#obvs the target audiences here

[buckleydiazes]

Hello fellow bylers, I saw some tags on a Stranger Things post by @biigiiiii making conjecture about being gay in the 80s and I thought, well my dad was a gay teen in the 80s, let me ask him! And it was originally intended to just be sent via messages but then I figured it would be easier to structure as a text post and idk maybe someone else would be interested in hearing his thoughts. All of this is his own personal experience, obviously that is not universal. Hopefully someone finds this interesting or enlightening in some way though.

Gays at Large

What was the general feeling toward LGBTQ people in the 80s?

Homophobia was bad enough that people did not give a second thought to it or how damaging what they were saying was. Between the AIDS epidemic and Raegan administration, homophobia was extremely commonplace and pretty ingrained in Western culture. It was generally more prominent in rural areas than cities — that much has not changed.

The Q Word

How does he feel about the word queer and has his feelings changed at all over the years?

Well, despite rampant homophobia, there had also been a lot of pushing for LGBT advocacy in recent years. The Stonewall Rebellion happened in 1969, which had a significant effect on American society. A year later, in 1970, were the first gay pride marches. For my dad, queer was a word that had already been reclaimed by many, and so therefore meant little to him. In his words, "I'm a queer? A [f slur]? Tell me something I don't know. What, are you going to call me a [hispanic slur] next? 🙄"

Knowing vs Awareness

Was he aware he was gay as a teen? No but yes. As with many who are considered different by society's strandards, there is always an undercurrent of Knowing that you are different. You understand, on some deep level, that you are not fitting the mold that you should be. But that doesn't mean you actively aware and thinking about it. In fact, a lot of people do their best to not think about it and pretend to be "normal."

In my dad's case, he knew he was different, but he didn't "have time" to think about it that much. There was other things going on in his life that made it easier to put thoughts of his sexuality on the back burner. And yet, despite this suppression, he still was keenly aware of other people's attitudes toward LGBTQ folk, which became a sort of sixth sense.

Hypervigilance is Exhausting

As a survival instinct, my dad was always on the look out for who was "safe" and who wasn't. My dad was not a particular flamboyant person and he was into more "masculine" interests (his career is in HVAC, plumbing, and electric, and his hobbies involve listening to the news and playing the guitar); this made it easier for him to fit in, but he still could not ever truly let his guard down. This became so ingrained that he sometimes wonders if his personality would have ended up different had he been allowed to be himself without fear. Fear is a powerful tool in shaping a young mind, after all. And it's also so very wearying. Eventually, he got to a poijt in his life where he decided to hell with what everyone else thinks and feels and he would be himself shamelessly because there's not enough years in a life to be constantly forcing yourself into a socially acceptable boxm

The Curse of Internalized Homophobia

But...what about internalized homophobia? Yeah, unfortunately, he very much experienced it. And, even more unfortunately, it found its way into his speech, throwing around some homophobic slurs of his own before he came out of the closet. According to him, he has known many a gay man who shared in homophobic language during their closeted/repressed years. I don't think I need to tell anyone how terrible it is the way society can coerce you into being part of your own groups oppression.

Birds of a Feather

Did he know any other gay people though? Again, no but yes. You might have noticed or heard about the concept of gay people flocking together before any of them even know/accept that they're gay. His case is another one for the books. There were definitely a few people he knew were closeted, though he never approached them with the topic, but it wasn't for many years later that he would find out how many people around him were LGBTQ in one way or another.

Funnily enough, he married my mom out of high school, and as it turns out, she's bi and trans. (Trans man, she/her, very complicated history with gender. Also they are divorced but still best friends.)

Stolen Youth and New Hope

So, what is the overall feeling of having been a closeted gay teen in the 80s? Well, like something precious was kept from you. Those experiences that cishet folk got to have, you didn't. So many of the formative experiences many have in their adolescence were not viable for LGBTQ folks—from openly having a partner to just being and presenting how you wanted to. And, like I mentioned before, he was left with a persistent wondering about who he would have been had the world been a better place. (This isn't even something unique to his time either, many LGBTQ folks of all ages feel like this!)

That said, he is still so glad to see the positive changes in the world. He watches things like Heartstopper and is happy that, at the least, he got to live long enough to see that sort of representation on TV. And I think that's lovely. (As a personal aside: fuck you @ everyone who bitched about Heartstopper being "too sanitized", gay people deserve all types of representation on TV. If you don't like a certain kind, move on to something else and let those that do like it enjoy themselves.)

So, yeah, there's all the stuff I talked to my dad about. If you have any further questions for/about him (or my mom perhaps), feel free to shoot me a message!

[turnleftaticela]

[target audience for this post is white usamericans]

one of my strongest-held beliefs is that white usamericans need to treat themselves like they were raised in a cult. because in a lot of ways, we basically are. and the process of unlearning imperialism, white supremacy, capitalism, usacentrism, etc is verrrry similar to the process of escaping a cult, realizing the rest of the world exists, and adjusting your beliefs and values accordingly.

what this also means is that we have to grant ourselves sympathy, compassion, and understanding. yes, we benefit from the system in many ways, but it harms us in many other ways, and we need to acknowledge that. we need to heal from the shame and fear it ingrains in us. we need to recognize it’s not our fault we were indoctrinated. we need to understand the vital elements of humanity we’ve been denied for so long. (like, we’ve been made to hurt people! that’s fucked up!!) only then can we begin to approach the problems in which we’re complicit in a genuine and healthy manner.

this, of course, does not mean we can or should expect sympathy from those we oppress. that’s not the point. but we can and should seek sympathy within ourselves and amongst each other, so that we can respond to the harm we’ve caused not with self-flagellation, but with space and accountability. part of what white usamerican culture does to us is instill a sense of individualism that makes us resistant to seeking connection via this kind of healing and growth work. but spaces where that is the priority are exactly what we need to actually make progress.

[barbiesmuse]

WELCOME TO NEW YORK ₊✧⋆

;ֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָjohn price + reader

summary: in which john finds a new column in the paper quite interesting, although he isn't the target audience he keeps coming back for more.

tags: perv!john, reader is somewhat slutty (but aren't we all?), talk of sex, reader and john masturbate, perv!john has a voice kink, john is also a hoe, reader is astute, john is painted in a more submissive way in reader's mind, when the true smut comes it won't be this way obv!! this is long as hell and i hate the way i wrote the end but i needed to get this out, reader being sexy as usual!!

HEAD BARBIE'S ANNOUNCEMENTS: hi gorgeous gorgeous people!! this is so silly and unexpected of me but with sex and the city being added to netflix we're going to celebrate!! i'm actually moving to NYC because this barbie has a boyfriend!! alright, now you may read. it's very long so beware!! also yes i did steal the name of carrie's blog i am not that creative i fear!! love you always, xoxo natty.

ps. y'alls little reblogs for better version headcanons & the fic were absolutely adorable i read them over and over!! your ideas and continuations were so so smart. i loved it soso much. if u ever have any thoughts send an ask!! thank you thank you thank you!! ₊✧⋆

Wednesday, October 20th.

