#my gender board is just. what if you were a girl who's a guy who's a cowboy who's a hippie from the 70s who's also sometimes a pretty femme

[angelsdean]

wouldn't be a gender pinterest board without a chunk of jensen images:

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi, I really liked it and I thought the maidenless board game club headcanons were really fun, I don't know if you've done it for any other club, but if not, I'd like to ask if you could do it for the basketball club if it were possible, it's the club that has some of my favorite characters and I would really like to read :)

[Maidenless Board Game Club headcanons here!]

asdyugagsodoefa Thank you, I'm glad you liked those original headcanons 😅 That post is actually a bunch of ideas I cooked up while talking with a friend. We also talk about the Basketball Club a lot, so here's a compilation of those too. It should be noted that I do not intend to complete this prompt for all of the characters; I'm only posting the Basketball Club content because I happen to have them on hand. Any and all mentions of the reader are meant to be gender neutral; gendered terms may still appear in these headcanons, but never in reference to the reader.

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Ace tries to claim his stake as the "cool guy" of the team by bragging about his ex to the older players + acting like some dating god and advice dispenser. They seem none too impressed by him, with some of them (including Floyd) dunking on him for being ganged up on and scolded by a bunch of girls.

He swears to his club mates he can bag someone, he just thinks dating’s way too much trouble so he’s fine by himself, thank you very much! It’s Ace obviously scrambling to salvage his pride and reputation among his peers. (No one believes him.)

During the move-in week to NRC, Ace was out in Foothill Town to buy school supplies. He saw Jamil in casual wear and mistook him as a mature onee-san so he catcalled him. Ace rambled on for a while before Jamil cut him off by informing him that he is a man. This shocked and embarrassed Ace so much that he shut up and scurried away, thankful that the chances of running into Jamil again are slim... until he sees the exact same guy at the Basketball Team tryouts.

Ace has too much pride to back out now, but he also deeply fears that Jamil will obliterate him by sharing their first interaction with the team. Whenever Jamil smirks, Ace gets a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach and dreads what Jamil will say next. It could be the end of his social life at school! (It’s dangled over Ace’s head as collateral to get him to behave; if Ace acts out, Jamil will start to tell the story as a warning.)

If Ace spots a cute spectator at their games, he’ll wink at them, then call out and dedicate his next shot to them. (Bro proceeds to completely whiff the throw; the ball bounces off the rim of the hoop.)

He feels insecure about his masculinity, especially when put next to his senpai who get a lot more attention than he does. Ace tries to mooch off their popularity by claiming he’s a lot closer to them than he actually is or by playing up the role of being “the cute one”, only to be humiliated by Floyd or Jamil’s jeers. “Mmm? Isn’t Crabby the one who called me ‘the worst’ the other day?” / “… ‘Cute’? You? Don’t make me laugh. You’re anything but.”)

Attracts a decent amount of romantic attention (which Ace loudly complains about) but never commits to actively pursuing any relationship in the long term. No one seems to hold his interest long enough--and besides, Floyd's not lookin' to be tied down.

When asked “why do you like them?” or “why are you with them?” Floyd usually responds with a shrug or an answer that’s not too well thought out like, “Uh, cuz they told me they were into me?” or, “I dunno, just felt like it today.”

Frequently pisses potential partners off due to his attitude. Floyd can be fun but he flakes very often, saying he’ll be there one day and then cancelling like an hour before the date. He’s never consistent with anything, and that tests patiences.

Also commits the sin of ghosting people once he loses interest or he feels they’re being too needy. Ace calls him a bastard for that, but Floyd shoots back by reminding Ace he did this to HIS ex too.

There was an incident in which his S/O of like... one weekend's worth of time saw Jade in public and approached him, thinking it was Floyd. Jade did not recognize them but played along just to have fun. The S/O was so offended they stormed off and broke up with Floyd via text. He wasn't bothered at all; he and Jade shared a laugh about it. ("You're equally awful," Jamil had chided them.)

Casually and shamelessly talks about his escapades. Doesn’t care to be tactful with his wording, lays it all out there. Ace is super invested in the gossip whereas Jamil makes it clear he’s disgusted by this use of their club time.

Single because he is legitimately way too busy with school, caring for Kalim, etc. to even entertain the idea of a relationship. Doesn’t need that extra stress right now.

Najma calls him “forever alone” to her friends and jokingly acts all disgusted whenever he acts slightly shy or affectionate towards someone. “Oh my gosh, Jamil…! Are you crushing on them?!” she teases him. “Wow, I never thought I’d see the day where you’d be all lovey-dovey…” Since that first incident, Jamil had vowed to himself to never allow his sister see him in such a vulnerable state.

Due to his flat voice and placid face, Jamil is aware he can come off as cold or disinterested. He makes sure to smile a little and to brighten up his tone when speaking with someone he wants to make a good first impression with--but he's also careful never to get too close, to be too familiar. He must keep polite and professional at all times, lest he bring shame upon his name--or the Asims' name.

Jamil has somehow settled into the position of the "team mom" (not by choice, but due to necessity; who else is going to round up all these idiots?). He's the one bringing snacks, reminding the team to behave and to stay hydrated, tending to injuries with his first aid kit, etc. Ace sometimes makes fun of this and claims "no one wants a second parent for a boyfriend", to which Jamil just rolls his eyes and tells him to stop acting so childish.

The only one with some god damn common sense around here. Jamil listens to the callous way Floyd and Ace treated their exes and shakes his head, sighs, and tells them off. In his head, he talks himself up and claims he isn't so stupid as to make the same mistakes that they did if he were in their shoes. (... Yes, Jamil Viper is his OWN hype man for hypothetical romantic situations 😭)

HE’S SO REPRESSED, HOLY SHIT. Since he can’t feasibly go out and seek a relationship, Jamil settles for daydreams of a peaceful domestic life, traveling Twisted Wonderland together, and other adventures. He’d rather die than share any of these fantasies with his peers.

[bunkerjking]

The emotional breakdown later in the chapter will get most of the attention, but for my money, this is the most revealing moment in this week's chapter. A teenager so disconnected from his real emotions that he desperately rationalizes his hypersexuality not as a coping mechanism, but as 'this is what guys are like.'

It's easy to make fun of men for burying their emotions and then asking, 'why doesn't anyone know who I really am' - hell, Denji literally does that during the Bomb Girl arc - but Denji is a pretty direct criticism of both the way boys can get forced into unhealthy gender roles, and the way men self-regulate themselves and others into them.

The other boys Denji is with don't have the problem of being horny at inappropriate times. They have WAY bigger problems.

But Denji can't think properly when someone dangles the idea of sex in front of him. It's like a switch flips and he becomes a completely different person.

He shuts down and reverts to trying to embody masculine stereotypes he's been ingrained with, both through the social conditioning of growing up male in the 90s and the psychological conditioning Makima put him through to strengthen 'Chainsaw Man' - itself a hyper-masculine ideal that a human being physically cannot measure up to - and emotionally cripple Denji.

Denji is at his happiest when he's at rest with the people he loves. Power and Aki were not always easy to be around, but they loved him back and they wanted him to be happy. Nayuta is a child who doesn't understand her place in the world - how could she - but she earnestly wants to help her big brother as best as she can.

He isn't some cock-swinging alpha badass constantly on the prowl to crush puss, but for a lot of people - especially a teenager who was groomed to be an expendable child soldier - this unhealthy masculine 'ideal' isn't just something to live up to, it's the expected norm for men to be.

Being Chainsaw Man doesn't make Denji mentally stronger. As shown in the Falling Devil fight, he literally chops up his brain with his chainsaws to avoid confronting his trauma. Whenever he has to think about what he's lost and what's still left to lose, he runs toward something he isn't and away from a 'normal,' healthy response to the issues at hand.

"You stupid boy."

You'll notice that Katana Man, a perfect embodiment of an overly masculine dickhead, a misogynistic moron who refuses to grow in character or even basic combat skills, is totally on board for throwing Denji in a brothel and letting what happens happens. Katana Man perfectly represents the bad ending where 'traditional masculinity' wins the war for Denji's soul.

Denji needs help. Not some quick gratification. Not a meal and a nut and a nap. He needs genuine help, and a better male role model than the ones he's got. Even Kishibe, the only adult in his life other than Aki who actually did more good than harm, is an alcoholic recluse.

God help the boy.

[oceans-goddess]

Derry Girls-- James Maguire SFW Alphabet

This is the sweetest boy I have ever come across, so I thought it would be fitting to write some fluffy headcannons about him <3

I tried making the reader gender neutral for this post, but please let me know if I should tweak anything that I might not have noticed!

Contains: fluff, brief mention of injury, no smut

Also WARNING: Possible spoilers!!

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A-- Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

James is a pretty nervous boy, and he doesn't have a lot of experience in relationships, so I think he would do a lot of pining instead of being outright with his affection. This doesn't mean that it goes unnoticed, though: you always catch him staring, and he blushes when you make eye contact with him.

He's full of smiles, and any time he's speaking with you, he can't seem to keep from grinning at you.

When you two are alone, he is comfortable holding your hand, and rarely lets it go, which you find to be the cutest thing in the world.

He also often "forgets" his sweaters and jackets at your house in hopes that you'll wear them, which you do, and his head spins when he sees what you look like wearing his clothes.

B-- Best Friend (What would they be like as a best friend?)

We all know James is a Derry girl just like the rest of them, and they get up to some seriously fucked up shit, but I imagine that James is not always on board with the plans the other girls come up with (let's not forget the time they made him fist fight a guy over concert tickets). With that in mind, I think that he would voice his concerns, get shut down by one of the girls (probably Michelle), and wait until the two of you are in private to talk about how ridiculous things can get.

He also just enjoys confiding in you in general, finding you to be a more level-headed and accepting member of the group. He tells you a lot about his struggles with his mom, his trouble as the only boy at school, and feeling like he's caught between his Irish and English identities.

He's also an incredible listener, and often sits quietly with you while you tell him about your own problems. The two of you have built up a lot of trust while confiding in each other.

C-- Cuddling (Do you ever cuddle? What is it like?)

