#I cannot believe I went on a feminist rant about hells

[tellmeallaboutit]

A couple more thoughts on hells lore and why I found it contradictory. So there are two things. There is "this was written this way in the lore book" and there is "this is the way it was actually written".

In the lore book, it says that devils are genderless and the concept of gender does not apply to them. In some other older sources, it says 1/3 women, 1/3 men, and 1/3 "other" as was pointed out me today. It also says that devils have no familial relationships and do not feel love or affection or sexual attraction like mortals do. Let’s ignore the fact that there were many re-writes and editions for now; most of them follow the statement that gender is not relevant:

And then there is a way it was actually written, which is a completely different story and which has all the real world biases and power structures. Let's look at our beautiful she-devils aka devils presenting as female (for what reason, I wonder, if gender has no meaning?):

Baalphegor (consort to a more powerful male-presenting fiend), Glasya (daughter to a more powerful male-presenting fiend), Fierna (daughter), Baftis (consort), Lilith (consort), Cozbi (consort), Benzosia (consort). If no gender identity or familiar relationships, why... all of this? Why extremely pronounced gender dimorphism, why consortship, why nepotism, why, lol, heterosexuality in all of these consortships and note the type of heterosexuality: a female-looking devil subservient in hierarchy to a male-looking devil?

The exception sorta kinda is Zariel, but not quite because she is the protege of Asmodeus. He put her in her chair. There are a couple more that do not really disrupt the general pattern for me. There is no female arch-devil that is neither consort nor daughter nor granted power by a more powerful male.

Now you can argue whether it was bias of writers, or design (I am pretty sure it is the former, but what does it matter in the end?), but there is a very obvious contradiction in there for me.

So in a nutshell, the situation is like sitting in front of all-male board of directors that point to their company codex and saying our company is absolutely gender-unbiased, yes, all equal opportunity here, IT IS WRITTEN RIGHT THERE YOU BLIND MORTAL FUCK, in fact, our CHRO is a woman, yes, daughter of the CEO but she is like totally competent.

[wolfpawn]

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 11

Chapter Summary - Danielle and Paul have lunch together, leading to their relationship becoming something more.Tom confronts Taylor on her lies and actions leading to him realising how she is able to act as she does and maintain a pristine public image.

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long.  This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

If you wish to be tagged, please let me know.

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog  @jessibelle-nerdy-mum @nonsensicalobsessions @damalseer @hiddlesbitch1

NOTE - Unitentionally left this chapter out, apologies. 

“Yep, a legitimate little shit,” Danielle stated in a deadpan voice as she finished chewing.

Paul laughed, covering his mouth with his hand to not spit out some of the salad he was eating. “I am just glad I got enough sleep before he started today.”

“Yeah, yeah, quit bragging.” She tossed half a cherry tomato at him, causing him to laugh again. “You didn’t strike me as a salad man.”

“I’m actually big on fruit and veg, I am a doctor after all; you know, practise what I preach and all that.”

Danielle eyed him suspiciously. “Wait, are you a vegetarian?”

“If I was?” he asked.

“I would probably disgust you, I am a total ‘it’s not dinner unless there is the side of some dead animal on the plate with it’ sort of girl.”

“Good Irish upbringing then I take it.” He smiled back.

“The best.”

“No, I’m not, but I am not a huge fan, fish is what I’d eat mostly.”

“Why imply you were?”

“To see your reaction.”

“It’s a diet choice, what sort of reaction were you expecting?” She laughed. “It’s not like you sacrifice goats to a pagan god.”

“Only at Easter.” She had barely stopped laughing when he set her into another fit. “I don’t want to ruin your good mood, but are you okay, with everything with Diana’s son that is?”

Danielle cleared her throat awkwardly, picking up her fork and playing with another half tomato. “It’s none of my business.”

“But you are being dragged into it, aren’t you?” Danielle gave a small nod, not looking up from the plate. “What is the story there, did you go out with him before or something?”

Danielle scoffed. “No, nothing like that. Honestly Paul, I only know him through his mum, I collected him from the airport once when she couldn’t make it, we talked, we got along well, and since it was an awkward journey for Diana, I offered to do it when he was coming to Suffolk. I’m not even very close to him, he is rarely around, I just find him nice to talk to on the rare occasion I see him, I get on best with Emma, and Sarah I’ve only ever seen a few times.”

“They are his sisters?” she nodded. “So why is all the focus on you?”

“I think it’s to do with I was talking to Diana about everything and he overheard us, so he got mad, and then ranted to his girlfriend about it and I have no idea how the hell it escalated from there.”

“And now you are being accused of selling their family secrets?” she nodded again. “That’s pretty rough.”

“I have no idea how this came about, and I can only imagine that whatever little chance there was of myself and Tom ever talking amiably again, is well and truly decimated, which will put a strain on Diana and Emma, which is completely not fair.”

“And that is why you are ignoring Diana?”

“I’m no ignoring her; I am just trying to make things easier for her. If she doesn’t have people arguing, it makes her life easier.”

