cleopatraas

[cleopatraas]

Someone calling Nesta out on her abusive behavior? I’ve been summoned. 

how do you justify that nesta is not evil?

Because she’s not. Plain and simple. Nesta is many things but evil she is not. Frankly, as a character, Nesta is one of the most realistic. She is deeply flawed, shaped by circumstance, environment and privilege. Often, she is criticised for traits male characters are loved for. Rhysand’s unbridled, devastating rage, Cassian’s arrogance, Azriel’s cold and often emotionless nature. Even Manon Blackbeak carries several similar features as Nesta Archeron and yet the Witch is beloved and pardoned a lot more than Nesta.

Yes, Nesta sent Feyre to hunt. She let her baby sister go into the forest and she admitted that she let that happen. That it was either starve or let Feyre go because she knew that she couldn’t do it. Neither could Elain. She also was the only one to go after Feyre. Even after the glamours disappeared, Nesta sent Feyre away to be happy because she knew that Feyre was never meant for the life she had in the mortal realm. Nesta was born and raised in money, wealth, privilege. She was shaped by a mother who preferred parties over her children. The life Nesta grew up in is massively different from the life Feyre developed in. And that makes them all the more different. Let’s not forget Elain too is guilty of the same sins as Nesta.

Yet the Nesta from the first book has grown, developed. She is a real person who feels fear, guilt, shame. The woman is terrified of taking a bath. She was willing to die with Cassian on the battlefield. Nesta is prideful and selfish, she is unapologetic and angry. Yet Feyre said herself that for those who Nesta loves she would tear the world apart for. Look at Amarantha. Look at Hybern. The Attor. Even Tamlin. The Mortal Queens. Those who are truly vile and evil. The villains in the narrative. I’m not saying Nesta doesn’t have her moments where she is horrible and cruel. But she is also so well developed. Such a beautiful and complex character.

To summarise my exhausted rambling, the fandom needs to stop giving shit to female characters when they worship males for the same traits and arcs. Sometimes characters aren’t wholly good or bad. They are good people who do bad things, make bad choices, have bad traits. But guess what? So do real people. Nesta is not evil. She is not a villain. And people need to have more appreciation for amazing and interesting characters.

[cleopatraas]

How to write fic for Black characters: a guide for non-Black fans

Don’t characterize a Black character as sassy or thuggish, especially when the character in question is can be described in literally ten thousand other ways..

Don’t describe Black characters as chocolate, coffee, or any sort of food item.

Don’t highlight the race of Black characters (ie, “the dark man” or “the brown woman”) if you don’t highlight the race of white characters.

Think very carefully about that antebellum slavery or Jim Crow AU fic as a backdrop for your romance.

If you’re not fluent with AAVE, don’t use it to try to look cool or edgy. You look corny as hell.

Don’t use Black characters as a prop for the non-Black characters you’re actually interested in.

Keep “unpopular opinions” about racism, Black Lives Matter, and other issues pertinent to Black folks out the mouths of Black characters. We know what the fuck you’re doing with that and need to stop.

Don’t assume a Black character likes or hates a certain food, music, or piece of pop culture.

You can make a Black character’s race pertinent without doing it like this.

Be extremely careful about insinuating that one or more of a Black character’s physical features are dirty, unclean, or ugly.

Feel free to add more.

[cleopatraas]

#positiverep

#positiverep is a hashtag and a project i have created to spread positive and healthy representation for people of all races, ethnicities, genders, religion, and sexual orientations. it’s also a way for all of us to learn from each other. 

q: how does #positiverep work?

a: #positiverep is a place for all types of writers (authors who write original work, fan fic writers, drabble makers, head canon creators, etc.), artists (cartoons, fan art, commission art, etc.), and anyone else to come together and supply representation for people who don’t have enough of it! 

q: how do i get involved in #positiverep?

a: step one? you have to have an open mind and be ready to learn. after that, you have to have your ask box open. let people ask you to supply them with representation. if you’re a writer, let people ask you to write them a character, a plot, add diverse characters into your fanfics or original works, or anything else that they wouldn’t normally receive. same thing goes for artists. let people ask you to include more diversity in your work. you have to have an open mind, because you’re going to get some things wrong but that’s human nature. learn from it and do better next time! 

q: how do i get involved in #positiverep if i don't create things?

a: in order for this to work people have to ask for representation! if a certain blog has decided they want to participate in this hashtag and they have anon on (or off), ask them nicely. ask them to write something positive for you, ask them to include more of this or that in their writing or art work. the key word is nicely. work together! allow them to ask you questions and if you’re the one receiving the answers, have an open mind and heart. 

q: how do i send an ask for #positiverep?

a: each blog and the person who runs it will have a different answer. ask them if they have an outline they need and answers they need you to give them in order for them to write or draw something. if you’re comfortable with doing so include your race, your ethnicity, your religion and gender, and your sexuality; include harmful stereotypes to avoid about your race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and/or sexuality. include harmful tropes as well. and then include a positive way to correct these things! this is a process of give and take and both participants have to be willing. (if the blog owner is willing you can privately message them as well)

q: what is the point of #positiverep? 

a: hopefully as this hashtag/movement grows it will be a safe space. it will be a safe space for everyone to go and find representation that was built for them. in the media especially positive and healthy representation is hard to find so why don’t we make it ourselves? there is a zero tolerance policy for racism, homophobia, sexism, or any hate of any kind towards any person or group. this is a positive, healthy, and happy hashtag. 

q: how do i join #positiverep? 

a: that’s easy. just put the hashtag #positiverep anywhere on your blog; in your description or anywhere else that may fit with your aesthetic. then tell others about it and why you decided to be apart of it. spread the word if you can! that’s all it takes.  

q: is #positiverep a hashtag for me?

a: the simple answer? yes. this is a place for everyone, minorities especially, to find them and who they are. it’s a place to share your experiences and your knowledge and to also learn. it’s a place to be who you are and be happy knowing that one day you will be represented in the media. but for now, you have this hashtag. 

if you have anymore questions feel free to ask me and i’ll answer to the best of my abilities. i have #positiverep in my description and since i’m a writer, i will be participating. if you want me to make you a character that you one day want to see in the media, a character that represents who you are, all you have to do is drop by my ask box. tell me the things i listed above and anything else you feel comfortable with including! 

feel free to reblog this and tag anyone who you think can benefit from this hashtag or anyone you think would love to participate! 

