likes to go on cute dinner dates with you. The scores for this one is gonna be very high so 100/10 💯

Gabriel😌:

Since Gabriel is very busy sometimes with the plan of the All mighty he doesn’t really have time for showing his love or being with you but that doesn’t stop you both, when he has time he would show his love and sharing hugs a lot, he would even hold you forever if he could. And if there is anything you want to do together (even if you want to do IT he would🙈)*kinda embarrassing for me since I’m a simp for Crowley and not Gabriel😂* so the love score is 10/10 he loves you very much😉

Hastur🐸:

(Now I am not a big fan of Hastur but for the people who actually simp for Hastur I added him to the list or else those people would feel left out and hey we all gotta be loved here😘) So since Hastur is most of the time in hell all he felt is hateful things but when he met you he felt different and he kinda hated that feeling but strangely he liked it secretly without him knowing, he never expected someone like you to take in interest in him but he felt the same and he would sometimes protect you but he would also try and help you to save yourself since demons are suppose to be strong (you know😂) but if it’s difficult for you to protect yourself he would as well but without showing the other demons that he has interest in you. Your relationship with Hastur is private or else the demons will only make fun of him and call him pathetic. And he hates it when people talk stuff about him. But when you both are alone he cares about you but he has just difficult time showing it. The love score is 6/10 he loves and cares for you only he has difficult time showing and feeling that way✨(I know the score seems like something you don’t like but this is how I think your relationship would be with Hastur🥺❤️)

If you like to see more characters of Good omens that you simp over let me know, requests are open (I do oneshots as well but it sometimes takes a long time till I finish those so for now it’s preference requests only for now) and I know Gabriel is not very well done but I try my best for you all xxx

Ps: I know it’s short sorry :((

See ya later!

Mackie x

[c-m-li]

Marvel has slowly been upping their diversity game but they have a lot of ground to cover and a lot to make up for

THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG ONE FOLKS

Spoilers for the following:

Agents of Shield – seasons 1-2

The Punisher – season 2

Daredevil – season 2

Jessica Jones – season 1

The Defenders

Captain America: Winter Soldier

Spider-Man: No Way Home (extremely mild and only in regards to Dr. Strange)

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

(please note that while I name several MCU characters, I am in no way shape or form shitting on your faves, I am just using them as examples)

At this point, Marvel has built an empire, but it is still distressingly lacking in the diversity department regarding characters of color. After almost a decade and half worth of movies and tv shows, you’d think they’d have more main characters of color. It’s not like they don’t hire people of color, but the amount of POC who end up playing either the sidekick or the villain is ridiculously high. For the purpose of this analysis, I will mainly be going off the motion picture portrayals rather than relying on the comics but li? how can you analyze something without taking the source material into account? because i fucking can, okay? Also, this is in no way a comprehensive list, but just the ones that have jumped out at me - that being said, that’s still a lot of stuff so here we go . . .

So, let’s count - how many title characters of color are there in the MCU?

T’Challa in Black Panther

Luke Cage in Luke Cage

Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Sam Wilson in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Marc Specter in Moon Knight

Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther broke some historic ground with their majority African or African descent cast and only two named white characters. It was also a grand showcase of African culture with several themes on colonization and pan-Africanism.

Mike Colter as Luke Cage where, in the actor’s words that I’ll paraphrase, in a time that could do with a bullet proof black man. The show also touched on the disproportionate incarceration of black men, and had a badass black female detective in Misty Knight played by Simone Missick.

Simu Liu as Shang-Chi was very uplifting for me to see for three main reasons. For one, the entirely Asian cast was a beautiful sight and how especially Awkwafina as Katy did a lot to go against the model minority type. For two, seeing all the Chinese culture in a positive light was very nice. And for three, fixing the racial caricature that was the Mandarin. It only touched lightly on the Chinese Diaspora through Katy, but it was enough for what they were going for.

Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/the Falcon was a great character from the moment he was introduced and he was one COC that got elevated from supporting character to title character which was also how his role changed in the comics. The show also had continuing social commentary on the history of racism and how it tracks into modern times.

Oscar Isaac as Marc Specter/Moon Knight - okay, cards on the table, literally the only thing I know about Moon Knight is what a coworker told me: that he has DID and one of the personalities is an Egyptian deity whose powers wane with the phases of the moon. I have no idea what race the character is in the comics, but Oscar Isaac is Latino so I’m counting him.

Now we’re down to the rest of the COC’s in the MCU. They’re either no-name characters, supporting characters, or villains sometimes both. Now, there are a lot of characters on the below list who are considered important to the MCU and/or reoccur throughout multiple movies or tv shows, but because they’re not the title characters, they are considered supporting characters. I reiterate, just because they’re supporting characters does not mean that they are not important; if you’re writing the supporting characters correctly then the story would fall apart without them.

That said, here’s the POC that ended up being supporting characters in no particular order:

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury - shut up, I know he’s pretty fucking important, but he’s not a title character, if he gets his own movie or tv show then he can move up the list (maybe it could be a movie about Fury dealing with the events of iron man 2 the incredible hulk and thor 1 in the same week bc there’s a comic of that if i’m not making shit up). I know in the comics that he was originally white, but that they changed it up for the MCU. There are a couple blink and you miss them moments in CA:WS that nod towards micro-aggressions.

Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May/the Cavalry. Also a total badass and the top tier of Asian actresses. However, no matter her badassness or importance to the plot, her character falls into the stoic icy warrior stereotype more often than not. Not necessarily a bad thing because it’s not like those don’t exist in real life, but in my opinion, it’s an overused character type for Asian characters. Watching her character actually develop beyond that was the highlight of the show.

