#not make a carbon copy s3

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep3 - Armand as Unreliable Narrator

I'm seeing a lot of posts defending AMC!Armand against fans thinking he's lying or untrustworthy or something. I've seen people point out valid things like AMC's deliberate twisting / reckless disregard of book canon; to bad takes stemming from shipping wars; to personal preferences & biases.

My reservations against AMC!Armand go all the way back to S1, when we saw those floating bookshelves and sliced pages in Claudia's diary. I've long since been of the suspicion that Armand's not necessarily forcing Louis against his will or anything THAT nefarious; but that he's definitely been taking advantage of Louis' need for someone to help stop him from going off the deep end--and more importantly, that he's been taking more than his fair share of autonomy over things Louis does/doesn't have access to--specifically: information/knowledge.

For me, GABRIELLE'S absence is the most telling red flag. Cuz the writers know good & well that they want S3/TVL; Rolin never shuts up about it. It's not that AMC isn't doing the books so we don't need to expect it to be 1:1--it's that THEY ARE doing the books! They're planting seeds through deliberate misdirection & omission.

Gab's arguably the most important/impactful person in Lestat's life b4 he meets Louis. She's Les' very first fledgling. She's there when Armand kidnaps Nicki; she's there when Alessandra explains the Devil's Road for the first time (a scene AMC was obvs inspired by with Daciana in 2x1); she's there when Les leaves the Theatre; she's everywhere.

And what's more:

Armand hates Gabrielle's GUTS.

Gabrielle's "useless" to Armand, but she was EVERYTHING to Les, and most of his emotional damage & abandonment issues come from her. Armand KNEW to weaponize Magnus' suicide & Gab's lackluster treatment of child!Les as the best way to seduce him!

Armand, like Claudia, is DESPERATE for someone to want & need him as their #1.

Louis is pretty good for this--if only he'd hurry up & get over Lestat (& Claudia) already.

In the book!IWTV/TVA, Armand dumped Louis when Lou gave up on being happy & got way too depressed for Armand to help him anymore. But Armand really wanted Lestat. Cuz Lestat is CLINGY--he doesn't pack & up leave (ie: give up) without a DARN good reason--and it's mighty sus that Armand didn't mention that Les & Gab left him to look for HIS MAKER, MARIUS, cuz Armand didn't know ISH, and doubted Marius was still alive--cuz if he was still alive, why had ARMAND been ABANDONED BY MARIUS for all those centuries, left for dead with the Children of Darkness/Satan? 👀💔

Lestat is a carbon copy of Marius, down to the blonde hair, blue eyes, and red velvet. Armand's Louis' rebound of Lestat, but Lestat's Armand's rebound of Marius.

Louis is not the only vampire who lives in a constant state of denial/delusion, running from his fears. They are both exact opposites of Lestat, who confronts his fears head-on.

I'm becoming increasingly convinced that if Lestat IS asleep in the penthouse, Louis doesn't know--or he doesn't have all the correct info. Cuz Armand's been isolating Louis this whole time in their weird cage/penthouse, with its jail bars and floating bookcases. He is ACTIVELY AGAINST this entire interview; and he encourages any & all contradictory talk of Lestat being "dead"--

--so it makes sense that he wouldn't want Louis to know anything about Gabrielle, as that would be someone who KNOWS Lestat, and would probably know where to find him (IF he's not comatose in the penthouse somewhere).

So for Armand to leave Gab out and make it seem like Mama's Boy Lestat was this cavalier playboy who cared about nothing & no one but himself (as per Louis' words to Daniel) just smacks of a highly slanted angle, that even LOUIS is ignorant of--I don't think AMC!Louis knows anything about Gabrielle's existence whatsoever. 👀 Yes, "Lestat never told me ish!;" but clearly ARMAND never told him the whole story, either. 😬🤫🤐

Then, there's Nickistat....

Plenty of interviews/reviewers already said Armand's petty, so I'm not surprised that the Nicki info doesn't add up. First off, it's a great way to garner sympathy from Louis, and create a connection, and act as an effective stimulus for Louis' own unpleasant experiences being cucked by Lestat. If Armand can convince Louis that Lestat did to Louis what Lestat did to Nicki, it just makes Lestat look worse; legitimizing why Loumand is oh-so-much-better; which they're actively tryna pitch to Daniel.

But it's a risky gamble though, cuz it also puts Armand in the same spot as Antoinette--and we see how that went. 😬💀🔥 Only this time it won't be Armand who ends up in flames, but Louis, if AMC pulls a Merrick.

It helps that "Lestat never told him ish," either, cuz Louis CLEARLY has no idea that Nicki died--AND HOW. Lestat admitted that he & Nicki "parted ways," but if that's all Louis knows, then ofc Armand can tack on that Nicki was abandoned & hung out to dry--that Lestat was giving Armand money through Roget, not NICKI; that the Theatre was Nicki's, NOT Armand's--and neatly omit everything about what really happened: that Nicki was mentally insane, thoroughly hated & resented Lestat by that point, and was eventually tortured & killed BY ARMAND and his coven when THEY couldn't handle him anymore--a la PAUL'S treatment by the DPDLs.

Armand NEEDS to come across as sympathetically as possible; otherwise he loses Louis AND Daniel to this interview--only this time he won't be the one sitting back letting it happen.

