#thanks for the link anon but that is a subject I have ZERO interest in getting publicly involved in (being OP on a post about it)

[statementlou]

.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

https://www.reddit.com/r/kpopthoughts/comments/18aiil5/nyts_popcast_about_kpops_concessions_to_the/

Pls tell me you've seen the NYTimes podcast Bpp. I've been laughing nonstop remembering what you said about 'kpop journalists' being (2nd gen and SM) kpop stans who vehemently hate everything connected to BTS.

*

Ask 2:

Bpp I just sent you the reddit link! I forgot to add one thing. Another thing I remembered is how you shut down that anon that was talking about Armys superiority complex and you told them like 'kpop stans compare everything unprovoked and have superiority complexes for **everything**. At least Armys can back up their pride.' It's funny cos I saw an SM blogger compare BTS docus in movie cinemas with SM docus unprovoked. Just out of nowhere! They couldn't talk about their seeing Shinee in movie cinemas without comparing it to BTS to say SM was better at it than HYBE. 🤣🤣🤣 And then I saw this NYTime kpop journalist was an SM stan that compared the ratio of white people to POC people at kpop concerts, used that to say EXO fans were better than Armys cos more white people came to see EXO. Imagine so insane you compare concert crowd to end up sounding like a white supremacist. Only a kpop stan. And that was the same kpop journalist speaking on JK. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

https:// twitter. com/o_biennis/status/1731315242133528916

***

Your 1st link. I post the screenshot from your 2nd link below.

Yeah, I've listened to the podcast. Thanks for the link too, it had been a while since I checked k-pop Reddit so it was interesting reading the comments in the thread. Thankfully, it seems ARMYs on Reddit still have a presence there because several people were pointing out all the things wrong with this situation. When ARMYs talk about BTS still being the underdogs, situations like this is precisely what we mean.

The thing I find so amusing about that podcast is that I could predict Kara's talking point for almost every question Jon asked her. Almost every one. Because it's like rote the way these talking points - about what k-pop is (it's not a genre despite what SM stans will tell you), why Jungkook's Koreaness should have anything to do with him releasing pop music in English, why applying what is really BTS's Japanese approach, to America, is controversial and synonymous with losing their Korean identity - all these talking points are passed down from Big3 k-pop stans to new recruits like rote. And none of these points have changed in the last 5 years.

I’ve talked before about how the people most eager to engage in discourse on a subject in k-pop, especially if it’s about BTS and ARMYs, are people who hate the subject, and this is why critical conversation is sorely lacking in k-pop. And it’s the same people and the same talking points, such is the state of k-pop journalism in 2023 lmao. Kara in particular is known to so many older ARMYs, myself included. I've got to hand it to her though, she really hasn't changed one lick. She's still giving us takes with as much logical heft as 'healthier white to culturally white ratio' at k-pop concerts and co-signing it lol.

*

When I tell y'all that these people have exactly zero idea of what they're talking about, some of you show up in my inbox to tell me I'm being mean. But like, look at that. Four years later and BTS is still having discussions of their career being defined by people like that.

The only option is to laugh y'all.

Anyway.

[omegawizardposting]

@ the anon in my inbox: I won’t post links to KF or archives of KF. If I don’t believe twitter and tumblr callouts, there’s no damn way I’m going to believe KF callouts. Screenshots can be faked. Context can be lost. Minor wrongs can be blown out of proportion.

The fact that the OP of that thread spends the vast majority of the first post ranting about how the subject is a leftist tranny and only tacks on the serious accusations as an afterthought is extremely suspicious. This is the kind of clownery I see from twitter and tumblr all the damn time: focus on something completely irrelevant and innocuous, only to then spend a single sentence accusing your target of murdering someone.

If the accusations are true, that’s horrible, but one person being an awful human being doesn’t make KF not a hate site. It doesn’t make the stalking, doxxing, and harassment any less monstrous. I need you to remember that KF does not exist to obtain justice for abuse victims or vulnerable individuals. Its explicitly stated purpose is the entertainment of its userbase--entertainment which includes the harassment of abuse victims and vulnerable individuals, usually the mentally ill or LGBTQIA community.

Any good deeds the userbase does are incidental. I still remember the zoosadist thread and how the admin of the site actively discouraged the individuals who eventually tracked down one of its most heinous members. Null is not your friend, and neither are the people who use his site.

As someone with a former friend who obsessively posted about me on KF, I have approximately zero interest in spreading any of their threads. Thanks for your understanding, and please don’t believe everything you see on that site.

[djarrex]

Hi everyone, just wanted to address what happened last night along with some other things from before that all tie in together.

There’s multiple parts to the following post - please make sure you read all of it if you’re gonna take the time to even start.

It was midnight and y'all were still jumping in on anon and telling me how I'm awful for not commenting, owning up, or taking responsibility - I should have been in bed. I have a life and job outside this app; and with the several of you in my inbox and it being too late at night to address each, I’m gonna do it now. I can’t not say something about all of this. I just can’t keep quiet and ignore the problem - it’s not fair to you all. Deleting one post already has you guys even more riled up and all I wanted to do was offer something better than a “half-hearted apology” (it was very late at night when I wrote that very short apology, and wanted a redo tbh). 

I really didn't want to make a long post like this. I reached out to a select few on here because I care about them (there's more of you, but like I said, it was at the time after midnight and I was fucking exhausted). but I was being demanded for accountability. So here I am.

Allow me to be real with you all, if that's ok. If it's not, well, idk. First I wanna address all you anons, who, instead of speaking to me one on one about all this, want to criticize me and shame me and my writing when truthfully it feels like you haven't even read more than a handful of my work. I didn’t realize that I write the clones all the same way? That I always make them super aggressive and uncaring and dom? “you write every single clone as so dominant instead as unique individual men with their own personalities” Interesting. See, that right there tells me you haven't read nearly enough of my stuff for me to believe that's true. That's one accusation I absolutely will not back you on because I know it’s inaccurate - saying how I group the clones into some overly-aggressive, and uncaring category - that I always write all of them as mean in bed because they're men of color. And hey, if I do write rough smut - which yeah, it's out there and I write it, as do a lot of you - there are warnings at the beginning, aftercare, dialogue, reader sharing their feelings, and most importantly... consent between the two. That’s what warnings are for, so that you know what you’re going to be reading. That’s why I, as we all do, appreciate warnings listed at the tops of fics; honestly, write them sub or dom or switch or however you want but don’t come at me like that. I’m sorry if I'm coming across as rude because I'm usually not, I’m one of the nicest people you’ll meet, but I will not stand idly by while you chastise my writing (writing that is pretty much the same type of stuff a lot of you write & rb with the same characters) that you haven’t read enough of to back such claims.

Next: Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart,

I get it. Really, I do. I fully understand the problem of whitewashing in SW along with almost everywhere else, and I do not agree with it. It's a huge problem, and it needs to be rectified. Now just because I don't speak publicly about it and opt out of publicly shaming TBB, doesn't mean that I agree with what’s going on. Not everyone is comfortable with sharing their opinions on a subject, no matter what that subject is or which side they're on. You live and you learn when it comes to that. 

It has never been my intention to fetishize POC in my writing, which btw, the same people who are saying that it is my intention are the ones claiming I portray all of the clones as the same, aggressive men, lacking their individuality. It’s a claim that is simply not true, and I know I have followers on here to back me up on that. I know what I've written; how about you check it out and tell me that you don't see the words "soft" or "fluff" or "cuddling" or “gentle” or “tender” within my work linked in my ML. Clone character being a good partner and father? Tender love making? Holding each others faces in their hands? “We/you survived” sex? Taking care of their partner? Saying “I love you” to one another? Confirming the safe word and going slow at first? Oh my - riveting and harsh stuff - totally unacceptable.  

