#not that we cant imagine them as poc but there is no need to give props to the author for something they probably didnt think much about

[the-greendalehumanbeings]

my unpopular hunger games opinion is that even though i headcanon, katniss as a woc, collins probably didn’t when writing her. there is no need to give her any props or praise her for writing poc. as far as i’m aware suzanne collins has never complained that the movie white-washed her character or corrected the assumptions which says enough about what she thinks. if people want to complain they should complain how a character who is described with racially ambigous features is always seen as white bc white is the default.

[ofmermaidstories]

really appreciate the effort that u put into making reader as gender neutral as you can- and how u don’t add descriptions to how reader looks. i cant tell you how many times i’ve had to stop reading an x reader fic that mentioned reader having blue or green eyes, blonde hair, etc. (or when they describe reader as being paper thin). like yeah some people do have those features but NOT everyone…and the ppl who don’t have green eyes and blonde hair (etc) features wanna be included in x reader fics too u know? anyway. yeah. thanks. <3 love your writing btw!!!! 😅

LOL, hi! i will continue to try my (very human) best with the neutrality. 🌷 it’s the charm of the x Reader niche! neutrality with personal descriptors—because you’re trying to cater for as much of the audience as you can, within whatever role you’re giving the Reader in your fic! whether that’s assigning them as a trope like a Pro Hero, or a Childhood Friend, or giving them a specific background that’s important (and informing) to their identity and thus their experience of the world at large—like a POC, or being plus-sized, or living with a disability. Going through a illness, or a life-changing event—idk, i think these are all types of specificities that add more nuance and fun to a piece without dictating a Reader’s shoe-size.

because!! this is the thing!!! specificities are fun—but they’re fun when they’re insertable. humans are at once emphatic and selfish, LOL; we can imagine losing our entire town in a war, or our mother in a tragic building collapse, or being marginalised in a way that we might not otherwise be—but mention we go through all that and that we have piercing amethyst (non-Quirked) eyes at the same time? eh… LOL.

i consider x Reader fics to be their own genre, with their own genre-rules. second-person pov, scant personal descriptions, etc etc. and because i find it fun, i give myself extra rules (it’s fun to me!!!!! reeee!!!!!!!)—like, for instance, there are certain words i either won’t use to describe our Reader or our Reader’s actions, or will use sparingly, depending on the context: like pretty. giggle. delicate. curvy. jeans!!! (i personally think they can be indicative of a size range, depending on how Reader is wearing them, but maybe that’s me projecting bc i hate jeans and i wish they had never been invented <3) just stuff like that! stuff that makes me pause and go, hmm, okay, what kind of person/image is this suggesting to me? using second-person POV to write in gives you so much like, room to play with, when it comes to describing how someone might view themselves/be viewed by others. especially with a romance, where all we want is to be seen! it’s a great opportunity to be like, okay, maybe i don’t want to be seen for how prettily i can giggle—maybe i want to be seen for how easily i laugh with other people.

however,,,, (and this is a big however) i (me, merms) do think that i (again, me, merms) can say this stuff simply because writing with those aforementioned rules makes writing these x Reader fics in general more fun for me (merms). and it’s fun for me because i’ve had my amethyst-eyed, white-haired character days. when i’m not working on fics, i’m busy chipping away at my original fiction, third person, where we have green-eyed skinny blonds and curvy girls with long wavy dark hair like—any and all need for description i have, i get it out in other ways LOL. which means i can afford to approach x Reader fics as a different type of challenge. i would never begrudge (the often younger) writers who are here because it’s fun, and want to write about a Y/N who has amethyst eyes and white hair. Y/N has always, always been their own character—the specificities we give them (or don’t) has always just been in service of making it easier to project onto them. an adventure is an adventure, and at the end of the day it doesn’t matter the cloak we’re wearing for it—as long as we get to the end of it safely. 🌷💕📖

[lunarifie]

Rewatching Ninjago

(With no context other than the episode)

Skybound 7-8



Okay by why is Dareth out of everyone helping Nya, Cole, and Lloyd save Jay

Are Kevin and Dan self inserts-

Lloyd: who are they? Retrieval experts?

Dareth: better! Screenwriters.

I also saw these two random dudes in the jail and they were given lines and everything istg these are self inserts 💀

Also theyre voices sound abnormally normal

Everyone else in the show has a sort of distinctive or exaggerated voice

Not to mention how normal their outfits are. something I would actually wear in real life.

These are just some guys

The plan to recreate the sky pirates airship to blend in is actually a good idea

Lloyd: Ar! Yee.. matey, we be be, becoming pirates!

Dan and kevin:…

Kevin: okaaay thinking on the fly, the green one wont do dialects.

Dan: the mute pirate!

The dialect teacher: (teaching Cole and Nya)

Lloyd: (following their movement and swaying but not saying anything with a smile on his face)

I bet Lloyd loved pirates when he was little

This must be so fun for him :)

The airjitzu master after nadakhan stole him and his temple: This is me and my pupils home! You cant take it!

Nadakhan: And get rid of those peaky ghosts as well 🙄 theyre so last season

HDNSIFNSNR

The way Nya and Cole are hoping Jays okay 🥺

COLE FOUND JAY!!! WHAT I DONT REMEMBER THIS HAPPENING?!?!?!?

Jay sounds so pained :(

God I really wish Ninjago had like, a cartoon style like she-ra or spiderverse. Coles helping Jay stand and Jays voice actor is doing such a good job in sounding in pain but this would hurt so much more if we could SEE it.

They apologized to each other 🥹

Clancy (looking away): now here are the rules you need to follow new crewmates!-

Lloyd: (trying his fucking best as the mute pirate to mime to Nya that her mustache is falling)

Nya: 🤨

Lloyd: your mustache…

Clancy: hey! I thought you were mute

Lloyd: its a fucking miracle!

Huh, okay. So not only can the ninja not summon their dragons if they’re fearful, but they cant if they’re too drained or exhausted.

That makes a lot of sense actually

I love when powers come hand in hand with like health and stuff

They all got captured 😐

I hate that Nyas alone with Nadakhan

Jay: Thanks for trying to save me but maybe it would’ve been better if you guys never came…

Damn.

God Nadakhans so creepy…

Cole: Nya! Dont do it! Itll make Nadakhan all powerful-

Nadakhan: The black one goes first.

ik Coles the black ninja but the poc Cole headcanon has made me double take and go “🤨” to a few lines

DID NYA JUST FLIP DOGSHANKS HFJNSJF Holy shit

If I had a nickel for everytime an ancient item could collect elemental masters powers, id have two nickels, which isnt a lot but its weird it happened twice right?

STOP. MAKING. WISHES.

Lloyd: We have to be wiser for what we wish for!

Jay: NO. NOT WISER. QUIETER. NO. MORE. WISHES.

Coles getting his wishes twisted

Lloyds trying to think this through

And Nyas just wasting wishes💀

Like girl its not that hard to just NOT say ‘wish’

LLOYDS OLD?!?!?! 😭bfjdjfnfjsnt

Its so funny that the youngest became the oldest

Thats also scary though

Imagine the kid you swore to take care of turned 90 in a second

Lloyd: i see beyond the now..! Youll need your wish when its said from the heart

Love when age and wisdom gives you future vision

Jay: SAID FROM THE HEART?!?!? HEARTS DONT TALK!!!!

FUSION DRAGON!!!

How does that even work though

An electric and water dragon should be killing both Nya AND jay.

Wait so Cole and Lloyd used all their wishes. How is nadakhan gonna trap them in his sword now?

CLANCY NO DONT WISH THEM AWAY

Clancyyy :(

Nya riding the dragon while Jays sitting behind her is giving me movie Nya and her motorcycle vibes

so its just Nya and Jay now

And the whole police force I guess.

But what were they ever good for.

Oooooo a safe house

Wonder where it is.

Zanes dad’s lighthouse!!!

WAIT WAIT WAIT IK WHOS IN THERE

Jay: No no, let me row the boat, you saved me last time, let me do this for you :)

Awww thats sweet

Jay: Either way, a gentlemen NEVER lets a lady row.

Aaaand you ruined it.

Flintlockes getting reaaal suspicious of Nadakhan…

MUTINY! MUTINY! MUTINY!

that was kinda pathetic…

Jay: (venting his heart out about how this is all his fault)

Nya: Jay-

Jay: (continues venting)

Nya: JAY. Shut up. 😀

Jay: I know I know, you dont wanna hear it-

Nya: No- JAY. we’re not alone.

ECHOECHOECHOECHO

Jay: (cowering behind Nya)

Nya: I thought you were supposed to be protecting me?!?

Jay: I thought you were over that!

ECHO!!!!

Does anyone have any fic recs where Jay and Nya take echo with them????? Bc ik they leave with echo but we never see him again.

Clancy deserves better :(

Its actually kinda sweet how Jay wants to protect Nya

Little robot: (steals echos chess piece)

The seagulls: (trying to alert echo of what little robot just did)

Echo (looks back): Wait… How did you..?

Little robot: 🤷

Echos so cute 😭

I love Jay and Nya 🥺 theyre so sweet and it makes me genuinely like their relationship when they aren’t fighting

Nya fixed up Echo!!!

Nya: Its nothing… its just, both of you seem so convinced you have a future with me.

Nya: what voice do I have in all this? All my life , my identities been defined by someone else. First I was Kais sister, then I was your horrible girlfriend!

Nya: Even when I wanted to be Samurai X sensei told me no…

Nya: I just want the choice to be who I wanna be.

I feel so bad for her.

See THIS is why shes my favorite. I literally love her sm.

Her character is just so dynamic and well written

I really hope the ninjago writers dont tear down her characterization and make her bland in newer seasons

Fuck theyre here.

Nya: Lights, camera, ACTION! (flash-bombs nadakhans crew)

Dogshank: OW! You pulled my hair?!??! WHAT KIND OF WARRIOR PULLS HAIR???

Nya: One that is woefully undersized!!!

Jfjdjdbfhsjdnsjrn

Fuck this being about Jay. This is Nyas season.

Jay: Whatever you do! Dont pull that lever!

Doubloon: ? (looks at the lever) 😈 (pulls lever)

Jay (falls through escape trap door): Thanks! :D

GO ECHO GO

Aw echo :(

Nya: (pouring her heart out and confessing she’s always loved him and wants to protect him and for him to go through the travelers portal)

Jay: (goes for a kiss)

Nya: (fucking shoves him in the portal)

Nya. Girl. Ik this was like, an act of love. But if you marry the djinn, hes gonna be all powerful.

Like, its great that you believe Jay can save you later and stop the wedding. But you could have just left. If Jay got captured he’d still be able to make the ‘i wish you were never a djinn’ wish.

Nadakhans so creepy. I hate him and hope he dies.

[deepdarkdelights]

Hi. I need to rant.

Not really BTS related but sort of BTS related... The US government and administration are probably to blame but...

Lowering the cost of living in the US, restocking baby formula in supermarkets, and raising awareness for gun violence in schools (should be) are way more important than BTS coming over here to talk about Asian hate... This is coming from a Korean person...

I'm frustrated because have students in my class suddenly not bringing snack to school because they cant afford it anymore and baby formula shortages... and having to have these hard conversations with 7 year-olds... and yet the government seems to give no damn about that.

So forgive me if I really don't care that BTS flew here to discuss that, but at the moment, this is way more important to me. I really don't care. Again it really isn't BTS's fault. I know. But the government needs to fucking prioritize.

Hello, it's perfectly okay to rant here, this is a space where we can talk about what is bothering us and share our emotions.

I understand exactly what you mean, we have many problems going on in our country and it is perfectly okay to question the government's priorities.