Like I said before, James is more into pining after what he wants than asking for it, so you're usually the one who initiates any physical contact that isn't hand holding. But once you two are touching, he gets a little more comfortable with the situation. He usually pulls you into a sort of loose bear hug, and sometimes he uses one hand to stroke your hair or rub your back.

I'm honestly surprised I'm saying this, but I think he enjoys being the big spoon more than being the little spoon.

He also really enjoys laying his head in your lap and letting you play with his hair.

D-- Dance (Do you ever dance together? How?)

I'd say the Derry Girls are a fairly dance-y group, so you'll catch James dancing all the time in social settings, but if it were just the two of you, there is no doubt in my mind that you two would slow dance to When You're Gone by the The Cranberries (so cute!!!).

Any slow, jazzy or bluesy song would absolutely make him want to dance with you, but only in the safety of your bedroom or his.

He really likes to make you twirl around, and you both collapse in a fit of giggles whenever you try to twirl him back.

E-- Energy (How much energy do they put into the relationship?)

This boy would die for you, I'm sure of it. He's such a sweetheart, and I think he would try so hard to make you happy.

James knows he isn't very suave, but he always tries to compliment you anyway-- he honestly can't hold back from telling you how great you look.

He's a real gift-giver, and he saves up all his money to try and buy things for you. He especially likes bringing you flowers, and his ears are always beet red whenever you open the door to let him in so he can replace the last bouquet he put in your room.

He walks you all the way home from school every day, despite him and Michelle normally splitting off from the rest of the group about half-way between your house and school. For a while, Michelle gave him a lot of shit for it, but now nobody really seems to mind.

F-- Fight (How often do you fight? What do you fight over? How is it usually resolved?)

The two of you rarely fight, but when you do, it never really ends with any yelling. James is a quiet communicator at heart, and he doesn't really like the idea of yelling at you.

Most of your fighting comes from you trying to push James to stand up for himself more, as it can sometimes bother you that he doesn't assert himself. In your mind, he's an equal member of the friend group and doesn't need to put up with anyone's bullshit. But when you push him, he says that he doesn't need help and that he can assert himself whenever he wants, he just chooses to go with the flow.

The spats usually get resolved after a few hours; for example, if something happens in the evening, you both usually just need the night to cool off, and things are fairly back to normal by the time he walks you to school in the morning. Anything longer than that, and one of you shows up to the other's house to apologize.

G-- Gentle (How gentle are they, emotionally and physically?)

MY SWEET BABY JAMES IS THE MOST GENTLE SOUL IN ALL OF DERRY. No but seriously, he moves around very quietly, careful not to stomp or bump into things, and he touches you gently as well. All of his kisses are slow and soft, never harsh or aggressive.

He is soft spoken, and he chooses his words carefully so that you know he cares for you. When he gets frustrated or overwhelmed, he tries to talk things out calmly instead of letting his emotions build into anger.

H-- Happy (What makes them happy? How do they show it?)

James loves receiving attention from you. Any time you give him a smile or compliment his new shirt or something, he can't keep a smile off his face.

I also think he would show his happiness by being a little more chatty. He gets excited talking to you, and he could hold a conversation with you for hours without running out of things to talk about.

I-- Injured (How would they act if you got injured or sick?)

I think if you got sick, James would worry, but he would ultimately know that you are gonna be just fine. He would definitely show up to your house with a can of soup or some chocolate or something once he finds out you're sick. And he would find an excuse to sit in your room and fiddle with your things while the two of you chat, despite you telling him to leave because you don't want him to get sick.

When you're injured, it's a whole different story. Anything bigger than a scrape or a bruise and he's practically lost his mind. If you broke a bone or had a concussion or needed surgery or anything like that, I think he'd be hyperventilating in the hospital waiting room, and you'd never be allowed to go anywhere or do anything alone again. He'd open every door, insist you take the elevator instead of the stairs, etc etc.

J--Jealousy: (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?) 

James can definitely get anxious seeing you around other people he thinks you might be compatible with. He never says anything about it because he trusts you and believes you would never cheat on him, but he's got insecurities about people leaving him because of him mom, and he worries that you'll feel like he isn't important enough to keep around. The feeling never lasts long, though, because as soon as you smile at him or peck him on the cheek, he realizes how secure he feels being with you.

K-- Kisses (Do you ever kiss? How?)

Like I said before, James is very soft and gentle when the two of you kiss, and he never really takes the lead when you two are being intimate in that way. He lets you do what you want and sort of follows along, and he is breathless and blushing the whole time.

Aside from your lips, I think his favorite places to kiss you would be on the forehead or your shoulders while he hugs you.

Though he would never vocalize this, his favorite place for you to kiss him would definitely be the neck. He is super sensitive there, and he immediately starts stuttering and breathing harder when you press your lips there.

L-- Love Language (What is their love language? If their giving different from their receiving?)

I've covered this a little bit in the sections above, but his love language when it comes to giving is gift-giving. You mean a lot to him, and though he is often too embarrassed to say this aloud, his little gifts show you that you are always on his mind.

When it comes to receiving love, I think James enjoys words of affirmation the most. People talk down to him a lot in his life, so hearing someone treat him with kindness and gentleness and respect is a big deal for him. He also loves the reassurance that comes with hearing what you think of him in your own words.

M-- Meeting (How did the two of you meet?)

You were already friends with Michelle and the others when James arrived in Derry, so the introduction came soon enough. The girls were quite judgmental of him in the beginning, but you were very welcoming, so he really relaxed around you, and the two of you became close very quickly.

N-- Night Out (What do y'all do when you go on dates?)

You two are very casual when it comes to dates. Grabbing food, going on walks, seeing a movie, stuff like that is sort of the norm for the both of you. James prefers to do sort of calm, quiet stuff, and he enjoys being somewhere away from a lot of people, so you guys usually end up sitting at the park in the dark, chatting about life.

O-- Oasis (Where is "your" place, the place for just to two of you?)

His bedroom is usually where the two of you end up when you want to be alone. Michelle and her mom are always out of the house, so its usually very quiet, and it's a good place to sort of decompress. His room is full of cds and books, and his bed is extremely comfy, so the two of you cuddle there often.

P-- Protection (how protective are they over you?)

I know I said before that he can be a little jealous sometimes and often gets nervous when you're injured, but other than that, he's not an extremely protective guy.

The only time you see him become more protective is when you're in social settings: if people approach you, he likes to grab your hand or put his hand around your shoulders to send a clear message. He doesn't want to seem possessive because he doesn't want to scare you off, but he wants to be sure that people know you two are together without saying it aloud.

Q-- Quiz (How much do they remember about you?)

He remembers all the important stuff, like your birthday, your parents' names, your middle name, your anniversary, your favorite color, your favorite foods, etc.

He also always makes sure that when you are coming over for dinner, his aunt is cooking something he knows you will like.

He likes to keep track of things you say you like by writing them down when he gets home. For example, you once told him that you wished you had enough money to buy a new bike, and he wrote it down so that he'd remember when your birthday came around.

R-- Rainy Day (What do you guys do when it's raining outside?)

He actually loves when it is raining out, because it gives him an excuse to make you change into his dry clothes after walking to his house in the rain. He insists that you should wear his softest sweaters and a pair of his sweatpants to get warmed up again.

Rainy days are also when the two of you curl up in bed and read, or play games, or watch tv. He thinks you always look so cozy and cute on his rug with a blanket over your lap and a mug of tea in your hands.

S-- Song (What song best represents the relationship the two of you have?)

I already mentioned a song by The Cranberries earlier, which I feel is pretty fitting, but I also think that Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer is also a perfect match for the relationship you two share.

There are fast paced parts of the song, which match well with the energy you both have when you're hanging out together with friends, but at the end of the song, there is a very gentle melody, mirroring that at the end of the day, when it's just the two of you, it's a very sweet, soft, and loving feeling. You two just have a quiet and comforting relationship.

T-- Telepathy (Do you guys think alike/agree on most things?)

You two are pretty much always on the same page, and it pisses Michelle off more than anything. You side with him all the time, mostly because her ideas can be bat shit crazy and you want no part of them.

You guys also always want the same two things on the menu when you go to restaurants, so you each order one thing and split both plates. He always leaves you the last bite-- what a sweetheart.

You guys have pretty much the same taste in music and movies, so you never argue about what to listen to or watch.

You can both always tell when the other is a bit down or upset, and you gravitate towards each other to give each other silent support until you are both ready to talk about what is bothering you.

In a way, you truly do kind of have a telepathic connection with each other.

U-- Ugh (What are some bad habits of theirs? Some bad habits of yours that they don't like?)

James can be kind of whiny at times. For good reason, to be sure-- he's often dealing with annoying situations. But, in truth, you feel he could be assertive and solve the problem instead of letting things happen and complaining about the problem.

He can get frustrated with you at times because you are never letting yourself get enough sleep. You never complain about being tired, but he can see on your face in class that you're exhausted, whether it's because you prioritized your homework over sleep or stayed up too late reading or watching tv, he hates to see you not taking care of yourself. Whenever you feel under the weather, he is always the first to remind you that you'd probably feel a lot better if you had slept enough the night before.

V-- Vacation (Where would you two travel together if you got the chance?)

James would absolutely love to take you to England with him for a tour of where he grew up. He knows that people in Ireland are particularly resentful of the English (and for good reason), but his childhood was a good one, and he wants you to see for yourself what it was like. I also think spending a rainy weekend in London with him would be the most romantic thing in the world, just a chance to be very cozy and find lots of book shops and cafes and things like that.

W-- Words (What do the two of say to show that you care? Any nicknames? Any Phrases?)

James absolutely adores when you call him Jamie or Jamesy or Gem, really any nickname. He was never shown a ton of affection, so getting it from you is very validating.

He calls you by your name in public, but in private he'll call you "babe" or "love" (what an Englishman, bwahahaha). Sometimes you tease him for using such an English term of endearment, but deep down you really like that he uses it on you.

X-- Xerox (are there any traits or habits of theirs that you’ve picked up by accident?)

