#nandor is probably smug too

[heckosart]

hello everyone

[cookinguptales]

Now that I’ve seen the episode with captioning…

The one thing I keep coming back to is that the Djinn said outright that his job is to teach his “masters” lessons about themselves and their desires and being better people. He’s supposed to punish greed, lust, pride, etc. So that makes the “punishment” he chose for Nandor that much more of a gutpunch.

He forces Nandor to think of Guillermo every time he uses his new dick, but more than that, he makes him think of what he’s done for him. He’s pinned Nandor immediately, hasn’t he? He understands the very strange brand of selfish selflessness he has to him, where he’s ostensibly thinking about pleasing others, but in a way that always puts his own emotions first.

And then he looks at Guillermo and he pins him down immediately, too, doesn’t he? I think this was a kind of revenge towards Guillermo, too. Not because he’s done anything wrong, per se, though. More just because he irritated him. lmao.

He’s looking at these two idiots and he sees the years and years of devotion and dismissiveness and the slowly building tenderness and respect between them that neither will examine too closely. He sees the way that Guillermo is trying to pull away but just can’t manage it. He sees the way that Nandor is finally, finally starting to understand everything Guillermo has always done for him.

He’s found those little wounds in them and he’s pressing down hard. 

He wants to force Nandor to understand how careless he’s been towards the best thing he has in his life. How dismissive he’s been towards the truly astronomical efforts Guillermo has put into making his desires a reality. How smart and talented and fierce Guillermo really is. How he’s a shark at the table when he’s just fucking allowed to be. He wants to make Nandor acknowledge what he has right next to him — and that he might’ve already lost it due to his own dickishness. That’s his lesson. That’s his revenge.

And Guillermo? He just wants to make Guillermo squirm. He wanted to put Guillermo in his place. That part, that smug little smile at the end, that part felt personal. I love that. I love that Guillermo went head to head with a fucking DJINN and would’ve come out on top if Nandor hadn’t fucked it up at the last minute. I love that the Djinn acknowledges Guillermo’s power and potential even if Nandor doesn’t, and that making Nandor acknowledge Guillermo’s passion and strength and cunning is a punishment for them both.

Fuck!! I am spilling over with emotion!! I love that Djinn pushing Nandor towards understanding real love (that may not currently be within reach for him) is his revenge for Nandor’s dumbass wife search. How kind and cruel and perfect!

(Note: I do not think that Guillermo is permanently out of reach for Nandor! But he’ll probably get in some quality pining time before it’s his turn.)

Side note: I also noticed that the Djinn was like “it wasn’t even that much bigger than yours already was, I was surprised you wanted more” so boyyyy is Nandor’s greed and perfectionism one of the issues he’s annoyed at! He’s been annoyed by that this whole damn time! He’s always chasing after something nebulously “better” than what he already has without realizing that what he already has is great! That’s the real character flaw here that’s being punished! That’s why finally noticing Guillermo was his punishment! But that’s a whole different rant!

[anxietycheesecake]

Whatever you do, don't think about nandermo first time. Don't think about how they waited for so long, how they craved for this, and now they finally have this.

Nandor has had a lot of time to remember how to undress himself. Guillermo has had a lot of time to become comfortable with the idea of being sexual with another man. And they stand there for a while, in the middle of the room, in robes and waiting.

This is the first time Nandor is so nervous about being with someone. He doubts before taking the few steps that separate them. He's a conqueror, a warrior, a monster... and all he wants to do is brush his knuckles over that warm cheek and see Memo close his eyes at the touch and call him his sweet Guillermo one more time, now both of them knowing what it means.

Guillermo looks up, breathless, absolutely shaking, and Nandor is looking at him like he's so beautiful it hurts. He can literally see pain in Nandor's gaze, so gentle and careful, lips parted in anticipation.

The robe is opened slightly. Nandor's hand runs down Memo's neck and he shivers. The look hasn't changed, if anything, it has a shade of worried ache in it. If Guillermo talks about being a vampire now... if that's what he's thinking about as Nandor explores him with all the care his nature can handle... But all Guillermo says is "go ahead, take it off" with that pathetic smugness, like he knows shit.