John Price was a man who liked routine. If anything was even remotely out of order all hell would break loose. John saw it as a silly quirk, his past partners saw it as a deal breaker. Which is how he ended up here, watching his seventh girlfriend this year pack her things. He watched as she packed her belongings in a cluttered manner. He couldn't help but cringe at the sight. Her clothes overflowing as she stuffs them in the cardboard box. As she heads for the door, she and John make eye contact. John can't help but chuckle at her glare and wave her off, he told himself again and again that he was getting too damn old for this. As the girl walks out of his condo John can't help but sigh. It wasn't like he was attached to these women, they were just simple sleeves for his cock until he found a pretty little housewife. John runs a hand over his face, his beard hairs scratching against his palm. He lets out a low grunt before heading to bed, as he trudges up the stairs he spots the woman's red lace panties. He let out a quiet chuckle before picking them up and stuffing them inside his pocket. She'd left them on purpose. After all, John was a hard man to get over. He would worship you like you were a goddess, all to sneak out the next morning. Thursday, October 21st.

As John made his way into headquarters he picked up the newspaper, exchanged pleasantries with the secretaries, and even gave the nurse a nod. He was in a good mood, and when John was in a good mood all was right in the world. The sound of his heavy boots filled the halls as he made his way to the break room for his morning coffee. He threw the newspaper on the table before grabbing a mug, as Soap walks in he can't help but roll his eyes. He did not have the time for his childish banter. Not after he spent the whole night fisting himself with those red lace panties.

“Mornin' Cap, have a good weekend?” Soap says as he comes beside his Captain. He smelled of liquor and sex, his hair was disheveled, and his pants were unzipped. John let out a scoff before pouring the rest of the coffee into his mug. “No, but I can see you've had a good morning,” John says before licking the coffee that drips from the black pot. Soap lets out an embarrassed chuckle and takes a seat next to Price as he sits at a table.

Soap opens the newspaper and is met with the same column every time, written by a young female journalist. Soap would know because his wife practically lived off of it. He lets out an annoyed groan before turning to see any big news. There was none, the only interesting thing on the paper that morning was that damn fashion and gossip column. John quirked an eyebrow up at his exasperated expression, he didn't want to know, but the awkward silence in the room was slowly eating away at him.

“Sorry Cap, s' just this damn fashion column is what takes up the paper these days. S' all my wife talks about with her friends, I mean I get it. The journalist is a fuckin' babe. S' just annoyin', continue y'r coffee.” Soap rambles, although John doesn't really listen after the mention of Soap's wife. That woman had been eyeing him since Soap had joined the Task Force. John nods before speaking firmly, “We've got a briefing in less than twenty minutes, I suggest you fix yourself up now unless you have a kink for embarrassment.” Soap nods before scurrying out of the break room.

John grabs the newspaper and his eyes widen at the black and white picture of you. He could only imagine what you looked like in person, how fucking beautiful you were. You looked as if you belonged in the Louvre. His eyes trail down to your column, he can't help but chuckle at the name.

❝𝐒𝐞𝐱 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲!❞ The guide to Vogue, sex, and cigarettes.

John was more than intrigued he was captivated by you, even from words you had caught him by the balls. As he continued reading he couldn't help but start to wonder who you were. How did you get to be this mysterious woman who he craved to know more about? John grabbed the paper and left the break room, his coffee now cold and lonely. Hell, who needed it when you had given him just enough energy by showing the tiniest bit of cleavage! John walks into the briefing room as if he's in a hurry. He looks around at the men before mumbling, “Meetings canceled.” In ten minutes you had thrown John completely off of his game. Where was the order and routine he usually lived for? Had he thrown it all out the window for a pretty little minx such as yourself? Of course, because when John saw something he liked; he needed to have it. No matter what it took. John barges into his office and locks his door, he couldn't be seen reading some girly column in the paper. His eyes trailed down to your column, and he began reading his eyes squinting at the use of your tiny font.

❝𝐒𝐞𝐱 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲!❞ The guide to Vogue, sex, and cigarettes.

Why do all men have to be so complicated? I swear we women deserve a raise for the constant bullshit we put up with. It's almost impossible to find a man who isn't trying to keep his penis hard! Although I degrade men usually, one of my closest friends just got engaged! He's one of the few who deserve a pat on the back. The engagement was out of a movie almost! Although it's nowhere near close to happening for me, I can live vicariously through my friends. As I sit here and right to you I can't help but wonder if there actually is a man out there for me? I'm not as scary as I sound, I just have a passion for women's rights! What's so scary about that? It's not as if I'm some lock-ness monster trying to lure people in, just a woman who knows her worth. On a happier note, I've found a new bar called the “Cafe Society.” They open at five o'clock every day! They have some of the best espresso martinis I've ever had, and I consider myself a connoisseur of espresso martinis! I go every Thursday, come see me! Although this month's column is short I'll be back and better than ever before you know it. Might just need a man to pick me up and show me a good time, until then you might not know where to find me most of the time; but you can always find me on the 21st. Lots of love.

On the twenty-first, your column was in the newspaper every month. Finally, something else to look forward to besides fucking brainless women. He usually didn't like women who put up a fight, but you, God, there was something about you. You were such a breath of fresh air, you had opinions. He could tell you were able to hold a conversation. You were a woman. Not a girl, a fucking woman. John looked at the date, Thursday. What a perfect little setup, almost as if you planned it just for him. At least, that's what John would like to think. The time was currently 12:35 pm, he could last until five, only for a pretty girl like you.

Thursday, October 21st. 5:00.

As John walks into Cafe Society the first thing he sees is you, setting your purse on the bar counter and making conversation with the bartenders. He figured they knew you well considering you were a regular. He walked over to the bar, exhaling slowly. He takes a seat on the stool next to you. His cologne gently clouded your nose. You look over at him, your gorgeous eyes meet his cold brown eyes and he swears he's in heaven. “Captain John Price, a pleasure to meet you,” he trails off, waiting to be told your name. After hearing your name he swears he's been struck by Cupid himself. He can hear the winged baby chanting your name in his ear. Had you cast a spell on him? As a soft smile paints your sweet face he knows he's struck gold. You turn away, not sparing him another glance for the rest of the night. John's palms are sweaty, had he not charmed you enough? You were an enigma to him, and he was determined to figure you out.

As you get up from your seat, slinging your mini purse around your shoulder John smirks. You were such a pretty sight, the way your curves filled your skirt made him spiral. You shoot him a tight-lipped smile before walking out, your heels clicking echoing in his mind. He quickly gets up, placing a hundred-dollar bill in the bar to pay for his drink before rushing to find you. There you were, looking around for a taxi, he assumed.