For me, Armand's unreliable not cuz cuz I hate him--on the contrary, I've said 1000 times that he's my fave character in TVC; and Assad's doing an excellent job with him so far. But I don't trust him cuz I KNOW HIM--the fandom calls him a GREMLIN for a reason. I know the stunts he pulled in TVL (telling Daniel the Children of Darkness/Satan killed themselves, when in the book Armand killed them all (except for Eleni, Felix, and like 2 others IDER--they're all Rhoshamandes' fledglings IIRC). He's reduced Nicki's role significantly; making him seem like some desperate twink, while not mentioning how Nicki was half mad before Armand chopped his hands off & forced him to kill himself when he couldn't play violin anymore.

Armand is a MENACE in the early books, and he was originally supposed to be a main TVC villain before Anne Rice realized how much she liked him in QotD and toned him TF down--same way she did with Lestat's transition from IWTV to TVL.

THAT'S why Armand is both lovable/likable and also SUS AF. At least for me. I can't speak for other fans, ofc, cuz I know some folks approach Armand from totally different angles.

[cupidford]

It's not the end of spring yet, but I've read a crazy amount the last few months so here we go with twenty amazing reads!!

I've got so many more in the arsenal to share with yall!

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Light by Vanimedla4

Battling his addiction and depression, Sherlock moves to a lighthouse where he plans to end his life. He is stopped by John, a ghost. ~102k

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

The Q-Axis by Calais_Reno

Assassin John leaves a stalled train and attempts to find his way to the surface. Once above ground, he begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around him. He calls this new reality the Q-axis. Meanwhile, detective Sherlock Holmes tries to solve a series of puzzling murders, all of which seem linked to a man who doesn’t exist. ~81.5k

All This Time by stopthat

“We share a life,” John says, eyes searching. “Have you ever wanted anything more from me?” ~3.5k

💛💛💛💛💛

Matchmaking for Solitary Animals by ArwaMachine

Following Sherlock’s return from the dead, he entertains gentlemen callers, a fact that seems to make John irrationally angry. Intent on proving that he’s not a dick, John makes it his mission to find Sherlock a boyfriend. Switchlock, ish toplock. ~72k

On an Eyelash by stopthat

Sherlock returns from the dead, but he and John don't talk about it. Until slowly they do, and between Christmas and Sherlock's birthday wishes really do come true. ~5k

The Art of Putting Up Shelves by Amyreadsandstresses

S3 fix it. Sherlock meets Adrian at a Chip Shop. They start a romantic relationship amongst the events of S3. Painful but lovely, and not Johnlock! ~19k

The Force of the Interaction by CorvidCordelia

Five Times John Thought About Sex and Sherlock and His Brain Broke + One Time It Didn't. Warning there is AdLock. ~17k

💚💚💚💚💚

A Christmas Stroll with Sherlock Holmes by aquileaofthelonelymountain

Sherlock offers a Christmas Stroll experience as a contribution to a local dog charity auction. The auction winners? None other than John and Rosie Watson. ~12k

Blue Plaques by JRow

John’s engagement is off, and he is back at the place he feels most at home — 221B Baker Street. In the process of solving a mystery, will John accidentally reveal a secret of his own? Asexual Sherlock. ~36.5k

noise complaint by simplyclockwork

One loud upstairs neighbour and three days of non-stop party music lead Sherlock to an unexpected meeting. Unilock, switchlock. ~85.5k

💙💙💙💙💙

Paper Men by Lurikko

Sherlock becomes obsessed with John having sex with women. John wonders if Sherlock is running an experiment or flirting? And after they start having sex themselves, are they actually in a relationship yet, or what exactly is going on? ~13.5k

You Have Demons (I Do Too) by wannabesir

ACD. Sherlock is fresh out of rehab and assigned community service thanks to his ever-spying brother Mycroft. At the theatre, he meets a blonde army doctor, turned actor, suffering from a PTSD flashback. ~105.5k

The Slow Dance and Death of a Carbon Copy by batslikepastel

After Mary's death, John starts spiraling. He starts mistaking Sherlock for Mary, the first sign of delusion, and Sherlock starts pretending to be her. 15.5k

the old songs by allsovacant

Sherlock vanishes after John and Mary's wedding. Five years later, John receives a text message from Sherlock asking for a chance to talk and clear the air between them. ~4.5k

Found by Callist

Life goes on in Baker Street, and it's time for a remodel to fit Rosie. As the project grows, John and Sherlock find something else growing between them. 11.5k

💜 HONORABLE MENTIONS 💜

body and soul by simplyclockwork

Established relationship. Sherlock knows himself as a man with refined tastes. In his opinion, John Watson is artwork of the highest calibre. ~3k

Meet Me on the Ice by consult_this_prick

Sherlock grows fond of the figure skater he sees before his hockey practices. ~6k

Places in the Mind by Calais_Reno

Post HLV. S3 fix it. John rescues Sherlock in Serbia after he is wounded. ~4.5k

Demitasse by oorsprong

Victorian ACD. We found ourselves at Pagani's upon nearly every successful completion of a case in unspoken celebration. ~1.5k

Community Service by Accident, Hobbitsfeet, Tindomerelhloni

Forensics Medical Examiner John H. Watson is forced to set up an office Christmas party with Sherlock Holmes. ~12.5k

[spicybylerpolls]

I mean... people act differently in the bedroom. Just point blank, if you look at your friend and go "she would never do that nah." Its possible, she could be a closet freak. No one acts like themselves in the bedroom. So nothing is really out of character unless there is canon material for how they act in such situations.