Now: My admittedly problematic writings of Rex + Zygerria,

I went into writing that rp fic totally unaware and unknowing of the true implications. For that, I sincerely apologize. When I posted the NSFW alphabet, that’s when I was called out on that rp fic - not when I first posted it. Which the timeline doesn’t matter, I know that, but it concerns me a little bit that no one spoke up about it sooner - letting me dig myself deeper into a hole that I didn’t realize I was inside of in the first place. I've apologized once, and I know that doesn't negate what happened; I acknowledged my mistake back then, but I suppose that wasn’t good enough. I had asked you, anon, to message me to give me guidance, to teach me on what to do about the fic - you stayed hidden. Well, respectfully, what the fuck? I know we're all adults but don't lecture me and avoid me when I’d literally reached out for guidance on how to properly rectify the issue. I fixed my wording in some of my fics (the things I’ve caught upon rereading them) because I recognized and more importantly learned about and from my mistakes along with the unintentional negative implications of how I wrote those characters. Some of y'all wanna tell me that I "haven't learned"? Who are you, my personal blog police? My professor? My life coach? Are you even my friend? If I'm wrong and haven't learned, then fucking educate me. I worked hard on that rp fic, just like I do with a majority of what I write, but it doesn’t matter because I will delete it knowing that it’s harmful to others and I apologize for inadvertently romanticizing slavery with what I wrote - it was unintentional, and I’m truly sorry to those who have been hurt by it. I know it’s wrong, and there’s no proper excuse for it. Can’t go back in time, but consider it gone now.

Since that first wakeup call, I’ve been working hard to ensure I avoid using certain words and ideas when describing the clones in my fics. If there’s still something you see that isn’t correct or is inappropriate, please tell me! Don’t hold it in but then jump on the “attack M” bandwagon. Private message me, or come peacefully off or on anon, there will be no hard feelings. I don’t mind being corrected when I make a mistake - that’s just part of life, we all make mistakes and we live and learn from them. Making mistakes doesn’t = scumbag human. When you hold your breath and choose not to take the time to guide me, and if I appear to still be making the same mistakes, well, idk. I’m telling you right now that I do not mind if you message me with the good intention of pushing me in the right direction. When you come at me with hostility on anon, well, no thank you. To the anons that came without rage: thank you! I read what you wrote, and I have a better understanding as to how my writing had hurt the lovely followers of mine, and tried to address as much as possible in this post. See, angry mob anons? It costs zero credits to be kind and offer up your thoughts and advice with a good heart. I’m not going to hate you or block you if you try to correct me. I don’t block unless you’re a snoopin’ minor. Just don’t hold a knife to my throat.

Now: Why did I delete the tags and then my response to that anon ask? 

Simply put: I felt awful. Deleting it doesn’t immediately mean I’m hiding from it and ignoring the issue. I wanted to come up with a better apology, explanation, whatever you wanna call it, because my followers deserve that. The ones who enjoy my work, the ones who interact, the ones who I call my friends, the ones who know that I’m a good person. Didn’t want to leave the tags/post floating around all night, giving more people time to sharpen their pitchforks and join the mob while I attempted to sleep. Trust me, I know saying that I had no ill intentions when tagging that post doesn’t make it better nor does it make it go away. I’m just trying to show you my point of view, that I knew immediately how I should not have tagged it that way, so that’s why I deleted them. I corrected my mistake. But y’all are too fucking quick I swear.

One more thing:

I know some of you who had called me out with the passive-aggressive inbox messages are still following me, and for what? You don’t like what I post, which is why one would follow another in the first place, so why bother sticking around? Do you feel like you need to police my blog? You want to be there the literal minute I make a mistake? I’m gonna turn off anon for a bit, so if you wanna discuss, message me. Just know that if you’re going to come at me with knives out, I probably won’t reply to you. 

To conclude:

I’m sorry. Truly sorry for the entire Rex + Zygerria outfit + slaver ordeal with both the fic from a while ago and then the tags from last night. We can’t go back in time; the only option is to correct past mistakes that are able to be corrected, and then move on with new knowledge that’ll aid in me working even harder to ensure my writing isn’t inappropriate or offensive, and doesn’t hurt my followers nor the characters I write for. I’m still going to write self-indulgent filth and fluff, post-order 66 Rex, and other misc shit. I enjoy writing fanfic, as I know a lot of you enjoy reading what I write and love to talk to me about it. I hope that this didn’t come off as me being a bitch, because I’m really not. I enjoy interacting with the handful of people on here that I’d call my friends, and I love reading your reactions and tags to my fics when you’re excited and/or horny (LOL). It’s just after lunch time where I’m at, so I hope you have a great rest of the day/night/morning whatever for wherever you are.  

<3 

M

[crapitskizaru]

Strawhats+ in College!AU

AU for the straw hats (plus law and kid) in Greek life? 

Warning: long ass post + i can’t quite imagine luff in college

Zoro-ya (Police Officer)

🤯 “Just give me some booze and I’ll make it.”

🤯 seriously, this guy’s lost 99% of the time, whether talking figuratively or literally, both will be correct 

🤯 he needs the first few months in college to create a certain routine for himself and all of his classes, as well as adjust his Nap Schedule - it’d be so irritating for him whenever he can’t get a grasp out of the situation or simply forgets which lecture he’s supposed to attend, but he shifts to a total-chill attitude halfway through the semester 

🤯 which usually means showing up at a 9AM lecture with a mug of coffee in one hand and a sports magazine in the other - since he can’t focus on whatever the professor’s saying, even if he tries, he might as well do something productive with his time 

🤯 contrary to his lectures, he has 100% attendance on every kind of party going around the campus and quickly earns himself a reputation of the guy who never blacks out 

🤯 cares more about the nearest gym opening hours than his studying schedule, although he doesn’t neglect it completely

🤯 he studies best in his dormitory - that is, provided he doesn’t have loud roommates - or in a cafeteria, where it’s relatively quiet, but not quiet enough for him to fall asleep 

🤯 ends up with a Criminal Justice degree and a major in Law Enforcement 

Sanji (Beauty Salon Worker)

😱 “How can you help me? Push me down those stairs, please.”

😱 so overwhelmed, since he has to reconcile his job and lecture attendance 

😱 due to his blood family giving zero shits about his education or future, he’s on his own - and he still somehow makes it, although not without having a mental breakdown every weekend 

😱 (credit to the cute anon) Sanji was eligible for a scholarship but because he's officially a Vinsmoke, his biological family is too rich for him to get one, even though they don’t provide any support, let alone a financial one; he probably has a massive debt as well

😱 whenever he’s not at work and can’t even think about studying, he attends all those wild parties in order to create some bonds and find his drinking buddies 

😱 has great time management skills, thanks to all of his struggles, and keeps up with his college budget - unfortunately, the most probable situation is that he’d be the only person he can actually rely on 

😱 however, it wouldn’t stop him from putting himself out there whenever he’s got a chance; after all, the love of his life may be waiting for him just around the corner 

😱 because he’s stressed out of his mind most of the time, he indulges in various addictions that may not be good for his health but at least provide the tiniest bit of calmness in his hectic schedule; whether it’s plain cigarette-smoking or excessive drinking, or even having sex with strangers just to get himself off and have an illusion of being cared about, he does it all without a blink, since that’s what keeps him going 

😱 provided that he finally finds the time to study, he’s actually quite a fast learner - mostly in the silence of a library or in his own flat 

😱 has a major in Cosmetics 

Nami (Childcare Worker)

😈 “You’re already drunk? Good luck with that, pal.” 

😈  just like Cersei, Nami’s not really into this whole sisterhood deal if she doesn’t know the people well - with the exception of Robin, who might be her one, true bestie, she doesn’t necessarily put much effort into strengthening any bonds 

😈 she somehow has a great GPA, even though she attends more parties than lectures - but with her natural charms and wits, she’s able to convince pretty much anyone just how good of a student she is 

😈 even though she likes to keep a safe distance from people, she enjoys partying and getting to know her colleagues; it’s always fun to prey on those who had the misfortune to black out as the first ones 

😈 when she actually decides to show up to a lecture, her outfit needs to be on point, otherwise she wouldn’t feel comfortable at all 

😈 regarding the time she dedicates for studying - it’s usually during the afternoon in the library, since she hates when someone disturbs her focus; her notes have to be highlighted and organized, that’s what gives her peace of mind 

😈 ends up with a major in Psychology 

bonus: 

Usopp (Graphic Designer)

😱 “I have, like, three dollars for the entire week.” 