James runs his hands through his hair and tugs at his curls a lot when he's stressed, a habit that has sort of extended to you. You constantly pull at your hair without meaning to, something you never used to do before.

He's also got a different accent than you, so sometimes you accidentally say things in a half-English accent just because you've heard James say it so many times. When he picks up on it, he finds it to be one of his favorite things about you, and he hopes you never stop.

Y-- Yuck: (What are some things they don't like in terms of a relationship?)

In all honesty, despite being proud that you two are together, James hates telling people outright that the two of you are a couple because he worries about letting other people influence your relationship. Couples always seem to experience trouble when other people get involved and start judging when they don't really understand. He'd rather just keep things between the two of you and let people find out naturally instead of saying anything.

Z-- Zzzz (A sleep habit of theirs?)

That boy must fall asleep touching you in some way. He prefers his classic bear hug cuddle or spooning, but if you all fall asleep watching a movie at Erin and Orla's for example, he's ok falling asleep while just holding your hand.

He always wakes up earlier than you. Sometimes, if he's early enough, he can have a cup of tea or hot chocolate ready when you wake up, but he usually just sits in bed and plays with your hair.

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Author's Note: Ugh this was so fun to write, please let me know if I should do an alphabet for another character in any fandom!

[quintessenceofdust88]

Little Blobs, ch. 4

Hi my loves! Ch. 4 of LB is up before 2024 is over for me, woo-hoo! (and for those of you who are already in 2025, here's the first update of the year hehe) This is a very Tommy-centric chapter, and I hope you enjoy it! On the positive side: Nonna Rosa is here! On the down side: so is Tommy's dad. You're in for a (angsty) treat! I wanna add a special shout-out to @peppermintquartz and @bidisasterevankinard who helped on the writing process and made the chapter (and the next one) a lot better bc of it! Thank you, my loves ♥♥

Ever since Tommy and Evan got back together, they’ve visited Tommy’s grandmother in his home town in Indiana about six times: for Christmas in 2024, when Buck met Nonna for the first time; a few random visits whenever Tommy could find the time, just because, well, Nonna isn’t getting any younger, he wants to check in on her as much as he can. And, of course, to deliver their wedding invitation, which Nonna promptly framed and added to her mantelpiece. In none of these visits, Tommy had been as excited to see her grandmother as he is now.

Tommy never thought he’d get to tell Nonna she’d be a great-grandmother, at least not from his part (his three cousins, as good Italian-blooded people, have about four kids each). He’s giddy with excitement, and the best part is that Evan’s as excited as him; his husband loves his Nonna and adopted her as his own grandmother from the moment they met. 

The cutest part, though, is how Evan has repeatedly been manifesting his excitement; he’s been hit with what Maddie has cheerfully informed them is called ‘pregnancy brain’, which means he’s prone to forgetting things and getting distracted (even more than usual). At the airport, Tommy had to keep a hold of his boarding pass, or else he’d have lost it, and he still asked Tommy where it was about four different times. When they landed in Indiana, he had to gently remind his husband that no, they couldn’t go straight to Nonna’s house, they had to get their luggage first (and then he had to remind Evan that his bag was, in fact, the green one that had passed by him four times already). And now, in the car, he’s asked Tommy three times if…

“Tommy! Did we bring the yarn and the box? It’s gonna ruin the whole thing we’ve planned for Nonna if we didn’t!” He says, and Tommy has to hold back his laughter, just nodding patiently.

“Yes, sweetheart, it’s in your handbag. Two rolls of yarn inside the box, yellow and green because we don’t know the gender of the babies yet and we don’t want to impose gender stereotypes anyway” Tommy recites dutifully, and Evan nods in relief. 

“I mean, gender stereotypes are so stupid anyway” Evan says, and lights up as he always does when he has a fun fact to share. “In fact, did you know that in the beginning of the 20th century, the colors were inverted? Blue was considered a soft color, for girls, and pink, which was considered stronger, was for boys. It was actually Sears who inverted it, and then all of the other stores just followed their lead”

“Really? I didn’t know that” Tommy says, even though Evan told him this exact same fact yesterday when they had this exact same discussion, but if he doesn’t remember, Tommy won’t be that guy. He knows how much Evan enjoys sharing the information he researches. “So no pink and blue yarn, it’s a deal. Are you ready, my love?” Tommy asks, placing a hand on Evan’s small bump. 

He’s thirteen weeks along, and the only reason it’s not showing too much right now is because he’s wearing a navy hoodie (Tommy’s, by the way, because ‘it just fits better and smells like you’) to protect himself from the cold November weather in Indiana. But he’s already put an order for new uniforms, and when he’s wearing T-shirts, their blobs are already showing. Tommy is ridiculously happy any time he sees it.

[Read on AO3]

Tag list (lemme know if you want to be added or removed :) ) :

Tag list:

@bidisasterevankinard @unhingedangstaddict @silversky9 @music-is-the-voice-of-the-soul 

@asmugfirefighter

@typicalopposite @littlepaws9 @aplaceinme @rubydaiquiri @racerchix21 @dearqueend @laundryandtaxesworld

@buckleyskinards @actuallyitsellie

[olderthannetfic]

Whenever I see the "there is no F/F content in fandoms, fandoms hate women" discussion on Tumblr, all I can think of is a phrase that is guaranteed to enrage half the Tumblr fandom audience, maybe more: "Have you tried imageboards?".

When I was younger, I used to frequent different anime and cartoon-themed imageboards. Big ones like 4Chan's /a/ and /co/, smaller ones meant for specific fandoms or kinks, non-English ones in my native language, you name it. The users were mostly straight men, and the F/F content and shipping flourished there. The "waifu threads" exclusively dedicated to gushing about female blorbos. The wast majority of kink content involving fictional women, either alone, with a nondescript self-insert man or with each other. The F/F fanart, fanfiction and ideas were just limitless, to the point where you would struggle to find one or two discussions about the guys in the midst of everyone celebrating the women.

The anime, cartoon or comic has a cast full of women? They will all get love. Women and men both? Women will generate much more discussion. One or two women amidst the cast full of men? People will mostly post about the two women, deal with it. Sure, there were designated boards and threads for the male characters, but good luck expecting there to be as much activity as there were in the waifu threads. The fandoms with lots of female characters, such as Touhou Project, thrived on these grounds, and much F/F shipping was had by everyone.

Now, of course, the imageboard culture is an entire separate beast. Right-leaning, edgy, bigoted - basically, what you get if you put a bunch of ostracized and lonely cishet male nerds in an echo chamber and let them feed each other bullshit all day long. A lot of the F/F art they made was sexual in nature, something that could be decried as sexualisation, but, the way I remember it, it was not much different from what is often done to male characters by straight women who ship M/M because they find the two dudes hot. A lot of gushing about waifus by the anonymous 4Chan dudes could be seen as misogynistic, despite the language being practically the same as when a Tumblr fandom girl is describing her blorboman and the things she wants to see done to him.

It all comes down to the the real life influencing the way we interact with fiction: male sexuality is viewed in a different light than female sexuality, despite both being more or less demonized in our society, just in different ways. Men are always predators, women are always victims. When a guy has sexual fantasies about a female character, he is a creep who wants to hurt real life women to enact these fantasies. When a woman has sexual fantasies about male characters, she cannot tell fiction from reality and is at risk of getting hurt by men while trying to enact these fantasies. And if either of them fantasizes about a same-sex couple, they are fetishizing queer people, obviously.

However, that's just how people roll - you cannot change what gender you are attracted to, and people with similar attractions stick together. It just so happens that the fandom side of Tumblr largely consists of straight women and queer men, so you get ships with guys, while the fandom side of 4Chan and the like largely consists of straight men, so you get ships with women. Both sides also happen to have cultures that don't mix well, and someone who frequents one place is likely to avoid the other.

I don't frequent 4Chan anymore, and I'm not big on fandom Tumblr, either, but Tumblr continues to be the unique place where I am more likely to stumble upon erotic fandom content featuring men than women, who are the majorly discussed and shipped characters practically everywhere else. I obviously do not excuse 4Chan's bigotry and rampant hateful bullshit, but my point still stands: if you want to see more F/F shipping and discussions of girl blorbos, but don't feel like making some yourself and creating a like-minded community on Tumblr, you should try your luck elsewhere on the Internet, especially when it comes to anime and cape comic fandoms. Tumblr is a unique place in terms of male-centric fandom content, and honestly, it's not that bad, if Tumblr isn't the only place you find your stuff at. It simply occupies a specific niche and doesn't offer much of everything else (though you can still find it if you look).

--

Now, be fair: plenty of imageboards are full of nominally straight guys who love millions of female blorbos... and art of Link getting wrecked.

[woman-respecter]

https://www.tumblr.com/woman-respecter/775790463631360000/so-on-the-one-hand-i-do-agree-that-if-theres-a?source=share one of the things that struck me about that article is the point about how the manosphere is self-reinforcing in how it makes it harder for these men to be appealing to women or even to meet women. Like the point about how a great place to meet people you're interested in dating if you're straight is to cultivate mixed-gender social groups, and a great place to find that is through hobby activities. And indeed, a ton of straight and bi women I know who've found great male partners have found them through hobbies they both enjoy. My sister met her fiancé through a board game group at a game store. (This isn't in any way exclusive to het couples obviously but I feel like straight people and especially straight men can be weird about where to just MEET people of their preferred gender sometimes in a way that is less true for us gays.) But either the manosphere makes you think that any hobby that isn't ultra-manly is bad, OR it makes you super fucking steamed at women just existing in your hobbies - like the Gamergate mentality at women who like video games or anime or whatever. And so where a normal non-radicalized guy will meet a woman at a gaming event and be like "attractive woman who likes the same things I like, yay! let's play games or make music or recite poetry together" and get to know her and they might hit it off, might not but can at least be friends and he can potentially meet other women whom he hits it off with through her, these fucking dudes will either exclude her or stew about the fact that other people aren't. (And this is why these guys also have trouble making male friends, because they're just miserable to be around.) Like.... it in no way excuses these dipshit men but it is just kind of wild how insidious and self-fulfilling this crap is.

