#I demand men to treat women like people because it's perfectly possible and reasonable for them to not be assholes

[theineated]

Radfems: we want to dismantle gender roles

Also radfems: males are whores by their biological construction

[s1ll13rg00s3]

Ok but why is there always a reason. When it's about macro all of a sudden it's oh why should I care about the sob story of some bihettie who couldn't ever live through a day of real homophobia. When it's ppl like inosa or swagy or radgoose or countless others getting told disgusting things like that their bfs should kill them, it's laughed off too and it's like oh go back to your hettie world if you're so mad. When it's about catboy it's like oh why should I care if we make fun of the SA of some moid thats praxis actually. When it was ppl saying bi women are just like tims and they're weaponizing their rape it's oh why can't you bihets learn to read none of that matters. When there was a big burst of a bunch of people getting openly attacked by "blackpills" it was oh this is just so online why are the bihetties playing the victim. These ppl are just coming out to advance the position that they won't go after you no matter what you say about bihets. Like the refusal to condemn anything at all unambiguously is very much the point.

Honestly, I've come to the conclusion that people these days (esp young people) are not any more progressive than other generations... I honestly think their politics and values are possibly more conservative than 10-20 years ago - these are just my feelings as a low income bisexual woman who is pretty white passing but I've had friends of other races (esp older friends in their 30s-40s) talk about how they feel the same thing in regards to how ppl are regarding race now and there's tons of posts circulating about how people are more homophobic than 10-20 years ago and we just lost roe v wade, income disparity is worse and social services are cut, etc etc etc

I feel like people such as you described above are highly individualistic and don't really have principles in the traditional way like "x behavior is bad" like if we use examples specific to the recent state of radblr re: the treatment of bisexual users, they don't think that homophobia and misogyny are unacceptable behaviors, they think its perfectly fine to leverage homophobia and misogyny against groups they see as "other" and don't identity with in some way. There's always a reason why the people I have marked as "other" deserve their mistreatment and why my own actions and the actions of people belonging to the group I identify with are excused from scrutiny.

A lot of the time in spite of how they call themselves "radical" (feminist or leftist or whatever) they express behaviors and ideals which are sooo extremely in line with the cultural norm for treating people of marginalized groups.

Examples relevant to this convo: Gay and bi women talking about how they "don't fuck with" bi women because they are untrustworthy and flaky partners and "most of them are basically straight and will end up with men anyway" so they don't need LGB community support

Also, determining that a woman's intimate relationships overshadow all of her other actions, and feeling entitled to information about a woman's sexuality to determine how valid you think her words are and how much support from her community she deserves.

Also, telling a victim of sexual assault and homphobia his problems arent real and he should be quiet about them.

Also, you can't trust women with partners and especially children to take part in feminism because they're going to by default center their lives around their male partners and children, so they're going to at best half-ass things and probably just decide to focus on their families instead anyway, may as well exclude them and write them off.

But its okay because the women in the first example were gay and bi, even though they're saying the same things straight men say about bi women. The second example is okay because it's statements and demands made by other women a lot of whom are gay and bi, not men or gossip rags. The third example is okay because it's gay/bi women speaking to a man. The last example is okay because it's said by other women who call themselves feminists, and not a sexist boss, even if they have the same way of thinking and similar actions with similar results.

And on one hand I get it, these people are trying to pass along their own hurt a lot of the time and they are usually legitimately telling themselves and each other that they aren't doing anything worse than maybe hurting the feelings of individual strangers. But they're adults who are behaving in unacceptable ways, and honestly some behavior should just be unacceptable, like... we should be kind to each other if we want people to be kind to us. Beyond that though, the concept of "punching up" has rotted people's brains and is ruining our community solidarity, is honestly a huge class consciousness issue, and they are doing more tangible harm than they're admitting to themselves.

I see this way of thinking as way more of an obstacle for dismantling these power structures than activists being imperfect in their personal decisions. Like, structural opression does not exist in a vacuum and spring forth from nothing, it requires a culture mindset to continue. Like, the whole deal with structural opression is that the opressed groups "deserve" their structural oppression in some way like it's always "justified". While the power structures/axes of opression/classes DO serve social and economic functions, human beings are emotional beings and most people aren't evil, to get social animals to hurt each other you have to socialize them to do so... like as feminists I think we know that at least.

"It doesn't matter if you shave because you prefer it, it perpetuates the expectation for women to remove their body hair and you are indirectly socializing other women as part of society" but then, if you have a good reason you can excuse homophobia or misogyny and suddenly it doesn't contribute to any larger power structures or the socialization of those in your communities?

If you have conditions in which you support homophobic or misogynistic (or racist and so on) behavior then first of all, you're perpetuating the cultural mindset and socialization that allow the abusive power structures to exist in the first place which beings me to my second point... it will lead to them being used against you by people who deem YOU as "other" at some point, unless you're the most privileged person on earth and there's no axis of oppression someone could decide to flip on you if they feel you deserve it and we all just keep crabs-in-a-bucketing each other

It's in our own best interests to treat each other as well as possible, that is my belief. Anything else is cutting off the nose to spite the face, who benefits?

[birdsareblooming]

since we're yapping now, one of the biggest reasons media literacy is killed in schools isn't just the overwhelming boredom which kills the love of reading (that being lectures, comprehension questions, etc.) but either

a. the teacher forces a narrative and demands the kids in the class see it that way as well. I wonder how many times The Tell Tale Heart has been completely butchered in classroom, when the teacher assumes via their own view what the relationship between the old man and the protagonist is, and the protagonist's own gender, as neither are stated in the story but assumed. There's many horror stories of this being done with Watership Down, to the point where I have a copy where the author's note was "ya'll it's a story about rabbits I told to my kids in the car. I had nothing in mind. let your teachers know."

b. the opposite, but not the better opposite. I mentioned in my original notes the phrase "What would you do in this situation?" which is one of two questions that perfectly articulate the main problem, mostly because the question is fucking stupid.

if I was suddenly teleported to their position, my first act would be to freak the fuck out

if I was them, and truly was them, than I would've lived their whole life, experiences, etc. and not lived my own, meaning I'd make the exact same decision.

If for some reason number 1 happened without any temporal dilemas, of course I'd make a different decition. not only am I possibly in a different time period or society, I am the observer. I've seen and heard things they have not. I know what genre they're in. I also have time, and separation. I have the time to think up an answer to the question which the character does not in the moment, and I have the separation of an observer, where the relationships and situations are not my own. A

Asking someone what they'd do in this situation is completely useless, and gives the viewer a higher self esteem because they would make a better decision, without the understanding of their higher understanding. And much like how stories are meant to help socialize children, they'll bring this into the real life. Hence people saying "Well I would never have done that." which is a phrase that means nothing.

The most amount of character misinterpretation or hatred comes from this base. of "i wouldn't have."

The other question of the two is "How do you relate to the main character?/X character?"

Asking this completely destroys the point. Stories and supposed to me Mirrors, not Windows. Windows do have reflective properties, and sometimes your reflection matches whats inside. and that's cool to see! But that's not the window's purpose.

When it comes to a character, the point is to look outside yourself and live other people's lives. This helps teach empathy (in the general sense. there's two different definitions at this point, the kind of empathy that everyone has, general basic empathy.) To see outside oneself, ones life, ones experiences.

A huge recent thing when it comes to modern book authors is the mass hatred against specifically Tom Saywer, saying the book is racist. If they read the book or knew the author, he was an abolitionist. He used words of the time period.

Another one was someone pointing out a goodreads review talking about the gay themes in Portrait of Dorian Gray, and wishing the author had gone all the way instead of queer-coding/queer-baiting. about an author who was sent to prison for being gay.

this is a version of not looking outside oneself in a time-period sense. These people can't look past their own era and what is/isn't going on in media, that they treat all media like it was made this year.

This is also the root of the problem for a lot of men, that and general misogyny which is even bigger, that they refuse to engage in media with women main characters. As soon as a woman is the main character, it's a girl thing. I've seen this hugely in gamer culture, with groups of male gamers refusing to play any game where the character is a girl because "I can't relate." as if that's a problem. Same thing when white people refuse to engage with media not about white people.

I could go on.

"we teach media literacy in schools yall just dont pay attention" did yall forget that the american school system sucks. yeah they sure TRY. they do it badly though

[memes-saved-me]

Billy Hargrove and implied Queerness

First off this is focusing on his scenes without Steve because we've all seen those and....they're pretty homoerotic to say the least so I will be bringing your attention to the other factors which lead people to believe Billy is gay or interested in men and not so much women. This isn't very indepth but more surface level observations I've made and seen others make.

(TW: Homophobia and slurs discussed)

Season 2

The first scene we get of Billy he is instantly sexualised by those around him. Tina and Vicki taking interest in him based on his looks while Carol watches on rather unamused. This sets a trend for his character and his relationship with his looks and body, but more importantly how he uses it to his own advantage. Of course this was done to play into the 80s bad boy who all the high school girls fall for but what I'll explain later makes it much more interesting.

The next we see of Billy is with Max on their way home. During this scene he insults the looks of the high school girls, referring to them as cows. We then get a very interesting line "Yeah, we're stuck here and who's fault is that?" Which Max replies to with "Yours."

A response that instantly angers Billy to the point he demands she take responsibility for moving to Hawkins. A topic that has clearly been discussed before because Max's reaction implies this has happened before if not multiple times.

In Runaway Max, which isn't confirmed canon and contradicts a lot of stuff but, we are told that the reason they moved was because Billy was completely off the rails to the point he broke her friends arm. Now. Does that make sense in blaming who's fault the move was? If this is the case it is obviously Billy's fault so why does he keep saying it was her who caused this? She clearly liked being in California so why would she do something to make them move. Unless it was unintentional...

This heavily implies that there is an unspoken incident which involves them both. An incident which triggers such anger and recklessness in Billy to the point he almost runs over Mike, Lucas and Dustin because Max wouldn't say it was her fault. Many have then filled in this gap with Max accidentally telling either Neil or Susan about Billy and another boy, which would make sense with the information or lack of information we are given in canon about the reason they moved.

While at Tina's Halloween party we do not see Billy interact with a single girl. He is seen with Tommy and another boy who then approach Steve with him. It would make sense for girls to be drooling over him in this moment, trying to dance with him or following him inside but no. He makes a beeline for Steve and we do not see him for the rest of the party.

Now, I don't know about you but have you ever seen a teenage boy look less interested in his date? Not only is he not interacting with verbally but also physically. He then gets angry when she calls Max his sister and they drive off without a word. It's implied he is taking her home as he they were waiting for Max, meaning he was probably going to hook up with her but if he was wouldn't he act just a little nicer towards her?

I mentioned before that he is the archetype for 80s bad boy and the girls sure are falling, he just isn't catching them. This is the only time we see him interact with a women his age in a romantic way. If you could call this romantic at all.

When in trouble for letting Max run off while watching her, his response is that he doesn't have the time to go looking for her because he has a date, a date we never see or get the name of, this prompts his father to say the line "So that's why you've been staring at yourself in the mirror like some faggot..."

A line that then prompts Billy to snap and argue back after clearly wanting to get out of this situation as fast and smoothly as possible. Where else have we seen anger brought on by a topic? That's right in the car with Max. There is a trend of Billy reacting with anger to conversations or comments he finds personal or as some sort of attack. This is also when Neil becomes fully angry with Billy as seen in his rather shocked reaction at his response to that line.

This also continues the trend of Billy caring about his looks and using them as a shield of sorts, a shield that doesn't work against his father but everyone else he encounters.

Something to keep in mind, Billy is the only character to be called a homophobic slur by a parental figure other than Will. The character he mirrors in multiple ways including having the same full name William, as well as Will being heavily implied as gay or queer. Both of their father's use homophobic language against them, unlike any of the other characters in the show.

The next we see of him after the incident with Neil is also when we see him interacting with another women in a romantic sense. Karen. This is where his use of his looks and body fully come into play. He uses these assets to get information and affection out of Karen to make his father happy and avoid further punishment.

Now this is my own interpretation but Billy is used to using his body for positive attention and doesn't get that any other way. At no point in the series is he treated like a person other than in S3 by Max and Max only. Everyone else views him in an objectified manner or as a bad guy to avoid.

There is a clear resemblance between Karen and Billy's mother which I'll further discuss in the season 3 section but this leads me to believe he is subconsciously or even consciously wanting positive attention from a motherly figure, he just doesn't know any other way to achieve that.

However, it is very clear that flirting with Karen was an act as seen by the quite jarring juxtaposition of these two frames. The mask fully gone once by himself again. Meaning the only time we see him flirt with a women it isn't genuine at all.

Season 3

Now, continuing off the last point, there is countless girls practically drooling over Billy at the pool but he only accepts this attention from Karen. This exemplifies my theory that he doesn't know how to gain positive affection other than through flirting and well sex, but he only wants this attention from an older women who resembles his mother. Except, again he doesn't know any other way of gaining it. He hasn't had a strong positive female influence in his life since he was 10 years old and by the looks of it every motherly figure has treated him as eye candy and not a teenager crying for help.

He has Heather who is very much his age and flirts with him. Yet, he acts as if she isn't even there and goes straight over to Karen to flirt. The way he acts with Karen should be the way he would act with girls his age, flirting and making advances but we do not see a single example of this.

This part I find extremely interesting because it perfectly mirrors his interaction with Karen in season 2, except instead of dropping the mask he puts it on. The way he looks to his right as if she is sitting there as he practices what he is going to say to her is a clear example of his act coming into play as he prepares to meet up with her. His expression very similar to when he leaves the Wheeler home but it shifts to practice the way he is planning on talking to Karen. A complete reversal from their scene in season 2.

A rather reaching piece of symbolism could be that this also mirrors the way Neil cuts off Billy's date in season 2 as the Mindflayer is a literal representation of him being controlled by his father.

I also find it very interesting that he chooses to flirt with Karen very publicly and this might be reading a little too into it but it comes off as trying to uphold some sort of image. Another example of this is Max saying she hears Billy with girls in his room, something that sure is something he would do but when you put this with everything in this post it also comes off as him trying to prove something.