😱  stressed out of his mind 

😱 he knows the only person he can blame that on is no one other than himself, due to his advanced skills in procrastinating or simply not being able to focus on work when he needs to, thanks to his ADHD 

😱 stays up late - not for assignments, which he manages to bullshit his way through 10 minutes before they’re due - but to watch old vines compilations, a guy who felled a tree with a chainsaw made of paper, detailed descriptions on how hydrogen bombs work or the entire playlist of Crash Course on world’s history 

😱 at first may have a hard time bonding, but once everyone notices how good of a friend he is, he certainly won’t have any problems regarding social life or party invitations 

😱 the boy’s on his phone almost all time - whether to keep up with his exploding social media or read a random article he accidentally clicked on; he’s also known for sending snaps in the middle of his lectures or tweeting about campus life and its most up-to-date gossip

😱 he studies most effectively when with a group of buddies - usually in the campus cafeteria; loves to keep his notes as colorful as possible, but he doesn’t really care for aesthetic 

😱 naturally, majors in Graphic Design

Chopper (Elementary School Teacher)

😵 “Omg, I’m going to fail this exam.” *gets 92%*

😵 i don’t really agree with Oda on this whole teaching deal - I think it’s obvious he’d go to med school to become a doctor 

😵 one of those students who study really hard and it pays off, but he still stresses out everyone around him 

😵 has perfect lecture attendance, because he actually enjoys listening to the professor; also asks a lot of questions regarding topics he doesn’t understand at first

😵 quickly makes friends, due to the whole year coming to him for explanation regarding various fields in the syllabus, or to just simply study with him - somehow, his aura of pure focus and concentration beams down on those around him

😵 could get a slight coffee addiction, since he tends to study during the night 

Robin-chwan (Cabin Attendant)

☕ takes surprisingly huge amount of joy in making up fake exam dates and then scaring her fellow colleagues with it

☕ what she’d prefer is simply studying on her own with piles of books stacking up all around her - she doesn’t need someone to explain a certain topic to her, she does it well enough on her own 

☕ therefore, she’s not a huge fan of attending lectures, although she knows she has to; but usually just ends up reading the textbook ahead without paying much attention to the surroundings 

☕ she studies best with scribbling notes on the margins of the book, maybe creating a few mind maps to link the historic events together, also uses only one highlighter since too many colors would be distracting

☕ regarding her social life; since she quite often reads around the campus, in various places, she gets a lot of chances to talk to people and is not afraid to start the conversation first 

☕ shows up at parties and usually stays up till the morning - minding her own business and with a group of friends, she knows how to have fun and keep herself entertained 

☕ pursues Archeology, that’s for sure 

Franky (Pilot)

👻 “Ayyy, which paper is it today? Bring it on, losers.” 

👻 even if he is a little bit overwhelmed, he doesn’t let it show - he just tries to have as much fun as possible while doing things that have to be done 

👻 once he decides to study a topic, he’s not giving up on it or taking a break until he gets it; that may have something to do with the fact that the faster he’s done with studying, the more he can party and load himself with waterfalls of energy drinks that he so loves 

👻 if the subject picks his interest, he likes to tune in to the lecture and listen to the professor - he may or may not try to reconstruct whatever project is discussed later on, in his own dorm and with his own safety rules 

👻 he is quite popular around the campus, due to his outgoing nature and easiness in cracking jokes, as well as being always down to a makeout session or simple petting with anyone who he finds attractive 

👻 goes with Aerospace Engineering 

Brook (Detective)

👑 “I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know what day it is. And I don’t care.”

👑 what he mostly pursues is not a high GPA or his lecture hall but quick entertainment involving some sort of sexual acts or just innocent intimacy with another person - it gives him a rush and he has no problems in admitting in front of himself that he might be quite hooked on it

👑 studies when it’s an absolute must, whether with a group of friends or on his own, he just wants to get it over with and indulge in campus social life - if he makes notes, they’re usually on a plain sheet of paper written with black ink; that’s how he’s able to focus and regurgitate information

👑 loves the parties and gatherings where he’s usually in the center of attention - and people like him, because he’s not too cocky and conceited, he just wants to have a good time 

👑 gets a degree in Criminal Justice

Jinbe 

🧣 “Just don’t.”

🧣 he’s the one who makes it through college without any actual problems or breakdowns every other day; and he doesn’t have a lot of sympathy to those who complain too much 

🧣 he’s just there, observing the huge amounts of alcohol being poured into certain individuals who most probably have an important exam the next day and he’s slowly losing his faith in humanity 

🧣 he just needs some time to understand that different people have different ways of dealing with certain stages of life - some do that with a peace of mind, some need vodka and liquor to get through it, and that’s just how it is 

🧣 would want to pursue a career of an FBI Agent or Fish and Game Warden, he’s not sure yet, but he’s getting there 

🧣 has a rather simple recipe for a productive study session - in the comfort of his own flat, where all the textbooks are available and within reach

🧣 ends up with a degree in Criminal Justice 

The Edge Lord (Doctor)

☃️ “No, I won’t have sex with you.” 

☃️ so tired and fed up with the whole world - he just wants to focus on studying and getting through his exams, but people keep throwing distractions at him no matter how unwelcoming and obnoxious he gets

☃️ since there’s no one hotter than him on the campus, he draws quite a lot of attention; unnecessary attention which he’d rather pass to someone else 

☃️ “Leave me alone, for Christ’s sake.” 

☃️ he doesn’t attend the lectures only when he’s too tired - other than that, he prefers not to miss anything and he can always spend the time doing something productive

☃️ he studies most effectively with a textbook and a black pen, scribbling shortened notes on the margins and underlining important phrases 

☃️ Traffy’s got few friends but he’d chop himself to tiniest pieces for them - and he knows they’d do the same for him as well 

☃️ engages in various extracurricular activities for the sake of credit, or as a form of spending time when he’s got no particular plans for the afternoon 

☃️ he’s constantly stressed - therefore, he likes to have a quick drink before the lectures or during the night, which turns into quite an addiction, but he knows he wouldn’t be able to get through it all without alcohol or other forms of stress-relief 

The Spawn of Satan (Weapons Dealer)

🔥 “Aye, if you ever need someone to show you around or somethin’, just call me.”

🔥 no one knows how he gets through the exams - but he does, and would be capable of getting high scores, if only he decided to study more than the bare minimum 

🔥 what he’s most interested in is being around people, throwing parties or attending them, drinking booze and having a damn good time with his friends - after all, he’s there to have fun and make memories

🔥 his method of studying the night before an exam is simple; he just reads the paragraphs and underlines the phrases that he thinks are important, and that’s all it takes for him to remember and understand the material 

🔥 what he’d rather be doing is getting laid and making out with everyone, but also, surprisingly or not, working a part-time job - he needs the money to feel that he’s in control of his own life, to know that he’s got financial stability and is not dependent on anyone other than himself

🔥 would have a hard time figuring his life out and what he wants to do in the future, but, thankfully, he’s got that one friend that will stay by his side no matter what - so that Kiddo will never be alone in this mess

Mochi Mochii

🍩 “When is this going to end?”

🍩 he minds his own business - or, at least, tries to; due to the excessive amount of family reunions or casual barbecue invitations every other day, he gets so distracted from his studies 

🍩 he knows what he went to college for and keeps his aspirations in mind at all times; despite his great time management skills, broad schedule and a bullet journal, he still far too often ends up cramming in the library the night before an exam - since he doesn’t want to let down his family and leave them hanging during all those gatherings that they always invite him to during weekday

🍩 Mochi doesn’t really get all this hype for getting hammered and carrying out make-out sessions with strangers whenever possible, so he just sits back and observes the shit going down around him at parties

🍩 he enjoys studying, but only the topics that he knows are useful or genuinely interest him - in a silent library or a bookstore, he highlights the most important information and sticks post-it notes all over the pages how cute is this?

🍩 would go for either Criminal Justice to become a security guard or training programs for tattoo artists

[flying-elliska]

What are the important bisexual characters that you said helped you? I am having a hard time finding good bi representation in which they aren’t considered promiscuous or unstable

Hiya anon ! What a quality question, thank you ! Here’s another mini essay about bi rep lmao.  If there are some that I forgot please tell me ! And to everyone, tell me about the bi characters who made an impact on your life, I’d love to know !!!!

Okay so.

