god 50 years ago you really could go see a trashy b-movie and it still had gorgeous cinematography, lighting and set design, fun costumes and makeup, and now a hollywood production could have 80 million dollars thrown at it only for it to look like a drawn-out tv commercial for laundry detergent
I don’t know about you guys, but I never interpreted Svetlana as being romantically in love with Ilya.
I think their relationship is a lot more complex and deep than either just friends with benefits or unrequited love.
Their dynamic to me seems more queerplatonic. It’s undefined, but powerful. Yes, they’re childhood friends. Yes, they’ve had sex multiple times, but Svetlana is not some doe eyed girl chasing after Ilya.
When he asks her in the cab, ‘are you jealous?’, she replies ‘I think you know me better than that.’
In the scene with Sasha in the bathroom, she says ‘you boys need to catch up.’ She knows about them. She’s actively encouraging it.
There is love there, an abundance of it, but to try and put it into a socially acceptable and limiting box is disingenuous.
Svetlana is allowed by the narrative to be quietly complex, and I adore that. For a side character with not a lot of screen time, I came to absolutely adore her and the way Ksenia portrayed her.
I think people forget that women can also love having sex without attachments. That’s a real thing that happens.
The way non-book readers are engaging with Heated Rivalry proves how big of a crisis media literacy is in.
I’ve seen people say they don’t understand why Ilya was treating Shane the way he was in Russia and it’s not clear in the show why he’s being an asshole to him.
Is everyone watching the show with their eyes closed?
It’s made clear by Ilya’s mood in the rooftop at the end of episode 1 that he doesn’t enjoy being in Russia. We do not see him crack a smile even once the entire time he’s there in episode 2. His playful demeanor is completely gone. He dissociates in several scenes. He barely speaks. When he’s with his father, not only is his father berating him for Russia losing, he’s also displaying signs of rapidly declining cognition as he forgets that Ilya’s mother is not alive.
We feel the suffocating weight Ilya’s home country places on him, and how miserable he is when he’s there, but he still feels like he can’t leave it behind, because despite everything he still cares for his father and he feels too much like a foreigner in the US. The show hasn’t gone into much depth about his mother yet, but his ties to her surely keep him there as well.
In the scene with Sasha and Svetlana, we see him so disengaged from two people he’s previously been intimate with. With Svetlana, she’s savvy and gives him a great pep talk regarding why he should shift his focus to winning the cup, but he doesn’t seek emotional comfort from her, and she doesn’t offer it. Sasha, on the other hand, completely ignores Ilya’s obvious signs of disinterest and dissociation to try and get a fuck out of him, and insults Ilya for not being fun anymore when he gets rejected. Everyone in Russia is trying to get something out of him and reject him when he doesn’t do exactly what they want him to. He’s clearly not doing well mentally and the only person who even asks if he’s okay is Shane.
Shane, who Ilya has already fallen for but knows he can’t have, especially not in Russia where his bisexuality could pose a threat to his citizenship and livelihood, is showing concern for him outside of the parameters of their established sexual relationship, and Ilya is simply in no position to deal with the implications of that right now. Ilya can barely look at him in the scene and when he finally does, it’s to fire the final blow that gets Shane to give up and walk away, but when Shane does, Ilya can’t help but watch him go. Ilya doesn’t know how to deal with everything that’s happening inside of him and everything he’s feeling, so he pushes Shane away. He’s in pain because he wants to touch Shane and go to him, but he can’t because of where they are. There’s frustration there because in Shane’s mind he’s just a friend offering comfort to Ilya, but to Ilya it’s way more than that, because what if someone saw the way Ilya looks at Shane and immediately figured out everything?
The show trusts its audience to read into the characters through the actors’ performances and all of this is clear as crystal through Connor’s excellent performance. This show is a goldmine of characterization and romance if you pay attention.
A/n: angst bc im boycotting watching season three LOL, not my gif
“What do you mean she left?” JJ questioned, dumbfounded. He didn’t realize it, but he was walking into a war zone. The Chateau no longer had the same feel. It was like someone sucked the air out, and pumped smog in.
When Sarah forces the pogues to go to a Kook party, JJ dips early and notices you on the roof, reading peacefully.
That Side of You | @maybebanks
Stronger |@/ maybebanks
won’t last | the bet (part ii) | @myjjbaby
you make a bet with your boyfriend and JJ’s really bad at winning them
IT’S NOT LIVING (IF IT’S NOT WITH YOU) | @storiesbymads
JJ shows up at Y/N’s doorstep after an incident with his dad.