“That’s selfless of you. She told me you talk to her about your parents a lot.”

“You spend an awful lot of time talking about me.”

“Contrary to your belief Danielle, people actually care about you, and think you a very worthy topic of conversation.” He smiled. “We are worried about how all of this is affecting you; that’s what people do when they care about someone” Danielle blushed at his words. “I know we’re only getting to know each other personally Danni, but…” The neighbour’s dog began barking hysterically. “That fucking cat.”

“It’s a dog.”

Paul laughed. “No, he sees the apartment over the way’s cat. It sit’s there taunting him all day.”

“Should we get Mac to say hello?”

“I think that’s a great idea.” Paul smiled, walking over to the door. Mac Tíre, who had been reasonably comfortable in his unfamiliar surrounds until the other dog started barking, rose to his feet and went to the patio door. As soon as Paul opened it, he rushed out, giving a deep bark, which was followed by pathetic whimpers, and trotted back inside proudly.

“That’ll teach the little bollix.” Danielle laughed, having gotten out of her chair and stood next to Paul to see what Mac Tíre would do. She looked up at Paul next to her, realising for the first time that there was over six inches difference in their height. When his gaze met hers, she blushed slightly. “I…”

Paul gently placed his hand on her cheek and leant down, his face only centimetres from hers as he studied her eyes, noticing there was no attempt to step back from him, he pressed his lips against hers, relieved when Danielle pressed hers forward into his.

*

“Are you seriously accusing me of selling that story?” Taylor had tears in her eyes as she spoke. “I was at the table with you; I left my phone with you the only time I left you after that story was said. It had to be that bitch.”

“You said you never spoke to her, and then admit to Ben you did.” Tom retorted. “Don’t you see what they did Taylor, they tricked you. They never told that story to Danielle; they planted it for you to show what you were doing.”

“His wife was gone long enough with her phone, she rang it in.”

“Ben screen shot me a picture of her screen. She was gone about ten minutes from the table, the phone number on the phone was a British number, the prefix was one for Scotland and the call lasted ten minutes forty-two seconds.” Tom argued. “She was talking to her mum.” Tom looked at her, somewhat defeated. “Benedict is a Buddhist, a practising Buddhist, and Sophie does not go to church, and should she ever elect to, Benedict would not think it a suitable place to bring Christopher so young.”

“And you know this as fact do you?”

“Yes, because I was a groomsman at his wedding, so I know his view on church ceremonies, and I was talking to him when they were getting Christopher baptised, both of which he only did to placate their parents.” Tom looked her in the eye as he spoke. “Why have you been lying?”

“I have not, you are just pissed that your friend…”

“Stop dragging Danielle into this, Danielle could not care less about us.”

“She is in love with you.”

“Well if she is, then she is Oscar-worthy in her ability to not show it, because she has a boyfriend, and going by the fact I got a picture sent to me by my sister showing Elle and the doctor walking by the sea with her dog holding hands, she seems to be completely happy with him according to Emma.”

“They did that in front of her to get her to tell you so you would be…”

“Are you listening to yourself?” Tom scoffed. “My sister wasn’t there with them; she was walking along with her own husband and noticed them from afar. You have had it in for Danielle for some reason since the beginning.”

“She is not really your friend, she has been bitching you to your mum.”

“You know, I actually remember the first time I heard them discuss you, she actually defended you, saying you were pretty and at least you had your own money, all you have ever done is belittle her.”

“She said I could not sing for shit and that I was a moaning... well I cannot repeat the word.”

“Yes well, perhaps there’s some truth in that.” Tom hissed angrily. Taylor gasped in horror at his words. “I think we need to call a time-out on this for a while, I need space and you need to grow up.” Tom grabbed his jacket and went to leave. “You know, I actually heard you on the phone to one of your friends, swearing you would get Danielle to pay, I should have realised then it was you. I made an absolute tit of myself to my friends and family, and for what? A girl who is still acting as though she is in school.” He walked out the door leaving an irate Taylor behind him.

*

Tom Hiddleston ‘Girl Next Door’ ex-lover threatens Taylor Swift?

Sources close to the singer revealed she turned up at a squad member’s home at close to midnight on Thursday night after a close friend of the Hiddleston family sent an email to the singer stating she and the actor had had an affair before the actor was dating the “Bad Blood” songstress, but that the actor dumped her for Ms. Swift, and she swore she would get him back.

The neighbour girl, thought to be living next to his mother Diana Hiddleston in Suffolk, is also the reported source behind the photographs and stories leaked about Hollywood’s most fangirled gentleman. The girl also claimed that Mr. Hiddleston forced her to get an abortion because he never wanted children, a claim Ms. Swift knew to be false because of Tom’s great affection for children, and of course, he has said in many interviews he cannot wait to show his own children the Jungle Book film some day, hardly the words of a man never intending to have children; Tom Hiddleston is also a self-confessed feminist, which helps Ms. Swift know he would never force someone to do such a thing against their will.