I personally think addressing transgressions against poc is a must because it is an ever-present problem that is never fixed. Of course, I am a white woman and I can't ever fully understand what poc go through and I cannot speak for them so I can't really say what should and should not be a priority, I do not want to drown out their voices.

Am I extremely proud of BTS? Of course, who could imagine that they would come this far? They are making waves and that is absolutely amazing.

But everything you said does need to be addressed, 100%! As for the order of priority, that is not something I can speak on.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinions, I hope you have a lovely day / night.

[shinebrightlikeanarwhal]

More of my Self insert OC: Lory!!!

This absolute menace to society is a threat. (Today we’re feeling femme )

She will 100% be the ‘I can survive under any conditions’ while Sal ‘I’m allergic to tap water’.

Because this is a serious problem going on, she’s one of the many kids wrongfully confiscated by POC parents (she’s black. You already know what I mean…) so she’s a bit prickly about the subject of parents.

Fights Kenneth tooth and nail. Labeled problem child by the cult, but is an absolute doll to everyone but Kenneth. Once pretended to be burned by holy water just to scare Kenneth. (Might be when the demon got interested)

Travis didn’t get a chance to bully anyone when this motherfucker marched through the doors. He fixed his mouth to say something wrong and she swung on instinct.

“Ms. Matthews you CANT just hit people!!”

“That’s not my name, nor my concern. He was looking really suspiciously at that blue haired kid”

“I was not-“

“TRAVIS WE ARE BLACK! Do you NOT see the problem!? That’s how you can get shot and die just minding your business!”

“I-… I mean you’re right but god-“

“Won’t do SHIT. If god would have protected you we wouldn’t have had slaves on this land. Indigenous people wouldn’t have been slaughtered cause of white audacity.”

“I’m still here-“

“I see what you mean. But what does that have to do with me bullying?”

“Travis. Just because your pappy hit you doesnt mean you can take that out on anyone other than him. Assert dominance. Scare him. If he gets too physical he has a bigger case and risks not only the church but his life”

Like I said: absolute menace. With decent assistance in terms of problems.

Emotional support demon. Crawls in the treehouse to run away from home and finds a sad Larry. Gives him a warm cuddle cause bros cuddle bros.

Would walkie Sal to come over but not reply once Larry is asleep.

They may not be happy but she drags Travis into the group.

“Lory… why?”

“We’ll simple, my dear puppy! Travis is one of few POC that doesn’t make me uncomfortable and I hate his dad. So I’m dragging him to the garage agenda because LOOK AT HIM no straight man wears that kind of pink” takes a swig of a lil juice box. “Also I saw his dad hit him so I’m kidnapping him and you guys are gonna help me”

“You promised not to..”

“Oh yeah, I’m just kidnapping Him!! Ignore that first part-“

Travis hiding out with Lory in the treehouse. Larry stops by to visit and finds them giggling and reading together in a little fort. Sal is all for the new addition but others are rightfully nervous. Travis is slowly overcome with Lorys anti religious propaganda! She refuse to worship a hypocritical religion that still hasn’t paid its dues to those wrongfully murdered, robbed and harmed by it.

The day Sal sees Travis’ note it has Lory scribbling a heart with Travis + _____ . The name scribbled out. Curious he goes to Travis who nervously stands his ground and doesn’t respond. Lory is all but happy to blurt it out but thinks better and covers her mouth out of respect for Travis.

Larry and Lory, dynamic crackheads. The only way I can see him not dying is probably because she promised to die with him if he doesn’t feel like he can take living anymore. Cause “friends shouldn’t be alone” the most unhealthy thing to say. But for teenagers that can barely handle the emotional responsibility of eating properly? That’s the best they get.

Red eyed demon getting Lory kidnapped by the cult and then letting Lory go (it killed the cult but it just wanted to see the cute little menace that terrified it’s cult leader) Lory 100% calls it a pussy and tries to bite it-

That’s how Lory became friends with a demon. It does need blood offerings, but settles for kids meals, likes to terrify Kenneth with the toys flying across the church during service.

I just… I’m just loving the idea of chaos bottom bringing chaos to the masses. Upending the demon take over by, not violence, but offering the demons Kids meals because Red thinks the toys are cool and brought its friends sldjrkdkdk imagine the tales The friends would tell their kids.

Lory will either die young or willingly go with the demons to stop them from killing off 1/3 of the worlds populations a sacrifice they’re willing to make so that friends can live long and be happy.

(Or not cause we already know invasive species Sal and co wouldn’t let their friend just go off with demons. Despite this motherfucker being fed grapes for kids meals)

[la5t-res0rt]

this was written several weeks ago in response to asks i was receiving i am posting it now it is very long the longest i have ever made and it is not very well edited but here it is in this final essay i talk about how shitty rae is about black people in her writing as well as just me talking about how her writing sucks in general lets begin

hello everyone 

as you may know i have received a lot of anons in the last week or so about issues of racism in the beetlejuice community both just generally speaking and also within specific spaces 

i was very frustrated to not be getting the answers i wanted because i typically do not talk about what i do not see but in an effort to be better about discourse i went looking through discourse from before my time in the fandom and i also received some receipts and information from my followers and from some friends

keep in mind that the voices and thoughts of bipoc are not only incredibly important at all times but in this circumstance it is important that if a bipoc has something to add you listen and learn and be better

i admit that when this happened i wasnt aware of the extent of what occurred and im angry at myself for not doing more at that time and i want to work harder to make sure something like this doesnt go unnoticed again

im a hesitant to talk about months old discourse because i have been criticized for bringing up quote old new unquote but this is very important and i am willing to face whatever comes from to me

lets talk about this

content from our local racist idiot that may be months old but its important

putting my thoughts under a cut to spare the dash but before i begin obviously this is awful

lets fucking unpack this folks

right out the gate op states that she supports artistic freedom but then within a couple words she goes against that statement

being entirely canon compliant isnt artistic freedom and even so if this person has so much respect for canon they wouldnt be out here erasing lydias obvious disgust for beetlejuice in the movie or ignoring lydias age for the sake of shipping that shit isnt canon either 

also we love the quick jab at the musical there hilarious we love it dont we because god forbid a licensed and successful branch on a media have any standing in this conversation but whatever

now lets scroll down and talk about the term racebending

the term racebending was coined around 2009 in response to the avatar the last airbender movie a film in which the east asian races of the characters were erased by casting white actors in the three leading roles of aang sokka and katara 

whenever the term racebending is used in a negative light it is almost always a case of whitewashing like casting scarlett johansen in ghost in the shell or the casting of white actors of the prince of persia sands of time instead of iranian ones

this kind of racebending erases minorities from beeing seen in media and is wrong

all that being said however racebending has also been noted to have very positive after effects like the 1997 adaptation of cinderella or casting samuel jackson as nick fury in the marvel movies nick fury was originally a white guy can you even imagine

i read this piece from an academic that said quote writers can change the race and cultural specificity of central characters or pull a secondary character of color from the margins transforming them into the central protagonist unquote

racebending like the kind that rae is so heated about is the kind of creative freedom that leads to more representation of bipoc in media which will never be a bad thing ever no matter how pissy you get about it

designing a version of a character as a poc isnt serving to make them necessarily better it serves to give new perspective and perhaps the opportunity to connect even more deeply with a character it doesnt marginalize or erase white people it can uplift poc and if you think uplifting poc is wrong because it tears down white people or whatever youre a fucking moron and you need to get out of your podunk white folk town and see the real world

the numbers of times a bipoc particularly a bipoc that is also lgbt+ has been represented in media are dwarfed by what i as a white dude have seen myself represented in media is and that isnt okay that isnt equality and its something that should change not only in mainstream media but in fandom spaces as well

lets move down a bit further to the part about bullying straight people which is hilarious and lets also talk about the term fetishistic as well lets start with that

this person literally writes explicit pornography of a minor and an adult are we really going to let someone like that dictate what is and what isnt fetishistic

similarly to doing a positive racebend situation people may project lgbt+ headcanons on a character because its part of who they are and it helps them feel closer to the character and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that

depicting lgbt+ subject matter on existing characters isnt an inherently fetishistic action generally things only really become fetishistic when the media is being crafted and hyped by people who are outside of lgbt+ community for example how young teens used to flip a tit about yaoi or how chasers fetishize trans people

but drawing a character with top surgery scars or headcanoning them as trans is harmless and its just another way to interpret a character literally anone could be trans unless if their character bio says theyre cis and most of them dont go that deep so it really is open to interpretation and on the whole most creators encourage this sort of exploration because it is a good thing to get healthy representation out in the world

as for it being used to bully straights thats just funny i dont have anything else on that like if youre straight and you feel threatened and bullied because of someone headcanoning someone as anything that isnt cishet youre a fucking idiot and a weak baby idiot at that like the real world must fucking suck for you because lgbt+ people are everywhere and statistically a big chunk of your favorite characters arent cishet sorry be mad about it

lets roll down a bit further about the big meat of the issue which was when several artists were drawing interpretations of lydia as a black girl which i loved but clearly this person didnt love it because they have a very narrow and very racist and problematic view of what it means to be a black person

and before i move forward i must reiderate that i am a white person and you should listen to the thoughts of poc people like @fright-of-their-lives​ or @gender-chaotic it is not my place to explain what the black experience is like and it certainly isnt this persons either

implying that the story of a black person isnt worth telling unless if the character faces struggles like racism and prejudice is downright moronic 

why use the word kissable to describe a black persons lips now thats what i call fetishistic and its to another extreme if youre talking about a black version of lydia on top of that

the author of this post says herself that shes white so clearly shes the person whos an authority on the black experience and what it means to be a black person right am i reading that right or am i having a fucking conniption

how about allowing black characters to exist without having to struggle why cant a black version of lydia just be a goth teenager with a ghost problem who likes photography and is also black like she doesnt have to move to a hick town and get abused by racist folks she doesnt have to go through any more shit than she already goes through and if you honestly think thats the only way to tell a black persons story you need to get your brain cleaned

you know nothing about the complexities about being a black person and i dont either but you know wh odo black people who are doing black versions of canon characters they fucking know 

lets squiggle down just a bit further 

so the writer has issues with giving characters traits like a broad nose or larger lips if theyre a woman but if theyre a man suddenly its totally okay to go all ryan murphy ahs coven papa legba appropriation when approaching character design like are you fucking stupid do you hear yourself is that really how you see black men like what the fuck is wrong with you

none of the shit youre spewing takes bravery it takes ignorance and supreme levels of stupidity

do you really think you with your fic where a black lgbt+ woman is tortured and abused where you use the n word with a hard r to refer to her like that shits not okay its fucking depraved and yeah we know you love being shitty but like christ on a bike thats so much 

can we also talk about this

what the fuck is this fetishistic bull roar garbage calling this black character beyonce dressing her up in quote fuck me heels unquote are you are you seriously gonna write this and say its a shining example of how to write a black character youre basically saying ope here she is shes a sex icon haha im so progressive and i clealry understand the black experience hahahaha fuck you oh my god

on top of that theres a point where this character is only referred to as curly hair or the fact that the n word is used in the fic with the hard r like thats hands down not okay for you to use especially not in a manner like this jesus christ

oop heres a little more a sampling for you of the hell i am enduring in reading this drivel

oh boy lets put a leash on the angry black woman character lets put her in a leash and have the man imply hes a master like are you kidding me are you for real and what the fuck is with calling her shit like j lo and beyonce do you actually think thats clever at all are you just thinking of any poc that comes into your head for this 

also lydia fucking tells this girl that she shouldnt have lost her temper like she got fucking leashed im so tired why is this writing so problematic and also so bad

hold up before i lose my head lets look at some of her own comments on the matter of this character and what happens to her

hi hello youre just casually tossing the word lynch out there in the wide open world as if thats not a problem that is still real like are you fucking unhinged there have been multiple cases of this exact thing happening in our firepit of a country in the last five months alone like how can you still have shit like this up for people to read how can you be proud of work like this in this climate

and also what the fuck is that last bit 

what the actual fuck

i dont speak for black people as a white person but you do!? im sorry i had to get my punctuation out for that because wow thats fucking asinine just because one black person read your fic and didnt find the torture and abuse of your one black character abhorrant doesnt mean that the vast majority of people not only in the fandom but in the human population with decency are going to think its okay because its not 

i started this post hoping to be level headed and professional but jesus fucking christ this woman is something else white nationalism is alive and well folks and its name is rae

if you defend this woman you defend some truly abhorrant raecism

editors notes 

in order to get some perspective on these issues more fully some of the writing by the author was examined and on the whole it was pretty unreadable but i want to just call back to the very beginning of this essay where the person in question talked about holding canon in high regard but then in their writing they just go around giving people magic and shit and ignoring the end of the movie entirely like are you canon compliant or nah 

the writing doesnt even read like beetlejuice fanfic it reads as self indulgent fiction you could easily change the names and its just a bad fanfic from 2007

also can we talk about writing the lesbian character as an angry man hater like its 2020 dude and als olets touch on that girl on girl pandering while beetlejuice is just there like here we go fetishizing again wee

i cant find a way to work this into this already massive post but

im going to throw up

okay so thats a lot we have covered a lot today and im sure my ask box will regret it but this definitely should have been more picked apart when it happened

please feel free to add more to this i would love more perspectives than just my own.

