#we Stan movements and ideals not

[hilacopter]

y'all have no fucking right to whine about how israeli leftists and pro-peace activists DoN'T aCtuALLy cARe AbOUt PaLEsTine because we don't spread fucking antisemitc misinfo and don't want our country bombed. perhaps we'd be willing to work with you if you haven't made it abundantly clear you don't want our support, you don't want our work and effort. in fact don't want us to exist at all. our existence infuriates you, it contradicts the black and white narrative you've made up for comfort in which all israelis are genocidal bigoted colonizers who's deaths are justified and welcome in the name of resistance. in which the big brave westerners get to play white savior and cleanse the evil israeli hivemind. you aren't willing to acknowledge us or ally with us because we refuse to work on your terms in which we have to disregard our own history in favor of your own false antisemitc narrative, we have to loathe our existence and grovel for repentance over the sin of being born, or we have to actively cheer for our own deaths. if you want help from the people who can make the most of an actual difference, who can protest the israeli government and military directly, then you're going to have to listen, you're going to have to apologise and you're going to have to compromise. you're going to have to hear stuff you might not like hearing and you'll have to make drastic changes to your movement of terrorist stans. but you've made it abundantly clear you don't actually want that. you only make us more reactionary and bitter by spitting in our faces. I've talked to fellow peaceniks who have lost the motivation to protest or donate out of spite for the western pro-palestine movement. I myself have become much more wary of it all. you're causing us to be resentful and then you complain like we were the problem all along when guess what, human beings (surprise, we are ones despite how much you want to think otherwise) don't have that kind of mental tolerance and you can't expect us to keep advocating for your cause while simultaneously having to tolerate your bullshit. in the end I think you're the ones who don't actually care about palestine, when you're actively rejecting movements and protests that are actually helpful as soon as they don't align with your worldview or your ego or your fantasies of a glorious violent revolution. your standards for what's considered pro-palestine and not "both-sidesing" are absurd, hostile and only harm everyone in the long run. peace is the ideal solution for all but you have made it clear you don't want that, you want "justice" based on your own misconceptions about a 2000 year old conflict you knew nothing about before and know nothing about now. you're in this to feel good about yourselves. I said what I said.

[dwellordream]

"she's patriarchy-pilled" and why it doesn't apply to fictious pseudo-medieval women

a pretty common meta commentary leveled at certain female characters in ASOIAF is that you can divide the women of the setting into two groups.

the first group is full of strong feminist women who resist the patriarchy in all corners, and who refuse to submit to victimhood. the second group is full of placid, smug sheep, who enjoy being weak and condescended to by men.

reasons why this is bullshit:

comparisons between modern day 'trad wives' or 'red pilled women' who advocate for rejecting feminism and returning to lives of happy homemaking and female submission and fictional characters living in a pseudo medieval world just... don't work well.

Westeros has never had a feminist movement. there is no sense of 'getting back to tradition' because they are still living in a feudal patriarchy. while internalized misogyny can still be displayed in the books, and women certainly judge other women, these characters aren't actually 'rejecting their own freedom', because they quite literally have no choice in the matter.

for example, while a woman in 21st century America might willingly quit her job or drop out of school for a relationship with a man, a female character like Catelyn or Alicent or Cersei... isn't actually sacrificing hopes of a career or an education. they are being shunted down a path with little to no alternatives.

sometimes fans go "well, they could have run away! they could have joined the Faith?" how? with what money and resources? who is going to protect them on the road? how are they going to subvert the will of their fathers/brothers/etc?

don't get me wrong. there are absolutely unironic examples of internalized misogyny in ASOIAF. Cersei, for example, spends much of her time sneering at and degrading other women for being victims or weak-willed. HOWEVER, what many fans don't seem to grasp, is that being sexist towards other women doesn't magically make Cersei 'win' at the patriarchy. she herself is still abused, demeaned, and used as a political pawn, well into her tenure as Queen Regent.

in the endless battle of Sansa versus Arya stans, for example, Sansa stans will often claim that Arya is 'not a victim' and 'deserves less sympathy than Sansa', because Arya for a time is treated as a young boy and has training with a sword. yet this ignores the fact that Arya is still constantly threatened with or exposed to sexual violence, even while masquerading as a boy, and while she can defend herself in some instances, is far from this super-powered action chick on a 'fun road trip in the Riverlands'.

conversely, Arya stans will insinuate that Sansa 'deserves less sympathy than Arya' because 'being at court is what she always wanted' and 'the patriarchy favors her due to her self-serving, submissive ways'. yet this ignores the fact that while Sansa has more material privileges than Arya, being afforded regular meals, a soft place to sleep, and the veneer of civility, she is still regularly viciously abused by Joffrey and his Kingsguard, and ostracized and isolated from the rest of the court. Sansa's not winning any competition here.

to move on to Catelyn, many of Catelyn's proud 'antis' will claim that Catelyn is a woman who willingly and knowingly profits off the patriarchy while condemning women who do not fit that mold. yet while Catelyn and Arya's relationship is complex, we also see Catelyn treat Brienne and the Mormont women, all female warriors, with warmth and kindness, and there is an underlying current of resentment and anger in her chapters towards the men in her life, even though she is in many ways the 'ideal Westeros wife'.

finally, to dabble briefly in HOTD, Rhaenyra and Alicent's different reactions to the prospect of marriage and motherhood are often compared to triumph Rhaenyra's strong will and sense of rebellion. while Rhaenyra's determination to choose her own spouse and her disregard for the ridiculous notion of 'virginity' should be admired, she is also actively groomed by her uncle, a man thrice her age, and she ultimately does agree to an arranged marriage with Laenor.

meanwhile, Alicent is often derided by fans for 'allowing herself to be used as a pawn', yet this ignores the fact that Alicent is a 14/15 year old girl with no incomes or property of her own, who does not even have the threat of a dragon to demand respect. what was Alicent meant to do? kick and scream as she was dragged down the aisle? defy her father and the King, and be, best case scenario, permanently ostracized from court and her family for it? this sort of blatant victim-blaming dominates in the tumblr HOTD fandom.

in conclusion: to claim that women play no role in promulgating patriarchal and misogynistic views is silly.

women do play an active role in shaming and abusing other women, and this is often handed down from mothers to daughters. it allows patriarchs the veneer of genteel nature, in that the 'dirty work' of berating young girls for not conforming is passed off on mothers, sisters, and aunts.

however, in fandom discussions, the the woobification of male characters is so strong that we spend most of our time blaming women alone for patriarchal restrictions and values, as if it were something girls developed in their free time, purely for their own amusement.

to imply that a character in a fictional feudal patriarchy has the same range of choices and autonomy as modern day women do is absurd. the trad-wife movement is defined by its knowing, pseudo-intellectual rejection of second and third wave feminism. the entire point is to turn away from abortion, from birth control, from reproductive and LGBT rights, to leave behind women's suffrage, sex positivity, and criticism of gender roles.

but what do Westerosi women have to 'reject', exactly? they're not playing with the same full deck.

[drstonetrivia]

Chapter 223 Trivia (Part 1)

The final chapter of 2021! This time last year, Senku and the others were crossing the Andes and Suika almost died falling into a canyon.

How time flies!

(...Unlike Suika.)

The astronauts are training underwater to simulate space's weightlessness. You'll notice they have frames around them. This is to ensure neutral buoyancy: they'll neither float to the surface nor sink to the bottom.

This is harder than it sounds, with a quarter of astronauts returning with injuries to their hands and their shoulders especially due to pressure against the rigid space suit. Because of Earth's gravity, doing the underwater tasks can actually be harder than doing them in space.

I think they gave up on giving us accurate calendars after the "10 year time skip" situation in chapter 215…

This tube is to prevent contaminating the astronauts so they don't bring anything to the moon. It's more important for missions to extraterrestrial bodies than, say, missions to the ISS since the ISS is already contaminated by people and it's fairly self-contained.

These space suits look more similar to atmospheric diving suits, especially JIM suits, than the softer-looking space suits we're used to. This might be because they lack the ideal materials, or possibly to avoid the problem of decompression sickness:

Hard-shell suits can withstand more pressure, so there's no need to adjust to the lower-pressure limits of the soft suits moving to/from the rocket. The other advantage to these suits is that there's no counter-force: the astronauts don't have to exert force to hold a position.

The suits are probably inspired by the RX series by Litton Industries, in particular the RX-2 (which had aluminum joints) and the RX-3, both from the 1960s.

Other space suits can be found here.

The udder-like valves at the front of the suit are for the various hose connections needed, such as breathable air and water cooling. You may notice that they're at similar positions to Stanley's revival outfit (probably a coincidence).

You're probably laughing at how awkwardly everyone's standing, and that's because the suits don't have a full range of movement. To make working with their hands easier, the suits are biased towards the front.

Shoulders are really complicated joints!

Remember last week when I said the gloves need to be fitted well so the wearers can use their hands properly?

I'm not even sure anyone can form a fist, let alone shoot a gun.

There's no visual difference between the suits, so once everyone has their helmets on it might be hard to tell who's who.

Unless the black and white manga is preventing us from seeing that they're bright red, blue, and green or something.

The transition from Stanley and Xeno being an inseparable pair, chasing their other half around the world, to Stanley admitting that "it ain't just the two of us anymore" really shows character development.

Xeno following it up with "we" makes me feel something though… 🥺

Xeno gives Stanley a pack of chewing tobacco because he can't smoke in space, but chewing tobacco needs to be spat out afterwards unless Stan intends to eat the cigarette, paper and all.

I really hope we see Stanley use one because I don't know how they're meant to work.

As of March 2021, in-flight accidents have killed 15 astronauts and 4 cosmonauts, making the fatality rate 3.2%. However, if you include the Apollo 1 launch pad fire that happened on the ground, this brings the total to 22/439 astronaut fatalities, which is the 5% Senku mentions.