My girl | @ptersparkers
maybe falling for one of your best friends wasn’t a good idea.
the tap of your fingertips | @/ptersparkers
all of jj’s internal thoughts.
Falling | @mydogisveryadorbs
jj never meant to fall in love with you, it just happened
jj as your boyfriend | @drewcline
Dating JJ Maybank | @kaylawritesfics
Bet | @sodasback
the beauty of love | @milkiane
the pact | @/milkiane
34 mins and 46 secs | @/milkiane
All a game | @annab-nana
You were a kook dating the hottest pogue so you should have guessed something was up, but you never would have thought that your relationship with JJ was a joke.
Dead of Night | @tweedlydumbtweedlydoo
JJ arrives at your house in the dead of night with bruises and cuts.
Dinner with the Parents | @/tweedlydumbtweedlydoo
JJ comes over for dinner because your parents want to meet him. However, they begin to insult him and you have to defend him.
Pogues over Kooks | @/tweedlydumbtweedlydoo
You’re a kook and protect JJ from the other kooks. However, your fellow kook friends don’t take to kindly to your protection for the pogue.
Maybe more, part 02 | @xreaderbooks
You and JJ always had some tension between you two. One drunken night you shared a moment, both of you being oblivious to your feelings for each other decided to completely ignore it making your individual friendship drift.
Affluenza, Pt2 , Pt3 | @fics-n-stuff
Y/N might be a Kook but that doesn't mean that she has to like it, and when one day a handsome Pogue strikes up a conversation how can she possibly resist being drawn in by his charm?
Too Close | @onlystarrydreams
You introduce your boyfriend to your school friends… with disastrous results
Sleepy Girl | @malfoyfarm
She Wanted You | @/malfoyfarm
JJ Maybank x Routledge!Reader
Welcome back | @eddiemunsonssoulmate
You are in a long distance relationship with JJ and can’t wait to see him again.
Devils Roll The Dice (½) | @s-brant
JJ and Y/N‘s friendship has been different since they secretly started hooking up. With new feelings stirred up by the recent change in their relationship, Y/N avoids JJ until the Pogues gather them together for a Fourth of July party that can only end in chaos.
Angels Roll Their Eyes (2/2) | @/s-brant
Hurricane Agatha approaches Kildare Island during the aftermath of the eventful Fourth of July party. JJ and Y/N are determined to continue avoiding each other after what happened at the party, but John B has other plans for them.
Well, This Is Awkward | @fangirl-writes
JJ walks in on John B’s sister (you) changing. He starts feeling some odd things.
Nightmares | @/fangirl-writes
secret relationship jj x reader (john bs sis) and jj shows up at her window beaten up and she cleans him up and they go to bed
Routledge!Reader
Planning Our Future | @/fangirl-writes
JJ dreams about running away with the gold and taking you with him.
Who Do You Love? | @/fangirl-writes
Clashing | @/mildkleptomaniac
father like son | @/mildkleptomaniac
Just friends | @/mildkleptomaniac
prove you wrong | @goldenroutledge
Right My Wrongs | @/goldenroutledge
in a time of need, jj comes to your rescue and ensures your safety, allowing him to make up for the past.
fem kook!reader
Drive me crazy | @/goldenroutledge
in which your best friend jj drives you crazy in the best way possible
Details | @spider6oy
Y/N has a crush on JJ, but he has no idea about it. Instead of confronting him and telling him, she has to suffer and listen to him brag about his hookups/watch him flirt with random tourons until she can’t anymore and ends up distancing herself from JJ.
In your blood | @possiamo-andare
JJ and Y/N go to visit John B in jail and while they’re there, an officer makes a comment that hurts JJ. But, Y/N’s there to comfort her boyfriend.
Quiet | @/possiamo-andare
This is the first time JJ has felt at peace for a long time and it’s a little overwhelming, to say the least. But Y/N’s here to help.
The loveliest girl on the planet earth | @timmyswiife
jj knew something was wrong, and after finding out what, he had the perfect way to solve it
The best of us | @/timmyswiife
the night Jj thought you were the best
Favourite crime | @cryonme
You were going down, but you were doing it with him.
six times he realises he loves you | @fandomtravels
6 moments in which JJ realises that he is in love with you
kook!reader
Father, dear father | @sourcherryandsprinkles
prompt | @/sourcherryandsprinkles
Nothing ever go according to plan | @/sourcherryandsprinkles
Jealousy, Jealousy | @siriuslyshewrote
JJ and Y/N have been dancing around their feelings for a while. A late-summer party at the Boneyard just might change that.