i just found this on a reddit thread that complains about smut being out of character in fandom in general and it seems like these debates we have re: byler (esp top and bottom, sub and dom) happen everywhere, and tbh, that fact alone speaks volumes? the above argument has been used for byler on this very blog! while it is technically true, it also seems to me to be a bit too obvious and a crutch/excuse for bad writing. for example, the duffers could have said 'mike has never been in a mall before s3, who knows how he'll react?' and then he's opening s3 just twerking on the mall fountain while waving his top around cos he's so excited about all the new shops and the free cinema trips and ice cream. i mean, technically its possible, but is that really mike?

thats a very infantile example because sexuality is complex. but my point is: I KNOW people do act differently in the bedroom, because it brings out another side of people, but the point stands about what 'out of character' actually means, and in writing you need a set of rules decreeing the boundaries of a fictional character - a personality outline - because otherwise their edges blur and they become everyone and no one. and i think this is the problem with lots of smut, as this user wrote:

It's sex scenes where characters stop being themselves and just start being people who are having sex. The sex scenes that feel very could-be-in-any-fandom. Like, for example, when people stop talking like themselves, and not because it's dirty talk or kink or whatever.

THIS! the amount of smut i've read where mike and will could suddenly be interchangeable with any character from any story anywhere, because theyre just two bodies doing sex acts. there are carbon copy phrases and buzzwords (apparently there's even a famous essay on this, says one user: 'you may enjoy ariaste's one finger/two fingers/three fingers/cock rant...')

this is what i mean when i say bad writing. someone on the thread explained that 'A lot of fanfiction is wish-fulfillment, and many of us want to believe the characters we're attracted to are sex gods, even if there's no canonical evidence of it.' the idea of mike and will being sex gods made me laugh and i think very few people who discuss byler seriously here believe they would be, but the operative phrase here is 'characters we are attracted to.' i think this is an unspoken part of fandom, and what divides fans who create fanworks, and original creators. the argument 'the duffers aren't creeps for writing teen sex so why are we?' does hold much water, not because writing smutfic makes you a creep, but because fans are infatuated with characters in a way that original creators usually aren't.

but why not? i dont think it's weird or bad to fall in love with a character. but this still doesnt answer the question of why many writers choose to lean towards this tried-and-typical smut style rather than aiming to emulate the characterisation or writing style of the original creators. so....

why do people think this might be? here are some of my suggestions, and i would love if some of the people who respond are also people who have written/thought about writing their own smut and answer honestly about their thought processes! choose the best that applies to you. thanks to all who partake!

A) the only access to erotic literature i've had in general is via fanfiction, so i can't see any other way of writing it.

B) i've read published erotic fiction and i end up emulating that rather than fanfiction, so i dont think my work is tropey or fanfic-typical.

C) i've read published novels that include sex written in a way i like, so i try to take inspiration from that instead.

D) i write sex the way I have sex/think about sex i've had in real life.

E) i write sex the way I imagine/want to have sex in real life, and this is mostly influenced by porn/fanfiction fantasies.

F) i write sex the way i imagine/want to have it in real life, and this is mostly influenced by my own individual imagination/life experience rather than porn/fanfiction.

G) i prefer the writing style in much of smut fanfiction (e.g. tropes and well-used phrases) because i find them genuinely realistic to character.

H) i prefer the writing style in much of smut fanfiction (e.g. tropes and well-used phrases) because i find them hottest and i typically prioritise this over realistic characterisation.

I) i worry that if my smut is too personal or doesnt read as familiar, people won't like it and i typically (but not always) prioritise audience response over artistic expression or experimentation. i want to add to the canon of byler smut in a familiar way.

J) i try to prioritise what i genuinely think the characters would do during sex rather than my own fantasies/projections/aspirations for either the characters or for myself.

K) i don't usually think this hard about smut.

L) i believe that smut fanfiction, including tropes and well-used buzzwords, does make genuinely compelling and wonderful reading, and i'm happy with the state of smut in general.

Please note that the purpose of this blog is not to be creepy or to make anyone uncomfortable. That's why I created the #spicy byler tag (I will tag all polls with this). If you don't want to see this blog or anything related to it on your feed, please block that tag. Not everyone is comfortable with this sorta stuff, and that's okay.

[sophsun1]

I'm slowly (but surely) going through my dash and I just saw the ask about s3 and ethan and you've mentioned ethan's brianlike ex and I have a question to everyone in general and to you soph specifically: did anyone else had an impression that ethan made up the whole story just to get in justin's pants?? like justin was complaining the whole time to him how terrible™️ his boyfriend is and literally laid out to ethan everything he hated in said relationship and then bam ethan was conveniently in the same exact situation. ethan portrayed himself as the victim of such an ungrateful ex bf who 'randomly' behaved like justin's 'awful' current bf. but ethan, of course, wasn't like that at all and got what justin was going through, and of course would never treat justin like that (lol 💀💀). if you ask me it all sounds too fucking perfect to be a random coincidence. AND ethan's behaviour during his whole arc makes me believe that it's not too far fetched to be true. so who thinks what 👀

Hey!

This is an interesting question as when I was reminded that Ethan's ex just happened to be a carbon copy of Brian - loved going to the clubs, bringing guys home etc I did think to myself what a coincidence.... not only is he the same age range as Justin, has a career in the arts but his romantic life is also a mirror. What are the odds?

Ultimately it makes the fact he cheated after ONE day post spouting monogamy was the path to true love even more hysterical to me.