And they're naked, not even looking at each other's bodies at first, eyes on eyes, hands discovering what they don't dare to see for themselves. Till they do look and the mutual "oh no, he's hot... wait, he's also mine" realization doesn't even need to be stated out loud.

It hits Nandor that this is very different to what he used to do back when he was alive, yet so similar. Guillermo, soft and warm as he is, is a warrior. They're equals, too warriors admiring each other, like the good old times. Except this is allowed to be intimate and precious. It isn't about strenght or power, not even about beauty and sexual attraction (just about that, I mean)... love isn't a weakness here. He's entitled to love this man with his body, to express it and let him know. He's found his partner in life.

This is not a first time for Guillermo. Not after the season 4 leak. He had a year to do things like this and he did just that. But it wasn't the same. Even in a loving relationship, it wasn't. The subtle shame was always there, laying underneath. Lights off, under the sheets, hurried, physical and blind orgasms, something to clean. Like he never was out or brave or free enough to love another man in the way he was meant to. Like he wasn't desirable enough to be loved the same way, as a man.

Nandor understands he smells different. Even if he never went out of the way, the scent has changed. Probably a good thing. Because now, when he buries his face on Guillermo's neck as they caress each other, he doesn't sense a pray too irresistible to deny it. The rush of pumping blood tempts him, but it all makes him want to protect and worship instead. It doesn't matter what happened before, this belongs to him and he knows none of them has left anyone in like this before.

At some point Nandor falls to his knees, wrapping his arms around him, pressing his face into the softness of his lower belly, as if he was going to pray. Guillermo giggles and pets his hair, waiting. They have the whole night.

Nandor by all means wanted to rock his world and show him what it's really like to have a vampire lover. He just couldn't handle the feels. It's perfect anyway.

[g0sts]

what i got done tonight, minus some spicy notes i wanted to get out before i lost track of them. edging prompt on the kinkmeme specifically calling for trans guillermo and im like "hell yeah" and then "wait i gotta set the stage emotionally tho" because im not a bitch who does things by halves i guess.

anyway intro scene below the cut, gnite

What was his life right now?

When did this become something that happens in his life? Admittedly, not much had changed since this… thing with Nandor had started, whatever this was. Guillermo was fine with that! In a way, tending to Nandor in this way made him feel more included in the house in general, like touching his master’s dick gave him one more point of similarity with the other vampires.

Nandor and Guillermo were currently snuggled up together on one of the couches in a completely alien moment to Guillermo, who was once again delaying the inevitable clean-up-and-back-to-business after a really nice orgasm. Nandor always insisted on a cool-down cuddle, which was achingly sweet, but took some getting used to on Guillermo’s part. His instinct was to immediately run off and do something productive or hole up in his room and stare at the ceiling for as long as it took to convince himself that it didn’t matter if he just committed a cardinal sin. It had worked for years before Nandor, hadn’t it?

A cool thumb started rubbing small circles into his overheated shoulder, breaking him out of his own mind prison.

“You are having serious thoughts, Guillermo,” Nandor accused. The vampire could read him a lot better than Guillermo had always assumed he could, and he wasn’t in the habit of schooling his expressions.

“It’s nothing, Master, don’t worry about it,” he assured. He breathed deeply and settled back into the moment, the slightly musty air mingling with the warm, metallic scent of Nandor.

“Okay, it is forgotten.” And it probably actually was. “I want to try something.” The sudden flip made Guillermo tense up a bit.

“...What do you want to try?” With Nandor, it could be literally anything. The soothing circles picked back up on his shoulder.

“It is one of my favorite things about having sex with you, but you are always so quick to cum,” he started, and he was sure lucky he started that sentence the way he did. “We should build your stamina if you ever hope to be a worthy vampire.” Guillermo was still a little insulted, and that didn’t clarify much. “You would never survive even one bi-annual vampire orgy like this, you know, even if you weren’t human.”