Another thing I find interesting is the way he acts around Karen, all smiles and friendly is very similar to that of the way he acts at dinner with Heather's parents. An act put on by the Mindflayer, just as he does when flirting with Karen. A mask used for underlying means and not what it shows on the surface.

Conclusion

This is all just my observation and he is not canonically gay or queer but the way he acts around women compared to Steve is a very interesting aspect to his character. If they truly intended for him to be this bad boy ladies man then they failed at presenting that.

One final thing, which I have posted about before is the fact Billy does not use homophobic language towards anyone. Even Steve does in season 1 so it would make sense for a teenage boy trying to upstage another teenage boy to use slurs and such to belittle and bully him. Except he doesn't.

I could write a full dissertation on Billy's implied queerness but a unorganised Tumblr post will have to do. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

[yourgalaxy]

~Eight Senses~ ( Preview)

Pairing: Hoseok x Female O/C, mentions of platonic OT7 x Female O/C

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Action.

Mafia Au

Summary: When he met her, he felt a void being filled that he didn’t know excisted. 

Warnings: None

Word count: 1542

Disclaimer: This is an original story but I don’t own any of the personages aside from the female lead. I don’t do swear words. English is not my first language so bear with me.

The rumors had it that the only child of one of the biggest mafias on that side of the globe had moved back from studying abroad, that she had moved back for good and that she was moving on her own. The majority of the gangs around knew better than to mess with him, the boss had made really clear what happened to anyone who dared to threaten what was his, and it seemed way too obvious that his family was part of that all. 

 But Hoseok and his brothers weren’t a gang, they were far more deadly, far more reckless and independent. They were the wild card of the industry, doing favors for everyone but never really tying themselves to any organization. They were good at what they did, always impeccable, they did the job fast and clean, covering their traces perfectly, so even if you knew of their existence you never knew when they would be working in your favor or against you. 

They played the game on their own terms, doing the jobs they saw fit and directing their business according to their own moral code. Nobody had ever seen their faces but everybody knew their names. 

 Bangtan never took things personal, in their eyes it was all business but this time they were taking this case in their hands without expecting payment for it. This was the time some of them were waiting for and the others were ready to assist them till the end, because at the end of the day they were indeed one, and if one member was hurting, they were all hurting…

  …

 Ezra couldn’t be more excited about coming back, she had always loved her country and even though she tried to ignore some of the memories that stained her mind, she was fond of the way the air of the place reminded her of her happy childhood and the memories of what her family was. 

 Moving on her own, in a little town far away from the city, far enough, where no one would think twice about her last name, far enough, where she wouldn’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations or demands, was Ezra’s dream come true. 

 She was well aware that her father would know of her arrival by now. Even though she tried to move as quietly as a shadow, she knew he had eyes and ears on her all the time,she probably knew too much about him and his business after all. But she deemed it safe to assume that he wouldn’t dare get involved with her, not after disowning her long ago, not after treating her like a stranger and sending her as far as he could when she was barely out of highschool. 

 She hated her father.

 She felt like puking every time she would see him in an advertisement or giving an interview for the business magazine. She hated everything he standed for and everything that he made her to be. She hated everything he had done to their family and the way he dismissed the collateral damage of his actions. 

 She was nonexistent to the public eye and that was probably the only thing she thanked her father for. Deciding that it was time to move on and live her life as a happy orphan, she was excited to redefine her notion of home and create a new future for herself, far from the world she was raised in. 

 Oh, how different was the plan that fate had prepared for her.

 …

 It didn’t take long for Jungkook to find the whereabouts of the infamous mafia child, it was actually way easier than what he expected, the kid was really careless, for a moment he wondered if they were trying to play the “lay low and hide in plain sight” game, because if so, they were doing a good job at it, he was just really good at doing his part of the job. 

 “No pictures, Kook?” - Hoseok was going through the information Jungkook had provided, it was a surprise for him to not have a visual image of the target, not even one of the younger boy’s impossibly detailed sketches. Jungkook hummed in response, a uncertain look taking over his eyes.- There is something weird, Hyung… For some reason, even after knowing where he is hiding, Jin hyung and I can’t really see him… - Hoseok didn’t miss the slight panic on Jungkook’s voice even when the youngest tried to downplay it as something minimal. This was the first time something like this happened, Jin and Jungkook’s vision had never failed, there was usually no living thing that could hide from them, especially if they knew where to look. 

 "It's ok, Kook! You and Hyung are probably worn out from this week. It has been really intense." - He dismissed it for the younger's sake, but they both knew better even if they decided to leave it at that for the time being. They had truly had an exhausting week, but that had never been a limitation for any of their abilities. - " I'll make sure to mention it to Namjoon once he comes back. You go to bed and rest a little bit." - Jungkook was tempted to deny the fact that he was too tired to even think properly but with a yawn escaping his lips he decided to just comply and go to bed for the night.- 

 Hoseok's finger tips clicked against the wood of his desk, he had a sickening presentiment in the pit of his stomach and for people as intuitive as them, that was never a good thing. 

 …

 The room was dead silent as the two slim men stood next to each other in front of the seiling tall window. The reflection of the moon against them, making their sharp features look even sharper. Intimidating and lethal but beautiful and ethereal nonetheless. That was the charm of these 7 Men.

 " So, what's the plan, Hoseok?" - Namjoon asked after the silence allowed both of them to ponder about their situation and the unusual situation with this new target and the inability of the eyes of the team to actually see him. Namjoon was the leader of the team ever since they got together, but they both knew that this mission needed to be led by Hoseok, it was originally his best interest that was at risk there, they were all doing this because of him and Taehyung after all.-

“We do what we do best, Joon. We snatch the bastard and squeeze the information out of him. If you are ok with it, I would like to start the recognition face as soon as possible’’ - Namjoon just hummed in response, he knew Hoseok and what this mission meant to him but he was worried about his brother and what this mission could take from him...No matter what, Namjoon was ready to support any of his members in any way, even if it meant to fix them back up after they were shattered to pieces, because he knew they would do the same for him… They had done the same for him.- “Take Jin hyung, Taehyung and Jimin with you… And Hoseok… Be careful.’’ - He squeezed his shoulder in a reassuring way before leaving hoseok to his thoughts and exiting the room.-

…

 It came as a surprise to all of them when they realized that Lee Jaemin was actually a girl. It made all of them doubt for a second, they normally didn't mess with any job that involved women or children but Hoseok couldn't afford to back off now, he was too close to finally get to the monster that had destroyed his and Taehyung's lives, he just couldn't give up that chance. Even if it meant betraying everything he believed in, he was going to kill Lee Taejoon and destroy everything he stood for. 

 "Let's get going" - He said, missing the worried looks that his brothers shared behind him, Jimin opened his mouth a few times trying to come up with something to say but once he noticed the fire in Hoseok's eyes he knew there was no other way.- "Yes, Hyung!"

 The recognition face was easier with this target than what they would have expected, but again up to this point nothing had gone as expected with this person. 

 They had been observing her for about two weeks and she was suspiciously underprotected for someone of her status. The girl seemed to be trying her best to lead a peaceful and quiet life. She had started to work at the only flower shop in the little town. She seemed to be like any other girl in their 20's, very friendly and happy. but they knew better than to underestimate an opponent. 

 Hoseok felt sick to his stomach. After all the stuff her father had done and continued to do, she gets to live happily ever after? Oh, hell no. 

 "I'm taking her tonight, Namjoon. So get ready." - Namjoon wasn't able to respond before Hoseok hung up. He sighed, praying that things wouldn't get out of hand. He had a bad feeling lurking around his mind-

[princess-of-riviaa]

Wuthering Heights challenge: Day 2

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Prompt: She was much too fond of him. The greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from him.

Summary: You’re a war nurse at the same camp Captain Steve Rogers is based at, in the rare moments when he’s not on a mission to kill Nazis. His supersoldier serum keeps him from ever getting injured enough for him to need medical attention, but that doesn’t stop him from finding every excuse to demand your attention in the infirmary, and that doesn’t stop you from loving every second of it.

headcanon | drabble | oneshot

Warning(s): slow burn, innocent!Steve (but he knows just how to tease a girl), blowjob

Word Count: 4041

“Why do you waste your time here?” you question. You’ve currently got a light shining in the Captain America’s eyes, checking for pupil dilation or any other signs of a concussion, which he claims he might have.

He waits until the scrupulous eye exam is over before he asks, “Honestly?” He flashes those soft blue eyes at you and you swear you melt.

You force your attention back to your medical equipment. “Preferably.”

Captain Rogers sighs, and you realize that his answer is going to be a lot more personal than you’d initially expected. “My entire life, people have treated me differently because of my body. The first twenty-five years of my life, people would look at me in disgust or pity, if they even bothered to look at me at all. And now, with the serum... people seem to like me more, but it’s not me they like. The way they look at me now... it’s almost worse than how they used to look at me, before.”

You continue to uselessly inspect your instruments just to avoid his gaze. You don’t know how to look at him while he’s bearing his soul to you.

“But you don’t,” he continued. “You don’t just look at me and see muscle, like everyone else does. You don’t make me feel like I’m lab rat being inspected under a microscope.”

He’s putting you on a pedestal that you don’t deserve to be on. So you explain to him, “I’ve been in medicine for five years. I’ve seen every size and shape of every age and gender. Eventually a body just becomes a body, fat or no fat, muscle or no muscle.”

“Maybe.” He shrugs. “But that doesn’t explain why every other nurse in here looks at me like they want to eat me.”

You laugh at the comparison and the imagery it procures. “You’re a person,” you say finally. “You deserve to be treated like one.”

“Yeah, well, people tend to forget that in times like these. You’re one of the few people I can talk to anymore who makes me feel like I’m actually being listened to and not just ogled at.”

You finally turn to face him. “You know you don’t have to come up with some medical issue every time you want to come talk. I get off at four every evening.”

He smiles at you--that cute little half smile that makes most women swoon, and you understand why. Just because you treat him normally doesn’t mean you’re immune to his looks. It doesn’t mean you don’t blush every time those blue eyes watch you work, taking note of every movement you make. It doesn’t mean that you don’t keep your hands on him for a few seconds too long while giving him a check up. It doesn’t mean that that deep, raspy voice doesn’t send shivers down your spine every time he talks quietly enough for only you to hear. “I know,” he admits, “I just like seeing you in your uniform.”

You giggle as you feel yourself blush, looking down at your old and tattered nurse’s uniform. It was once white and pristine but you’ve been a war nurse since ‘42 and it’s had enough stains from blood and other bodily fluids that it’s more of a light grey. “I guess I could say the same,” you admit, eyeing his captain’s uniform.

The curtain parts beside your workstation and Agent Carter appears, looking beautiful as ever. She shoots you a dark look before turning her attention to Captain Rogers. “Your team requests you go over the plan of your next mission.”

Captain Rogers nods and stands. He doesn’t move towards the door, though, and Agent Carter finally realizes that he’ll meet her outside. The captain looks back at you and says, “You said you get off at four?”

You nod, still too afraid to speak after seeing the way Agent Carter looked at you.

“If you’d like to get a drink, my team and I will be at Bernie’s tonight. I hope you come,” he says. He sends you another quick, swoon-worthy smile before leaving.

...

You take one last look in the mirror. Your light makeup is applied perfectly--it took you three tries to get it all right--and the curls in your black hair fall just past your shoulders. The royal blue satin dress you’re currently wearing was a birthday gift from your parents--something you know they can’t afford in times like this, but they wanted to spoil their only child anyways. The black heels are new and shiny, matching the deep shade of your hair. For half a moment you wonder if this is too much, if you went over the top. Will the captain even be there? What if he already left? It’s only six o’clock, but he’s a busy man. He probably has a million other things to do, a million other places to be.

Still, you force yourself out the door and catch a ride to town with some of your fellow nurses. They comment on your dress and once you see the simple evening gowns they’re wearing, you blush with embarrassment. This is definitely over the top.

You arrive at Bernie’s in less than ten minutes. You let the girls run off ahead of you. They’re always giggling and whispering secrets like high school girls. That’s not your style. You’d honestly just used them to get a ride into town, an act you would usually feel guilty about but tonight you’re so nervous that you can’t feel much of anything else.

Everyone stops and stares at you when you enter the bar. You avoid everyone’s gaze and force yourself to put one foot in front of the other as you make your way inside. Eventually everyone goes back to their drinks and conversation and you breathe a sigh of relief. You stand at the bar, not knowing what to do with yourself.

“Y/N?” Captain Rogers calls out from behind you.

You turn to find him walking towards you, his uniform freshly ironed and polished. He eyes your outfit with a look that makes your face burn, though you enjoy his attention a lot more than anyone else’s in the bar.

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to look better in anything other than your nurse uniform,” he smiles, “but I stand corrected.”

You laugh nervously.

“You look beautiful,” he tells you sincerely, holding your gaze.

“Thank you, Captain,” you reply, though you feel sick with nerves. Why are you suddenly so nervous around him? You’re always fine whenever he comes to you in the infirmary. But now... now you’re in an unfamiliar place, and you don’t have to put on the face of professionalism. Now you’re just a woman, and him just a man.

“I’m glad you could make it.” The glint in his blue eyes tells you he truly means it. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Oh, no thank you,” you say quickly. “I don’t drink.”

He frowns, surprised. “Can I ask why you came to a bar then?”

You blush. Now the one reason you’re here--and dressed to the nines--is completely obvious. Why did you have to tell him you don’t drink? You couldn’t have made it more obvious that you’re only here for him.

You see no other way around it. “You asked to me to come, Captain.”

He practically beams at your answer. “Then would you like to get out of here? Go somewhere else? There’s a great diner down the street.”

The idea sounds lovely, but... “Isn’t your team here? I wouldn’t want you to just up and leave them.”

He shrugs. “They’ll understand. Besides, I insist. Let me buy you dinner.”

Your face burns as you look down at your shoes, avoiding his gaze. “Well, I suppose I can’t refuse a captain’s orders.”

He offers you his arm and you take it. Your heart races when you feel the tight bicep under his clothes. His gaze is locked on you as your hand wraps around his arm, looking so tiny against his huge body. You can’t bring yourself to meet his gaze. You already feel your body burning underneath his gaze and you know that if you look at him you’ll lose any self-control you have let. So you let him guide you out into the night.

