#obx discourse

[echobx]

https://www.tumblr.com/echobx/746378100483473408/sometimes-i-go-onto-jiara-twitter-just-to-have-a?source=share idk if you saw but they posted your post on jiara twitter🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 i wonder how they found it (@koalacarrera )

okay so, this is what girlie had to say

all she said concerning canon is correct, but there was no reason to be so pissy about it.

I fully agree, they did write the boys like that, it's extremely clear in ep1. HOWEVER if we look solely at JJ, after episode 1 his "romantic" intrest is no longer mentioned or in any shape or form visible on screen or in the script past s2 (i literally read it, please bbg)

my initial issue with the post I saw on twitter, the one who made me even post anything on here, was bc the jiara stan that posted it was literally saying that JJ caring about Kie and wanting her to be okay after she nearly drowned, was only because he has romantic feelings for her. That was my issue. The problem isn't that they can't be friends or can't be romantically involved. The problem is that the writers AND these types of fans (including mademoiselle up there) seem to not understand how fucked up it is that they keep on perpetuating this stereotype. especially when it comes to a woman of color who was the only girl in a male dominated friend group for probably most of her life for all we know.

I've had more friendships with boys than girls in my life, and yes half of them the guys wanted more, but the other half was genuinely only platonically interested in me and I still feel like those friendships went way deeper than the others although none of them were truly as deep to call them my best friends. (apart from one, and he's still my best friend to this day)

finally saying "ofcourse boys and girls can just be friends but i don’t care because this is for entertainment. it’s just not that serious" is yet again proving to me that media literacy is dying. anyone with a brain will know that what we see on screen or written or listen to in music always portrays a specific viewpoint and it is always in our best interest to understand and criticize when something is not the way it should be, saying, it shows us something that needs to be changed for society to evolve.

and I'm not saying that this issue is as big of a problem for society as others, it certainly isn't, but portraying this type of relationship between girls and boys in a way that OBX does it plays into the bigger picture of why we need feminism and why we need to start teaching boys to be better men.

platonic love goes so much deeper than most romantic love, but most of you, including the girl who posted this, probably don't even know that or they can't tell the difference between platonic love and romantic love.

PS I'm never not blaming the writers. they did a bad job. this show has more plot holes than the strainer I use for my pasta. but that wasn't at all was my post was about. yet again. the reading comprehension is piss poor, my dudes.

PPS you watch the show for fun and you turn off your brain. but subconsciously you take it in. all of it. every little bit of discriminatory behavior or prejudice that lies under the surface. because you decide to not look at it. because you believe it doesn't concern you. and I do hope it never will. but I, and so many others, do not have this privilege of being able to look away completely. even if it's just a silly little boat show.

PPPS don't send her any hate or anything. I just left the tag in the screenshot bc it was already mentioned above so it didn't matter anyway.

[stolenkissesdiaz]

they do say when one ships falls another rises from the ashes…..

[givingairtomymouth]

Probably it's a hot take, but I don't think the problem with jiara is that Kiara could have been lesbian and JJ a bi mess. I don't blame it on "the straights", also because we have all supported John B and Sarah, or at least Cleo and Pope I imagine, ain't no problem with those ships being straight. Personality is not sexuality anyway, and I would have preferred both to remain single regardless. Also, jiara could have been nice for diversity points I guess.

My problems with this ship are the complete butchery of the characters that it brings and the complete lack of chemistry. That's it.

And to me it's far more relevant.

[pensbridge]

any cross OBX and Bridgerton fans thinking...the British romance drama show finale doesn't look so bad, now?

[lydiaas]

on the topic of jj being self-sacrificing, in the heist episode in s3, when he does his motorcycle cop diversion chase, kie says “oh he’s trying to get killed,” which struck me as something totally different than like “oh he’s going to get himself killed!” or something like that….tbh to me it sounded like she immediately clocked that he has gone to a self-destructive place and is doing what makes sense in his mind: treating his life as worthless in order to prove his love/loyalty/worth.

and not even just that, i think because she’s gotten so close to him and understands him so well, she realizes that it’s not just him recklessly/thoughtlessly throwing himself in harms way, this time it’s him actually purposefully trying to get killed. coming back to the island, facing how alone he is and his panic from 3x04, mike’s bullshit, kie finding the money clip, it’s all piled up in his mind, and this is where he has gone. and to me, that’s so much more devastating than him just feeling worthless.