The email also implied that if Ms. Swift was not to end things with the Thor and Night Manager star, there would be consequences. The woman is apparently involved in the emergency services, a troubling thought for those in need of assistance in the Suffolk region of Britain.

Tom stared at the article in front of him. He could hardly process it. Danielle could easily lose her job if her superiors figured out that it was supposedly her bring referenced in the article. Tom could not believe what he was reading, Taylor had not only attacked Danielle; she had put everything she had ever worked for at risk. Livid, he pulled out his phone and found Taylor’s number, pressing the call button before he even thought of what he was going to say.

“Calmed down from your tantrum yet?” There was no denying there was a smile on Taylor's face as she answered the phone.

Tom wanted to inform her it was her that had had a tantrum. “What have you done?”

“What are you talking about, I did nothing.” The singer replied sweetly.

“Is this all a sick little game to you, this is a person’s livelihood you are messing with, her job.”

“Boo-hoo, she should not go interfering in other people’s lives if she does not want them to interfere with hers.”

“You have to have that article removed.”

“I have to do nothing; though I’ll make a deal with you, I need to go to the New York fashion show, Gigi will be there with Zayn, so I cannot look utterly pathetic and be alone, so you come with me, smile and look pretty for the camera’s, and when I am asked about that little email, I will laugh and rubbish it off as all lies, I might even say something nice about her, deal?”

“I thought you did not do fancy events with partners?”

“I do not do award shows with them, there’s a difference.” She corrected. “So, will we leave this little spat behind us? I promise I will not reference the lovely Danielle again.”

Tom swallowed, after all, the trouble that he had caused for Danielle, it was the least he could do. “When is the show?”

“I’ll send the plane for you.” She sang back.

[janiedean]

What are your thoughts on Sansa becoming queen in the north?

+

I know you said you were gonna shut your mouth about Sansa but I've been dying to know what you think of her queen in the north moment T_T

*deep breath*

okay guys I waited a few days to see if my feelings somehow mellowed, if anything the contrary happened so at this point I’ll just go with it.

premise: book!sansa is one of my favorite characters. show!sansa is imvho not at all her book self anymore and I have disliked her writing and openly said it since S5 so please don’t take this as bashing because it comes from loving sansa, not the contrary. if you liked that scene or thought she had a nice ending please stop reading now and skip this post.

this say: I hated it, I hated how they framed the starks’s ending and I loathed how she was written this episode even moreso than this entire season which is saying all. specifically:

of course no one held her accountable for having betrayed jon’s trust and basically pulled a lf on him, but then again she had to be framed by the narrative as ‘she was right’ re dany which I found... really... in bad taste because I don’t think book!sansa would have ever done it, but I wasn’t expecting that;

her asking bran for nothern independence when the iron islands and dorne have been wanting them for centuries and no one batted an eyelid and it went like WELL SURE THE NORTH IS INDEPENDENT GO AWAY WE’RE COOL esp. when the king is a stark is out of this world ridiculous, but never mind that;

the fact that she basically went ‘lol shut up’ at edmure, her UNCLE, who has been hostage for years, who was the only arse lord in these books who risked a lot to have the smallfolk inside his castle and save them when everyone thought he was too *soft* and it was a bad political movie, when her mother’s house words are fucking FAMILY DUTY HONOR, in that frankly unsufferable smug way, about made me lose every last inch of fucks I had when it came to giving her writing some leeway. like, sansa stark ‘courtesy is a lady’s armor’ does that to her goddamned uncle who has literally bled and lost family members for her family and who ended up caught in the red wedding to help robb and cat and who has been a hostage for years also because he sided with them......... and she doesn’t even let him talk? when excuse me but he wouldn’t also have been a bad choice whatsoever at least he cares about the people? like fuck that noise that was it for me, that’s not sansa, that’s a bodysnatcher they made out of cersei/lf and dusted with some vague book characterization when they remember it and forgot it, and honestly I’m not here for that.

on the queen in the north scene:

.... it was fucking depressing?

and ooc?

I mean, I should believe that sansa stark, who in the books has spent all the time wanting her family back, who wants to name her children like her brothers, who does want children, who wants still her brave strong and gentle knight (btw, GOOD JOB FORGETTING THAT ROMANCE IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF SANSA’S SL and that half of it is about finding out that *beauty* on the outside =/= inside, but hey, we went for the feminist TM narrative where strong women need no men and we forgot that it’s a fundamental part of what sansa wants), who only wants to go back home and be with her family........ gets her crowning achievement becoming queen in the north at a coronation where there’s literally no face she knows present, where her family isn’t present, where she’s utterly and totally alone doing the ice queen business when she’s not an ice queen in canon, with no friends at her side and no relatives and........ nothing? that’s it? I should be happy she’s on her own ruling the north without her sister or brothers or anyone she knew because she got her badass crowning moment and the north is independent when literally no stark in these books wanted it ned first and robb later, robb only took it because they elected him and couldn’t say no? because......... that was the only way for her to come out on top and having a throne is it when the entire underlying messages of these books is that thrones don’t mean shit and political power on your own is useless and corrupts you if you want it specifically and no one helps you with it?