[cowboyjen68]

cant be bothered to say nothing about current events bro? ur always so politically vocal and youve been REAL QUIEY lately. dont think nobody noticed

 I have been busy privately.. talking to friends of color.. seeing what they need from me as a white person. I don’t have the ability to protest. I can’t risk injury, jail, or covid because I am Lori’s only parent and the sole provider.  

Going on to Tumblr or Facebook and virtue signalling or giving my opinion or talking about any donations I made to local groups that provide resources to people of color. blah blah... as white person.. seems empty and like I am giving myself a big old pat on the back.. Yay me.. 

I have also had some discussions with the non profits boards I am on and how we can best support either the demonstrations or individuals in our community who might be not dealing well with feeling safe. How to best put something on our social media to show support, encourage engagement and even how to be safe if demonstrating. 

ON my personal page I posted this

“Local Friends/Family Planning on Going to the Protests: PLEASE READ THIS!!! 1. Please put a couple of numbers of people NOT going in Sharpie on your skin; if something happens (arrested, hurt) you may not have access to your phone. You are welcome to use my number. I/we will help you, i/We will pick you up, etc. 2. Have a person, again NOT going, as a check in. This is a person you will contact by X time when you are home safely. Talk to this person ahead of time w/where you are going, with whom, & emergency contacts in case you can't call.

.3. Password protect your phone (not touch/face recognition) 4. Go with a buddy. Designate a meeting place ahead of time in case you are separated. 5. Bring water, wear comfortable shoes, wear your face masks, put your hair up. Bring your id. Keep anything important in pockets, not in bags (supplies only in bags, not keys, not id, not money, not your phone, etc) 6. Only take with you items you are a) willing to not get back right away, if ever, and b) can not be seen as any kind of "weapon" 7. Exercise your right to remain silent, ALWAYS. If you're detained but not arrested ask, repeatably: Am I being arrested? Am I free to go? 8. If pepper spray is used DO NOT use water! Water will make it spread. Do not wear contact lens. 9. Document any police misconduct you see; if taking video state the date, time and your location. 10. Stay with the group as much as possible; beware of snatch squads detaining outliers. If you'd like more tips, there are a lot of resources out there, and I am happy to share some more with you or just talk about it; call or text me”.

My ex Jen wrote it and I shared with permission. I also added to make arrangements for pets home alone and weigh your physical and mental abilities before you rush to action. 

Some of us do great on the front line. Others..do better in support or background roles. 

SOO anon.. just because you don’t follow me on all social media do not think me quiet or not engaged. I was organizing protests likely before you were born. BLM and what is going on it not about my opinions. 

I have a lot of younger followers AND everyone of them needs to decide for themselves if they can demonstrate and how they should conduct themselves. Do you want me to say “I hate all cops”  because I won’t. But I hate the way the institution has become a power imbalance where just getting pulled over means you are not sure if the officer will be human or treat you like you are less than him. I don’t like that families have to pay money to write a letter or email or speak to a loved on in jail. I hate that many prisons are a profit centers. I hate that overwhelmingly young black teens are jailed for minor pot charges while their white counterparts rarely spend a night in custody. 

I can’t even begin to imagine what it feels like every time you walk from your house as a person of color and know that you are judged (and negatively) for the color of skin you were born with. NO matter how hard I try I just can’t and when I do try and get anywhere it is over whelming. 

I know lots of people, including maybe you, think I have answers and can share wisdom that can help people make decisions. This movement and the demonstrations are a long time coming. Just like any human can be, I am overwhelmed and saddened. I am unsure how to proceed, what to do exactly so I do what I can. Today I read the BLM website to see what they suggest. I am weighing my need to pay my bills and donate. Weighing  the need and desire  for me to be a good ally to POC and at the same time not make it about me or toot my own horn. And I have no answers. The entire law enforcement machine needs to be shaken empty and rebuilt with a coalition of citizens. I am afraid it won’t. And I hate that too.   

I guess I should be flattered that you “don’t think no one noticed” clearly you did. And I appreciate that you value my opinion and thoughts so much that you reached out to find out why I haven’t spoken. The fact is, I have not been sure what to say. I have been hesitant to speak on actions or opinions that might not follow the wishes of the black leaders of this movement. 

If you are asking if I am a racist.. yeah....probably to some extent. I am not immune to false stereo types or judgement calls based on skin color. The difference is I am self aware enough to call myself out when I do that and think over my internal voice. I used to be one of those A holes that said I was “color blind” until i went to college away from my home town. That is a story for another blog entry. 

[lareinenoir]

∆ His Wife ∆

Loki × Siygn (POC/WOC)

Disclaimer; I own none of the pictures shown. All the credit goes to the amazing artist(s) who took time out of their day to create these very remarkable works of art.

Summary:

****

"I think we should start a family soon.” 

Warning> Swearing

"Mmm" he moaned against her skin as his hands pulled her body towards his. She was standing in the mirror as his nose rubbed softly against her neck as she leaned over a bit, laughing.

"Loki, can't I undress in peace." She asked with a smirk, feeling his hand reach for her corset ready to untie it.

"Not if you want a good fuck." He mutters, untying the little ribbons and Siygn giggled as she turned to face him, his eyes opening as he cocked his head to the side. "I was in the middle-"

"We have to talk, beloved." She spoke stroking his cheek as Loki laid his head in her hand, giving her palm a little kiss.

"Later, I really want to just admire your body." He tells her as she leaned her head back and laughed, his lips going instantly to it, kissing it lightly as Siygn leaned against it.

"Loki stop..." She laughed as he sat her body on the vanity. He let out a sigh and placed his forehead against hers, as her legs stayed wrapped around his torso. "it's serious."

His face changed a bit as he scratched his brows together and looked at the concern on her face. "What troubles you?"

"Well for starters," she began, brushing back some of his locks of hair from his face. "I think it's time we...I don't know I just..." Siygn had been practicing in the mirror about how this conversation would go.

"Has someone hurt you?" He jumped then began to study her face. "Called you out of your name? Tell me at once!" He began to ramble "I'll have them flogged."

"No, nothing of that matter." She giggles then stands up and walks down the side. Her nerves getting the best of her as she went to the balcony and looked around.

"Siygn? What's the matter?" Asks Loki leaning on the doorframe with his arms folded. His eyebrows a little narrowed as she hugged her arms and rubbed them for comfort.

"I just think we should start a family soon."

And it was silent. She mustered enough courage to spit it out and she turned to face him as he nodded his head.

"I see."

"I think it's about time we do. We've been married for almost two years. I've seen children running around the court in front of the palace and I cant help but imagine our child doing the same." She sort of ranted. "Frigga and Odin would get the chance to be grandparents and it would be the first grandchild of this generation." but he remained silent still. "Well..."

"Is that what you desire?" He asked

She folded her arms and scoffed. "I'm your wife Loki, you can tell me what you think" but he uttered not a single word. Had she wrangled him speechless? "You know what, forget it. I don't know why I said anything." Sigyn shrugged pushing past him and heading to their bathroom to draw herself a bath.

Loki was in deep thought about the conversation. It wasn't his intention to be rude and ignore her, it had just surprised him a bit. Mostly fear.

It was bad enough once a year for seven days his sex drive was entirely in overdrive as mating season for the frost giants occurred. Of course his wife knew about it and they happily spent seven days in each others arms, tangled in each others bodies making the room smell of sweat, love and sweet sex. They had acknowledged that and planned on going somewhere more private this year. He didn't like the idea of his animal side coming out he was a being of Asgard, a God. He wanted to suppress that side of him for as long as possible.

Because Loki was a frost giant, to some degree, his fear of hurting Sigyn by giving her a child, an heir, made his insides twist. Of course he never admitted that fear out loud. 

Sigyn had taken a little nap in her hot bath full of oils. The Odin's sleep was near and preparing for it with Frigga had tired her out. Most days she’s crawl into bed later than usual and cuddle close with Loki, but days just like this, less busy, sign would catch a nap in between her breaks. He walked into the bathroom a couple minutes later, seeing her arms outside the tub with her head tilted back. She had her eyes closed and he stood in the door frame. Feeling Loki’s presence, his gaze she sighed out loud and shifted position as her hair dripped onto her face. 

“Why don’t you come bathe with me, beloved.” she asked and Loki let out a little chuckle as her eyes fluttered open. Her hands caressed her chest traveling down to her breasts. 

“I’d much rather watch..” he led on with a chuckle as she giggled and sat up, grabbing the sponge. “Frigga and I watched your brother fight against some men in the square. Knowing they don’t stand a chance,” she scoffs rolling her eyes “he continued to take whatever honor they had left.” 

“I do apologize.” he laughed walking over to her, taking the sponge form her hands and squeezing out the excess water. “He can be rather arrogant. More now than ever since father gave him mjolnir.” Replied Loki as he gave a her sideways look, her eyes flashing softly with a gentle grin across her lips. 

“Someone should teach him a lesson. Making those men look foolish is beneath him.” Sigyn shook her head and Loki bit his lip, looking up into the air pretending to think. 

“Perhaps a nice spanking is in order.” He chuckled as she took the sponge back and grinned widely as he ushered her forward. “Come, I’ll need someone to practice.” he joked as they broke into a fit of laughter.

Lips inches away from one another they shared a small kiss as Loki knelt down at the edge of the tub, hovering his frame over body. Kissing her brown lips again, he traced her face with his index finger. She leaned into his touch and Loki felt his eyes water. 

“What saddens you, my beloved?” she asks tilting her head to the side. 

“Sigyn, my star, I plan to spend the rest of my life with you. I promised the day we wed I’d be your truth. I promised to be truthful, honest and faithful, and yet in your presence I continue to lie-” 

“Whats going on?” she sort of laughs giving him a sideways look. “If this is about earlier, I said forget-” 

“No.” He shakes his head and then takes a deep breath as she sits back down in her bath. His hands laced together as he tried to gather his thoughts. Concerned for her husband, Sigyn reached for his arm hoping to provide some kind comfort. “I want to have children with you.” 

Her heart sort of fluttered and she gave him a big smile and began to feel such excitement. “Then lets start now!” she said to him, getting out of the tub and grabbing her towel. “I’ll light some candles and start a nice fire-” she paused seeing he was still sitting on the edge of the tub. “Well..” 