Because the thing is that being uncomfortable to be around socially and resentful and mean and blaming others for your own misfortunes being a struggle for a lot of people - is not at all gender-specific? Like, I've known women too who were just deeply unpleasant people who blamed the world for not "understanding" them, who wondered why they were chronically single and you just wanted to be like.... girl. It's a personality type you find everywhere, but women don't have a whole fucking hate movement that is both validating that and pushing them further down the line. Most people like that eventually figure it out when someone just comes clean with them about how miserable they are. And that's why I also think the only way out for these guys is for someone in their lives to do that to them - and NOT to coddle them. That is literally the opposite of what fixes them!

yes exactly, it’s one of the many ways that the manosphere/inceldom is self-reinforced. like you cannot be complaining about how hard it is to meet women while screaming every time you hear one on voice chat in viddygame. but it does make sense bc both inceldom and gamergate in the like are based in not acknowledging women as human, so it somehow makes perfect sense that they hold these two seemingly conflicting beliefs. it really makes it obvious that they don’t want a human being with interests, they just want a mommysexdoll.

[toomanythoughts2]

like to see if you have any transmasc dethklok hcs, mainly bc of the tag

don't feel pressured to do this or anything, it's totally fine either way

Oh gosh, I think I have a few!

Ⓜ️ I think all of them realized they were trans by themselves and came together as they are now, instead of any of them transitioning while together.

Ⓜ️I feel like Pickles, as the oldest and more experienced of the group, has experimented the most with all of his different options for transitioning and has done a lot of different things. Like, if anyone has a question about a certain procedure or a drug they wanted, they could go ask Pickles for a first hand account. While in Dethklok, he's definitely found his groove and what works for him the best and doesn't experiment as much as he once did.

Ⓜ️ Murderface had the worst overall experience coming out and transitioning (poverty, southern American, religious background, older generation caregivers) which is why he leans so heavily into toxic masculinity, hoping he will cover any suspicions of being trans as to never get just like that again.

Ⓜ️ Murderface does not wash downstairs despite being on T. (He is disgusting and I love him.)

Ⓜ️ On the topic of who is a transman and who is transmasc, the HCs flip-flop in my mind. I don't have a preference either way, but I am partial for Trans!Pickles and Trans!Toki. However, non-binary Toki stays on my mind as well, so TransMasc!Toki is also real. I highly recommend Dkyeklok/Dragklok by Dichromanticdyke for a more in depth view on their gender expressions and identities. I love all HCs about their different gender expressions and identities, so I'm down for anything.

Ⓜ️ I don't think they would be "out" in the traditional sense, but they aren't hiding it. They get laid regularly, so fans and groupies know that they don't have the standard package but, they're billionaires. They can choose whatever package they want for the night. So no one bats an eye.

Ⓜ️ From the very first episode, we see Skwisgaar being quite angry with being called a lady. I can definitely see Skwisgaar being the most sensitive about his transition, with Murderface right next to him as the most violent about his transition.

Ⓜ️ Toki's cod piece from "Murdering Outside the Box" was an intentional purchase and he was just showing off his new strap to the guys.

Ⓜ️ Someone once said that Dethklok doctors and engineers would absolutely be able to create a dick for Murderface and I stand by that 100%.

Ⓜ️ You know those right-wing bullshit posts about "I can tell a real woman from a transwoman just by looking at her face." and they have two women side by side, and the one that has sharper features gets labeled a guy, even though they are a cis woman? But some posts actually flip it, where they call a woman who they think is cis the "biological" woman when in reality they are in fact trans? That scenario but with Nathan.

Ⓜ️ Nathan is every transmasc/transman dream transition. His pictures are in multiple Pinterest inspo transmasc boards. Nathan couldn't give a shit about it.

Ⓜ️ Toki was treated like a girl by his parents in the traditional sense, so he did a lot of house work and was pressured to get married and have children. This was along side his regular daily chores. Toki transitioned via the help of Runke AKA he gave him face paint and a beer. Toki officially started transitioning once he left home.

Ok I think that's all the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Like I said, I'm down for any kind of gender identity/expression HCs about Dethklok. I just love them all <3!!

[sailorsenshishitposter]

The anti Gojo fan club

"Are you sure you belong here?" Asked the oversized bouncer. Standing before him was a young teenage boy with pink locks and a school uniform.

"I think you'd be more comfortable at that place." He then pointed over to the club down the road (Weenie Hut Jr.'s).

"I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm pretty sure I'm on the list."

The bouncer then looked down and noticed four glowing, red eyes. He gulped and tried his best not to shit himself on the spot before moving aside and letting the boy in. Sighing in relief, the man let himself regain composure. It was then that he heard the most terrifying words in his life.

"Kenjaku, I told you that you were in charge of snacks! Honestly, I can't count on you for anything. It seems that I'M the one who has to do everything around here! Hey, you! How would you like to be apart of our dinner service instead of guarding that door?"

Sukuna said apart of as in literally. Everyone dragged the man in as the king of curses got his tools ready.

"Domain expansion, Malevolent Kitchen!"

______

Uraume was now busy cooking. They had a number of dishes in mind such as skewered intestines, "finger" sandwiches and some roasted thigh to name a few. As they were preparing the feast, the meeting began.

"Welcome, lowly peasants! Today marks our third annual villains assembly (totally not the bad guy version of AA that Gojo had forced on them). I see we have some new faces here. Care to introduce yourselves?"

A scrawny man stood up.

"M-my name is Ijichi and I joined because I can't tolerate Gojo's abuse any longer! He keeps spouting something about how "he's the 'honoured' one", and that's the reason why he's allowed to put kick me signs on my back and keep ding dong ditching my doorbell all night!"

The man then started to have a nervous breakdown and began to sob.

"There, there. You are among friends now.  You see, everyone here has a reason for hating the six eyed bastard."

"Not me. I'm just here for the free coupon tickets!"

Sukuna sighed.

"Who is the guy again?"

"My name's Reggie Star! I've been on TLC's extreme couponing! Why does everyone forget I exist!?"

"Reggie, we've been over this. This is solely for those that hate Satoru Gojo. If you can't abide by our clubs rules then feel free to leave."

Suddenly Kenjaku began to choke himself. Sukuna gave him a curious glance.

"Sorry, you know how my vessel likes to act up."

Sukuna nodded in agreement.

"We need to end this meeting in two hours or else the brat will wake up and spoil the fun. Now, is there anything else worth mentioning? Speak now."

"When do we get to play board games?"

"Damn it Mahito, you know well enough that those festivities don't take place until after everyone has eaten!"

"Hey, what is that!?"

Everyone started to notice a figure that was clearly trying to hide behind the throne but it was useless.

"I can hear your mosquito like voice already, Yorozu! You know the rules, no girls allowed."

The girl then popped out and began to pout.

"Then why do Mahito and Kashimo get to be here!?"

"For the last time, Mahito is a curse who has no gender and the consensus was that while Kashimo "looks female enough", he is indeed still male."

Mahito then decided to taunt her.

"Yeah! What's so cool about girls anyway!?"

"Didn't you wear a school girl uniform while fondling breasts you created?"

"That was one time Jogo, and it wasn't even canon!"

"I've had enough of this. Someone escort her out!"

Yorozu screamed and thrashed so Kenjaku released Kurourushi outside. She immediately ran after the cockroach so she could study it.

"Dinner is ready."

______

After everyone had finished, Mahito asked the question he had been dying to know the answer to.

"Which tastes better? Humans or curses?"

Kenjaku then appeared."Let me help answer that."

Kenny then began to drag a screaming Mahito towards his palm and then proceed to vore him down.

"Thank you! He was getting on my nerves."

Kenjaku began to savor the taste of Maximum Uzumaki and then proceeded to vomit the curse back up.

"I'd have to say humans. How did my vessel put it? You taste like a rag used to clean up shit and vomit."

Sukuna then joined in.

"So it matches his personality?"

"Correct."

Mahito was now trembling on the floor when the king of curses looked down upon him.

"Kenjaku, won't you be a dear friend and put on some karaoke for the entertainment? I want to sing skyfall."

Jogo lit his pipe up and started getting blazed. He had been waiting for the curse to get his ass beat.

"This weed is so good Hanami. Where did you find it?"

".ti werg I"

"Nevermind..."

______

"Wherever you go, I go. What you see, I see."

Mahito was now running for his life as Sukuna walked towards him. He thought about hiding in the bathroom but then remembered a word of advice he read on Yoshihiro Togashi's twitter account. "Never shit alone, for if you do, the horny clown will come to decapitate you!"

"Why did Gege have to put me in Shonen Jump!?"

Something then grabbed him by his collar.

"Found You!"

"Look, if this is about all those times I cheated when I was the banker in Monopoly, I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"

"Oh, we're not killing you."

______

Mahito was now placed inside a pet crate.

"What's going on!?"

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Nanami?"

"I didn't expect to see you here Ijichi. I'm here because I was told that there was a curse that needs to be euthanized. Fortunately, I'm kind hearted and believe that even the worst animals have a chance at being reformed. It just takes proper discipline..."

The cage began to rattle.

"NOOOO! ANYONE BUT HIM! PLEASE, HAVE MERCY!"

Kento then picked up the handle of the carrier.

"Expect to be eating out of a dog bowl and being kept on a leash once we get home."

Everyone failed to realize that the two hour window had passed and Itadori began to wake up.

"Huh? What's going on? Am I dreaming?"

The crowd wasn't sure what to do until Kenjaku stepped up.

"Hello, son. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I am your mother."

"Okay, I really am dreaming then. Something that crazy could only happen in my imagination."

"You're my special. You were the only one I didn't abort."

"Huh? No offense mister but you're really creeping me out. I think I'm just gonna head out."

After the boy left, Kashimo spoke up."

So how big was he?"

"Gross!"

Everyone knew that the god of thunder had a thing for the king of curses.

"All I'm saying is that they were identical twins right?"

"I've had enough of this filth! Youngsters these days!"

Out came a disgusted Gakuganji. He was clearly the biggest Gojo hater but it seems that he couldn't tolerate the crudness of today's youth. The club would never hear his guitar covers of Jimi Hendrix again.