Ooo this is an interesting take! I think that the line between JJ being reckless and actively trying to get killed is a thin one. So while I don't think he has any suicidal ideation I also think the idea of dying to give his friends the chance to escape isn't scary to him. It would be like fulfilling his purpose. Lara wrote an amazing piece about this here.

That's a great point about that line from Kie. You could definitely interpret it as more of a comment on his mental state at that moment. It's clear earlier in the episode that she recognises how he's spiralling and she's trying to get him to see that ("you're giving them a reason"). For him to do something so dangerous straight after that it's hard not to see how she wouldn't have been terrified that he's about to throw his life away. To have those two self destructive moments back to back is what causes her to finally say "don't ever do that again". Because we've seen Kie react to his actions before but it's never been in that way. It's a wake up call for him but also for her as well. Where she realises how deeply he would ruin himself if she let's him and how little regard he had for his own life.

[lysteriaposts]

OBX 3 TIER LIST

i wanted to make a review but um... it took me like a week to finish the whole thing.. which should say enough.. and honestly i don't really feel like rewatching the majority of the episodes lol. i'll just give my reasons for the tiers instead.

this is probably my most unpopular one yet.

the only emotional journeys i connected with this season was topper, rafe and pope.

cleo could've been there if they actually focused more on her as a person rather than being thrown into a relationship and having that be the focus of her arc, same with kiara. still, i find cleo / pope duo way more watchable than jj / kiara. and she is a nice character.

i actually wished we'd seen kiara be kidnapped half of the season at singh's so that, a) the reunion actually feels more earned b) her and rafe's scenes were gold and probably the most interesting things for her character this season c) we could learn more about the "new, evil villain" and his motives. instead he felt out of place.

as for singh, he could cut it with the "you knows" ....

topper and kiara delivered on the comedy this season though, which is one reason they placed higher.

CAN'T FORGET BARRY

jj's whole "i don't want to be loved" thing felt half assed and he didn't crack me up the way he did s1-2... the humor felt kind of cartoonish (crabs 🫥). i still don't like how they dumb him down to an actual caricature, it was endearing and believable in s1 but it's just gotten worse each season for cheap slapstick. it's not funny.

i wanted more conflict between him and pope and their friendship

i didn't need jj / kiara to be honest... had no relevance to what was going on, and felt very dry. like they were trying to churn out something that just isn't there, and i didn't recognise the characters either.

rafe just elevates any scene he's in and any character he's with. i give props to drew 'cause even though the writing feels more serious for his character than the others, it probably wouldn't come across as good as it does without a good enough actor. luckily enough he's been spared from most of the corniness on this show.

the john b/sarah/topper thing is repetitive but i'm glad we got to see a story where topper isn't villainised (in the show, just by the pogues). he saved sarah's life, yet gets used and discarded. she keeps making the same mistakes, and the john b/big john stuff was just atrocious. he suddenly trusts the dad who abandoned him for years over his ride or die friends? the gf who sacrificed everything for him?? yeah ok dude.

the complete absence of rose but wheezie especially is unrealistic as hell. i don't understand why new, annoying characters are introduced (limbray.... singh... jb's dad) when they don't amount to anything in the end and there is no investment in them. we could've seen so many good family relationships and dynamics, how does the completely overlooked youngest sibling view everything? actually an episode from her POV would've been hilarious and also insanely interesting.

as much as i prefer ward over jb's dad and liked him as a villain... he didn't play a big enough part in this season to keep (he is also irredeemable). i think they could've killed him off in s2. and rafe could've dealt with the aftermath of that this season instead of s4.

the treasure thing felt contrived and way too much for one season. i don't really get the pacing, they don't need to find something new each season they can take a break once in a while and have like every other season be more obx / character focused. and the rest plot. that way when they do find something it feels much greater! what they did over the course of these three seasons could've easily been stretched to six seasons with better writing and giving the story room to breathe, develop a lot of other things etc... instead of making up "blackbeard" 💀

there's much more to say, and a lot of issues with the production and more nitpicky faults, but these are probably my biggest issues with the story. in the end it was a very disjointed season, probably my least favorite so far.

[fleursbending]

UR ASIAN ? IM ASIAN !!!

i love meeting poc on this godforsaken website

whats that tiktok audio? HELL YES I AM *eagle caws*! LMAODJXK im filipino / chinese to be exact >:) BUT YESS CHALK!! ASIANS LETS GO!!!

[jjmayday]

Never shipped jiara. The fact that the writers made them canon because fans shipped them shows so hard in the writing faults.