He stood up and walked over to her. Her body still throbbing at the idea, but Loki still made no effort to make a move. “I want to have children with you Sigyn, but it’s because of what I am I will never in my life damn you to that kind of pain.” 

A/N: If you would like to be removed from the taglist below or be added, let know! XO- Fridai 

TAGLIST: @hookedinto-fictionalworlds @heartislubbingdubbing @unicorniorosacomefrutillas @nayr9e @kybaeza @multifacetedscorpio @naega-ooooooolf @schizonephilim @thatweirdwalangpake @grahoundart @kybaeza @nayrael @multifacetedscorpio @naega-ooooooolf @nirvanaslovechild​ @hisparadox @naughtybaroness30 @blackreaders-assemble@deansblackbeauty@empressoftheundergroundsun​ @inlovewith3 @smartiedork @gerli49 @spookytyphoonbouquetsblog @angelicvixenn @wtfcantfindusernam  

[mixdgrlproblems]

@luciesotkovaa: "Can we talk about this? I just wanted to check if any #mixedgirls feel the same; as a mostly #whitepassing person, I don’t feel comfortable calling myself #Poc since I’m light skin and all the ‘hate I’ve ever received was people telling me I would be prettier if I looked #White and being called gypsy. But I also don’t feel like calling myself White bc that’s erasing my beautiful grandparents. I’m just experiencing constant #identitycrisis and honestly neither my white nor brown friends understand and I guess only #mixedfolx will" • • • many here can definitely relate. i'm tired of this asinine conversation, we cant have it anymore. white passing to some is different to others, its just perspectives, not truth. if so i'm only a white person between november and april, how does that work? and some don't think i pass at all. some even say "you're clearly mexican or puerto rican." wrong again, i'm neither of those. #passing and #oppression go hand in hand. people wouldn't need to pass if #racism and #discrimination didn't exist. passing means you're lacking certain stereotypical traits that a specific race has and you can assimilate with another. passing wouldn't exist at all if people opened their minds and realize that black people shouldn't be limited to a few specific shades. mixed race as well. asians. natives. latinos too. you're not lacking anything. you were just born this way and have no control. your family's genes are on shuffle. not everyone who passes is mixed either, so you're just going to give these people an entire new race despite being monoracial??? we can't deny that people who present as white don't have privileges and that's the real issue. not all #whitepresenting people have these privileges and some have been subjected to the worst racism you can possibly imagine. passing and #colorism go hand in hand too. the black community aren't the only ones who need to address colorism. if all skin colors were embraced the same, would it matter? people who argue with you about your identity are having an identity crisis. they're just entitled, dont let them confuse you! #mixedgirlproblems (at Twitter) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKKOykEFRZQ/?igshid=1ik8kxpzxpetd

[martyrgargoyle]

Hey I know the Tyler post is about racism and not homophobia and I don’t want to change the topic from that but I just wanted to add on that he did something very similar in 2015. When gay marriage was legalized fans asked him to say something and he posted a long rant about his mental illness and basically implied posting was a burden to him. I just wanted to bring that to light as well cause it’s not the first time he’s made something unrelated about his own problems

you’re right anon, good memory! he’s also been known to show disinterest when meeting fans and they say he inspired him to come out and be themselves, usually brushing past it. i didn’t include these in the original post since it was focusing on his racist past/excusing racism but if you look at the notes app rant he did for gay marriage, it follows the rant he did on twitter recently too! here’s the two rants compared (text) for anyone that wants them/need an alt text:

2015 TXT, on his silence on gay marriage being legalized:

“it breaks my heart to see that not posting would lead to some of you to believe that i do not love and support you. that is simply not true. any day where love defeats hate, you can know i am celebrating, just maybe not on twitter. as for the silence: through personal experience, i want to create and influence something that might help others navigate through the battlefield that is the brain. and for those who understand that terminology, you know what battle i am talking about. but while at this mental ground zero, i have found any influence added on, no matter how noble, becomes too heavy for me to carry. i am not strong enough. be patient with me as i grow, that some day i might be able to carry more weight. but for now, i write what i know. both josh and i mean this, with love and support, tyler”

VS

his full 2020 twitter rant (in TXT) when told he shouldn’t joke about blm:

‘your own mental health should always be a priority. i’m amazed at how easy it is to forget that simple fact. it’s something that can sneak up on you, then eventually you check in on it and realize it’s in really bad shape. i’m trying to cut through to who really needs to hear this. this is tough, but it’s not hopeless. fighting for your mental health is not public, it’s not glorious, it’s not even interesting, but it’s the greatest challenge you will face. i use music, humor, being alone, breaks from social media, family, uncomfortable and honest conversations with friends, and sometimes crying. a few tools, but they don’t all work for everyone. find what helps you take back ground lost. i really don’t know if i can even handle everything that’s happening right now. the scariest place to be is when you find yourself in a spot where you can’t find an answer to the question, “what’s the point?” there has to be a point. according to the world health organization: Close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds. according to American Foundation of Suicide Prevention: On average, there are 132 suicides per day. mentally/emotionally, i can only carry so much, because what i do care about is so heavy, the thought of adding more on top of it makes me want to stop trying. but we can never stop trying. this site, along with many others, has been a guide. it’s not perfect, but it’s the right direction. [link to afsp.org] starting September 6th is national suicide prevention awareness week. what does that mean exactly? i don’t know. but if it can get a single person’s attention at the right time, it’s everything. #keepgoing. i respect all the warriors out there fighting for different causes. there is honor in it, purpose, and it can make our world better. i just want to remind you what i’m fighting for: your mental health is more important today than it ever has been. you’re not alone. you don’t know what someone else is going through. what other invisible weights they may be struggling to carry. keep that in mind as you go about your interactions. and take care of yourself, please. this isn’t a notes app moment. i’m doubling down on my platform tweet. it was fantastic.”

Lots of words! Here's a basic breakdown for people that may need help to see what was the similarities:

RED: I highlighted these since they stood out the most to me when comparing similarities and basically sums it up if you're skimming. Other than these lines being basically the same and not even hidden in the fact, he's shifting the weight and importance on HIS mental health. Not anyone else's or the situation at hand that caused outrage. Instead, he's using his mental health as an excuse while proceeding to tell us that it's a burden for him to support POC and LGBT and to be patient WITH HIM while dealing with other people's lives.

In both rants he's avoiding the issue that caused his fans to be hurt. Instead of holding any responsibility or giving an apology for any harm he caused to the wellbeing of his audience; he flips it and turns it to them and blaming them for how he may have hurt them/caused worries. i know a lot of people say it isn't a big deal BUT please remember who he directs his music for and his audience. he knows its a lot of mentally ill people, specifically younger adults or teenagers. and while there's nothing wrong with that, blaming and saying they're at fault for having a lot of hopes and seeing him as a general inspiration and getting hurt at the idea of him not supporting them finally being able to love someone legally; it can and did cause a lot of damage and insecurity in his more impressionable fan base.

for the blm one, it was even worse. he openly mocked the movement and people that protest to an impressionable audience and to his fanbase that again, see him as a huge inspiration in fighting for peace and justice since he inspires them to have a voice. so he not only showed the younger fans/planted the confusion of its okay to mock this movement, he also laughed in the face of people that admire him and are trying to fight for a change. and this is from a WHITE perspective, i cant even imagine how his POC fans felt and the betrayal they felt to see their hero mock their struggle and demand to not be discriminated against :(

[zombiequincy]

THE MEGA RP PLOTTING SHEET / MEME.

First and foremost, recall that no one is perfect, we all had witnessed some plotting once which did not went too well, be it because of us or our partner. So here have this, which may help for future plotting. It’s a lot! Yes, but perhaps give your partners some insight? Anyway BOLD what fully applies, italicize if only somewhat.

MUN NAME: Hela     AGE: 21       CONTACT: IM

CHARACTER(S): Giselle Gewelle, Yumichika Ayasegawa (inactive)

CURRENT FANDOM(S): Bleach

BLEACH FANDOM(S) YOU HAVE AN AU FOR:  I have gory Bloodborne au but that one just exists in my head on my lonesome.

MY LANGUAGE(S): English and one very specific Middle Eastern dialect.

THEMES I’M INTERESTED IN FOR RP: FANTASY / Science fiction / Horror / WESTERN / ROMANCE / Thriller / MYSTERY / DYSTOPIA / ADVENTURE / MODERN / Erotic / Crime / MYTHOLOGY / Classic / HISTORY / RENAISSANCE / MEDIEVAL / Ancient / WAR / FAMILY / POLITICS / RELIGION / SCHOOL / ADULTHOOD / CHILDHOOD / APOCALYPTIC / GODS / Sport / MUSIC / Science / FIGHTS / ANGST / Smut / DRAMA / etc. 

PREFERRED THREAD LENGTH: one-liner / 1 para / 2 PARA / 3+ / NOVELLA.

ASKS CAN BE SEND BY: MUTUALS / NON-MUTUALS / PERSONALS / ANONS.

CAN ASKS BE CONTINUED?:   YES / NO    only by Mutuals?:  YES / NO.

PREFERRED THREAD TYPE: CRACK / casual nothing too deep / SERIOUS / DEEP AS HECK. (i love it all sorry I am quite the mixed bag lmao)

IS REALISM / RESEARCH IMPORTANT FOR YOU IN CERTAIN THEMES?:   YES / NO. i gotta know what certain human body parts taste like u know

ARE YOU ATM OPEN FOR NEW PLOTS?:  YES / NO / DEPENDS.

DO YOU HANDLE YOUR DRAFT / ASK - COUNT WELL?:  YES / NO / SOMEWHAT. it’s SO BAD FOR ME RN ASGLDKJDJKA i’m very inconsistent i’m so sorry.

HOW LONG DO YOU USUALLY TAKE TO REPLY?: 24H / 1 WEEK / 2 WEEKS / 3+ / months / years. / a lot of it has more to do w my general writing mood and if the thread im writing catches my interest, and rn im writing a TON of really wonderful and fascinating threads so they’re all super captivating for me and i try to reply asap

I’M OKAY WITH INTERACTING: ORIGINAL CHARACTERS / a relative of my character (an oc) / duplicates / MY FANDOM / CROSSOVERS / MULTI-MUSES / self-inserts / people with no AU verse for my fandom / CANON-DIVERGENT PORTRAYALS / AU-VERSIONS.

DO YOU POST MORE IC OR OOC?: IC / OOC. (i have a lot of stupid shit sorry) 

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WITH FOLLOWING OTHERS?: YES / NO / DEPENDS.  

BEST WAYS TO APPROACH YOU FOR RP/PLOTTING: just send me a tumblr instant message, i know it sucks shit but im not comfy releasing my discord w everyone just yet cause i use it for personal use as well. i check tumblr on the daily so if you send me a message chances are i’ll see it and respond!

WHAT EXPECTATIONS DO YOU HOLD TOWARDS YOUR PLOTTING PARTNER:  i guess just be able to put up with my rambling and stopping and starting, a lot of characterisation choices i do go through various stages and its pretty messy so when i communicate that with others it usually ends up equally messy. just be patient with me please.

WHEN YOU NOTICE THE PLOTTING IS RATHER ONE-SIDED, WHAT DO YOU DO?:  i don’t mind! sometimes ppl have more ideas that they want to share first and i’m always super happy to listen to those ideas !! sometimes its nice to have someone with a clear guide or structure and be able to work around that rather than trying to fumble through a plot together.

