#media literacy is so lacking these days

[florallylly]

okay my take on saltburn bc i see a lot of comments on it not being gay enough etc etc etc

but to be clear, oliver wasn't in love with felix. he was in love with the idea of felix and the glamour of wealth. if he had actually slept with him and got what everyone thinks he wanted, it wouldn't have been appealing anymore. the whole point is how unattainable he found it and how he literally deifies felix in an unhealthy and obsessive way.

he wants to BE felix but he also wants to own him. he thinks he's in love but in reality he's just infatuated. and tbh felix was never going to fall in love with oliver. he didn't even KNOW him like oliver was lying to him throughout their whole relationship and imo he was treating oliver like his mom treated pamela.

felix loves being loved and he loves commiserating atop his high horse. oliver didn't matter. his tragic backstory did.

ofc oliver is canonically bisexual and like is that not gay enough for yall. that's gay.

the two of them were never on the same page when it came to their relationship. oliver was disposable to felix and felix was just apart of a fantasy.

but okay this is just my opinion discourse etc etc fucking someone's grave is not a sign of love it's a desire to desecrate and own

[ladyluscinia]

Very few people bothered to find out what S1 Izzy / complex Edward enjoyers were interpreting differently than the "Izzy is Kylo Ren / Ed's his victim" crowd that made us like him in the first place, so it figures that now very few people are bothering to understand what a lot of us are criticizing in S2 while the - shockingly - exact same crowd leads the discussion on how it was a beautiful season and Izzy enjoyers are just incapable of decentering their problematic fave.

And it's once again leading to a barrage of posts lecturing us about why the takes they imagine we hold are wrong and supporting the same toxic fandom atmosphere that aimed to harass us all out for a year and a half. Cool. Glad to see no lessons were learned whatsoever.

Only difference is now we actually might leave, on account of you don't generally put up with extended harassment to support a show you don't even think is being written well. 🤷‍♀️

[volfoss]

curious for what is the worst analysis piece youve seen of a piece of media. can be a really bad post or anything but i love to seek out really bad analysis so im curious :)

[otaku553]

I finally got my friend to watch episode 5 of trigun stampede and I feel incredibly validated

[dandeyrain]

i dont know how other ppl are such haters all the time i so much as consider dwelling on minor gripes with an experience and feel so exhausted i have to sleep for six days

[banannabethchase]

Dears. Sweet people.

People lie all the time. Especially on the internet. Just because they have an attractive "all my fandoms and identities" bio does not mean it's true and does not mean it's safe.

Especially for the younger generation, maintain skepticism. We have seen over and over that lies and manipulation are easiest online, where bad people can use things like "I am not giving you my photo for MY safety, but I need you to give me yours for my safety" as a way to manipulate vulnerable populations. Sometimes people with the most up to date pop culture bios are lying to pull people who like those things in with goals that could masquerade as friendship but be something far worse.

Just because someone has a DNI or bio that matches yours does not mean they are safe. It doesn't even mean they're telling the truth.

[james-stark-the-writer]

sigh. so i saw the video on Ocean Waves's "accidental" queer narrative. and it's such a frustrating watch bc it fundamentally, and WILLFULLY, misunderstands the text so much that it truly baffles me. it is like they didn't even understand the fucking point of the movie. it's actually weirdly basically a lot of the same criticism that (500) Days of Summer got actually, because people can't fucking understand the point of the coming-of-age narratives that both the movies are presenting, and that they are not unbiased narrations, they both have a very specific point of view and it's for a reason!!!

[umbralsong]

Addendum:

Player: Will you save the children of Ulma's tribe like you promised? Astarion: I'm not sure, I've been weighing my options. On the one hand, they're the key to my unlocking eternal power and freedom. On the other... Well. It's my fault they're here. Yes, it was Cazador's command, I had no choice. But... It seems now I do.

Devnotes say he says it with a sigh. He's resigned to taking whatever responsibility falls on his head.

Patch 7 gave Astarion a few more lines in his Act III quest, which means more racist fans are out telling people he is perfectly innocent by virtue of his enslavement. Imagine being related to genocide victims, or being someone currently suffering under genocide, and seeing the fandom of the Game of the Year gleefully declare that marginalized children should be murdered and condemned to the Hells for more power for a white man.