(Next part)

[seriousbrat]

I'd say Jamespiracy and Snrojection (dying at these names btw lol) most definitely go perfectly hand in hand, because after all Snape was the founding father and the creator of Jamespiracy movement and belief system with how he refused to believe that James wasn't involved in the prank and simply wouldn't want him killed despite hating him, with how he believed only the worst of him. Similarly now his fans and followers and Snrojectioners are following his footsteps and would rather believe the absolute worst of him, even when it goes against author's intent or doesn't make sense and even they have a hard time making it make sense lol, but they'd still rather do that than give him an ounce of the benefit of the doubt and accurate source text reading.

lmao!! okay this did make me laugh- I am also a fan and a follower of snape though so I really don't want to generalise, much less hurt anyone's feelings. everyone is free to project/snroject and develop their own interpretations on their own blogs. I follow many snape fans who seem like lovely thoughtful intelligent people and I'm sure that is the majority. I also want to state that from what I've seen snape fans put up with a lot of bullshit and so to me it's understandable that many would be defensive of their favourite character. like lbr marauders fans can be just as guilty of any of this (see below) and we should all be friends about it imo

so in the interest of that I'm going to 1) steer this into entirely nonserious territory 2) generally talk more about the characters than the fans

first, to be absolutely fair I would say there is such a thing as snapespiracy and..... prongjection. Although in the case of prongjection in fandom it's probably more about prongjecting (god) sexual/romantic fantasies onto him because james stans tend to treat him more like the ideal boyfriend from what I've seen rather than actually relating to him but idk. snapespiracy is much as it sounds, basically the belief that snape is the root of all evil and that he was corrupting all the innocent skittles to the dark side/deserved to be bullied because of his evil homophobic ways. ANYWAY:

snape is absolutely the no1 jamespiracy theorist. he is the tinfoil wearing jamespiracy theorist of all time, long after james is dead and you'd think there'd be no spiracy left. can we blame him? not really. but it's true.

conversely, the marauders are all snapespiracy theorists but particularly, in my mind, sirius. but obv also james. they created a failsafe in their map on the off-chance that snape would get it and that's pretty snapespiracy brained if you ask me.

curiously, harry is a diehard prongjector and a snapespiracy theorist who stops prongjecting and becomes a soft snrojector during SWM. He is then an unwitting snrojector throughout HBP because he snrojects hard onto the figure of the half-blood prince, unaware that it's snape. he's also a snapespiracy theorist at the same time though (disproving your theory that it goes hand in hand lol)

other notable snapespiracy theorists: ron, bellatrix other notable prongjectors: sirius but all the marauders. hagrid.

[tracybirds]

HEYOO 16 and 17 with Scott / Virgil??

As you wish <3333 Thank you!

16. The queer media they'd obsess over

Scott: While not technically queer media, I can totally see Scott watching things like Top Gun and M*A*S*H and just being like.... these things are queer bc i am queer and i say they are queer and i'm sorry were we watching the same screen?

Virgil: Sense8!!! I haven't rewatched this since it first came out so the details are shaky but I think he'd enjoy it :) The kind of thing that's totally overt in being queer and doesn't shy away from it at all but also has a mind bending scifi-action plot and examines queerness and worldview and politics and all that jazz on a more philosophical level while also holding up this ideal of people can love so deeply and in so many ways and yeah :D

17. A queer artist they'd listen to

Scott: Listen to me. L I S T E N to me. Scott is a secret MIKA stan and it's only secret because he's a little insecure about liking pop music because he's 16 and imperfect and one day Gordon discovers MIKA and basically becomes a MIKA evangelist and it annoys Scott SO MUCH because this is HIS thing and YES actually Gordon he DOES know this song and eventually he snaps and it all comes out and Virgil's like ??? none of us would have cared about you liking pop? and Scott's just all *mumble mumble* embarrassed lol bc self-conscious teenager ahaha anyway, everyone should listen to MIKA <3

Virgil: I love the idea of him listening to queer jazz musicians!! I saw @firstonthescene suggest this for Scott (and I agree!) but if feels very right for Virgil as well :D Of course, I also think Virgil listens to all kinds of music, from all kinds of people playing all kinds of genres from all over the world! It fits him well imo <3 I don't know much about jazz outside of like Count Basie and Louis Armstrong and that sort of thing although I do enjoy it! I will say though that although there have always been queer people involved in jazz, it doesn't seem to be the genre that really made a movement out of it, not like other genres have in more recent history, and I think to suggest it was some safe haven for queer musicians would be fairly revisionist. There'd have been pockets that were safe and more open, and other spaces where being closeted would have been the only option and how could you ever tell who was closeted vs who was straight and pinning down identities of people now dead for the sake of queerness doesn't seem to be Virgil's style to me. However, I do think that he'd make an effort to diversify his playlists in as many ways as he could because it gives him an opportunity to explore new ideas and perspectives and I think he'd really enjoy that. Anyway all this to say I don't have a real answer lol. I think he'd enjoy everything from Mozart to Elton John and everything on the spectrum between them and beyond :P

[hakyeonsmonstercock]

ok gonna make a masterpost rant on my thoughts / hopes for #hakyeonsolodebut bc he’s coming back soon and i know hwang sejun follows me personally so 

1. pre-release digital single

option 1: summer

song: ok i know someone at that fuckass company is gonna be like “omg you should totally do a ballad” so i thought what if we didn’t have to suffer and it was just a little teaser for the album like dream and free tempo and hyuk’s songs were and not the main song? if we have to get a slow song, rather than a ballad i want something soft and sweet like choco chip cookie.

outfit: a mix of the ceci photoshoot and big issue, oversized shirts but less pink and more.. sparkly? i’m seeing stickers on his skin and glitter on his hair but idk that might be a vision for another time. anklets if we’re doing a beach thing. hair curly and parted so his eyebrows show a little (put some glitter on them like aoa cream king) maybe even some novelty hair clips

m/v: aesthetics..... the overused 3:4 aspect ratio solid color background with some objects in front omg.. but i’d eat it up for hakyeon honestly if it was more pastel and told a story. cutesy nostalgic with a girl maybe so he can trend for being boyfriend material again. balloons, very colorful, sunny summer-like, 

option 2: autumn

song:  i know vixx generally don’t do trends (thank god they never did beat drop chorus noise /barf) BUT, and hear me out, CITY POP is kinda on the rise and his #aestheticcore ass would GO ALL OUT. yukika - neon is like, representative intl stan choice but it is actually amazing. i can see hakyeon going upbeat retro but in my mind the prerelease single is a slightly faster ballad over a vaporwave/futurefunk/citypop instrumental (can you tell i don’t listen to that cringe shit). i can also see some trot elements being thrown in that suit fit hakyeon’s voice 

outfits: imagine this picture but with highwasted brown pants��instead and a much flowier white/blue shirt with like puffier sleeves? maybe an extra button undone. then a beret (!), huge fucking dangly earrings, and his hair styled wavy like for the big issue magazine. black shoes with a high heel because fuck you or whatever these shoes are called because fashion. 

m/v: yeah i want it melancholic and rainy and dark and him singing to a stand mic late at night reminiscing.... the night sky.. stars.. starlights.. get it?

2. title track

option 1: sexy

song: if hakyeon went for a sexy concept, and i could totally see him do cunt very well, bass down low and heavy, something like shinhwa’s first love (!!!), hashtag’s freesm, sujeong’s tiger eyes, OR something with a western pop influence: poison, give it up to me, or even hara’s midnight queen

but the ideal? this song is everything i could ever want for hakyeon’s solo debut. the jrock-pop-dance-edm influences are brilliant, it’s fast paced and hot and leaves plenty opportunities for what hakyeon does best, and that’s stare at a stage camera seductively. 

dance: mm a lot of hip work and some flowy arm movements. a little contemporary dance break for hakyeon to flex. female and male back up dancers falling over him/fighting for his attention/serving as his chairs (which he did already lmfao). also that thing where one person moves from stage left to stage right and the dancers behind them copy and freeze in various poses/wave choreography. ALSO there’s a smirk and panting and a growl in this song... if no one got me i know hakyeon’s facial expressions got me!

outfit: THIS gay ass shirt is the ONLY choice wtf!!! taemin move promotions inspired but with higher wasted pants to suit hakyeon’s body type. no necklaces either, maybe gloves, dr martens... the highlight of this outfit would be his arms and lipoma <3 in an ideal world id ask for a little red gradient lip too but whatever, the eye makeup can go crazy instead

m/v: literally let’s bring it back to 2012 give me a box set and 50% dance shots 50% head shots i don’t give a fuuuck!

option 2 / follow up promotions (maybe featuring a female idol): i didn’t ask to be born latina

song: k hakyeon is canonically latinx so his debut song should have a lot of latin dance or even bollywood influences! i’m thinking if solo: koda kumi shake it, , tomochin’s loca, enrique iglesias’ bailamos or if he wants to be quirky he can plagiarize ACCHA ACCHA (get it????)

and if he invites one of his bitches shakira’s la tortura, cocosori’s mi amor, enrique iglesias’ takin back my love . he already covered havana and choreographed it and put his girls in those flamenco dresses soo... we know you want to king

dance:  i trust hakyeon to make troublemaker the 2nd most controversial performance in recent history. honestly just want him to do this to shake the table a little bit if he decides to go for a feature.

but if it;s a solo song... belly dancing!!! hello?????/ literally unfulfilled potential all up in this bitch! when he starts feeling ethnic >> he’s gonna be my cousin shakira said my hips don’t lie... 

outfit: RED! hello?? arguably his best color? when we put him in a sinfully tight shirt and add lace details and a huge leather corset-like belt and a deep v neck cross with long wide sleeves with details on the chest so it’s borderline a figure skating costume and HELLO WHEN WE CONVINCE HIM TO WEAR A CROP TOP AND BELLY DANCING PANTS AND THOSE SEQUIN SEE THROUGH SKIRTS AND DANGLY ACCESSORIES AND SOME INTRICATE WAIST CHAINS ohHoHHohhhpdhp yes it’s all coming together *brain fuckng explodes* also she should grow out his hair kinda like taekwoon hyde era? embrace your heritage king

m/v:  a whole storyline set in like the 50s in which hakyeon is a bartender/cleaner at a cabaret club and he stares wistfully at all the performers on stage and imagines himself up there and practices and then the climax of the song has him receiving standing ovations and as the song closes he’s like jolted from his daydream :’)

OR one of those stereotypical man having an orgy with a bunch of women mvs

4. pussy eating anthem

stellar - vibrato imagery. nuff said.

3. ft. yikyung

obviously this is just wishful thinking but since yikyung’s pretty active rn and has a whole song it’s not too far fetched? what’s far fetched is how close they are irl but i don’t doubt hakyeon will get a lot of his friends to feature, whoever they are. 

5. ballad

6. ft. vixx

aww in my light fashion i do think hakyeon would all but force vixx into the studio to do a cute little gift for the fans song <3 i don’t doubt he’d try to include h*ngbin too in some way. i don’t have concrete ideas for this one cuz fan gift songs suck but he’d probably be involved in the production/lyrics <3

[homuraakemis]

I did a S/ansa reread some time ago, and honestly, she strikes me as a completely different character than what the fandom (especially her stans) seems to think she is. The way the fandom talks about her, she is the kindest, smartest person ever, a beacon of goodness. And I just didn't see that at all. S/ansa is not even close to being one of the kindest characters in ASOIAF. Sure, she is usually polite to people, and she is kind in the sense that she is a decent person who is kind to people in her daily life. She will help people if she can (as an example we have the woman she convinces Joffrey to give a coin, or Ser Dontos, or helping the women calm down during the battle). But she is not someone who goes out of her way to help people. And most of her chapters, she is more worried about herself, her own safety, her own well being, not about how to help the most people (the way you see with characters like Dany and Jon). As an example, she helps women calm down during the Blackwater because she's a decent person, but she doesn't stay there with them to try to defend them to the very end, she runs away to hide because she knows her own safety is at risk. And there's nothing wrong with that, by the way. I mean, in terms of being kind, I relate more to S/ansa, a person who will help people or be kind to people if they appear in their daily life, but isn't exactly going out of their way to do charity or create social movements. S/ansa is what an average person is like, living their own lives and concerned with their own lives, but who will not turn away if someone is in need of their help. This makes her kind enough, but not even close to the level of kindness you see with characters like Dany and Jon, who actually go out of their way to help as many people as possible, and whose every waking thought is of others, almost never thinking of themselves. And about S/ansa's idealism that people constantly talk about, she's not really what I would call idealist. I see an idealist person as someone who has strong ideals and that wants to pursue these ideals and change the world (again, more like Dany or Jon). What people call idealism in S/ansa's case seems more like S/ansa believing in idealized roles (as an example, believing that true knights must protect the weak) than S/ansa actually acting to make her ideals come true.