sorry but I can’t buy that. I cannot. not at all. that’s not the character I signed up for, I didn’t sign up for the starks getting scattered in all four winds as if they don’t care at all for seeing each other again ever (THE PACK SURVIVES WHEN???), and the fact that it was a beautifully shot scene doesn’t mean I liked it for one second.

also: this entire thing reeks of a book storyline they most likely cut off with ten hatchets. specifically, that robb’s will exists and it had disinherited sansa and arya and made jon heir thinking bran and rickon were dead. like, you know what’s way more likely to happen? that jon gets hailed kitn because ROBB MADE HIM IT, davos shows up with rickon who DOESN’T DIE, jon then gets the show ending because that actually felt like a thing grrm might do, bran gets it the same (I’ll rant on it in another ask I’ll reply to asap) even if better-written, and sansa, who at this time has managed to come back to wf, has come into herself and has her family, stays there being rickon’s regent along with arya unless arya gets with gendry which I also think is endgame (this stark/baratheon marriage has to happen or not??) and plays a leading role without this bullshit single ice queen in the north storyline, possibly along with whoever it is the brave strong and gentle knight she ends up with, because that is not a thing d&d have realized, but a lot of *good* and strong female characters in these books have storylines that revolve about getting both what they want and the romance, but apparently it makes people weak? we just don’t know. that is a *sansa rules* ending that would make sense to me. not whatever the hell I watched in the finale, and believe me I’ll forever dislike it. the only good thing about it tangentially was that they didn’t drag brienne into it, and that’s everything I have to say on this subject. sorry but it wasn’t earned, it was built on giving her someone else’s storyline and on forcing sansa into being basically the nice/ethical version of cersei/lf and ignoring 85% of the themes in her arc and giving her an ending that’s all the contrary of what her book self wants, and I can’t bring myself to like it.

also, the edmure thing was really out of this world the most ooc thing in existence and if edmure doesn’t talk to her for the rest of his life no one would blame him, me first of all, and sure af catelyn tully was tearing her hair out in the afterlife asking herself where did her daughter end up. end of story.

ps: I know this is an unpopular opinion and I don’t have much interest in discussing it any further, so like.... take it for what it is. sorry but whichever way I look at it I can’t find any positives in it. :/

[mfurqani]

Ghatak-Lethal

Ghatak is a Movie of the great Sunny Deol.

I didn’t remember why he was there, but he was killed by Katya and his 6 other brothers, because you know Om Puri wants to fight with every feud you know is there.

Katya wants to built some Dubai Mall type thing there but Om Puri and party denied which cost Om Puri his life.

I thought there is no Sunny Deol but then he came with his overly cranky father Amrish Puri.

I believed till the half way of this movie that Amrish Puri is the actual villain(old habits, HAVELI) but he wasn’t and Sunny Deol the great is his younger son (how often do you see that).

Then Amrish Puri started coughing like hell, so they decided to move to the city where Amrish’s elder son lives i.e. Bombay. Please note Banaras is not a city in India and there is no hospital there to take care of Amrish Puri’s cough(as shown in the movie).

He met with this sweet girl named Gauri (nobody knows her real name), she told him that she’s a nurse but she was a dancer. She offered to give him a tour of the city during which they both fell for each other and started dating.

Anyhow, Sunny boy’s elder brother’s book shop was also in trouble so he decided to join the group to save that Old Shitty Bazar.

OMG Amrish Puri got throat cancer and Sunny boy can’t control. Tough to make this man cry.

One day Sunny and Gauri were returning home from their date, widow of Om Puri was crying and Katya’s brothers want to kill her.

Sunny boy cannot resist any fight scene so,

Sunny boy showing how to fight with a ladder. She saved psycho widow of Om Puri. He started becoming a hero. Yaaassss

Katya’s brothers didn’t like that so they threatened Amrish Puri to present Sunny or they will kill Munna, Sunny’s nephew whom they took for the surety. Clever

Sunny went there to rescue his nephew and found that her girlfriend is a dancer. WOW SHE’S HOT MAAAAANNNN.

Well, Katya loves fighting thus he offered Sunny to win a fight with his fighters and take Munna.

Haven’t scene any funny fighter than this. Although he was one of the best, but Sunny is the toughest guy in Bollywood.

Katya released the kid, though he was angry as hell, but he obviously had some plans......After all, Dubai Mall is moneyyyy

About that dancer girl story.... She isn’t doing on purpose and she is taking care of her ailing sister and she looks cute with tears in her eyes.... Sunny can’t resist but to love her even more....KILLER EYES

About that Katya ... He wasn’t happy so he decided to take things in his own hands ... Yaaas ... The great thing about this movies is that nobody intervene if these Katya guys hit you, rant you or kill you ... Katya is a Badass ... 

So Katya boys strangled Sunny boy in Chains, sad scene...