Captain Rogers is right about the diner. The food is terrific. Normally you don’t eat much on a first date, but the food is good you can’t help--

Wait. This isn’t a first date.

Right?

You’re both dressed up, eating dinner together... it feels like a date. He even pays the bill. That’s what men do on dates, right? It had been so long since you’d been on one. The war had taken up the majority of your focus--and any spare time you had--since Pearl Harbor, so you weren’t able to go out and find a man.

Captain Rogers holds open the door for you once you leave. “So was I right about that place, or was I right?” he asks cheekily.

“You were right,” you agree. “I can’t remember the last time I had a burger that good. Nothing else is going to satisfy me ever again thanks to you.”

You’d meant the last part as a joke, but his expression turns dark. You open your mouth to explain that he shouldn’t feel guilty, that you were indeed glad he’d taken you here, but something about the way he looks at you... it makes your breath catch in the back of your throat.

“C-captain?” you manage to get out.

He steps up to you, the distance between you gone. His gaze bounces from your eyes to your lips. A fire is lit inside of you at what you think is going to happen. Only now do you realize how badly you’ve wanted this--how badly you’ve wanted him. He leans down and closes the distance between your faces. You close your eyes in anticipation, but he never kisses you. Instead he merely pushes a strand of your hair behind your ear before stepping away. You open your eyes again, trying to hide your disappointment.

“We should get back to base,” is all he says.

You can’t remember how to speak so you just nod.

He walks you back to your room on base, though he doesn’t kiss you. He just gives you a soft smile at your door and wishes you a good night. You go to bed that night aching. It was cruel of him to walk away without even a touch.

A week later he asks you to join him for dinner again. He takes you out dancing after and you stay until the place closes long after midnight. You like spending time with him, you realize. Being around the captain makes you feel normal again, makes you forget about the war happening around you, makes you forget about the sick and dying soldiers you take care of during the day. When you’re with him you laugh so hard your stomach hurts and tears stream down your face. It isn’t long before you find yourself addicted to his presence. Even if he never makes a move on you, even if he ignores the heat between you two until you’ve convinced yourself it’s all in your head--even then, you like spending time with him. He’s real, he’s genuine, he’s human. And you absolutely love it.

He asks you out a third time, but he’s sent to Italy before it can happen. By the time you get the news he’s already on the front lines. You wait to here of any news for days. You spend all your time in the infirmary, waiting, hoping for him to show up. The worry drives you crazy and makes you sick. For three nights you can’t sleep, completely restless and agitated. You actually get out of bed and start praying--something you haven’t done in a while. But you’re desperate enough to do anything.

After a week, the whole situation has turned you so crazy that you’re almost convinced you made him all up in your head. You would believe it too, if it weren’t for all the Captain America posters you see littered throughout the town and camp. But you’ve forgotten the exact shade of blue his eyes are, or the way his laugh sounds, or how he smells. And that realization just makes everything so much worse somehow.

So you sneak off to his quarters, consequences be damned. It’s the middle of the night, so no one stops you before you get to his room. Only once you’re in there do you realize how intimate this act is, that you’re invading his privacy and it’s wrong. The bed is made and there’s a desk in the corner, though it’s completely cleared off. You move over to it and sit in the chair, imagining him sitting here. You picture him spending hours in this chair as he writes letters home. Your gaze flicks to the drawers and you’re suddenly filled with curiosity.

Don’t you dare snoop on him, you scold yourself.

But you’re so desperate for just a piece of him--

You open the drawer before you can change your mind. There’s at least ten notebooks in here. You hesitate at the sight of him. What does he write about so much that he needs all these books to hold his words? You shouldn’t, you really shouldn’t--

You pull out the top notebook and open it. It’s not a journal, you realize. He doesn’t write in these; he sketches in them. And the drawings are... Steve is an artist. His work is worthy of being displayed in museums. But that’s not what makes you freeze. What surprises you most is the sketch you’re currently staring at--

It’s unmistakably you. You’re wearing his captain’s jacket--and nothing else. You’re on your knees with the jacket wrapped around you, hiding your clearly-naked body underneath. One hand is in your hair while the other is between your legs, rubbing between your thighs. And the look on your face... it’s completely fucked out. Your eyes are squeezed, your mouth parted, and you’re clearly in the midst of pleasure.

The sketch is so detailed that it makes you blush. But the thought of Steve sitting in his room, thinking of you like that and liking it enough to draw it out... Suddenly your body is burning and you can feel yourself grow wet. You’ve never been with a man like that before, never been around someone who made you feel so...

“Y/N?”

You stand and turn, hiding the sketchbook behind your back. Steve stands in the doorway, his Captain America uniform bloodied and covered in grime and dirt. He’s sweaty and looks exhausted, but his eyes light up at the sight of you. You toss the sketchbook on his bed and are in his arms a second later, burying your head into his chest. Tears spill down your cheeks uncontrollably; you’re so relieved that he’s back, that he’s okay, that he’s alive, that it brings you to tears. He holds you tightly to him until all you can see, all you can smell, all you can hear is him.

He’s alive.

He’s safe.

He’s here.

And he just caught you looking at his sketchbook, his very personal sketchbook.

You step back. Your face flushes as you try to come up with an excuse. Nothing comes out of your mouth.

He steps around you and moves to his bed, where you’d thrown his sketchbook a minute ago. He opens it to the page you were looking at earlier and freezes. His eyes slowly make their way back to you and you feel awful.

“I’m sorry,” you get out. “I know I shouldn’t have looked at that and that I shouldn’t even be in here but I just... I missed you and I wanted a reminder of you and I know it’s not an excuse but...” You let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

Steve sits on the edge of the bed, his sketchbook still open in his hands. There’s a horrified expression on his face as he looks at the sketch.

“If it’s any consolation, you’re really talented,” you offer.

The look he gives you makes you wish you’d kept your mouth shut. “You were never supposed to see this.”

God, you’re the worst person in the world. “I’m sorry--”

“I never wanted you to see this,” he continues. He shuts the book and places it back in his desk drawer. “God, I can’t even look at you right now.”

Those words, those awful words, make your eyes swell with tears. It would have hurt less if he had punched you in the gut. With the way you struggle to breathe, it feels like that’s what he did.

Steve looks back at you and notices the look on your face. He’s on his feet in a flash, closing the distance between you. “No, I didn’t mean it like... I’m so stupid. I’m sorry, I’m really bad at talking to girls.”

Your vision is blurred as you look up at him. “But I’m just me, Steve.” There’s no reason for him to be nervous around you.

“Exactly.” His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows.

And you realize--oh. He is nervous around you. The same way you’re nervous around him.

“I never wanted you to see that because...” he hesitates, struggling to find his next words. “Because I’d be completely mortified if you knew that that’s how I thought about you, that that’s what I wanted... I mean, we’ve only been on two dates. I shouldn’t--I should have more respect. I shouldn’t already be thinking about that stuff. I’m sorry.”

You sniffle. “Would you judge me if I said that I already think about that stuff too? I mean, not about me, personally, but about... experiencing that with you?” You swear your face has never burned as much as it is right now.

Steve looks at you, incredulous, like he thinks you’re saying all of that just to make him feel better. But he must see something in your eyes, on your face, because he’s suddenly closing the distance between the two of you. He moves his face towards yours and you close your eyes. Your heart flutters in your chest at the thought that he’s finally going to give you what you’ve been craving for so long--

“Can I kiss you?” he whispers, his lips ghosting across yours.

“Please,” you practically whimper, and his mouth is on yours a second later.

The kiss is soft, tender, hesitant. But you’ve been so desperate for this exact moment for weeks now that you can’t help yourself--you grab onto his neck and pull him harder against you, your mouth quick and wild against his. He lets out a surprised gasp that turns into something like a moan and the sound is better than you ever could have imagined it in all your wildest fantasies. It makes your toes curl and your heart race and heat flood through your body until you think you’re going to explode.

Steve doesn’t seem to know where to put his hands. They rest on your shoulders for a few moments but his fingers clench at your clothes like he’s desperate to touch you elsewhere. He finally grabs onto your waist, but his grip on you is loose, like he’s afraid to touch you any harder.

You pull back and look up at him. The fire in your veins spreads as you see how dilated his pupils are with want.

“I’ve never, uh...” His voice shakes as he blushes and god if that look on him doesn’t make you want to eat him alive. “I’ve never done much more than kiss, so, uh--”

The thought that you’re his first makes something burn in your chest and it takes you a second to realize that it’s pride. You’re happy he’s never been with another woman. You’re more than thrilled at the thought that you’re the only one who gets to see what he’s like in the darkness of his bedroom.

“I’ve done a few things,” you confess, “but not everything.”

That seems to help him relax a little. “What have you, uh, what have you done?”

You give him a devilish smile and say, “Well, I could tell you, but I’d much rather show you.”

His eyes widened and he gulps again, but the lust is clear in his eyes.

You hold his gaze as you kneel in front of him. If he shows any sign that he wants you to stop, you will, but boy do you hope he doesn’t want you to. You’ve been waiting for this moment for so long! You don’t know what you’d do if he asked you to stop in the middle of it.

But he doesn’t look at you like he’s horrified that you know exactly how to move your body, exactly how to kiss his growing bulge over his uniform, exactly how to hold his gaze while you do it, too. In fact, the look on his face grows more desperate, needy, and the sight of him wanting you so badly makes you wet.

You unbuckle his pants slowly, moving at a pace that will only make him more desperate. He watches you the entire time you tug his pants down and kiss his erection through his underwear. He lets out something that sounds like “oh, fuck” once you finally pull down his underwear and let his cock spring free. You take a second to wrap your mind around how big he is and how you’re possibly going to fit him in your mouth. The tip is red and leaking pre-cum. You lap it up and let out a soft hum at the salty taste. That just makes him groan and fuck if the sounds he makes doesn’t make you want to suck him off until the day you die, just to watch him in the midst of his bliss.

You give soft kisses down the length of his shaft, enjoying your few moments of teasing before you wrap your mouth around the head of his cock. Your tongue swirls around him and more pre-cum leaks out. You lick it all up. You’d only given one other guy a blowjob--what was his name? Jackson? James? Yes, James. James Barnes, one of the sergeants at the camp--and you try to remember everything he’d shown you and told you to do when giving a guy a blowjob. Swirl your tongue around the tip, he’d said. Then take all of him in your mouth, get him all nice and wet so you can stroke his length with your hand. Give his balls plenty of attention. You do all of that and practically beam when Steve loses his control.

He lets out a string of fucked out moans and groans and you feel your underwear begin to soak. He fists a handful of your hair and begins to fuck your mouth. You loosen your jaw and let him use your mouth to chase his high. You keep your eyes on his face, loving the way his nose scrunches up and his mouth falls open the closer he gets to his release. His cock twitches in your mouth, growing even bigger before he shoots his load down your throat. You swallow all of the sticky, warm liquid, your throat clenching around his cock and begging for just one more drop. He retracts himself from your mouth and rushes to pull his pants back up.

He moves to the bed and takes a seat, looking like he needs a second to recover. “You’re really good at that,” he breathes out. You can’t tell if he likes that or not. He looks back at you, still on your knees. “Do you need...? I, um, haven’t... I’ve never pleased a woman before, but I could try.”

You giggle and move to sit next to him. “It’s a good thing I’m a good teacher.”

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: “A New Approach”

A friend of mine has a van that she calls the Fun Bus. Oh that’s cute, I thought. I should chuck that into a recap sometime. “All aboard the RWBY Fun Bus!” Except my fun levels are ehhh right now, so how about we just don’t.

In fact, let’s be totally up front about things and get the major positives out of the way:

The animation this volume is absolutely stunning holy shit

I would once again die for James Ironwood. All hail the Hug King

Excellent introduction for Tyrian and Watts. I love feeling like the villains are actually dangerous again

The rest? I’ve got some things to say.

We open on Ruby looking appropriately downtrodden over their circumstances. Getting carted off in an Atlas police craft and all that. We get a pan across each side of the airship with the group looking angry (Yang) or defeated (everyone else)... with the exception of Nora, who is trying to eat through her bonds. I’m well aware that I’m nit-picking at this point, but for once I’d like the serious moments to remain serious in this show. Given her reaction to Salem, Kuroyuri, etc. we’re all well aware by now that Nora is more than just the comic relief. Undermining the others’ reactions with her making dog noises was an early cue that the writers weren’t going to treat the group’s arrest earnestly. To say nothing of the disservice it does to her character. 

Actually, there were a lot of coincidental dog references in this scene. Nora’s growling. Referring to the Ace-Ops as Ironwood’s “personal attack dogs.” Deducing that he must have a “bone to pick” with them. Obviously this all means precisely nothing. What I want it to mean is that Zwei will arrive in another package courtesy of Tai, wondering how his kids are doing after one ran off and the other went to find her.

(Seriously though, does everyone remember Volume Five’s ending with Raven? Heaven only knows when that will become relevant again.)

While Nora continues to try and eat metal like a rabid animal, Jaune expresses disbelief that the Ace-Ops “took us out like it was nothing.” Honestly, it never ceases to amaze me how often the group is surprised by other people being stronger than them. Like they’re not the youngest and least trained in a world of professional huntsmen. Rather than acknowledging their need for improvement though---callback to Ruby’s “But we already know how to fight” anyone?---Weiss frames it as an exceptionalism intrinsic to her city. “Welcome to Atlas.” You know, the same city she quickly agreed to steal from and then draw the attention of the guards by giving a racist civilian what-for. The speed with which the show flip-flops between ‘We should fear this city’ and ‘But we shouldn’t take any actual precautions’ is pretty impressive.

All of which is made weirder by Weiss’ next line to the other prisoner locked up with them: “They’re not that big of a deal.” So... which is it, Weiss? Are the Ace-Ops Ironwood’s elites who can obviously take out a group of nine in seconds flat? Or are they worth scoffing and rolling your eyes at? Because you had a rather different opinion literally seconds ago. She does the same thing when the prisoner uses the term “tyranny” to describe the situation in Mantle. She claims now that the label is a “bit much” when before the whole group decided not to approach Ironwood precisely because of how tyrannical he appeared. I swear, good chunks of the dialogue just functions as openings for the plot---let the random prisoner explain all the horrors of this city!---rather than something the character in question would actually say.