(All of this without even mentioning that while S/ansa can be kind, she can also be cruel and petty many times too, something many of her stans don't acknowledge)

The same goes for intelligence. S/ansa is not dumb by any means (except in the very beginning of the story when she's still very deluded and taken with appearances to see things clearly). She is smart enough to see how society works, to understand how to act, but she's not a political genius that some people seem to think she is, she's not creating brilliant schemes or battle plans, she's not ruling kingdoms, etc. Again, I would describe her as very average.

S/ansa just seems to be a very average and unimpressive person in my opinion. Sure, we know that she excels in certain activities like poetry, sewing and other "feminine" skills, but in general I just can't manage to be really all that impressed by her as a person.

[nogoawaytism]

Timekeepers Headcanons!

I guess I'm technically the one that created this? I've never seen anything for Sage X Ciel. Anyway.

When they first meet, they have this exciting moment where they realize they're both from the same people group in Vacuo. There just aren't that many of them in Vale + Ciel and Sage's families immigrated to Atlas and Mistral respectively, so they haven't had much of an opportunity to meet people from their homeland besides their families.

I've talked about Ciel's fighting style in a previous post, but my idea for her is that her watch serves as a storage unit of sorts for her weapon: hard light blades. These break pretty frequently, but she essentially has an unlimited supply as long as she's got the dust. I wanted to give her fighting style an element that ties her back to Penny somewhat. She's a dual-wielder because we stan an ambidextrous queen. Ciel wields in an almost dance-like manner. While she does a lot of fancy-pancy flips and twirls (show-off) rest assured they are all well calculated beforehand. Ciel's semblance is simply that her brain is capable of processing information much faster than other people. Her intelligence and rapid-fire strategies make her an irreplaceable member of team CFVY.

While Ciel is light and flexible like her partner Velvet, Sage is the tank of team WRAP. His semblance is time manipulation. He can create glyphs somewhat similar to the Schnee family's semblance, but his are primarily green. Like the Schnees, he can speed up time to give himself an advantage over his normally slower fighting style. He may also slow down the movement of a specific target using glyphs. Both of these techniques consume a lot of his aura, so he can't just use them as freely as Weiss does. For both attacks, he specifically has to charge his aura. When he does this, both the roman numeral symbols on Pilgrim, as well as the tattoos on his neck begin to glow gold, starting at one, and going all the way up to twelve. His time-manipulation attack takes more time to charge, but consumes less aura, while his speed attack has a faster charge, but burns through aura faster.

They're possibly the first couple in this AU of mine to get together. Despite being from different teams, they become fast friends because of what they have in common.

While both Ciel and Sage maintain a stoic professional demeanor, they let out their more playful sides around their teammates and each other.

They do end up dating for a while, since they get together at Beacon. Since we always need to specify who the domestic one is, it's Sage. He likes to cook and clean while his successful wife goes out and kills it, because of course Ciel just HAD to have an office job, even though two huntsman paychecks are more than enough for a high standard of living.

They're just that couple who's ideal date is trying new blends of tea, visiting a museum, or discussing physics and the makeup and chemistry of dust, all the while giggling and linking fingers. Absolute nerdlets.

[hazzabeeforlou]

heyyy toni <3 hope ure having an amazing day!!

with the things happening, i am very mad at h. he has done multiple things in the past that prove(?) he's a zionist. ofc celebrities are not required to comment on every single political event, but i think it is necessary for h to clarify this time. i really really don't feel good and i really despise him rn bc of it. i feel like it's impossible for me to like him anymore

Hi babe! First of all, you don’t have to feel obligated to like or support any celebrity. For any reason. Period. If they cross a line for you, that’s okay. You can unstan.

Second, the key word here is “has done things in the past.” I really hope he has learned about this issue and changed his stance, but we have no way of knowing as for whatever reason Harry doesn’t speak about much these days. Zionism is a tricky subject and a super complex issue, and upon first introduction many many people believe that they’re supporting the Jewish people via supporting Israel. Lots of propaganda and misinformation exists, and is propagated by MOSTLY evangelical white people here in the US, who use Israel as a chess piece for their “end times” propaganda/rapture/return of Jesus shit. I read an interesting article about Bernie Sanders and how he contrasts the new Jewish masculinity/Zionism and how that movement has co-opted white supremacy and strict patriarchal capitalism/colonialism to serve the interests of the global west. Anyway.

Honestly I believe that for most people, a social media post from Harry is a way for them to say “well I stan the perfect Harry Styles who has atoned for his past beliefs and now is a GOOD,” like it’s a turducken way of once again proving how great we personally are and how pure our hearts because we only stan “unproblematic” people. I despise how social media has made it seem like Harry Styles speaking out on the apartheid conditions of the Palestinian people is somehow anything more than a way for him (and by extension us) to avoid doing anything tangible to actually impact the situation.

There is no such thing as an unproblematic person, celebrity or not. Demanding celebrities make statements doesn’t change a fucking THING. Demand your congressional representative stops sending Israel BILLIONS in weapons and defenses every year. Demand that printing houses stop publishing propaganda magazines like “Israel My Glory” that cons evangelicals into believing Israel is in spiritual war for the future of Christianity. OR, demand your fave celebs give money to the multiple fundraisers that will directly help those on the ground who are fighting for their freedom, to keep their ancestral homes, to live without constant police state oppression and systemic murder. Because just by holding over 50 million in wealth and assents, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson for that matter, are already not pure. Imagine all the causes and things that money could do. I don’t want them to post a link for us poor fans to donate, or for them to give som paltry amount that they’ll make back in tax write offs.

My point is, you are valid to unstan anyone for not aligning with your beliefs. Keep in mind though that shifting the focus to celebrity statements when human rights are being violated, seems to me a trite way of engaging with these very serious issues.

[teacuptoast]

Homefront

Relation: Young Justice x Teammate! GN. Reader

Warnings: Cussing, Mention of Alcohol

Words: 3.2K

Summary: A reader insert and rewrite of episode 12 season 1. Reader is an absolute smart ass but we stan the sarcasm. They're giving major stiles stalinski vibes.

A/N: Ayyy my first piece so enjoy. Also, I'm having my monthly YJ brain rot.

Navigation

“Ugh, I hate chemistry,” Sighing, I walked out of my last class of the day. Merging into the swarm that was the hallway I adjusted my bookbag as my feet swiftly carried me out of the building. I was practically running to get out of the building, desperate to get away from the place.

Its only the second week and I already miss summer. AP this, ACC that, I was drowning in paperwork. Not to mention the fact that the rest of the team gets 3 hours off before you. While they’re all playing games and baking cookies I’m stuck listing to Mr. ‘Peaked in Highschool’ tell me how to do a pushup. 

Already in a bad mood I walked deeper into the drowsy city.  A steady drissle turned into a downpour as your student jacked did little to shield you from the rain. ‘I hate this,” I’d chant in my head to pass the time, “I hate this, I hate this so much.” Forgetting an umbrella was a rookie mistake.

Now being soaked and soggy, I huffed before taking a sharp turn into the nearby ally. My boots splashed through puddles as I neared the rundown photo booth. Setting my bag down in a relatively dry sport my hand rummeged through textbooks before pulling out a pair of glasses.

Placing the glasses on my face I took in a large breath before stepping into the booth. After scanning me the voice read, “B0-7 Hawkeye.” Hearing the familiar name I readied myself for whatever weird situation I was about to walk into.

Stepping forward into the room I closed my eyes and spoke into the room, “I think I’ve broken the record for most consecutive minor problems in one day, and let me tell you, its really pissing me off.”

Opening my eyes I looked into open room to find a fireball coming straight twords my face. My mind took its time playing ‘fight or flight’ roulet before it made the last minute movement to doge.

A string of curses left my mouth as I tried to figure out what was going on. Though I didn’t have the time before another fireblast came my way, this one I didn’t miss as cleanly. Feeling your skin burn you let out a hiss before dropping you bag and deciding to run.

Practically screaming I began to talk to myself, “I just had to ask how this day could could get any worse!” Booking it down the hallway I took a steady turn into a small room, barely missing the flames that followed.

Shoving yourself into a storage room was anything but ideal. My rapid breath frilled the room creating a erie eco. Inhaling one more time I held my breath as foot steeps neared. It sounded like the person was wearing metal shoes. ‘Red Tornado’ my mind celebrated, almost making me open the door.

The footsteps stoped at the studden sound, right on the otherside of the door. Rational thought soon kicked in, ‘Whys Red Tornado trying to kill me?’ My face cringe as I relized my stupid mistake.

The tension grew as the steps didn’t seem to move. Almost like a horror movie I held My breath, waiting in anticipation. After what seemed like hours the footsteps began to walk away.

Shakily I let out a breath. Trying to piece together the situation, I couldn’t help but wonder who, where, why, and what the hell was going on here. ‘This must be an attack, or maybe this is just a practie mission right? Right?’

After a short while I left the closet, checking the to make sure the coast was clear. I began to work myself down to the locker room. If I was going to do my job effectively, I first needed to get myself out of civies. 

Heading twords the fitness center I quickly rushed into the locker rooms. I frantically tried to open my lock before it finally released. Out fell my suit and I didn’t wait a second to rip of my soaked cloths. 

To think I was in the rainy streets of Seattle less then 20 minutes ago, gave me the shivers. I didn’t even have time to look at my burns on my arms and face to know I was in some deep shit. Knowing the adrenaline masked the pain, I quickly cover it up the burn. Finally placing my mask on my face I slipped on my toolbelt.

Putting my last knife in its place, I took in the calm that certainly wouldn’t last long. Hearing two pairs of footsteps, I quickly turned to see a pair of familiar faces being thrown to the ground by a flame.

Waving for them to follow me into the locker room, the three of us filed in before the next attack. Before we could even speek a word, Robin was already tring to override the systum. Following their lead I began to twist the showerheads, again drenching my dry suit.

“Can anyone please tell me what the Hell is going on!” I asked though nether responded. Robin procided to tell us that all lines of communication where down. ‘Grate now were stranded,’ I thought to myself.

“At least the waters helping,” he said as we backed into the middle of the room. Soon the clicnking of the pipes turned into growls as the water pressure shot them off the wall.

“Or not,” I added as the room began to flood. Swimming upwards I noticed a red robot sening more flames twords up. We looked at one another before I was taken by the water and tossed onto the hallway floor.

The three of us coughed as we tried to catch our breath. Standing up we quickley headed for the kitchen.