But I will say it's not past the realms of possibility he did exaggerate his experience to Justin to come off relatable as I do believe he was capable of it (I don't think that was the intention by the writers some of this arc was just Bad Writing)

Ethan's personality is very "me core". He's possessive and jealous over Brian having any connection to Justin. He's not happy when he finds out Justin was hired to make the poster, purposefully kisses Justin in front of Brian to stake his claim. Is constantly suggesting Brian is trying to get back together when he makes any kind gesture towards Justin. Which would only make sense if Ethan was someone who already had the mindset of presenting himself in a good light to a person romantically in order to gain their trust and affection aka Ethan with his break up story.. 🤔

There's so many things that infuriate me about him - He makes major life decisions that would impact them both without consulting Justin after swearing to him that he wouldn't. On top of that he guilts Justin into lying about their relationship, by portraying it as some romantic secret between the two of them forcing Justin back in the closet, for his own financial and professional gain knowing what happened to him at prom!!!

This really angers me about Ethan - he reduces Justin to merely a "muse" an object to serve him as his inspiration - gross. Whereas Brian, Brian who loved Justin so much that regardless of whether they were together or not wanted him to shine and to grow individually. He wanted the spotlight on him, "hey everyone look at my amazing, talented boyfriend who you should all be so lucky to hire" To succeed but never at the cost of his own morals and needs. Brian was Justin's muse for his art, and Justin was Brian's in so many aspects of his life but they never sacrificed each other to get there.

So yeah, Ethan for sure is a candidate to be a lying liar who lies.

[thesherrinfordfacility]

Longwinded Anon (LWA)✨ gets their own special hotlink and dedicated masterpost✨mainly because im fed up of searching through my whole entire blog when i need to refer back to their asks:

oldest ones first:

ahhh, the first ever LWA ask, a golden post. i remember it fondly. my response as you can probably tell was just sheer incredulity that was sent to me, instant brain crush. anyway, talks about the influence of politico-moral dynamics on GO and how this extends to how we perceive crowley. i promise my responses get more intelligent after this.

more on crowley in terms of his arguably unreliable narrative and questioning the choices he makes as a result. in this i actually answer the first one as well as this.

see now im not 100% on this one but it sure does feel like it was LWA, maybe not... either way, full response/meta on who the second coming might be is linked within, as i elaborated on it more in a different ask.

this one gave me a cardiac arrest because LWA decided to spam me with everything they could possibly think of, it was so fun! so this time they talk about aziraphale and his own flaws as concerns his superiority complex and the damsel in distress nonsense, a bit about s3, the pre-fall scene and how this sets up the boys' dynamic, discussion on how long the boys have liked let alone loved each other, lucifer theory (sob), and who indeed the wider question on the angel that crowley was (AWCW) might have been. i responded with talk about aziraphale's insecurity, crowley's saviour complex, their love languages, aziraphale pre-fall, and (wails) lucifer theory.

talking about the apology dance and forgiveness between the two of them in general, and i added in a sprinkle of talking about manipulation.

here we discussed the whole business of crowley's temptation to get aziraphale to kill the antichrist (still a bugbear that crops up again later on in the LWA timeline), and more on crowley's tendency to push his protectiveness on aziraphale (and aziraphale laps it up). also talking about aziraphale's superiority complex again, and the nuclear miracle.

a little bit on the emerging topic of how GO looks at religiously allegorical literature, and a ✨challenge✨ to find where bits of the book may have been transposed or conceptualised into s2.

LWA kindly gave me their thoughts of where, if it does, the lockdown audio clip fits into the canon, and then more on the antichrist/aziraphale manipulation business and how the boys keep secrets from each other, as well as how it impacts on their individual morals. there's also, fair warning, a little bit of gentle but intelligent criticism on how this sometimes get mistranslated in fanfiction.

so here gets a little critical of the magic trick theory, but also similarly looks at some of the technical and narrative weaknesses of s2, as well as looking again at how lopsided the love-story element gets when we look at the boys' journey through history.

this looks at how GO is not a carbon copy of any one biblical text or piece of literature but is inspired by, and reimagines, a bit of everything.

a wee rant on the 'god ships it' trope and its moral implications. im sorry but it rubs me up the wrong way (but no shade at all meant to anyone who writes or likes it!), and i tried my best to explain why it does.

so this was following the startling (see: i was absolutely blindsided at 4am by this) confirmation that aziraphale did not in fact know about crowley living in his car. discussed why that might be, but also again a bit more on the antichrist shitstorm from s1 and its effect on the trust between them.

shorter one, once again examining the wider thought that the boys have loved each other since eden, and whether or not this actually has any validity when considering the narrative objectively as it's been given to us.

talking about the theme of rescuing, how crowley somewhat forces this on aziraphale and aziraphale plays into it, even though he can save himself - and what this might spell for their future

further ruminations on the holy water argument and what this spells for in 1941 and 1967

after a small absence, LWA came back!!! with analysis on aziraphale's willingness/disdain for forming human relationships, and a bit on the ethics of miracles too!

the one about 1650/aziraphale's stint as a bishop, about (as always) the boys' fumble with morality, and then about what will/should happen to heaven