Let's hammer home the astounding lack of sensitivity in the writing surrounding genocide victims for the sake of the illusion of edginess:

More excellent tags by eyebagtree:

#the most bizarre choice about the game (given i don't play dnd so this may have been a bullshit “following the lore” thing)#was just how racist nearly every damn romanceable companion was#and how it's brushed off as a “haha funny casual banter” thing by not only the fandom but *the game itself*#i.e. shadowheart's constant racism towards lae'zel that a lot of the fandom turns into “tsundere lesbians” or whatever#(not to mention that there were entireties of marginalized races in there that were deemed as “having an inherently evil culture”)#(esp. the drow)#you have an entire world where there isn't queerphobia but pretty much everyone has to be wildly racist???#and the one black character having the least amount of story and personality and pretty much no backbone???#no matter how much i love the game or the characters within it it beyond pisses me off with how sloppily the racism is written in#as if it was tacked on as an afterthought and seen as a generic “conflict and tension” thing#plus the whole gnome slavery thing and how shittily that was handled#i mean jesus were there no sensitivity writers in the room whatsoever??#not to mention that while all of the other characters are given freedom from their abusers wyll has to deal with mizora just#staying in camp constantly??#AND larian thought it was a good idea “for the lols” for the player to have sex with said abuser??#just careless writing all around

1000% agreed. Racism isn't "conflict and tension," and it's disgusting to cheapen the history-altering effects to a character flaw. [Queerphobia is inherently linked to racism and settler colonialism], so that shit falls flat for me. If Larian wanted to write an Astarion in-line with what this shit really means:

The Psychology of Colonialism: Memmi splits the psychological conditions of the colonizer and the colonized into four parts. The colonizer who accepts, who I���ll call Christopher, the colonizer who refuses, who I’ll call John, the colonized who accepts, who I’ll call Candace, and the colonized who refuses, who I’ll call Nat. The Colonizer Who Accepts: Christopher When Christopher the colonizer accepts his The Colonizer Who Accepts role, he becomes a colonialist. But it means he has to accept the fact that his position of privilege is nonlegitimate. He usurped it by force. So the only way he can really enjoy his position would be to absolve himself of the guilt of the conditions under which it was attained. That’s why Christopher falsifies history, creates racist mythology, rewrites laws, and attempts to whitewash his legacy. That’s why he emphasizes his superiority while casting aspersions on the colonized. He has to do whatever it takes to justify his evils, to uplift himself to the skies while grinding those below him under ground. Deep down, Christopher knows all this is messed up, but he can’t admit that to himself, he has to keep degrading the colonized. And so, just as the colonial situation manufactures the colonized, Christopher the colonialist is also transformed. Now he cheers on torture, discrimination, and massacre. He becomes a reactionary, a conservative, and a fascist. But the condemnation that he carries in his heart can never truly be erased. It pisses him off that he relies on the colonized to maintain the colony, even though he came looking for profit and already has a homeland. But he has to direct his anger somewhere, so he becomes a racist. And not just any racism, a racism so fundamentally ingrained in his personality. His racism is built on three major components: 1) That there exists a major gulf between him and the colonized, 2) that he can exploit these differences to his benefit, and 3) that these differences are absolute and cannot be changed. Therefore, he’s able to remain separate from the community of the colonized by halting any social mobility and he’s able to continue to justify his superiority. Added bonus, he gets to feel good about himself while doing it. He becomes a “humanitarian”. Surely, the colonized needed him to bring the light of civilization. Look at them, so stupid and servile. All this is natural, and eternal, so he has nothing to worry about. If he enjoys a couple perks in his quest to civilize them, well surely it’s just justice. The colonized should be grateful. Christopher, “benevolent master of the natural order”. Don’t question it. Aimé Césaire was right to say that: “Colonization dehumanizes even the most civilized man. [It] inevitably tends to change him who undertakes it; that the colonizer, who in order to ease his conscience gets into the habit of seeing the other man as an animal, accustoms himself to treating him like an animal, and tends objectively to transform himself into an animal.”

This feels to me like when a certain white male writer wrote for Dragon Age (who wrote two Brown elves who were former sex slaves), and every game let you commit genocide against Jewish/Indigenous/Roma-coded people with little consequence, and the last one was named for a straight-up [Catholic church-approved genocide]. Someone has some deeply disturbing views, or is incredibly irresponsible.

Racism in Astarion's Writing

There is a fascist takeover happening in Europe. Again. With pogroms targeting racialized and marginalized groups. Being at all silent about how media affects our perception of reality would be irresponsible of me. I stand in solidarity with you all. I will polish this as I go along, but this is for anyone who wants to understand.

Block, report, and move on from the inevitable racist shitheads. We have work to do.

Donate to Gaza here: https://gazafunds.org/ Support good causes with a click here: https://arab.org/ Ceasefire Now: https://ceasefire-now.com/ Donate to the [Sidewalk School] [Pay your rent], settlers. [KOSA Resources]

There is a... let's be charitable for a moment and call it "knee-jerk" reaction to discussions of racism in fandom. To call it character assassination, exaggeration, slander - anything but to acknowledge the dehumanizing system of power that underlies every part of this imbalance. It's only scary if you don't understand it, and as part of another group under siege for half a millenia, I am intimately familiar with it.

There are Romani perspectives on Astarion's storyline I would encourage everyone to read before mine. I don't wish to link them in case this post gets targeted. Please lend them your kind support and sincere gratitude for their contributions.

I do not "forgive" a character for questionable biases. I wonder why the writers put it there. I question its purpose in the narrative and the effect it has on the story and audience.