Chloe Bennet as Skye/Daisy Johnson/Quake. Also a pretty fucking important character, arguably the main character of Agents of Shield - however, Agents of Shield is promoted as Agent Coulson and his crew, and the show focuses on so many other things that she’s relegated to supporting character. Now, the actress is half Chinese, but those of us me that didn’t know the actress, the character was racially ambiguous, which meant it was supposed to be such a huge reveal that she was half Chinese in the show. Which . . . okay, I have mixed feelings about a surprise race reveal in any media which rides the edge between that’s cool vs. that feels cheap.

Gabriel Luna as Robbie Reyes/Ghost Rider. I loved his character and he really elevated the entire show for me. He’d be a main character except he showed up in a show called Agents of Shield which he wasn’t. Also, he was only in the first third of the season then disappeared then came back for the season finale.

Benedict Wong as Wong. I heard that initially they were going to do away with his character altogether in the movie since he was a stereotyped manservant in the comics but then decided to add him in by changing up his character. I’m glad because I didn’t get that vibe from the character but it doesn’t take away from their bigger transgression with that film. Though it’s interesting that he’s now the sorcerer supreme due to a technicality.

Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing. Full disclosure, I have seen exactly none of the Iron Fist tv show; everything I know about her is what I saw in The Defenders. I don’t know if I’m qualified to give an opinion considering that, but she seems like the typical Asian martial artist sidekick to the main character.

Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie. A complex character who can go toe-to-toe with Loki - I’m sold. I’d like to see an entire movie with her and the other Valkyries in the full Asgard conquering days because that’d be epic, but only if Taika Watiti directed.

Randall Park as Agent Woo. He’s been across multiple MCU platforms as the same character which is cool to see him pop up every so often, but he always plays second fiddle to whatever shit the main characters are getting up to.

Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau. Very cool and maybe based on what happened in WandaVision she’ll get her own movie hopefully we won’t have to wait over a decade like with black widow.

Zendaya as MJ. Fingers crossed they won’t fridge her like comics tended to do in general to the hero love interest and to Peter Parker’s love interests in particular.

Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds. Crossing my other fingers that they don’t follow the comic books and he ends up being one of those POC that turn into the villain.

Claudia Kim as Helen Cho. She was kinda cool because of course the Avengers need a dedicated doctor, but then she got brainwashed then shot in the chest did she die? and then was never seen or heard from again.

Terence Howard and Don Cheadle as Colonel James Rhodes/Rhodey/War Machine. A powerhouse in his own right, he got the most screentime in the Iron Man movies considering he’s Tony Stark’s friend, but he stayed in that zone of supporting character. I thought that when Iron Man died, he would take on that role but apparently not. Also, we were deprived of having him and Sam Wilson together talking about being fellow pilots.

Rosario Dawson as Clair Temple/the Night Nurse. Clearly capable and a well-rounded character with multiple romantic interests where she bounces between the different shows. I’ve only read a little bit of her in the comics so I have no idea if her comic counterpart matches.

Elodie Yung as Electra Natchios/the Black Sky. She was actually really great as she’s shown to be just as badass as Matt as well as being able to go toe-to-toe with him personality-wise. Her character really shined in the Daredevil show until she, ya know, died. Then she was resurrected but she didn’t really have any personality until the very end right in time for her to die again. did she die this many times in the comics? who am I kidding, it’s marvel, of course she’s died in the comic

Vondie Curtis-Hall as Ben Urich. A much more seasoned journalist as a contrast to Karen’s wide-eyed outlook. It would’ve been cool to see that mentorship kind of relationship between them grow a lot more if he hadn’t been killed off.

Royce J. Johnson as Brett Mahoney. Also one of the ones that bounced between the shows and he actually got a promotion between Daredevil and The Punisher from Sergeant to Detective (yeah, i know sergeants technically outrank detectives, you get what i mean).

Jason R. Moore as Curtis Hoyle. The more moral, but no less efficient side to Frank Castle.

Amber Rose Reva as Agent Dinah Madani. All that righteous fury packed into her tiny frame, she was a great POV to the other side of how things were going opposite to all the shit that Frank was getting up to. She also provided the interesting social commentary, particularly between her and her mom regarding their status as Americans from the Middle East.

That super minor female Asian character that Bucky went on a date with. I was excited when I heard there was an Asian potential love interest for Bucky, but she was there for the beginning of the first episode then never seen or heard from again. And if I can’t even find her fucking name after a casual Google search then she was really fucking minor.

Adepero Aduye as Sarah Wilson. She fit very well into the show and contrasted well against Sam’s idealism. I bought the potential romance between her and Bucky way more than the minor Asian character in episode one, and I would totally be down for a romance between them.

Zoe Saldana as Gamora is that weird gray area because she’s a main character considering the title is Guardians of the Galaxy and she is a Guardian, but she doesn’t actually portray a black woman so her ground is a little iffy for me.

Then we have the COC’s that turned out to be villains:

Maximiliano Hernandez as Jasper Sitwell. He turned out to be Hydra and then promptly killed off. I think I took this a little more personally than I was meant to because I liked his snarky little ass in the different MCU movies he kept popping up in leading up to CA:WS even though his screentime was miniscule. Also, I read a lot of fanfiction about him fitting in with the whole Delta team of Shield.

Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo. I actually really liked this one because she’s a very kickass villain who has this entire mob of guys following her orders. Not only that, but she actually got her own character development which is rare for a villain.

Peter Shinkoda as Nobu. I mean, the Yakuza plays a big part with all the other organized crime and it’d be even weirder if the Japanese mafia had a leader that wasn’t, ya know, Japanese. Then he died by immolation before getting resurrected and then killed off again.

Wai Ching Ho as Madame Gao. Again, it would be weird if the Chinese organized crime didn’t have a Chinese leader. That fight between her and Daredevil was actually pretty sweet as was the dialogue between the two of them.

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo. Started as a supporting character but took the turn to villain in the end credit scene and looks to be the main antagonist in the next Dr. Strange movie. Still, he was a complex character whose morals convincingly changed as the movie progressed as well as the role he had in actually teaching Dr. Strange.

Floriana Lima as Krista Dumont. Her character flip-flopped for me throughout season 2. She went from naïve to calculated and equally twisted accomplice to delusional love sick. That fight between her and Agent Madani was pretty cool in how vicious it was and it really gut punched me when she fell out the window. I would’ve liked her to stay in that zone of cold calculation because it would’ve been a great segue to her turning into her own villain rather than the love interest of the villain.

Eka Darville as Malcolm Ducasse. His character was consistently that sloppy drunk or high character that you have no idea why the main character puts up with them, then it turned out that he was informing on Jessica the entire time due to his addiction.

Ruth Negga as Reyna. We know she’s bad news from the word go, but she’s very suave and sophisticated, known only as the girl in the flower dress for the longest time. My gripe isn’t that she’s a villain because she plays it so well and doesn’t fall into stereotypes nor do they do a bait and switch where you think she’s good but she turns out bad. No, my gripe is that when she does whatever the hell it was called to activate her inhuman gene, they completely change her physical appearance by turning her into a human porcupine and giving her white skin then killing her off. Big. Fucking. No-no.

Dichen Lachman as Jiaying. This is the one that broke me. Because we find out that not only is she Skye’s mother, she also a very powerful inhuman and the leader of this secluded paradise like refuge for other inhumans. She was a beautiful Asian woman with all this power and then . . . she turned out bad. I don’t care if it’s in line with the fucking comics. Is there some kind of limit on the Asian characters they could have in the show? Melinda May is awesome, but you know what would have been even more awesome? Seeing Melinda May and Jiaying actually become friends. Nope, sorry, can’t happen because the other female Asian character is actually evil.

It was at this point that I stopped watching Agents of Shield. It was an extremely compelling show if you ignored the blatant human rights violations that they regularly committed such as the INDEX and the FRIDGE, but I was just done after that. And then Skye’s equally evil white father gets the redemption arc, but that’s whatever. I only got back to watching the episodes that included Robbie Reyes as Ghost Rider so I know that there were other COC’s added to Coulson’s crew but I don’t even remember their names.

Then we have the white washing, the most egregious of which is Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. In the comics, Wanda is originally Romani and Jewish. Not only is Elizabeth Olsen white, her MCU character joined HYDRA, an organization that originated with the Nazis, but she also turned out to be a villain, kidnapping and sacrificing children which is a racist myth associated with the Romani people. (what's the term for a white savior but for a villain?)

And finally, we have the two biggest transgressions with the white savior trope:

Finn Jones as Danny Rand. His origin is from the fucking comics but that doesn’t change what it is. He’s a white guy that was trained by this group of Asian monks that he eventually surpasses and gains the magical ability that means he is the one to lead them to victory. Giving him an Asian sidekick does nothing to help this trope.

Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One. Now, this one had a lot of controversy around it when it was announced. Arguably, the entire Dr. Strange movie is an exercise in the white savior trope. Like Iron Fist, Dr. Strange has his origins in the comics so there’s no changing that, however, I think there are two main reasons why Benedict Cumberbatch didn’t bother me; one is that it’s shown in the movie that the sorcerers are from all walks of life and therefore they are fairly racially mixed so it makes it more believable, and two the movie shows how he spent literally all of his time studying so he didn’t magically gain the spot just, ya know, ‘cuz.

But Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One? Yeah, um, no. The Ancient One is an Asian man in the comics and I would’ve been fine changing the gender, but not the race because there are enough fucking white people playing the titular or pivotal characters.

Ya’ll, if you’re still here after having read the entirety of the above, it probably sounds like I’m really shitting on the MCU, but I promise I’m not. I thoroughly enjoy the vast majority of the MCU and the majority of everything they put into it. The types of themes and character depth and character developments they have managed to squeeze into their entertainment is astounding.

What I’m saying is that I can recognize when something’s problematic but still enjoy it. I also understand the difficulty of translating the comics to today’s film considering the majority of these characters were created around the same time that Wonder Woman got dresscoded by the comics code for her outfit. Marvel has started to gain some ground with their more recent properties, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier being the biggest example with how much relevant social commentary they managed to weave into it, but looking back makes it evident that they need to tread carefully to regain the ground that they’ve lost.

A thank you to Skye for saying what we were all thinking but no one really talks about:

And a blessing to the writers for giving Agent Madani this line:

[uhhbeans]

*stereotypical movie montage of Jamie's wife while she was alive. sucks to suck jamie*

[discoscoob]

Disagreeing with the straight cis female Slash shippers is very dangerous on SM but there indeed are lots of issues with the straight women taking up such a large space of the gay fandom. Like, you are a hypocrite if you do not see the problem with having the large proportion of gay fanart/fanfics being produced by the straight cis women while understanding that the straight men being obsessed with the lesbian women is fetishization. The issue is obvious here: you have a representation of minorities through the straight lenses.

