#yes I want any napoleonic wars fan-people on tumblr to see this

[blackcatanna]

Looking up Napoleonic-war-era uniforms for Research Purposes (regency era visual novel) and I now understand why so many war fanboys are obsessed with them. I've always been a slut for epaulettes so I should have seen this coming but my brain wasn't prepared for the sexiness of all of the braid and velvet and rich colours and awesome boots...

Like, I can handle the slightly odd-looking technical illustrations and period drawings because they are often extremely unsexy and everyone's face is bright red... but as soon as I see a nice portrait or a vaguely not-ugly modern man or woman dressed in these clothes, my brain just short circuits:

*Notices epaulettes* OwO what's this? *nuzzles on epaulettes* UwU

[annetteblog]

I got a very long ask and wrote even longer reply, and now Tumblr for some reason doesn't want to publish it through asks. So I'm making a separate post, because what else can I do? 😀 I hope Anon wouldn't mind

Hi!

Thank you for such a long ask! I really enjoy replying those, although it may take some time to actually write whatever I have on my mind 🙂 However, I feel like for every question that you posed, it's possible to write its own big reply or even an essay, so this piece of mine probably won’t give them justice (but I’ll try my best.)

As usual, one big IMO.

1) Ethics, “gueer coding” and discussions

I believe I’ve already partly touched this subject here. Shortly, I think that everything the boys did (and still do) had its own purpose. They decided to put these "undertones" (or whatever one may call them) in their art. They made some statements with a very small room for interpretation. And it didn't happen once or twice. More like, it's been a consistent behaviour throughout years.

I don't buy this excuse some fans write - "oh, he just didn't know about this/didn't understand how it looked like/didn't..." So apparently, JK wasn't able to figure out shit about Troye, didn't give a damn about his GCF, didn't think how his tattoo looked like; JM didn't realize to what conclusions could lead his quite bold words about 4am or waking up and seeing JK; both of them didn't have second thoughts about the Black Swan dance; Bang PD is just a CEO who pays zero attention to BTS in general and KM actions in particular (which sometimes actually backlash, e.g. that stop gay fanservice thing after the Seoul concerts), because he clearly just doesn't care AT ALL; whatever PR service they have in BH is just asleep all the time... Etc etc etc, you got the idea

Well, if one wants to perceive JM, JK and BigHit as a group of complete morons with no brains, this "oh, they just didn't know" explanation may work. But if all of them were idiots, how would BTS become the biggest group on a planet? They are smart enough, deal with this.

And YET. KM still do what they do. It's their choice, so apparently they have their motives. You wrote it yourself too - "Jikook and BH put out all that stuff for a reason."

Keeping this in mind, I truly think it's fair to discuss queer undertones or KM's bond. It's meant to be discussed and speculated. They made it public, and they continue to make it public (and quite obvious, to be honest). Why? Well, I guess they want us to speculate.

From here comes the second point

2) Art and its interpretations

In general, I believe that any good art should allow various interpretations. That's what a good piece of art is supposed to do - provoke a thought. As well as it's quite customary to analyze and (sometimes) overanalyze art. Thousands of universities worldwide have programs which are focused on fine art, literature, theater, music, film, etc.

And why is it okay to write about Avengers or Madonna or whatever weird art you're able to find in the closest Contemporary museum (like a banana taped to a wall), but not okay to interpret BTS' songs and/or performances? Again, I strongly believe that art is meant to be discussed. Especially as cool as theirs 🙂

Actually, some popular fandom theories turned out to be true here. Since Spring Day release on Feb 2017, fans speculated about its connection to the Sewol ferry tragedy based on the song's lyrics, MV and choreo. We got this confirmation like when, December 2020? But before it was also just an interpretation.

Coming back to KM. Combining these with the idea that JM/JK/BH clearly know what they're doing and how it may look like, I don't see a problem in having various interpretation of their art. Including queer ones.

3) Escapism

Isn't all art targeted to escaping in a sense? We want to take a break from reality and/or mundane life or just gain some new experience. In this sense what's the radical difference between staring at pictures or sculptures in a museum, watching a movie, reading a book or scrolling through Tumblr reading BTS/KM centric posts? All of these are means to escape and entertain ourselves.