-  When I answered the anon and talked about the characters that helped me come to terms with my sexuality, I talked about two in particular. Jack Harkness from Torchwood is depicted as very promiscuous, and somewhat instable. He still meant a lot to me because a) him sleeping around was never that much of a problem, it was because he was from the future, where things were different, which I thought was refreshing and b) his instability was because of the weight of being an immortal hero. Also fanon!Dean Winchester from SPN, as an older, more macho, emotionally witholding, badass dude written as bi meant a lot to me, but he doesn’t really avoid that stereotype either. But at least they were heroes.  However, I can understand wanting bi characters that actually don’t fit that stereotype, because bi people irl aren’t all like that, even if there is nothing wrong per se about sleeping with a lot of different people, or having mental issues to struggle with. And that was a while ago and now we have more and more cool characters ! Such as :

- Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. One of the best portrayals of bisexuality on TV imho. She didn’t start out as bi, she was this tough, cool, scary but with a heart of gold cop who had a lot of other plotlines before. But then, since they saw that a lot of wlw got this vibe from her, were really into her, and the actress came out as bi herself, they decided to use this. So it was super organic, and the way they introduced the subject was true to Rosa herself ; she’s a super private person, she doesn’t like anybody knowing about her life (it’s actually a running joke and Rosa Diaz has been implied to not even be her real name). But then she is dating a woman, and struggles with her parents not understanding and her coworkers find out, help her and support her. Her gay captain is there for her in his typical stoic but hilarious way. They organize game night with her when her parents won’t anymore. We see her crushing on women and dating, but it is treated exactly as the other character’s love life, they never make a big deal out of it. She isn’t the token queer character. She says outright she is bisexual and there is a specific point about her mom not understanding it’s not a phase and thinking she’ll end up with a man anyway, which #relatable. The focus is on the team as found family. Also right now she’s dating a butch woman, which is awesome since they are so underrepresented on TV and I hope we see more of her. That show really is my comfort show, it’s still bloodly hilarious and it really transcends the format to say some really deep woke stuff too, but never in a way that feels on the nose. Everyone should watch it tbh. 

- Korrasami ! Oh my god, I was so blown away when they got together. They’re two characters from the animated series Legend of Korra, they start out as rivals in love who have feelings for the same guy, but as they have to fight baddies together, they become bestest of friends, and both fall out of love with the guy. Then in season 3 and 4, their relationship becomes central to the show, as Asami stands by Korra through some really tough shit. Also, they’re both ultra badass and fight really well together. A lot of fans started reading their chemistry as romantic, but we’d never thought they’d actually go there. But the show ends with them walking into the ‘sunset’ (well, the spirit lands) together, holding hands. Now, it was never completely explicit on the show BUT they were dealing with a lot of censure from the networks and you have to be willingly obtuse not to read it as romantic. And after that the creators drew them on dates, and there is a comic series in which they are shown kissing, talking about their feelings, introducing each other to their families, etc. It made me feel so validated when it happened, and I just adore the whole ‘love triangle ditches the middle one and fall in gay love with each other’ trope. (is it a trope yet ? it should be.) It’s still a kids show at its core, but it has amazing depth and deals with some very deep shit. Korra starts off as a bit annoying but she has a really cool development, she’s a girl character we need more of - brave, dynamic but also brash and reckless and action driven in ways that are almost always exclusively shown for boys. And Asami is a more typical girly girl but she’s also a brilliant engineer and has a spine of steel and she’s also very slyly funny. They’re amazing. And the comics are super cute. 

- Now there are a lot of characters who are bi/pan that I love, and are good characters in themselves, but their arcs do intersect in some ways with promiscuity and mental instability. I’m thinking about Even from Skam and all his remake variants, Magnus Bane from Shadowhunters, several characters from Black Sails, Sarah Lance and Constantine from Legends of Tomorrow, Eleanor Shellstrop from the Good Place, Bo from Lost Girl, Ilana from Broad City, Joe McMillan from Halt and Catch Fire, God/Chuck from Supernatural (lmaooooo), several characters on Penny Dreadful, or in a totally different category, Vilanelle from Killing Eve or Hannibal from the series (who are hella bad guys but it’s never linked to their sexuality, and are also incredibly compelling to watch.)

 And even though these characters taken individually, I would argue, are good rep because they’re complex and layered and interesting and never one-dimensional (and watching them feels incredibly empowering at times)....it’s still a trend. I feel like when writing a character that is attracted to multiple genders, there is always this sort of...tangle of tropes that writers default to, unconsciously. Some negative and some positive. It used to be this trope of bis being villainous, instable, jealous, flaky, immature, perverted, manipulative, cheaters, amoral, greey, etc...and then it evolved into something of a reclaiming and subverting this trope. So now you feel like the Bi Character kind of has to be badass, glamorous, seductive, often superpowered or extraordinary in other ways.. And they also for multiple reasons (they’re immortal, they’re sensitive artist souls, they’re from the future, they’re psycho, they’re exccentric comic relief, they’re daring adventurers and pioneers) don’t care about social norms which allows them to sleep and fall in love with whomever. And so they tend to have those super busy romantic/sexual histories and very troubled backstories. In the past it was a bad thing, now it’s often presented as this positive, enlightened or at least fun and badass thing. They’re heroic, with big hearts, a tremendous lust for life and a cool rebellious attitude. They’re complex, dramatic, tortured. Which can be super cool, too. 

But it would be nice to have more ‘normal’ bi characters. I mean, boring bisexuals need to see themselves represented too ! Our sexualities don’t give us super powers. At the same time, it is true that bisexual ppl have higher rates of mental illness, which deserves to be explored, but it would be nice if it was actually articulated and not just part of this trope.  But still. We need rep, I think, that is more grounded and varied. So I think that’s also why I read a lot of fanfic. (I was really into the idea of bi Steve Rogers for a long time, partly also because he’s both very mentally resilient, kinda boring in a good way, and very unexperienced in terms of sex/romance, which is pretty much the opposite of the trope)

- I think books, and YA in general, are a good place to find these ‘normal bis’ characters. I’m thinking in particular of Leah from Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli (from the same book series that gave us the ‘Love, Simon’ movie) which is a super sweet coming of age/romance story about a super normal teenager who just happens to be also into girls (esp her best friend) and is loud and funny and very lovable and has zero doubts about being bi. You also have Adam Parrish from the Raven Cycle, another one of my forever faves ; he has an abusive family so PTSD from that but it never feels tropey, and it’s completely detached from his sexuality. He has magic powers, too. But his character feels completely opposite to the trope. He’s hardworking, somewhat withholding, prickly (and sometimes awkward), ambitious, determined, down to earth, and has a beautiful love story with another boy. And also Jane, from Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore, also really cool ; she’s a nerdy, smart girl who is actually inspired by Jane Eyre who has cool adventures in a weird house where we can follow her on different paths depending on the choices she makes, several of which are love stories. And finally the main character from The Seven Husbands from Evelyn Hugo, kinda fits the trope yeahhh since she’s a super glam actress who well, has seven husbands but it’s a pretty clever deconstruction since it turns out (slight spoilers) that Evelyn is actually through most of her life faithful in heart to the same person and the rest is mostly out of necessity, and her story feels very real and raw and down to earth. 

- I don’t go there yet but I really want to check out Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Schitt’s Creek which I have read have very good bi rep. And I want to catch up on Orphan Black (Cosima and Delphine both don’t have exact labels but they’re multi-gender attracted and they’re this cool couple of scientists in a relationship that gets a happy ending). I will never forgive what they did to Lexa so I stopped watching but I do think that Clarke Griffin from The 100 is very good bi rep. Alexia from Skam France, meanwhile, is a bit of a boundary case for me because, even though she’s presented as the ‘weird one’ from the group, very colorful and liberated and exccentric, she’s still a very normal teen who’s happy and comfortable in her own skin, which is awesome. 

- Disclaimer, I included characters in here that are also pan/omnisexual or don’t have a label but are attracted to several genders, for the purpose of this discussion i don’t think the difference is all that relevant at least to me (i mostly identify as bi for the sake of simplicity but tbh i could also fit under pan so i feel represented by all those characters). But I understand the importance of characters that state their identities more clearly and with pride. 

- So in conclusion : there is nothing wrong with having a sexually active life or struggling mentally (even tho that one is not fun). And I do love all my badass casanova time travelling super powered bis. 