[lavender-spice]

just visiting a friend

non canon college au stiles stilinski x fem!reader

you were a liar. you said you were visiting your "friend sasha who went to the u of wisconsin" . what you were really doing was far, far, worse.

warnings: slow plot, swearing, reader is cheating on bf with stiles, reader is so #ihatemybf, borderline smut but not really, alludes to smut, high school situationship to idefk, drinking, they're sophomores in college, stiles kinda feeds into the reader's actions and delusion (manipulation?), y/n is like a bad person (sorry guys)

a/n: my moral compass is askew

the drive to the airport was about two hours and a half, which gave you plenty of time to think about what your spot in hell would look like for your actions. then time to think about how it wasn't that bad, and that stiles was actually just your friend.... and time to think about how friends don't do what you and stiles do. and you certainly don't have to lie to sam about your other friends.

you certainly wouldn't have to lie about what state you were going to be in all break if you were actually visiting a friend. you wouldn't have to make up a fake name. switch their gender. change every detail about the trip just so you could see stiles in peace.

but you just didn't have the heart to tell sam the truth. you'd been dating for about seven months now, and he's always been wary of stiles, knowing your history with one another. your relationship bordering romantic and platonic since you were fifteen. sam knew this from the start and always made his apprehension apparent, which honestly just irked you. he was stiles, your stiles. nobody could drive you apart. not in your mind, and not in stiles'.

don't get it twisted, you like sam, a lot, you really do! but he just wasn't stiles. he couldn't fill that void that your relationship with stiles could. nobody's arms were as warm and firm, wrapping around you just right. sam couldn't make you laugh so hard your stomach hurt, and he didn't know how to woo you without even trying.

when you had confessed this to stiles one drunken night in a fit of tears he had let you crumble into him, a pile of mush on his bed. he had assured you that nothing had to change, and that you could have that with sam, but you had to give it time. stiles had years on the guy, how could he compare? stiles had promised you he'd fill the gap until sam knew how to do it alone. stiles' girl "should never feel so alone, that guy doesn't know how to take care of you yet, huh?" he had teased.

you could only blubber out a wrecked yes, destroyed at how much you loved stiles. you were even cursing sam that night, for an ignorance that he couldn't even help. stiles' ego was boosted significantly that night.

that was a few months ago during thanksgiving break, when sam was in his own hometown and you were all stiles' back in beacon hills. now it was spring break and you were still waiting for that change, for that understanding. you weren't sure it would ever come.

....

when you arrived at the airport you trudged through check in and tsa surprisingly easily, finally plopping down at your gate. you had gotten lucky with direct flights there and back, and was giddy to know that in a few hours you would be back in stiles' arms

stiles: boarding yet? can't wait to see you.

you: soon. just got to the gate, boarding in ~20

stiles: sounds good, my girl

your heart rushed at the text and you spent the time waiting for boarding daydreaming like a fool. sam didn't enter your mind once. it was just stiles. stiles. stiles.

....

you: just got my bag. i'm at baggage gate 2a-c it says?

stiles: i see you. look left

the turn of your head could've gave you whiplash. after scanning the busy area for a moment your eyes met with a familiar face, adorned with a soft smile. with feet moving faster than your mind you borderline jogged to stiles, jumping into his arms. like always, he caught you, letting your wrap your legs around his waist, swaying you around.

"my girl." he murmured into your neck.

you took a deep inhale and let yourself be overtaken by the near hypnotizing feeling of being in stiles' presence again. the smell of his aftershave, the pressure of his grasp, his velvety voice right in your ear. you were home again.

when he put you down your arms stayed wrapped around his neck, his around your waist.

yeah, friends don't greet each other like this. your concience was barking at you so annoyingly. it's like the mere thought of sam was a chore.

"let's go, i'm parked in the garage. how was the flight over?" he muses, grabbing your suitcase.

"not bad. cold. i just wanna be in bed." you groaned, whining dramatically as you followed him.

"i know. hopefully my dorm bed does you alright. the new double suite is mint. you're gonna love it, especially since randall is in florida for break. it's all ours." he looks down at you with glowy eyes a smirk. it makes you flush- out of being flustered, and because of the big annoying elephant in the room. the big annoying elephant that keeps texting you since you turned airplane mode off.

....

the drive to stiles' dorm was a cool 15 minutes at most, the walk brief too. it was weird being in a place so foreign to you, but so familiar to him. for the last two years of yours and stiles college journey you've only visited each other's colleges twice, mainly reconnecting back home.

when you reach the end of the long brick hallway, stiles unlocks and swings open his dorm door like it's a mansion, which makes you giggle like a little kid.

"voila! look at how much space there is!" he says proudly, rolling your bag to the foot of his bed. you take in the room, which is in fact large for a dorm. stiles' side is so very him, decorated intricately and boyishly. your heart swells when you see there are at least five photos of the two of you pinned up above his desk. your heart surges when you see the itty bitty frame with a polaroid of just you resting on his desk.

he must catch you looking because his arms wrap around you from behind and he takes your hands in his, making you hug yourself.

"so i can always be reminded of my girl. bet he doesn't even have one picture of you all gussied up on his desk." stiles taunts like a child. the way he said "he" sounded like it left a sour taste on his tongue

"ugh. i don't even want to think about him. but i should text him back, he's all worried." you reach for your phone and stiles plops down on his bed.

"why do you even string him along, y/n, it's mean baby," he pauses and can't help smiling when you shoot him a flushed glare "i would hate to be him."

once you finish dryly texting sam back you crawl into the bed with stiles, opting to just lay on top of him because of the lack of space.

"i don't know. i've been giving him a chance to get better but i don't think he will. he can't treat me like you do." you pout, resting your head on his chest. stiles hums, vibrating beneath you.

"i know baby. nobody can treat my girl as well as i do, hmm?" he taps your chin, signaling for you to look at him. you adjust your body so you lay flat atop him, propping your bust up with your elbows. you meet eyes and notice just how dark his have gotten. it scares you until you realize this time, everything is safe and it's just pure lust. "answer me, baby. can anyone treat my girl as well as i do?" his lowers his voice. it's huskiness has you aching for more.

"no. nobody knows me like you do stiles. nobody treats me better than you." you reply obediently. he's got you in a trance.

"good girl." he pulls you forward and your lips finally lock, melting together like puzzle pieces. his hands wander your body, reaching down to squeeze at the swell of your ass, fingers creeping down to where you want them, where you've needed them all these months.

your fingers shakily tangle in his hair, body overwhelmed. he rolls you over swiftly, laughs escaping both of you when you scrape against the dorm wall in his pursuit.

when your lips meet again it's needier, rougher. teeth start scraping against teeth, lips are being teased and swollen from little nips and bites. from this position his body weight presses you into the mattress, smothering you in stiles. your fingers dig into his back, scratching skin beneath his shirt. he moans into your mouth which only eggs you on.

before you know it the thought of sam is long, long gone, and breathy chants of stiles, stiles, stiles! are all that can be heard.

....

the night finishes with a walk into town for dinner at a nice sushi bar, where you both have a little too much sake. you babysit each other on the way back to the dorm, giggling like idiots.

when the door closes your on one another again, sloppy kisses and grabby hands.

"you're so, so fucking beautiful." he slurs, tucking hair behind your ear. you're face to face, straddling stiles in his desk chair. your core pulses at the compliment.

"mmmm don't get me going again! it's bad, i'm bad!" the admission comes out got our mouth like a joke, a lighthearted joke, and not like you're cheating on your boyfriend.

"you seemed to be good earlier." he jabs back. your jaw drops.

"stiles!"

"mkay, mkay. let's get you cleaned up. got a day planned for us tomorrow. we're gonna go pick tulips! i asked and they grow those... those like coral-ly pinky pink ones you like." he muses, collapsing his head into your chest.

"ooooo! oh stiles you're too perrrrfect." you whine. he lifts you off of him, shaking himself out to sober up and help you clean up.

....

sam: hey, just worried, you haven't been texting back much

you: oh sorry. having fun! we've been out and about.

sam: ok, just checking in. miss you

read

it's been a couple of days into break and you have had the time of your life clinging to stiles like a lovesick puppy.

it's really, truly hard to believe that he isn't your boyfriend.

you don't know why. you love stiles. stiles loves you. you kiss, go out, fuck, text all the time, call, sleepover.. you're practically dating. but you've never labeled it. not in high school, not before college to keep exclusive, not now.

he's dated around, but none of them stay very long once they discover how enamored he is with you. you've had your fair share of relationships of the same dynamic. until sam, who sticks around relentlessly. somehow stiles hasn't scared him away yet.

"baby what do you wanna do today?" stiles calls from the bathroom.

"let's go take a walk in that park again! i want to see if the little ducklings are still swimming around." you chime. stiles chuckles and begins to tease you over the fact that they couldn't go anywhere else, blah blah, while you begin drafting a text to end things with sam.

....

you: sam, it's been great being with you for these last few months but i don't think it's going to work out. i'm not able to give you my all and that isn't fair. i wish you the best of luck with finishing up school. it's not you, it's me. i'm sorry.

you send the text with one hand in the middle of some random house party stiles brought you to at the college in the town over. it's deafeningly loud and you had enough liquid courage to bite the bullet and send the text to sam after being practically MIA the whole trip. you shove your phone back into your pocket and ignore the buzzes of his response.

a part of you feels guilty, as guilty as you did before stiles wiped it away. your text was so incredibly dry, "just like sam's personality" stiles had said.

"did you do it?" stiles hollers over the music. he starts drunkenly kissing your neck from behind you before you can even reply. when he feels your head nod yes he jumps up and hollers triumphantly. he pulls you into his arms and peppers your face with kisses, proud.

"so you're all mine now? i don't have to share my girl with any more scrubs?" he holds you by the waist.

"all yours stiles. all for you."