HOW DO YOU USUALLY PLOT WITH OTHERS, DO YOU GIVE INPUT OR LEAVE MOST WORK TOWARDS YOUR PARTNER?:  i try to map out some basic info abt their characters that i otherwise don’t know from their bio or verses and try to pick out points of confrontation or similarities to expand on with giselle that can be used as points for like a starter to happen. its either that or sometimes i have really stupid ideas i just toss out there like ‘LMAO THEYRE BREAKING SHIT AT DISNEYLAND’ and go buck wild from there if the other person is down. i also always try to warn people or get a gauge for what subjects to avoid and steer clear of considering that giselle is a bit of a Freak(tm) and will say and do bad things.

WHEN A PARTNER DROPS THE THREAD, DO YOU WISH TO KNOW?:   YES / NO / DEPENDS. - And why?: if there’s something giselle did or said that upset you, i would love to know not to repeat it again (since i do still feel pretty new to the rp game, theres still plenty of time for me to make stupid mistakes). if its just a general lack of interest or uncertainty of where the plot should go, then you dont have to tell me i wont take it personally i promise ! 

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY LEAD YOU TO DROP A THREAD?: sometimes i can be made uncomfortable by certain things mentioned... it happens but its rare 

- WILL YOU TELL YOUR PARTNER?:   YES / NO / DEPENDS. i don’t want to upset anyone personally and sometimes explaining the ins and outs of my discomfort make things ten times worse so i just. would rather not.

IS COMMUNICATION IN THE RPC IMPORTANT TO YOU? YES / NO.

- AND WHY?: i am the most nervous person you can meet and my brain is always giving me misinfo abt paranoia and random shit so i having clear concrete communication between two parties abt if something is going wrong or is being received poorly means the world to me.

ARE YOU OKAY WITH ABSOLUTE HONESTY, EVEN IF IT MAY MEANS HEARING SOMETHING NEGA1TIVE ABOUT YOU AND/OR PORTRAYAL?: i need it !! i still feel relatively new to all this and i need to know whats going wrong to improve !! 

DO YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE SUCH SITUATION IN A MATURE WAY? YES / NO.

WHY DO YOU RP AGAIN, IS THERE A GOAL?: to help with my confidence in writing! i have v bad anxiety when it comes to sharing my works and i write a lot of other pieces alongside this blog on ao3 and i want to develop my writing skills just in general. when it comes to like the nuts and bolts of why i rp giselle specifically, its mainly to just have fun and have a laugh w my friends who are really awesome quincy writers

WISHLIST, BE IT PLOTS OR SCENARIOS:  OH SO MANY! ive managed to fulfil a lot of my wishlist threads with like, giselle talking to characters she’s already zombified and i love all that angst but i want to do more stupid shit. i want to make it my personal goal to bully every quincy man and woman on sight. although a REAL dream would be if i got to write a thread zombifying a character who managed to escape giselle’s clutches. and more fighting! i want to get better at describing action and fights and i love to write giselle getting beat up and beating people up! more more more!! 

THEMES I WON’T EVER RP / EXPLORE:   hohoho theres a LOT... uh r*pe/dubcon threads for one, even if yeah i know writing it doesnt condone it, it makes me intensely uncomfortable to put my muse in that scenario, i feel like i have an obligation to like, protect her from that shit you know? racism is one i don’t want to transgress, even though i’m a poc, its not really cathartic or groundbreaking to write abt racism in threads its just... really fucking upsetting. also i know the quincy’s have this very close parallel to the whole n*zi imagery and ideology thing going on and i am not about to start even daring to thread that into my writing or bring those allusions and references of real life tragedies into giselle’s threads. i’ve already talked at length abt exploring giselles trans identity in rp and why im not comfortable doing so, so.... yeah! all those i guess.

WHAT TYPE OF STARTERS DO YOU PREFER / DISLIKE, CAN’T WORK WITH?: i like starters where giselle can just immediately get right into being a piece of shit. mise en scene and all that! cut out the build up and just get to the intense horror !! i don’t like starters where its not immediately clear where the characters are standing and what they’re doing and what’s happening around them. those really disorientate me and leave me kinda floundering because i always need some allusion or mention of a setting to ground giselle in a time and place other wise i cant tell what her response should be

WHAT TYPE OF CHARACTERS CATCH YOUR INTEREST THE MOST?:  EVIL WOMEN EVIL WOMEN EVIL WOMEN. also just characters i can wholeheartedly clown on, or also characters who have hidden depths to them and have a single panel of screentime. honestly it’s just all over the place!

WHAT TYPE OF CHARACTERS CATCH YOUR INTEREST THE LEAST?:  angry old men GSADJDKSJA i could never rp yhwach for example or yamamoto because idk. theyre just so crummy and boring to me. i also couldnt rp characters who always have an upper hand in battle like aizen. i like my dumbasses and i like them stupid and adaptive not just, ‘yes i know this because i Know this.’

WHAT ARE YOUR STRONG ASPECTS AS RP PARTNER?: i think im nice...? FKSJDKDJSA idk i hate trying to toot my own horn. sometimes i also think i make funny jokes and im pretty chill and laid back

WHAT ARE YOUR WEAK ASPECTS AS RP PARTNER?: my writing style is inconsistent and adapts to whatever i’m reading so sometimes it’ll be really good and i love it and other times it reads like really bad fanfic and i get carried away far too easily and write novella lengths for threads which should be much shorter. i also get shy a lot and dont think i communicate very effectively but HEYO we’re working on it!

DO YOU RP SMUT?:  YES / NO/ DEPENDS. haven’t had anybody brave enough to try yet lol

DO YOU PREFER TO GO INTO DETAIL?: YES / NO / DEPENDS.

ARE YOU OKAY WITH BLACK CURTAIN?: YES / NO.

- WHEN DO YOU RP SMUT? MORE OUT OF FUN OR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT?: more for fun i’d imagine because that’s just giselles own attitude to sex and relationships where she doesnt want anything deep. it might show character development in one way of just showing how she regards others in a romantic sense to be used rather than actually appreciated as their own person and show how selfish she is but yeah, more out of fun

- ANYTHING YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO RP THERE?:  theres a few kinks and such but i dont think they’d ever really come up. again, just mainly no r*pe/dubcon.

ARE SHIPS IMPORTANT TO YOU?:   YES / NO lets hope this doesn’t make me sound like an asshole, but its more like a fun little side thing than anything important to giselle’s actual development and characterisation. 

WOULD YOU SAY YOUR BLOG IS SHIP-FOCUSED?: YES / NO. again, hardly anyone is brave enough to try to romance this evil cannibal.

DO YOU USE READ MORE?:  YES / NO / SOMETIMES WHEN I WRITE LONG STUFF.

ARE YOU:  MULTI-SHIP / Single-Ship / Dual-Ship  —  MULTIVERSE / Singleverse.

- WHAT DO YOU LOVE TO EXPLORE THE MOST IN YOUR SHIPS?: more how giselle likes to give over her power or dominate in different circumstances depending on who she’s with and what’s being done. BUT AGAIN, not a whole lot to explore yet.

ARE YOU OKAY WITH PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS?: YES / NO. - i mean im down for p much anything if it vibes w giselle.

► SECTION ABOUT YOUR MUSE.

- WHAT COULD POSSIBLY MAKE YOUR MUSE INTERESTING TOWARDS OTHERS, WHY SHOULD THEY RP WITH THIS PARTICULAR CHARACTER OF YOURS NOW, WHAT POSSIBLE PLOTS DO THEY OFFER?: if you want an evil woman to taunt and mock and hurt your muse, she’s your gal. you want her to zombify and ruin your muse, shes also your gal. you want her to insult and maim and injure, she’s also YOUR GAL. basically, if you want to do anything fucked up or sad or scary, she can help with that.

- WITH WHAT TYPE OF MUSES DO YOU USUALLY STRUGGLE TO RP WITH?:  uh muses who get really angry quickly or don’t rise or respond to her jabs and are just kinda like a flatline. theres only so much pestering and annoying she can do until realises its not working and just wanders off

- WHAT DO THEY DESIRE, IS THEIR GOAL?:  to find a goal worth living for.

- WHAT CATCHES THEIR INTEREST FIRST WHEN MEETING SOMEONE NEW?:  appearance she always takes an interest in girls almost right away. age as well because she judges old people. 

- WHAT DO THEY VALUE IN A PERSON?:  a good set of guts to ruin and strong muscles.

- WHAT THEMES DO THEY LIKE TALKING ABOUT?:  women, gore, murder, herself, music, stupid memes, gossip.

- WHICH THEMES BORE THEM?:  politics, history, quincy ideology, soul reaper ideology, hollow physiology.

- DID THEY EVER WENT THROUGH SOMETHING TRAUMATIC?:  her family tried to force the burden of upholding the quincy lineage onto her shoulders, she was thrown into the wrong prison and held in isolation, then pressured to become an undying monster in service of a god and then was nearly killed by that same man and left wandering without guidance or purpose. so, yeah?

- WHAT COULD LEAD TO AN INSTANT KILL?:  transphobia. even a whiff of it in her direction and she’ll gut you like a fish.

- IS THERE SOMEONE /-THING THEY HATE?:  the twink soul reaper who outted her.

IS YOUR MUSE EASY TO APPROACH?: YES / NO. - Best ways to approach them?:  if you’re smart, you’ll bring a big bone for her to chew on and distract her while you ask whatever you want.

SOMETHING YOU MAY STILL WANT TO POINT OUT ABOUT YOUR MUSE?: i love my evil queen!

CONGRATS!!! You managed it, now tag your mutuals! ♥

Tagged by:  @bazzardburner​ cheers chicken boy !!

Tagging: @hyouketsu​ @blooming5th​ @viciousvizard​ @glacies-tempestatem​ and whoever else wishes to do this!!

[katastrophycal]

Sooo Crimes of grindlewald got me SHOOK. SPOILERS!!

Mkay so... this movie has problems, don't get me wrong, but hoooooo boy did I like it.

Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Support. J.K. Rowling. But I am also not going to let that color my view of my favorite series. I know its difficult to understand but most people go to movies because they want to escape reality. I understand if you cannot do that, but please don't try to force your opinions on someone who can. So please just keep in mind that I went in to this movie to see a world that I had fallen in love with. Not to see a screenplay by JK

So...

Yes. Johnny Depp is not a good person. But you look at how he played Grindlewald and it was perfectly done. How he manipulated everything and everyone around him honestly terrifying and I can completely see why he drew so many wizards to his cause. I'm not gonna say that the fact Depp is not a good person contributed to that but it definitely allowed the persona to be accepted. Also HUGE magic is might feels from that speech and HUGE parallels with the child in the house, and that really showed the difference between Grindlewald and Voldemort. Voldemort did actions himself then learned to delegate. Grindlewald is a master of moving pawns and I cant wait to see him fight for himself.

Dumbledore. Jude Law is the man. I have some problems with him in his Sherlock esq suit when he should be in wizarding robes but over all, terrific performance. I really felt how he planned everything from behind scenes and the blood pact really sealed the deal for me with Grindlewald. He physically could not go after him and I can't wait to see when they break it if he will continue to hold back or if we will immediately rise up. And I know its terrible but I can very clearly see why Grindledore is a ship. I really(against my better judgement)hope that when they interact more we'll get more of a whole what could have been rant and an "I lovED you"

Newt. Sweet Newt. Continues to be an absolute gem, and he and Tina are giving me feels that I never got in HP. I really appreciate the flashbacks, him being so comfortable when he's with his creatures. I really hope his and Thesus' relationship will develop more later.

So one of my real disappointments is that I feel like Tina was kind of... I don't know smaller in this movie? All she really got was the tension with Newt(don't get me wrong I loved that) and she's just looking for Creedence but once they find him She? Just? Does? Nothing? And I reeeeally missed her interacting with Queenie.