But we need more bi characters that don’t fit that trope. We need bi characters in children’s shows, or that don’t have more than one relationship, or that don’t have a relationship at all, to break the tendency to always show bisexual ppl as overly sexual. We need bi characters in committed relationships to break this idea that bi characters are bound to cheat or can’t be satisified with only one person. We need bi characters that are mentally stable and successful and happy, to show that it’s possible. We need bi characters that are boring, bookish, nerdy, ordinary, clumsy, not particularly seductive, socially awkward, rule-sticklers, etc...to show that bi people are not all party animals, or doing it for attention, or to be wild, rebellious and socially progressive. It’s just a sexuality, it doesn’t say anything about your personality. Even though there are some correlations with MI or being bi might bring you in contact with more progressive ideas and to see life a bit differently, there is nothing automatic about it. 

- In conclusion, reading testimonies from real people also helped me a lot. It’s a very dated but I got the book “ Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out “ when I was struggling with my own sexuality and it helped a lot, to read that even back then (1991) you had all sorts of regular ppl claiming to be bi and that it was not a phase or a fad or whatever. 

[twdmusicboxmystery]

AK’s Script Notes and Why I Love Them!

Okay, I’ve gotten some questions about this the past week and people asking me to post about it. This actually came out before last Sunday’s episode, so I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to address it. (Life is crazy and all that jive.)

So some of Angela Kang’s notes came out from episode 1. Unfortunately, they’ve lit a fire under a certain dark ship who are now on a mission, and I know people are a little disturbed by it.

So, for anyone who hasn’t seen it, what surfaced were AK’s notes on the scene they released as a sneak peek for episode 1. The one where Daryl and Carol are talking and he says Ezekiel is corny, but he’s happy for her, etc.

I want to start by saying that my FB group actually talked about this scene and reached several conclusions long before AK’s notes came out. Because it was a sneak peek for the premiere, we had this scene broken down, analyzed to death and had practically written dissertations on it before it even aired. (Hehe.)

And I remember us specifically talking about whether there was a jealous factor involved. We decided that there was, but not in the way most people would think. We thought Daryl WAS jealous of Carol and Ezekiel, but not because he’s in love with Carol and wants her to be with him. Obviously. It’s because he’s jealous of what they have. He’s lonely and has never found happiness with a romantic partner.

I think some of his bitterness about Ezekiel’s “corniness” comes from the fact that Daryl never got to have this with Beth. I can see his thought process being a little bit spiteful like, “How come THIS guy who’s so corny gets this happiness and I don’t?”

So again, my group figured all this out before episode 1 aired. In it’s purest form, his jealousy is really more about Beth than Carol. And, perhaps even more to the point, about himself and his own loneliness. At this point, he’s seen SO many couples around him in the people he cares about: Glaggie, Richonne, Rosita/Abraham, Sashraham, Tara/Denise, Aaron/Eric, and now Carzekiel. I’m sure it’s on his mind a lot.

So these notes of AK’s surfaced and one word that people are zeroing in on is “Jealousy.” Naturally, it has a certain shipping fandom screaming from the rooftops that “C@ryl is endgame.” You just have to understand that they’re misinterpreting her notes

While it doesn’t define what she means by jealousy, that didn’t bother any of us because we already knew that and what it meant. If you break down the scene in conjunction with both Daryl’s and Carol’s long-term arcs, its very apparent what the jealousy refers to.

But if you want more proof, check out the word next to jealous that those shippers are completely ignoring and just pretending isn’t there:

Saudade. 

Saudade is a word that exists in Portuguese and Galicican, but doesn’t have a direct translation into English. As you can see from Angela’s notes, it means “a feeling of nostalgia or melancholy; longing for someone or something you love that’s gone.

THIS is what Daryl is feeling in this scene. And he’s never lost Carol. She’s never been gone (although she has tried to abandon him a few times). I know the shippers are trying to say it means he’s lost his chance to be with her or some such nonsense, but think about what’s been said in the show.

Then @bluesandbeth sent me THIS LINK, which describes what saudade means. Look at what is written here, guys. Everything about it screams Beth and nothing in here sounds remotely like Carol’s arc or character:

“…a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves…the object of longing might never return…”

“Stronger forms of saudade might be felt toward people and things whose whereabouts are unknown, such as a lost lover, or a family member who has gone missing, moved away, separated, or died.”

Beth anyone? Missing girl theme, anyone? Carol has never fit ANY of these descriptions. But it goes on:

“Saudade was once described as ‘the love that remains’ after someone is gone.” 

“…the recollection of feelings, experiences, places or events that once brought excitement, pleasure, well-being, which now triggers the senses and makes one live again. (emphasis mine). It can be described as emptiness, like someone…that should be there in a particular moment is missing, and the individual feels this absence.”

See what I mean? For me, this is absolute confirmation from AK that Daryl is still thinking about Beth and it’s her loss still making him sad. (Thank you, Angela!)

Furthermore, in terms of basic logic, they would not send something like this out to fans (apparently it was part of the TWD drop box) that would have spoilers in it. So that ship saying this came out to hint that Caryl is about to go canon is kinda ridiculous. They wouldn’t be that obvious or put spoilers in the drop box.

I believe they included this to give us insight into Daryl’s loneliness. They wanted us to understand how Daryl is feeling during this scene. (Naturally some people are twisting it around to fit their own theories.) With that in mind, let’s look at some of these other notes because they really are fascinating.

Starting at the top, Angela’s notes say, (next to the line where Carol puts out his cigarette and says, “These things’ll kill you.”

“Want the sense of shared history between them, honest in a way they can’t be with anyone else; it’s 2 a.m. after the bar closed down, sitting on the hood of a car.”

So establishing their history and the fact that they’re BFFs. We already know all that, but AK was noting that she really wanted it to come through in the scene, which I think it did.

Below that from “snore fancy” through “corny” it says:

“Daryl – buried jealousy of Zeke but knows he’s not a bad guy. – King persona so counter to Daryl’s personality.”

It’s that last part that’s super-interesting to me. I already addressed the jealousy, but it specifically says that Daryl has the opposite of a king’s persona. Yeah, I could go off on volumes of tangents about this. I won’t, but here’s a few things to consider:

1. Daryl doesn’t consider himself a king. He considers himself something between humble subject and not-deserving-of-anything.

2. Maybe some of his jealousy/bitterness stems from the fact that he IS so opposite of Zeke. Like he thinks he’s undeserving BECAUSE he’s not at all like that.

3. It also goes to show that he and Carol both need someone as a romantic partner that is utterly unlike them. We’ve said it a million times: these two are ridiculously similar. That’s why they’r besties. But also why they wouldn’t make good romantic partners. They both have way too much of a predilection toward falling into darkness. Beth may not have a “king persona” (though we all know she’s the Queen of Diamonds) but her personality is VERY similar to Zeke’s, which is why she’s good for Daryl and Ezekiel is good for Carol.

Okay, you get the idea. Let’s move on.

Next, Carol’s line about how after what she went through with Ed, corny is really nice, is circled. Angela’s note says, “the heart of the deal for Carol – she’s probably never said this to anyone else.”

So once again, she can talk to Daryl about things she doesn’t talk to anyone else about. But I like that AK calls this the “heart” of the scene for Carol. This tells us a lot about the relationship from Carol’s side. She’s telling us why she’s with Zeke, why she wants to be with him, why she values his love so much. And Daryl understands not only because he knows her first husband abused her, but because he’s been the object of abuse himself. So he gets it. (Which is what it says one line down in the script: Daryl nods. He gets it.)

Finally, the part where Daryl says he’s glad and happy for her and she deserves it, AK’s note says:

“Vulnerable; heart of Daryl’s problem…wants things to be…they were but they’re not and he’s struggling with that.”

This is something Daryl’s says later to Rick in episode 1: he wants things to go back to how they were in the beginning with just their small group. He’s nostalgic for the prison and the fulfillment he felt there, but obviously, “you can’t go back.”