“We need to get lost.” Robin said as we walked into the kitchen. As we all entered I started to catch my breath.

I scoffed and smiled back. “Yeah no shit.”

Artemis looked to me before rolling her eyes, “The sarcasm is not helping Hawk.”

Turning back to face her, I rasid my hands in frustration, “I’m sorry I almost just got my face seareed off by a robot with boobs! I have a right to be a fussy,” stepping twords the kitchen I continued, “Lets head for the vents, so I can have a little fussy breakdown without being seen!”

The twos’ bitter similes soon turned lighthearted. Disite being overly dramatic and flamboyant at times, you were intellectually a genius. No matter the task at hand you always were able to run every possibility to make the best decision for the team and mission. You were flashy but decisive none the less.

As the two of us started our way into the vents we questioned Robin as he downloaded the caves blueprints. Before he could finnish his explonation, the familiar sound of metal boots was heard in the hallway. 

We quickly scurried into the shaft one after another, myself leading the way. Robin shouted directions as we made our way throught the vents. Turning I opened the vent cover as instructed. Sliding down I couldn’t help myself from making a little ‘wee’ sound. 

Braking through the vent we landed on the rafters inside the boiler room; now it was Robins time to lead. Before he could get anywhere we were stoped by a loud thud. Looking up we saw it was the same flame robot from before.

“Hey your a very nice looking robot,” I said to draw her attention away so the others could escape, “But the whole metal thing is kind of a turn off, for me.” She didn’t seem amused as she raised her hands, fire fillling the room as I let out one last remark, “I never said you wern’t hot!”

Jumping onto the growned level I met with my teemates. Seening the machines begin to malfunction, Robin let out a quick word before we moved again. Steem hissed as pipes broke sending us charging by the robot. It aimed for us as we continued to struggle with the blazing attacks. We ran past it quickly, myself brining up the end of the pack.

Ducking behind another engine, Robin pulled up a scene from his hollow glove, “I know that other acces tunnel is here somewhere,” Robin said in distress.

Finding the vent door on the floor I held it up for Artemis to jump into, speaking with a stupid smile, “You mean this one?” Placing an explosive, Robin followed in behind us. Falling into the tunnel, he stoped us before we could get much further.

Plugging his glove into the electrical socket he quickly explained, “Looking out the cave’s motion and heat sensors to prevent the enemy from tracking us.”

Artemis quickly followed up, “And I ask again, who is the enemy?”

“We already know theres a giant red robot lady that can produce fire and unless Kaldur’s gone crazy, we can assume theres another person who can control water. I’m just wondering why they look like Red Tornados divorced parents,” I added as Robin pulled up the screen.

On the screen showed our four superpowered teammates. They were up to their usual shenanigans wile working on Conners bike.

Kalder was the first to ask if anywone was struggiging with their school work, to which I fell back against the vent and yet out a disgruntled yes. As Megann began to ramble about her cheerleading team, I silently wished I went to our own Happy Harbor High school.

It was just some normal highschool, with normal kids who all did normal things. They could do extra cariculors like cheerleading, or swimming. They could hangout without having to risk the lost hour for their homework. It struck a cord of jellosuy inside of me hearing them talk about how easy their personal lives are.

Every morning I’d wake up at 6 in the morning to be greeted by prentious assholes for the 8 following hour. Pine Hills Private Acadamy for Intalectully Gifted, or as I call it, ‘The prerec for becoming a rich dousebag.’ Everyone there was just the same carbon copy Barbie and Ken and it made me want to rip my hair out.

While everyone was worried about surviving the evil robot attack, I couln’t stop myself from stressing over my lab paper due tomorrow.

My attention was soon drawn back as everyone was blasted back by an explosion before the screen cut out. Artemis was the first to pester us with questions about what hapend to our team mates.

“Explosion took out the camera,” Robin responded, “I’ll look for another angle.” He continued to type away as 4 more screens loaded onto his hallow glove. The first camera showed big stretching waves crash into the hanger before one seprate stream deliberately took out the camera. On the second angle, we briefly saw the team get splashed by water, before the camera was cut out again. 

“All four are dead,” Robin spoke as I rolled my eyes at his poor choice in words, “The cameras. I mean the cameras,” ​​Artemis face relaxed, “I’m sure the others are ok.” He continued to ramble on as Artemis leaned back next to me. Before we got the chance to relax, we were already opening the vent to jump down into the study.

Running down the stairs Robin explained that theres was a secret passage opened by one of the books. I jumped at the chace to coment, “Whats next, a trap door that leads to the dongen?”

“You should see the Batcave,” He said as I chuckled. Walking passed the numerous shelves we were surprised by the door opening behind us. Getting into position we quickly retreated behind a shelf. Knives still drawn and ready, we patintle waited as metal clanking walked down the isle.

“Artemis, Robin, Hawkeye.” The voice spoke reminding of us all of a familiar Den Mother. Artemis, though, jumped the gun and moved to confront him. Though who she saw was not Tornado and more like his long lost step father.

Robin pushed her out of the way as I tried to stab the machine in between its mental plating. Hitting its eye I tried to stab the other one before he could react. Before I got the chance he grabbed me by the neck and threw me into the nearest bookcase.

Hearing my teammates call my name I croaked out, “Sorry for flirting with your wife, thats my fault.” Rubbing the back of my head I got up to find the other, female, robot standing infront of us. 

As she shot fire out of her hands I tried to regroup with the others as they scrambled ontop of the bookshelf. Artemis questioned who they were as she covered us from the top of the shelf. Sliding down with Robin the two androids continued to fire. Finding the right book in the nick of time, we entire the secret as the shelf fell overhead.

As we sprinted down the hall Artemis asked, “Did you know Tornado had siblings?”

“Yes! It’s almost like I mentioned this is the vents!” I shouted, “If I had a nickled for every time you all called my ideas stupid and I was right, I’d be more richer then Bruce Wane!”

As we met a cross in the halways she grabed my hand, “So what do we do now? Red Tornado is one of the powerhouses of the League. How are we suposed to take down two of them?” She seemed more distressed as the situation grew.

“They do seem pretty user unfriendly.” Robin responded as I once again let out an obnoxious chuckle.

She told us off before we got to respond, being interrupted by they overhead speaker system. It sounded like the same voice as one of the androids, “Attention, Robin. Attention, Artemis. Attention, Hawkeye. You have exactly ten minuets to surrender or the lives of your teammates will be extinguished.” Turing to face one another we could only assume what danger are teamates were in.

Continuing to run down the halls the androids sounded again, reminding us we only have 8-minuets left.

“We can access the hangar from here,” Robin spoke before we quickly turned around to face another wave of water. Contradicting himself, the three of us began to run away from the wave, only to be swept up by it. Taking in a deep breath, we were quickly submerged. 

As Robin took out his breathing device, he headed towards me first but, I shook my head. Giving it to Artemis I looked around, only to find a red hand wrapped around my ankle. As it pulled me twords it, I grabed a smaller knife from my belt. Griping it I stabed it into his other eye as bubbles escaped my mouth.

Pushing off of it I felt a hand grip my waste and pull me out of the tunnel. As explosions followed behind us we broke for the surface. Gasping for air we quickly caught our breaths before hearing the voice of a familar speedster. 

Quick dodging the incoming fire blasts we quickly swam twords Wally and Conner, who where both trapped in a rock of some sorts. Quickly asking if they were ok, they directed our attention up to the Martian. Looking up both Kaldur and Megan were traped in a cage made of fire.

“Aqualad, is she-” Artemis asked, pleading. Kaldur reassured us that she was just unconscious but, that they were running out of time. The conversation was broke when more flames were sent twords us.  

Navigating deeper under water my body was beginning to fetieege. 8 hours of school on top of running away from evil robots was alot more then your 16-year-old body could handle. Passing Sphere, who was stuck in the wall, we quickly tried to hussle up the stairs. Unfortunately we were followed by the evil step father, and were stoped at the top of the stairs by the evil stepmother.

As Artemis talked about her lack of arrows, Robin called for a distraction.

”Ay Ay Captin!” I responded. throwin a small dager into the flame robots eye. It didn’t seem to faze the it at all. Before she was able to hit me with her flames, I dove into the water. 

The others followed as I looked for a storm drain, which I luckily found. Pulling it off I let the others swim up before I followed in. Once we broke the surface we gasped for air and starrted to climb up a later.

Sitting in the tunnel I looked up and spoke, “You know i’m getting really tired of drowning!” Following my statement was the reminder that we only had 6 minutes left. Placing my hands behind my head, I heaved for air and didn’t bother listening to the two bicker.

“And you,” She looked to me, “For once in your life can you take this seriously? Our friends are dying and you look like you’d rather be napping!”

Between breaths I snapped back, “I think anyone of us would rather be naping then dying Artemis,” taking in another breath I responded to her other question, “And for the record I am taking this seriously. I prefeer to process my emotions with a little bit of sarcastic flare to avoid the fact that I secretly have an inferiority complex,” Watching her face turn in confusion I finished, “Does that anser your question?”

Slowly nooding we followed Robin down the tunnel. Artemis droned on about how none of our   training maters now that we’re without the rest of our teammates. Though something she said sparked an idea.

“There machines,” Robin spoke and looked at me to finnish, “That means one electromagnetic pulse will shut down any machine within range. Nighty Night evil robots!”

Artemis was quick to bring us back down to reality, “Great, except you better have an EMP emitter in your utility belt, because I know I don’t have one in my quiver.”

“Nope I’m fresh out!” Robin responded, “But i'm betting we can make one.” Looking dumbfounded I turn my attention to him.

“This isn’t the science fair! We can’t do that in -” I was cut off by the android reminding us we had 5 minutes left, “In five muniets.” 

Pressing my com, I linked to the one deliberately placed wepon, “Hey KF. Correct me if i’m wrong but, theres two vircator in the med lab, on the X-ray machine.”

Chuckling he responded, “I thought you hated practical science?” I hummed in agreement as we made our way into the med lab, before explaining the plan to the others, “You’ll find a small vacuum tube called a viractor, that converts high energy pulses. Reprogram the units microwave conversion from X-rays to EMPs, with a cascading energy vector directed outward.”

Grabbing the cylinder I asked once again, “Alright we’ve re-programed and secured the EMP,” Standing up the others followed my lead, “Hey KF? Again correct me if i’m wrong but if we hook this thing up into the main generator then we win the prize right?”

“You know your really making it hard to be the science nerd on the team,” Sighing he finished, “Once again correct.”

Pressing off my com, we dropped into a nearby airway. Looking down I could see the two robots as well as our teammates. Looking at one another, Robin divised a plan.

“Ok. Make a distraction,” He called into the com. It wasn’t long before the two drowning knuckleheads were teasing the robots to death. Hell, their commets were even making me cringe. Whe Robin asked for cover, the two of us quickly got into place.

As he swung onto the generator, he placed the EMP inside. After pulling up his hollowglove to re-route, he whispered into the coms, “It’s not working, Hawk. Circuits incomplete, I need something conductuble.”