Need a proof? Take mpreg for example. These fics are not always the exploration of futuristic medicine/alien biology and rarely even include trans men. There is a parody video on youtube by Nicholas Black titled "when a gay fanfiction is obviously written by a straight woman". It is embarrassing how point on this parody is.

The thing is, yes, talking from the point of view of our irl experience, the straight men fetishizing the lesbian women have the horrible and criminal consequences. The straight women fetishizing gay men does not have such consequences but this does not change the fact that fetishization of the entire community by the outsider party is still objectifying.

Some of these women feel entitled to ownership of the male homosexual representation. They gaslight the gay men who voice their discomfort with this situation.

And regarding the controversy with Anthony Mackie... i think his reaction was understandable. I do not remember exactly how he worded his opinion tho. But people were not really invested in SamBucky's relationship. They did not see a love story in it. They saw sexuality and eroticism. They reacted to every single SamBucky interaction with "uWu they wanna FuCK, probs can't keep it in THEIR PANTS". They reduced the potential romantic bond between these two men to simple and primal sexual desire while being quite childish and immature about it.

Same goes with Lokius. Lokius shippers will puritan-wash the Twitter threads with their moral superiority but then ignore JUST HOW PROBLEMATIC IT IS TO SHIP AN OLDER WHITE COP WITH HIS PRISONER. It just shows how they lack awareness for the gay experience and do not understand how some narrative choices would be harmful considering how the age gap and power imbalance is a huge issue in the irl gay relationships. Or, lets be real here, these ppl do not see how having the ex-villain be the very first ever Marvel character in a mlm relationship is not exactly the purest, fluffiest, healthiest representation choice.

So, yeah, i do not know whether they project on Mobius or Loki but i do know that they see the threat in a woman who could take away their fave male character because, "if i can't have him, no other woman can". But another male character is fine, because in the end of the day, fetishization is dehumanizing. For these people, whether it is conscious or subconscious, the mlm relationships are never really "real". They will always be the projected caricature fantasies. A man can't truly "have" another men because, for a straight cis women obsessed with the gay men, the gayness will always be something out of fantasy.

Let me finish by saying, it is ok to ship the gay pairings if you are a straight cis woman. It is ok to draw homosexual erotica and write the gay fiction too. But sometimes we should talk critically regarding these things as well.

I have nothing to add you made several good points. I just want to also clarify that it goes without saying that this is clearly calling out straight cis women, as stated several times in the post, it’s just all too often that whenever I see posts where someone is clearly calling out a certain group someone who the post clearly wasn’t directed towards comes along to complain because they feel like the post is targeting them when it clearly isn’t.

[midnightswithdearkatytspb]

VelvetCardiganBucky’s Recommendations 2021: Week 1 & 2 | January 1-9

Welcome to my first ever list of recommendations! In this week's list, you’ll find links to my favorite stories I've read in the past week. Eventually, I would like to also share some of my other favorite things on this site, but for now, it's just stories. If you would like your story featured in a future post just use #ktkvcbreadinglist

Be aware most of the stories and writers on this list are 18+ over writers and my blog is an 18+ blog.

Week 3 »

Chris Evans

Sealed with an Accident by @coolemmasulivan • Chris Evans x Reader — Fluffy and sweet, we need it after the week we just had.

Steve Rogers

Fill Me Up by @jtargaryen18 • Steve Rogers x Reader — Sweet, but hot.

Ransom Drysdale

The Highest Bidder by pagesoflauren • Ransom Drysdale x Reader – Graduate school is expensive, especially when you’ve moved out of state and going to school in Boston. Bills pile up, and soon your bank account is looking grim, with no choice left but to auction off what you deem your most valuable asset: your virginity. | Sequel: Money’s Worth

her cherry lips on his whiskey flavoured kiss by @cloudystevie • Love Drunk Ransom x Reader – Ransom was never a one for till he met you. (The smut in this is just beautiful.)

Andy Barber

Blackmail by @stargazingfangirl18 • Darkish!Andy Barber x Reader – Mob!Andy Barber? YES, please! I didn't know I was missing out till I was reading this. The writing is great and it leaves you wanting more. Kudos to the writer and thank you for the filthy smut.

Bucky Barnes

Golden by @rebeccccccaaa • King!Bucky x Knight!Reader – King Bucky loses his wife after she falls sick, his kingdom demands he remarries, preferably to a nearby kingdom to form an alliance. The problem is the isn't the one, but her knight, however, well she was a pleasant surprise for the King.

'Tis The Damn Season by @sweeterthanthis & @msmarvelwrites • Bucky Barnes x Reader – Angst/Smut/Man Whore Bucky and Taylor Swift what more could I ask for? There is now Taylor Swift in this, it’s just named after the song but it’s just as angsty as the song and perfect. *EDIT: Before I just had Lau as the writer, but Brontë was a co-writer on it and it makes me enjoy it even more!*

Rule Number Four by @buckyswinterbaby • softdom!Bucky Barnes x Reader – Can I just say this is just perfect? Like if I had to picture Bucky as a dom, this is how I would see him. Also, this one-shot isn't too graphic, so if you are looking for a little something but nothing too heavy this is the one for you.