So yeah. That’s about all I have to say about this. Don’t let other shippers freak you out. They’re gonna say what they’re gonna say, and believe what they’re gonna believe and that’s their right. Keep in mind, they said the same thing about 5x06, because it was about Daryl and Carol running around Atlanta together. Nothing. They said it about their cabin scenes in 7x10. Nope. It won’t be any more true now than at any other time they’ve said it. The show, the show runners, and the actors have told us again and again that Carol and Daryl’s relationship is platonic.

In fact…okay this is a different ship and I’m sorry to mix them, but I was glancing back through Asks that I answered prior to 9x01 airing, and I received and answered a LOT of worried Anons about the Darsita ship. The Darsita shippers were really laying it on thick at that time about how that ship would go canon this season. 

Again, I’m a ship and let ship sort of person, but all their theories have already been pretty much disproved. We don’t know what will happen the rest of the season, of course, but we already know Rosita is with FG and spoilers tell us she’ll cheat on him…but not with Daryl. So please don’t let the shippers freak you out.

Yes, we’re shippers too and I’m sure they say similar things to this about us, but we’re also the only ones I know of that pay attention to actual symbolism in the show and listen closely to what tptb and others involved in the production actually tell us.

And then there’s that shot of Beth lying beside Daryl in Rick’s hallucination in 9x05. Just saying. ;D

[shepherdsoreydidnothingwrong]

I NEED THAT NUMBER 8 WITH ZAVEIZEN PLEASE !!!!

After one hundred years, I have come to deliver. (I hope this anon is still here, rip. I’m sorry)

8. “We play online games together all the time and you keep flirting with me over chat. Is this a thing or are you just trying to get pocket heals???”

AO3 Link

It starts out simple. Harmless. Innocuous.

They can't get enough people together for a full group that day, and so they just leave competitive mode untouched, opting instead for quickplay. As it all becomes casual and relaxed, Eizen opts for one of his more comfortable heroes. He selects Li Li and settles in to wait, cracking the first of many sodas for the night.

It takes them some discussion back and forth, but Rokurou and Eleanor eventually settle on being the damage, while Velvet takes the tank role.

The first map they find themselves in is Towers of Doom. Their one random is a Varian, which is a safe enough choice. Eizen appreciates it and hopes dearly that he is good at tanking.

Rokurou and Eleanor circle each other on matching mounts as they wait for the match to begin.

The match begins as normal, with a few skirmishes around the altars tilting the favour this way and that. Eizen remains close to the tank, but Eleanor is becoming quite reckless, chasing kills she has no business chasing. A few words from Velvet over voice chat puts her back on the right track, however, and they soon find themselves taking towers at a pace the other team has difficulty matching.

The tank remains close to him at all times, and he appreciates that. It is something he always tries to do when he takes that role, and he finds it a sorely lacking quality in their regular batches of random people who join the team. He also appreciates it when said tank actually thanks him for healing, something which he is wholly unused to.

With a winning team and a map advantage, they find themselves tearing at one of the keep walls together as Eizen keeps an eye on the enemy team on the mini-map. They are scattered, cleaning up invading mercenaries or fighting Velvet and Rokurou in the top lane. They begin to relax in the face of the disorganisation. Then, while they look away, the enemy team suddenly rallies, and begins to close in on the two of them.

Eizen notices it too late, and the Varian (Zavvy, his healthbar reads) is too focused on blocking cannonballs to notice. They end up scrambling to get out, and Eizen curses under his breath.

"Can you walk out?" Velvet asks, even as they both give up hope on it. The enemy Dehaka is dragging their Varian towards the keep, while the Butcher blocks Eizen from leaving.

Eizen considers what his options are (though they are few) and decides to try to salvage what he can. He turns and activates his ultimate ability.

It works. Once Dehaka lets go, Varian parries a few cannon balls and begins to walk towards Eizen, whose healing is now keeping them both alive. It all happens very quickly. The Butcher and enemy Jaina begin to attack, and Varian dives for the latter.

They make it out, but only barely. Eizen clutch heals the Varian out of the confrontation. Stressed and tense, he walks him out as though on an afternoon stroll. The enemy team follows, but now Varian's cooldown is over, and he can parry their attacks completely for a second or so. This lends them enough time to get back behind the walls of their side and continue to where it is safe to hearth.

"Close one," Eizen mutters into the microphone on his headset. Then a little message appears on his screen. It is posted in the team text channel, and it reads "Thx

At first he wonders whether the heart makes it sarcastic, but there is no reason for the guy to be annoyed about what just happened. Then he hears Eleanor over voice chat.

"Aw, he sent a heart. I like him."

Rokurou chimes in.

"That's the least salty bit of chat I've seen in days. Let's keep him and see if he does it again."

Eizen considers the message. Then, as Li Li runs on autopilot back to the middle lane, he opens up the chat window.

"Np," he writes and presses send. Rokurou chuckles in his ears.

"Did you make a friend?"

Eizen rolls his eyes, but there is a smirk on his face.

"Eyes on the lane, Junior."

*

They win that match by virtue of Rokurou sneaking into the enemy core in the middle of a skirmish at their own. It's a close call, but they make it.

Zavvy gets the MVP title, and immediately the message comes.

"10/10 would have my ass saved again."

Eizen stares at it for some time before he skips out of the awards screen.

Velvet adds the newcomer to the party at Rokurou and Eleanor's request, and they find themselves once more a full team.

At the character choice, Eizen suddenly becomes unsure.

"Velvet, what do you need?" he asks. Velvet hums over the audio.

"I'm in an assassin kind of mood, so if you don't mind, either tank or healer," she says. There is some typing on the other end and a message appears in the group text chat.

"Hey, Zavvy," she writes, "You down for more tanking? Or should someone else?"

They wait a few seconds, after which a new message appears.

"I'm down :) Don't mind staying with the middle lane."

That means remaining with the healer, which presumably in this case ends up being Eizen. He wonders whether that has anything to do with it. He was unusually affectionate in the text chat.

Velvet writes back, "We'll work around that then. Do you wanna stay Varian or switch?"

"I'm good with Varian," he writes back. "Just be ready to capitalise on some taunts ;)".

"Oh, I like him," Rokurou says, and Eizen rolls his eyes. They select some appropriate assassins and the next match begins.

This time they find themselves in Dagon Shire. They split easily into lanes, and Eizen zooms in to get a better look at the Varian.

Zavvy has dressed him in the red king's armour, with the helmet shaped like a lion. It would look impressive if he was not riding a Special Snowflake mount. As it is, he looks very festive, and Eizen smiles at the sight.

"Nice setup, Varian," he writes and presses send.

Zavvy writes back immediately. "Thanks. It's camouflage."

Eizen stares at the message. He stares at the little Varian, who sticks out like sore thumb. At last, he writes, "No?"

The reply comes quickly. Eizen rolls his eyes so hard he almost misses the cue to exit the base.

"Then explain why I become instantly invisible in every patch of grass ;)".

Rokurou laughs. Velvet makes a disapproving sound. Eizen sighs.

They win that match too, but not by virtue of Eizen saving Zavvy the whole time. He cannot in good conscience let such bad humour slide.

*

Over time, Zavvy becomes something of a regular in their group. It comes by virtue of Rokurou friending him and suggesting him every time he is online. Eizen would be amused if it was not so annoying every time he plays the role of the healer.

He picks Morales, Zavvy picks Varian. Eizen picks Tyrande, Zavvy picks Jaina, and they make a good team. It is just a little annoying when Zavvy insists on putting himself in front of every attack headed Eizen's way even when it will surely kill Zavvy himself. That is not a good way to go about protecting a healer. Especially when Eizen's health was fine as it was even with the attack, will that man just calm down with his heroics?

Eizen considers talking to him about it. He also considers never playing again because this is becoming too much of a headache. He should not be flattered at antics that lose them every third game. It is a team game, not a middle age battlefield.

He keeps picking healers, just to check how consistent this behaviour is. The results frankly astound him.

*

He is playing alone with Eleanor when the subject comes up out of nowhere, much to his chagrin.

"You wanted to keep him that badly, huh?" he says.

He is playing Butcher today, and the other team has no idea how to properly deal with him. It is a game that is so far more than satisfying. He zeroes in on a Jaina who has been left to her own devices and overextended. He almost feels bad for her.

"I guess so." Eleanor sounds as though she is smiling. "He was a good tank, and you didn't leave him to be skewered, so I'm guessing you like him too. Roku insisted on friending him.