Mornings | @obxession
you enjoy a morning full of love with your boyfriend. in bed.
Do You Love Me | @goldvenuslvrs
a touron makes JJ doubt your feelings for him until he hears you talking with Kiara
JJ Maybank x plus size!kook!reader
Kindred Soul | @/goldvenuslvrs
It’s not until you show up bruised and battered at the chateau that JJ realises how similar your lives are
Don’t Go | @larksthighs
ROMEO AND JULIET | @lenacameron
Jj is madly in love with you, there is only one small problem, you are a Cameron.
Gorgeous | @demxters
jj maybank is just so gorgeous that you can hardly say anything to his face…
jealousy, jealousy | @mayraki
jj likes to flirt with you all the time, but his fame with women makes you believe it’s all fun and games. until one day he gets extremely jealous when he founds out about you and john b’s shared first kiss
Stood up | @jeyramarie
You and JJ have a date planned but apparently other things were urgent.
forever and more | @xsamsharons
golden hour | @hydroponicjj
jj trying to convince you to take pictures during golden hour on the hms pogue.
boat and blunts | @slytherbun
you’re upset when jj forgets about the nightly routine the two of you share and he feels awful about it.
Avoided | @lvstcd
jj has been distancing himself from you for weeks. after getting trashed at a kegger and seeing jj talk to everyone but you, you drag the blonde boy off to confront him.
Care for Him | @bruh--wtf
the reader comforts and takes care of JJ after a fight with his dad
John B, Sarah and their daughter sat at the Wreck after a long day on the water. The young girl sat across from her parents, picking at her fries, but mostly watching her aunt tend to the bar. She watched as her aunt waved off a man give her his number.
“Dad? Why does Auntie always tell boys she’s married?”
This question stopped both Sarah and John B cold. The little girl knew about her Uncle JJ, his tales were her favorite bed time stories. What she didn’t know was that he was the light of her Aunt’s life. Before JB could spit out an answer, Sarah took over.
“Because she is,” she said. “She’s married to your uncle JJ.” This was not true. Well, at least not according to the State of North Carolina.
“But Uncle JJ is dead.” The girl panned. Sarah checked behind her to make sure the girl was still at the bar.
“Honey, marriage does not stop once you die. Especially JJ and Y/n’s.”
“Well,” the adults could see the gears in her mind turning, “Why doesn’t she ever talk about him?”
“Because it’s painful to talk about people we love after they’re gone. Maybe one day you can ask her about him,” Sarah responded.
JB sat at the table in silence as his daughter asked his wife more questions. He looked at his little sister, a shell of who she used to be. While she was still warm and bubbly like the sun, anyone who knew her before JJ’s death knew that part of her died that day, too. He knew they were soulmates long before they did. It was the way their bodies moved in tandem. They became their own safe haven, one which could not exist without the other.
He remembered the way they used to sneak around. Like he didn’t know that Y/n would come creeping down the stairs the minute his door closed for the night. The way that JJ’s schedule soon aligned better with his sister’s than his. He remembered the anger in her eyes when she found out the extent of how JJ was treated home. John B hasn’t seen that anger since.
The girl no longer smoked weed, the smell making her somber. The girl who used to wear her heart on her sleeve was now aloof and stoic. For a girl who used to love adventure and adrenaline rushes, she no longer surfed the surge. She retreated to the porch and played somber tunes on the guitar.
“Honey,” JB said to his daughter, “ask your aunt about her favorite memory of her and uncle JJ”
It wasn’t until a few years later that the girl chose to ask her aunt about her lover. Even at 10 years old when her father told her to ask, she knew the weight this request would put on her aunt. It was stormy out and she had just gotten home from her first party. She was heartbroken. Her silly crush was all over another girl. He was the only reason she had gone to the dumb party in the first place. She walked out back to where her aunt was sitting. She was sitting in a navy sweatshirt, toying with a shark necklace.
“When does the heartbreak stop hurting?” She asked quietly. She curled up next to her aunt, laying her head on the older girl's shoulder.
“Well, if you’re unlucky, never,” she chuckled. “But more than likely a couple weeks.”
“What was Uncle JJ really like? Not how my dad describes him.” This came out almost like a whisper.