“Ending the night so early?” John says, a chuckle escaping his lips as he accidentally startles you. He places his large hand on your shoulder. You let out a soft giggle, looking up at him with those same fiery eyes. “Well, unfortunately, the man at the bar didn't speak to me. I assumed he was married.” You say, a grin resting on your face. You were witty, John didn't usually like that in a woman. He liked more submissive women. But you, you were different. You held your own, you would be just fine without a husband. At least that's what you kept telling yourself after the failed relationships.

“Quite far from married, darlin',” He begins, his hand trailing down to your lower back. You shiver at his touch and he hesitates. You give him a reassuring glance and begin to walk, you wait for him to follow before letting out a playful sigh. “You coming or what?” You say and smile as he quickly catches up. The two of you walk side by side, a comforting silence cast over the two of you. “So besides being a captain, what do you do in your free time?” You ask, a bashful smile painting your face as your pinkies touch briefly.

“Not much, work usually takes up a lot of my time. What about you? What do you do for a living?” He asks, you look up at him and as you pass a newspaper stand you pick up a paper and point to your face. “Journalist, Mr. Captain.” You say with a cheeky smile, almost as if you knew he knew. It hurt your ego he didn't know who you were, almost everyone did. “Ah, interesting,” He says calmly, his eyes trailing down to your breasts, fuck. They were even better in person. He couldn't help but mentally facepalm as he felt a hard-on begin to grow.

“Quite,” you say, pronouncing your “T.” sharply. The silence is now not-so-comforting. Before you can say anything John quickly speaks, a hint of panic in his voice. What had changed in the last twenty-one seconds? The size of his hard-on, that's what. “As much as I'd love to stay n' chat doll, I've got to get home. Th-the missus needs me.” He says before quickly walking to his car. The missus? Didn't he say he wasn't married?

Men, what a bunch of fucking assholes.

Thursday, October 21st. 11:00.

As you lie in bed, your computer resting to your side, glasses perched on your face. Legs spread, lip drawn between your teeth you search for everything there is to know about Captain John Price. How old is he, what he truly does for a living, and if he is married or not. Various pictures of random men come up, none of them the sexy captain you'd met only a few hours earlier. You sigh and let out a sexually frustrated moan, how could there be absolutely no pictures of him. Just as you're about to give up you spot a picture of him with a woman, they're kissing and they seem to be in a tropical setting.

Intrigue takes over and you decide to click on her page, double-checking your incognito window before scrolling. You'd hit the jackpot. Several pictures of the woman and John flood your screen, some are more sensual others are simple selfies. Yet as you scroll you check for one thing, a ring and or wedding pictures. A small smile on your face as you find none. Gosh, he looks so damn sexy. It's shameful, truly. But you can't help but dip your hand down into your panties. Your pointer and middle finger rub gentle circles on your bud.

You can't help but slip a finger inside yourself at the thought of him touching you. He was just so perfect, you could only imagine how his rough beard would feel against your pussy as he laps at it. The burning feeling would feel good, you'd come right on his tongue. He'd be so needy for you, humping against the bed to get himself off while he pleasures you. He'd whimper against your clit, a chuckle escaping his lips as you whine from him blowing cold air on your pretty pussy.

Oh, you just know he'd touch you so well.

As John sits in his bed, his gray sheets crinkled as he fucks his fist at the sight of you. He'd searched the internet for you, needing to know everything about you. You made him crazy, you carried yourself in such a polite manner, he almost felt ashamed for wishing it was your hand wrapped around his veiny cock. You'd take him so well, he was sure of it. A sinister smirk painted his face as he clicked on an interview of you, it was recent and fuck you looked perfect. He couldn't help but imagine your plump lips wrapped around his cock, his tip repeatedly hitting the back of your throat as he face-fucked you.

Not to mention how well you'd take him, you were such a good girl. Your moans would be so pretty against his pillow, he'd fuck you from behind so well you'd be shaking when he was done with you. Your sweet sounds only making him come quicker, he was sure he wouldn't be able to last long. And your voice, your sweet voice. You might've been a little firecracker but your voice was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard. If only you'd moan his name, just for him. One day, you would and he was damn sure of it.

As you come down from your high you can't help but imagine the title for next month's column, “My shameful addiction to Mr. Captain.”

[poorlittleyaoyao]

Imo the problem with novel wwx is the lack of self awareness and reflection. The FEW times he understands where things went wrong and where he fucked up, he... doesn't think??? (ex. He knows at the ancestral hall he was being unfair to jc, but he doesn't say nothing nor ask lwj or wn to stop to attack jc in front of his ancestors; or at the burial mounds 2.0 when people say :you have killed my mom, etc... He shuts up.) I think I understand, because how can you handle some traumas? But, it almost seems like... He doesn't have regrets. Mdzs isn't about redemption or someone confronting his past (jzx never gets an apology, wwx isn't the one to reveal the core's transfer to jc...). wwx goes from taking so much agency to refuse to have agency (he doesn't try to fix the demonic cultivation shit!). Mdzs it's a BL and I find it unsatisfying with all these interesting characters. Obv that's me, just the other day I've seen someone under a jc's post 'oh, this way I find jc a bit sympathetic. I can't get over how he abandoned wwx. lwj did it too, but then he was sorry. jc is still bad for me'. I suppose a lot of people find mdzs satisfying if they are there ONLY for wwx.

I haven't read any other danmei (which is why I should issue an obligatory disclaimer that THESE ARE JUST MY OWN REACTIONS, NOT LEGIT ANALYSIS because I don't know the genre and am aware that I'm not the target audience here), so I am curious to know how it compares within the genre. I don't see Jiang Cheng-style discourse about anyone in SVSSS or TGCF, which makes me wonder if the number of conflicting sympathetic perspectives in MDZS is unusual. (Though it's also possible that it's out there and simply hasn't breached my dash.)

I think Novel WWX and Drama WWX are in opposite quadrants of some sort of Venn diagram where the Y-axis goes from "did everything wrong" to "did nothing wrong" and the X-axis goes from "regrets everything" to "regrets nothing." Drama WWX cares deeply about the people around him and feels remorse for his actions, but CQL painstakingly rearranges plot points so nothing is every actually WWX's fault. Meanwhile, Novel WWX has done many atrocities and is largely like ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯ about everything.

[pseudowho]

hiya 🙂 i love your nanamin fics and i followed you for them way back when you wrote the pregnant reader one (and I still think about it). thought id ask you cos you seem to answer questions like this pretty wisely 🥲

i started writing fics for a pretty niche character in a fandom (not jjk) a while back and a friend/moot started then too. this character doesnt have lots of readers and thats fine im just here for the writing.

but since then ive noticed my friend has stopped reblogging my fics even tho they did before and even tho they obvs read and reblog everyone elses fics for this character (there really arent many of us).

they also seem upset about notes/likes a lot of the time. but I know they read my fics because I see lots of the same word choices and styles show up in their fics the next time they post.

its upsetting me lot tbh. i still read, like/comment/rb fics i like and its starting to feel like they do it because they think i have more readers than they do and mb theyre jealous.

anyway i dunno if you think i should raise it with them or just leave it?? they dont talk to me much anymore either after I didnt rb one of their fics i didnt really love.