But I’m harping. We learn a bit more about Hill and her “Happy Huntresses,” clearly a parallel to Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. I was actually surprised to learn that she’s a full-on freedom fighter, just based on her posters last episode. The number of them and their professional look felt more like Atlas’ brand of propaganda. Big brother sister is watching you and all that. Then again, we also learn that Hill is gunning for a seat on the council, so it sounds like she’s not an ally of Ironwood’s plotting betrayal, and not a radical entirely removed from him either. We’ll have to wait and see precisely where she falls in this divide between Atlas and Mantle.

That fight is treated rather cheaply by the writing though. In this episode at least. Despite providing numerous looks at how horrible things are for the citizens here, this prisoner, currently representing that fight against the elite, is depicted as an absolute buffoon. He’s not engaging in an important, glorious battle for human rights. He just chucked a brick at an airship. He’s over the top, overly passionate, crazed enough that the group is looking away as he desperately tries to convince the guards up front that these things are important. The thing is? He’s right. But the writing doesn’t encourage us to treat his cause with respect, not when he’s bouncing off the walls and yelling like a conspiracy theorist. Actually, that’s the best comparison I can think of here. It’s like if someone laying out 100% real issues with climate change were written like a crack-pot loner who believes in aliens. That’s this guy.

We’re shown again that literally everyone recognizes Weiss Schnee---does no one else in all of Remnant have white hair?---before Jaune and a few others get distracted by how pretty the view is outside. Qrow commented earlier that they were no doubt going to jail.

Spoiler! It’s not jail.

It’s Atlas Academy, animated in a truly stunning design that reminds me of Weiss’ trip to the CTV tower to contact her dad. Looking back, that skyscraper-esque building probably made her anxious for reasons outside of just the call.

“I guess we will be seeing the General,” Ruby says because yeah, why would we have the group experiencing one iota of punishment before being handed the solution to their current predicament? 

Look, anyone who follows these recaps is well aware of my feelings towards the airship debacle. I said last week that I wanted the writing to treat the group’s horrific mistakes and criminal activities seriously, but I wasn’t overly hopeful. I was right not to be. From now until the conversation about Salem, the ‘protagonists can do no wrong’ mindset that drove Volume Six is pulled out again in full force.

First, Winter sees the group in handcuffs and responds with, “You have ten seconds to take those off before I start hurting you.” Which is completely out of character to me. Does Winter adore Weiss? Without a doubt. But Winter is also a stickler for protocol and rules. This is the women who threatened to remove Qrow’s tongue over a few vague, anti-Atlas statements. She is all about devotion to her Kingdom. So how should she react when she sees a group of kids being formally brought in for charges? I don’t know, maybe find out what’s going on before demanding an immediate release? Here, Winter prioritizes the emotional assumption that Weiss and her friends are perfectly innocent as opposed to trusting that they’re in handcuffs for a reason. Which they are. Combine that with the humor of the guards scrambling to obey her with more silly sound effects and it’s once again clear that the group’s arrest was never going to be taken seriously.

Things get so much worse though. Ironwood starts apologizing to them, also working under the assumption that this was all some sort of silly mistake. Of course you shouldn’t be in handcuffs. You’re the good guys! Yang and a few others have the gall to be haughty here (yeah, how dare you arrest us after we committed multiple crimes) and for a moment I think all of this will actually amount to something when Ironwood laughs and says, “We assumed [the ship] was stolen!”

Uh yeah, goes Ruby. It... was?

Which results in a brief moment of shock and about three seconds of anger from Winter... and then that’s it. That’s all we get. Weiss interrupts her with, “I’m sorry I worried you, but we did what we had to do” which, no?? Okay first off, worrying Winter is not the issue here. She’s been worried for literally those three seconds and nothing more. Second, as I’ve established numerous times in the past, they did not “do what they had to do.” Absolutely nothing in Argus forced their hand to the point where stealing military property, fighting Cordovin, drawing that grimm, and then deliberately hiding out from Atlas authorities was justified. Why doesn’t Winter or Ironwood challenge them on this? Why the hell would two military personnel accept at face value that committing all of these crimes was necessary? Imagine your younger sister steals a car (which is in no way comparable to an Atlas airship, but let’s run with it). She and her friends then get caught by the neighbor they stole it from, started a fight instead of giving it back, endangered a bunch of other people on the road, got the police involved, and hid out until they were finally arrested. Then at the police station big sister gets angry at the officers for daring to book you and is pacified with a hug. Don’t worry, dear. I know there’s no possible way you could be in the wrong here. No reason to acknowledge, let alone address, why you thought those were acceptable actions in the first place.

Qrow is briefly called out for letting this happen, but like Maria’s comment last episode about the group being incapable of keeping a low profile, he shrugs it off with a joke. “You try stopping these kids when they have their mind set on something.” You know what these ‘jokes’ remind me of? Privilege. Stuff like “Boys will be boys ¯\_(ツ)_/¯” where people accept that change is impossible, so why would we bother calling anyone out on their mistakes? Boys are just hardwired to hurt girls and call it love. Teens are just hardwired to steal airships and call it necessary. You know what they’re like. Putting your foot down is useless because that’s just how they naturally function... and we’re all going to ignore the fact that no one else could get away with this shit. They’re the special ones exempt from repercussions. There’s a reason why both both Oscar and Ruby smile here. They know they’re not in trouble. 

What all of this boils down to is that the group is above both the law and basic decency. That’s what Cordovin, Ironwood, Winter, and the writing all tell us. It doesn’t matter how many people you endanger. What you steal. What you break in order to accomplish that. Or how long you might try to hide what you’ve done. You’re you, a nebulous acceptance that you’re somehow above everyone and everything. These kids are never going to learn anything because each time they make a mistake---even massive mistakes that put a whole city in danger---they’re rewarded with smiles and a blanket acceptance that they did what they had to do. That is beyond frustrating to me. For the love of god, let them face an actual consequence for once.

It’s not going to happen though. Even the Ace-Ops apologize for doing their job (and treat Ruby like some sort of celebrity in the process). RWBYJNRQO is painted as victims for suffering the indignity of arrest... when they did numerous things they should have been arrested for. I particularly love Weiss’, “You could have asked us some questions first.” Yes, because everyone should be in the habit of taking a criminal’s word at face value and then letting them go when they say, “I’m innocent.” Rather than acknowledging any of this, the writing has the Ace-Ops go out of their way to emphasize how special the group is. You’re kids, but only technically. You’re students, but who cares. You’re as good as us, regardless of training or qualifications. That fact remains that the group did in fact do everything they were accused of and more, something that should generate reflection on whether they’re up for being paired with professionals, rather than an insistence that they’re automatically on par with these adults who complete their missions in a legal, safe manner. If that Argus fight gets them hugs and cool new weaponry, I shudder to think what else the group can not only get away with, but be rewarded for.

Once everyone blindly bypasses one of the biggest conflicts of Volume Six, we hit on the other divisive choice this episode: Ruby lying to Ironwood about Ozpin and the relic.

Okay. I’m going to be as clear as I can here: Ruby is being a massive hypocrite. That’s it. That’s the situation. I shouldn’t have been surprised by the fandom’s reaction, and yet I somehow still was. In just a few hours I’ve seen at least twenty posts detailing how Ruby is not a hypocrite because her situation is totally different from Ozpin’s. HE can’t keep secrets. SHE can. Which is the definition of hypocrisy: the group holding someone to a moral standard that they themselves will not strive for. Are there differences between telling the group about Salem and telling Ironwood about Salem? Yes, but the decision of whether or not to tell them derives from the exact same concerns:

Ozpin: I don’t know if I should tell these kids about Salem. I don’t know if I can fully trust them. I worry that admitting the relic still has questions will result in them using one irresponsibly.

Ruby: I don’t know if I should tell Ironwood about Salem. I don’t know if we can fully trust him. I worry that admitting the relic still has a question left will result in him using it irresponsibly.

And everyone is in on it. During the elevator ride up they all want to know what Ruby will say, meaning that they’re ready and willing to lie the moment she decides that’s best. “We’ll follow your lead,” Blake says. No one pipes up with, “Hey. Why are we considering lying to Ironwood when we decided that there’s no moral justification for keeping secrets like that? Especially from an ally involved in this fight?” Except, the group obviously never decided that. Jaune was happy to keep his secret back at Beacon. Blake too. Yang is still withholding info about the Spring Maiden. They’re all perfectly happy to lie provided they’re the ones doing the lying. Someone else doing that to them though? Omg, how dare you. 

That’s hypocrisy.

(As a side note: good lord this group is so astoundingly bad at fighting a strategic war. They announce that they should be careful about what they say to Ironwood while two of Ironwood’s guards are in the elevator with them. This is a needless conversation! No one has to establish that they’ll follow Ruby’s lead! But yes, let’s talk about our plans to withhold information from the General while two of his men are very obviously listening in. We even get a shot of one guard looking over at that little tid-bit. I wouldn’t be surprised if this came back to bite them in the form of:

Guard, who I am naming Brad: “Sir, I thought you should be aware... the prisoners that just left? I overheard them discussing whether or not they would tell you something.”

Ironwood: “What? But I thought we trusted one another... did they say what this something was?”

Brad: “No, sir. They just agreed to be careful about what they said in front of you. They clearly intended to hide something though.”

Ironwood. “Huh. Now that I think about it, Ruby did interrupt Oscar when he was about to say something. And she was awfully nervous about it.”

Brad: “Sounds suspicious, sir. I’d look into it.”

Ironwood: “Right you are, Brad. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’ll be sure you get a hefty bonus at the holiday party.”

Brad: “Thank you, sir! My husband and I appreciate it.”

Gay guards aside, this is why Ozpin was right to be cautious. This group is too hot-headed, too immature, and often too plain dense to keep world-shattering secrets safe. This moment gets put up alongside Yang’s demand that Ozpin spill all his top-secret info while the random old woman they picked up 30 seconds ago watches. They just don’t think.)

In short, they are in the same exact situation as Ozpin. Weighing truth against potential repercussions. The fact that said repercussions vary in severity---a group of teens betraying him and/or caving under the pressure vs. a potential dictator betraying them and/or caving under pressure---doesn’t matter. They’re both really bad potential outcomes and both parties are right to be cautious. So yes, I agree with Ruby’s hesitance. It’s the smart thing to do. What I don’t agree with is the characters’ and the fandom’s insistence that Ozpin is not likewise smart for doing the exact same thing. Now that Ruby has made this choice she’d better damn well acknowledge her own hypocrisy. If the writing doesn’t give us a serious moment in which the group reconsiders their actions against Ozpin in light of their recent choices, then the ‘protagonists can do no wrong’ mindset has irrevocably damaged this show. Because you can’t have Ruby making the exact same choices her mentor made and not change her perspective now that she’s had the chance to walk in his shoes. “Oh wow. Sometimes you do want to play information close to your chest. Maybe we were wrong to respond so viciously to Ozpin’s secrecy when I literally just did the exact same thing to someone else. I get it now.”

All that being said, I’d actually argue that Ironwood is in a more justified position to have that information. He’s a chosen member of Ozpin’s inner circle. Ozpin never got the chance to vet this group. He’s a fully fledged huntsmen in charge of an entire Kingdom. They’re a bunch of half-trained kids. Checking in on/taking the relic to Atlas does not require knowing about Salem’s immortality. Enacting a plan to tell the whole world about her really, really does.

Because what else is Ironwood’s end game here? The only way this plan makes any sense is if he believes that Salem is mortal. Ozpin may have failed to kill her, but if we get an entire world to attack her at once we’re bound to win! This plan straight up falls apart when you realize that defeating Salem is not a matter of more manpower. Salem’s immortality is the Achilles’ heel of this scheme, whereas fighting the good fight is something the group signed up for right from the start. Not that Ironwood’s plan is a great one, even if it were viable. I’m sorry, but plunging a whole world into despair---something that draws literal monsters out of the woodwork---is a pretty terrible idea. Ironwood’s army can’t be everywhere at once and an announcement of that proportion would cause an untold amount of death and destruction. I can sort of get Ironwood’s sacrificial perspective. Deal with the fallout because the end result (finally defeating Salem) will be worth it. “Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all,” he says, except hiding the truth hasn’t limited humanity in the way he assumes it has. It has allowed humanity to live in peace while a select few try to figure out how to kill an immortal woman.

...speaking of, how has Ironwood not realized Salem immortality? This remains a basic if/then construction of the story that blows my mind whenever people fail to pass it. “If Ozpin has fought Salem for over a thousand years, then Salem is either immortal or reincarnating like he does.” Because nothing else is possible! I mean, maybe Ironwood does know about her immortality and he intends his plan to work for reasons I can’t fathom right now, but it’s looking really unlikely after this episode. It just astounds me that we haven’t had a single character go, “Of course she’s immortal. Why is that surprising to everyone?”

Anyway, I’ve gotten horrendously off topic plot-wise. We learn that Penny and Winter now know about the relics and Maidens---something that worries me a bit because, as a piece of technology, Penny is potentially hackable. Especially with Watts on the loose. The Ace-Ops know as well. We also learn that they’ve already found the Winter Maiden who, according to Qrow, is “not exactly a spring chicken.” Huh. Another important piece of information that wasn’t blithely announced because people naturally work on a need-to-know basis... Sorry. Not diving back into the salt. That comment does actually intrigue me though. We know the powers can only pass to young women, so it’s a cool setup to present us with someone who has actually survived with that power for most of her life. I’m also eager to know whether Winter is set up to be the next Maiden. “Young” is a subjective marker and one of the criticisms fans have leveled at Ozpin is the fact that he put that pressure on Pyrrha instead of asking an older, fully trained huntress to be the Fall Maiden. Making Winter the next Maiden will lend support to that criticism. Ozpin could have chosen someone older, an actual adult, and actively chose to give it to a teen. As opposed to the assumption I’ve always worked under: those like Glynda and Winter are now too old. We’ll have to see.