Also, it sure fucking does kie a disservice making her have romantic plots with every one of her guy friends

so im assuming that you know that i do ship jiara, but to each their own (i think the ship wars in this fandom are absolutely insane) so i will have to disagree bc i read the season 1 jj x kie interactions were setting up a slow burn.

one thing that i hope for the future of the show is fleshing out more of kie's character, especially after the kitty hawk/ parent drama bc there is so much there. i dont think it was necessarily a disservice to her specifically and more of just a lack of the focus on the friend group as a whole this season if that makes sense. like sarah kind of had the same treatment in that they made her conflicts be ab topper vs. john b. so i dont think its jiara's problem and more of a problem w the show in general

send me your obx hot takes

[blush-and-books]

shouting in a void here real quick (this is about rafe cameron so tread carefully below the cut)

so i hate that mf. i think he's a great, layered character and i hate his ass successfully. i think the way they are trying to blend in an improvement arc with him is really interesting, bc it still ties with his own gain and whatnot, but there's a great tension as him and sarah have both found themselves on the outs with the rest of the family. i also am minorly impressed with how they have incorporated sofia more into this season, however i really cannot stand how she's just become a weapon to make rafe more human. "oh, now he's in real true love, and that's fixing him!!" i can't stand it. the actors are great and have great chemistry, and the scenes with them are every interesting, but at the end of the day i strongly dislike sofia has a narrative pawn to humanize and change rafe

[mereblogs]

Sometimes they create the *best* male characters, giving them a solid backstory, the right sprinkle of trauma that they need to overcome in the main arch, a well-rounded personality... just to pair them with the most random main chick that was never really THERE for them, does not understand their full depth, is actually pretty basic as a character, but is hot.

Some characters are supposed to stay single, even if you can clearly tell that they need someone by their side, because better to have no one than the wrong one.

the build up of jiara was literally so bad and i don’t want to even imagine what they are like in an actual relationship

[featherandferns]

my thoughts on the rudy/madison discourse and obx 4 generally (spoilers):

I watch obx 4 for the characters. I appreciate the actors, find their behind the scenes moments entertaining at times, and indulge in the occasional interview or Instagram post, but I do not 'follow' the actors. My fanfics are about JJ Maybank as a character, not Rudy Pankow. I appreciate Rudy Pankow's attraction, especially when playing JJ's character, but writing fanfic about Rudy himself (or any other actor) is, for me, uncomfortable. That isn't to shame anybody who does write or read such content, it just makes me personally feel uncomfortable.

All this to say: I don't care about the drama. I don't care about why Rudy left the show, whether this was his decision or the writer's. I think Rudy's girlfriend seems lovely, but I am highly aware neither myself nor anybody else knows her. Rudy is a grown man. He's in his twenties. He can decide who he does and does not want to date, and who he does and does not want to spend his time with, both on and off set. An Instagram post Rudy made on his story on Canadian Thanksgiving I think summed it up perfectly: he loves his girlfriend, and if people can't get behind that, then get out.

Furthermore, Madison and Rudy do not owe anybody anything. I don't find interest or want to engage in the toxic debate of the 'he said, she said'. They're all adults, they all have their own lives, this is all between them. The speculation and pressure from fans is cruel and uncalled for. They don't owe anybody insight into their private lives. Maybe they aren't friends anymore - that's okay! People drift apart, people fall out. Yes, it's sad to see the change from season 1 in terms of dynamics, but a lot can happen behind the scenes. That's life! Also, I don't like the comparison between Rudy and Madison, and Madison and Chase. People saying 'but the actual ex-couple can work together fine' are forgetting that every situation is different! I had an ex-boyfriend at an old job; I was pissed at him for a few months but civil at work, and then I got over it and he apologised and we became actual friends about a year after the break-up. However, I have other ex-friends and ex-lovers who I could not ever tolerate or be near, and I can't imagine what it would have been like having to work with them after a falling out. If this is the case for Rudy and Madison, that's a really tough thing to navigate! Give them grace - yes they're actors, but they're humans too! The bottom line is: it's their life, leave them alone.

Following on from that, stop placing blame! We don't know why Rudy left the show. There's all different opinions and sources about who said what, who did what, who is the 'bad guy'. Nobody knows the truth but the three involved and, as I said before, they owe this to nobody to disclose.