Let's discuss the effect:

The racism in Astarion's storyline serves no purpose, but the effects are harmful.

I've played evil (poorly). But I also have a very fucked up sense of humor and understand the appeal of a well-written fucked up little dude. Take, for instance, this Warlock from a BG3 playthrough:

Absolutely vile, but a clearly theatrical/satirical look at a classist piece of shit, you know, that sort of character. Take it as a palate cleanser after reading, and then gather your strength.

This is not a post about liking flawed characters. Please take your strawman, dust behind you, and move along.

I often find the trouble with depicting racism is the inherent unfamiliarity with the subject in a majority-white writer's room and company. There is an idea of what it entails, but not its purpose, and not its day-to-day application.

There is a veritable treasure trove of knowledge out there that I've ended up having to take in small parts. It is not easy hearing about the ways people have hurt others, systemic and otherwise. I genuinely want us to learn from this and be better for one another.

So when I see depictions of people who are Indigenous and Romani and Sinti, I wonder... why? And why were these writers chosen for this character/storyline?

In Astarion's storyline, from what I can tell, he makes light of stealing the Gur children. I can tell this is meant to be a depiction of guilt and deflection. What sucks is the fact that he's ultimately a white man making light of the fact that's... historically what they do.

The point, I believe, of him "following Cazador's orders" is to invoke the Nuremberg Defense. The tragedy is that Astarion, by D&D logic, literally couldn't do anything but follow his command. It's implied because he's defensive as hell, but he feels exceedingly guilty regardless. For all we know, it's earned.

Is Racist Magistrate Astarion still canon? If so, his "grudge" against the Gur is motivated by racism. Is that something we are prepared to confront with more than a line? Was he just a (maybe recently?) privileged asshole exercising his newfound power? In that case, his use of systemic power over the Gur may be read as a parallel to his storyline. But then the Gur need autonomy as well.

There is something to be deconstructed here, but I would not know its intimacies from my perspective. Others would. They may restructure it altogether so that it makes sense for their experience.

Here is what I know, and it should not be on this group alone to point it out: The inappropriate misuse of these tropes has encouraged racism in the fandom at large.

Performing a script well is not the fault of the voice actor, nor is the twisted logic of fans the fault of the writers. I am pointing out that reckless inclusion of certain ideas can have very unfortunate implications:

So stealing their children, expressing little remorse, and then "sparing" them the pain of executing stolen marginalized children is a good ending? I'm adding some untagged comments here for emphasis:

I find it interesting the game recognizes the complexity of the situation regarding the spawn and doesn’t punish the players or Astarion whatever the choice as long as they aren’t doing it for selfish reasons. Some good, thoughtful writing there.

Wow, even as a dedicated Astarion romancer, I was beginning to feel like it was a little unfair how much more recognition Neil is getting over the rest of the cast, but now I’m reminded of why. I’ve finished the game 3 times and never even considered not sparing the spawn, because if he deserves a chance, why don’t they? But the conviction he has behind his words in this makes me think I’ve been making the wrong choice.

Person 1: I really dislike Ulma. She’s such a judgmental Monday morning quarterback. Person 2: same, no matter what you do she'll blame Astarion for things that were outside his control

Spawn Astarion sparing their children as spawn is better and in line with his story, but for some reason, that isn't acknowledged through commentary, dialogue, or mechanics... thus, again, unfortunate implications:

To the spawn Astarion, Greetings from the family of Ulma, hunters of monsters and keepers of peace across Faerun. We know this letter finds you well, for although we hunt you no longer, we do sometimes keep a watch. Your restraint and control over your bloodlust has been admirable. Indeed, it has been an inspiration for our children, who have struggled with their own hunger. These last months have been a difficult time for our people. We have protected and nurtured our children as best we can, and we have learned much. Herbs we once used to dull our foes' minds are now sedatives to ease hunger and pain, restraints built to hold the undead now protect them from themselves. There has been a lot of pain, but a lot of progress too. Our children learned discipline and control, while we learned compassion and patience. There was a time when we would have destroyed any undead creature, our own blood or not, and called it a mercy. But then we met you. Wer saw that redemption was possible. Difficult, yes. Painful. But possible. You saved our children first from Cazador, and then from us. For that, we thank you. We will watch you still, but with more admiration than fear. Walk in peace, Astarion.

And, according to these commenters, it's better to kill them because the marginalized Elder is never satisfied with the man who stole their children?

It sounds so casual, I think. Perhaps they don't know what stealing children from a community really means.

60s scoop/residential school/reeducation camps trigger warning:

(The Scream by Kent Monkman. Alt text in link.)

Look at this painting.

Take it in with me for a moment. It is a scene taken from many memories and one. Look at how these families fought to stay together. Look at how they fight priests, nuns, and state officials - ones who my friend assured me are very friendly - how they grasp at their children with such painful desperation on their faces. It is a way for one to bear witness to unfathomable love and heartbreak.