“I don’t know about that, I think I’ve been keeping up with you pretty well,” Guillermo quipped. Nandor didn’t even try to contain his laugh. Guillermo sat up and turned to fix him with his fiercest glare. He was met with gleaming, predatory eyes and a smug grin.

“You’re welcome for letting you think that,” Nandor chuckled. “I didn’t want you to feel bad for your weak human limitations, you see, so I have been holding back. For you.” Bullshit.

“Why don’t you try me?” Guillermo held that hungry gaze as he made his challenge, fully aware that it likely held little weight when he was still naked and sweaty from their prior activities. Nandor just grinned wider at that, letting the air between them spark with possibility for a few moments.

“Not tonight,” he eventually ceded. Guillermo felt himself deflate a bit, but not for long before Nandor leaned forward and pressed cool, soft lips to his forehead, reassuring. “We still have things to do tonight, and have already wasted too much time here. I want the whole night if I'm going to take you apart.”

Nandor practically purred those last words, and Guillermo short-circuited. Then Nandor stood up, gathering his clothes from around the room and laughing like he hadn’t just derailed his familiar’s entire night with one sentence, talking about what flavor of victim he was craving for dinner.

They did have to get going if they were going to make it to the store, though; Guillermo had to pick up cleaning supplies while Nandor went hunting. Another night, then.

[darkfire359]

I think there’s an important difference between idolizing a toxic character (as you mentioned in the comparisons) and wanting to rehabilitate one. There’s a REALLY long line of queer media that either rehabilitates antagonists or ends up making us love their awful selves anyway. Look at She-Ra, Hannibal, Arcane, Steven Universe (or so I hear), The Owl House, or Killing Eve. What We Do in the Shadows cuts out the middleman and makes the toxic assholes the protagonists. Taika himself has written redemption arcs for literal nazis (albeit 10-year old ones).

It’s a classic fandom move because that’s what queer media itself ALSO does (I think in large part due to the history of queer-coded villains). It’s definitely not specific to male characters (and I think it’s actually more common with female ones based on the examples I thought of). It *is* more common with white characters, but I think this is actually because a lot of writers are afraid to give us toxic asshole non-white antagonists, and when they do (e.g. Catra and Shadow Weaver) they’re more likely to be racially ambiguous.

I agree that emotional violence is more important in OFMD than physical violence, but also Izzy gets hit with emotional pain too?? Like, a lot. He’s constantly making these tormented, heartbroken expressions when Ed does something that (to him) feels like a betrayal. Stede and the crew make fun of him and calls him demeaning nicknames. Compare Stede calling him “Iggy” to Jack calling Stede “Steve”. Or compare “Dizzy Izzy” and “Jizzy Izzy” to “Baby Bonnet”.

Honestly I suspect that part of the reason a lot of writers don’t spend much time harping on Izzy for the things he did is because whenever Izzy does something shitty, the show punishes him like, instantly. He yells at Lucius, and immediately afterwards he gets blackmailed and made fun of for the “Izzy the spewer” incident. He stabs Stede, so he gets thrown off the ship. He sells Stede out to the British, so Ed punches him in the face and then he’s forced to watch Ed take the act of grace with Stede. He’s an asshole as the captain, and then he gets mutinied on and nearly thrown overboard. He yells and threatens Ed, so he gets forced to eat his own toe.

This is honestly a greater quantity of karmic and immediate comeuppance than in probably any of the above shows I mentioned (which DO actively redeem their antagonists), for what are IMO usually lesser crimes. Izzy also is largely motivated by his misguided sense of loyalty to Blackbeard and by a belief (even if wrong) that his methods are the proper way of pirating. Contrast that with characters like Nandor or Catra, who act in ways that are much more undeniably out of selfishness or spite, and which leave much more lasting harm on other characters.

Because TBH, Izzy’s actions really DON’T make other characters scared or traumatized or sad. As much as Izzy obsesses over Stede, Stede mostly bitches at him and ignores him. Even getting stabbed leaves Stede smug and Izzy being the distraught one. Lucius is perfectly happy to snark and flirt with Izzy. The crew is perfectly secure and supported in their plans to mutiny him. Ed, while crying at the end of e10, is almost certainly crying because of Stede, not Izzy—the toe incident is very much not the response of a person *frightened* by Izzy’s threat. I think Ed IS scared of the idea of Izzy leaving him, but that’s not something that Izzy would be wrong to do.