I readied myself for the throw, though I stoped when I heard a yell, “Robin look out!” The boy was soon tackled by a wave of water, nocking him off the generator. Artemis reaied her arrow but whilst trying to dodge the blast from the android, rammed into me.

Losing my footing I tried to regain my balance but, the slickness of my drench boots betrayed me. As I began to fall I gave one last ditch attempt to connect the circuit. Throwing the knife before I hit the water with a large and painfull splash. Relling in pain from the impact I came up to the surface tp find that my dager had only missed by centimeters.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me.” I spoke, preparing myself for the incoming wave. Taking a final deep breath I excepted my fate, It was all up to Artemis now. With that, I felt my mind slip as I passed out from exhaustion.

***

Long and painfull coughs wrack my body as I began to wake up. I didn’t even have the energy to sit up but I always had one for a comment, “God I need a drink,” I coughed as I heard footsteps walk towards me, “A dirty shirley? Vodka? A club soda? Fuck it i’ll even drink Malabu just something people.”

“Well you definitely haven’t lost your humor.” Megann spoke as the others crowded around me.

Kaldur was the next to ask, “Are you alright? You’ve been out the longest? We were beginning to worry.”

A week chuckle left my lips, “Ah just ask Artemis, I was taking a quick nap. Speaking of which, I would like to get back to that.” Shewing them away with my hands I curled up more into the floor. Chuckles followed but they all decided to let you rest.

The moment didn’t last long though before Wally and Artamis were heard yelling from accros the room. Though when you heard a familiar voice. Deciding it was best yous at up drowsy.

I couldn’t bother to hear the aindriods reasoning, looking over to the two bots you decided to study them. As Red Tornado walked twords you and the drown you began to protest, “Hey I don’t care why you wern’t here but, I think its in all or our best interests if you don’t have a family reunion.”

“There’s no need to worry any more Hawkeye. The leage is here to finnish this.” He said kneeling twords the too.

Trying to stand up I wobbled and tried to separate the group of robots, “Thats not my point. My point is that your clearly linked to these two, making you a person of intrest in the attack. You being here at this moment is quit literally the worst alibi.”

He didn’t seemed bothered by my words but I still tried to convince the android. Before I got the chance Sphere sprung back to life jumping out of the wall. Then the relization hit me, those robots would be waking up anytime now…they just need a spark.

As the others were busy with the laser cutter, I wispered to the android “You walk away right now and no one will need to ever know about this,” He didn’t anser, just simply sreached his finger out, “Don’t!”

Quickly the drons came back to life, panicking you looked back to your friends behind you, trying to tell them to run. Red tornado raised to the sky as it began to suck the air out of the room. Quickly grabing your throat you began to cough. Grasping for oxygen you felt the life being rinped out of you. One after another, their bodys hit the floor. Despite your best efforts, you feel back to sleep.

***

“Hey I know your tired kid but you got to wake up.” The familiar voice was heard above me. I willed myself to open my eyes. Opening my eyes I was met with a familiar face.

“God I need a drink. Do you know the day i’ve had,” I asked him with a lopsided smile, “Like I had a Murphy's law daw. Just wait till Roy hears this.” Patting my shoulder he stood up giving me the chance to lay down once again.

From a distance I could only hear him speak, “Definitely concussed but they’ll be alright.

[phoenixwrites]

Okay Bernie stans.

I need you all to prepare yourselves to vote for Biden in November.  

I’m not happy about it either.  I wanted Elizabeth Warren to destroy Trump on the debate floor.  I wanted to watch her shatter the glass ceiling.  I wanted student loan forgiveness, Medicare for All, and refugee and immigrant protections.

But I’m not going to get that.  So I am going all in for Biden.

This can no longer be a matter of “well if I don’t get my way THEN I’M NOT VOTING”.  I’d hoped you all learned your lessons four years ago, but from what I’ve seen on social media, that’s not been the case.  Biden is not ideal but he is better than the alternative.  He is a Democrat who will continue Obama’s legacy.  And you have a shot in hell of getting progressive movements like Medicare for All under a blue majority Congress; we do not have that under Trump.  

Biden is more willing to listen to the progressive factions of the Democrat party than Trump is.  We will get shit done under him.    

We cannot survive a second term of Trump.  I need you all to hold your noses, put on your big girl pants, and deal with it.  Prepare to vote for Biden.

[starbuckie]

𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐬 𝐮𝐩

challenge: the hotel indigo by @ambrosiase

prompt: room-modern muse, room service-business meets pleasure

pairing: campcounselor!bucky x reader

words: 5.8k words

warnings: SMUT 18+ (oral m, bucky’s lowkey a lil subby in this), grumpy!bucky, being emotionally stunted, fluff, friends to lovers, pining, two idiots deliriously in love, tw children, and summer camp shit

summary: the three stages of bucky’s realization of love for his best friend and the one time he gets the girl.

a/n: *giggles in this was purely self-indulgement as a camp counselor myself* but in all reallness mae, i really hope you enjoy this piece, because i know i adored writing for this challenge. the hotel indigo was such a pleasure to stay at and write for. this au, once again, is super duper indulgent of me, but i found that it fit into my choices and i’m very proud of it. congratulations on your amazingly takented brain of yours, maera, and once again thank you for this oppurtunity. please enjoy <3

main masterlist || sebastian stan characters masterlist

“Alright, campers, I need everyone to make a straight line in front of me!” Y/N yelled. A young girl, around six years old, clung to her hand like a lifeline, drying tears on her cheeks and a small teddy in her free arm. She had just tripped and fallen down on the wood chips by the tire swing and when she started to cry, Bucky suggested that it was time to pack up and head back to the cabins. “We are going to grab our hats, snacks, sunscreens, and water bottles, pack them in our day bags, and walk back to the grounds. I’m giving everyone ten seconds, nine seconds…”

Bucky watched as his best friend shouted for the children with a huge smile on her face. She’d always been a natural with them, even when they were that young. The kids adored her to no end, viewing her as an older sister because they were so fucking pathetic that they couldn’t go a few weeks with a guiding figure in their lives (“Bucky, that’s being mean, they’re just little kids”). Being a camp counselor wasn’t his ideal summer job, but he was in college and nearly broke, and hey, Camp Indigo didn’t pay half bad. He also had a group of his closest friends working with him, so he couldn’t complain either. Many had it worse.

Quiet mumbling surrounded him from where he sat on a tree stump, a group of young boys chattering amongst themselves and completely ignoring Y/N. He could let them keep fooling around and be the laid-back counselor they all loved, or he could actually help his best friend out, as she was tiredly trying to get the small kids into a single file line with a completely fake smile on her face. He chose the latter. 

With a gentle sigh, Bucky pushed himself off the wood, gently thwacking a few of the boys on the head with his water bottle as they shouted in protest. “C’mon guys, help a guy out. Y/N is gonna beat my ass if I don’t help her out soon enough and I really wanna live long enough to get a s'more at campfire on Friday.”

The group giggled as they ran past their counselor, sure enough going to repeat what Bucky had told them to his partner in crime. One kid tugged on her sleeve, pulling her down to their height and from the way that she squinted her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him, he could tell what the little one had told her. 

“Damn right, I’m gonna kick your ass, Buck.” Y/N grinned. She skipped past him with a sloppy kiss to the cheek, and she walked away before she could notice the wildfire of a blush that covered his cheeks and nose. He completely stopped his movements and turned to watch her grab the youngest kids with a dumbstruck smile on his face. When did he start doing that?

Y/N was affectionate. More so with him than with Sam or Steve or even Natasha, one of closest friends from birth. Since the third grade when she’d offered him a book on constellations, she’d always given him a peck or two on the cheek or a bone-crushing hug, because it was part of the L/N Friendship-For-Life guarantee. Not once could he remember feeling so blushy when she did anything of that sort, and it scared him. 

So he studied her. Really studied her. Not how they did with the kids, observing the veins in leaves and the birds in the high redwood trees, but taking his time, each quick second, to see what it was about her that really made his skin heat up under her touch.

The scene was set. Her chin was raised defiantly as she looked over their campers. A subtle wink was thrown his way before she turned around and started leading them away. Three backpacks were wrapped around her shoulder and a flannel was tied around her waist, and while it was a very unflattering look, in all honesty, he couldn’t look away from her body. 

And then he watched how her hips swayed as she walked, the curve of her ass in those tight, really goddamn tight leggings. Now that was definitely a bit more than platonic.

He had to snap himself out of, well, whatever that revelation he had was. 

Because it was Y/N. Y/N who had patched him up after fights during lunch when he got bloody noses, and who had given him some of those as well. She’d stuck with him through shitty high school relationships and he’d offered her a place to stay when her house gave her too much to think about. There was a simple peck on the lips, once, maybe twice throughout their college years, and absolutely nothing more. 

Still, Bucky worried if he was holding back. From his emotions, what he “really felt”, he found that he never was really capable of communicating nor expressing his feelings efficiently. Y/N did always say he had a problem with that. She was always able to read his mind.

He trusted her with his life more than he did himself. She was his confidant, his number one supporter and safe haven, not someone he was supposed to fall in love with. It had to be against the best friend code, or whatever shitty book teens made up about their bond, that they, under no circumstances, could be together. It would ruin their friendship in its entirety and then Bucky would have to become best friends with Sam. Or maybe it was just his stupid brain talking.

Stupid fucking emotionless dumbfuck brain.

“Barnes!” Y/N’s cheery, fake-serious yell caught him off guard, and he stumbled back when the sound reached his ears. There was a whole line of campers giggling at his dumb expression and agape mouth and when he looked up, he saw how his best friend was laughing too. He missed it a lot at university, but during the summers he got to witness her genuine smiles when the world wasn’t weighing on her shoulders.

Just a glimpse of her upturned lips had the breath knocked out of his lungs.

Maybe he liked her romantically. Just a bit. But he would never tell her even if he did.

“‘M gonna shove you in the lake if you don’t start walking.”

Truly a woman after his own heart.

-

The first thing one has to be prepared for before going to a sleepaway camp is the mosquitoes. The little bugs are always around, popping up at the most inconvenient times, nearly undiscovered. You can barely feel them, but then they suck out your blood, your soul, every piece of silence you once had, your will to live-

Wait no, that’s children. Gross, annoying, disgusting children.

Speaking of the bratty, dirty little things, Bucky had one sat perched on his lap against the fence of the pool area, a sweat towel slung across the back of his neck. It was hot. The temperature had to have been at least above a solid ninety-five, and out in nature, there were no fans. The little boy had been crying because he was afraid of the water in the pool, and the grumpy camp counselor allowed the snotty kid to sit in his lap as he calmed down and while he waited for Y/N to finish changing so they could go in the water. 

Other campers splashed around and screamed in the water and Sam, who had lifeguard duty for the day, watched over them with a wide grin. Unlike Bucky, he let the kids know he enjoyed his job, always playing along with them and engaging in conversation. But Wilson did make it look easy. 