When genocide deniers play their games, this is what they want you to pretend never happened. Don't mind the tens of thousands of child graves, or the stolen land. Just pretend these people are criminals out to swindle you, or steal your wives.

Growing up, listening to survivor testimonies, and the sweet reverberance of the remnants of survivors of slavery, you appreciate what you have. You remember every kindness. You love what you lost, and what you gained through gritted teeth.

And, you remember the unfathomable pain. It's why you promise to stop it from ever happening again, to anyone.

It is very sad. A heart is a heavy burden. Embrace it. To love is to live again, and to live again means you understand Never Again. Because people deserve to be happy. And that's worth a fight. That's why it's worth depicting with care and love, even when the subject matter threatens to choke you.

Let's get into Cazador Szarr.

I've played the game and understand that he has a backstory and some depth. What disturbs me is that an Asian man has the bloodiest, most brutal scene in the game with a white man killing him.

I can't let this be undiscussed as sinophobia rises in a pandemic. I am no authority, but I'm not ignorant. These posts are found in discussions of racism in BG3 and I would, again, prefer not to put a target on their back. Instead, show them support.

In terms of diverse storytelling, casting, and roles, I would only ask that a historical and sensitive look be applied. Hire people from these communities to act, direct, and write for that role. Writing is never easy. There is a weight and responsibility to it, but it's worth it to touch as many souls as possible.

I respect this history. That is why it is not something I believe should be thrown in as flavor text. It's why history needs to be respected as a great backstory to everything we create. We need each other, and we need art we create together.

The debt is yet to be paid.

[fwwm]

The thing with complaining about shipping is that it’s supposed to be intellectual and counter fandom culture (writing that makes me want to die) but it just shows how little people engage with media seriously outside of like . The fandom side of Tumblr and Twitter. If you don’t want to see the thing that the niche internet community is known for then you should seek out spaces that cater to you. instead of expected fandom spaces to stop doing fandom things.

[qweerhet]

it seems like a lot of people these days have reached a point in their leftist engagements where they have successfully comprehended that ableism is bad and disabled people are not inherently less worthy than abled people, but like, this butts up against their engrained ideas about how people who lack a certain skill (literally any skill can go here!) are less worthy, and so they just fold that in by claiming that it isn't difficult to gain that skill, actually, and something something "disabled people aren't incapable of being normal humans, if they couldn't gain this skill i consider morally necessary they'd be shitty people whose existence is harmful, and it would be ableist to say that, so if they don't have this skill it has nothing to do with their disability"

and i mean it when i say literally anything can go in that slot. like, this was inspired by a discussion of media literacy, but it applies to so many various skills in various parts of life, and i've seen it applied to everything from reading body language to cooking for yourself.

[kitsu-katsu]

Riz's whole arc with Baron starting from him lying about dating somebody to fit in and then transforming into Baron being a representation of Riz's fear of being left alone and behind, never more important than a hypothetical lover to his friends he's trying his damndest to keep together, working himself to the bone to keep them afloat and prove himself valuable to them because at his core he feels once everyone's found a lover he'll be left in the dust, an intrinsically visceral aro fear, all about not being accepted or not being understood for not wanting or not being able to feel that kind of connection the way everybody else seems to. He lied about dating. He's afraid they'll leave him behind for lovers like he will never have. That he won't compare to a romantic partner in his friends' eyes one day. It's all about the lack of romantic partnership

Some people with zero media literacy: He's not aro because Brennan actually said he's ace, so nothing's confirmed! He's just ace. His arc is about being ace actually because Brennan said so. Brennan said he doesn't have a romantic partner because he's ace. There's no way this is a thing about people always confusing the term aro for ace. Nope. He's just canonically not aro. Just ace

[crying-with-my-emo-grandpa]

Before anyone accuses me of "gatekeeping" let's make one thing clear:

If you are actively spreading toxicity and hate throughout the fandoms you are currently in, members of other fandoms have the right to exclude you to keep their own fandoms as safe and pleasant as possible.

So now that that's out of the way, let me just say that I fully support not wanting stranger things fans within your fandom.

A significant portion of stranger things fans are people who have never existed in fandom spaces before. Being in your first fandom may mean not knowing exactly what is and isn't appropriate to say, or how to respectfully have disagreements with people. While I think everyone deserves a grace period as well as time to learn the ropes, I also think that that privilege gets revoked if you are ACTIVELY WISHING BODILY HARM ON OTHERS

That theme is very apparent throughout the ST fandom and the people who are saying shit like that rarely get called out or reprimanded

And to be clear obviously not all of us are this way, but it should be noted that way to fucking many stranger things fans are literally telling people to kill themselves over fictional characters

So if you love deathnote like I do or have been a long term fan of ANY piece of media don't "exclude" stranger things fans, but make sure to double check how how they acted in this fandom before introducing them to any others