And frankly, I don’t think that Ed is frightened about the colonialism stuff AT ALL. He’s snarky and joking when in a prison cell, and perfectly content to fold clothes in the British boot camp. It’s the threat of them killing Stede that gets to him, and it’s Stede’s desire to leave that convinces him to escape.

the way izzy was received by this fandom rlly is the worst combo of how fans responded to kylo ren and how fans responded to, like, tyler durden or walter white.

anything i could say comparing izzy fans and kylo fans was already said in this fucking incredible post by @chuplayswithfire. but basically: izzy is a huge cunt to everyone in this show but fans take him at his word when he talks about being hardworking and competent, they minimize and excuse his actions and act like he's an innocent traumatized baby, and they focus on him, a shitty white antagonist, instead of any of the other interesting characters of color they could be paying attention to

but imo the thing that rlly makes a difference between izzy and kylo, and the thing that makes me compare him to those other two white dudes i mentioned above, is that unlike the movies kylo ren is in, ofmd is actually well-written

the first movie in the star wars sequel trilogy was pitched, written, filmed, and literally released with no ending for the trilogy in mind. the writing for the next movies was adjusted based on fan reactions, and major plot points were decided by studio executives deciding which events would make the movie more profitable. i should not have to explain to you that this is a terrible way to write a movie series. or a television series. or literally any kind of fucking story in the world.

our flag means death, or what we have of it so far, is not that. there's fully developed characters with given realistic motivations, instead of one-dimensional props that are jerked around by a constant tug-of-war between writers, directors, and studio executives. there are narrative plot points that are woven expertly throughout the story, not hints of storylines that are completely forgotten about by the next franchise, or storylines that were finished that are getting dug up again. there's a central theme to ofmd, unlike the new star wars movies, where the theme seems to be "how can we milk this fucking franchise for all it's worth." there's no goddamn queerbaiting

i'll admit that i've never actually seen breaking bad, and everything i know about it i've learned via tumblr osmosis. but from what i can tell, it's actually a very well-written show, and the whole point of the show is that walter white is the epitome of entitled and abusive white man who thinks he's super tough and badass and that everyone should listen to him and do whatever he tells them to do (lmao, sound familiar?). he ruins his life and the lives of everyone around him and idk he might die in the end. anyway dont do drugs.

fight club i have seen, and i can confirm that this is a fantastic movie that features, you guessed it, an arrogant white guy who represents the classic violent male power fantasy. the narrator, deeply depressed because he's a beta male, watches jealously from the sidelines as tyler durden starts seeking violence, first from just meeting up with random guys for consensual beatdowns, but it escalates as more and more men start joining the fight club (wow! the title of the movie!) until the club morphs into a terrorist group. also if you haven't seen it there's a Big Plot Twist that i haven't mentioned and it's pretty good. love that movie.

anyway the point is that both of those men are very obviously. shitty fucking guys. classic macho men (even tho tyler durden's fashion sense is fantastically fruity, for some reason) who crave power over others and respect in the form of fear. the whole point of their fucking characters is that in any generic action movie, they would be the heroes

and so many fans just. completely fucking miss this. there are hoards of dudebro fan guys who relate to these characters and go "wow, he's just like me!" and absolutely do not get the point of the thing they're watching. it is fucking baffling to see

anyway that's izzy stans!! an truly groundbreaking combo of your classic female fans who woobify evil white men and classic male fans who miss the entire point of characters who are written to subvert the expectations of what kind of role a character like izzy hands, walter white, or tyler durden would be expected to play!!!!! izzy hands is written to be an antagonist and the personification of toxic masculinity that ed is trying to escape from, and yet people are acting like he's the show's third protagonist.

because izzy would be a protagonist, in a different and much shittier story. and even though we all watched the same show where he very clearly is not the protagonist, people are applying that role to izzy and not actually looking at what role he plays in this show.