Outside of the Salem part of the plan, I think making Amity Arena into a satellite is an excellent idea. Provided grimm like the Nevermore really can’t reach it. It’s actually cool to see how our real life, kind of boring tech makes its way into a sci-fi/fantasy series.

And while all this stuff is getting revealed we see how utterly thrilled Ironwood is to have them all back. To be blunt: I adore this characterization. I want this to be real. Not only because it’s a breath of fresh air to have someone acting so loving and optimistic  towards everyone---He acknowledges Ozpin’s existence! Look at that smile! Kneeling down!---but also because it would be an excellent subversion of the premier’s setup. Dictator-y military figures buckling under paranoia is out. Tired but loving military figures making mistakes they’re willing to fix is in. That hug with Qrow? It added ten years to my life. Tender moments between two stoic guys will carry me through these cold winter months.

But (there’s always a “but”...) I’m not willing to buy into this characterization just yet. Not only because Ruby herself obviously isn’t ready to trust it. Not only because this is a story and we expect conflicts in the form of twists and surprises. Not even because there are moments where our trio feels vaguely threatening, stationed perfectly behind that desk, separated from the rest of the group.

No, I’m  hesitating because this whole encounters feels... staged. Let’s review the series of events from Ironwood’s perspective:

You learn that one of your airships has been stolen

Instead of sending some everyday guards like the situation calls for, you send out your most elite group to take care of this issue

They immediately confiscate the relic, demonstrating a) that they know it’s important (they recognize it as a relic) while likewise b) not showing any surprise that one of the four, magical objects in the world just happened to turn up among these random teens

They bring the relic to you

Someone orders the pilots to bring RWBYJNRQO to Atlas Academy, not jail

You then act surprised when the group suddenly arrives

Which, under the circumstances, makes no sense to me. Even if Ironwood had no idea who stole the airship (I’d have expected Cordovin to have contacted him about the distinctive group heading his way...), he would have figured it out the moment the Ace-Ops walked in with a relic in their possession. Someone obviously gave the order for them to bypass jail and come straight to him. Basically, Ironwood is expecting them. Ironwood set up the arrest and everything attached to it. The surprise at their arrival, the fawning over their treatment, really over the top emphasis on trusting each other... This whole thing feels fishy to me considering that he had to have known it was all happening in the first place. It feels like a man crafting a situation where he can look approachable and kindly, arriving like a savior and endearing the group to him. Remember who got you out of those bonds? Huh? Huh? Even the choice to give Ruby the relic back. Do I need to point out how incredibly stupid that is? Ironwood isn’t stupid. He wouldn’t give an invaluable, magical object back to a 17yo unless he had another, good reason for doing so; unless the need to make Ruby and her followers blindly trust him outweighs the risk the relic is in while she carries it.

I mean... seriously. The entire point of coming to Atlas was to put the relic in a safe place. And then Ironwood decides that carrying it around on the streets is somehow better than locking it up in the vault? When Ruby and everyone else just got beat by the Ace-Ops in about five seconds flat? Someone could take the relic off them in a heartbeat! It doesn’t even need to be a main villain. Some stronger-than-average goons could manage it under the right circumstances and a bit of luck. Look at this bright, shiny thing we can sell for quick lien. No, I have to believe Ironwood has an ulterior motive here. As much as I want him to genuinely be what he presents himself as---the embodiment of our opening, “When we trust in love and open up our eyes”---a lot of this just doesn’t fit.

(Then again... it’s RWBY. And the writers are clearly still working with protagonist vision goggles. Maybe Ironwood really does think Ruby keeping the relic is the best option here. In which case he’s just a fool.)

All of which, notably, still keeps our group from tackling the core, ethical issue: why they want to fight Salem when they think it’s impossible. They’re ignoring that question by keeping the truth from Ironwood. The plot avoided them completing their mission by having them get the relic back. We’re just existing in perpetual limbo here.

Which finally brings me to Penny. The end of this episode has her leading the group on an exhausting tour of Atlas Academy, the exact sort of bubbly, silly, casual interaction we got with her in the early volumes. Last week when I pointed out how inappropriate everyone’s reactions were to finding out a friend is back from the dead, a lot of people commented that we’d get to the emotional stuff later. Or going so far as to claim that the group, Ruby in particular, is suffering from a delayed reaction. Except we didn’t see that. There’s a difference between a setup and a non-evidence based assumption that what we want to watch will eventually end up on screen. There was no setup for a delayed reaction. No Ruby holding back tears. Or a closeup on someone grappling with an emotion. Or someone else trying to say something before they were cut off by the sirens. All of those imply that an emotion exists but, since we don’t have the time or the inclination to deal with it now, we’ll come back to it later. That wasn’t the case last week. Every emotion was clear and complete, no variation in regards to the overall chill acceptance of Penny’s resurrection. Now, we’ve seen that trend continue. Ruby doesn’t stop in shock when Penny appears in the Academy hall. We’re given no indication that anyone is distracted by her while discussing business, in the way one might be when a friend and ally is unexpectedly back in your life. When she’s left alone with them, there’s nothing except the montage of exhausted tourism and Ruby’s demands to know where they’re sleeping. Basically, I think this is it. Sure, maybe later down the line---maybe even next week---Ruby will have a heart-to-heart with Penny, but by that point it’ll be too late to feel emotionally fulfilling. We’ve already seen their first meeting, a surprise encounter, doing business, and hanging out together, none of which acknowledges her status as a miracle. Hell, in this episode at least, no one even cares that she knows about relics and Maidens now. Penny has never been closer to the group, but she’s still being treated primarily as the comic relief.

As @valasania-the-pale​  pointed out to me, we also have the question of when Penny was rebuilt. Doesn’t anyone, at the very least Ruby, care that their friend was brought back and no one thought to tell them about it? Would Ironwood, Pietro, and Penny herself have just let them live with her death indefinitely? It’s a pretty messed up situation when you think about it. A fantastic setup in my opinion, but one that Rooster Teeth isn’t equipped to handle well. Like with so much of RWBY, there’s great potential and very little follow-through.

At least Watts and Tyrian were introduced appropriately. We got confirmation that Watts helped build the Atlas code and now controls it at his whim, causing crashes and powering down security cameras. It’s the perfect threat for a city almost entirely reliant on its technology. Even down to, as said, an ally like Penny who knows all these secrets. Hell, Winter’s comment about the group having access to Atlas’ best weaponry while they’re here is worrisome. What if their upgrades end up hackable as well?

Tyrian, meanwhile, is still Tyrian. That blood pool was a great shot in my opinion. Wonderful creep factor as he sets off into the city. “I suppose we all have our talents” indeed.

Obviously then, there’s a lot going on. A lot to cover and, on my end, continually dwindling hopes that RWBY will cover it well. I can’t be too excited about the group lying when we 100% bypassed their choices last volume. If the show isn’t willing to call them out on those mistakes, I doubt they’ll be willing to call them out on this one either. I’m preparing myself to watch precisely what we’re getting in the fandom right now: an insistence that Ruby is wonderful for keeping her secrets while further demonizing Ozpin for keeping his. Because that’s where we’ve been for the past fifteen episodes: perpetually insisting that everything the group does is, by default, heroic. Logic and hypocrisy aside. 

But we’ll have to see.

Until next week 💜

Minor Things of Note

1. Please pay attention to precisely how many long, wide, and aerial shots we get throughout the episode. This is what happens when your main cast is made up of twelve people all working in the same place. Plus six more including Maria and the Ace-Ops. That’s far, far too many characters.

2. I really love how the Ace-Ops’ tail gives away how excited he is. That was adorable.

3. Despite my enjoyment at Ironwood’s obvious joy over seeing Ozpin... morally this is so fucked up for Oscar. He’s introduced by Qrow as, “the next Ozpin,” essentially undermining his identity as his own person (note how massively uncomfortable his body language is in this moment). Ironwood then immediately starts speaking to him as Ozpin, not at all interested in the kid he’s housed in. If he even understands that Oscar is a separate person. We should all keep in mind that just a few days ago Qrow told Oscar to stop thinking of himself as an individual. Ruby agreed with him via her silence. The whole group was happy-go-lucky when Oscar announced that he’s resigned himself to just disappearing someday. As happy as I am that someone actually acknowledged Ozpin’s existence and (gasp!) was happy to see him, Oscar is still getting the short straw in all this. The group really treats him like he’s some form of transportation and nothing more. Penny, our resident robot, has more agency than he does.

4. Maria is still just hanging out with Pietro, I guess? Does she care that the group got arrested? Is she trying to do anything about it? I’m half expecting a comedic moment where she barges in, prepared to break them out and take on all their captors... only to realize they never needed her help in the first place.

5. I like this shot of the relic, the first thing to be bathed in light when Ironwood’s presentation ends. Not convinced it means anything, but a cool perspective nonetheless.

6. Intrigued by this guy. 

7. Love, love, love, love, love Watts’ purple outfit. I mean, I’m just a sucker for purple in general. So... yeah. There’s that. 

[sylwritesstuff]

008) Ice (771)

Part of the Light to Dancing 100x100 List.

Rating: PG(?) possibly G

AU: Reverse (feel free to ask me about my interpretation!)

----

“Should I have left you in their clutches, you foolish angel?” Azrael demanded, glare lighting up his slit eyes beneath the bill of his top hat. “They were going to hurt you; I could feel it in every one of them. The devil do you think I’m made of, Crowell? Ice?”

She cupped her elbows, rocking side to side as she regarded him with something very much like suspicion in her honey eyes. “Possibly.”

He scowled at her, leaning forward on his cane. He found them quite fashionable and was hopeful they’d stay a while. Human fashion changed so much faster than he liked, though he did favor the trousers far more than he’d ever favored robes. Crowell certainly looked nice packed into a pair, though that was precisely the problem. “Don’t insult me. What on Earth are you doing in all that whilst looking the way you do?”

She lifted her chin, flaming red curls springing out of her updo and catching the sun’s rays. “I am attempting to prove a bloody point and you certainly didn’t help matters.”

“Help?! I rescued you from a damn mob, you ungrateful angel.”

“It’s your fault there even is one, isn’t there? Making Eve take the fall so now women are just... idiots, somehow.”

“Oh, please, human men wrote the majority of the Bible and decided to make themselves as important as can be. Even if I had seen Adam first, I’m positive they would have still blamed her.” He waved a hand. “I still don’t see why you’re about like this. I thought you were opening that flower shop.”

“I can’t buy the property because I made the mistake of walking in as a woman and they insulted me, so now it’s a matter of principle. I was staging a protest.” She plucked at her lapels and he found his gaze drawn automatically to the movement. If he didn’t know better, he’d call her the demonic temptress. “And now you’ve ruined it by dragging me off like I’m some misbehaving child.”

“You may as well be,” he hissed, and she gasped. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. You know exactly what you’re doing.” He patiently thumped his cane, another reason why he hoped they stayed around a while.They added such delightful drama. “I thought you liked the dresses of this time period. It’s the whole reason you’ve been presenting this way for the better part of this century.”

“I do, but that isn’t the point. There are many human women would love to wear exactly what the men do, but they can’t or they start up mobs. It’s ridiculous. Every creation should be treated the same way and they’re not.”

He sighed heavily. “You can’t alter such things overnight, my dear lady. And you certainly can’t if you’re going to be this up front about it. Will I have to rescue you from prison when you get arrested for indecency?”

“It would hardly be a change of pace,” she mused, a smile breaking through the irritation. “Though I s’pose you’re right.”

“Say that again. I should like to cherish the memory.”

“Just for that, I’ll never say it again. I’ll have to take a more subtle approach, encourage the right people to do the right things. Might take a while all by myself, but...” She slanted him a look and his brows arched finely. 

“You can’t tempt a tempter, you wily angel.”

She grinned, bright and far too wicked for an angel. “Can’t I?”

“Absolutely not. Though if you change, I could be persuaded to assist you in getting your shop. If you’re so eager to have stable lodgings.”

“I’ll have you know that Heaven finds the idea to be quite clever. Gabriel’s called it an excellent cover.”

“Ooh, high praise.”

It dripped with sarcasm, but she only laughed and linked their arms while her masculine outfit was traded for a dress far more fitting of the times. Azrael hummed his approval. Perhaps he would put in a temptation or two to the right places. The States were certainly causing a stir with all of their suffragettes. He was fond of whatever form Crowell took - far more so than a demon should appreciate an angel, actually - but he’d very abruptly discovered a specific fondness for this form in trousers. He could spin it to Hell as leading women down an ungodly path. They’d eat it up.

“Should I allow you to do all the talking? I could sit in the corner and glower wealthily whenever they question you.”

“You’re a menace, you demon.” She sounded delighted. “That should work perfectly.”

[wonthurtyouanymore]

To all the swifties who support this ray of sunshine:

I think it’s time for ALL of us to talk (this includes fans in the LGBTQ+ community, fans who identify as Gaylors and/or Kaylors, and all the cisgender heterosexual fans and allies). This is (in Taylor’s words)...

Given that it is Pride Month, there is no better time to have this discussion-it’s kind of unavoidable at this point so let’s just have an open and friendly dialogue about Taylor’s recent actions and messages. Last month, I wrote a post about the friction the speculation about Taylor’s sexuality has caused in the fandom. So check it out here if you haven’t read it yet.

So Taylor has come out in full support of the LGBTQ+ community & has given us the greatest gift we could’ve ever asked for all in just the first couple days of the month. She validated our existence to the world & declared that she would use her platform to fight for our rights and equality. Everyone in this fandom should be so proud of her for speaking out and taking action to promote change. She’s the reason I came out so everything she’s said and done lately has meant the world to me. And it has given a lot of others the courage to come out as well.

People say that sexual and gender identity is private and it is true that no one is obligated to share his/her/their sexual and gender identity with anyone else (and this includes Taylor). But society makes assumptions about our identity whether we welcome it or not. Everyone in this fandom has an opinion about Taylor’s sexuality...and it seems, for the most part, like everyone is convinced that Taylor is either straight or gay. The world has always assumed she’s straight based on things she said, use of pronouns, and the people she’s been seen with in public. Part of the fandom is convinced she only likes women while the rest are certain she only likes men. But sexuality is a spectrum, which is why there are so many letters (LGBTQAIP) representing it. So if you’re going to speculate about Taylor’s sexuality, then at least have the decency to consider the possibility that she may identify as something other than “straight” or “gay,” and that she may not even have it perfectly nailed down herself. 