Queenie... I get why she did it. She felt betrayed and alienated and she felt like she could solve her and Jacob's problems by following Grindlewald. It broke my heart to see her walk away from Jacob, but I really hope its Tina that brings her back to the good

Jacob is honestly me when it comes to everything. I understand why he continues to love Queenie even though she enchanted him. He didn't want to get married because wanted to protect her but she didn't want to be protected she just wanted him and I can really identify with that. I continue to love how Jacob just accepts everything from Newt to Flamel and I loved every bit of him trying to be Newt's wingman

Creedence continues to have my support, all he wants is to have a life but he's stuck on the idea that you have to know where you came from to know where you're going. Do I think he's a Dumbledore? No. My best theory is that he's Arianna's obscurus(?)

I NEVER in my life thought I would feel bad for a Lestrange. Ever since we found out Bellatrix tortured Neville's parents I hated her. When she tortured Hermione she terrified me. I cheered when she died in Prt 2. Yet Leta Lestrange.... I went in thinking I would hate her not just for her last name but because of how we also assume she did to Newt. I have pulled a complete 180. From the moments from Hogwarts, past and future I thought she would at least be an okay character. Then there was Thesus Fighting to get to her, the tears rolling down her face when she talks about what happened to Corbus... I just died... if you ever need a good Slytherin role model....

Thesus reminded me allot of Percy. Except more supportive?ish? I liked that he didn't blindly follow his orders and even though he and Newt don't get along he still helps and protects him. I could see the love on his part for Leta and I hope he doesn't let her ambiguous ily at the end get between him and Newt.

Nagini. I stan. So everyone freaking out that she's a poc playing a character who becomes a pet for an allegorical white surpremist I want you to think on this: 1) we're told she is from Indonesia so unless this is a lie(which is possible) this mean that the character would be a poc 2)imagine... Nagini, a woman who had already been imprisoned ,1st by the circus, then by her curse, becomes trapped in her form of a snake. An animal that Voldemort is famous for controlling. So imagine Nagini, after (hopefully) fighting so hard against Grindlewald, being trapped against her will in a body that is used to do terrible things and eventually becoming a literal Horcrux. That is the definition of tragic...

There were less new creatures in this one but the ones we got were so beautiful. The Kelpie in particular. The baby Nifflers had me getting my drink up my nose from laughing so hard. And I think Momma Niffler has just started Grindlewald's fall, just like Kreacher(and Reagulus) with Voldemort

Now all of this is my opinion. I am a little biased when I say that everyone complaining about plot holes needs to chill. Yes, Dumbledore was a transfiguration teacher in the books. Maybe he was subbing?(Snape for Lupin). Yes, Mcgonagall wasn't born yet. Maybe that was her mom, who looks d enough to have children in the 2 SECONDS we see her? Yes, throwing the whole lost Dumbledore thing in the last 10 minutes was a total con. But you bet your ass I'm gonna be trying to solve that one till 2020

I am also not really a plot person, I believe if the characters are interesting the plot kinda comes 2nd, even so I see a lot of people talking about how the plot is confusing and too jumpy and convoluted. And yeah it kinda was... but So Was The Last Jedi. So Was Infinity War. If we didn't have 10 years of marvel movies before IW then all of those storylines would have seemed insane. And yes we did have 10 years of HP but again, this is not HP. The first time we hear of these Characters was Fantastic Beasts(in movies that is, we hear Newt from a spinoff textbook).

Do I wish the Character's had been more flushed out? Hell yes. Particularly Nagini, Leta, and Thesus. But there are going to be 3 more movies(hopefully). If we give up after the 2nd movie were definitely not gonna get that explanation for them. So please, keep that in mind

All in all I really loved this movie. I have so many questions and definitely want to see it a couple more times, and I cannot wait for the next one

Feel free to come talk to me about this! Please!!

[curly-q-reviews]

ROAD TO THE OSCAR MAYER WIENER AWARDS 2K19

Black Panther, 2018 (dir. Ryan Coogler)

Nominated for: Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing

ok y’all lets get this party started with a movie i didnt get to catch in theaters (i think i ended up renting it) but people were absolutely raving about it all of last year, and for good reason i gotta say!  it was one of the better marvel films that came out last year (though in my humble opinion Infinity War takes the gold)

speaking of marvel lets talk about it for a spell!  lets have a lil sit-down chit-chat shall we!!  cause its kind of insane how much of an american media phenomenon marvel has become, they are arguably single-handedly responsible for reviving the superhero movie subgenre and now these types of movies bring hollywood more dineros than they probably know what to do with (besides make more superhero movies).  what used to be a niche market where only your most hardcore of nerdy types dared to dwell has been embraced into the mainstream wholeheartedly, and now its hard to imagine the american film industry without them. 

from a film critique standpoint, marvel movies seem to be a hit-or-miss as far as quality, however i cant really think of a particular marvel movie that i thought was a total piece of hot garbage (the first two Thor movies come close but they were more boring than anything else).  however last year was a real success for the studio, they just kept pumping out quality movies left and right and once disney managed to get its grubby lil mouse paws on Spider-man it was a done deal baby.  DC and other companies have tried again and again to recreate the success that Marvel has managed and so far they’ve failed to various degrees.  Marvel’s just got that special something with their cinematic universe, some magical combo of great actors and creative directors and an ever-expanding budget that keeps them staying at the top every time.

so whats my stance on superhero movies???  well theyre not my usual cup of tea but i gotta say they’re real damn entertaining.  i kinda view them like a high-speed ride at an amusement park, super fun and thrilling and exhilarating and just a real good time!  but thats about as far as it goes for me, and im sure thats the same for a lot of people.  to be honest its kinda refreshing to have movies that quality-wise are up to my standards that i dont have to think too hard about.  so for me the movies i typically go for are like museums, whereas superhero movies (and action movies in general) are like a carnival.  both entertaining and fun, but the latter is just all about letting loose and not wondering about the why’s and how’s.  when i think about it, this kinda mindset is for sure a factor in how these movies got so popular, because with the shitshow that is our current government and the potential imminent death of our planet people are once again looking for movies as a form of escapism, rather than a way to get deep and philosophical and ask the tough questions and see something profound. 

with that being said, despite some exceptions that have proven me wrong to my utter joy and delight (im looking at u Logan), i expect movies that are nominated for wiener awards to be more like museums than like carnivals y’know what i mean?  u catchin my drift???  u takin what im dishin out????  the academy awards have a long history of prestige, of nominating the best of the best of any given year. quite a few movies that won oscars are now considered to be timeless classics.  which is why superhero movies, at least the typical marvel types that are chocked to the brim with CGI and epic massive fight scenes and explosions, dont really strike me as anything that could eventually become a timeless classic.  the amount of computer-generated effects alone will make these movies feel really dated as soon as like five years from now with how fast technology is progressing.  i just dont see it happening.

and that brings us to the first wiener award nominee ill be talking about, Black Panther.  this isnt director Ryan Coogler’s first time at the rodeo; his first feature film Fruitvale Station received critical acclaim in 2013, and the spiritual Rocky sequel Creed actually got nominated for some oscars a few years ago.  so we’ve got a promising and talented director at the helm which is a great start!  we’ve also got a stellar cast with the likes of michael b. jordan (who has been in all of Coogler’s films so far), lupita nyong’o, angela bassett, and forest whitaker in the bunch.  it also has the astronomical financial backing of Supreme Overlord Disney so u know this is gonna be some high-quality shit.

so i’m gonna tell y’all why i think this movie got nominated for so many oscars, because in a way i do think this movie is deserving of noms from the academy.  theres no denying that it is very groundbreaking for a movie of this scale and magnitude to have a black director and a nearly all-black cast.  in fact, i think a lot of the crew members (including set and costume design) were black as well.  thats fuckin huge my guy.  and this movie was by no means a flop either; it ended up being one of the highest-grossing films of 2018 and stayed in theaters for a loooong-ass time.  and not only were the people on this project mostly black, the movie itself is a story praising and showing off the beauty of african culture without exotifying or demeaning it in any way.  like i can say 100% without a doubt that this movie deserves its best costume design nom cause holy shit the outfits in this movie are stunning, just the perfect blend of ancient/current tribal african aesthetics and a more futuristic sleek style that any fashion enthusiast can drool over.

i cant say much about best musical score or best sound mixing or anything like that cause it all seemed like typical marvel stuff to me and wasnt all that memorable.  however i can say that the production design on this movie, while it didnt impress me as much as costuming, did still impress me.  the one thing i gotta knock it on is all the fucken CGI, like whole entire towns and landscapes were digitally rendered.  i wouldve been a lot more impressed and would agree more to the production design nom if they used more practical effects and real sets/locations. 

so.  best picture.  this is where i feel the most conflicted.  cause this is where i now have to look past all the pretty fancy visuals and music and look at the actual meat of this movie, its story and characters.  usually best picture noms also get noms for things like best actress, best script, and best director, cause those are all really important elements of a good film.  ur movie can look and sound as pretty as it wants but if the storys shit and the characters are shit and the actings shit then u dont have much going for u.

and by no means am i saying that Black Panther was shitty in these aspects, it was just well.  passable.  it was ok.  but nothing to write home about

we got some good performances from newcomers letitia wright and chadwick boseman, lupita kills it as always, but then everyone else was like.  okay.  michael b. jordan didnt really do his best in this and idk if its the script’s fault or something but it was weird.  and speaking of the script it was uuuuhhhhh well.  not great.  every time i think about that “what are those” reference i die a little inside.  and the story overall wasnt really anything new when u break it down, just another “son of king struggles to take his place” narrative.  and that aspect of the story couldve actually been more developed into something interesting, i found myself really intrigued with the political scenes.  but there just wasnt enough of that cause they needed to make more room for the PEW PEW POW EXPLOSIONS

granted, movies with lots of shimmer but little substance have been nominated for best picture before (just look at James Cameron’s Avatar which is apparently getting a sequel now????????).  and its not even that this movie is completely devoid of substance cause theres some interesting things going on plot-wise, and some stand-out characters too (shuri is the boss and no one can tell me otherwise).  its just, u know, a good superhero movie.  nothing really profound about the story itself except for the cultural, historical, and social context behind it.

so lemme get back to why i think this movie got a best picture nom.  i think the academy wants to keep up their appearance of being #woke now by continuing to nominate more than one poc-heavy project each year, but they seem to be caring less and less about the actual overall quality of these movies.  and theres even some movies on the noms list that i think actually have what it takes to be a strong oscars contender, like If Beale Street Could Talk and BlacKkKlansmen.  but i think in Black Panther’s case, they were under a lot of pressure to give it top noms (or any noms at all) because of the intensely positive response this movie got, as well as the accusations of racism to people who didnt think it was as great as fans were saying. 

also i have no doubt that Supreme Overlord Disney like threw piles and piles of money at the academy like they tend to do (cause i’d bet good money thats the only fucken way Incredibles 2 got nominated for anything)

well anyway ive gone on long enough about this, lemme know what y’all think.  really the only nom im iffy about when it comes to this movie is Best Picture, but the others i think are well enough deserved, especially costume design.  so i guess the one thing i struggle with is this: does a movie becoming a pop culture phenomenon and being groundbreaking in its cast and crew count as enough for it to be nominated for the top prize of the wiener awards, despite any fallbacks in script, direction, and acting?  idk man im just hoping it doesnt get the award by default or something but then again maybe after watching all the other nominees it may turn out that the rest of them were worse than Black Panther i guess i’ll have to find out

stay tuned for my A Star Is Born review y’all stay fresh and funky eat ur vegetables stay in school u dont need drugs when ur high on life

[meredithritchie]

Mask of Anonymity: Anonymous Asks as a Teen Outlet

[The following is an article I wrote for a campus submission. I retained the rights to publish it here, as well. It regards my experiences as a fandom blogger.]