LWA's ability to draw parallels absolutely everywhere is mind-boggling and im essentially that spiderverse meme pretending that i know what im talking about. this one was about aziraphale and his depiction with halos/aureola

this one was really difficult! talking about aziraphale and crowley's respective approaches to problem solving throughout the whole story, and how they both view the narrative of their relationship (such as it is) throughout history

they keep getting more challenging to respond to intelligently. getting into the nitty-gritty of how aziraphale and crowley operate in the grey, and what they ask from each other

it never ceases to amaze me that LWA actually reads any of my idiotic ramblings but here we are: some really fun (for me anyway) talk about shax and demon/angel abilities in general

talk about actions and consequences - and aziraphale and crowley's difficulty with understanding and accepting them - and subsequently the occasional fandom-blindness to this very thing ("Dead Whale Theory") (genius)

actually think this is my favourite one so far? talking about the extent to which crowley is content existing in the system, and how much he benefits from it, to the point that he doesn't model any resistant behaviour to aziraphale beyond malicious compliance and exploiting loopholes. lots more than that, and honestly i could have talked about this for a fortnight

LWA lurking in my walls again and choosing to haunt me by talking about, if there is trauma to be interpreted from crowley's fall, why would they have even talked about it? so goes into whether they were even friends for the majority of their association, plus some speculation on how crowley chooses to look back on their time together as having been in love for any great length of time.

wise words of comfort re: s3

okay so here is where LWA look closer at nina and maggie mirroring the boys, where their respective interactions are inappropriate (ie. nina's questioning of crowley and aziraphale's personal lives), how free will gets tampered with in their plotline, and where crowley in typical fashion ends up listening to the wrong part of the ep6 advice that they give him :(

AND THEY'RE BACK BABY✨ a long (lol like a month. calm yourself, rhi) awaited return, where LWA chooses to whack me over the head with questioning the power imbalance between heaven and hell, whether there is anything to say that heaven takes human souls in the first place, and why therefore aziraphale might even be told to do the things he does by heaven

and then on a lighter note; where and when would aziraphale have been a garden designer, as per furfur's little book? and if crowley actually indeed has a green thumb (open for debate)

LWA back to discuss a really good post that explored book vs tv canon, how far this extends into the book/tv characterisations, and then how s3 could resolve when the show has largely lost a lot of the political overtones

this one was really difficult but such a great point - compared to the book, aziraphale and crowley's 'issues' are divided up between them, and what results is that they do not understand or recognise how the other sees themselves, nor are they (imo) able to truly completely empathise with the other's position and beliefs (LWA tag was missing but they came back to confirm it was them!)

right i think ive captured all of them (sods law if i haven't, tough shit territory really), and this will be updated as they come in providing that LWA continues to haunt me. feel free to like or ignore, ill be linking this in my main masterpost anyway!!!✨

a spicy one that made me pace my living room a good few times - but an important one in that it goes further again into actions and consequences. love it love it love it

just a little one about how crowley - for all our thoughts on how he's got a finger on the pulse of fashion - might not really know how to dress himself properly

[outrunningthedark]

Maybe I’m too malicious, but even when I thought 911 og was almost perfect (aka until s3) I saw tarlos as the alternative of buddie, like tim saw how much we loved buddie and thought “ they will never get buddie, but here comes tarlos” and imo it reflects even how in LS everything is done to please the audience while in the og the opposite happens

I think "malicious" is too strong a word, nonnie. Let's go with pessimistic. Or maybe skeptical. Like I said the other day, I don't *normally* engage in the discussion because you're bound to ruffle feathers on both sides and it's just not worth the trouble! However. IMO, the message from Buddie fandom gets lost in translation no matter which ship fans support. When people said/say "Tarlos is the alternative to Buddie", what they're NOT saying is that it's a carbon copy. "Tarlos can't be like Buddie because Tarlos isn't a slow burn." Yeah, we got that part. It's probably on purpose. Who knows if Timothy really was/is trying to pacify the Buddie fan base by creating a new m/m ship for a new show, but what I *am* confident in is the idea that he gave the audience (many of whom came from OG) a m/m ship involving two younger actors that was established from the start to gauge viewer reaction. (Remember, LS premiered during s3 of OG.) (Looking back) If Tarlos caught on, that would/should have given Tim & co. (re)assurance that taking a chance on Buddie wouldn't drive away too many viewers since they were hoping for overlapping ratings from one hour to the next. In all honesty, I think it's easier for Tim & that crew to appease the LS audience when Tarlos has always been part of the plot. They don't have to deal with accusations of queerbaiting and the fans welcome more content (I mean, the homophobes didn't make it past the first two episodes, lbr), whereas with OG we've got people getting heated if you are rooting for the "obviously" straight dude to end up with another. With OG, on the other hand, the showrunners are so concerned with pissing off either side of their audience (can't confirm Buck and Eddie as not straight because homophobia, but don't want the Buddie fandom to feel like we're "doing something wrong" by wanting them together) that the story has begun to suffer due to a lack of consistency. [And that's not just a shipper's perspective. We might question whether Buddie is "actually going canon", but the GA? They don't even know whether to call them best friends anymore.]