First of all, well done for starting to write, and writing for an 'unpopular' character too, it looks like it's hard having a niche audience in the Tumblr-sphere. I'm always really grateful when someone writes for a niche character I love, every fic is like finding a diamond!

Second of all: I'm really really sorry this is happening to you. It has happened and still happens to me, too.

Thirdly: While I'll give my thoughts on it straight after this, one truth is that the other person maybe simply doesn't like your writing, and there's nothing mean-spirited about it at all.

Saying this, in your case, there seem to be too many little factors that actually makes me think... 👇

I have Thoughts™️💬 about Toxic Tumblr Reblog Culture...

There is a little phenomenon I've noticed with a lot of fic writers, where they seem to stop reblogging the fics of others who they view as competition. Even if they often read and reblogged another writer's fics before they themselves started writing.

They seem to think that if they reblog the work of you, their "competitor", then your work will get more attention than theirs. It gets even worse the more 'popular' you get, sadly.

I understand, because it's hard to see someone reblog most other peoples' fics about a character, and then pointedly ignore yours. You're not mad for feeling targeted. It can feel this way.

Equally, there can be a cherry-picking of moots' work, and a high school clique attitude to reblogging. Do two or three people band together and constantly reblog each others' work, making a huge fuss whatever it is, but leave you out even though you've historically been part of the circle before? Again, it's not as uncommon as you think.

A real "if we become moots, that means I reblog all your stuff, and you reblog all my stuff" as an unspoken rule. While that might work nicely for some people, it can also foster an air of pressure or entitlement, or of reblogging things even if you didn't really like them, because they're your friend. While fostering growth and circulation in the art community should be celebrated, I'd hate to think someone reblogged my work out of obligation, as opposed to passion.

I've had followers who loved my stuff, always commented and reblogged etc, but when they started writing for the same characters themselves, just stopped. I've also noticed a lot of the things you mention (them using similar word choices, stylistic choices etc to mine, in their new fics).

So, you know they're there reading in the background, and it doesn't make sense that they liked your writing one day, then just stopped liking it overnight, right?

I don't often muse aloud about "controversial" subjects on Tumblr, but this one really gets me. It turns writing, an already isolating art, into an even more isolating "competition".

It's sad, really.

Saying that, I still read, comment, reblog all the work of theirs that I read and love! It feels petty and ridiculous, but try to be the person that you want to see in the community. They'd probably notice they still get just as many readers as before, and actually, will be forced to address that their writing may be less popular for another reason.

I have wonderful friends here who read and reblog any of my stuff they like, just as I do theirs. I made a post a little while back, r.e. always reblogging stuff just because you're moots, and I'm glad to say I don't have this strange entitled relationship with these friends. It's low pressure and really fun.

Reblog in the best spirit; reblog stuff you love, that you think is great, etc etc. Don't fall into bad intentions! It's meant to be fun. It's not high-stakes. What are people competing about? I feel really bad for you, OP, and I know what it feels like.

Jealousy in the Tumblr fic writer community is strong!

Hang in there baby. You're doing great.

-- Haitch xxx

[laf-outloud]

Hi! Hope you forgive me for using your blog to vent. The spn podcast never ceases to rub me up the wrong way. The way that they fail to understand the key points of certain episodes (sex and violence, and i know what you did last summer being just a couple of examples) initially baffled me. However now I've come to realise that it's logical, really. Actual fans (not including destihellers obv) watched the show, understood its themes, the darkness, the despair, the love and connected with it on an emotional level. Now we have these two random guys that never showed any interest in actually watching the show in FIFTEEN years despite making a ton of money off it, thinking that their opinion counts for anything. It doesn't. They are not the target audience. I might as well ask my mother to review the show (she'd do a better job). It absolutely bugs me that they have these great guests and lure us in that way. I wish I was strong enough to resist and boycott the damn podcast. But I'm not. By god I wish at the very least they made their analyses more intelligent, but they won't. If anyone out there knows of a more satisfying, intelligent podcast, I'm here for it. Thank you - from your snarky anon

Nothing to forgive, anon!

I would suggest that these two guys still don't have any interest in watching the show. They created the podcast to squeeze even more money out of the SPN fandom. It was never about actually understanding the themes of SPN, or connecting emotionally. It was about taking their convention schtick to the airwaves, i.e., shallow comments, occasional behind-the-scenes tidbits, sucking up to certain actors in order to play to their very loud (but small in number), chronically online fanbases, etc.

I'm impressed you've stuck around this long, but I wouldn't hold out hope for things to improve. I don't know of any other podcasts, but that's not generally my thing. If someone else has some suggestions, please feel free to share!

[juni-ravenhall]

sso vs the concept of good gameplay. yeah its another fucking book length post >:3

thoughts from someone with a brain full of what good game design means and tons of years of studying and analysing that topic etc, bc of game design being one of my main interests.

basically the major thing i want to say about the hollow woods update aside from "yay forest kinda pretty :)" is that most of it doesn't really consist of what i would call gameplay. this is ofc something u can argue back and forth that im also open to, bc respectful analytical discussion is healthy.

the firefly stuff id personally call something more like "satisfaction play" than gameplay (idk if there's a widespread term that anyone else made up already). there is zero challenge to gathering fireflies - it's on the level of poking a glitter slime simulation app. it might feel satisfying to collect them, but there is no practised skill needed, no thinking or planning or anything. so i don't consider this "gameplay", but "satisfaction play" in itself isn't a bad thing, either. it's not that "gameplay" would be inherently better than "satisfaction play" in every case.

the puzzles are gameplay, i think - not very challenging gameplay (the answers are right there as soon as the puzzle is presented), but it *is* arguably gameplay, since we do call puzzle-solving "gameplay" in general. there is some argument there to be made about what a "puzzle" really means, and what is a simple "request and task" rather than a "puzzle", or what "knowing a real life fact" (what is 180 degrees?) versus "having to figure something out using information available inside the game" might mean for how we view what is or isn't a puzzle. but that's not specific to sso at all (a question for tons of various "puzzles" as seen in tons of various games).

there's nothing wrong in itself with satisfaction play, or with easy puzzles. sometimes that's exactly what an audience wants. but sso has a bigger issue, in that the main gameplay until now has been races (or courses, tracks, but let's say races) and that those races are not especially well designed. that there is very little of really challenging, fun, satisfying, rewarding gameplay in sso - in the terms of what people usually expect from videogames (of the gameplay-based type, not satisfaction play-based).