I’m not telling you to abandon your beliefs because you are entitled to your own opinion and to ship whoever you want. You can choose to believe the relationships you see or hear about in public are real or that they are publicity stunts. But can you please admit that bisexuality and pansexuality are real? The world isn’t black and white so please don’t erase the rest of the letters from your vocabulary. Keep an open mind. 

It’s time to stop attacking people with different opinions. It’s not homophobic to believe she’s just an ally and it’s not absurd for people to believe she’s more than that. And keep in mind Taylor is the only one who knows how she truly identifies. 

That being said...

Taylor is a very cautious person who meticulously plans everything. She is careful about her wording, loves sharing clues, and is very conscious of her fans’ perceptions of her. She knows there is a large part of her fanbase that believes she is LGBTQ+ and has been hinting at this for a long time. I’m going to assume we all agree that Taylor is the opposite of cruel and would never intentionally queerbait and toy with people’s emotions. 

Pride Month is all about celebrating your individuality and loving yourself for who you are (which is essentially the whole theme of the song “ME!”) But the “Pride” part of “Pride Month” is reserved for people in the LGBTQ+ community. We are saying we are proud to be a part of that community. So Taylor stating, “Let’s share OUR pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally,” is either an admission that she is a part of the LGBTQ+ community or is a poorly written/insensitive way of expressing her alliance. Brendon Urie of PATD! identifies as pansexual and is married to a beautiful woman (Sara Urie). He walked onto the Wango Tango stage wearing his 100% pride shirt. That makes sense because he is part of the LGBTQ+ community. He was declaring his pride. Allies of the community typically carry the flag to show their support. But Taylor came out onto the stage on the 1st day of Pride Month literally dressed as a Pastel Pride Flag (after declaring that her clothes are often easter eggs).

And she changed her icon/background to the flag as well: 

Check out my post on Taylor & Pride Flags here

Showing support for the community comes in many forms & we can’t dictate how everyone expresses theirs. So maybe that was just her being very enthusiastic about her support for the LGBTQ+ community. But I think it’s important that we acknowledge the fact that Taylor may actually be a part of the community and we should let her know that we will support her no matter how she identifies.  

[briangroth27]

Ready or Not Review

I really liked Ready or Not! It’s a very entertaining horror adventure with a healthy dose of comedy and a great lead in Samara Weaving. The supporting cast is on point too and everyone involved more than capably delivers a really fun thrill ride!

Full Spoilers...

Weaving's Grace is hoping to find a family once she marries her fiancé, Alex (Mark O’Brien), but everything goes wrong when his family tradition of playing a game each wedding night leaves her running for her life. Weaving imbues Grace with a winning way that makes her easy to root for, which is very important since we don't learn much about her interests or aspirations outside the family here. Her interactions with and reactions to the members of the Le Domas clan (along with her struggle to survive) give us a good grasp of who she is as a person (and that's just as if not more important as her biography), but I would've liked to know what she wanted out of life beyond a family and a solid home. Given no one in the movie really gets those details, however, it doesn't feel like she was slighted or underwritten. Her drive to have a family after living through foster homes was strong enough to give her a relatable goal and to fuel the tragedy that what she wants demands her death. The movie sends her through the ringer and Weaving absolutely sold Grace's growing confidence and grit in the face of so many would-be killers. She wasn't ever helpless or short of the ability to defend herself, but carving out an independent life apart from what she wanted was handled really well as the metaphorical component to her literal struggle to survive. I really liked that her most deliberate murder was the one that also eliminated any chance of a happy marriage to Alex, since she kills his mom Becky (Andie MacDowell), whom he loved her more than his new wife.

The script and direction did a great job of balancing Alex’s wish that he was different from his family with the dawning truths that he really did believe as they did and that he would choose them over Grace. The very act of putting her in a situation that could lead to her death without telling her—even if the Hide & Seek card hadn't been drawn in 30 years—was a huge red flag and I'm glad they followed through to the conclusion of that plot point. The romantic music swelling when he told Grace he'd proposed to her because she'd leave him otherwise didn't convince me that he was a good guy (he would have explained why they couldn’t get married or just let her go rather than risk her life if he really loved her), so I was happy the movie used the romantic music as a trick instead of a true emotional beat. There were other small hints at his turn along the way, so his was a nicely-constructed and acted arc too.

Alex’s brother Daniel (Adam Brody) was initially drawn as sleazy and unlikable, so I wasn’t expecting either of the moments where he helps Grace escape. I definitely didn’t think he’d turn out to be the best of his clan, particularly given his role in the last Hide & Seek game they played. However, I fully bought his turn after Brody and the movie showed the toll his choice back then had taken on him and how exhausted with everything about his family he was. Most of the Le Domas family were pretty affable on the surface (accounting for niceties at a wedding), and the actors and writers crafted a nice blend of reasons for them to stick with the family as well as some very entertaining comic relief within the group. Like Grace, we don’t hear a lot about their goals or dreams, but through the writing and performances it was easy to see who these people were from their actions and interactions alone. I did believe that they were truly hoping the Hide & Seek card wasn’t pulled and not just because they knew they’d all be terrible at hunting a person. That obviously doesn’t excuse any of their actions—they still put Grace in that position and immediately went through with trying to kill her to save themselves and the family business—but I liked that the movie took the step of giving them a bit of humanity before carrying out their ritual. That actually made them scarier, since people who do evil, selfish things are still people and pretending that only inhuman monsters are murderers (or racists, sexists, white supremacists, etc.) is dangerous.

There are some solid foils set up for Grace amongst the women of the Le Domas family. Becky is who Grace might want to be: the outsider welcomed into the family so that she can build a large one of her own and in doing so, find a stable home. They have the closest bond, come from similar lower class backgrounds, and the movie makes note of them both being smokers, providing another small connection between them (even if Grace lies about it to impress Becky). The ironically-named Charity (Elyse Levesque) is the cliché reflection of Grace (and possibly how we’d expect a wealthy family to see someone joining them from the lower classes): she’s literally there for the money and security that being part of this family provides. Emilie (Melanie Scrofano) is Grace without her grit (and what Grace hopes the family doesn’t see her as): a screw-up in over her head who has no idea what she’s doing, but who’s desperate to impress the family. Aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni), on the other hand, is who Grace could be if she were all grit and devotion to the family. Looking at them this way had me wondering if the men in the Le Domas clan are foils for Alex as well. Daniel is set up as the red herring evil brother and their trajectories are opposites: Alex left but never really “left” the family while Daniel stayed, but that only allowed him to stew in how terrible they all are. Fitch (Kristian Bruun) does bring up cutting and running once, but ultimately he’s fully willing to go along with the ritual and between Alex fleeing the family and Daniel drinking himself into snark, before Alex’s turn Fitch is kind of the best son Tony (Henry Czerny) has (even if he’s a son-in-law, ensuring he’ll never be treated like blood). Tony’s devoted to the ritual and will absolutely kill to protect his family, though he wishes he didn’t have to. He’s what Alex probably would have become had Grace pulled a different card. Emilie and Fitch’s sons Georgie (Liam MacDonald) and Gabe (Ethan Tavares) also mirror Daniel and Alex, with one of them being hidden for most of the movie and the other taking part in the family’s ritual “because everyone else was doing it.” 

Since I saw the first trailer, I was hoping Mr. Le Bael would be a real demon, so I absolutely loved that he actually was mystically sustaining this family’s fortune in exchange for this ritual! Just before that reveal, when it seemed nothing would happen to the family for not killing Grace before dawn, the family’s awkward “well shoot…what do we do now?” moment was played perfectly, so that was a bit of the best of both worlds. I thought Grace was going to have to fight off the whole family at once somehow, since they’d still have to kill her to get away with it. However, the parade of exploding devil worshipers that followed instead was a fitting end to these terrible people: they’re all brought down by the thing they thought would make their dreams come true (which is a nice parallel to Grace’s biggest dream turning into a nightmare). I thought Mr. Le Bael might offer Grace a deal of her own for surviving the night, but I’m glad he just gave her a nod of approval instead.

The violence throughout the film expertly walks the same cartoony/serious line that the tone of the whole movie does. That’s very hard to do while still keeping the stakes high, but this movie completely and consistently pulls it off. There’s a lot of gore (though not too gross-out graphic IMO) that’s used well to comedic effect, until Grace starts getting injured and it takes a turn to decidedly not comedic; then they play the seriousness and pain of those injuries just as effectively. While the accidental deaths are comical, I wish they weren’t solely reserved for women (Hanneke Talbot, Celine Tsai, and Daniela Barbosa, who play the Le Dormas maids), though I suppose that’s the comment on these villains: this rich family didn’t care about their value beyond bemoaning how well they’d served them.

Criticisms of the upper class like that are effectively deployed throughout the film, from joining/maintaining a ridiculously wealthy family being the only way several characters think they can have a good/secure life, to the only non-white people associated with the family being among their hired and quickly-forgotten help, to their fortune being built on games rather than socially-helpful endeavors (not that diversions aren’t important) as if they’ve never had to take anything but this ritual seriously (not to mention the literal deal with the devil alleviating any hard work they might’ve had to do to make said fortune), to the flimsy “this is just how I was raised” excuse Alex and Georgie give. Given that the butler Stevens (John Ralston), Tony, and Helene are the most effective/vicious hunters, there’s also a vibe that the old white people are the ones fighting hardest to maintain their traditions (sometimes even if they know they don’t make sense anymore) and way of life by using the younger generation as expendable pawns and targets. Even when outside authority figures are trying to be helpful, they’re ultimately playing into the Le Domas family’s interests instead of the common person’s, like when Grace explains that she’s being hunted and the family car’s security agent Justin (Nat Faxon) turns the car off (since it’s been reported stolen) while offering half-meant hopes (and prayers?) that she makes it out alive. 

The score is fun (and the Hide & Seek song is very creepy!), while the production design of the Le Domas mansion and the movie in general feels perfectly fitting for this kind of story (as others online have pointed out). The pacing is excellent, giving us enough time to get to know Grace and her new family in the first act before everything goes crazy, which also gives her a glimpse of the life she wants before ripping it away and lets them play some relatable “dealing with the in-laws” gags. Once the game begins, the comedy and thrills don’t stop until the end!

Ready or Not continues the steady build of solid horror movies heading into the Halloween season this year! I can’t wait to pick it up on Blu-ray. It’s definitely a blast and it’s more than worth a trip to the theater to see it!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!  

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Make a Move

11/13/2018

Pairing: Thundershield x Reader          Word Count: 4,923

Warnings: Language, a bit of angst, fluff, very light smut

A/N: This is written for @until-theend-oftheline ‘s Iron Hiddles Thundershield Quickie Challenge. This was a lot of fun and actually the cake bit is based on a dream I had. It was nice dream! I hope you enjoy this one-shot! Let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys and when you tell me what you liked I can gauge what goes into my stories in the future! As always, if you happen to reblog, thanks so much for helping me spread my work. xoxo

Aesthetic Prompt (made by @until-theend-oftheline)

“There she is.” Steve mutters quietly. His hands clench into tight fists as he watches you move into the quaint coffee shop.

This is his favorite spot. He comes here every chance he gets and spends a few precious hours scribbling and doodling in his secret sketch journal. He doesn’t have it with him today. For good reason, too. Today is for business.

Thor looks up from his spot across from Steve and watches as his eyes light up as you wave over at them. Thor smirks, finding it all very adorable that Steve seems to be perpetually unable to see what’s right in front of him.

Thor can see it in the way his cheeks flush lightly and the sudden blue sparkle in his eyes. The Captain is so into you and he doesn’t even realize it.

You shove your umbrella into the wooden stand then move towards the two largest men in the small converted brownstone. A hot spot for the young men and women in the area which you definitely qualify as, the coffee shop has a comfy atmosphere. All the fixtures, counters, tables, and chairs are mismatched chocolate brown woods. Some chairs do have cushions, and these are always taken first thing in the morning.

Steve avoids those tables anyway. They’re at the center where the hustle and bustle of the constant crowd streaming in and out gets annoying. He’d learned his lesson when his elbow had been bumped several times, ruining a few of his sketches. He prefers the table at the far back of the shop where he can both look out at the falling rain and keep an eye on the door to see who comes and goes. And in this corner, away from the free books to read and the self-serve treats, Steve can sit for hours undisturbed, half hidden small shelving of books for sale.

His favorite table has four, what looks like hollowed out tree trunks for seats. They’ve been sanded down and varnished but the natural wood is beautiful, and he likes the way the lines swirl. These are also the only seats that he feels are safe for Thor to sit in. The guy is massive.

As you approach the table, adjusting your very worn brown satchel off of your shoulder, you can’t help but smile at the contrast between them and the rest of the young patrons. The two men who look at you with soft smiles do not fit in.  One, a 1,500-year-old God and the other a hundred plus year old veteran look slightly out of place.

“Sorry, I know I’m late.” You sigh your apology and settle into the seat to Steve’s right and to Thor’s left. You quickly put your satchel between your feet for security, still wiping at the rain on your red bomber with your free hand. The chill in the air is strong enough that wearing a slightly heavier coat is appropriate. Thor seems to agree with you as he’s wearing his favorite dark red coat too. Steve doesn’t seem to feel the chill because he’s wearing a pair of jeans and a long sleeve, heather gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up to expose his muscular forearms.

You force yourself to look at Thor, wanting to just sit and stare at Steve.

“Not at all. We just got here ourselves.” Thor lies. He looks over at Steve who’s watching you with a furrowed brow.

“Excuse me!” He waves one of the servers over, a pretty redhead with bright green eyes, a heart shaped face, and pouty pink lips. She flushes but hurries over.

It is Steve Rogers calling her over. You’d feel flustered too if you worked here and got called over by Steve Rogers. Of course, you live with him so it’s normal to see him every day. But if you’re honest, even when he calls you over at home, your heart skips a beat when those blue eyes meet yours.

Actually, it kinda upsets you that the waitress stands much too close to him as she reaches your table. He has to pull his arm down into the circle of his chair to keep from grazing her stomach.