The tired brunette sighed and adjusted his swim trunks, the khaki-looking ones with waterproof pockets that were getting a bit too small from the way it hugged his thighs a little tightly. He grabbed his water bottle, taking a swig from the low-running- ew, warm water. It wasn’t a lot, but it was all he had left. The humid, muggy weather just made for even more exhaustion and fuck, Bucky really just wanted to get in the pool, what the hell was taking his best friend so long-

“Bucky, are you and Y/N boyfriend and girlfriend?” 

Bucky choked on his water. The kid, Cason, his eyes were filled with confusion and hundreds upon millions of questions that needed to be answered. His seemingly harmless probing had a lot more effect on the blue-eyed brunette he was sitting on. 

That same blush that appeared whenever Y/N was brought up spread across his face, dusting the freckles on the tip of his nose and blending into his sunkissed cheekbones. “Uh, no, she and I are just friends,” he reassured. But he wasn’t even sure of that anymore. “Very good friends. The best even. Since we were in elementary school, just like you! You’re going into what- second grade? First?”

His attempt at changing the topic was absolutely fruitless. 

“You guys are like my mommy and daddy,” Bucky tried very hard to not roll his eyes as the little kid continued to blubber on. “They said they were high school sweethearts and did you know t-that they have known each other since they were babies? Like you and Y/N. You guys are best friends and you love each other a lot!” Then, the brightest and most hopeful look came into Cason’s eye as he gave a little gasp (which Bucky refused to admit was kinda adorable). “Will you guys get married-”

“What are you boys talking about?” Y/N sauntered out from the girls changing area, donning what had to be the goddamn skimpiest bathing suit he’d ever seen her wear. It was a one-piece, per camp “modesty” rules, but it dipped low between her breasts and in the back, showcasing the dip of her spine. Navy blue and everything he could have ever wanted, he had to keep his jaw from dropping straight to the concrete. Sweat dripped between the valley of her tits and down her sternum, and all Bucky could do was gulp back the millions of questions he had, such as when she suddenly became so appealing to him. Her hair was pulled away from her face, probably easier to swim that way, but to him, it just showed more skin that he was dying to get a taste of. A towel was draped in the crook of her arm, her hip popped out just a bit and she was the sexiest thing Bucky had ever seen.

Even the sun came out to frame her body, rays of light popping out from behind her like she was an angel. From behind Sam wolf-whistled at her for some fun, but seeing as he could barely register that he was ignoring the kid speaking to him in his lap, he barely heard his friend either. 

No, he was not attracted to his best friend. Not romantically, not sexually, Bucky wanted anything but to have her mouth around his cock or squeezed right between those sweet tits of hers. Oh, God, the mere thought of kissing her made him woozy. 

“N-nothing,” Bucky stammered out. Y/N reached her arms out towards Cason and leaned down- shit, did she really have to do that then? He could see straight down her suit and he was having trouble breathing right already. “Do you wanna go?”

She took his hand in hers, her ice-cold hand chilling his warm one, and started walking to the submerged stairs with a little kid on her hip. Cason looked more than thrilled to be walking with two of the most popular counselors. As campers in the pool marveled at the way Y/N carried the kid so effortlessly, he saw the older ones staring at her a little bit differently. Were they literal fifteen-year-olds? Yes. Was Bucky a possessive man?

Well, were there twenty-four hours in a day?

At her touch, goosebumps, fucking goosebumps in ninety-degree weather, spread across his skin and he could feel each individual hair raise across it too. There was no better feeling than their skin-to-skin contact, her dragging him along the hot concrete path. He could practically feel Steve and Nat’s smirk on the back of his neck from a mile away. He could hear their voices in his ear, the she’s the fuckin’ one, Buck, and the I’m glad you’re finally realizing it now because his heart was pounding harder and louder than it ever had before and the fact that he finally knew terrified him. 

Bucky let himself weigh out what loving Y/N really meant. On one side, he knew he had found the one. If he had to choose someone to pick out from a crowd to be the one, his one, he knew it’d be her. Maybe it had taken him an odd thirteen or so years to figure that out, but he wasn’t complaining anymore. She was the one who had given him nothing but endless affection and adoration from the moment they met, spilling nothing but sweet words in his ears, and at that point he knew that she was his soulmate. She was on the forefront of his mind always, even when he didn’t want to admit it to himself. 

But on the contrary, loving her could also end with his heart trampled over and laying in a ditch. Just thinking about the sheer possibility of her not loving him back, the harsh I’m sorry, I just don’t feel that way for you had his mind screeching at a halt. What if he lost everything he had ever known with just a few simple words? No, he couldn’t bear the ache that’d be left in his heart. 

So, he bore the ache of the love he had for her instead. By taking the kid off her hip, picking him up, and throwing him in the pool. By pushing her in the water, listening to her giggles and squeals, and clutching those sounds close to his chest. His chest hurt, it hurt a lot, but then his ankle was being pulled and his body was submerged in freezing chlorine water. Arms wrapped around his midsection and he found his way to the surface. Met by Y/N’s face, her features highlighted with a sheen of water, her smile a mile wide because she was with him. 

He had barely noticed, but she always smiled more when she was with him, and he did the same too. 

-

A drop of blood rolled down Y/N’s finger as she scowled at the offending object, a pointy roasting stick. A bit of marshmallow stuck to the metal but the rest of the sugary treat had hit the dirt floor, tanbark and bugs already covering it. It was a goddamn travesty- she had roasted the marshmallow to perfection, sticking it in the fire and watching it burn until she was able to remove the burnt crust and eat the gooey insides.

But instead, her perfect, glorious marshmallow had fallen to the ground when she tried to stick it between two graham crackers, and she was beyond devastated.

When she was done groveling over the poor thing, she brought her eyes up to where Bucky stood, leaning against Steve. By the looks of it, he was begging the blonde counselor for a marshmallow, waving around with the stick at Steve’s annoyed face. He mouthed something to the brunette that made him stop and shoved a marshmallow in his hand and he cheered. 

“Y/N, sweetheart, look!” He yelled across the campfire. She met his eyes, squinting a bit because of the smoke. “Steve gave me a marshmallow!”

A literal child. “Good job, Buck, I’m real happy for you.” With a sweet smile, he made his way back to his best friend, scooching next to her on the cut-down log with a peck to her cheek. She sunk into his body, resting her head on his shoulder when he noticed her more somber tone.

“Darlin’?” She hummed. “You okay? You’re supposed to be the excited one here, sweetheart.”

She over-exaggerated her pout and stuck her finger out to show him where she was bleeding (and barely so). “I tried to make my s’more and the mean stick poked me, an’ now look at me! I’m bleeding! I’ve been violated by a stupid piece of metal.”

Bucky chuckled at her infuriated tone, his eyes dropping a bit lower from her eyes to stare at her pouty lips. She had mastered the bratty, upset look over the years and he knew exactly what she wanted. “Y’want me to kiss it better, sweetheart?”

She nodded with a suddenly widened smile, offering the poor, damaged finger to his lips. He couldn’t help his own from curling the same way and grabbed her hand, leaving a simple kiss to the inside of her wrist, trailing those sinful, invisible marks up her palm and to her finger. Her breath hitched in her throat. Her eyes glazed over as they followed his own, deep azure eyes tracing every centimeter of skin his lips did. Everywhere he touched lit Y/N’s skin on fire, a burning, passionate kind of blaze that really sent her heart lurching violently in her chest.

When he let go of her finger, there wasn’t much to say. Bucky could see the tenseness of her body; her shoulders weren’t slumped like usual and she had an abnormally good posture. It wasn’t her and he knew that. But he also saw the smaller details. How her breath had seemed to catch in her throat and those tiny, tiny whimpers she let out. He hadn’t missed those either. 

His eyes lingered on hers a bit and there was more than enough tension filling the small space between them. His eyes dropped to her lips, firelight flickering across the supple skin that he needed to taste so bad. “Do you feel better now, sweetheart?”

Those words seemed to knock Y/N out of whatever daze she was having. She blinked twice stupidly before answering with a grin as sweet as the marshmallow on his tongue. “Yeah, Buck, I feel just fine.”

“In that case,” he nudged her hand with the marshmallow he’d gotten from Steve, opening her palm and placing the treat inside, “go make yourself another one but do not burn your tongue again like last week.”

She rolled her eyes at his warning, dropping a kiss to his cheek before running off to the smoking fire pit. “You could've told me that the underside of the marshmallow was still on fire that time, Buck, my burnt tongue was your fault.”

He jokingly scoffed and she brushed it off with a giggle, kneeling down with her hands and feet in a triangle, just like their training had taught her. A hand clapped his back, a little bit harshly, and he knew it was Y/N’s other best friend. “Hey, Nat, it’s a lovely night. What brings you over to my little, lonesome corner of the fire circle?”

“Hardly lonesome with that one around,” Natasha retorted. Her perfectly manicured finger pointed over to their best friend, who at the moment, was trying to blow out her flaming marshmallow as Steve helped in a hurry. “She's in love with you too, y’know, we’ve all been waiting this whole summer for you to realize it.”

Bucky’s eyes followed her finger, and with a fond smile at the scene, he responded. “Nat, I think I finally did.”

“Atta boy,” she hit his back once more before scurrying off to Wanda and Sam, right after whispering a few parting words. “I know you’ll take good care of her, Bucky, you always do.”

If he hadn’t been such a fucking coward, he could’ve been kissing Y/N for years. Throughout high school, throughout the first two shitty years of college, he could’ve had her, not just as a best friend but as his one and only. 

I am such a fucking idiot.

“I know you are, Buck, but what’d you do this time?” Y/N questioned. Oh shit, he’d spoken aloud.

He had to keep himself from jumping back and falling off the log, barely having registered she’d come back. In her hand, she held her arch-enemy, the roasting stick, and a really good-looking s’more in the other. 

“Nothin’, nothin’,” Bucky assured her. “You got your s’more already? No pokes and injuries? No more fingers that need to be kissed?”

“Nope,” she smiled and offered him the treat. “You wanna bite before I demolish it?”

He chuckled and nodded, leaning forward to bite half of the s’more out of her hand. It was really good. The sticky marshmallow insides really did make it all better. “Never thought I’d live to see the day that Y/N L/N shared her food with me,” he commented through chewing.

She slumped down next to him on the log again, resting her head against him as she finished the s’more. “Yeah, yeah, don’t get used to it, Buck, it’s gonna be another ten years 'till I get kind enough to do it again.”

They both shared a laugh as treacly warm as the s’more they had just eaten. Her arm had snuck its way around his, intertwining his metal hand with her warm flesh one. She played with the bands of gold that shined against the light and she was smiling up at him and laying her head on his shoulder and suddenly the words I love you didn’t seem so scary anymore. They seemed to creep their way up his throat, laying on the tip of his tongue and ready to jump out at the girl sitting next to him. Nothing seemed scary when all he could see was his future flickering back into his eyes. 

And that was the moment James Barnes accepted his love for Y/N L/N. By a campfire pit, gooey marshmallow sweet on his lips, he didn’t know why he had been so scared of his love for her before. He was done denying it. Thirteen years of lost words and unsaid feelings gave him strength, and he tightened his hold on her hand before speaking. 

“I love you, Y/N.”