"That so?"

Eleanor is pushing on her own unchecked, and Eizen begins to wonder if they have somehow fallen into the wrong bracket. This is too easy.

"They got to talking, and apparently he's a lot like you," Eleanor says with some amusement in her tone. "Wouldn't shut up about historic linguistics."

Eizen frowns. "Eleanor, I'm an archaeologist."

"And that is not the same how?"

He does not have the energy to explain this. Grudgingly he realises that it does not really matter. It still sounds very interesting a subject to discuss.

"What language was he talking about?"

"Take three guesses."

That means Ancient Tongue. Also known as Eizen's subject of choice. He stubbornly refuses to be intrigued.

"Good for him," he says. When Eleanor laughs over the voice chat, he closes his eyes briefly in annoyance.

His phone lights up momentarily and makes a cheery sound. He glances at the minimap. Sure enough, Eleanor is in motion (meaning she can have her hands off the keyboard for a second or two).

"That's what he looks like," she says. "Roku claims he lives in the area."

"So now I'm being pushed into the saddest form of online dating ever invented?"

"Don't say that. There are far sadder forms."

Eizen tries to keep from it, but his eyes are drawn to the black screen. He is currently dead in the game, and the timer is still on ten seconds. He pushes the home button, and the top part of a face appears on the screen.

Despite what Eizen might think of him, Zavvy looks just striking. His features are sharp, his eyes sharper. A warm shade of amber.

He diverts his eyes back to the monitor and begins to ride to the middle lane. The healer is alone, and keeping to themself, but they might be able to push some together.

"Do you want his number?" Eleanor asks when he says nothing. The silence drags on as he reaches the Morales and they begin to push.

"Do I?" Eizen says, deliberately being difficult. His mouth twitches when he hears her huff.

Suddenly, the mini-map in his peripheral flashes. He looks down and sees a spot of red too close for comfort.

"Eleanor," he says. "Someone has taken out siege camp. Go clear it."

He moves the game camera and sees Murky slip just out of sight. Damn.

They have pushed far enough that anything more would be a risky overextension. He watches the healer go to the bottom lane, and then leaves to go check on the bruiser camp closer to their base. Eleanor hearths and goes to clear the sieging giants. Their random people are still pushing, but he has a bad feeling about it now.

He pings for their damage and healer to retreat, as both are beginning to overextend. There is no reaction. At his location, Murky begins to attack the camp he guards. Right in front of him too, which only makes the bad feeling worse.

"Look, you don't have anyone to talk about all this history with," Eleanor says. She seems less troubled by these developments than he is. "Rokurou has his number. You should call."

Murky is good. Better than he is. Eizen is unsure which is more annoying, this fight or Eleanor.

"I've got a situation right now."

"Fine," she says, "but the offer still stands."

That is all she has time to say before the other team descends on their healer and dps like a flock of locusts. Eizen does not have it in him not to blame Eleanor a little bit.

*

Zaveid. He learns that his real name is Zaveid. He is unsure which name is worse.

*

"How well do you know Zaveid?" he asks as soon as Rokurou picks up the phone.

Rokurou snorts on the other end.

"Did he win your little healer heart with his suave ways?"

"He did not," Eizen says, because it's easier to just go along with Rokurou's word choice than argue over it. "But he's cost me enough rating that at this point he deserves a talking to in person."

"Watch the claws, kitty," Rokurou chuckles. "What if I don't wanna tell you now?"

"Do you?" Eizen asks. There is a beat of silence in which Rokurou thinks.

"Fine," he says, "But only because I wanna see where this ends up."

*

Zaveid picks up on the third ring.

"N'yello," he says. His voice is deep, his tone charming. Eizen wonders about the annoyance he suddenly feels.

"Zaveid?" he asks.

There is a pause on the other end. Then Zaveid says, "Am I in trouble or something?"

"That really depends on how well you defend yourself," he says before he can think it through. Said like that, it just sounds like a bad pick-up line.

Zaveid chuckles. "Well, I've received stranger calls. To whom do I owe the pleasure and what can I defend myself for?"

Eizen opens his mouth to answer him, but then he stops. The words he wanted to say now sound ridiculous in his mind, and he has no backups. He ends up standing there for a long moment, scrambling for something to say. Outwardly, he looks calm, the way he wants to be inwardly.

"I'm Eizen," he says eventually. "I'm the one who has basically gotten a day job healing you."

There is a beat of silence that stretches almost to the same length his own did. Then Zaveid says "Heroes?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

Something is off about Zaveid's voice and Eizen cannot put his finger on it.

"What?" he says. Then Zaveid explains in just a few words, and still somehow they manage not to make any sense.

"I thought you'd be smaller."

Eizen stares out the window in front of him. He blinks.

"What?"

"You," Zaveid says, as though that makes any sense. "I thought you'd be smaller."

It feels absurd to point out the obvious, but evidently here there is a need.

"You can't see me," Eizen says.

"I know," Zaveid says, "but the voice tells me enough. You're bigger than I pictured you."

Slowly, Eizen brings up a hand to rub at his closed eyelids.

"Nevermind that," he says. "At any rate, we need to talk about your idiotic Heroes strategy. I can't keep clutch dragging you out of fights forever."

Something changes about Zaveid's voice, and it is in the direction of amusement. "Is that so?"

"Quite."

"And you needed to talk to me over the phone to do this?"

He bristles. "Yes. You've died enough to actually demote me now."

"Well we can't have that." Zaveid sounds less concerned than he should be. "Say, you sound as though you know a lot about this, and Roku tells me you live nearby. Wanna meet up sometime and tell me in depth what I'm doing wrong? Say, over coffee?"

Eizen opens his mouth. Closes it. He can imagine his sister laughing at him, wherever she is at the moment. It must look odd to the people around her. She never laughs.

"Hellawes Uni campus," he grinds out, because he does want to and pride is a stupid thing. "Wednesday at noon. You're paying."

"I always do on strategy meetings. See you there."

Eizen hangs up before Zaveid can say anything else. Before he can change his mind.

He texts Rokurou, "I am going to kick your ass you later."

The reply comes quickly. "I place all blame on Velvet. Also, you'll need to be more specific."

"For befriending Jack Sparrow," he writes back, and then leaves the phone in the living room to go get some coffee and calm himself down.

[mittensmorgul]

So like how much on a scale from 1-10 do you think they’ll set “Sister Jo” up as a love interest for Dean? Obviously we don’t really know much about her just yet but lmao just for fun I guess

Hi friendo! I’m currently giving the likelihood of Sister Jo becoming a love interest for Dean somewhere in the -3 to -9 range of probability. In case that didn’t translate properly, I’m saying the chances are less than zero. Considering Andrew Dabb’s own words on the subject. Not to mention this sort of reaction to any female character joining the show for any reason is as old and dull as last week’s bath water.

They’ve been keeping s13 so hush-hush, even Jess’s spoiler sheet is looking a bit spare for anything happening post 13.09... Spoilers from set have been genuine surprises as episodes have aired (did ANYONE see Ketch coming? And despite knowing we’d be seeing Kevin again, nobody even realized he’d already filmed for 13.07 until he walked through that door. I mean they’ve been fantastic at hiding this sort of thing from us this season!) So the fact we know she’s going to be playing a potentially recurring character called Sister Jo, and that her story will involve Lucifer, we literally know nothing else.

I prefer not to preemptively get all wound up in knots over stuff this vague.

(although I personally am LOVING the crack theory that she’ll be super-flirtatious with Cas and all but ignore Dean, to Cas’s utter bafflement and Dean’s extreme grumpiness. if I’m not gonna know anything else about this for more than two months, I’d rather laugh about that while I can instead of biting my nails over something that’s honestly not very likely to happen...)

I currently have five other anons, all of which I’ve been hemming and hawing over answering. I don’t want to ignore anyone’s concerns, but I also don’t want to put too much thought into worrying about any of this. But for the sake of acknowledging people’s feelings, I’m gonna post them here:

no offence but. we know this show and how it works, how it can change storylines mid-season. there is a very real huge possibility that danneel's character will be dean's endgame. she's a faith healer and that will also tie to dean's arc about faith that cas occupied. and it will placate the fandom bc despite being a new character they already know and love her. i also love danneel and wanted her in the show forever but the recurring role terrifies me. i can't trust them.