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk

thinking again about how supposedly the Duffer Brothers are gonna make a Death Note adaptation lmao. I cant wait for this fandom to get overrun with idiotic ST fans who can’t handle morally questionable characters and who will start foaming at the mouth at the mere mention of Lawlight 😂

idk why they’re even trying to adapt DN either. literally no one wants another DN reboot. nothing they try will ever outshine the manga and its anime adaptation and I for one won’t give a shit unless they have lawlight make out sloppy on the stairs 🤷🏻‍♂️ the gay subtext was fine in 2003 but its 2024 now so we need them explicitly canon or what’s the point

like I’m serious. the only way I’m watching this is if they make lawlight a thing lmao cuz what else could they have to say about Death Note that I can’t get out of a lawlight edit set to My Immortal on YouTube

[gb-patch]

Sorry to send another ask amongst the sea I'm sure you're receiving, but I find myself more concerned about Rose being a sensitivity reader as I find more information. One of Rose's friends continues to insist that the conversation about Tamarack and male MCs was part of a larger discussion about biphobia in the fandom. However, they claim that Rose's position is "people erase Tam's bi/pansexuality by refusing to portray [her] as being attracted to anything other than men." This explanation of Rose's belief is, in-and-of-itself, biphobic. It claims that portraying Tamarack as attracted to men erases her queerness. This is textbook biphobia and bi-erasure that I as a bisexual encounter every day. It is NOT a good-faith defense of a queer character. It reduces us down to our partners and makes the claim that if we end up in a relationship that's "straight-passing," we're erasing our queerness. Especially as a bi sapphic myself, it reduces my identity strictly to the perceived-man I'm dating, and not my inner or previous experiences, or those of my partner. It's very uncomfortable that Rose, a non-bisexual, was discussing this like they're defending Tamarack's queerness when they're doing the opposite.

This is a doubly strange position when Our Life is a game about the acceptance of love in all its forms. The conversation could be different, MAYBE, if Our Life was a TV show or a book or a comic. But this is a game where people are meant to play as characters of their own design. I do not feel confident about Rose being a sensitivity reader for a game with bi/pansexual love interests if these are their beliefs about bi/pansexuality, particularly if they're unable to adapt their opinions to be relevant to different formats of media; this shows they're lacking in skill in the areas of media literacy and critical thinking.

I’ve been trying to make a post that presents the concerns people have about this, but your ask touches on the points I was going to, and I’d say it’s better to have it said by a player than me deciding what people are thinking. So, this is something that I want to make clear- that I see this and other asks/comments about it. What you’ve said is something a lot of people are unsure and upset about. I am sorry that you feel so out of place in this community now. And I am also sorry to players of any sexuality who use a male MC. That comment dismissed players and Tamarack’s identity.

It did come from a longer discussion about bi-phobia issues. The overall feelings were “if people did only want Tamarack to be interested in men, I really wouldn’t like that and wouldn’t it be a funny concept if Tamarack then left them for a woman?”. The comment itself didn’t encompass that idea at all. It does not give a good impression about where they’re coming from. It was unkind.

The viewpoint Rose is trying to have isn’t that “Tamarack can never express an interest in men” which would be wrong, it’s “I stand by the fact that Tamarack is someone who wouldn’t only be interested in men and no one else”. If it’s true that Rose likes Tamarack being interested in all genders and doesn’t want her bi-ness to be forgotten, I’d say that’s an acceptable view. If the point actually is that Tamarack should only be with women and if she’s not than Tamarack is no longer bi or she’s a bad character, then you're right- that isn't acceptable and that is going to get someone removed from the project. I do believe Rose agrees with what you’re saying and means it when they say they want to stop bi-erasure, not participate in it for real. But they had a very harsh way of talking about it.

I understand that people don’t know Rose and this situation has made them believe they do seriously hold that first view. But from working with them, there’s never been any feedback that shows an opinion of the sort.

Right now, I think that comment was being edgy and making a quick, very poorly-worded quip to people they’d been chatting with about that topic already. Rose has left the GB Patch discord servers, they used to be a mod, and may or may not ever be back in there. Rose won’t make blog posts responding to players going forward. They’re going to take a break from this and then try to give helpful feedback. We’re going to see if things can be okay from here.

And with this coming up, we’re all really aware that it’s something to consider about the game. I’m going to be as conscious as I can for any advice that seems to go against the character’s identities and I’m going to question my own knee-jerk choices for how I handle things. Other sensitivity readers will be able to give their viewpoints as well, so will the players. If the game’s content isn’t welcoming or is biased people will notice, and I’ll be here to accept what I’ve done. I don’t want that to be the result of this, of course. I hope the game will be thoughtful and considerate, but I can’t fire Rose at this point to try doing that.

No one has to keep following the game, though. I’m sympathetic to anyone who is too uncomfortable with all this to stay around.

[megismyname]

I agree that Nic hasn’t said she is dating J and same goes to Luke regards to A. Nic and Luke haven’t said they are seeing each other either, so how can you say that Luke and Nic are together when they haven’t said anything, double standard 

Dear Diary,

Today a troll on the internet accused me of perpetuating a double standard all while hiding behind no profile pic and an “Anon” moniker.