-

Bucky and Y/N. Y/N and Bucky. Best friends since the third grade, lovers since a little over an hour before time found them making out against the front wall of Bucky’s cabin. Shoes and socks kicked off, of course.

The tall, lean brunette stood nearly rigid, caged against the wall by Y/N’s arms. He had been the one to initiate the kiss, yes, but he also hadn’t expected her to be so dominant. Her lips moved against his with fervor, hot, labored breath mixing with his. He was happy to report that he now knew what she tasted like; vanilla bean and smoke, because of her strange yet lovable urge to eat burnt marshmallows.

He tested the waters, grabbing her hips and rocking them against his through his shorts. Shit, Y/N had not planned to tell him that she loved him too like this, but at the same time, she was not upset with the pleasure coursing through her body. His mouth swallowed her noises like their favorite cheap wine and she kicked open his legs with her own.

At the loss of her contact, Bucky sighed, but then her hand traced the lines of muscle and- oh, yeah, she really knew him well. “We’re gonna do this,” Bucky stammered out, “r-right now? Like, here and right now?”

Y/N snuck a hand under his shirt, feeling up the tight, smooth muscle he’d built up in the gym throughout college. “What can I say, emotional intimacy turns me on.”

“All emotional intimacy or just mine?” Bucky questioned.

There was a long pause. An on-the-verge-of-worrying pause. “Just yours, probably ‘cause I don’t get to see it as often.”

It worked well enough for him.

Bucky shrugged and placed his lips back onto hers, right where they should’ve been all along. With nimble, quick-moving fingers, Y/N fisting his shirt, mumbling a barely audible “off” and he complied to her every whim. When she begged for him to work his pants down he did and though she wanted to make the night about him, he still palmed at her tits with both hands through their messy makeout. She moaned at the way he pinched her hardening nipples through his thin tee shirt and her lacy bralette, but attention was quickly pulled away when she noticed his hardened length, his thick, hardened length against the inside of her thigh. So she did what any good person would do, and dropped down to her knees in front of him.

“God, you are so fucking horny right now,” Y/N simpered from below him, “I bet you’ve been waiting a real long time to get off, haven’t you, baby?”

Bucky could do nothing but moan and whine, with her lashes tickling his Adonis belt and her hand resting still over the bulge in his shorts. He was so close to coming right there on the spot because it was Y/N. Y/N who had patched him up after fights during lunch when he got bloody noses, and who had given him some of those as well. She’d stuck with him through shitty high school relationships and he’d offered her a place to stay when her house gave her too much to think about. There was a simple peck on the lips in a drunken haze, once, maybe twice throughout their college years, and absolutely nothing more. 

And now it was- 

“Y/N.” Bucky nearly choked on his own spit when she squeezed his length. Her on her knees, her fingers scrambling for his waistband like a madman. The elastic slapped once, twice against his taut skin as she fought to get it off, and with each short sting of pain, he found that he was struggling to breathe properly. 

It must’ve been a sight, him with his growing chestnut hair in a mess atop his head, cheeks red, and jaw dropped because his best friend was his. Y/N laid hot, open-mouthed kisses across his bare abdomen as she worked his underwear off, just pulling it down far enough for his cock to spring up and hit his stomach. He was needy. Precome dribbled down the shaft of his girthy dick, the thick head almost a purplish shade from nothing but pure lust. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to get off without thinking of her praises, and it was finally payback time.

Y/N didn’t even realize it, but she was drooling for his cock. She kneeled between his legs, absolutely transfixed on what stood between them, and immediately she got to work, licking up his mess.

Fuck.

Bucky hissed, his metal hand instinctively palming the back of her head. He reeled in the filthy sounds she made sucking his cock, her little gurgles and gags just turning him on even more. Her hot breath fanned out over his bare skin, and there and then Bucky decided: there was nothing better than the girl he loved sucking his cock.

“Oh shit, sweetheart, feel so fucking good, takin’ me so well too.” Bucky thrusted his hips into her throat, watching tears spring to her eyes at how deep he was. He smoothed down the baby hairs framing her face and rubbed her cheekbone soothingly. “Baby, say that I’m yours, please, I need to hear you.’

Y/N pulled off of his cock for a moment, watching a strand of saliva thin between the two of them. “All mine, Buck,” she kissed the tip of his cock, relishing the sweet noises that got caught in his throat, “and ‘m all yours. You’re doing so well, baby, taking my mouth so well. I know you wanna come, but just wait a little while, won’t you? I know you can be a good boy, Jamie.”

Her praise made him wild with climbing desire and though it hurt, how could deny a thing to his pretty girl?

As she took his dick back in he had to hold in a breath. He could feel each muscle in his body clench as he tried to dull the pleasure that ran rampant through his veins. The surroundings around him became a little hazy with each inch of him she took in her throat, the picture of his arm around her on the nightstand barely visible with the hot white ecstasy taking over his mind. 

Bucky was still too flustered to realize he had never had a chance like this- especially with someone he was so in love with.

He was putty in her hands. Fully and wholly he melted into her, barely able to stand up straight against the wall when she started massaging his tight balls. Y/N owned his body, whether she was planning on it or not, just with a couple of sweet (and filthy) words and her award-winning smile. 

One of her heavenly hands journeyed from his heavy sac to his left thigh and caressed the clenched muscle there. She enjoyed feeling him relax into her arms as she bobbed her head along his thick length, her lips nearly stretching at the seams from his girth. The coil at the pit of his tummy began to tighten, almost painfully so and he knew that he couldn’t stave off his orgasm much longer.

One warm palm grabbed the wall behind him, the other moving Y/N on his cock quicker as he grew closer. “Baby, baby, baby, ‘m gonna come so soon. Shit, I- please, I need to come, sweetheart, please.”

She nodded and hummed around his dick, and that sent him over the edge. 

“F-fuck, sweetheart. Love you so much, ‘m comin’, oh God-” He whimpered loudly as he spilled down her throat, coating it with ropes of his thick come. Y/N could only hum around his dick as he fucked her throat raw through his orgasm, the head of his cock bumping against her constricting walls. “You feel so good wrapped ‘round my cock, baby, no one’s as good as you. My pretty girl.”

When he finished releasing all his spend down her throat and she swallowed, he pulled her up to his mouth, getting another taste of her lips. She tasted like him and marshmallow and salt and he was addicted to her, her mouth, her body and everything that made her her. His mind was an endless daze of confusion and barely coherent after receiving the best blowjob he’d ever gotten, but he knew that he had her. Not wanting to be apart for any longer, he grabbed her close, pushing his tongue past her lips and her face in his hands, one hot and the other cold. Her hands grappled at anything to ground her from that forceful kiss, finding purchase on his bare shoulders, fingers digging into his skin. 

“Love you, Buck,” she whimpered into his mouth, “always have, baby.”

She finally found it in her to pull away from him and when she did, she was met with his pretty fluttering eyes, a bashful flush spread across his face and chest. Her hands soothed his shoulders and her eyes- he saw everything in them. The pretty shade erupted with color, love, and care, just as they always had when she looked at him. Just one of the many reasons his heart beat for her and her only.

With gentle hands she planted one more kiss to his soft lips, tucking his softened cock back into his briefs before walking over to his twin-sized bed.

“Y-you-” Bucky gulped with wide eyes, watching as Y/N started to make her way under his covers. She motioned for him to get the lamplight and he did with a confused stare. Waddling over to where she laid, he asked, “you don’t wanna do anything else?”

As she grabbed his arm to pull him down, she answered him. “Do you wanna do anything else right now?”

“I mean,” he blushed and scratched the back of his head, “only if you want to. I didn’t just wanna get off, y’know? I meant what I said earlier.”

“I know you did, Buck,” she kissed the heel of his palm above her heart. “Meant it too when I said you’re all mine. Never wanted anyone else.”

“Huh,” he let Y/N turn around in his hold, listening to the sheets rustle around them until their noses were brushing. She planted a kiss on his lips, but when she pulled away, he was the one to reel her back in for another. His tongue slipped into her mouth and they traded breath, whispers of adoration laced in her taste. But then Bucky stopped. “But y-you- you didn’t get to-”

“There will be plenty of time for you to get me off later, Buck, but please for the love of God and everything holy, go to sleep.” She kissed him once more before burrowing her head into the warmth of his bare chest. “It’s nearly midnight, baby, and you’re really grumpy with the kids when you don’t get enough sleep.”

His metal hand tightened his hold against her tee-shirt covered back. “‘M not grumpy, you lie. I am a beam of sunshine with the kids.” 

She didn’t respond to his joke, but he could feel her huff out a laugh against his chest. It was late. Outside his window, he could see that they had killed the fire, only smoke swirling up into the moonlit sky as blackness surrounded the rest of the night. So he closed his eyes, trying to tame his heart that was beating only for the sleepy girl he held in his arms. 

But of course, he couldn’t help but say it again.

“I love you, sweetheart.”

In the silence of their kindling love, they could hear the crickets. Truly they were rather loud at night, with their nature symphony, the rustling redwood trees, and occasional coyote howls illuminating the music. Inside of an old wood cabin, two college lovers laid, wrapped in each other’s embrace. Their hearts finally full entwined with each other's burning love for the other, they were in for a peaceful night. 

“Love you too, Buck.”

A peaceful night indeed.

[reginarubie]

I’m not saying that I’m a feminist or a perfect woman or that every woman should or can be one but one asoiaf stans talk about it’s very silly and unproductive fan wars most of the time, when they don’t have or research feminist beliefs or know anything about art and text and history of any movement under the umbrella of female liberation when all they learned is second-hand through media buzzwords.

Yep,

I agree with you.

As I've said more times that I can count many of the people who want to read some feminism in the asoiaf world search for it in the wrong places and mistake it for ambition of a single woman forwarding herself; when instead we see it in little flashes here and there, whilst yet not developed, because as I've said it'd be anachronistic to think a social movement as feminist to be so well formed to be seen clearly in a setting so early medieval.

As far as my understanding goes, and I am in no way an expert, whilst there have been “waves of proto-feminism” movements as early as the renaissance it's still far too early if put into the context of medieval asoiaf; as the fully formed movement of feminism is pretty recent, by my understanding starting between 19th and 20th century.

What happens in the fandom is that often fans of one character end up trying to apply to them modern concept and visions in an attempt to make them look more progressive and interesting, whilst I instead consider them all the more interesting because inserted inside that type of society unbound to the modern setting and concept and ideals.

But that's just me. Also, I agree as most of wars inside and outside the fandom, they usually end up being silly and unproductive, and often also pointless.

Let's just enjoy what we like without any petty, silly fandom war in the middle.

[cestcirque]

Hey, I was wondering if its okay to ask your opinion on timeskip!Kenma and the idol culture in Japan.

I was so intrigued with it when reading Aperture and The Cardinal Set and, altough I know it's mostly centered around V-League, I can't help but wonder how other characters that are famous after the timeskip would act regards the strict unwritten rules that come with stan/idol culture. Mostly Semi, that you touched with his own story, and Kenma.