“He was soft and kind. He felt big emotions, only in private. He was the best kisser and my fiercest protector.” Her words were caught in her throat. “Boy, he would have loved you. When Sarah and JB told us they were pregnant we made a list of all the bad things we were gonna teach you. How to roll a joint, how to shotgun, how to be the best cockroach ever.” Even with a chuckle, she could feel her aunt’s tears.
“What’s your favorite memory of the two of you?” The older girl smiled. She replayed this memory in her head every night. It was the one place she still saw her boy. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Your uncle loved to surf the surges when we got hurricanes, as I’m sure you know. Well, one night we got really knocked around. Like real battered, and had gotten swept all the way down the beach to where the country club was at. I was scared and upset because I had just gotten your father back from being lost at sea. JJ knew just what to do.”
He had pulled the girl onto the sand, into his embrace, and held her tight. He held her head to his chest, close enough to hear his heartbeat. “See baby, it’s still beating. The ocean’s gonna have to try harder than that.”
She could smell the anxiety on him. She could feel him move her hair to the side and press a kiss right above her ear. His favorite spot.
“We ran up to the country club to try and take a little shelter while we waited for JB to come get us. There was a wedding going on. Such a shitty day for it too. But we noticed that the couple was having their first dance, so we decided to have ours. Realistically we were never going to afford anything other than some beer in this backyard, which looking back on it now, I would take 10,000 times over this future. We were still dancing in the high winds and rain when JB picked us up. Boy did he make fun of us, but we didn’t care. Not one bit. From that day on we decided we were married. Who is gonna tell us otherwise.”
“We came home and sat on that couch and made all kinds of plans. We were gonna buy a little fishing shack, fix it up and have a baby of our own.” She wiped her eyes. “This side of the island makes life hard. I only ever felt full with JJ. The way I hope everyone gets to feel.”
The now youngest Routledge, a title her aunt once wore, gripped her tighter.
“How do you know JJ was the only one for you?” Her aunt paused. And took a deep breath.
“The way JJ could make me feel infinite. There was only one thing I couldn’t do when I was with JJ. Save him.”
Question: do you allow your writings to be reposted? There is someone in my community reposting your writings. They are not claiming them but they don't credit you as well.
I want to know what your opinion on the matter.
Reblogged, yes. Please please please do not repost my writing on other websites/communities no matter what!
Stumbling into the Chateau, all JJ could think about was how badly he wanted to shower. It was muggy, about to pour, and one of the few things he was looking forward to was taking the fattest nap in his clean sheets. It was Friday, and John B’s sister washed all of their sheets every other Friday.
After he finally made it into his “room,” and stripped off his clothes, he saw her. Well, he saw the ends of her damp hair. She was lumped under the top sheet, face-down with her head wedged between the wall and the corner of the mattress. To a stranger, she appeared to be dead, but to JJ, he knew she was asleep. He also knew she needed him.
To sleep in his bed in the daylight, play the odds of her brother seeing her body in the bed instead of JJ’s, he knew she was going through the ringer. He quickly showered, dried and dressed, jonesing to get back to the girl in his bed. He gently closed the door behind him.
As he slid into the bed next to her, she stirred and gravitated towards the smell of salt and dial soap. The nap he once wanted, was replaced with the curiosity to explore the youngest Routledge. The girl was always charged in their late night rendezvous, carefully managing stealthy entrances and exits. He was rarely conscious while she was relaxed.
JJ pulled her onto his chest, discovering she was topless. Was he surprised? Only a tad. She was always running around in as little clothing as possible, ever since they were little. Her nose laid steady on his sternum. Her freckles were grouped like constellations, maybe that’s why Big John called her Star. He ran his hands down her back. Her skin was warm and soft which hid the sharpness of her spine and ribs. He watched intently as her diaphragm expanded and contracted every three seconds. The top of her head still smelled like cocoa. The girl had lost a battle with a box of brownies a couple of days ago and was still trying to remove the scent from her hair.
JJ was so immersed in her outline that he missed her eyes flutter. “You’re home early,” she croaked quietly.
“Actually, I believe someone passed out on the job.” A small giggle bubbled from the girl, and she snaked her way up JJ’s body. Her breath now tickled his collar bone. JJ was sent to the stars as she left kisses on his neck and scratched behind his opposing ear.
With a crack of thunder and stiff breeze, she uttered “Let’s go back to sleep. We won’t get another day like this for a while.”