“Oh, hi, Steve. I didn’t know you were here today.”

What a liar! You eye her with as neutral a gaze as you can, but you feel the uncomfortable twist of jealousy in your stomach.

“Kate, can we get a few spare towels if you have them?” Steve looks up at her and gives her a smile that might have aimed at being polite but feels a little too flirty for your liking.

This Kate puts her perfectly manicured hand on his right bicep and rubs it with her dainty thumb. “Of course, Steve. I’ll be right back.”

The waitress turns, and leaves and you slump back in your chair an involuntary pout twisting your own lips.

“She was awfully friendly.” You throw at him hoping that he can’t hear the jealousy there.

“Kate? Yeah, she’s great.” Steve smiles at you then turns to look at Thor who sits shaking his head as he frowns at his comrade. “What?”

Thor turns his gaze on you and sits forward, resting his elbows on the smooth wooden table. “I know it’s a little strange to meet out of the compound, but we thought it might be better if we talked about this away from the others. With Tony and Pepper so close to getting married we didn’t want them to worry about some unknown threat.”

Okay, business. You like focusing on business. It helps distract you from the waitress and her stupid manicured hand all over Steve’s bicep.

“When did it arrive?” You ask, serious tone renewed as you concentrate on the task at hand which successfully drives the redhead from your mind.

You lean forward, mirroring Thor’s posture to bring you closer to him so that you can speak low. You don’t want to be overheard.

“A week ago.” Steve says, tapping his fingers against the table.

You look at him and find his blue gaze darkened as he frowns at the woodgrain. If there’s one thing that he hates it when people threaten his friends. The people he cares about? His family? You don’t want to mess with the Avengers. Especially with threats? Steve is no joke when he’s angry. And most people were afraid of Dr. Banner when he got upset.

“Have you told anyone else?” You ask him, wanting so badly to reach out and place your hand over his to settle his fingers.

“We thought it best to keep it between as few of us as possible.” Steve says with a shake of his head.

“We’re not sure where this threat really came from and we don’t want to alarm anyone if it is just someone’s idea of an ill-timed joke.” Thor agrees. “You are the expert when it comes to the forscenic sciences. Is that not right, Captain?”

Steve watches Thor with an amused grin which you also can’t help but share.

“Forensic.” You correct him kindly and Thor clears his throat.

“Is that not what I said?”

“Close enough.” Steve admits and turns the full power of his grin on you.

For a horribly pleasant moment, your heart thumps loudly in your chest as the curve of his smile lights up his face. All darkness cleared from it, you see happy Steve and you want him to stay that way. So, without another thought, you nod.

“I’m in.” You swallow hard, staring at Steve still before you force your eyes away back to Thor. “Where’s the letter?”

“Y/N? Are you sure you want to do this? It could be really dangerous.” Steve says with worry, his happy smile gone, replaced with a small frown as he reaches towards your hand on the table but doesn’t quite reach it.

“Tony and Pepper deserve to have a perfect wedding day. If I can help give them that, then I want in. Besides, no one threatens my family and gets away with it.” Your anger really does bubble up, filling your chest with heat that has nothing to do with how Steve’s hand is only two inches from your own.

His eyes sparkle and he nods at Thor who reaches into his jacket pocket to retrieve the letter but then freezes as Kate returns.

“Here you go, Steve.” She says a little breathless, handing him not one or two but a stack of six dry hand towels.

Steve smiles up at her, much too excited. Why can’t he stop doing that?! Does he smile at all the girls he meets like that?

“Thanks, Kate, you’re a lifesaver.” He gushes.

You turn your gaze away from them and look instead at the empty seat across from you with half a mind to get up and leave. It would be stupid because how the hell is Steve supposed to know that you like him? You haven’t told him. Or anyone for that matter. So, he’d be super confused as to your reason for storming off. But you want to do it. You place your hands on the side of the chair, intent on getting up to leave when you feel a light tug to the left side of your head.

You turn your head towards Steve to see what he’s doing and your heart flips as he sits with the towels carefully balanced on his right thigh while, with one of them in his hands, he carefully pats your hair dry.

“You’ll catch a cold.” He reasons, talking only to you.

“Oh.” Kate mutters.

“Miss?” Some other patron calls.

“Excuse me.” Kate says with slight disappointment.

“Thanks, Kate.” Steve repeats but doesn’t turn to watch her go.

You reach up quickly, nervous and flustered. Your hands find his in the towel and you grab them to stop them from moving. He freezes and looks down at your face, his blue eyes inquisitively boring into your own.

“I can do it.” You assure him, so nervous you’re surprised your voice doesn’t shake.

“Right.” Steve says and quickly takes his hands back but only so that he can place the right on the stack on his lap and his left flat on the table again.

To your left, Thor chuckles. Both you and Steve look at him, nervous as hell.

“What’s so funny?” You demand, freezing in your hair drying.

“Hm? Nothing I just repeated forscenic in my head.” He laughs again and sits back, shaking his head.

You’re not sure if he’s telling the truth. Thor is really good at being sneaky when he wants to be.

Steve also stares at Thor with a furrowed brow.

Intent on moving past the awkwardness you lower the towel onto your lap.

“The letter?” You remind them.

“Right.” Thor says, remembering and once more reaches into his coat’s breast pocket and produces from it a bagged letter and envelope.

“An evidence bag?” You ask, impressed by their forethought.

“I though it might be easier for you to work if we didn’t contaminate it any more than we already did.” Steve explains as he grabs another towel and offers it to you.

You take it but put it in your lap before reaching out for the sealed bag. You lean over it, staring at the careful handwriting and read the threat. It’s simple. Not complicated or contrived. It’s straight to the point.

Felicitations on your happy day. I’m sure it’ll be a bang.

“Felicitations? Who the hell uses the word felicitations these days other than pretentious assholes?” You wonder aloud, disgusted by the threat and the audacity that some people have to try and ruin special days for other people.

Thor looks between you and Steve with shifting electric blue eyes before he very slowly raises his hand. You realize that he would probably use that word. Oops.

“Thor, buddy, come clean and we’ll call it a day.” Steve assures him with a nod.

“I would not threaten my friends on their special day!” Thor defends himself and you try and stifle your laugh, but it bursts from your lips with a slight choking sound.

Steve chuckles.

“I’m sorry.” You reach over and place your hand over Thor’s massive one, gently rubbing it in reassurance. “I didn’t mean to imply that you’re an asshole.”

“Or pretentious?” Thor presses.

But you wrinkle your nose at him, tilting your head from left to right. “Mmmm.”

He huffs at your teasing which only makes you laugh again.

“I’m only kidding, Thor. You’re not pretentious or an asshole. You’re very sweet.” You can’t help but beam at him when his frown relaxes into his soft goofy grin.

“Where the hell is our damn coffee?” Steve suddenly grumbles and waves Kate over again.

He was just laughing. What’s with the mood shift? You watch his face light up again as Kate approaches. “We had three coffees, Kate, can you see what’s taking so long?”

The redhead blanches as she looks down at her tray. “Oh…I’m sorry, Steve. I think I forgot to put the order in. I’ll go put it in right now. I’m so…so sorry. Please forgive me.”

You stare at the redhead, astounded by her distraction with Steve. She’d been staring at him so hard she’d completely forgotten to put the order in? What kind of non-professional…

“It’s alright, Kate.” Steve assures her, his sweetest smile offered as she gives him a small shy smile of her own.

“I really hope that I haven’t ruined your opinion of me.” Kate suddenly throws out, unembarrassed to be making such declarations in front of two other people. One of which is you, a girl who clearly has some kind of personal relationship with him. “I want you to think only good things of me.”

“No harm done. And trust me, Kate, nothing but good things.” He assures her with a charming half-smile.

Your half-smile! Okay…maybe that was exaggeration, but you’d never seen him offer that smile to anyone but you when you were at the compound, working.

The ache in your chest has you up on your feet, the bagged letter shoved into the front pocket of your satchel as you pull the strap up onto your shoulder. “I’m gonna start on this right away. You can forget the third coffee.”

You don’t mean to spit your words at the redhead, but you do, and you don’t even feel bad about it.

“You’re leaving already?” Steve asks, sounding slightly disappointed.

“I should get started on the letter. And I don’t want to impose on you.” You look at Thor as you speak, unwilling to look at Steve to see what expression he might be wearing.

“Impose?” Steve sounds so confused but you won’t look at him.

“I’ll see you guys back at the compound.” You turn on your heel and as quickly as you can manage, you weave your way through the crowd of people coming in out of the freezing rain.

“Y/N?” Steve calls out to you, but you don’t stop and leave the shop as quickly as you possibly can.

“What the hell was that about?” Steve wonders, turning his gaze back to Thor.

Thor sits, shaking his head again at his friend, disappointment written across his ruggedly handsome face. “You, my dear friend, are a half-wit and I hope she never gives you the time of day.”

“What?” Steve demands confused more than ever.

Thor gets to his feet. “Dear Kate, I will not be requiring a coffee either.”

“Where are you going?” Steve asks, looking over at Kate who is already leaning over to the barista and cancelling the second coffee.

“To see my girl. I will not make the same mistakes my friends make. You are a good man, Steve. Just a bit stupid.” Thor moves for the door with no trouble. Everyone parts for him. He draws up his collar and disappears out into the rain.

Steve stares after Thor, wondering what the hell he could mean but when he sees your umbrella, forgotten in the wooden stand, Steve’s heart gives a sudden jolt. He’s up on his feet, racing for the door. He grabs your umbrella and without another word, he too disappears into the darkening afternoon.

Poor Kate moves towards the table, cup of coffee balanced carefully on her tray where no one is waiting.

“What the fuck?” She mutters, under her breath, then marches back to the counter in defeat.

“Y/N?” Steve’s voice makes you jump.

You accidentally tear the letter at the top and sigh heavily as you glare at the rip.

“Damn it.” You growl.

“There you are.” Steve says with a smile. He moves towards you where you’re leaning over your lab table where you’ve been rubbing swabs on the edges where fingers would have more than likely touched first.

“Where else am I supposed to be?” You ask, still grumpy from the coffee shop debacle a few hours ago.

“Nowhere. I just wasn’t sure you’d still be in here. But you’re always in here.” He shrugs. “Shoulda known better. Anything yet?”

You put the now torn letter aside and shake your head. “The last two swab samples are finishing up now. What are you doing here? I thought you’d be sipping java with your redhead.”

“Redhead? Oh, Kate? She’s nice.” He nods.

You hate him. You officially hate him and the redhead.

“But I don’t think I can be comfortable around her. She’s tires too hard. I want someone I can lounge on the sofa with. Someone who’ll watch movies with me. Excited because it’s usually the first time I’ve seen them.” He stops beside you, turning around to lean his back against your lab table. He’s fidgeting with something but you’re thinking about the description for the person he wants to be with. You and he love watching movies together. Well, you love watching movies with him and he’s never complained about your company. “Even when they’ve seen them a million times before.”

You look up at him and feel your chest tighten nervously. “Is that my umbrella?”

You finally focus on what he’s got in his hands and he nods, frowning at you. “You left without it. You’re going to get sick.”

“Me? Not possible. I’m resilient.” Almost as if it’s on cue, you double over with a sneeze.

“Right, resilient. And what the hell are you wearing?” He asks, outrage on his handsome face.

“What?” You look down at yourself. You’re wearing your lab coat. But he probably means what’s underneath it.

You had showered and changed into your satin pajamas, dark blue shorts and a matching button up shirt with a light pink embroidered line along the hem for embellishment. Your feet are covered with your fluffy white slippers. You’re warm!

“There’s nothing wrong with what I’m wearing.”

Steve frowns, placing your umbrella on the table and turns to face you, opening his mouth to argue. Before he can there’s a ding and with an excited jump you scamper over to the autosampler and push a few buttons on the touch display.

“Anything?” Steve asks.

You stare at the screen for a minute then turn to look at him. “Yeah but…” You suddenly realize what must have happened.

“Where did you say that you found the letter?” You put your hands on your hips and move towards him slowly, stopping only when you’re a foot away, staring up at his confused and handsome face.

“On Tony’s lab table. Why?”

“Because the samples returned Tibetan soil and germicidal solution.” You wait for him to realize what’s going on, but he stares at you in utter confusion.

“The attacker is from Tibet?” He asks, seriously.

“No, Steve. There is no attacker.” You begin to remove your lab coat and throw it over your stool and stretch your arms over your head. Steve’s expression changes as he watches you stretch, his eyes moving down along your torso then back up to your face. Why are his eyes dilated? “What other pretentious asshole do we know who probably has plenty reason to spend time in Tibet?”

Steve continues to stare down at you and it becomes so invasive that you cross your arms across your chest and wait for him to answer.

“Who?” He asks.

“I’m sure Stephen didn’t mean to surprise you and Thor, but he is the only other idiot I know that would use the word ‘felicitations’. Why can’t he just use ‘congratulations’ like other normal people? Dumbass.” You move around Steve, dropping your hands as you walk.

His hand suddenly grabs your wrist and he pulls you to a stop. “Where are you going?”

“To bed? I’m beat. I’ve been running around all day and then I spent the last six hours in here running tests on that stupid letter.” You look down at his hand around your wrist and wish he’d just grab you and kiss you. But he won’t. You gently pull your arm out of his grip. “Goodnight, Steve. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.” He replies.

With disappointment tightening your chest, you find solace in at least the fact that the redhead, Kate, is no one to be worried about.

“It took you long enough. Do you have any idea how long I have been waiting for you to realize that you are utterly in love with our little forensics expert?” Thor gestures towards the doorway of Steve’s bedroom.

Steve looks over at it and knows that Thor is gesturing towards the kitchen where you’re busy baking to relieve some stress after all that nonsense with Strange’s letter.

“I guess I’m still as clueless as ever when it comes to dames.” Steve sighs, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck.

“Clueless you may be, but a further idiot you do not have to make yourself. No one is home. It is you, Y/N, and myself. In a moment I will leave you and I suggest you make a move. Any move. Tell her you love her, kiss her, embrace her, just do something. I can’t stand watching the two of you pining any longer.” Thor claps Steve on the shoulder and moves towards his door to take his leave.