Like, we know that Kenma is a famous streamer/youtuber post-timeskip and maybe the indepent nature of the job would give him a bit more freedom when it comes to that, but he still would be under public scrutiny. So I wonder if scandals regarding his dating/social life could happen and if it would have any negative consequences when it comes to his career.

I wanted to know how do you think he would handle all of this?

(Oh, and thank you for writing something that keeps making me think and reflect on it's various messages and aspects even months after i finished reading it. It's truly an special story<3)

Aw heck, this is a good question, thank you 🤩

I can analyze fan culture until the day’s end, it absolutely fascinates me. My thoughts under the cut ⤵️

Short answer is a scandal can happen for anyone in the public eye if fans are passionate enough about a certain piece of information (i.e. for Semi, who writes songs about relationships to begin with and while it isn’t his main job, I think he’s unlikely to get a scandal out of being seen at a girl’s apartment. But for Atsumu? WOOF)

So I think if Kenma were to fall into scandal, it’s likely to come from a different angle…

Compared to Atsumu or Semi, Kenma is in a different category. In terms of the content he produces, there are no formal contracts and the only thing binding him is Cultural Norms™. BUT we know he doesn’t care about other cultural norms like seniority or keigo—I can see him not caring if viewers know about a relationship (though talking about private life might not happen often in the first place). Perhaps he’ll get tired during a late-night stream, slip up and say something about the person in the other room, then catch himself and leave the chat wondering 😝

We also know he has a global audience (vis-à-vis Pedro) so it’s definitely possible he interacts w fans who don’t have a strict “no relationship” ideal. The fact that Pedro is a fan also indicates that Kenma simply has a different fanbase (i.e. in it for content, less likely to get possessive), so I wouldn’t think he’d be a traditional “idol” in Japan. If he were to slip up during a stream, only a percentage of viewers would try to pry

NOW him being the founder of a company would present much more challenges than his fans—I imagine he’d have to register Bouncing Ball in order to operate in any way. If he were to make headlines, it wouldn’t be while streaming, or being seen at a girl’s apartment. I think it would be more about making movements with the company that the public might deem strange. Combined with the fact that he’s only willing to sponsor Hinata “if he isn’t boring”? Kenma is in the position to make some flippant decisions about money flow or some real power moves that might look bad from the outside

And the bar for “what the public deems strange” is also pretty low in Japan—I’ll give you a real life example bc of course I will. After the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, there was a singer / actor, Gackt (I think?) who worked hard to raise funds for people in the affected areas. With his level of fame, his influence did a lot and made a huge difference in the recovery process. Nevertheless, news outlets accused him of using his fame to collect money and keep it for himself. When that was proven untrue, the public said he was just selling himself out

In conclusion: I can see Kenma using his platform to help something or someone very important to him, then having his actions called into question and somehow getting backlash for it

[permets-2]

Your tag that says why do we have to say this, I get it's a hypothetical question but JFC this is the most racist fandom I've ever been in. I can't conceptualize why, but it is. It's the epitome of white queerness and feminism, and is just tiring.

Okay I’m so sorry this is probably a longer response than you wanted but I’ve been thinking about this for a while now and yeah. Let’s talk. 

Why is the Les Mis fandom so racist?  

(Disclaimer that this is based on my own experiences in this fandom, I don’t speak for all Les Mis fans of color, obviously. Also that this is not a post to “prove” the Les Mis fandom is racist. If you need that before you wanna know why, you’re part of the problem.) (There’s a tl;dr at the end)

It’s because at the end of the day, anon, no matter how many Black Grantaires are drawn and no matter how many Asian Cosettes we get, Les Mis is media primarily by, for, and about white people. I mean, on a factual level, Hugo was white, and let’s not forget he had some wild thoughts on race - saying that white people were “the highest type which the human race has so far reached” and talking about the “inferior races,” saying that Europeans would “civilize and cultivate” Africa in the letter he wrote to The London News regarding slavery in America and John Brown. Also, obviously, all the characters are canonically white. That’s part of why content of the Amis as involved in BLM protests is so harmful imo - no matter the surface story you’re depicting, no matter how you draw them or write them, these are characters who are rooted in and steeped in whiteness, and The Black Lives Matter movement is not for or about them as white people. And, however you rewrite this story, it doesn't change the fact that you'd be imposing a narrative created by a white supremacist on a movement against white supremacy. This is not to say headcanoning/drawing/writing characters as whatever race you want is wrong, or that there isn’t power in artists of color reclaiming stories that have excluded or erased us for so many years! Lord knows I live and breathe for Amis of color, especially when they’re culturally well-represented. But it would not only be naive but also factually inaccurate to pretend that Les Mis is a story for People of Color, or a story that contains acute discussions of racial dynamics, let alone actively dismantles white supremacy.

 Also, anon, the culture surrounding Les Mis source material is steeped in whiteness and exclusion. Musical Theatre is one of the most financially exclusive forms of art - tickets are often upwards of $100 each especially for a big name show like Les Mis. I could talk forever about the ways theatre is used as a tool of classism and racism, but in this instance, it boils down to People of Color are directly and indirectly denied access to the world of musical theatre, as audience, writers, directors, performers, etc. We basically see only white people playing the characters of Les Mis in professional (and non-professional) theatre, which is another less tangible barrier to communities of color. You’d think the brick would be more accessible, and on a factual level, sure, most people can find a copy for $9 at Barnes and Noble or get it from the library. But by God, the amount of academic elitism in high school essays to tumblr posts about the brick is off the charts - classic lit has a long history of pushing out People of Color. Why is Hugo one of the most well-known names in all of literature and not Hurston? Baldwin? Du Bois? (This is rhetorical. We know why.) There’s a lot of reasons why the brick and musical alike have been kept away from people of color (that i could get into, starting in 1619, but honestly we’d be here a while)- making this, once again, a piece of media by, for, and about white people.

 Which is not to say there aren’t people of color in this fandom, or that we don’t belong here. I know so many Les Mis fans of color in our online community (myself included) who love it here and are so grateful for this space. It’s just harder - we have to write things off all the time. Why is almost 100% of cosplay white people? Why are most all the most popular creators white? Why, when characters are drawn/headcanoned/written as POC, does it play into stereotypes- why are Joly and Combeferre (the doctors) and Cosette (the woman who does not get much agency) the ones depicted as Asian, why are Eponine and Grantaire (the characters who Hugo explicitly calls ugly) the ones depicted as Black? (My broski @everydayatleast as a great post about that here) Why are we so set on blond Enjolras, no matter what ethnicity he’s depicted as?

And here’s the kicker: because of the plotline of Les Mis, we tend to ignore any issues of injustice in our own fandom. We think that because Les Mis is about equality and revolution, we’re automatically culturally and politically progressive. We think that because “Enjolras says Eat The Rich” and “books like these will never be useless”, we have achieved Wokeness. We think that when we stan these activist characters, we’re checking our activism box. We think that because we’ve got a diversity of genders and sexualities we’ve checked the box of representation but that’s another can of worms I will not get into. And this is almost always unconscious, I don’t think any of us are actively and maliciously trying to be racist! There is nothing wrong with having a background of whiteness! There is nothing wrong with being factually or culturally white as a piece of media (or, like, a person)! It is when we fail to be critical of the ways this whiteness affects others that we create racist spaces. (Which, as you said, anon, is how we get White/Non-intersectional Feminism.)

This is not directed at anyone in particular in the slightest, and this is in no way intended as a callout - I have so much love for this online community. And no, I don’t mean every single one of you is actively and aggressively being racist on Tumblr every single day. But yes I do mean the collective us as a fandom contributes towards a culture of racism every day, myself included. We as a fandom can do so much better. As Moose said when we yelled about LM racism for a hawt couple hours today, “In a fandom that purports to be about equality and social justice, we have to live up to our own ideals”.

(tl;dr - the Les Mis fandom is racist because it is a piece of white culture and writen by/for/about white people, Broadway and classic lit is rooted in exclusionism and there’s a lot of forces keeping people of color out of our original source materials, and because of the narrative of Les Mis being about revolution and social progress, we feel like we’ve achieved that and aren’t critical of our own shortcomings)

(phat thanks to my bro moose @everydayatleast for editing and contributing and Yelling with me!!)

[elmaxlys]

Pretty fucking awesome dream today tbh

Started with a family reunion (my family, I was there and stuff I skip bc it was long and boring) but it was such a large scale thing that many other people were invited, and among them, the Winx Club (and some of the Haikyuu!! characters such as Akaashi and some others). There was drama brewing everywhere and there was too many people so I went outside to take a walk.

The restaurant thing was on a slope so as I walked down it, its floor and terrace were above me and that's when I caught the 1st discussion. It was Akaashi talking with some guy and highkey making out so I was like holy fuck, Akaashi is dating Bokuto, this is public knowledge, but Bokuto couldn't make it to the dinner what the fuck so I decided to snoop around in case I was mistaken. I wasn't. Akaashi was cheating on Bokuto with Kyoutani. Bokuto called Akaashi's phone during, it was a mess, and Mad-Dog-chan saw me looking at them so I bailed.

From there I wasn't me anymore, I was Bloom Winx Club, miss engaged to Sky prince of Eraklyon. With here were Stella and I don't quite remember whether it was Musa or Flora but they were 3 who could make it. There was also relationship drama there because 3rd had broken up with her bf (which makes me think it was Musa but I'm pretty sure it was Flora so idk) and was thinking out loud about how better Bloom and Stella's bfs were and lowkey how she wished she could snatch one for herself. Stella went apeshit on her it was fun, but there was something weird in the atmosphere, something heavy that had nothing to do with the heat and humidity of the day or the large number of people. It was something that tugged at my heart. I looked at the corridor that was near our table and told Stella and Flora I was going to take a look. So I did, bc it felt super weird. And once I was in the corridor, he was right there. He had some guards with him.

Fun fact, Valtor had Takehito Koyasu's voice but like. In English. It suited him. Anyway.

So there he was right behind, I was super surprised but also not that much. Yet I was frozen, like couldn't move, and we walked toward me until my back was against his torso. He looked down to talk to me and I don't remember all he said but he said my love and dear a whole lot. At some point, he kissed my hand, and held it against his lips while his other was around my waist and belly securing me in place. As Bloom this was a less than ideal situation, as a Valtor stan and lowkey Sparx shipper, I was a tad too happy.

Scene change I was now Stella. Bloom had not gone for long that chaos happened in the main room. Immediately we understood what happened and I told Flora/Musa that I was going to help Bloom. She said okay, transformed and started fighting the monsters marked with the V.

So I go though the corridor the more discreetly possible and I hear them coming from somewhere so i hide in the bathroom and flatten myself against the wall and peek through the slightly open door. I see Valtor's guards, then himself. He had a slight movement of the head when he walked past me like he knew I was there but he didn't stop, didn't say anything, he just kept walking while carrying a passed out Bloom bridal style.

There were some more details about the immediately after that but I don't remember and then I woke up :')

For the stats: 1st part: usual gender/legal name. 2nd part: woman/Bloom. 3rd part: woman/Stella