They didn’t kill Sunny boy but Katya tied the dog strap to Amrish Puri’s neck ... Yesss ... I thought it was some kinda Fetish that Katya liked but no ... He was serious ... He even asked Amrish Puri to bark in front of the whole Market and locals out there and nobody dared to do something ... Terror of Katya

The whole Amrish Puri family left broken because nobody helped them save from those Katya boys. No wonder everyone was so wise not to indulge in such matter when they knew Sunny boy will do something.

After the scene,

Solid advice...But Sunny boy only listen to himself ... 

He beat the shit out of the cops while they were asking them what they were doing alone in the dark ,,, (ehem ehem ... only dating)

His anger was legit as those cops weren’t there when Katya boys were making shame of Amrish Puri(I thought about this in every single Bollywood movie but actually ppl like Katya owns them)....

So after this Sunny boy got himself in jail and gets the real beating.

But Gauri reached there at once, because she doesn't want everybody to make fun of her dating Sunny boy (nobody wants to date Sunny boy) HAHAHA ... No she was her true love and she’s dramatic too.

She tore her clothes off and threatened the Police Staff to release Sunny boy or she will call other Feminists to claim that she was raped by the cops.... Go girl ... Hi Fivvveeeee

Sunny boy was released but he was devastated... Want Katya to fold against him so made a plan to turn the Police against Katya boys

Sunny faked the murder of the Commissioner’s lovely 6-7 yr old daughter and told him that Katya boys killed her.

When he started repenting about his false deeds, Sunny showed him his daughter.

Macho Sunny ... Well played ... 

So there was party after that and by word party it means Item Song ... Partaaayyy

But Katya has other plans, he asked one of his evil brothers to kill Sunny’s brother in such a way that it look like an accident.

Sunny cried again. 

And Katya who was there faking his commiserations was again muscled by Sunny

Sunny got arrested again

Amrish Puri passed away now ... The only natural cause of death .... You don’t get these in Sunny Deol’s movie, do you?

Also, Katya boys threatened the locals not to lift his deadbody or they will kill anyone who’ll be doing so.

Sunny was brought to his father’s deadbody under the cops surveillance but nobody helped him so he decided to show some power.

He was broke AF again tied by Katya who showed his Fetish again

Powerful Sunny asking for water, Gauri already had it in her hand

Suddenly, Munna got involved, showed his genes and hit Katya with a stone

Katya Cap/Hat whatever it was fell down 

Gauri wasn’t allowed to provide water to his boyfriend

Now Sunny had enough of this shit and wants things to end like the way Katya wants them too.

Katya is now the ultimate doggie of Sunny who means business now and want to him to bark. Even after he was killed Sunny want to hear the barking.

He got cool down when he was asked to pour the remains of Amrish Puri by his nephew.

Everybody is happy now.

One hell of a shitty movie....

Sunny Deol as Kashi killed over 500 men, not a single of them using a gun.

SunnyMan is a Super Hero

[theotherscarmanthewoman]

Series 1 Review

Forty-three episodes later, Series 1 (Season 1?) is done and dusted. Before launching into Series 2 tomorrow with Planet of Giants, I thought it might be fun to do a little review of the story so far...

General Thoughts

Overall, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I’d seen most of these serials as a kid, though never in the right order, and watching them from beginning to end has given me a newfound appreciation for just how much excellent character development there is in the early years of the show. I have also become a diehard Barbara fan. Obv. 

From a feminist perspective, there’s been a lot to like, though there have been a few major issues for me. As far as the series regulars go, Barbara gets to do a fair amount of physically, emotionally, and verbally badass things whilst remaining a well-rounded character: she’s clever, compassionate, occasionally morbid, brave, pragmatic, imaginative, resourceful, and deeply flawed in an entirely non-gendered way *cough*AZTECS*cough*. However, she also nearly gets raped in The Snows of Terror, has men draw lots over who gets to murder her in Marco Polo (only to be victim blamed by the eponymous dickhead of the serial), and is often a victim of the well-meaning but mostly stifling paternalism of Ian Chesterton (though she does at least get to complain about it). 

Susan is more problematic, as she very rarely gets a chance to shine, and suffers greatly at the hands of writers who just don’t know what to do with her. All too often, she’s reduced to a plot device, which I suppose is how she started out, after all: she was a means of getting the humans onto the Tardis and introducing us to the Doctor. And while she had genuine and gorgeous character development in Marco Polo and The Sensorites (the latter in the face of serious patriarchal bullshit from the Doctor), she ended the first series as a means of getting/keeping other characters in and out of jail whenever it was narratively convenient for her to have a mystery headache. JUSTICE FOR SUSAN! There are also way too many episodes that fail the Bechdel test for a series that has two women in the recurring cast.