“Hi, I’ve been suffering with what is probably depression for years without any help and recently it’s been getting worse,” begins the anonymous message that drops into my inbox one night. It’s a teenager asking me how to keep themself stable until they can get a diagnosis from a pediatrician. I tell them I’m proud of them. I tell them I’m not an expert. I tell them to be kind to themself. I tell them they’re loved.

Since founding my Tumblr blog in April of 2017, these messages have become almost routine. In just a few months of actively posting my fanedits and fanfiction online, I amassed almost five thousand followers.  In this particular fandom, where the most popular bloggers have ten thousand followers, that’s a dramatic amount. Via the blog’s anonymous ask feature (colloquially called “anons”), anyone in the world can drop a question into my inbox without revealing their username, even if they aren’t one of those five thousand. Many if not most of these followers are minors, and some of them are not even of the minimum age to use the site: thirteen. My sister is twelve and loves watching fandom videos on YouTube, and in one year, she will be old enough to make an account with access to my blog and the blogs of all five thousand of my followers. I wonder if she’ll be one of the faceless messages I get in my ask box.

“Could I ask for some advice? It's about gynaecologists and vaginal health while being trans.”

“What I’m wondering is, how did you go about narrowing down lists of colleges to go to?”

“I basically cant[sic] think anymore and it's really hard to do school work because of this. Do you have any advice?”

“How does one stop obsessing over someone, when that person will never be theirs?”

“Hey I really need some help like older sister stuff help”

“I had a breakdown at school today. At least I think that’s what happened because I don’t remember it clearly.”

Some of it is generalized, and some of it is specific, but it all comes from a recognizable place of teen struggle and fear. Sometimes these messages linger in my inbox, as I try to struggle for just the right words. Other times I feel urgency, and dash off a response as quickly as possible. I re-read the post later and wonder if I said the right things, if I said what I meant. I’m not the only one.

Other fandom blogs, some even larger than I am, have turned off anons or closed their ask box entirely because of an influx of personal rants, requests for help, and even suicide notes. While Tumblr’s anon feature is meant to be a place for shy and intimidated users to express themselves in a way that isn’t possible via conventional social media like Facebook and Twitter,  the double anonymity of a hidden screenname offers confidence to say things that are otherwise difficult or even unsayable. When it comes to personal questions and statements, many young people lack a safe location to speak them, and the ask box offers a unique relief. Many teens don’t want to speak to their parents, teachers, or guardians about their sex life, their mental health, or their personal problems. Even Googling answers sparks fear that a teacher will confiscate their phone, or a parent will borrow their laptop, and evidence will be left in view. With a generalized segregation of America by age, most teens also don’t have other adults which they can speak to on a friendly basis, let alone speak to face to face for advice on difficult issues. Often the only adults that young people interact with face-to-face are authority figures like older relatives, teachers, and coaches. In the absence of face-to-face interactions, teens instead turn to the leaders of their fandoms, who often foster online personas  as Fandom Rens, Moms, Uncles, and Sisters. Plenty of older fandom members cultivate this image, though “older” is relative and in a small community these members may be only eighteen or nineteen years old, though they are generally in their twenties and thirties. While many fandoms have a primary userbase of tweens and teens, these senior members often run the most popular blogs and produce the highest quality fanart, fanfiction, and other fan content. During fandom “discourse,” these older members often lead the way and resolve conflict.

“Discourse” in fandom is not like discourse in the academic sense. While academic discourse encompasses many elements of rhetoric and debate, fandom “discourse” is essentially a euphemism for argument, frequently with an ethical element or discussion of “problematic” behavior. This discourse can involve either relationships between real human beings like celebrities and fandom members or the content of any fictional work contained in the fandom canon. The wide umbrella of “discourse” covers everything from discussion of whether a fandom celebrity’s recent comment was racist all the way to whether fanwriting two characters romantically is incestual when both characters are figments of a third character’s imagination. In essence, discourse gets hairy, complicated, and even philosophical. Like real political and social issues and like fandom itself, discourse gives some young people a sense of belonging and also the feeling that they are on the side of right and reason. An individual’s choice to participate in discourse becomes part of their identity.

In this way, fandom becomes what Mary Louise Pratt refers to as a contact zone, “where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other.” Through fanfiction “AUs” (alternate universes) fans of color write white characters as PoC, queer fans write cisgender/heterosexual characters as LGBT+, and neuroatypical fans write neurotypical characters as autistic, depressed, anxious, or otherwise neuroatypical. While alternate universe only emerged as a genre with the rise of the internet, these stories reflect a longer history of the insertion of the subordinate into dominant texts. Pratt refers to a text called The First Chronicle and Good Government, in which a man native to South America uses the language of his colonizers, the Spanish, to talk about the experience of the indigenous people, “in which the subordinated subject single-handedly gives himself authority in the colonizer’s language and verbal repertoire.” Through this text, Pratt touches on what she calls transculturation, a product of the contact zone, in which “members of subordinated or marginal groups select and invent from materials transmitted by a dominant or metropolitan culture.” In the modern world, the dominant culture produces Steve Rogers, a cisgender man, and fandom reinvents him as a transgender man. The dominant culture creates Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, two white children, and fandom reinvents them as black and Indian. The dominant culture offers Legolas and Gimli, both ambiguously straight, and fandom reinvents them as a gay couple. For young marginalized people encountering this kind of contact zone for the first time, fandom becomes a community that is irreplaceable and unique, where they have the ability to express themselves and see themselves in characters.

Between the aspects of community in fandom itself and the discourse which offers a cause and creates both positive and negative relationships, it is hardly surprising that young people turn to fandom elders when they encounter a problem. After watching older fandom members participate in, manage, or even quell discourse, younger fandom members begin to look up to them as people who have all the answers, as leaders of this unique community. The availability of anonymity makes the opportunity even more enticing. A kind older fandom member becomes everyone’s shoulder to cry on, everyone’s outlet, and everyone’s therapist. While this may serve as a resource for plenty of teens, there is always an associated toll taken on the mental wellbeing of the members who serve them. Fandom creators want to help their followers, but may be struggling with their own past or present depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, body image issues, and attacks on their identity.

Self-proclaimed “Fandom Grandpa” @randomslasher (known in the community as LJ) runs the largest art and writing blog in my fandom and has struggled with a history of anon rants and anon requests both to themself and to their partner Thuri, who also runs a popular blog. As long ago as 2013, LJ posted, “I don’t think I will ever understand people who hide behind a mask of anonymity for the sole purpose of making someone else feel bad. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should [emphasis original].” LJ has made additional posts before and since requesting that people abstain from ranting into their inbox, but the issue continues for LJ and other major bloggers who gain new followers every single day. Many of these anonymous messages are never published, as evidenced by posts like this one, which appeared on LJ’s blog in 2018: “Anon i’m sorry to hear that, but that wasn’t a safe ask to send someone without a trigger warning, and i won’t publish it. Try to get help if you can.” The message of the post alone is ominous, and one can only guess at the content of the ask.

The teenage years are known to be a time of struggle, both personal and social. This is significant now more than ever as depression and anxiety rates among teens rise, and many teens experience suicidal ideation, unhealthy relationships with their own bodies, and struggles with their gender and sexuality in addition to the classic problems of teenhood which should be no more serious than asking someone to homecoming, getting a driver’s license, or taking a chemistry exam. However, as student struggles become more severe, especially among marginalized groups, resources to cope with this period is not moving apace, and young people use fandom as a resource to get answers and to express themselves. Older fandom members are suddenly bearing the weight of hundreds of teen struggles, and most of them have no formal training or resources to cope with them.

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: A Different Time

Summary: The Lothbrok family finds themselves in very strange and different place.

Pairing: Undecided

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger

A/N: This damn idea has invaded my dreams since I started the show and I really wanted to do a poc reader imagine so I killed to birds with one stone.

Waking up to an empty and quiet house is something you feel in your heart you will never be used to.

You always wait to hear your mother snoring, your younger sister singing in the shower and your little brothers watching TV.

But no noise reached your ears.

You mother was still in a nursing home, you sister is God knows where after she ran off to travel, and your brothers were both in special needs boarding schools.

You lay there in bed, thinking over your plans for the day, your vacation starts today so no work. If it hadn’t been for it being Sunday you’d visit you mother, or your brothers, but the nursing home was strict about visiting hours and you couldn’t afford the across state trip to see them.

With a grunt you got up and freshened up lazily before getting dressed in your favorite cookie monster onsie. Why get fully dressed to not do a damn thing?

You sat on the couch and settled for a marathon of Supernatural reruns, you were only half watching, looking through your phone.

Suddenly you heard a loud splash coming fro the pool, making you jump and look out the window.

There was an entire group of people in your pool, more pulling themselves from it.

‘The hell?’ you asked no one as you grabbed your bat and got the cops on speed dial before going outside.

‘Who the hell are you?!’ you yelled, trying to act as if you were not scared shitless.

None of them paid you any attention, they were all focused on the water of the pool.

With a curiosity that you hated you looked at the water and saw a person was struggling to pull themselves to the surface.

‘Oh-oh my God!’ you panicked before you jumped into the cold water, the freezing temperature shocked you but still you swam down the twelve foot deep end.

You wrapped your arms around the person and kicked your legs as hard you could to carry the both of you up. You notice that the person in your arms, while, moving their arms, was not moving their legs at all.

Finally just as your lungs began to burn you made it to the surface.

Taking in a lung fill of air before dragging the poor soul the edge of the pool, where the other trespassers helped pull the person out.

Once you were sure that had gotten out you pulled yourself from the pool and cursed the chlorine in your eyes.

Blinking away the burning in your eyes you looked at the strangers closer and saw that they were standing around the person you pulled from the pool.

It was a man, a man in strange clothes like a cosplay, he was also not breathing.

‘Shit.’ you groaned, pushing past the rest of the strangers and rushed to give the man CPR.

You pumped his chest, remembering everything from your lessons.

When still no water came up you moved and gave mouth to mouth.

Man this guy had bad breath, but that was no reason to let him die.

Finally the man began to cough up the water.

You sighed in relief before standing up and walking back over to your bat and picking it up.

‘Now that I’ve avoided seeing a dead body, who the hell are you people and why are you jumping into pools when you cant fucking swim.’ you sighed.

You realize they were all dressed in the same medieval-like cosplay outfits on, it was then you see that your swimming partners legs were strapped together by leather belts.

They had similar features as if they were all related, you see that there are five of them, for men and one older woman.

One man, you notice he looks the oldest of the men, he studies you as if you were the odd one here.

‘Forgive us for trespassing on your lands, we simply wish to know where we are, and how to find our way home.’ the man said slowly, with a thick accent.

‘If by lands you mean my backyard then yes you weirdos are trespassing.’ you replied.

‘You speak our language.’ he smiled happily.

You gave a confused look.

‘You are speaking English, clear as day, granted its like a Shakespeare play, but still English.

‘Shake what? I’m not speaking English I am speaking Norse.’ he said, looking to the others for assurance. 

‘I hear Norse, I don’t understand English.’ another man says, this one is gangly and has his long hair braided.

You were about to respond when you heard a noise in the distance.

An old engine pulling into your neighbors yard.

‘Dammit, all of you hide.’ you panicked.

‘What?’ the old man asked.

You rush to your back door and open it, gesturing them to go inside.

‘Get inside before that nos bat sees you all.’ you hissed.

If that crazy woman saw them she’d tell the whole block who knows what, and you prefer to figure out what’s going on without unnecessary drama.

Still confused they hurried inside, one of the men carrying your CPR guy.