Exile by @sweeterthanthis • Bucky Barnes x Reader – Get yourself some tissues, because I needed them, but again this last week had my hormones on haywire. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. Lau uses Grey's Anatomy quotes in this and of course, it’s based on Taylor Swift's song Exile so it’s got some Major Angst, this isn’t a happy one-shot but it does have smut. I love it so much. Thank you for blessing us with your creativity Lau!

Alcoholic Juice Box by @ayybtch • Bucky x Reader – Best Boyfriend ever meets adulting sucks significant other, but he’ll do whatever he can to make them happy.

Cold Body by @sergeant-bonky • Bucky x Reader – Pure Fluff and cuddles, everything I needed after last week.

Santa Baby by @shield-agent78 • Bucky x Darcy Lewis Friends/Bucky x Reader – Steve needs some super-soldier Advil to put up with Bucky but knows Darcy can help him! This is just so fluffy and perfect! I ship Bucky and Darcy but also seeing them as friends is great!

Cookie Monster by @bugsbucky • Dad!Bucky & Daughter – STRAIGHT UP FLUFF THAT FEEDS YOUR SOUL

Stucky

Secrets by @darkficsyouneveraskedfor • Dark!Bucky Barnes x Reader x Dark! King Steve Rogers – A buried family secret comes to light thrusting you to the forefront of an old alliance. (Sorry there is no Masterlist and I know Roo has 7 Chapters as of right now.)

The Concubine by cherinenymphe • DARK!Stucky x Concubine!Reader — Reader is favorite Concubine of the King Steve Rogers, and when he joins forces with King James Barnes, she soon finds herself the favorite of both kings. How long can reader satisfy the kings before jealousy arises risking both kingdoms alliances?

Not Red Riding Hood by @angrythingstarlight • A/B/O Dynamics Dark Stucky x Reader – Sometimes you just need to read about some wolfs chasing after you to claim and what do you know it’s good in a dark sort of way. *winks*

Misc.

This Mission by @quietmyfearswith • Captain Syverson x Stucky x Reader – Is it getting hot in here? Because I sure needed to be doused in a bucket of ice water after reading this! It’s got EVERYTHING!

treat you well | stackie by @sexyxseabassx • Stackie x Reader – SMUT/Threesome ~ I didn't know I needed Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, and Reader inserts in my life or anything of the sorts really till I read this, and I loved it. All I can say is that I hope Shreya brings us more. Thank you for blessing us with this one-shot.

Writers

@pagesoflauren – Let me tell you about my friend Lauren... Lauren is a fantastic writer, she is always blowing me away with her talents. I’m also in awe of how she always makes time to give us chapters even though she has a hectic life schedule. If you take the time to read Lauren’s writing I promise you won't be let down, it's some of the most amazing pieces I’ve ever read. She's constantly coming up with new stuff.

@sweeterthanthis – I binged Lau’s masterlist and let me just say, they are are a freaking amazing writer. Lau made me cry, laugh, and get angry with the reader inserts! Lau’s talents know no bounds. I look forward to see what 2021 has in store for Lau.

@literate-lamb – I binged their small yet so good masterlist as well. They are a really good writer of dark!fics and they have a way of pulling you in and making you feel as if you are in it.

@cherienymphe – Don’t know how I slept so long on her blog, but her writing is dark and beautiful. It sends chills down your spine and it also makes you weep for the characters. Truly beautiful! *chefs kiss*

[night-faye]

Don't worry about it :) 50% of those asks is me flipping alongside you on those scenes, 50% is sharing something new. That suspicious time-skip and white tail is the most interesting imo. I AM ALSO THINKING ABOUT IT ✨ 🤝 😁 Truly something evil you can do there as the infamous drill person...*backs away slowly* There is SO much LMK content to catch you up on between videos and fanfics. *sigh* I'm gonna have to hunt down so many fics for you eh? Luckily I have some author names I can toss at you before finding the individual one-shots around. That ought to keep you fed for a month :D alright time to zoop the final. Thankfully Macky hardly shows up in S4 at all so I can take a nice nap from talking about him. *cue sounds of Faye going *WHAT* it's okay because when he does, it's quality and carries weight ^_^ start and end, that's all you're getting <3 but 👀 you get some sleep. you're going to need it for the ~ flashbacks ~ for ~ baby ShadowPeach ~ the wittlest, fwuffiest I say. What a long journey, now you finally get some context rewards! But only half. Suffer with the rest bc we're STILL waiting. 1) LOVE the slo-mo freeze frame on Wukong reaching out and everything bursts into flame! Too little too late, and YES for pausing there because sure, Macky was frosted over more than an 8 year old's birthday cake, but?? blue chains??? perhaps attached to his spirit 👀 hey, did you know LBD actually possessed Bai He pretty close to Macky's theatre? like the literal next door alley because of that glowing neon sign. What if she was looking for Macky? What if, instead of a 2nd compass, this is how she could always find him? He was literally tied to her even before the ice. oh great, now I'm thinking about cryogenically frozen monkey corpses again. but note: one of the chains higher up. if you're delusional, there was a chain on his neck too. now also NOTE 👀 the way Macky instantly looks at both wrists, say. hey hey hey do you think he always felt those chains on him. he's been walking so funny lately, do they drag on him. yes he IS so happy 🥺 first genuine glee and respite after so long, and I think the line weight in his eyes changes or something here. they flicker in some way. 2) MY FAVORITE SCENE HELLO TRAUMA BELOVED OHOHO WHEN CHARACTERS ARE LIKE THIS TO EACH OTHER IM SCARFING DOWN THAT POPCORN EVEN FASTER 👀 when trying to beat up another guy isn't just rough for the heck of it but instead a cinematic narrative into their twisted relationship and psyche, that is beautiful. Idk I can't explain, it's like when ppl write deep meta about conversations one guy has holding a knife to another guy under the chin and pinned to the wall. sometimes it's with a sword. but with more trauma and past history. Wukong is SO angry, and Mac-quackers what were you YAPPING about trying to fight him if this is how scared you get? Better yet, how did you let MK convince you into fighting the one guy capable of and who HAS (quite possibly) killed you and the one demon who tortured you this whole season. Oh speaking of. We kinda 🤔 wonder if LBD literally revived Macky in S1 sometimes since his ep is right after skeleton key, which would be wild, but recently I wonder if LBD was expecting to lose to Wukong since "when the time came" and was waiting for a future comeback, so maybe Macky died/revived BEFORE the Monk sealed her? but then we wonder what he's been doing all this time. he wouldn't be doing *nothing* for centuries and it's been said that he "suddenly came back." So odd indeed. fun fact: after LBD in JTTW is when Wukong leaves to find out that Flower Fruit Mountain burned down, killing many of the monkeys :) :) :) anyways. 🫡 shout out to the fics who have possessed Wukong kill Macky. bro knew what he was doing and walked in anyways. Mr. "I will do anything to stay alive."