I think Rudy leaving the show, whilst sad, is a fair decision. OBX began filming in 2019. You do a lot of growing from there and, especially with changes in writing, you can want a change. I think actors can sometimes be too tethered to their characters and it limits their future work abilities, because nobody can picture them as anything other than that character. You can still have successful careers because of this (think Camila Mendes and Riverdale; Matt Le Blanc and Friends; Ellen Pompeo and Meredith Grey), but Rudy clearly wants to explore other areas and other characters, like theatre and Indie movies. Good for him! We should support him! I don't love this 'I'm sorry we couldn't save you from your actor, JJ' stuff, because Rudy gave his heart and soul to that character and that performance. He doesn't deserve to be punished because he craves a change. It's the same as any other job/career; we all want a change sometimes.

The writers and show creators have been getting a lot of backlash too. Here's my thoughts on season 4: was it their best season? No. Did it do some of the other seasons and previous plotlines/character development justice? No. Did JJ have to die? Not necessarily. However, it is easy to lose sight of the small picture when you have increased demand and increased budgets. Netflix like 'bigger and better'. When people are given more creative freedom, sometimes things can veer off course. We can forget the original character motivations, dreams and desires by getting caught up in the spectacle. The only show I've ever seen that really keeps the characters true and consistent, whilst developing, and never forgetting a plot point, is Bojack Horseman. To me, that is the only show. It's a shame, yes, that it veered so far from season 1's aesthetic, but that's how it is.

As a fellow creator, I feel it's cruel sending so much blatant hate to the writers and creators for making the show. If Rudy did want to leave, they had to find a way to make this work for JJ. Yes, I've seen some say 'he didn't have to die' but I sort of disagree. JJ is too loyal and attached to his friends to just 'go off' on his own to somewhere else. That would also be out of character. I think the way he died, and the build-up and plot points that didn't get resolved prior to his death, is a little annoying. I don't like how it wasn't in Kildare, in his home, and in a different country. But hey - that's just me.

I know, that if I took so much time and energy and money, working and building something that I am proud of just, just to receive so much black-and-white hate, I'd be crushed. Constructive criticisms and opinions are good - we can be upset about a character dying - but saying 'fuck you' and 'we hate you' is a bit mean, in my opinion. The time and energy and work gone into this season is astounding. The travelling and set design is incredible! I mean, the shop is the most awesome thing I've ever seen!

I also respect that they killed JJ. I'm not saying I wanted him to die. I'm saying, it pisses me off when shows give plot-armour to the main characters. It lowers the stakes. You know they're going to be fine because they're always fine (think the majority of Stranger Things - there's a really good video essay about that here btw that articulates this point a bit better). JJ's death was shocking and upsetting, that's how a death (in a show, at least) should be, but it means hey, there are real stakes here. It's not fair he died! He didn't deserve to die! But he did, oh my God. It takes guts to kill of a beloved, main character. I agree, JJ was my favourite part of the show, but I respect the choice, personally.

I liked season 4. It wasn't as good as season 1, I wish they stayed more grounded and didn't start so many plot points without resolving any/all of them, but I liked it. It was entertaining. The acting was pretty decent, though the chemistry and acting when Rudy and Madison had scenes together was a little disappointing (again, I don't want to point blame at a certain individual; it's hard to have good on-screen chemistry, especially when you don't feel like it matches your character's true motivations).

Was it unrealistic at times? Yes, but OBX usually is haha. It's a show about finding EL DORADO at this point, like I can accept that they let Sarah and JJ get swept into the sea during a storm and come out fine, without a single earring out of place. Sure, whatever, I'll take it (so unrealistic, 90% would drown and you'd at least shed your clothes to help you swim and stay afloat but WHATEVER. Also put your life jackets on guys wtf it's a STORM).

I wish there was more development on the plots, done by having less plots at once, and more conclusions for JJ before his death. I felt as though we were building up to a big blow-out/resolution with Pogues which never really came. Also, don't love how they handled JJ and his biological dad. I don't think he'd be that willing to trust a random man who abandoned him so easy. Yes, he's reluctant, but COME ON. JJ has the biggest trust issues. I just don't buy it. Also, explain, please, how Luke went from being so wonderful and gentle with JJ to full on abusive? Just a bit of explanation would be nice, please. Not a huge fan of the pregnancy plotline but hey, sure, whatever.

So, yes, that's my thoughts on everything: leave the actors alone; the writers have balls for killing JJ but that isn't necessarily a bad thing; give people grace; treat people with kindness; I'm going to keep writing for JJ; and season 4 altogether gets a 6/10 from me.