As for this "if they are a queer couple, is it okay to derive pleasure and 'what a beautiful love story' feelings from two members of systematically oppressed minority?" - and you would prefer doing what - ignoring them? pretending that they don't exist? 🙃 In case if they are a queer couple, I guess showing support and benevolence is even more important. Exactly because, as you mentioned, they are a part of the oppressed minority. And the hatred is/would be definitely in place.

4) Fanfiction

Oh my, what a controversial theme these days.

Firstly, some forget it was not invented in the 21st century. Even slash fanfiction (cough Star cough Trek). As for incorporating real people, it's been a part of literature for like what.. always? There are millions of different writings about emperors, nobles, military figures, lives of saints, etc. And it's not like personal opinion of people in question bothered those, who write or wrote about them. I clearly remember a scene in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, where Alexander I [Russian emperor 1801-25] after losing a battle against Napoleon, hits a birch tree with his sword while crying hard and just being kinda hysterical. Would real Alexander be satisfied with such image if he read the book? Idk 😄

About having "the right to comment on such [different from your own] experience". I suppose, if authors wrote only about what they had experienced, our literature would be 95% poorer than it is. How can one write books in historic settings if they didn't live there? How do books about future and space travel exist, if we live in 2021? Is it needed to be a part of mafia to write about mafia? What about other cultures? Should an American author write only about American people and American lifestyle or it's fine to have characters from other countries?

Writing is not about experiencing something and then making a fanfic or a book, it's more about research and compassion. If you have reliable info on your theme and are able to look at the world using different lenses, why not?

I don't perceive fanfiction as a worldwide evil. Sure, there are creepy examples as well as authors, who write fetishizing weird shit. But it doesn't mean that all fanfiction=bad and all slash fanfiction=objectification of male homosexuality. Fanfiction is just one form of fiction, it can be good or bad based on how it's written. But the label itself doesn't define anything, as well as reading it should not be a reason to accusations.

5) Jikook, shipping and politics

I'm among those, who perceive pretty much everything as a part of politics. We all exist within some political conventions and have certain political laws over our heads. And yes, it includes art. Even if an artist says something like "oh, I decided to stay away from politics, my work is beyond it". The decision to stay away from politics is also political, because apparently there was something within the political structure what made this artist say that and forced them to make this distinction between them and some institutional conventions.

And that makes me believe that shipping/supporting KM is also political. But I don't think it's necessarily bad? Basically, you decided to support potentially queer people from a country, which doesn't really approve LGBTQ+. It puts you in the opposition towards a particular government. You made a choice. You could google some SK stuff, read all that you mentioned in the beginning of your ask, and say something like "oh, that's not okay there? well, fair enough, I guess their government knows better"🤠 and forget that this KM thing even exists. But apparently you didn't

Imo, is it politics? Yes

Is it bad that it's politics? Well, no? 🙃

|

P.S. I hope I was clear enough with my ideas. Thank you again for the thought provoking ask, and I hope I'll hear from you again 🙂

And honestly, I don't think that you're problematic in any way :)

[waffles-isa]

I was tagged by @baileytsample​ and @strangerhypnosis​, thank you so much!!!!

Okay so answer the questions and then tag 8 people!

What made you sign up to Tumblr? I signed up for the 1st time in 2010, giving this “new internet thing” a try, but I had a Percy Jackson blog, a aesthetic one and this one. In all of those times I was having a bad time in real life and Tumblr saved me.

What did your blog start off as being? 100% of stranger things but now I reblog some personal and funny textposts as well!

Have you ever received any creepy asks, and if so, what did they say? Yes, they said horrible things about me and it was awful, I don’t know why.

Have you ever had a bad experience on tumblr? Just pornbots following me. Hello @staff​, please do something.

If you had to pick a favourite English monarch, who would you pick? I have no idea, Anne Boleyn maybe.

Do you prefer hot or cold? If we’re talking about weather, hot. But anything else, cold.