Favourite Serials

I am the kind of person who panics when there are more than five options on a menu, so obviously I cannot restrict myself to a single favourite serial. With this in mind, and with the proviso that none of these are entirely unproblematic, here are my top three (in no particular order):

The Daleks I love this serial for so many reasons: Barbara getting her shit together after the whole caveman debacle/having been given a serious fright by a Dalek for the first time in Whovian history, donning a pair of hexagon trousers, and going on to display her infinite capacity for badassery (see exhibits A, B, and C); Space Corbyn; the Daleks being established as Space Nazis; the birth of Team Tardis; hexagons; Barbara and Ian fighting (which I always enjoy); the Doctor giving Barbara hope in the first of many classic chats; and of course Barbara deciding that yes she will kiss that alien, thank you very much.

The Edge of Destruction This is so ambitious and weird and wonderful, and of course contains that epic Barbara Wright verbal smackdown. The Tardis is alive and speaks in melty clocks and photographs (setting in motion a Tardis character arc without which The Doctor’s Wife would not have been possible), Susan is possessed and scissor-happy, Ian is in a ludicrously short dressing-gown, the Doctor learns to cherish his humans, the Doctor  gets crazy excited talking about the birth of solar system, the humanities save the day, and everyone learns about each other and therefore about themselves. Just don’t ask me whether it makes any actual sense.

The Aztecs Problematic as all hell, but so very, very interesting. Barbara’s hubris, Susan’s continued arranged marriage issues post-Ping-Cho, the Doctor and Barbara bonding over history and time travel and ethics, Space Bro antics, badassery, ruined lives (Autloc! Cameca!), and life-long lessons learned. A meaty historical with repercussions for the whole of Doctor Who.

An honourable mention must also go to Marco Polo, which drove me absolutely crazy at times (because it’s missing, because yellowface, because Marco being the actual worst and causing me to go on my first sustained rant about rape culture in Classic Who), because in it we got a glimpse of Susan’s potential as a character. Which got shat on from a great height in The Reign of Terror. 

Bring That Side Character Aboard the Tardis

Ping-Cho PRECIOUS CINNAMON GOLDFISH YOU SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH SUSAN AND YOU COULD HAVE BEEN SPACE (GIRL)FRIENDS FOREVER.

Ganatus His brother is dead, many of his friends are dead, and his planet is mostly fucked. Get that Thal aboard the Tardis so Barbara can show him just how much she doesn’t always do what Ian says; a whirlwind space romance would do them both a power of good. 

Character Development

The Doctor has had quite the journey, from the selfish goblin we met in a junkyard in 1963 who was quite happy to brain a caveman with a rock (and leave Barbara to die of radiation poisoning on Skaro) to the selfish goblin we met on a road in eighteenth-century France who was quite happy to brain a man with a shovel (on his quest to save his friends from the guillotine). The quality of his selfishness has been transformed because he now cares for two humans who have grown to care about him. He’s learned some manners, he’s learned about two other people, and he’s learning about himself.

Susan. Poor, poor Susan. She had such potential to be an interesting character, but alas she was served shoddily by writers who didn’t know what to do with her. She got to talk about home and what it means to be a wanderer in Marco Polo and The Sensorites, and she even got to stretch her telepathic legs in the latter, but alas her character development has suffered throughout the series. The one consistent thread for Susan is her increasing attachment to her human Space Parents, and her ongoing issues with saying goodbye. I have so many questions about Susan, but unfortunately none of the writers could be arsed to answer them.

I worry about Ian, actually, because he seems to have become desensitised to violence in a way that surely can’t be healthy for him. He also seems increasingly unable to function when he’s not being called upon to be Action Man (or indeed welded to the side of Barbara Wright). The weirdest example of this is when he thought all his friends were dead and he was stranded in eighteenth-century France, so he decided to become a spy for the counterrevolution just for something to do. At the beginning of the series, I disliked Ian enormously for his patronising paternalism; I don’t dislike him any more, but as I say, I worry about what’s going to happen to him when he finally makes it home and he has to function on an everyday level again without the psychological crutches of ‘I must kill the bad guys’ and ‘I must find/protect Barbara’. I also worry about his change of attitude from ‘I’m not going to do this because it’s wrong’ to ‘I’m going to do whatever it takes to get everyone out of this mess alive and I’m going to decide that whatever this involves is morally right’. And I think the turning point for that might well have been on Skaro where he managed to convince himself that asking the Thals to sacrifice themselves for the greater good was morally the right thing to do if he could find a way of thinking about it as helping the Thals to help themselves. I do love his Space Bro relationship with the Doctor, though. And his ongoing leftie streak.