Oh “perpetuating” and “moniker” might have been too big of words for said Anon - I really need to remember who I’m dealing with.

Anyway on to the “double standard” 🙄

Do I tend to believe there is a chance that Nic and Luke are together? I sure do. Why? I’m well versed in critical thinking and media literacy and those are skills that lack greatly around here.

Now what’s the difference between me and the “others” - I don’t walk around saying this is FACT. The thing is that none of us know “fact” except Nic and Luke.

So if an Anon wants to come in and tell me they THINK J or A might be in play as romantic partners, then I’ll accept the opinion. Depending on the reasoning, I might not respect it but I’ll accept it. But when an Anon comes in telling me I’m delusional or out of touch with reality then they can go play in traffic because the fact is none of us know the “reality.”

Just another day and another troll who can’t function without me getting under their skin for existing in a positive mindset. Oh they keep me young. 😘

[god-i-hope-so]

Every time I read an anti-Bucktommy take it's like they don't understand what they're watching. Like, no understanding of how fiction works at all and a criminal lack of media literacy. And also unable to follow a simple story.

A tv show like 911 will never be like their favorite friends to lovers fics where everything they want to see on-screen is made into words, every little thought, every gesture is described in a flowery way, every single line is doctored to fit the fandom's expectations, using very specific tropes. This is fanwork, this is our business, we love it, we cherish it but this is our stuff.

911 is a tv show. It'll use many types of tv writing techniques to get to the point while having to deal with budgetary constraints, marketing needs, political restrictions and more. Could they have done a better job with reintroducing Tommy? Absolutely. Does it work as it is? Of course, if we're actually looking at what and how they tell on-screen.

A (long) BuckTommy timeline.

🚁 7x03 - Tommy and Buck meet on the day of the rescue, even before we see Buck, Chim and Eddie in the chopper. They first meet off-screen. We don't know what happened then, we don't know how they looked at each other, if they smiled at each other, if they even talked directly to each other. But they met before we see them in the chopper.

We know by what happens later that Tommy makes a strong impression on Buck (who is already in the middle of a real life crisis). We can also assume that Tommy is attracted to Buck based on his looks (and probably also affinity, they do the same job, never underestimate the homoerotic power of male camaraderie), something we also understand later, so it works (but also, the way he looks at Buck at the end of this episode is a subtle hint.) Don't forget that writers know in advance things we don't, that's why we can go back and find the breadcrumbs we didn't notice before or couldn't make a connection with yet.

🔥 Buck wants to know more about Tommy and his work. This is where you, as the audience, should fill the gap based on what we saw before and what comes next. This is where you should be able to do that instead of wanting everything on-screen the same way you put everything in a fanfic. This gap you fill because you're supposed to understand how average tv storytelling works leads to the following point.

🚁 7x04 - Buck contacts Tommy, he gets to visit Harbor. At this point, we can clearly see Tommy is acting flirty in a very subtle and respectful way, because he doesn't really know what's the deal with Buck, but remember the way he looked at Buck in 7x03? Then there's Buck acting... weird. What's his real purpose here? And this was before he even knew Tommy and Eddie were BFF, so Buck was already attracted to Tommy whatever his connection with the 118 crew, even if the real reason was blurry even to Buck himself.

🔥 7x04 - Tommy is now someone they interact with regularly. Tommy is now slowly working his way (back) into the 118 group. He finds a good friend in Eddy (strangely I don't see anyone questioning that. How is that easier than having a simple, passive crush?), apparently spends a lot of time with him, and knows Christopher because he went to Eddie's house 3 times. Eddie definitely knows more about Tommy than Buck at this point.

🚁 7x04 - Buck is clearly troubled by Tommy. Then there's this whole jealousy circus going on, Buck is a mess, his insecurities are breaking the roof and he's more troubled than ever. Is he jealous of Eddy or Tommy? Or both? (it's both) He wants to be the center of the attention. If he feels he's losing this, people will discard him. So he does some stupid shit. And you can see his feelings are also all over the place. But there's more than just fighting for attention, and that's probably why he's slowly starting to be angry. Because what he feels is different and he can't put his finger on it.

The discussion with Maddie clearly shows how he's chewing on his own heart. He didn't want what he had to change and he acted like a kid with big feelings and little control of himself.

🔥 7x04 - Tommy, who's having a passive crush on Buck, takes the matter in hands and kisses him. Tommy having a crush is not less normal than Buck flirting with basically any cute girl showing interest in him. Being more mature, he meets Buck to set things straight, after having talked about it with Eddie. It's not out of nowhere. Eddie and Tommy are not stupid, and Eddie knows Buck. He saw something was wrong. Tommy, being the new addition to their dynamic, thought it was his fault (I think Eddie and Tommy really felt guilty about going to Vegas and leaving Buck just like that lmao That was so bad for Buck's confidence, I felt it in my bones). Excuses turn to clearing the air turn to let's go for it.