No offence, but any statement that begins “no offence, but” is automatically translated “I am about to be offensive.” I understand if you can’t trust them, but I just can’t live with that level of bitterness in my soul, so I’m gonna just keep watching the show. Because in *my* experience, we have been here so many times I actually made a gif for how many times we’ve been through this:

(see those links in my reply to the original anon for receipts on just how many times this exact bit of fandom wank has arisen over the years, only to amount to a giant hill of beans.)

omg omg omg. Danneel? I'm cut in half. I'm ecstatic to see her on supernatural but my destiel heart is freaked out. it's too much. Oh my God. Help me mittens !

Oh my goodness, I am only one smol mittens. I am only good for keeping hands warm.

I'M SO EXCITED FOR DANNEEL ON THE SHOW OMG. But as a Destiel fan, am I scared? Hm, nope not really, but I do understand why some are. I know there's nothing to worry about but this is Supernatural, literally anything can happen. I just hope the writers won't turn out to be queerbaiting us all along. I hate that shit. But I know they're not that cruel or stupid so I'm still excited for Danneel :)

THANK YOU SENSIBLE ANON! I agree with you. And I have a really hard time that this particular group of writers would do something as low as deliberate queerbaiting. But I agree with you. Here, have a cookie:

I know Daneel is Jensen's wife and everything, but please SPN don't have Dean be a creep and fetishise the nun-_- I was SUPER sore for a long time about him making advances on and then sleeping with the born again virgin woman back in s9, after she asked him to pray with her. I know it was her choice but she was still in a very vulnerable position and I just have a serious problem with the way media has this "gotta make a bad girl outta the religious chick" trope. It' slimy and creepy.

Yeah, I know some folks are extra-worried because this is a bucklemming episode, but I would also like to offer the fact that Bucklemming has a relatively decent track record of dealing with religious themes in general. My previous reply to an anon worried about the bucklemming of it has a whopping 15 notes, so I guess this is an unpopular opinion, but heck, is there ANYONE who thinks Sister Mathias in 10.16 wasn’t an excellent characterization of a nun, and a direct Dean mirror rather than a love interest? And then the freaking confessional scene? I mean... are we actually worried about this? If we are, we should probably reconsider our understanding of Bucklemming. (and yeah, I shudder just saying that, but in this particular case, the concern is unfounded)

all this drama regarding danneel as sister jo - do we have confirmation she's a nun? she's a faith healer and that's all we know, for all we know she could be living in a super tight-knit community and is just being called sister jo by everyone. she could be a jehovah's witness, they called their members brother/sister. she could be british, sister is a british way of calling a nurse. posibilities are endless

Nope, we do not have confirmation that she’s a nun. But knowing bucklemming and the themes they like to touch on (see that link in reply to the previous anon just above the gif there... one or both of them is seriously into the religious themes).

Heck, even the angels on this show refer to each other as “brother” and “sister,” so she could potentially be another angel... I mean, we honestly have no way of knowing at this point. Maybe that’s why she’s got the powers to be a faith healer... 

Okay, now I feel better that I at least have done something with these messages. I hope folks are feeling generally more chill about this entire scenario now. I for one am THRILLED to finally have Danneel on the show, in whatever capacity. I think she’s fantastic, and I can’t wait to see her episode(s)!

[annashipper]

Megapost Nr. 2 - 18/05/17

@captainjcat​:   CM kept reminding me of some then it finally hit me Mimi from The Drew Carey show.

In the article SH is mentioned almost last like a after thought, could be “someone” called them and we forgot to tell you SH will be a producer to she’s done that before. So let’s hope that this isn’t a sign of things continuing because the job of producer can be a lot of responsibility to just putting your name on the project without you really doing anything, so we know the she will be on least amount of work possible side, but I hope this is just part of the deal to end things and not a sign that the sham wil go on.

Anna: The eye makeup is certainly similar @captainjcat!  :P

I’m still waiting for confirmation from either the Fail or CWeb by the way.  I have my reasons  :o)

*

Lurking In the USA Anon:  “… in fact the few reader reviews I’ve seen so far all seem to start with “I’m not quite sure what I’ve just read, but…” And ”… One thing I can’t believe I didn’t notice at first is the lack of dialogue. …“Hmmm … since the main character is female and she doesn’t speak much, I guess there’s not much for us who enjoy BC’s acting and voice … It does sound most ::ahem:: unusual and dare I say it avant-garde? Please excuse the snarkiness, but, I guess there wasn’t much of a bidding war for the privilege to produce…?You have to admit that is a whiplash inducing typo when it comes to the list of producers.And to have BC and MF read the fan fic sounds horrid for all involved. ::shudder :::

Anna:  It is a newly published book Lurking In The USA Anon, so there’s really no way of knowing whether it would make a good movie or not.  The one screencap of a page I’ve read (circulated on instragram) wasn’t what I’d call promising.  Then again “Jaws” is not exactly based on a masterpiece and it’s one of those iconic movies that not only is a cult favourite, but it also still ranks among the top 10 box office hits of all time.

*

P Anon:  Quite a few of the nans are gushing that SH is one of those producing this new SM film ( which of course they would ) typo or not it’s “out there” unless corrected.

IF ( IF ) BC has given in and linked SH to SunnyM basically because she’s married to him and NOT because of any producing talent she has ( name a talent she DOES have except looking pissed off ) the little regard I have left for him will go out the window and it makes him and SunnyMarch into a laughing stock.

Anna:  Don’t forget Weirdo P Anon.  It would make his chronically unemployed wife the biggest laughing stock of all  ;o)

*

50/50 Anon:   Bahahaha! Anna, that nan comment is hilarious😂😂😂 They just don't get it, do they?

Anna:  I don’t know if they don’t get it and it’s simply a case of long words such as “nepotism” being lost on them, or if it’s that they don’t want to get it 50/50.  Either way, they have my sympathy.

*

FatNosed Anon:   "Benedict Cumberbatch’s SunnyMarch and Hera Pictures have acquired the feature film rights to Megan Hunter’s hotly anticipated debut novel, “The End We Start From.”" Phew, good job they got their hands on the rights, I bet there were plenty of other interested parties.. 🙄 (thinking of Mrs Hudson's quote re: a crying need for that) 'Tis nothing that floats my reading boat, I'm afraid, but I'm sure some stannies will be experts on the subject in no time, as usual. :o)

Anna:  I’m sure they already are FatNosed Anon!  In fact, I pity the Nans who haven’t rushed to the book store nearest to them to snatch up a copy  :P

*

Nonny Nr. 1:   is there a video of the whole forced to read fanfiction thing? And Amanda calming down bc?

Anna:  I’m afraid I don’t have a link to the video, but there are some gifs of Martin and Amanda trying to calm Ben down after the fact Nonny.  I’ve just put them up on a separate post:  LINK

*

Nonny Nr. 2:   As hard as it is to swallow - you might want to know that Adam has retweeted the variety article so they obviously don't mind the reference to zero (unless he's such a idiot he hasn't even read it!)

Anna:  Oh!  Thanks for that info Nanny Nonny.  I didn’t even think of checking Adam’s tweets:  LINK

I’ll be very curious to find out if Adam really read that article before retweeting it.  I don’t think he’s the most dilligent guy out there.  He’s deleted far too many tweets for my personal liking  :o)

As far as I’m concerned, this is the actual showmance gold I got from his twitter feed.  Upcoming LL dates:

*

Nonny Nr. 3:   So miss hunter now is a producer, producing her sis in law with her husband's money...how feminist but how easy to send money you didn't have to work for after all. Everything to coattail your husband/in law's success dear sofail, do you plan to coattail Sherlock by putting something along "cumberproducer executive" because you tried to make coffee for him when he was due on sherlock set? This woman is Benedict's Trump, impeach the cumbermoronic spouse before it's too late Benny boy.

Anna:  Feminist?

*

Anna:  For the record, I’m done discussing a woman I find nauseating, so there’ll be no more talk of Caitlyn Moran.

I’m also done speculating on the matter of Weirdo getting “producer” added to her long list of failed attempts at fetch.  Until we have something concrete, I’m going to pass on the discussion.