[two-sides-samecoin]

Can I just say that I agree with all of your thoughts on Rockie vs Ronance? Because some of the Ronance arguments make no sense. "They held hands in the finale!" Yeah? Robin's been established to do that with her friends, she did that with Steve in s3! Or else they say "Robin deserves a main character" which 1.) treats Nancy as a prize which is gross and 2.) they're saying that Robin "deserves better" than the girl she canonically likes who is nice to her and is heavily implied to return her feelings??? I honestly just don't get it, and your opinions on the topic have made me feel very validated. So thank you very much! :-)

I am so glade that you feel validated! Cuz I often feel very invalidated with ronance so I’m really glade that I made you feel validated. And I’m so happy that you agree with me and of course you can say it! And yeah I think a some of the ronance arguments don’t make sense. I also get bothered whenever someone says that hand holding is only for romantic gestures so yeah that argument with ronance has always bothered me. Like I hold hands with my friends all the time and it’s quite frankly annoying to me whenever someone uses that excuse for a fanon ship. Cuz it makes me feel so isolated. But anyway. I always hate the Robin deserves a main character thing. Cuz also there’s only one main girl that is Robin’s age. So Robin is very limited in who she is actually able to have a romantic interest with if people go that route. And anyway the main character thing is sooo weird. Cuz I guarantee if vickie was a main character and got more screen time people would be annoyed or just call her useless and etc. Cuz there are already so many main characters. Or everyone would just be pissed that someone else didn’t get the screen time. Also like this fandom is huge on making side characters very important. For example barb. She probs had less screen time then vickie and yet she is still talked about in fandoms today (years later even tho she was only in one season). So it makes no sense why people are treating vickie this horribly. And yeah to me it feels weird whenever people just don’t consider robin’s feelings. Especially when it is also very heavily implied that vickie does like her back. That vickie does have a crush on Robin. And I feel like it should be considered a win or something but instead the fandom just turned that sweet scene into ‘oh they’re exactly the same and she’s a carbon copy.’ It just feels so weird to me! Like you can be upset that it was just a tiny scene but like what else did people expect? The main theme about the show is how friendship and love (platonic) can conquer all. And it’s about kids fighting monsters. Idk I just feel like a lot of people make this show about something that isn’t. And anyway Robin and vickie work so well together. And yet people just invalidate it which feels weird. And I just can’t see Robin and Nancy working out. Also it does feel weird cuz when the whole ronance thing started a lot of people were mentioning about how good it would be for Nancy to be out of the love triangle. But I felt like I barely heard what this would have meant for Robin’s arc has a whole. Anyway I’m glade that I could validate your feelings :)

[streetlightsky]

@theawkwardanglophile replied to your post "okay, so, can people give me a rundown of the landscape of chenford fic?"

Oh, wow, I kinda feel the landscape is pretty broad. Over the summer there were a ton of undercover fics speculating on S5. We have a lot of established relationship, a lot dealing with their current relationships on the show (Chris and Ashley). But there’s everything in between, too. I say just write whatever inspires you! When we thought we were getting a Chenford dance in S3, I think we all wrote a dance fic, but they were all different takes and it was fun to read them all. 🙂

thanks! i think the half minute i skimmed the then front page of chenford fic on ao3 last season, my immediate impression of the landscape was what you mentioned with reaction and speculation fic mostly placed in canon. i'm overly analytical, so it's just helpful for me to get a sense of what's happening on the fanfic side of this fandom.

@starcrossedjedis replied to your post "okay, so, can people give me a rundown of the landscape of chenford fic?"

If you haven’t seen it or read it, it’s not copying. Using a beloved trope - and it bothers me so much how often I’ve had to clarify that in recent years - is NOT copying. Copying is copying and nothing else. Write whatever makes you happy, anything else is a chore 😉

😊 thank you! i usually agree with this. i'm just scared of writing for this very established fandom now after my initial attempt during seasons 1-2 didn't really take/never really happened. i don't want to be that person who writes a very specific wedding planner au or whatever when there's already one out there with the exact same plot from an established and beloved author in the fandom. i'm hoping my ideas are enough of an AU that they won't be carbon copies to anything out there.

@literali1110 replied to your post "okay, so, can people give me a rundown of the landscape of chenford fic?"

First of all definitely feel free to write whatever you want, if there’s a trope that’s popular it’s popular for a reason! But I would say that there aren’t so many AU fics and also not a huge number of E rated fics if you wanted to do something within one of those categories!

thank you! this really helps a lot. i'm considering some AUs, so hopefully if i ever get around to writing them, they will be sufficiently different but still a nice addition to the thousands of chenford fic out there.

[thetaoofbetty]

my dawson’s creek au: totally off track of canon, wooooo

also my dawson’s creek au: please get back on track

me: n o 

[wickedghxst]

the more i think about tbobf the more i don’t & can’t understand why the show exists in the first place. it (barely) tells a story that didn’t need to be told, shows us things we didn’t really Need to see (flashbacks of things we can all easily assume) & is seemingly there just to write boba out din’s story?

[angelhummel]

Literally so random but I had to tell someone and since you're the top anti Brittana blog

I'm on my glee rewatch and god, I used to think the cringiest, lamest, hardest thing to have to rewatch was Adam's baby got back or the Blaine cheating storyline (it's still hard tho, can't even look), but I'm on s3 and all the bs that gets thrown at Kurt just for existing during the west side story and the election arcs, especially by Brittana, this season is the reason I hate them, they're just so mean and make no sense, we get Kurt getting laughed at for his audition when he literally nailed it, my mom laughs at everything but she was dead serious during this scene and honestly was just like: wtf are they laughing about? She was so offended as she should, (sidenote I recently watched west side story and that gave a me full circle understanding of why Kurt's audition was perfect), but anyway, we just had that but no let's keep him suffering, he's honestly the only serious candidate in that election who can truly make a change but no, who tf cares cause Brittany will go topless on tuesdays, let's clap her stupidity, and Santana being all lovey and proud when she's giving her speech about tornadoes, what in the actual f*ck (sorry for so many bad words, I'm so mad lol), that is the most senseless thing for me, she claims to hate Finn and it's always telling him how dumb he is, yet her girlfriend is a carbon copy, the female version but maybe dumber, at least Finn's dumbness is cute sometimes, but Brittany is just plain annoying.