Tommy really took a gamble there. If Buck wasn't what he thought he was, it could have been so bad. So, so bad for Tommy and his job. Imagine Buck accusing Tommy of assault? But he took the risk of kissing him because he has more experience and knows how to read the signs. He's not 15, he has experience with men, and closeted men for sure.

And you know, this is a beautiful scene for Buck as a character. The way he realizes why he did all that, what it means about him, for him. I mean, he knew, in a way, but he didn't know. And Tommy was suddenly everywhere in his life, overwhelming while doing nothing. You have to understand that everything is happening in Buck's head and he needed just a little push to open his eyes.

Buck's queer path: unlocked.

🚁 7x05 - First date, first mess but also first lesson. At this point, you can't even doubt about Tommy's intentions anymore. Buck might still be in a blurry phase but Tommy is not sending mixed signals at all (not with that choice of shirt, let me tell you this. My man was set to hit that night). Buck panicked, Tommy even tried to keep him on tracks for the evening, but between meeting Eddie and what it made Buck say... I mean, Tommy could have had a stronger reaction. Why accept the date if you can't deal with it?

But Tommy knows why, he's been there. Buck liked the idea of the date, but once you're there, everything becomes real. So once again, a little push: Tommy is honest and prefers to part ways, but not without saying why. He's not even mad. At this point, Buck really needs to take another step. It's difficult to drag someone else into your own fog. He has all the rights to be troubled, to doubt, to be scared, but you don't drag someone else in this with you. Tommy protected himself from that, also protected Buck from doing something he'd regret, and he did it with guidance.

🔥 7x05 - Buck talks with Maddie about his date and comes out to her, but more importantly: Buck comes out to Eddie. Look. This is canon, and I know we can choose to ignore canon but both scenes are great. And it's still canon. Maddie is obviously accepting and happy for Buck, and we expected no less from her.

With Eddie, I honestly expected at least some discussion like are you sure? or something like that but I think that at this point, everyone at the 118 knows that there's more to Buck than meets the eye. I'd have loved this scene to be longer with more exchange between Eddie and Buck but it is what it is, and Eddie is supportive of his best friend (yes, sorry, their canon relationship is best friends and I love their friendship, even more now that Buck is out).

And yes, this is even more important to show not only a strong friendship between a supposedly cishet man and a bisexual man but also, and we'll see that later, Eddie still trusts Buck around Chris. Nothing changed. So many people associate queer people with predators, we need to see queer people, and especially queer men, being trusted around children, and being safe. This is the right representation.

I know bvddies are trying to find any reason to make this storyline choice look like shit, because they want their ship to sail (and I completely understand wanting that), but accusing the people who like Buck and Tommy together of being homophobes because they cherish the canon beautiful friendship between Buck and Eddie?? We're not talking about headcanons here, about reading between the lines, or being "coded" a certain way (sorry, for me Eddie is not gay-coded. He's a-spec for sure, and I'm going for being demi, but gay? I don't see it anymore at this point of the show). It's about the canon. You know, at this point, things are already moving into place, even if you don't like Buck and Tommy together. This is where canon is at, this is the story. It's not a personal attack against anyone in the fandom.

🚁 7x05 - Buck wants to apologize to Tommy for the failed date, and for his behavior. Oh, accountability, my beloved. We love to see Buck working on himself. This is the real start of whatever will happen from now on between Buck and Tommy. Buck knows he's ready to embrace this new part of himself and he feels like Tommy is the right person to do that with.

Tommy being Tommy, he makes sure Buck knows what all this means. Buck is not a teenager, Tommy treats him as an equal but he also knows how it feels to be in Buck's shoes.

🔥 7x06 - Tommy, a responsible adult, makes time for Buck (and Chim!) even when he clearly could, and maybe should, just decline. This part was used way too often against Tommy by BoBs. Tommy is a fire pilot on call the night of the bachelor party. A FIRE PILOT ON CALL. Do you think his main goal that night is to have fun? Or is it to be a responsible adult who could well be saving lives (while risking his) the same night? Do you know what it means to be on call? You're basically working without being at work, the second your job needs you, you have to be 100% ready. Again, he's a fire pilot (even if he's also sent on ground work that night). His first job would be to pilot a freaking helicopter and accomplish tasks that requires skills, precision and to not be half asleep. You don't play with that responsibility.

So Tommy showing up is indeed huge. He does it for Buck, and for Chim, but definitely for Buck in the first place. He could have stayed home to get some sleep while waiting. Instead of that, not only he doesn't sleep but he ends up fighting a fire for hours. And the first thing people used against him was that he didn't follow the dress code?! No, you guys need to grow up and live a bit more of real life.

And then we have The Kiss (please someone draw them as The Kiss by Klimt, every fandom needs its Kiss fanart). And once again, it's Tommy making time for Buck, and Chim, when he could be home, take a good shower and be in his cozy bed after working on a fire for more than what, 14 hours? This is a man who knows his priorities. And responsible men are sexy as hell, even when it means they can't have fun like everyone else.