3) that gasp :O and "oh I effed up" escape and then getting YOINKED out of his own shadow???? That was COLD. and by the NECK- WUKONG MY GUY. The way he rears back his fist!! the darkness cast over Macky's face as he stares in PTSD, how he shuts his eyes and turns so the one that is ALREADY BLIND gets hit instead. oh right, still gotta write blind Macky fics. but WHERE is that ~ bravado ~ nah, at his core. Macky will crumble when Wukong is genuinely ticked. I wonder how slow his teleporting is, it was so fast with MK you'd think he was letting himself get punished but he seemed too honestly scared for that. ALSO the way Wukong's fist shakes, the tentative way Macky opens one eye heyyy its your buddy Tang to the rescue XD the UGH way that Macky is WHEEZING AND TWITCHING straining my ears to see if there's little noises, he's shaking and Wukong gets angry hearing LBD maybe he gripped his neck tighter, and he just stares and watches Macky squirming in his grip like the pathetic flea he is and then just COLDLY DROPS HIM LIKE AN OLD BAG OF FUR. the plop sound as he hits the ground like a puppet with the strings cut off! And Macky never leaves. Doesn't even back away from Wukong, and mm 👀 here come the faces. strike 1 when Wukong is explaining his *actual* plan. yeah your crazy ex-friend would do that huh. I mean you did say he didn't have a real plan anyways 😆 but it's another thing hearing it from him. a thousand years, and still the same. SPEAKING OF. *knock on door* *opens letter* Yeah alright, I'll wait until the Special to return to this episode. Beautiful stunned look and slow blink at the "we're heroes! it's what we do!" hero speeches making someone's brain explode never gets old. CLEARLY thought something during that instant back step teleport. Sadly I think Wukong's style of jumping off a cliff onto his cloud arms crossed was cooler </3 but ngl, Macky's fighting style is pretty slick next season. and the next. he's so TRIPPY. and Wukong's scream as MK throws himself in danger and the LOOK afterwards it has LAYERS almost like you just watched someone succeed where you failed which ahahaha is literally this entire episode ngl, that's why ShadowPeach is flipping so much with their expressions. what did I say before? oh yeah, so we think their fight happened **after** the journey, so it's confusing to wonder how LBD could have revived Macky while sealed. Hence the S1 theories. Iirc it was the lack of circlet on him in the flashback but hey! these are biased! hence that brief angst genre of memory manipulation fics.

(I am very much looking forwards to the fan content holy shit 👀👀👀)

[babybluebex]

no pressure at all! but if you'd want to write more stan!reader x tom I'd really love that

i literally FLEW to my computer to write this i love the concept of stan!reader so much ((also i tried second person writing here??? i actually like it a lot more than first whoops))

little one [tom holland x reader]

➽ pairing: tom holland x stan!fem!reader (y/n) ➽summary: when you find out you’re pregnant, you worry about how tom and your brother will react. ➽ word count: 1.6k ➽ warnings: angst, pregnancy, a lot of exposition that doesn’t matter tbh  ➽a/n: enjoy!! masterlist & taglist in my bio

Sebastian stood at the door to your room, just looking. It seemed like a lifetime ago that you had moved in with him, when you were just the smallest thing. Pink skirt and pigtails, toting your dolly with you. He had been young when you were born, but still an adult; he was in college, living in the dorms when his mother had called him and told him the good news. He remembered the day you were born: he had been sitting in a lecture when his little flip phone started buzzing in his pocket. It was his stepdad, your father, telling him that his sister was coming. He left the lecture early and made it to the hospital just in time to be the first person to hold you. He was instantly devoted. 

You moved in with him when you were six. His mom had told him that she needed to move back to Romania and that she planned to bring you, and panic had filled his chest. “No, no,” he said. “Sh-She just started school! She doesn’t speak the language, she’s making all kinds of friends here! Mom, you can’t relocate her, you just can’t.” 

“What else can we do?” your mother asked. “Are you going to watch her?”

A month later, Sebastian was your legal guardian. He came to school plays and parent-teacher conferences, he cleaned up your skinned knees, and he read you stories every night. The two of you had gotten into a habit of falling asleep next to each other, and it got to the point where the bed felt too empty without you. Too cold, too lonely.