[lgbtmi]

high council of vtm blogs who follow me: i need your help for Reasons i am cooking a new vampire in my brain, and now i have not one, but four ideas and i need help picking a guy.

any feedback or commentary is allowed, but if you have a fav, feel free to vote for them under the cut <3

1 - tzimisce. presumed to be a gangrel and thus fits into nightlife semi-normally, who's gonna notice they're slightly… off… right? runs an airbnb with a 'forbidden' basement, which also serves as their haven. idk, i've not gotten much further than 'haha tzimisce except everyone thinks it's a gangrel because bOY do i love vampires posing as a different clan u feel?

2 - hecata. this is very much built around the clan compulsion. they were a true crime youtuber before their embrace, and one day just stopped uploading videos. their fanbase is split - most think they just stopped enjoying youtube, but there are two camps who either A) think they were murdered or B) faked their own death. regardless, both these camps discuss the case on reddit and turn molehills into mountains - grasping at straws in an attempt to solve the case. the hecata themself is unsure of what happened to them, the memories are fuzzy, and sometimes they think they remember and actively get on the message boards under a fake account in an attempt to solve their own death also

3 - ministry. basically gossip girl. used to run a blog in high school where they'd spread creative rumours about people, and when they were embraced, they fell right back into that. their sire indicated that most vampires don't take too kindly to the internet, though, so instead they every so often go on rumour runs, where they deliver handwritten notes to high ranking vampires with either rumours about other vampires, or thinly veiled threats along the lines of 'i know what you did to [blank] a few nights back :D'

4 - caitiff. by all means, they should have been a nosferatu. they were embraced by a nosferatu after successfully hacking into personal records database to get around having to formally change their gender marker and name on their records. something went wrong, though, and the clan curse didn't fully take, which now leaves them without a home or a family to get back to. are police now after them for hacking the government? it's more likely than you think, but hey, it's not like they lived to tell the tale :3

[orlissa]

So we still have a little over 1,5 months left of this year, but the lovely @readthelastpaage asked me what were the best books I read/translated this year, so... here you go. I left out my rereads and highlighted the ones I translated in blue. It's a... pretty mixed bag, I think.

R.F. Kuang: Yellowface After Athena (young and brilliant Chinese-American author) dies in an absurd accident, her “friend” June (struggling white author) steals her nearly finished manuscript, works it over, and publishes it under her own name. Chilling tale about guilt and the publishing industry ensues.

Rebecca Ross: Ruthless Vows I needed to includes this because of reasons. The second of Divine Rivals, a story of two, well, rivals falling in love through letters sent by a magic typewriter, while the war of the gods rages around them. Simply beautiful.

Jeff Bishop: A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy High school senior Cam dated Allison Tandy, the girl he is still obsessed with, for years before they broke up just before new year’s. Three months later Allison was in a car crash and has been in a coma ever since. Only when Cam gets some heavy painkillers after his knee surgery, he starts seeing Allison, and the girl is determined to get him to move on. Is it just the drugs, or does Allison really appear to him?

Naomi Alderman: The Power When girls suddenly start developing shocking (literally) powers worldwide, the order of the world and gender relations start to change. Not necessarily for the better. Chilling dystopic observation of gender dynamics.

Emilia Hart: Weyward Stories of personal trauma and abuse through three women and several centuries, with a touch of magic. Brilliant book, but beware, there are a lot of triggering stuff her (detailed description of domestic abuse, rape, basically at home abortion…)

Lora Beth Johnson: Goddess in the Machine/Devil in the Device Andra, along with her whole family, was meant to be one of the million people to colonize a new planet, but when she comes out of stasis, she is all alone in a strange new place, where the remains of technology are hailed as magic and she is believed to be a goddess. The language of this duology is insane–the author basically came up with a whole new dialect.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes: The Inheritance Games series When financially struggling Avery is informed that a Texan billionaire left all of his fortune to her, instead of his family–with whom now she needs to live together for a year–, she suddenly finds herself surrounded by dysfunctional family dynamics, heaps and heaps of dirty secret, and a bunch of puzzles and mysteries. I read the whole series this year, and although I’m not yet totally on board with The Grandest Game, this series is just fabulous.

Jodi Taylor: Just One Damned Thing After Another First book in chronicles is the St. Mary’s institute, where historians travel back in time to study the important (and not so important) event of history. British humor, some darker themes, and a bunch of chaotic energy.

Margaret Rogerson: Sorcery of Thorns I won’t be able to give a proper summary here, but books and magic and demons and adventure and books and romance, oh my. Or Elizabeth, who spent her whole life in a library full of magical books that might attack you at any moment, gets tangled up in a scheme that might bring on the end of the world. Which she and her allies need to prevent, obviously. There is also a sequel novella, which is mostly just a fluffy epilogue, but it’s just so nice.

Holly Jackson: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder British teenager Pip needs to do a special project for her last year of high school, and she chooses to examine the effects of a murder that happened in her sleepy little town a few years back – only what she really wants is to find the real killer, because she’s convinced that the police got the wrong guy. I absolutely loved the whole mystery and the multimedia nature of the book. (I know that there is apparently a version of this where it all takes place in America, which that sounds odd to me? It was so quintessentially British.)

Hannah Bonam-Young: Out on a Limb Win was born with an underdeveloped hand, but she doesn’t let is to slow her down. However, after she gets into a one-night stand with Bo, who lost a leg to cancer, at their mutual friends’ Halloween party, she ends up pregnant, so she and Bo decide to give this whole co-parenting thing a chance. Just a really nice feel-good romance story, made even more authentic by the fact that the author has the same hand issue as Win.

Taylor Jenkins Reid: Daisy Jones & the Six Story of a fictional seventies rock band told through a series of interviews done decades after the events. Intriguing tale of music, drugs, and personal dynamics.

Hannah Grace: Daydream I know that Hannah Grace’s work is kinda controversial (some love it, some think it trash), but I’ll always defend her, because of her works are very much pro-mental health and pro-cutting out toxic pieces of shit out of your life. And she is getting better with each book and she really did find something with this one. Sweet slow-burn romance with heavy emphasis on mental health.

Kristen Ciccarelli: Heartless Hunter This is what I’m reading/translating now, and although I’m only halfway through, I’m in absolutely brainrot over this. In a world where witches once reigned and now are being hunted, Rune, shallow socialite by day, secret witch saving vigilante by night, decides to try and seduce witch hunter Gideon to get some information out of him – only Gideon pretty much has the same plans to prove that Rune is that witch saving vigilante he’s been hunting.

[taylortruther]

This is the most miniscule and unimportant complaint. But when I was younger (like actually a child), I loved calling myself a girl's girl because I had always gotten along with girls better and just did not like boys very much. I wasn't even that feminine as a child, I just really liked "girly" things (I am still this way, I think). I admired girls my age and older girls sooo much and I hated teenage boys most of the time. As I got older, gender mattered less to me in whether I liked someone, but I enjoyed using the term as a shorthand for the fact that I enjoy centring women in my relationships and the culture I like. And now people say you're not a girl's girl if you don't distance yourself from your guy friend after he get's a girlfriend. Lol.

my mom used to call me (still does i gusss) a girls' girl because i ALWAYS prioritized my friends (who were rarely, if ever, men). centering men has never been my thing because she raised me to rely on my friends and myself more than a man. i think it took it a little more literally than she anticipated but i know what you mean about that term feeling co-opted. for me it was never about stereotypical femininity, or supporting women unquestioningly across the board, it was about centering my friendships with women growing up because i felt more of a kinship with them.

now i know part of it is the 🩷💜💙 too lmao but still.

[jungkookjiminlovesu]

https://x.com/jmnpromise/status/1820402605258052036

https://x.com/jmnpromise/status/1820403462762602618

Any new explanations and excuses ? 🎤 or you pretend not seeing this ask so you can continue to gaslight followers and yourself thinking Jkk is real ? Weren't you all celebrating WHO being gender neutral earlier ? Now Jimin himself said asking HER out as Slowdance meaning. Also you all said Rebirth is most personal song, turns out it's him falling in love with his crush which again is a girl who he's inviting for a dance in next song. And both songs are written by him.. Let it go already guys.. Jikook isn't real nor JM is with a man. He's throwing at your face at this moment that he's searching for A GIRL, A HER. While you misunderstands his message and bends his words to fit your non existent gay ship narrative.

First of all, this is the first time I have ever received this kind of ask, so enjoy the answer I have devised for you.

Any new explanations and excuses ? 🎤 or you pretend not seeing this ask so you can continue to gaslight followers and yourself thinking Jkk is real ?

I didn't know that you (Taekooker or an anti-gay supporter apparently) wanted an answer like your life depended on it.

Anyway, don't worry about it, my dear anon!

Well, I never said, to make any of my reviews about "the Jikook relationship" or anything like that.

If you read the name of my highlight it's a review on music (reviewonmusic) and not about "the actual relationship of Jikook" through their music, so I don't think you understood the point of my music reviews.

I don't deny it either, because no one has asked me or cares, but we don't need cheap cures to prove anything.

You will see countless photos, videos, moments of BTS as a group and just BTS, and if you have any brains when you see this duo, you can't forget what you just saw.

If you still have doubts, go see "Are you sure?!

The first two episodes are already available on Disney+ (not a sponsor), from 8 August.

I know they never said there would be a honeymoon vlog, but they both weren't sure, at least as shown in their teaser promo, if it was okay for viewers to watch it, because we'd be seeing a lot, like A LOT of their stuff.

Weren't you all celebrating WHO being gender neutral earlier ?

As for the "WHO", if you were a real army, you should have already watched the video entitled

here's the link for you, sweetheart

지ㄴ미 (Jimin) 'MUSE' Recording Behind

As you can see, when he was about to write another word in Korean, on the board, you can clearly see "WHO's" original lyrics and yes, they were ALL gender neutral.

But that's how the American industry works.

They had to change the lyrics from you, to her.

They just wanted to make a hit, not a personal song this time.

If you wanted that, you should have listened to the rest of the album, 'MUSE'.

And like I said, if you were a real army, you would be happy for every comrade he had or would have in the future and not pretend that this is 1978 to see the first gay male president.

I'm talking, of course, about Harvey Milk saying that gays have rights too (I have to say I'm not an American citizen, but you get the point, it's 2024).

Now Jimin himself said asking HER out as Slowdance meaning.