Now, if after all this, and mind you, this is all canon, you still think Tommy is a fraud in this storyline, that his budding romance with Buck has no foundation or that he doesn't care about Buck? And don't even get me started on the "but he was a racist and a misogynist before". Yes, he was. And yes, he changed. Like I said: learn to know his character, but also trust Hen. The fact is that at this point of the story, Tommy is great for Buck. He's kind, he's safe, he's trying even when there's no expectations. Be happy for great representation.

Oh, and don't use your hate against the ship or Tommy to be a nasty little shit with the actors and writers. Decency is free.

[beneathashadytree]

HEY GUYS! LONG POST HERE, BUT PLEASE READ🙏🏽

I am genuinely appalled by the discourse ongoing in the LNDS fandom these past few days—but above all, I am severely disappointed in what had started out as one of the most inclusive and sweet fandoms I’ve ever been in. I have a few things to say, so in this post I’m trying to put all my thoughts to words. Apologies if I sound harsh, but I’m genuinely livid. Also, please ignore any typos. I’m not wearing my glasses while word-vomiting.

First off, for a fandom that is composed of mostly adults, you guys have been acting terribly childishly. It’s 2024, and yet people are still unironically shaming others for “switching up on their favs” as if a person owes 2D characters any loyalty. Let people enjoy things. The novelty of Sylus and how he’s quite literally 6 months behind the other 3 love interests makes people want to catch up on the enjoyment of him all at once. He’s still such a brand new character and concept, so there’s no wonder everyone’s hyped up over him.

I’ve seen people get genuinely mad at other players and writing whole think-pieces about this. I promise you guys, the company making this game is still benefiting whether you’re pouring your money into Sylus or any one of the previous 3. We’re all happy to have an interesting character pop up among the roster now, and we’re taking our time getting to know him. Doesn’t make any of the first 3 any less loved. I genuinely don’t remember this amount of nastiness when solo events for each of the guys used to drop.

In fact, if the popularity thing is worrying you, going off MLQC (the company’s past game) the character who was last added was—eventually, after the initial hype died down—kicked off to the sidelines in most major events and was given the least content, and was the least favorite of fans.

Secondly, and this has my blood boiling, there is an insane amount of entitlement and rudeness I’ve seen on my timeline concerning how people characterize the men—particularly Rafayel.

Absolutely nothing warrants this shitty attitude towards other creators for how they depict characters in their fics. It seems you guys feel protected behind a screen and think it gives you the right to bully strangers online. Fanfiction is for fantasizing about your favs; for letting your imagination run wild. If this were a character analysis, then yes, maybe I’d agree that inaccuracies are aggravating. However, in fanfiction, there are zero rules, especially when it comes to smut.

Sexual preferences are not equivalent to a person’s whole personality—so whether he’s written as a dom, a sub, a switch, or whatever the fuck you wanna call it, this has nothing to do with his kindness, gentlemanliness, passion, power, ruthlessness, snark, or whatever minuscule aspect of his character makes up his lovely whole and matters to you.

I think this circles back to a lack of ability to separate sexual matters and personality, because how else do people interpret fics depicting him in a certain manner as them erasing his character? They might overlap, but they can very well be mutually exclusive. I’ve seen incredibly sweet and gentle men irl who were absolute doms in bed, and I’ve seen powerful and passionate men who were reduced to tears between the sheets. There is barely any correlation whatsoever, and if anything, claiming otherwise is what I consider piss-poor media literacy and reading-comprehension.

My third point is that for some reason, there have been many, many posts and replies on here where I’ve seen people just straight-up spread pure hate for the characters. Maybe this bothered me in particular because I’m an OT3 (OT4 now!) and absolutely adore all of them, but I find no logical reason for “yucking someone’s yum” when we’re talking about liking the characters of an Otome game—a genre of video games which is made to literally cater to the tastes of as many people as possible.

It’s especially disheartening to see when it’s at a time like this, when new content is about to drop, and you find in the replies of every other post/discussion at least a few people spewing hate and disgust at Sylus. Again, so many people are incredibly excited about him. Why is there a need to rain on everyone’s parade, especially in such an unsolicited manner?

This fandom originally started as a safe space for people of all races, backgrounds, genders, sexualities, and personalities to bond over our mutual love for characters. All I’ve seen on my TL lately (in terms of discussion) is negativity, and it’s such a fucking let-down. I hope whatever the fuck has happened to this fandom cools down after a bit. It’s probably exaggerated and very in-your-face rn, cause more and more people are downloading LNDS, so the probabilities of finding people being nasty are increasing. But I seriously don’t want to grow to resent this fandom and find myself distancing myself from it to protect my peace.

Let’s all remember to be kind towards other players, to not act entitled or bratty about the characters, and to try and mind our own business if we see content that doesn’t suit our tastes.