don't jump to conclusions here, but: i often make a comparison to mariokart, a game with a primary race mechanic. i used to play mariokart a lot because it was just really fun. it was fun alone or with friends or strangers, and it was fun to try to beat my best score, and it was fun to explore different ways of beating the same track. when you design a game, you have to think really heavily about: is the core gameplay loop fun? what makes people want to play this? to *re*play this? does it feel satisfying and exciting? is it better or at the same level as its competitors? what kind of things appeal to the target audience? and so on.

somehow sso has never felt like mariokart (except that one rainbow race, obvs), and i don't mean that sso could just "copy mariokart", this isnt the point. what i do mean is that there has to be a way to make your racing mechanic (if it is a primary mechanic of your game!) actually fun, engaging and challenging in the right way - the good game design way, not the clunky, frustrating and broken way. (yes, i know the engine is spaghetti garbage. no, i don't think that's a get-out-of-jail-free card for every problem that sse has.)

they made some progress with this when they added a completely out-of-place, more challenging race in one of the more recent story quests (i forget exactly when that was, but the race was in hollow woods). the problem then was that within the context of sso and what they have taught the players about their game, this race was thrown at us with no preparation for its challenges, which is bad game design. you want to introduce your player to different challenges and allow them to practice and learn, which didn't happen when we jump from "races with basically no skill needed to pass" to "a race with new things happening everywhere you need to react to while also successfully following a new path" out of nowhere. the intent was good - more challenging and exciting, dramatic races - the execution wasn't great.

they also made some progress with this when they revamped a few of the champs. the revamps aren't perfect, but they're good, and it was a good step towards improving core gameplay mechanics, that not only are genuinely enjoyable to many players but also *fit into the theme of the game* (as in, beating others at horse sports is a common theme within the equestrian theme). (i'm personally in shock that we don't have more champs across the map since all of these years, and that they aren't better already, since it's one of the most "regular videogame quality" content this game has and it shouldve been relatively easy to add more as well as maintaining and improving what was there).

so, back to the new valedale stuff.... sort of. there have been some puzzles in sso before, and some random gameplay (the click timing of searching for gold). the stuff we've had before: it's usually very basic puzzles and random gameplay, partially on behalf of that - for a long time - there doesn't seem to have been that much resources put into fighting with the engine to create new things that weren't in the code before, and partially because of a view held by some people at the company that games for young girls don't need to have any actual well-designed challenging gameplay, and that it's better to make it ridiculously easy so that nobody ever really loses or gets stuck on anything. you don't have to practice to beat any of the races - you might have to practice to get a top score or win a champ, but none of those are required for progress. similarly, there wasn't any real challenge that i remember to the absolute majority of non-racing quests, either. you might have to hit a thing with the right timing once in a while, but it's always easy (other games do this too - see QTE in certain AAA games!), or you might have to remember a number or a word for a minute and answer a question or type in a code correctly.

more or less everytime that there were puzzles in sso, they held your hand through it - whether you wanted to or not. the same is true for the rune puzzles, which have their solution blatantly in front of you as soon as they load. there is no changing actual difficulty level to make it more fitting to the player (which doesn't necessarily have to be a literal level setting - it can come organically, such as giving extra explanations, or slowing a timer down, after a player has failed a task 3 times, etc). yes, you can make the rune puzzles more complex in some sense - a bigger grid, or choosing the type of moves you are worse at - but the solution is always right in front of you, regardless. they hold your hand whether you like it or not, by the type of puzzle that they introduced.

races in sso have a "gold, silver or bronze" system, but we don't actually see that the races have been correctly playtested to properly reflect what a time worthy of each medal should be, and we also don't really gain anything from reaching any medal. i never feel a thing about getting this or that medal, because they mean nothing. it might be a good thing that we're never asked in a quest to "complete this race with a gold medal" or "complete this race under a certain time" or "complete this jumping course with no faults", since that could lock some players out of completing quests (while this is the case for most other games, there is also an important discussion happening around accessibility in game completion).

there are ways to make the medals in races matter, feel accurate, and feel rewarding. there are ways to make races more challenging or more interesting without just being more clunky or frustrating. there are ways to do that while keeping them more or less grounded in reality, and ways to do that while incorporating non-realistic elements that are fun and feel fitting (remembering that this is a game with magic and fantasy from the start). they could have added faults to jumping courses forever ago, they could have added dressage forever ago, and improved on gameplay like pole bending and barrel racing, and so on, and all while allowing players at all skill levels to still complete tasks and complete races, but also allowing players to challenge themselves for rewards.

if the core gameplay - around races and championships, around horse care, horse bonding and horse training - or around magic and protecting what's dear, or around rescue missions with the rangers, or tons of other stuff i can think up that would fit this game - if that stuff felt like actually well designed gameplay, something fun, not frustrating and buggy, challenging in the right ways and rewarding. if all that was done well, then adding some "satisfaction play" with fireflies or some simple puzzles with blatant solutions wouldn't be as easy to criticise.

the closest thing we got to challenging gameplay that you can really clearly *lose* at - that there is a risk and a skill involved - were some of the druid training missions. they still suffered from some clunky frustrations and non-ideal design decisions, but it was an attempt at more regular gameplay (among the non-racing gameplay). comparing the new gameplay in valedale to the druid training, you can see that the risk of failure has gone down a lot or been removed completely, rather than being built upon any more. they also didn't continue to update druid training in any way afaik or to build upon that foundation for other gameplay. (i'm open to that druid training may have been too difficult for a small subset of players, and that's a valid discussion. but i also think it was optional?)

i don't have a really nice tidy thought to end this with, and im really sleepy rn and going to bed. but the overall point is that if sso had other, well-designed and well-functioning gameplay that felt satisfying and rewarding for players, the flaws of the new valedale stuff would be less glaring. as things are, the lack of challenge and the lack of fun gameplay are really glaring problems with it, as well as the lack of reasonable rewards. (it makes very little sense that you have to purchase the items you unlock, but this is the same company that charged whatever x starcoins it was for those recoloured balloon pets, so.)

[lesbiannancytruther]

hello lesbiannancytruther nation

leaving my target audience for this post but i figured i’d post it here cause!! who cares!!

if u happen to like my writing and gen v i have a silly little fic up on ao3 :)) mariejordan obvs

and true to form for me: its a circus au!

if that sounds cool u should check it out fs fs >:)

[iwtvdramacd18]

🔥 just in general on iwtv or the fandom around the show lolol

ok so. I'm going to put this as politely as I can but I think that a notable portion of a target audience that is like into specifically VC novels stuff have not come into the show with the depth needed to really engage with a character like Louis... I don't think it's something that can't be learned but there's so much stuff I come across I'm like oh my god. How are you missing the context behind why he's acting like this in x space versus y space. How are you not understanding the stakes at play. Why are you so upset he's flipping out like this there is a race riot outside can we stop thinking about Lestat for five seconds and give Louis the space to stumble through the streets full of black people being tormented and pick up a random 14 year old to doom to eternal damnation

I think the show really does provide enough off the bat to interrogate both Lestat and Daniel's whiteness but that's also going over a lot of peoples heads. I think there's such a huge incorporation of fan knowledge of the context of Devil's Minion that people are reading like sensuality or desire into scenes where Daniel is just being like. Micro aggressive to Armand and he's not having it. And then a number of comments that Daniel makes to Louis that have people going "yeah tear his narrative down!!!" And Daniel is like. Very shittily throwing the very unhealthy unbalanced racial dynamics in Louis' face like he doesn't know.