When you were twelve, you and Sebastian moved into a new apartment. It was bigger and better suited for two people, and you got a big-girl room. You started sleeping in your own bed, but you had no idea the effect it had on your brother. He couldn’t sleep without you next to him, digging your heels into his back and taking up all the blankets. So, he picked his happy ass up out of bed and, making sure to bring his own blanket, came to linger in your doorway. “I… I can’t sleep without you,” he mumbled. 

“You’re a grown man, Seb,” you said; he was always amazed at the little lady you had become, a smart girl with a biting sarcasm, even when you were little. 

“Yeah, and every night for the past six years, I’ve had your feet in my back,” Sebastian said. He settled into your bed next to, and added, “Now, move over, munch, or I’ll drag you back to mine.” 

Sebastian leaned his head against the doorframe, looking at the room. The walls had once been pink but were now an off-white, more becoming of a young woman, and the band posters were replaced with art prints and collages of you with your friends. Sure, he knew everybody grew up eventually, and he liked you as an adult, but sometimes he missed the little girl who was missing her two front teeth. 

The door to the apartment slammed closed, and Sebastian unwillingly pulled himself from his daydream. “Hey, munch!” he called. “How was Tom?”

Back on Valentine's Day, when you told him about you and Tom, he was instantly thrilled. Even though he outwardly seemed like he didn’t like Tom, he knew that Tom would treat you like the princess you were. And, for the past few months, he had been. Flowers were sent to the apartment on a near-weekly basis, handwritten letters came in the mail regularly, and Sebastian often heard little giggling coming from your room when Tom would call you. He had seen you smitten over guys before, but Tom Holland was a different breed. 

After a date with Tom, you were guaranteed to be talking up a storm, but you were quiet. “Munch?” Sebastian called. “Y/N?”

There was a sniffle from the living room, and a meek, “Seb?” 

Sebastian’s heart fell, and he hurried to see you on the couch, the comfy tufted leather that Mackie had so highly praised. You were crying, your knees drawn up to your chest. “No, no, no,” Sebastian cooed and hugged you tightly. “What happened, darling, is everything okay? Did Tom say something? Did you guys… Did you guys break up?” 

You shook your head and opened your mouth, as if to speak, but a sob left instead. Your chest was so heavy, and you knew that admitting this to Sebastian-- to anyone-- would make it too real but the secret was killing you. You had known that you were pregnant for nearly a month now, but you didn’t want to tell anyone. You knew that your brother would say that you’re too young and that Tom would say that he had a career to think about. And, on a small level, you knew that was true. You couldn’t ask Tom to dismantle his life plans for you and a baby. 

“Talk to me, darling,” Sebastian whispered. “What’s wrong?” 

You sniffled and leaned into your brother’s warmth, and your tears became new. Sebastian would flip shit, you knew it. “I--” You started. “Please don’t be mad at me, please, I can’t take it right now--” 

“Hey, hey,” Sebastian said quickly. “I could never be mad at you. Please, talk to me. You’re breaking my heart here, Y/N.” 

You settled your cheek into Sebastian’s chest, and the emotions ran hot in your face and chest and belly. “Seb,” you whispered. “I… I’m pregnant.” 

A million different emotions ran through his brain at once. Elation, anger, confusion, and so much more. “You…” he started. “You’re--”

“I’m so scared, Seb,” you whispered. “W-What if Tommy wants to break up with me?” Your breaths came in quick, sharp gasps, and Sebastian held you tightly to try to ease the anxiety. He was prone to anxiety attacks like this too, and you had learned how to settle him down, but he hardly ever had to do it to you. You were so grounded, so level-headed and serious. This was the most emotionally unhinged that he had seen you in years. 

The sounds of your crying died away, and you found your ears full of deep whispers. You had learned bits and pieces of Romanian growing up-- enough to pull out as a party trick-- but could never fluently speak it like your mom and your brother could, but you recognized the sound of it. Sebastian was whispering Romanian to you in a lilting voice, and it took you a moment to place it. A song; a lullaby. Sebastian was singing you a lullaby. The sound of it eased your nerves enough to dry up your tears, and you sniffled a bit as you sat up, shedding your big brother’s protective embrace. 

“Look,” Sebastian began. “I know I act like a dick to Tom a lot, but… I really like him. I wouldn’t have let him stick around if I didn’t. I trust him to do the right thing here.” 

“B-But what if he doesn’t?” You whimpered. “Wh-What if he does leave?”

“If he leaves, it’s his own fucking loss,” Sebastian told you. “That baby doesn’t need anybody but you and me, right? I’ve got you, darling. I’ve always had you.”  

You nodded because, once again, your older brother was the wiser of you. You knew that everything he said was true, even if your whole body hadn’t quite absorbed it yet. Tom would be a great dad; and if he wasn’t, you had Sebastian. “Can you stay with me?” You asked, grabbing your brother’s hand. “I-I’m gonna call him.” 

“Sure thing, munch,” Sebastian said, and he settled his arm around your shoulders. His little sister, the same little girl that cried at Bambi and Bucky falling off the train, was going to be a mom. Where did the time go?, he wondered. 

The phone rang out quickly, and Tom answered it swiftly. “Hey,” he said. “I just dropped you off, is everything alright?” 

You took a deep breath. Your heart was beating so quickly that you could hear it in your ears, and you mumbled, “Yeah, yeah, I just… I have something to tell you.” 