I'm open to different opinions, further thoughts, or just general musings/ideas. I hope this doesn't upset or offend anyone, I'm not trying to spark drama or shame a certain person or people: these are just my thoughts and views! So, I won't be participating in any 'who's the bad guy' discourse surrounding the actors. I'm just here for JJ and the Pogues. Take care of yourselves and spread positivity in this crazy, difficult time <3 and, of course, rest in peace, JJ Maybank <3

P.S. These are my season-by-season ratings: season 1 - 10/10; season 2 - 8/10; season 3 - 6/10; season 4 - 6/10.

[givingairtomymouth]

I hope OBX 4 will be a lesson for nowadays fans that no, you don't always get what you want on screen.

[pensbridge]

fandoms need to accept that real life people are ☆ P L A T O N I C • S O U L M A T E S ☆ and leave (sh)it as is

[lydiaas]

i am new to OBX fandom and i am confused, what is the drama between Rudy and madison ? did they date or something? i know madelyn and chase dated but they seem to be friendly and i havent seen any drama with them, but i keep hearing this supposed beef between rudy and madison and they seem to not like taking pics with each other anymore. just curious.

The gist is that there has been a change in the way Madison and Rudy interact that is obvious because of how close they were in S1. This is mostly attributed to the fact that people shipped Rudy and Madison together and presumably it made them uncomfortable. There's lots of other speculation but those are as close to the facts as I can get.

In my opinion, the fandom tends to be a bit hysterical about the whole thing and act as though they can't stand each other. The reality is that they seem to get along fine (which we have seen evidence of even in S3) but keep a distance in public. It's a bummer that we don't get as much bts content as we used to and them keeping distance has had the unintended consequence of creating more drama for everyone but at this point it's a tiresome conversation that does nothing for fandom morale. I try and remove myself from spaces where this is the primary topic of discussion because it does border or ruining the immersion for me. That's a personal choice and I know not everyone agrees 🤷‍♀️.

Anyway, welcome to the OBX fandom. There's a lot of great show discussion that happens here so that's where I'd direct your energy 😇

[rom-dot-com]

Okay so I have a few (minor) OBX scoops from a source in Charleston (lmao @ “a source” but I’m trying to be careful 🤫)

No one in my real life cares about the show, so I’m sharing them here instead 😂

One small (potential?) spoiler included below (in #3)

1. I said it seems like the Pates may be shooting for 6 seasons, and this person said to bet on 5.

2. I mentioned the discourse about Madison & Rudy/Jiara, and this person seemed quite confused — they’ve been on set with both present & never got any “off” vibes from them. I don’t really buy that nothing is off, but there’s that.

3. Apparently in s4 there’s some kind of riot that breaks out outside the sheriffs department & people bust out the windows of the building??? I haven’t seen anyone post about that, so 👀

[kthecritter]

eli man I just looked it up and

HUH?????? WHY ARE YOU OPEN FOR THIS LONG????? (no shade meant, I love that I can just throw requests ur way until 5:00pm the next day :3) with that being said ORDER TIME RAHHHHHH!!!! can I get uhhhhh a cheeseburger a four piece and- OKAY PULL UP HO 🗣️... I didn't get to finish jkjkjk sorry for chaos the system is in shambles today bc tummy ache turned into exploding appendix :3 ANYWAY can I ACTUALLY get: two userboxes! :D for the first: main theme: light yellow & blue, any pattern is fine :3 icon: JJ from obx (preferably season 1 JJ as I haven't caught up on my obx lore) font: dealer's choice! i'm too sick to be bothered to choose :3 phrase: for the second: 'JJ says: this endo median does NOT consent to k1nk interaction! anti-endo, proana, ed/sh blogs and basic DNI STAY AWAY! The Pogues protect this blog!' for da second :3 main theme: pastel pink clouds! :0 icon: Kie from obx (any season but season 4 is fine :3) font: again, dealers choice, too sicky to comprehend choosing :( phrase: 'Kie says: this pet regressor does NOT consent to k1nk interaction! anti-endo, proana, ddlg+variants, k1nk-based blogs, ed/sh blogs and basic DNI STAY AWAY! Kiara protects this blog from harm and discourse!' tysm! much love and very ill tail wags from Eli and the crew! :D

here you go, I hope you enjoy! oh no I’m so sorry you aren’t feeling well, I hope you recover well soon <:) /gen