Also related to that I think a lot of people find it really easy to brush away actions in the show as "they're vampires they're blood sucking monsters they kill people human morality doesn't factor in here) as if the show hasn't made it abundantly clear that it is taking very human questions of morality into perspective it also very literally is showing that with Louis and Claudia not being able to escape racism despite being vampires. And also it's just a lot more engaging that way to me that way? I think the show takes both the very real world/human stuff that Louis and Claudia will always be saddled with as well as Lestat's disconnect from humanity and being elevated (in his eyes) to this different set of ideals into consideration and I really like that. It'll be really interesting I think going forward especially taking armand into consideration with his ancient ass

Tldr; a lot of people don't understand the racial dynamics at play in the show and are missing a bunch from it because race in fact. Is, while obv not the only important theme, important in the show about a black vampire from Jim Crow era which is shocking I know. I think we could separate more from relying so heavily on book canon to make inferences about relationships and dynamics that haven't happened in the show yet.

also why the fuck Marius got a defense squad like that

[awrkive]

hellooo! i love your work and how articulate you are when writing!! i was wondering if you had any tips or advice for someone who wants to start making fics & how to build a following? 🩷

(this got unintentionally long im so sosrry for yapping anon!)

ON WRITING:

in all honesty, just write and write!! i've written so much stuff starting when i was like 12. when i go back to my past works (ranging from fanfics to nonfanfics), i always cringe so hard cos theyre soooo soooo bad 😭😭 when you write a lot over the years, you're eventually going to see improvements.

also, i think finding your writing style really helps a lot! there are writers whose works are prose-heavy, those whose signature is purple prose, and those who write very simply. i fall under the last category 🤓

another thing is that, find the genre that you think is ur strength and make it a part of your branding(?). some are famous for their fluffy works, some are famous for their angsty fics, and some are famous for their smut. obv, you can mix all of those stuff but theres always something ur better at, and i think its good to lean towards that and leverage on it.

when you do get to writing, i think its important to take into consideration researching what youre gonna write about. it doesnt need to be extensive at all, surface-level research goes a long way!! i have to look up a lot of things while writing nb cos im obv not in tech nor an accountant nor do i habe chaebol friends or live in sk and my life generally is very far from theirs ijbol. it sometimes annoy me when i get to a part that needs some researching, but u really dont want to make it obvious to your audience that u dont know about this particular thing HAHAHA (you can put disclaimer anyway, jic)

the choice of pov is also really important!! i tend to avoid fics that are written in first person, so naturally, i don't write that way. i do think though its kinda common consensus for almost everybody. but its also just a personal preference. i dont think i've read anything thats in first person yet, but im sure my pre conceived notion about it has hindered me from finding a gem written in first person. at the end of the day, it all boils down to how well you write your stuff!!

one last thing; edit your work! your first draft doesnt necessarily have to be the final product. go over your paragraphs to improve some of the phrasing and stuff

ON BUILDING A FOLLOWING (TUMBLR)

i dont exactly have a big following on here lol but here's what (i think i did) to gain enough:

making your blog pretty-looking really helps a lot!! thats what i did when i first started writing on tumblr. make a mlist, navi page, etc. theres a lot of tumblr tutorials accessible on the internet so its not very hard

this could also be under the "making your blog pretty" thing but editing a landscape banner for your story can attract viewers 🩷 (or even those moodboard thingies) (ok i lied its more like a personal experience 😭😭 but i really think it contributes a lil something)

when you post, put it under the right tags to really hit your target audience. the tagging system was really messed up on here a few years back, but i think its better nowadays, so better take advantage of that

be responsive to comments and reblogs and asks! talk to your readers!!

and again, just write and write. the more active you are, the more you post your works, the more traction u get

thats all!! sorry this is so long KWNDKSKWJJD. THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMNET ON MY WRITING IT MEANS A LOT 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

[mrstellmeafuckingsecret]

in some jurisdictions (including california in the usa and in the uk as well more recently) pantsing someone can result in sexual assault (or simple assault) charges, even if it's done between students. swm was def written to be standard issue bullying, but a decent amount of the modern western audience is gonna read it in a particular context that is familiar to them/filter it through anti-bullying lectures they've gotten in school/etc.

okok i def get this. i do have a few thoughts they probably arent very well explained but i will try to put them in words best i can.

tldr at the bottom. !!

i do wanna j put it out there, generally, that james & sirius were complete assholes for this and by extension, so were remus and peter. i dont like snape but this was shitty and inexcusable. if it sounds like i'm justifying them in this, i'm not (promise 💔)

i know today it's more often than not considered sexual assault/public indecency , which is totally justified ofc, but this scene didn't take place today - it took place around like . half a centaury ago. lots changed.

yes, ofc, it was wrong then too and even if it didn't mean j&s would go through legalities and stuff, they shouldn't've done it but back then it wasn't considered to be so bad and it was fairly normalized, they probably saw it and did it (albeit in a much crueler way).

hogwarts doesn't teach mannerisms , they never sat through anti-bullying segments or got taught the hard limits or how to fight back vs aggravate. it was written as bullying , because it was. it wasnt intended s/a but that doesn't mean it wasn't heinous .

s/a comes w intent, james and sirius had no intent further than to show their power over him + get rid of their boredom.

istg they were so horrible.

according to wikipedia, this is the definition of sexual assault

Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will.

according to this definition, it's not s/a. it's still blurry, if it happened today i would think it be, because james would choose a specifically sexually violent way of bullying snape, but at the time pantsing didn't have those connotations (esp between boys). obv you can still believe what you want , this is just my two cents.

(i'm also gonna reply to some comments from my original post here since it's easier than responding in the comment section).

@eddvirusz : there's nothing sexual about the scene, and i know s/a is a pretty umbrella term that more specific things fall into but i dont find this specific instance to fall under that. it probably was just a big bullying scene for him bc they didnt have the nuances we have today. ik jkr is sexist but also. 70s were sexist. male s/a wasnt considered shit . but that's not the point of it, because there was no sexual intent which, as i said needs to be present. pantsing itself is not considered s/a according to most sites.

@silentgirlspeaksout : okay i just read through the entirety of swm and this is the order of how they hurt each other physically/attempt to + talking abt what u adressed:

snape attempts to hurt james first. james calls out to him, and snape reaches for his wand. you could say that snape expected an attack and was prepping for self defense or something, but ehhh... i dont believe that. let snape be an imperfect victim, he tried to hurt first

james responded w expelliarmus

he then did impedimenta (slows down/stops target - can also blow them away (which it did) if used more strongly)

james and sirius just taunted him while he lay for a while, throwing insults etc etc . power play.