“Oh,” Tom said. “Sure. What’s going on?” 

Sebastian’s gaze was fixed on you, and he gave you a prompting nod. “Tommy, I…” You started. It was real. This was real now. “I’m pregnant.” 

There was silence on the other end of the line, long and potent enough for anger to start to flare in Sebastian’s stomach. “Are you serious?” Tom whispered finally. His voice was static-y over the phone, and you couldn’t place his emotions at all. 

“I’m so sorry, Tom--”

“Sorry for what?” And then there was a laugh. “Are you really pregnant? Please don’t be kidding with me, you don’t know how happy this makes me!”

Sebastian gave a sigh of relief, and he wiped one of your tears away with his thumb. “I really am,” you told him. “You’re not mad?”

“Why the fuck would I be mad?” Tom laughed. “I’m gonna be a dad! I’m gonna be a dad, Y/N! Thank you, thank you! I love you so much, baby, you have no idea. Does Sebastian know yet?”

“Yeah,” you said. “He’s the first one I told.” 

“Oh, no,” Tom whispered. 

���Yeah, oh no,” Sebastian said. “Dating my sister’s one thing, Holland, but knocking her up is different. What, you’ve got an aversion to condoms or something? I’m gonna kill you.” 

“Hey, Sebastian,” Tom chuckled lightly. “Look, it was an accident--”

“Oh, ‘cause that makes it better?” Sebastian scoffed. “Jesus Christ, you’re lucky you’re not here right now--”

“Shut up, both of you,” you sighed. “Tommy, you swear you’re not mad?” 

“Why would I be mad?” Tom repeated. “I’m so thankful. Thank you, my love, thank you.”

[whendidyou-leaveheaven]

on the idea of exploiting your own sexuality...

I feel the the terrible need to unpack the whole Anthony Mackie comment and the way I see people treating it.

This is why I wish people would stop asking actors about fandom’s response. I don’t care what the actors think of gay people shipping them, and the actors shouldn’t really have to be presented with loaded questions about that anyway, because they are always going to be damned if they agree and damned if they don’t. And it’s different when you have someone who is creating the content they put out directly like say, Neil Gaiman, who is great about open conversation with fans, he makes a thing and someone messages him and asks what he thinks about the sexuality of a character in said thing and he can fully, with authority, tell people his take on it or tell them it is up to them to see it however they want.

Actors don’t write their characters. They interpret them and play them the way they are usually directed to, and yes sometimes they have more say in the development of characters than other times. Do I think Castiel would have dropped that “I love you” if not for Misha Collins? Absolutely not. Do I think the directors would have let Jensen say it back if he wanted to? Absolutely not.

Anthony Mackie is what I sort of consider old school good natured, like he means well and obviously isn’t trying to tear down queer people but he also hasn’t analyzed things a million times over like everyone online in fandom has.

He has a point which I have considered myself, about the juxtaposition of two things: erasing toxic masculinity and allowing men to have feelings, and providing gay representation...

Can the two coexist? In some ways it does seem like a potentially bad thing when people try very hard to make a ship happen, because supposedly that would reinforce the toxic masculine idea that any sensitivity or vulnerability between men is GAY. And gay is weak and bad. And therefor when we call every male friendship gay we are propping up toxic masculinity and the idea that men cannot be too close or else.

Wow. What a fucked up dynamic right? How can you be gay and reinforce toxic masculinity at the same time?

So here’s why I don’t fully agree with this perspective though. Because,

So what!! So what if your friendship is gay? It’s actually toxic masculinity that is telling you it can’t be! And if it were fine, then it wouldn't matter. Because over half the world still believes these characters are straight and will always be straight. Hell, even I think they are straight (kinda) I just like shipping some people because it’s satisfying to me but I would never in hell go and ask uh, say Henry Cavill what he thinks of this fanfic I wrote. You know?

Male friendship has always been portrayed in media forever and even though it hasn’t been as soft and open as it is now, it exists. Whereas women in media are always pitted against one another as jealous rivals, we are moving away from that idea but historically it has been a thing that women cannot be friends because then they might challenge the status quo together basically, and then start fighting for themselves instead of over a man.

We have some gay representation now in the media but so far I don’t think that any of the canon gay rep involves characters that are all that interesting (ironically that’s not the case with f/f ships, we have a few really good ones right now) or vibe with us on the level that these other characters we love do. So of course those are the ones we end up shipping.

I’m already getting long winded so to wrap this up, my point is: yes Anthony is correct, and yes he is also wrong. He’s a good captain america and I don’t think this is some excuse to say “steve is the real one cuz anthony said we shouldn’t ship it.”

Is projecting gay iconology onto too many close male friendships actually hurting gay people and keeping them from having their own representation?

Eeeeehhh,

we have been doing that since Achilles and Patroclus existed and even then you had people on both sides of the story still saying there was no way they could be lovers when it was explicitly stated. If it were female characters we were discussing would we say the same thing- oh wait, we can’t because we have already sexualized women together in literally any scenario (just look at any fashion magazine before 2010, why are these women in a perfume ad naked together??). The world is changing, we do have more diverse representation than ever before, and toxic masculinity (I am referring specifically to the Hollywood-centric production part of the world, not necessarily on a global scale) is dissolving at it’s root, however slowly. It is no more homophobic to say two male friends might love each other in a gay way than it is to say two male friends love each other in a platonic way. The two are not mutually exclusive.They are gay and they aren’t gay are actually two concepts that can exist at once without hurting anyone.