What a hypocrite during her whole campaign, I hated the whole 'who run the world ' pep rally cause she went all 'yeah men always win so I'm gonna hang from a serious issue like feminism even tho I don't understand it, but yeah you're just like all the other men in this school Kurt and you're gonna loose cause who run the world? Girls, even tho I'm not gonna do anything with my position but a lame dinosaur prom' why even have her running against him and winning if she did nothing? Srsly Kurt needed that for his application, and you failed high school so uuggh, why did she even run for president again??? Cause she's a bicorn ok cool but you're not actually going to college so f*ck off, and also when Finn called her idiot or stupid or whatever I don't remember, she was so offended??? Like what, but you are, but the way she replies with: 'that's bullying and I won't allow it': a few episodes later... *bullies Kurt by claiming they used his face for my little pony dolls*

The troubletones where really trouble huh? But mainly those two, sorry for the whole ramble but ugh

Mood: annoyed

just replying with "yeah" and posting cause this is everything we're talking about today and you said it all babe <3

[matan4il]

Kind of weird but I truly focused on Anna and Eddie more then Buck and Taylor becuase I figured if there was an end game it was gonna be them. But now rewatching and focusing a little more on them its funny because they did the exact opposite with Buck then with Eddie and it feels intentional.

We never saw a passionate sexual side to Eddie and Anna but from the beginning that really was Buck and Taylor. If there was never a Eddie and Christopher, B&T are a couple I would ship if they gave her more development. Like not gonna lie I totally swooned a little when he picked her up in the bathroom stall. Like big men short women, come on lol. We see them in bed, her in lingerie, sharing work outs. The physical side is heavily implied if you will.

So I guess my point is they brought on carbon copies of women that were supposed to fill out the identity of them if they were straight males. Luckily I don't see them dragging this B&T out. There just isnt time especially with Maddie finally coming home. Hopefully we go straight from there to Buddie angst.

Hi Nonnie! Thank you for the ask!

Oh, that's funny, I was the exact opposite. When Ana was introduced in 312, and her introduction was so over the top "Isn't this just fate, her guessing correctly what 'Eddie' stands for? Do you see how smitten Eddie is that he became a bumbling idiot?" I worried some, but then when I saw that the show was fully uninterested in her (no follow up in 313 even though that ep did have romantic themes that could have been the perfect moment to bring Ana up, and giving her half a line in 315 and then nada for the rest of s3), even when she came back, I wasn't that concerned, because the show never bothered developing her or investing in her character.

Taylor, on the other hand, it felt like the show tried with her a bit more. They took a character from s2 who already had a strong character established, they brought her in and didn't rush to have Buck and her dating, instead they had a few eps of them just being friends, so relative to Ana, the show did invest in Taylor more. But... still not enough for me to think she can be Buck's endgame. Yeah, they gave her more time and a bit more of a background, but it all feels a bit half-assed. Like in s4, where she initially rejects Buck in 412, but we never learn why, nor are we shown in 414 a reason why she would stop worrying about whatever it was that made her initially friendzone him... "I worried about you while you were in danger" is not enough, because it doesn't explain why she turned him down in the first place. And then during all of 5a, so many of the B/T scenes are awkward, just like A/E's were in s4 and the start of s5, or even actively pointing to something being wrong (I have never seen a character looking more pained or less enthusiastic to say "I love you" for the first time... TBH, technically speaking, Buck still didn't say those exact words, he half-assed it with "Good... *weirded out expression* Love you, too"). Even the episode dedicated in part to her backstory was half-assed (so much of it was "tell" instead of "show"), that I still feel like she's not Buck's endgame and can't be with this little investment from the show. BUT I do think it's still more investment than the show has ever given Ana, so that's why, if I did worry, I would about Taylor, not Ana.

And I hear you! I'm personally a monoshipper, once I have my heart set on a couple because I feel like they make each other better and can make each other happier than anyone else could, and by the time Taylor was first introduced in 206, I was already locked on Buddie. If you look at my s2 meta, you can see why I felt that even early s2 already did a lot to cement them as the people who are right for each other. But I get you, if Buddie weren't so perfect for each other, then yes, on paper, Ana and Taylor are what they would want. Ana with her background as a school teacher that Chris loves and with her common heritage with them, and Taylor with her independent, take-no-nonsense streak, they would seem like what these men need. And yet, Buck and Eddie ARE there for each other, Buck loving Chris with his whole heart and being the kind of person you know would be so respectful of his Diaz boys' background, and Eddie being the person who tells Buck things like they are, not coddling him, but also doing it with so much fondness and support, they end up giving each other everything these female LI's on paper would have, but then they give each other even more than that! They tease and they support and they get each other and are in awe of each other like no one else ever could fill those shoes.