Do you have a special skill or talent? I do not think so but some will say my ability with languages is one. (omg, @baileytsample​, same!!!)

Do you have a phobia of anything? No, thankfully!!!

If you had to pick a favourite real life villain from history, who would pick? Napoleon, definitely!!!!! (he was funny!!!)

Do you have any dark traits? Yes, I can l can lie really really well. I swear I don’t use it in most of the time but it’s a dark hability I have. 

If you could do anything, literally anything, like fly on a unicorn or something, what would it be? I wish I could teleport or something, I wish I could travel all around the world!!!

What is the scale of the worst argument you’ve ever had? I don’t have much arguments, I’m a fan of sitting and talking about what is going on and find a way to get things better!

What is your favourite slush flavour? I’ve never had it!

If you could bring back any food or drink from your childhood that has been discontinued, what would it be? Those chocolate umbrella-shaped thing with soup taste (idk if they still sell it but I haven’t seen it in a while!)

What is your favourite and most vivid childhood memory? My grandpa trying to buy my cheap coin holder (that costs less than 1 dollar) by giving me 50 dollars and I was crying because “it was too pretty and I didn’t want to sell it!”

If you could bring anyone back from the dead who would it be? No one... From everybody that passed away and I really loved, all of them were in a lot of pain and struggling a lot, so I really hope they’re all in peace.

If you could go back to any time period and live there for a week, which period would it be and why? Probably 1920, sounds an interesting time period for me!

If you could visit any abandoned place to take pictures, where would it be? Pripyat, Ucrânia, Chernobyl, for obvious reasons.

Do you have any particular, peculiar interests? I don’t know if it’s peculiar but I love those hard-to-deal movies... I ove watching a thing and then having to reconsider my whole life. Or maybe watching a movie and feeling awful later, just because the movies was really hard to feel or watch.

Do you have a creepy/scary experience that has happened to you, and what was it? Yes, I’m really used to seeing things no one’s seeing and hearing things. Just living my life trying not to go insane.

Do you like/read creepypasta stories? If so, what’s your favourite story? I love creepypasta BUT it has to be with a cup of holy water and I have to be on holidays when my mom is at home and the sun has to be raising ahahhaha

If you were in the Wars of the Roses, would you be a Lancastrian, or a Yorkist? I have no idea.

What is your recurring nightmare? With my ex and a lot of awful things that I can’t runaway.

Have you ever had a lucid dream? Yes, a lot of them!

If you could go to another planet, which would it be? Pluto!

What is your religion, if any? Catholic.

Have you ever got so drunk, that you did something really embarrassing, and if so, what did you do? No, I don’t like drinking at all.

Mike, Dustin, Lucas, or Will? Will! He’s my babyyy!

Do you like Marina and the Diamonds? I used to listen a lot to her music! She’s great!!

Charli XCX? Not much.

Tag a blog that you’ve seen, and you love their posts, but have never told them, and would like to talk to them. @upsidedownwaffle​, Rachel is an awesome person and the first I could think of when I saw this! I love your blog, I love you, keep up being the fantastic human being you are <3 but there’s a huge list including @holy-winona, @bigbadlittlered (it was because of you that I started shipping Stonathan and I love your headcanons!!!)

Pick one thing you like/love from the 80s. Music.

What year were you born, and name something cool from that year. 1998. José Saramago won the Nobel Prize of literature!!!!

What was your blog name originally? (If you had another blog name) It has always been what it is now.

Do you follow any blogs that you know the user in real life? yo @livingwithoutdirections hahahha <3

If you are in the ST fandom, which is your favourite song off the ST soundtrack? Should I stay or should I go, definitely!!!! (or Waiting for a girl like you)

Finally, give your opinion on the person who tagged you! ✨ @baileytsample is an awesome person and lights up my day just by showing up in my notifications! @strangerhypnosis, I love talking to you and you’re an incredible person!!!

I’m tagging everyone I’ve already tagged in this post, also @tinyryder, @demogaga and @strawberryscoundrel!!!! <3