As I see, you've already read all my reviews of the album 'MUSE', and that really means a lot.

As I said in my review of "Slow Dance", which is a huge difference from "Smeraldo Garden Marching Band", it was the hands-on piece, right?

So, you like the details.

And the connection between "Rebirth" and the songs I just mentioned, yeah, he was definitely in love when he was composing it, he was even when he was performing it live.

I mean, look at his face!

Here's the links :)

지ㄴ미 (Jimin) Rebirth + Slow Dance (feat. Sofia Carson) Live Clip

지ㄴ미 (Jimin) Rebirth + Slow Dance (feat. Sofia Carson) Live Clip Behind

Oh well, let's not forget the clip of "Mini Moni" about how he had help from one of their members to compose this song.

Here is also the link :)

교환앨범 MMM(Mini & Moni Music)- 지민 (Jimin) TEASER

Also you all said Rebirth is most personal song, turns out it's him falling in love with his crush which again is a girl who he's inviting for a dance in next song. And both songs are written by him..

You're absolutely right, he composed everything on that album - except the song "WHO" - but he could control the message with or without neutral lyrics via his MV.

Let it go already guys.. Jikook isn't real nor JM is with a man. He's throwing at your face at this moment that he's searching for A GIRL, A HER. While you misunderstands his message and bends his words to fit your non existent gay ship narrative.

I see you have a bit of a problem with not being straight.

Are you sure you're a real army?!

'Cause you must accept him as he is!

I mean, I could write for you, more about how many times he said, "what it's really like to be a man or what his photographic gender is like, and like he said in this video:

"Special film 8 reactions photo folio and his own clip "Me, Myself and 'ID: Chaos' Photo Shoot Sketch".

"Like personas (...) I wanted to express various emotions, "

Jimin expressed his journey of finding his own self, someone add it in the subtitles.

"Special film 8 reactions Photo-Folio Reaction Film #1"

Do you even remember the concept photos?

He made four (4), but the most memorable one is the one we took as the cover, with a Greek god next to him, Apollo - who was one of the first bisexual Greek gods.

As Jimin said, once again:

"It could (mentioned in his photo - folio) be my color."

"Me, Myself and 'ID: Chaos' Photo Shoot Sketch"

I'm a Greek citizen, so I know better about how Greek gods have a huge impact on the mention of gay or not.

So let's have logic and you take the lead in your delusional world.

I must thank you once again, because this was the first time I asked about such a matter. But I still think that this ask might won't for me but it's okay! ;)

It really means a lot and here's a little present.

"Love Yourself Seoul Commentary Film"

Have a nice day! 💅🏻💋

[vraisetzen]

https://www.tumblr.com/vraisetzen/767046956775342080/historians-will-say-that-they-were-best?source=share

hi v,

i'm afraid i'm not a 'shipper,' but i'd be curious to know:

what are your top ten favourite anime ships?

Hi! Thank you for your question!

To be honest, I've left my shipping days far behind me especially since I got into writing Reader Inserts — I can't even remember the last time I rooted enthusiastically for a ship (besides Garashir and Janeway/Chakotay from Star Trek DS9 and Voyager).

(Also, I just wanna quickly clarify that I don't actually ship Mizuki and Gegero, even if I do see/understand why they're very popular when I saw the film. I was just awestruck by the official art, haha)

And I know there's currently a ton of debate surrounding shipping, to which I'd like say that I seldom have any icks or squicks when it comes to pairings. If I dislike a ship, it's probably because of a bad experience I had with their fans. However, I would add that my favourite ships are pretty vanilla and tame, and more often than not the result of my asking, "What if these two randoms were placed in a room with one bed together?" I love a niche pairing with zero fics written for them on AO3, lol.

So yeah, I'm gonna spotlight some of my niche pairings that I enjoy quite a fair bit! All of them are het and slash ships, I'm afraid, out of sheer coincidence that most of my favourite characters are male. I do love femslash/yuri ships as well, but they're generally quite popular, so I wouldn't be contributing anything new. They're not ranked in order of preference because I love them all!

Hijikata/Otae, Gin Tama: I love Otae so, so much, and I think she gets a ton of unwarranted hate from a vocal minority of the fandom on Twitter and Reddit. The GinTae vs GinTsu debate is still very real in 2024, but I think my girl deserves a man who earns a stable income and doesn't denigrate her appearance.

Koenma/Botan, Yu Yu Hakusho: The first of many niche pairings to come. Botan is such a lovely girl who is friendly with every one, but I get a kick out of imagining the two of them getting into all sorts of trouble and shenanigans whilst nagivating the bureaucratic hell that is, well, Hell, and falling in love in the process. And have you see the official art of them together? It's so cute!

Ogata/Sai, Hikaru no Go: I was so disappointed when I didn't find any content of them both! I think Ogata would have gone insane had he been the one to stumble upon Sai's Go board, before falling in love with him, and then into despair as he realised he cannot touch the one person he loved and idolised the most.

Muzan/Tamayo, Kimetsu no Yaiba: As a KnY fic writer, I feel obliged to include at least one ship from this fandom. I love all canon and fanon pairings in this work (a rare thing for me, personally), but I especially love the divorced couple dynamic between them both. The most recent season finale cemented that belief for me, and I do spend a lot of time brainrotting over their past before Muzan encountered Yoriichi.

Kusakabe/Utahime, Jujutsu Kaisen: I stumbled upon this fanart a long time ago, and thought: "Spectacular; give me 14 of them right now." He's an experienced First-Grade sorcerer who's honestly not the best teacher, she's a Second-Grade sorcerer who loves her students — they bond over their mutual irritation for Gojo and absolutely hooked up during the exchange event.

Shunsui/Ukitake, Bleach: What's there not to love about Old Men Yaoi? I've loved these two ever since I saw them, individually and a pairing, and I don't I will ever forgive Kubo for separating them in TYBW (albeit in a good way). The Hell arc was just the icing on the cake — a reverse star-crossed lovers, if you will.

Ryoga/Ranma, Ranma 1/2: I love a small-stakes rivalry, and there's something very cute about a guy who absolutely does not care about the gender of his opponent and will stop at nothing to fight them.

Shishiba/Osaragi, Sakamoto Days: Let it be known that I've clocked this couple ever since they first appeared in the manga, and I staunchly believe that they're endgame. Chapter 161 was everything — nothing can convince me otherwise that they're just mentor and mentee. Have you ever seen a mentee stroke her mentor's cheek as he laid bleeding on the ground, saying: "I'll be right back. Don't die"? Yeah, I thought so.

Mitsui/Yohei, Slam Dunk: I wish I could give a better explanation for why I love them so much, but really — the moment I saw Yohei beating the crap out of Mitsui with relative ease and zero effort despite being the smaller guy, I just felt the yaoi monster stirring in its sleep and shaking my bones. A former student athlete-turned-delinquent crossing paths with an actual delinquent makes for such fantastic tension, really.

Jotaro/Kira, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: I actually thought very long and hard about my favourite JJBA ship, because, like KnY, I love all of the characters and have no issue with either canon or fanon pairings. But then, I saw this fanart of JoKira/KiraJo, and it scratched such a specific itch inside my head that I have not been the same ever since.

Here it is! I had an fun time thinking about my favourite ships and choosing those that were truly obscure; some of them — HijiTae and ShunUki — are fairly popular, but I think my preference for them trumped any other rarepair I could have thought of for that fanbase.

xoxo, V ♥️

[houseofbrat]

Vanity Fair: Meghan edition

On the August 2022 cover of The Cut Meghan did to promote her first—and only—Spotify podcast, Archetypes, she said, “I’m, like, so excited to talk,” and “It’s like I’m finding—not finding my voice. I’ve had my voice for a long time, but being able to use it.” When repeatedly asked by the interviewer what she wanted to say with her newly free voice, Meghan demurred. “I have a lot to say until I don’t. Do you like that? Sometimes, as they say, the silent part is still part of the song,” she said, noting, “I’ve never had to sign anything that restricts me from talking. I can talk about my whole experience and make a choice not to.” (One of the people who spoke with VF for this story says they signed a nondisclosure agreement to be employed by Harry and Meghan.)

The former Spotify source says, “Archetypes was complicated as a podcast concept. You had to explain what the archetype was, then why the woman embodied it, but also how it wasn’t true about her. Every episode was like, ‘This is my friend who has been called that archetype but is not that archetype.’” These archetypes—actually stereotypes—included diva (Mariah Carey) and bimbo (Paris Hilton and Iliza Shlesinger). As for those “friends,” there was an expectation that Meghan would be able to use her personal Rolodex to book the show, the way hosts like Simmons and the Pod Save America guys do. The person who worked in media projects says the assumption was, “Meghan’s gonna be on the phone with the pope tomorrow.” The former Spotify employee says in addition to Taylor Swift, they heard rumors that Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion were asked to come on the show and declined. (Other people who worked on the podcast also say they heard those names mentioned, though a source close to the situation says Megan Thee Stallion’s team knew nothing about any request.) According to the source in media projects, Meghan would agree to provocative ideas and then walk them back. In one episode, she wanted to actually say the word bitch because, as the source remembers Meghan saying, “You hear it all the time.” It ended up with Meghan calling it “the B-word.” An episode titled “Slut,” intended to center on how trans women’s sexuality is used against them, was retitled “Human, Being” by Meghan and had to be completely reimagined late in production. “Every episode got more and more watered down and further away from actual conversation,” the source says. “It felt like very Women’s and Gender Studies 101 taught in 2003.” (Though the Spotify contract has widely been reported as worth $20 million, two sources told VF such deals are generally not paid out in lump sums; in other words, the couple would not likely have received the full amount without meeting benchmarks beyond making one 12-episode season of a podcast. Spotify does not comment on deal terms.)

Miss Potty-Mouth-Behind-Closed-Doors was too scared to say swear words on recorded audio?