Just as the door closed you heard your name being called.

‘(Y/N)! How nice to see you outside in the sun light.’ the old woman yelled as she approached the fence that separated your yard from hers.

‘Yeah, nice to see you too Miss Cookie. I was just trying to make sure the pool light hadn’t died and I fell in.’ you lied gesturing to your we clothes.

‘Oh I see you must be more careful, what would I tell your mother if you caught flu?’

Nothing since my Mom doesn’t even talk to you, you think.

‘Who knows, anyway I should be getting out of these clothes and into dry ones.’ you dismiss yourself.

‘Take care of yourself! And make sure to water your grass it’s looking a little brown.’

‘Thanks for the heads up.’ you fake smiled before you head back to your house.

‘Oh and your-’

‘Have a nice day!’ you yelled as you entered the house and closed the door.

You look around your living room and see all the strangers are surrounding the TV, all except the one you saved, he was on the couch but clearly just as intrigued by the screen as the others.

‘What is this?’ the gangly one from before asked, reaching to touch the screen cautiously.

A different man, the one with the most electric blue eyes out of them slapped his hand away.

‘Don’t touch it! This woman is clearly a witch, she has trapped these people in this...this strange box.’ he said.

‘It’s not witchcraft, its Television. Why are you all acting like you’ve never seen anything from this century?’ you ask.

They all turn to raise a plethora of weapons, real fucking weapons, not plastic ones they hand made. No real sharp ass swords and fucking arrows; even the  guy on the couch had a dagger aimed at you.

‘Witch!’ the woman spat.

‘There is no such thing as witches! Now could you please put the weapons away before I actually have to call the police on you freaks!’ you panic.

‘Tell us where we are!’ the man on the couch demanded.

‘Dallas Texas, in America! Where half the shit you’ve done in the last ten minutes illegal!’

‘What is the year?’ the gangly one asked.

‘What year?’ you question.

‘What year is it!’ he yelled.

‘2018!’ you answered.

All weapons were lowered, and you sigh in relief.

‘Nearly two thousand years.’ the gangly one whispered to himself.

All eyes moved from you to him.

‘Hvitserk, why do I get the feeling you know something?’ the man on the couch accused.

The man in question looked away.

‘The war was near, we were a day away from a fight that would kill mostly everyone here. Our father’s heart would break if it were still beating...so I sacrificed a fine horse to the Gods and asked them to help us fix our family.’ he confessed.

‘If you wanted to fix our family why is Lagertha here? Is she the mother you wanted?’ the couch man glared at the woman, who returned the look tenfold.

‘Of course not, Ivar, but she is Bjorn’s mother and our war is just as much with her as it is with Ubbe, even more so. I’m tired of the seeing the people I’ve known and cared for my whole life kill each other.’ the man Hvitserk said in his defense.

‘That was not your decision...brother.’ the oldest one said.

‘I did not know Bjorn, I didn’t they would snatch us away from our home and place us so far in time.’ he apologized.

Still glaring at the man apparently responsible for whatever the fuck is going on here, the oldest, Bjorn lowered his head.

‘We all apologize, for disrespecting you and your home. If you will please grant us shelter until we are able find better accommodations.’ he requested.

‘You mean let the strangers with weapons that just tried to kill me sleep over.’ sure you sassed.

‘Thank you.’ he smiled.

Everyone else followed his lead and gave thanks.

‘I was being sarcastic.’ you mumbled, but seeing their relief you couldn’t just kick them out.

‘First I need all your weapons on the  floor, I don’t like deadly weapons in my home.’ you said urgently.

With a few suspicious glances they all dropped their weapons, it was quite the pile.

‘Now that’s done let us introduce ourselves. My name is Bjorn Ironside, this is my mother Lagertha, and these are my younger brothers. Ubbe, Hvitserk and Ivar, thank you for saving him.’ Bjorn introduced.

‘That is Ivar the Boneless, and I can thank her for myself.’ Ivar added.

The two glared at each other before you suddenly realized something.

‘Wait...Ivar the Boneless?’ you asked in shock.

‘Yes...do you know of me?’ he asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.

‘I do...and if you are him...then that means that you all are...Oh my fucking God.’ you gasped in awe.

‘We are what?’ Ubbe asked.

‘You are Vikings.’ 

[shawnskeds]

Intuition {S.M}

requested// imagine from Shawn’s point of view where you are best friends with Shawn and his family says you are perfect for one another and he should do something about it

author’s note// all my imagines are going to crap idk if im gonna keep up with this page much longer

masterlist 

I loved her. I knew for a long time that I loved her, but for a good while I didn’t know if that was right. 

Okay, now before you call my crazy, just here me out. 

Haven’t you ever loved someone that you knew wasn’t the one for you? I know that sounds cringey and stupid, but you know what I’m talking about. That one person that you fell in love with, but they were so wrong for you, so unhealthy, even so mean to you, but you fell in love anyways. 

Well, I was convinced she was that for me. I thought she would never feel the same, and I thought that she would never love me the way that I loved her. I thought that she would always just see me as her best friend who was always just there. That’s what she was to me until the eighth grade, if we are being completely honest. We were at the school dance and I saw her in that cheap Macy’s dress with the beads falling off of it, and I thought she was so beautiful. She had been my best friend for like, five years, and I had never seen her like that. Now that’s the only way that I see her. 

And it’s been seven years now, I’m always on tour, and she was always with the kids she taught. She was a classroom assistant for fourth graders, she’ll be an actual teacher in a year. It’s kind of adorable. But we continue to be best friends. We continue to stay in touch even though she is in school and I’m almost never home. And I continue to harbor these absolutely disgusting feelings for her that she probably has no idea about. I’m pretty sure no one knew about them. 

The weird thing is, there weren’t even dating rumors about us. We had been seen in public together a few times, and photos surfaced, but it wasn’t ever,

“Shawn Mendes and mystery woman???????” 

Which baffled me to an extreme extent, but at the same time I’m glad. 

I’m rambling, aren’t I? 

Okay, so summary of the backstory before I get to the point:

I’ve been friends with her since third grade, been in love with her since eighth grade, she’s graduating college this year and I still haven’t told her how I feel, I do the pop star thing and we continue to be best friends, and I’m coming home for a month to take a break from tour and I’m seeing her tonight. 

Okay, let’s get on with it then!

“I’m excited to see you!” She beamed. I could tell through the phone. She was excited. I hadn’t seen her in person in six months, and I missed her more than words could say. 

“Me too!” I smiled, and I knew she could tell that I was. She just laughed a little, and I heard the line click off. I sighed and slipped the phone next to me as I placed my other hand back on the wheel. I was nervous to say the least, because I decided that seven years was long enough and tonight I would decide to tell her how I felt. 

Or maybe I wasn’t. 

I don’t know. 

But I do know who to ask. 

I pulled into my driveway, seeing the exact face I wanted to see. My sister, Aaliyah. I purposefully came home about an hour earlier than my parents get home, so I could talk to her before they got home. She sprinted to my car, waiting for it to come to a halt, and when it did, she ran over to the door waiting for me to open it, and when I did I thought she was going to cry when she jumped into my arms. 

“Shawn, oh my god!” She held on so tight as I let out a chuckle. She was happy to see me, I was guessing. I was always close with my sister. She always knew what was going on. She always knew what I was feeling, and she got it. Sometimes even when I didn’t tell her. “I missed you.” I squeezed just a little tighter, and  hoped she’d never have to let go, so I pushed the thought of having to leave soon out of my head. 

“Yeah? I missed you too kiddo, but I need your advice.” I pulled back, my sister doing the same. She smiled.

“I knew you would. Come on.” She started to go inside, and I followed her. I just left his suitcase in his truck, knowing he would be back out for it later. I walked up the familiar steps into my house, my black boots clonking on the wooden steps. “I’m pretty sure I already know too.” She mumbled, walking into the house, the scent of home washing over me. It almost hurt that I had been gone for so long. I loved this place with everything I am. I instantly walked into the kitchen, seeing that oh-so-familiar tin of blueberry muffins, grabbing one, and sitting at the bar. Aaliyah did the same, and as she sat down she let out a sigh. “What do you need my wise high school kid help with?” She bit into her muffin, obviously incredibly content. 

“Y/n…” I trailed off peeling the wrapping off of my muffin. God, I missed these. 

“You mean your future wife.” She stated non-nonchalantly. I almost choked on that muffin I shit you not. 

“What?” I coughed, trying to form words and get air into my lungs. 

“Shawn, come on. You love her. Jesus, everyone knows. It isn’t hard to tell. Even my friends know. Like seriously, you don’t hide it well. I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t know.” She paused, collecting her thoughts for a moment and it caused his stomach to drop about seven stories. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she felt the same way.” That was seventeen stories. 

“Really?” I choked out, not even trying to take another bite out of that muffin knowing I would probably die. 

“Yeah, really. In all honesty, you really should have gone and seen her first instead of waiting for six a clock tonight and just tell her what you’re feeling. You’ve been harboring these feelings for what? Five and a half years?” She stated, still engrossed in that muffin. 

“Actually seven but..” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Pretty sure she’s at work anyways…” I knew very well she wasn’t. I was honestly just trying to think up an excuse on to why I shouldn’t go over there. 

“Fat lie. Call her, tell her you’re coming over, and then go tell her how you feel.” My sister basically demanded. All of the things that could possibly go wrong, or go right even, ran through my head at about a million miles a minute. No, more like a second. She could say no, she could say that she didn’t want to ever talk to me again since she didn’t want to have to deal with my feelings. She could laugh at me. Or, she could feel the same. She could jump into my arms and we could live happily ever after. And I’d really like to see the outcome. 

“Aaliyah, I know I just got home, but I really have to do something.” She didn’t even say a word and I knew she was fine with it. I instantly got up from the bar and walked out of the door. My courage was rushing through my veins and I hoped and prayed that it wouldn’t just go away. I instantly got in my car, put the key in the ignition, and pulled out of the driveway. My blood was boiling over with anticipation and in that moment I was so incredibly grateful that her house was only five minutes away. Because I was pulling into her driveway before I could even give it a second thought. I took a deep breath, making sure not to think it through again before I hopped out of the car and out onto her driveway. I took long, fast strides up to her front door, and knocked. She had gotten a tiny house of her own, only one story since she hated the idea of an apartment so much. I looked at the white paint that was chipped, most likely from the previous owner. It seemed like forever and a half I was waiting until I heard that door creak open. I looked over, her long legs uncovered since she was only wearing some pajama shorts, her arms pressed against the door frame, those only covered up by a long sleeve purple t-shirt. 

“Hey, you’re early.” She laughed, and god, it was a heavenly sound. Her dark skin glowing in the early afternoon sunlight. “Wanna come in?” She asked. 

“No.” I shook my head. “I just have to say something and then I can leave or stay or whatever it is you want.” I took a deep breath again, and she nodded her head, as if telling me to get on it with already. She crossed her arms and waited. “Okay well, so like this may be creepy but i’m in love with you?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “I am, and I have been for a while but I thought It’d just be better if you didn’t know but… But at this point it’s just sad and I wanted you to know I can leave now.” I instantly grew embarrassed and started to turn away, but I felt her hand wrap around my wrist and turn me around. 

“God, it took you long enough. I’ve only been waiting for you to tell me since what? Ninth grade?” She bit her lip and smiled at me. 

“Eighth grade, actually.”

author’s note// OH MY G O D ITS GROSS I HATE IT WHY DO I EVEN WRITE ANYMORE I NEED TO DIE NOT WRITE also i made the y/n a poc cause freaking every imagine is a white hoe and its sickening. cant wait to get triggered messages even tho theres literally oNE sentence about her being a poc!!!!! bye!!!