Oh Babs. She’s really developed over the series, and what is excellent about seeing it in order is that it becomes clear that the Barbara we met in An Unearthly Child was Barbara on a (really) bad day. And yes, she went into hysterics over a dead pig. But very soon this self-professed unwilling adventurer was getting stuck in: no sooner had she recovered from a nasty bout of radiation sickness in a Dalek cell on Skaro than she was busy making mud pies to take out those malevolent pepper pots, embracing the local fashions, flirting with the locals, and taking on Daleks with rocks and a can-do attitude. She adapts to the situation time after time, and learns about time-travel and history the hard way, bonding with the Doctor and caring for her fellow travellers; if The Edge of Destruction is the Doctor’s turning point, The Aztecs is hers. But we also see that being surrounded by death is beginning to take its toll, as well as a nihilistic sense of the absurd that comes of having truly absorbed the lesson that you can’t rewrite history. Fortunately for Babs, the Doctor is actually there for her at these times, as we’ve seen from their ongoing time-travel chats. I think the biggest surprise of the series for me has been the relationship between the Doctor and Barbara, actually; they’re teaching one another to be better time travellers.

A note on shipping

I have deliberately shied away from overtly shipping Barbara and Ian in the recaps (though I’ve been less successful elsewhere), not because I don’t believe with every fibre of my being that they absolutely ended up getting hitched when they got back to Earth, but because frankly it’s more interesting when they fight than when they’re being cute. Also I’m saving a post on the many aspects of their relationship for after The Chase, as I feel like that will help me deal with my Feelings after they leave the show.

BRING ON SERIES 2!

[thegoldenuzi]

Why I Am NOT a Feminist

Now before you get your panties in a bunch hear me out. I am not saying I don't believe in equal rights for men and women. That's not what I'm saying at all. I believe everyone should have equal rights. But unfortunately that's not what it means to be a feminist in 2017. Now back then when there were marches for women to have the right to vote, and work that's when feminism just meant equal rights. In today's society there's much more added to the cause. Now the other day I was in Studio City,California with my best friend and we were shopping around for an outfit. There's this guy I'm into and she's friend with him. We were looking for something that would make me stand out and maybe catch his eye. She was describing to me his style and how he is. I forget her exact phrase but she said something about me matching his style then ended with "...even though that's extremely anti-feminist." I replied with "Who cares, you're not even a feminist." She then stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk, then all hell broke loose. We began arguing for at least 30 minutes over this matter. The reason I said that is because she has been gushing about this guy she likes as well and cares a lot about him liking her as well, she calls people bitches etc all the time and the list goes on. Now we argued all the way to Wasteland thrift store where we stopped on and aisle and argued in front of like 12 people. She's like "You cannot say that in Studio City you could get punched in the face." Now remember she said that because this is crucial to the point she was making. I simply said I am not a feminist. In my experience with people who are they are quite aggressive and will easily step out of their beliefs if you disagree with them. Which is one of the main reasons I don't want to be associated with modern day feminism. My best friend was super upset that I said that while saying "Not all of them are aggressive." I agreed and said most of them are... She began to berate me with her opinions saying I'm wrong etc. Yet when we walked in the store she said I would get punched in the face for not being a feminist, she yelled for almost 45 minutes trying to force her opinions on me, and my own personal experiences say otherwise. One time I tweeted something along the lines of "I can't wait til I get married so I can cook for my husband." And like 20 feminists began sending me hate. 1. I can cook really well and would love to share that with my partner. And 2. Why is it any of your business what I do in my home with my partner. That's another issue with feminism. You can't attack people for their lifestyle choices. It has nothing to do with your cause as a whole so stay out of it. My friend went on to say "That's like saying you believe in God but saying you don't want to be called a Christian." Um.... That would make you agnostic. Some believe God exists but don't believe in the organized religion. Which is exactly how I feel about feminism. I went on to explain to her that it's just a title. I don't want to be called a feminist because I'm not. I don't agree with everything it stands for. I see it all the time feminists rant about degrading women but as soon as a woman disagrees they call them a bitch. That's hypocritical. Bitch is one of my favorite words and I will use it probably til I die so why claim to be a feminists when what I'm doing doesn't 100% coincide. I told my best friend that instead of arguing with the people who want the same things as you, use that energy on people who are actually against feminism. You're pissed over a name. A title. I'm not gonna claim something I can't commit to fully. Instead I just prefer to believe in equality and what is right. Stay out of people's affairs and personal lives. As long as it doesn't hurt others physically or emotionally you should be free to do what you want. Me wanting to share my talent with my husband one day is none of your business and doesn't hinder your cause so mind your business. Here's an idea since modern day feminism wants Equality, and for women to not be degraded, equal pay etc. why don't you add freedom of choice there. Women should have the freedom to choose whatever life they want and not be harassed for it. Feminist rather argue with people on their same team rather than argue with people who bash the cause in the first place. Long story short I told my friend that if it would shut her the fuck up then I'm a feminist. Normally I don't fold to anyone. And I'm still not a feminist but she literally started forming tears while she was yelling at me and I was sick of arguing. So if it would make her shut up then I'll let her think I'm a feminist. Granted I've thought about this argument and realized how wrong she was so I decided to share it with others. I believe we should have equal rights, freedom to choose, equal pay all of the above, I believe in what is right. That's it and that's all. If you have a problem with that then YOU are the reason things can't progress. It's a title get the fuck over it.