Thank you for this, Nonnie! Hope you don't mind the length, I got a bit emotional! Have a great day! xoxox

And if you or anyone else is looking for my other ask replies, you can find them using my ask tag. xoxox

[priyas-tiddies]

this is probably a very unpopular opinion, but coupling up with a female character in the beginning is just so… stupid i guess? i mean, this is a STRAIGHT show and you’re telling me that two girl getting together on the second recoupling wouldn’t cause any shake up and everyone would be like „ok cool, that’s how the game works”?? they did it in s3 and now s4 and idk it just feels so unrealistic to me, like what they did in s1 with Talia was PERFECT IMO, like how u said the uncertainty, the talks about how it’s gonna affect the villa, other islanders acknowledging that this is gonna change the game, toptier!! im bisexual myself and i tend to go for women on my first playthru, and i’d much prefer for it to be played out more like s1, hell even like s2, it made it feel more real if that makes sense

This is actually exactly how I feel! Love island is designed around men and women pairing into straight relationships there’s no point in pretending it’s not. I love that we can couple up with women but I want it to actually affect the gameplay when we do.

The entire dynamic of the game would change when a same sex couple emerges and the last two seasons just ignore that. Talia was the best example because we got to start flirting and building are relationship early but it stayed a secret while they debated how they could couple up without sending people home or ruining the current dynamic. They actually cared about the other couples and what could happen. Marisol too, though I wish we could have spent more time actually building a relationship with her before coupling up. They still had hesitations because it would cause a massive shift in the game. It added to their characters too because we saw them develop feelings, jealousy, and insecurities about being stuck with a guy they didn’t actually like.

With Najuma she just says “hey pick me” and then she becomes a carbon copy of all the guys routes, that’s boring and such a waste of her character. Everyone is just cool with the fact that the 2 new boys are single. They don’t even consider the fact that they could be sending 3 people home, when the day before they were so upset about 1 person being in danger.

Honestly, a big thing missing from the game is strategy talk. It’s all about finding love when in reality a lot of islanders are just there to win!

[enternecersarc]

important  things  to  note  about  my  interpretation  of  vickie:

i will not be using amy/beth as her fc, but rather dan/ielle ro/se russ/ell because i think she suits my vickie better.

her full name is victoria shannon moore. she is a senior. she has a younger brother and an older sister. sister is married with a two year-old niece, who vickie is always taking care of during her free time, brother is a sophomore in high school (probably in the basketball team.)

vickie is not a carbon copy of ro/bin. while she does tend to ramble a lot, it is because she is a social butterfly. she is in band, student government, debate, and many other clubs. she is very rachel berry-esque in that sense, filling her time with clubs so she does not miss her father too much (her dad who died in season three during the mall incident.) 

despite being a huge nerd, vickie is secretly a fashion designer on the side and she makes her own clothes and wants to work with this one day. all her clothes are vickie moore’s originals. she plans to move to new york too.

she is pansexual and while she does not fully comprehend that, she does understand that she has felt attraction to all genders and it is all very confusing. despite her ex, vickie has also kissed a few other boys and one girl. the girl was during a summer trip to california (after s3.)

she is incredibly stubborn and a perfectionist and between her dad dying and her newfound attraction for women, vickie has been spiraling a lot and trying her hardest not to lose it. it is also why she is so agitated. also, she does not think the news/cops are telling the truth about her dad’s death because he was acting weird before he died and he forgot his wedding anniversary with her mom (and he would never forget that.)

she did not have a boyfriend during vol 2. what she did have was an ex-boyfriend who was in town for spring break and they were clinging onto each other due to familiarity. they broke up right after her dad died in s3 because she could not stomach dating someone on top of her grief but they remained friends. she did not think much of it until robin saw them and she realized perhaps she had moved on while her ex had been away.

[not-playable-character]

All the romance in Stranger things has been mid to me so imma make a list of all the ones I would be happy with (also this is my opinion feel free to disagree, not hating on any ships you like)

Jonathan: kinda want to see him single, mans doesn't love himself enough

Will: literally any boy that isn't Michael Wheeler

Mike: again single, man needs to self explore

Dustin: Susie, the classic pair

Lucas: Max, I wasn't a fan of them in S3 but in S4 bruuhhh endgame

El: Max single, she hasn't had any real time to explore herself outside of being a telekinetic superhero. She needs to bond with her brothers and parents

Max: Lucas or El they are legit the only couple I will riot about if they break up

Steve: honestly Vickie, his S3 dream girl turned out gay, great! Here's a bisexual clone!

Robin: Nancy Any girl the isn't a carbon copy of her

Nancy: Robin she really doesn't need anyone, shes pretty focused on school and her career. Plus of she does get a person they need to be honest with her and match her life goals (lookin at you steve and Jon)

[shessolovely-ao3]

Have you thought about any hcs for the posabules? Like differences they might have, i dont want to them to be JUST carbon copies of the puppingtons. It annoys me with what little stuff we have/know about them. (Also i cant wait for that orel/christina wedding fanfic?!?! I just know thats its going to be great!)

You know thats a good question, i don't often see hcs of them but i can't think of any right now. I think i need to rewatch the episode that introduces them (even though that ep literally makes them out to be carbon copies of the puppingtons so im not sure how much that'll help)

I do like the theory out there that says poppet is to clay as art is to bloberta since we see in the s3 premiere that she like... abandons her son? and just lets him live with the puppingtons (granted he was probably happier there than at home but still) I will try to think of some hcs and post them here though, i do agree that i dont like how theyre essentially the same as orel's family

(and also thank u! I haven't started outlining it yet but i will this weekend/this week. i would expect it to be out by... mid-may? i know that seems like a loooong time but people are so excited about it! so i want it to be perfect)