The source who worked in media projects says Meghan’s own relationships with employees tended to follow a familiar pattern. She would be warm and effusive at the beginning, engendering an atmosphere of professional camaraderie. When something went poorly, often due to Meghan and Harry’s own demands—such as a teaser for Archetypes being released five months before the show premiered and before there was any tape to promote—Meghan would become cold and withholding toward the person she perceived to be responsible. The source says it was “really, really, really awful. Very painful. Because she’s constantly playing checkers—I’m not even going to say chess—but she’s just very aware of where everybody is on her board. And when you are not in, you are to be thrown to the wolves at any given moment.” In practice, they say, that manifested as “undermining. It’s talking behind your back. It’s gnawing at your sense of self. Really, like, Mean Girls teenager.” Marie had a different experience with Meghan: “She’s just a lovely, genuine person,” she said. The person who worked in media projects read stories in the tabloids about Meghan “bullying” palace aides and couldn’t imagine such behavior actually happened. After working with her, though, this person realized, “Oh, any given Tuesday this happened.” While it beggars belief that Meghan actually shouted at a palace aide, as has been reported, a person who interacted with her professionally says, “You can be yelled at even if somebody doesn’t raise their voice. [It’s] funny that people don’t differentiate between the energy of being yelled at and literally somebody screaming at you.” Two sources say a colleague with ties to Archetypes took a leave of absence after working on three episodes, then left Gimlet altogether. Several others described taking extended breaks from work to escape scrutiny, exiting their job, or undergoing long-term therapy after working with Meghan. The person who interacted professionally with her says, “I think if Meghan acknowledged her own shortcomings or personal contributions to situations rather than staying trapped in a victim narrative, her perception might be better.” They added, with the soggy laugh of a plebe rendering judgment on the Duchess of Sussex, “But who am I to criticize Meghan Markle? She’s doing great.”

But who here is really surprised after reading those paragraphs? People who haven't been paying attention for the last five plus years?

It’s hard to imagine how someone who seems so earnestly intent on being kind and engaging in world-improving (if also brand-building) activities could wind up engaging in revanchism with people so below her in status. A partial answer might be found in an episode of Archetypes in which Meghan interviews Mindy Kaling, who assumed Meghan was popular as a child. While attending Immaculate Heart Catholic school in Los Angeles, Meghan tells Kaling, “I never had anyone to sit with at lunch. I was always a little bit of a loner and really shy and didn’t know where I fit in. And, and so I just became, I was like, okay, well, then I’ll become the president of the multicultural club and the president of sophomore class and the president of this and French club. And by doing that, I had meetings at lunchtime. So I didn’t have to worry about who I would sit with or what I would do because I was always so busy.” (It brings to mind Swift’s “Mastermind” lyrics: “No one wanted to play with me as a little kid / So I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since / To make them love me and make it seem effortless.”) In other words, Meghan was a good person trying to do good things in spite of—and at times because of—unkind people. The person familiar with the production of Archetypes says at least one employee who had a terrible experience got a handwritten thank-you note and gift from Meghan. Is it any surprise that a sense of victimhood and righteousness could continue to exist in a person who had been treated so horribly by the press and her husband’s family? (Not to mention those little B-words at Immaculate Heart.) That people whom Meghan may have perceived as enemies or interlopers—members of the loathsome media, or insiders at the palace, or people who actually knew how to make a podcast, or her pitiable father and half sister selling her secrets and history to tabloids for cash—might have seemed more powerful than her in some way, despite her immense fame and wealth and privilege? And then whatever happened to them, well…they shouldn’t have gotten between Meghan and her good work. As Harry knows, trauma can warp your perspective.

Only-child syndrome on steroids + thank you notes ≠ success in working relationships. I mean, were those other girls really mean to Meghan? Or was it really a case of Meghan was the mean girl and couldn't function in an environment where she couldn't move on from people she wanted to ditch?

It’s easy to imagine a folie à deux emerging from the singular blend of circumstances: a need to believe in each other and the primacy of their relationship in the face of shared trauma and the real obstacles they encountered as they idealistically endeavored to break the wheel, while occasionally breaking the spirits of those tasked with executing their shared vision. “You don’t” tell them no, the person who worked in the couple’s media projects said. “I left because I couldn’t live with myself anymore.” This intracouple permission to stray from other people’s realities may have led to some of the points of contention that people bring up when questioning Meghan’s fidelity to emotional truth above literal truth: her assertions that she neither googled Prince Harry nor looked up the etiquette for meeting the Queen of England and didn’t know she was supposed to curtsy until the ride over.

“Meghan is the type of woman who would check a menu out online before going to a restaurant to pick what she was going to eat,” says Tom Fitzgerald, a fashion and cultural commentator who, with his husband, Lorenzo Marquez, comprise the brand Tom and Lorenzo. (A resident of Montecito who ate lunch in the same restaurant as Meghan said the server told her Meghan had called ahead to ask about the privacy of the seating arrangement.) “So the idea that she didn’t know she was supposed to curtsy for the queen, I just didn’t find it particularly believable, because [based on] everything she ever told us about herself, I cannot imagine that she went into meeting the royal family completely cold, with no research whatsoever.” Fitzgerald also points to Meghan’s repeated claims that she was forced to wear neutrals during her time in the palace in order to avoid upstaging or competing with Queen Elizabeth and other senior members of the family, noting that Meghan’s wardrobe is now primarily composed of that palate. A royals reporter believes that Meghan assumed her husband’s vision rather than researching the job of being a royal, and the reporter has a more positive view of the folie. “Oh, that’s such a good idea for a successful marriage,” the reporter says. “It’s a terrible idea for a job, but...if you’re joining this big network of people, you’ve got to see this through your husband’s eyes, be your husband’s advocate in it. And it’s no wonder this relationship works, even if the family business part of it fell apart.”

How complete that independence is is another point that rankles people about Meghan and Harry. If you still use a title and descend upon commonwealth or developing countries and let little girls curtsy to you, as one did to Meghan in Colombia, it doesn’t seem like you’ve totally left the monarchy behind. It also doesn’t give you a lot of room to critique it.

Duh!

The Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan litigates in painstaking detail Harry’s and Meghan’s mental health declines as she was bullied at the very least in sight of, and by many accounts at the behest of, an imperialist establishment. Yet this doesn’t seem to sour them to the idea of participating in a hereditary bloodline. In the doc, Harry says that during their last week as working senior royals, the couple, ruing the circumstances of their exit, kept telling each other, “We would have carried on doing this for the rest of our lives.”

Except you got put in a two-month time out and then pulled the you-can't-fire-us-we-quit card.

The couple repeatedly expressed frustration in Harry & Meghan that Meghan wasn’t tapped as an asset for upholding the crown’s international interests in an era when Prince William was tasked with expressing “profound sorrow” for the “appalling atrocity of slavery” during a tour to Jamaica.

Harry and Meghan had already been gone for TWO YEARS by that point.

As historian David Olusoga says in the docuseries, “Part of what makes the inability of the palace to defend Meghan an even bigger disaster is that the center of the argument for the monarchy in this country is the commonwealth. The commonwealth is 2.5 billion, mainly Black and brown people. Here was a woman who looked like most of the people in the commonwealth.” Harry speaks shortly after and says the palace and its denizens “have already missed an enormous opportunity with my wife and how far that would go globally.”

And that was still after Meghan had insulted South Africans by denigrating their accommodations in their fall 2019 tour. I don't see many Indians (over 1 billion people) being overly interested in Meghan these days. Really overselling this bit at this point.

The source, who is also a person of color, defends Meghan’s right to want a piece of the empire for herself. “If I was in the same position and I was treated the way I was by the institution, it wouldn’t stop me from still feeling that that title is mine and deserved,” they say. “If anything, it would feel like you’re giving in to the pressure to exclude you in the first place. So actually it would probably make me want it even more. Damn well I’m going to slap it on my kids’ names too.”

Kind of strange for AN AMERICAN--born and raised--to be professing the need for a title & style. In fact, insisting on "slap[ping] it on the kids' names" makes it sound as if the kids' titles are not going to be permanent, just as I've long suspected.

The source familiar with the couple says, “I think there’s one thing that no one could take away from Meghan is how hard she works, how much effort goes into everything that she does. Ultimately that’s all she needs. And I think that’s why American Riviera Orchard probably will be a massive success. Even if in two years’ time it doesn’t exist anymore and she’s on to the next, it will have that moment. There’ll be no way that you can say that it wasn’t successful.”

Sounds like it's not going to be successful, unless you count breaking even as a success. I guess not losing money would be a "success" at this point, but that's such a low bar.

A few years ago a rumor began circulating around the book world about another prospective project for Meghan. This story, which a person with knowledge confirms the broad details of, was that Meghan’s team had a conversation with a publishing house to gauge interest in the idea for a potential book. The concept, for which there was no written or formal proposal, was post-divorce. Not a general book on life after marital dissolution, or one about Meghan’s past experience. (She was married to producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 to 2014.) This book—this notion of a book, really—might center on a post-Harry divorce. Not that there was actually one in the works! Just…if this a priori divorce ever came to be, would this publisher theoretically be interested in a book that took place in its aftermath? Another source with knowledge says, “If that’s true to any degree, she would have been approached and not vice versa.” No offer was ever made, and no manuscript was produced. After all: There was no divorce.

Hustler looking for options. No one is surprised at this point.

The source familiar with the couple says Meghan’s metabolism for campaigns that she can move on from—Archetypes, the ephemeral 40x40 mentorship program, the forthcoming lifestyle line and show, the wisp of a possible book about a divorce that might never happen—are part of why she’s better suited to celebrity outside the palace. “The royals don’t work like that,” the source says. “How many years has Kate been talking about early childhood development, like 11 now, 12? We still haven’t really seen anything.” (Princess Catherine launched Shaping Up, a campaign focused on “increasing public understanding of the crucial importance of the first five years of a child’s life.”)

Kate hasn't been talking about The Early Years for THAT long. Even still, Kate hasn't done much for it in a year, and I wouldn't be surprised if it dies a slow death at The Royal Foundation in the near future.

If Harry’s burden is the soft oppression of no expectations, Meghan’s might be the opposite: the betrayal of not living up to an unachievable ideal. “I think the whole world was waiting for her to be that person, and then she never jumped,” the source who worked in media says. “Diana walked amongst land mines. Meghan couldn’t even say the word slut.”