4. snape tries to throw hexes at them but he can't bc his wand is far away

5. james uses scourgify. i dont exactly know if this is like a bad hex, bc it just cleans, so it must just fill snape's mouth w soap ? ig it has chemicals and stuff, but i doubt pureblood james & sirius knew of that. it did make him gag & choke though, that's when lily enters

james saying 'he exists' seems like a joke ..... i 1000% believe j&s & snape were both horrible to each other and james wasnt gonna stop in the middle of his little show to explain that to lily in detail

this is also where he says 'go out w me and i'll leave him alone' - youre right ,,, this was gross. it was played as shits and giggles i think, 'oh haha he never does miss an opportunity to ask her out, does he!', but it's icky . same , it's no s/a but its harassment soo . big L james. this entire post is kind of a big L for james, and sirius too but he has a lot of Ls.

also, "choke him out with soap before he does anything," - he attempted to do shit

"so I don’t blame him for fighting back with a cutting hex after he’s been hit with several spells" - i get it, vaguely, but not in the same sense (?). if james only hit him with these three hexes and snape went to draw blood, i'd say snape was in the wrong (sorry?), but they had a history - snape drew blood because james and snape had done this before, they've gone violent

6. snape cuts james' face (deep enough that it instantly splatters to his robes)

7. hanging snape upside down the first time

lily tells them to back off,

8. james let him off (*threw him down)

9. sirius hits him with a body-bind spell that temporarily paralyzes him

lily tells them to stop,

10. james mutters counter curse

snape calls lily a mudblood + her exit,

11. snape is hung again and we're left unsure whether or not he was exposed or not

there can be arguments made that, like you said, this is only unconfirmed bc it wouldnt be allowed to be in a children's book otherwise (but the book deals w nazis n like a hundred other things so idk it may be left on purpose)

you say jkr is weird about s/a esp w men and while obv #fuckjkr men and s/a discussions generally were pretty weird in the 70s which is why james mightve never considered that a possibility as to what he did + snape never considered it as s/a. fuck jkr tho

for the mary and mulciber thing , i was just yapping tbh but tysm ! fuck mulciber hail mary

ok i think ive yapped enough gn

tldr : s/a requires there to be something sexual taking place. you can argue assault, you can't argue sexual given time frame and context and just .... anything. but that doesn't mean it wasn't terrible and disgusting. j&s sucked ass for this, i may not like him but ill go pro snape where he's a victim.

not s/a, still unforgivable. snape is an imperfect victim because he's violent too. james and sirius are sadists and they should talk that out with someone that isnt each other.

[phdmama]

Getting to Know You Tag Game

My darling @romaine2424 tagged me in this, thank you pal!! xox

Three Ships: So many ships, so little time! But for me - Drarry (my OG, own my heart etc etc), Stucky (well really, ICaPD Stucky), and Sterek (aka a ship I adore and read a TON in but have never, you know, seen the source material)

First Ship: Larry - they'll always hold a big space in my heart (I do still read a bit and write there but I'm not as active in the fandom obvs), they're the first place where I started to get what fandom could be, what it could mean to me, and the first place I started writing!!

Last Song: right now I'm all Noah Kahan all the time. He just captures something so poignant for me about growing up in small town VT

I would leave if only I could find a reason I'm mean because I grew up in New England I got dreams, but I can't make myself believe them Spend the rest of my life with what could have been And I will die in the house that I grew up in I'm homesick

He's really brilliant

Last Movie: Barbie. The whole family + my son's boyfriend went to see it together and wow, I know I'm like the stereotypical target audience for this but it really hit me, especially The Speech™

Currently Reading: way, way, way too much hockey rpf. Also because I'm starting a new job on Monday (OH MY GOD I AM STARTING MONDAY), I'm reading stuff about Medicaid and evidence based treatment for substance abuse.

Currently Watching: I'm not a huge tv person these days? I've watched RWRB a few times. I've got a ton of different shows in flight, but nothing is really sticking right now.

Last Thing I Wrote: Wrong in all the Right Ways (Drarry, Explicit, ~3900 words) - written for the 2023 HD Wireless Fest, for Pink's Raise Your Glass. Just a fun little smutty romp haha

Currently Writing: Buddie - I'm not sure how to describe this fic other than multiverse meets Groundhog Day meets fate intervenes meets iOS updates break the world? I guess?

gonna tag a bunch of people here!

@ghostgeno @notthequiettype @ellelans @missanniewhimsy @bothquitecontent @shealynn88

[princess-of-the-corner]

How do ponies marry? I can only remember 2 on screen weddings (one real one imagined) and in them every participant had a horn but you can't put a ring on the horn of a pegasus or earth pony

So I went and looked at all the weddings/engagements I could remember so here we go:

Obvs you mentioned the Shining/Cadence one where yeah they put rings on their horns. I can't remember the imagined one but I have a bet it was probs Rarity's in which case yeah horns.

There's the Cranky/Matlida wedding in Slice of Life. Cranky mentions a ring midway through the episode, but we don't see him or Matilda wearing one during the ceremony.

Later we have AJ's parents. They don't show or mention rings, but they do have a little ceremony where they plant a tree together. This might be an Earth Pony thing, but it could also be their own thing because they were getting married quick and in secret so buying a ring might've not been on the list.

Swinging over to Lyra and Bonbon, we don't see the wedding, but we do see the proposal which seems to include rings even though only one Unicorn.

So the Watsonian answer is that they typically use rings of some kind unless there's other circumstances like Bright Mac/Pear Butter.

The Doyalist in me wants to say that because irl the symbol of weddings are the rings, the show tended to stick to the idea of rings because the target audience is kids who would understand rings=wedding but might get a little confused if we start in on the Deep Lore™ of alternate wedding traditions.

The feral bastard in me who wants the Deep Lore would go off on a tangent of the various different creatures/tribes/clans/etc. would have different traditions regarding courtship and marriages.

[alazyparallelworld]

multiples of 5 for the violence ask game

"choose violence" ask game - negative, obv

5. worst discord server and why

10. worst part of fanon

15. that one thing you see in fanart all the time

20. part of canon you found tedious or boring

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

5. worst discord server and why

i don't want to give... TOO much identifying detail... but last year there was a Certain OTP Discord that was. really mismanaged and chaotic. i dipped fairly early. i think all the OTP servers are bad tbh? and my more fandom-active friends complain at the ones theyre in.

so for personal experience: all of them... and from osmosis. all of them. DR servers bad

10. worst part of fanon

characterization & gender/sexuality hcs ez. also people arguing over what is ~Nontoxic~ in an eroguro franchise, lol

15. that one thing you see in fanart all the time

.....................all chapter 5 art. obviously, as these are the appeals of DR and therefore get the most art/fic/attention, the murder & trial. if i see another canon divergent AU (purely for the sake of shipppp <3 310s are also guilty of this lol) i will go nuclear.