-reneé

[cleopatraas]

cresseida >>> cleopatraas

i’m changing the theme of my blog from mostly sjm to a way to promote and spread positive rep for everyone. i hope you guys follow me on this path and i’ll post a post later today explaining what i’ll be doing. 

[cleopatraas]

HELION HEADCANONS

Headcanon: Helion actually has dyslexia. He's known since he was seven and he never thought he would be High Lord or as smart as the rest of his Court. He ended up getting a tutor when he was around twenty and now he's the smartest person of the Day Court and he's the High Lord. That tutor is also now his wife and they have twelve children together.

[cleopatraas]

since you guys are unfollowing me for having opinions is now a good time to admit i don't like the over sexualization of helion and sometimes varian? like some of the jokes are funny but correlating muscular black men to only sex especially the high lord of the smartest court in prythian is really icky to me 🤷🏾‍♀️

[cleopatraas]

for reference this isn't hate this is my honest opinion which everyone is allowed to have so if you're one of the ten people that unfollowed me in under three hours then im sorry for not being a robot 🤷🏾‍♀️

when will sjm stop writing from feyre and rhys’ pov i stopped caring about them half way through acowar guys

[cleopatraas]

im never coming back online ever again

“the new novella will by narrated by Feyre and Rhys!”

[cleopatraas]

when will sjm stop writing from feyre and rhys' pov i stopped caring about them half way through acowar guys

[cleopatraas]

at first i thought we were westfallers because we all fell in love with him instantly then i came to the conclusion that his last name is westfall so of course we’re westfallers.

IF YOU LOVE CHAOL YOU ARE A WESTFALLER

I thought of that name today I feel proud.

[cleopatraas]

one of lucien’s new siblings: if he’s our brother then why is he white

another of lucien’s new siblings: YOU CAN’T JUST ASK PEOPLE WHY THEY’RE WHITE

[cleopatraas]

you had me at gigantic new black family with a cool AF stepmom and twelve adult half-siblings who love their weird new ginger baby brother [see tags for more]

ok but honestly there’s no reason to think Helion doesn’t have other children? We’re all afraid a lucien-centric novel(la) will either be something with Vassa or an Elain love triangle but maybe it’ll be lucien discovering his parentage and being adopted into his gigantic new black family with a cool AF stepmom and twelve adult half-siblings who love their weird new ginger baby brother and it’s just lucien getting the family experience he deserves and then buying his real mom a nice cottage on the edge of the day court so she can leave beron’s ass. Helion’s thighs are mentioned once a page. he is a good ruler and loving father. there are no love interests. feysand do not appear. lucien is happy and my soul is at peace.

[cleopatraas]

the one, the only, the legend. 

high lady of the night court. 

illyrian princess.

chiara.

[cleopatraas]

Idk why, but ever since the Lucian/Helion revelation I've been curious to what a fatherly Helion is like. And since your the fandoms Helion expert I wanted to know if you had headcanons on this?

THE FANDOM’S HELION EXPERT. I love that. I have headcanons with both @feysandlover and @vannserra. Because what else should we do with our time other than imagine Helion as a father? None of them are with Lucien, though. The main headcanon is Helion has HUGE HANDS and his baby/babies are very afraid of those huge hands. Im talking screaming at the top of their lungs because Helion has hands that could crush them. I love both Helion as a bachelor but also Helion with like nineteen kids and counting. I really don’t know what Helion would be like with Lucien but I suppose he would be like super chill because Lucien is like 200?? years old and doesn’t really need any parenting but foxy boy does need a good father figure so I do think it’s the little things that makes Lucien smile because they’re things that Beron never did. i.e: Helion clapping him on the shoulder or back, calling him son (“That’s my son, did you see him, that’s my son”), accepting him into his Court, giving him a home, TALKING ABOUT HIS SON’S TRAUMA HA HA :’) I’m fine, reading together, small things that Lucien really appreciates. Finally, to wrap this up, Lucien doesn’t push about being Heir and Helion doesn’t either because it doesn’t matter because Helion is never ever dying and that’s the holy gospel truth. Amen.

[cleopatraas]

HELION

The boys, cracking open a couple of cold ones.

[cleopatraas]

It looks so good I love my children who I raised with my bare hands oh?? my?? god??

THE POSTER! I love @jenbartel. It’s like a Wonder Woman: Warbringer Breakfast Club. 

To get this exclusive poster, just pre-order the book and follow the instructions here to submit your receipt. 

And do come see me on tour for Warbringer and The Language of Thorns this summer! 

Click here to learn more about Alia  Jason  Nim  Theo  Diana 

Wonder Woman: WARBRINGER releases August 29th. 

[cleopatraas]

This is gay culture.

And finally, Diana, Princess of Themysicra, the only Amazon who has never been tested in battle. She longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters, but when she risks exile to rescue a mortal girl from a sinking ship, she will change both of their lives and the course of human history forever. 

The Wonder Woman: Warbringer crew— Alia Jason Nim Theo Diana

Aaaaand if you’d like to get @jenbartel‘s gorgeous art and an exclusive Wonder Woman: Warbringer poster, details coming momentarily!