[wrath-ruin-reddawn]

FW Part 1: A New Wank

Fandom Wank, pt. 1/∞

In this first historic issue I'm gon rant about one of the worst problems that I have personally come across in fandom culture: the heavy policing of "problematic" female characters.

A little bit of background before we begin in earnest: I experienced this myself a few years ago. I made a rather innocuous post about a female character that I liked, pointing out some of her better qualities. Then, I got numerous responses, some relatively civil, other decidedly less so, about how that character was utter garbage because she was useless to the narrative and was far too passive and blah blah blah.

So, as a recap: these people decided to @ me and belittle my opinions because the character I was talking about wasn't a Strong Female Character™ with an Empowered Storyline™. And, to be fair, they were right; the character was hard-done by the writers, and she didn't have a narrative arc worthy of her. I never claimed otherwise. Literally, all that I said was, "Hey, this character went through x tough shit and survived and I think that's dope." And I got my head fucking bitten off. I'm not going to name names, but one of those people was pretty big in the fandom in comparison to me. It was basically them punching down, and I don't know if that was intentional but it sure as hell felt that way.

My past trauma aside, this perfectly encapsulates the toxicity of overpolicing in fandom communities. I enjoyed this character because I saw something of myself in her: she was well-intentioned and rebellious but also cautious and even a bit duplicitous. She worried heavily about how others viewed her and had the bad habit of telling lies to preserve her own reputation (which are unfortunate tendencies that I share). But, because her narrative role was Problematic and Unfeminist I couldn't appreciate her as a character, and therefore had to be reminded of exactly why she sucked.

But, here's the thing: there is nothing wrong with liking problematic characters.

We sympathize with all kinds of characters: irredeemable villains, fallen heroes, and yes, sometimes characters with good traits who happen to be placed in awful storylines. There is nothing inherently wrong with liking any (or all) of these types of characters. I am not denying that fiction can influence how we view reality, but I am saying that appreciation for any given character does not automatically correlate to supporting their worldviews, or actions.

Now, of course, things get more tricky when we are dealing with interesting characters in Problematic storylines, because we encounter harmful tropes and ideals at a macro level where they can be harder to spot. This is where, typically, insidious ideals come into play, because we are at a point now where some things are Not Okay, and mainstream content creators generally know this. They know that certain traits in characters will elicit complaints, and so they don't include them, which is cool. However, all too often there isn't a similar understanding of the structural implications of narratives, which can lead to serious, serious problems. (For reference: D&D of Game of Thrones infamy spent 4(ish) seasons portraying several compelling, interesting female characters only to completely shit the bed and derail all of that development through the shoddy craftsmanship of the surrounding narrative in later seasons. Just go ahead and read some of the critiques here if you're interested.)

(Also, no, in case you’re wondering, the character I was attacked over wasn’t Sansa.)

However, again, louder for the people in the back, liking these characters does not mean that you endorse the narrative structures that they are placed in.

I also feel the need to address the troubling trend that I have observed: namely, that female characters are all too often the sole targets of this kind of criticism. Let’s be real here: when was the last time that someone got chewed out for liking a male character just because they had a bad storyline? I’ll wait. Because, the sad answer is that fandom is able to divorce male characters from their narrative roles in ways that it is unable or unwilling to do for female characters. 

Of course, I understand that there is no shortage of male representation in most forms of media, whereas the same cannot be said for female portrayals. Although women did have 42% of speaking roles in US television last year, they were still largely defined by marital status and familial relationships in ways that their male co-stars were not, and there is still a worrying lack of women behind the scenes. And let’s not even get into video games-- I’ll just leave the sad statistic that only 7% of video games featured at 2017′s E3 had explicitly female protagonists (compared to 26% with male protagonists), or that last year it was worse at only 3%. Believe me, I understand that with fewer female characters we feel the need to demand the best from what little we have. But that really doesn’t excuse being an asshole. 

I’ll be the first one to admit that, sometimes, I’m a bad feminist. I’m way too attached to the word “bitch” despite its long, long history as a gendered slur; I’ve definitely absorbed toxic ideas about self-reliance and mental health, and although I absolutely love the music video for PYNK and think that it’s fucking iconic I can’t get into the song itself. (That last one was a joke. Not that I’m not crazy about the song, but that it makes me a bad feminist-- you know what, I’ve ruined it; it’s not funny now that I’ve explained it. Damn it I should’ve just left it there--)

ANYWAYS, as I was saying, I’m not a perfect bastion of progressive enlightened thought. But I aspire to be, and as part of that I always always analyse the media that I consume. Meta is super fun for me. But sometimes, I also have my guilty enjoyments, where I see potential in a flawed character, or a flawed narrative, and I get invested in it. Just because I enjoy these things does not mean that I haven’t interacted critically with the material. In fact, it is usually the opposite. So, maybe, could we stop automatically assuming that anyone who likes problematic content needs to have their shit straightened out? And stop policing women on what they should and shouldn’t like? And especially stop posting that nastiness on tagged posts where the OP obviously doesn’t want to see it. That’d be GREAT. ʘ‿ʘ✿