OH ALSO ALL REDESIGNS. DOES IT PASS THE KIIBO TEST? NO? SUCKS ASS

OH! OH! ALSO. MCR/EMO WHATEVER SAIHARA. GET OUT OF HERE. some people really played ch1 and was like thats saihara Forever <3 and just ignored the rest of the game. i fucking hate that shit.

20. part of canon you found tedious or boring

uhm... mm... this would relate only to 100%-ing, but getting all the achievements is really bad when it comes to the hidden monokumas, as it requires playing thru the entire chapter, more or less. u can skip to specific parts once you've finished the chapter, but still. backroutes are also susceptible to this. love hotels are entirely random and the coins required is Hilariously Awful; to boost your coin count, you have to max FTE w/ haru, who isn't available in ch2. you can only max her out in ch4...

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

SHUT UP ABOUT IT BEING OVERLY SEXY!!!!!!!! SHUT UP ABOUT IT BEING OVERLY SEXY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT THE "ANIMAL HOTEL" GAME HAVING FANSERVICE SCENES!!!!!!!!! i get it being DISLIKE, that's fine, but critique??? THAT'S THE VIDEO GAME!!!!!!!!!!!! you collect panties in every game! also like, the kiibo "maintenance"/parasol/Peeping Tom/love hotel scenes are all optional............

this game is M rated for a reason. kids will be kids w/e but you cannnottt be serioussss saying its 'bad' for being so adult. you're playing/watching a game n ur not the target audience. lol

[defensivelee]

I realize I have not spoken much about the Jacobite I actually know so I am going to YELL about him here now in a very disorderly fashion bc he has recently left and i am actually kinda sad :((

ok so he's a catholic priest and he is mexican. if you know anything about us you will know that we are not the target audience for jacobite propaganda (whatever that may entail), so obv i was never suspecting any jacobite shenanigans from this guy nor from any other guy where i live

but THEN one night after mass i was hoppin back outside and on my way out i hear this man say one (1) thing that made me STOP IN MY TRACKS. he says "ustedes conocen los jacobitas, seguidores de jaime el segundo..." ("you all know of the jacobites, followers of james ii...")

idk what he was talking about and i didn't stay to listen. but that was all i needed. HE KNEW ABOUT JAMES THE GODDAMN SECOND AND HE KNEW ABOUT THE JACOBITES

so i go and tell @acrossthewavesoftime and we decide that i should talk to this guy and see what he knows. originally i was legit not gonna talk to him but i'll admit i was curious too. from there i talked to him many times, i would say like about 7-8 times, and he said plenty of stuffs that i told Radegonde (which was always hilarious). here are the highlights, all the spicy opinions!!

-the first time i spoke to him, i asked him his thoughts on James (under the guise that i needed the knowledge for school). he went on a bit of a rant that i dont remember much of, but i do remember he said that what James did was honorable (something like that i think??) and that giving up his kingdom for catholicism isn't something anybody would do. said he would be fine with making James a saint but that he isn't a jacobite (implying he knows that there are some still around)

-also in that first time, he called William an enemy of the bible (which Radegonde referenced on her blog once and it made me choke)

-for some reason i thought it was a brilliant idea to tell him of the green stockings kink. he made a face at it and said he would look into it. idk if he ever did bc he never mentioned it again............

-i asked him if he thought it was weird that spanish wikipedia has James as "Jacobo" rather than "Jaime" (which is more correct honestly) and he said it was very strange, implying that he has been on wikipedia

-on that note, he called James "Jaime" but didn't call William "Guillermo." understandably so bc it is very funny

-apparently he has been to France (and speaks French!!! wow!!) and that's how he learned of James. i can only imagine what he saw there

-i asked him his thoughts on Mary and it was really interesting bc it seems that he thinks of her as a victim! specifically he said that he couldn't blame her bc she was obeying what her husband wanted and claimed that even if she hadn't wanted to go depose James, William would have done it anyway

verdict: a jacobite even if he denies being one. i get the vibe that he does NOT like William......

so i think this guy's really interesting bc he's actually. not that bad of a priest?? like one time this dickhole at church was ranting things against trans people yknow the usual insults and my jacobite priest was sort of...side-eyeing him. he did not look too happy. an ally? something else? i have no idea. idk how openly trans i look but he was at least very much willing to talk to me.

and thats the thing that i'm actually sorta sad about, bc i feel like i got to know more about him than just the jacobite part of him. like this post is about his Very Fascinating Opinions but also sometimes i had a rough time at church and listening to him talk was funny so it made me feel better. he also genuinely said hello to me sometimes and would listen to MY opinions very attentively

he recently switched over to another church, which means i won't get to see him as much anymore if at all, but last sunday i saw him he said he hopes he gets to see me again

in conclusion. very strange thoughts but not a terrible priest by my standards! oddly i miss him now but it is what it is :(

[newmoonjuno]

As a latina from actual Latin America... Wtf did I just see on your blog. I don't even care about YA high-school romance since I left high-school, but latines from the US apparently can't write about... being latine in the US... where they grew up... as latine descendants... in the US... anymore... I guess we'll just pretend 20% of the US population doesn't exist and might still have cultural ties to their home countries?? Sure it isn't the same experience as being born over here, but how does that even matter for a book set in the US, with US latinas and written in English, so clearly not primarily for the Latin American market, probably for other US latines?

Actually, wait, I have something else to say about this. I'm not Mexican, but there's also a big immigrant presence from my country in the US. Same as there's lots of asian descendants in Latin America, for example. And of course their culture here will be different from their home countries, but it doesn't make them any less Other here at times, or erases all the traces of their original cultures. And there's a fuckton of novels about asian latines, I spent a whole year studying them at school once. It's important to hear about other voices inside our communities. There's a problem when US latine voices are louder than ours about our own issues and when other groups in the US assume the US latine experience is the one and only default, when actually Latin America is vast and very diverse. But the solution to that problem isn't blaming the US latines who are a minority in their country and kind of pushed apart from the rest of society because of it? They have the right to create their own new culture there, with elements of their home country, and celebrate it in books. They aren't lying about being latine. And culture purism won't solve OUR problems with US cultural imperialism either!

It's nonsense shitting on a cousin for writing books about their own latine experience. Why are those people so mad about kids' books??? You aren't the target audience and that's all, bestie. Let the US latine babies have something to read when they're growing up too

I struggle to find the weight of my voice as the descendant of a Latin American man who immigrated to the US; your guess is good as mine what I saw as well. Judging by the person's blog, she don't realize like a very nice person -and also that some of their attack seems to be a little queerphobic [misgendering Sonora Reyes obvs, and considering I am seeing people mention catholic tumblr, just being pissed that Reyes is writing from their experiences being in Catholic school, and it being a lesbian story). And the OP even more questionable.

I do not know how else to articulate that I agree fully with your points, anon. Thank you.