Steve springs to his feet and tries to fight the fluttering of his heart as he takes in Thor’s carefully worded advice. “Wait, are you saying she likes me back?”

“Like?” Thor shakes his head again. “You’re both idiots.”

With that, Thor turns and leaves Steve standing in utter nervous excitement, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he searches for the confidence to make his move. He has to make it clear that you’re the one he wants. Not Kate, not any other girl he’s ever met. Just you.

You’re busy checking on the chocolate cakes baking in the professional grade oven that Tony spared no expense on in the kitchen. The smell is so intoxicating. Devil’s Food Cake is your best dish. It’s almost finished. Just a few more minutes. You’re so focused on your cake that you don’t notice as Thor sneaks down the hallway to the elevator and takes his leave.

You pull the cakes out two minutes before the ding of the timer.

Your hair pulled up into a messy bun you carefully pull the two round cakes out of their tins and place them on the cooling rack but even though you know that you should wait until the cakes have really cooled down before you start piling them up into a two-layered cake, you reach for your carving knife and very carefully cut the dome of the bottom layer away leaving a nice, flat, and even cake.

You set the slivers of cut cake aside on a smaller plate before you pile the cake up.

“What the hell is that smell?” Steve’s voice shocks you again and you jump.

“Jesus, Steve, don’t you knock?” You demand, irritated with how easily he scares you.

“I live here.” He sasses you. He stops behind you, peeking over your shoulder at the chocolate cake, smiling that stupid half-smile that he gave to Kate. It irritates you because you’d thought that was your smile. Now you’re wondering how often he smiles like that outside of the compound. “That looks good. What kind of frosting are you going to use?”

“Frosting? I’m not going to use any frosting.

“What?!” He demands, somewhat outraged.

You push the cake to the side and turn to hop up onto the counter, then pull the wooden tray up onto your lap, the cake perfectly balanced at the center.

“It doesn’t need any frosting. It’s sweet enough as it is. This is my Devil’s Food Cake!” You assure him. You don’t need to add anything. It’s already perfect.

“You can’t not add frosting. It’s not cake without frosting.” He moves closer, standing in front of you to look down at the un-iced cake, his hands on his hips.

“Fine. You want proof?” You reach over and pull the small plate with the slivers of shaved cake, grab a decent sized piece and hold it out for him to take. “Here, try it.”

Your heart stutters as he places his right hand on your left next to your hip on the counter. He eyes the offered cake then looks up into your eyes. The amused intensity of his sparkling blue eyes ties a knot in your chest making it hard to swallow. He places his other hand on your other side, his thumb gently grazing your hip as he leans in towards you.

He opens his mouth and before you can pull back, he closes his mouth around the cake and the tips of your fingers.

Butterflies tumble violently in your stomach making you feel as if you’re floating. He pulls back, licking his lips as you sit frozen on the counter, your chest burning with a sudden desire.

“You know what?” You’re right.” He admits, nodding and twisting his mouth in defeat, not oblivious of the state that he’s put you in. There’s a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. “You’re sweet enough without it.”

He pulls back fully and moves towards the living room across the meeting room as you continue to sit, still frozen on the kitchen counter.

“What do you wanna watch?” He asks. His questions snaps you back to reality and you spring from the counter, shoving the cake onto the counter as you storm after him.

He’s already sitting on the long sofa, flipping through the selection of movies on the T.V. with a furrowed brow.

“You can’t just do that and walk away from me, Steve. What the hell was that?”

“What was what?” He asks, innocently.

“What thing with-with-with your mouth and the cake and my fingers?”

“I was tasting it.” He shrugs.

“Am I just a joke to you?” You demand. Your heart aches slightly, wondering if he knows how much you think about him. Always, he’s on your mind. What he just did…that teasing…

“Well, you are pretty funny.” He says, that half-smile back.

“Oh, screw you, Steve.” You turn sharply on the ball of your foot to storm out of that living room, but Steve’s hand is once again on your wrist, stopping you from moving.

Without warning he yanks you back so that your legs hit his left knee and you tumble backwards onto the sofa, landing on your back. Slowly Steve leans himself over you, lifting your legs with his right arm so that you’re lying on the sofa completely.

“What are you doing?” Your pounding heart tells you that you know what he’s doing. But you want him to say it. You want to know you’re not wrong.

“Making my move.” He explains, quietly.

Before you can reply he leans down and presses a sensual kiss to your throat. You gasp and try to remember how to breathe.

“How long have you liked me, Y/N?” He whispers against your throat, his breath tickling your skin and making it erupt into goosebumps.

You have trouble finding your voice for a second. “A long time.”

Steve kisses your throat again then pulls back, licking his lips as he stares down into your eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He reaches up, caressing the sides of your face as he works his right knee between your legs to lay himself on you a bit more comfortably.

“I was afraid that you wouldn’t like it, me liking you. You’re way out of my league.” You insist.

Steve smiles your half-smile and he shakes his head. “Trust me, Y/N, if anyone is unqualified, it’s me. I’ve loved you since almost the first moment I set my eyes on you.”

Love?!

“Can I show you?” He whispers, leaning down to whisper against your lips.

You’re so intoxicated with him and the way you can taste your cake on his breath.

“Show me.” You plead, and he closes the space between your lips, kissing you with so much desire that you’re sure he’s wanted you just as much as you’ve wanted him.

His hands trace the shape of your hip before he hooks his hand around your thigh, slides it down to rest behind your knee and lifts your leg to wrap it around his waist.

As Steve presses himself between your legs, drawing a muffled moan from your lips, you’re sure of one thing; When Steve Rogers decides to make a move, he makes a move.

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[hxyxdydydyyddudw2g]

I hate that this post needed to be peppered with disgusting ableist rhetoric founded by the Nazis, and perpetuated by scientific positivism and psychoanalytic epistemology. that is still being used against women and POC, especially people who are criminalized (as the institutions of social sciences were initialized to detect and punish 'deviants' in society and reinforce imperialism against the colonially-conquered 'other').

"Neurological racism" and "mental disease" are absolutely just sickening ways to talk about anything. Neurodivergency is not a disease. There is nothing 'neurological' about racism - just like your behavior is entirely socially trained. Trying to find the most 'evil possible person's, or the 'dumbest' scenario, is just a problem of people's awful attempts to find scapegoats in 'biology and 'genes' to avoid dealing with real problems.

And if we're even pretending that anyone on this post sees disabled people as up as the barest minimum might demand, it's ASPD. 'Sociopathy', 'psychopaths', etc, are bullshit fetishist nonsense even more than the biased and arbitrary DSM, or the horrific culture of diagnostic that people in power use to stereotype a source of 'degeneracy' they see in society. Both those terms target criminals in an attempt to dehumanize them... especially black men. It justifies the injustice of the whole system if the people aren't people. Also, to any ASPD people who had to suffer the above poster, I hope you have a nice day, you do not deserve that.

Second, there's always an obvious tell to ablesim being equated to total unreasonable and senseless, which also has its roots in Freudian and Lacanian sexism: it's separate from everything else. It's the literal exception to being human. Everyone else has a reason founded on bad logic, as opposed *them*. And per usual, it's just tagged on (not even a common quote, probably because there isn't one lmao), even though the essential relationship here is that people abuse their "allyship", relationships in a larger marginalized community, online communities, etc. It's talking about a specific thread of behavior and fetishism/appropriation/mockery of black culture. When your identity is turned into a game of making you out to be a horrific fucking monster or not even worth speaking to, and that people are supposed to diagnose you with their made up immature eugenicist fanfic version of your life to have an excuse to harass and abuse you... or any of the other ways of being separated out from a community... you probably don't GET the opportunity, and the above poster perfectly clarifies why. In what world have any communities EVER been wholly supported of ALL imprisoned people in any institution, remembered the schizophrenic and other ND's who laid the foundations for queer rights and theory? Not in decades.

And so we come around to the "excuses". Considering the underlying rhetoric at play in this thread, it implies the same old thing, almost the reverse of what OP is trying to say. Unlike the other 3, social ignorance and hatred and bigotry and stupidity and evil IS actually said to be some kind of symptom, as something you will do and were born to do, instead of ontology. The responder just makes that reality all the more obvious, and the fact that tumblr is still home to posts like 'we should genocide all the narcissists, who is with me!' And no one blinks an eye. No one else said anything to the above poster either. The fact is that people are eager to keep your 'disease' at fault. And more importantly, to make subtle jabs at the presumed intelligence and social ability of the group they are talking about: that is why, I believe, OP didn't use a quote. They're treating our 'incorrect behavior' as a symptom instead of an act or a word - our 'lesser ability' and stupidity should be kept in line. As if any ND person who has to live the worst of these consequences would ever make this relation - you can't NOT be aware of the implications. A pathology is literally a problematic label placed on people's way of behaving all the time.

(Note to everyone with adhd/autism/depression & and anxiety/etc. who wants to respond, ND includes more than just the most privileged, common, and socially accepted pathologies which get all the positive attention. You guys are usually responsible for spreading these kinds of attitudes into larger communities to separate yourself from 'the bad ones', without realizing that many 'evil disorders' are actually just the NT negative interpretation of you. Npd vs adhd and aspd and bpd vs autism make this pretty clear.)

Reminder that it really doesn’t matter what ways you’re marginalized, if you’re not black you’re just as capable of anti blackness as white cishet people. No amount of “but I’m gay!”, “but I’m trans!”, or “but I’m not white!” changes that.

And being neurodiverse/disabled isn’t an excuse for anti blackness either.

[seventeendeer]

To be honest, sometimes when I see posts about straight men being useless because lesbian women are 100% better, I feel like I fail at being someone who could be in a straight relationship. Meaning, I can never support someone as I virtually feel useless to every women. Essentially, I hate that being born a man means that I can never measure up to women. Should men even exist at this point? (Sorry, if you don't feel like answering, you can delete this. I'm just self-loathing about being a man.)

I get some variation of this message every time I reblog a post joking about men being useless - but they’re usually from entitled dudes demanding that I heal their bruised egos, so my replies are generally very dismissive. However, you seem to be genuinely puzzled, so for once, I’ll explain where that style of humor comes from.

The first thing to understand is that there’s nothing wrong with being any gender, because gender doesn’t signify anything. Gender doesn’t dictate what you’re good or bad at. The gender you’re assigned at birth can have a great influence on how others treat you, but that’s about it. Don’t feel bad about being a man, because “being a man” doesn’t dictate anything about your personality or skills. Someone could be assigned female at birth, have Jessica Rabbit’s physique, be emotionally vulnerable, and exclusively wear pink, and still be a man. Gender doesn’t mean anything. Plenty of men are kind, caring and enrich the lives of those around them. Plenty of women are creepy, controlling and abusive. All traits are up for grabs by all genders.

The reason lesbian women (and sometimes women of other orientations, and nonbinary people) make fun of men so much is because of the social context we’re in. When we say “men are useless”, what we actually mean is:

We have been told all our lives, by family members, by friends, by movies and society, that our lives will not be complete without a man.

We have been told that women are straight up worth less than men. Yes, this still happens. Especially pervasive in the job market and in fiction.

We have been told that only ugly/aggressive/”lesser” women become lesbians, that lesbianism is the less-attractive plan B if we can’t find a man.

Not every man disrespects lesbians, but almost every lesbian has been disrespected by a man saying he can turn her straight/that she’s lying about her sexuality/that she can’t be sure she’s a lesbian before she’s tried being with a man.

All of these points are wrong. We don’t need men in our lives. We do not need men to be happy.

In short, it’s not actually a statement about men, per se - it’s a statement about the other genders and how they don’t need men to have fulfilling lives. The “men are useless” style of humor is basically a way to show defiance against all the prejudice we’ve faced in our lives. It’s looking at a societal group that simultaneously mocks us and claims we need them, and telling them “We don’t want you. We’re not dependent on you. We’re perfectly fine the way we are.”

It doesn’t mean we don’t like men or that no man could possibly contribute anything to our lives. It just means that we’re perfectly capable of being happy without you too. Having good men in one’s life is a plus, but having no men in one’s life is not a detriment.

(You shouldn’t strive to be needed, anyway - you should strive to be wanted. Good relationships with other people are built on wanting be around each other, not fearing what your life will be without them.)

Whenever you see a marginalized group making fun of the people making their lives difficult, you have to see it through the lens of the society we live in. It’s not a personal attack. If you check your own behavior and make sure you’re not adding to their problems, you’re perfectly fine. Understand that it’s a type of humor that helps marginalized people cope and distance themselves from the harmful notions they’ve had forced on them all their lives.

And if you find someone who is serious when they say men are worse than other genders/are inherently evil/shouldn’t exist, honestly, run in the other direction. People who genuinely think like that have a fundamental misunderstanding of how gender works, and are likely a bunch of shitty transphobes to boot. Don’t mess with them, nobody likes those guys.

tl;dr gender is meaningless, lesbians just like taking the piss bc we know we’re better than what we were told we were

[papatonyinsandiego]

Creating Sacred Male Space, Part 3: Welcoming the Stranger

I often run into people who beseech each other for help in figuring out how to approach new people, for the purpose of inviting them to be a part of the community, without appearing to be a predator.

I've been extremely successful in this endeavor. The group in San Diego that I started years ago has almost 1200 followers, and nearly ALL of them have been added ONE AT A TIME. 

I can't stress that enough - Simply printing cards or flyers, or mass-emailing, or posting it online is nothing, compared to the personal approach. We are all fed up with impersonal invitations. We've been burned too many times with spam, viruses, and every other kind of crap coming at us from every direction. These people have raised our threshold for bullshit so high that any sane person would assume that nobody could ever break through the average person's cynicism.

However, all that it takes is a touch.

Let's assume that I'm going to approach you at a bar event that I've created.  I'm HUGE (six foot five, even taller in my big boots, 280 pounds, gray-bearded and hairy, and usually in uniform or leather).  To the average person, I look nine feet tall and six foot wide. Despite all of this, when I come up to strangers to let them know about my group, I have a consistently high success-rate. Out of 100 strangers, approximately 90 of them will gladly give me their email address.  Out of those people, after I have added them to my weekly email list, ONE will unsubscribe. Everybody else sticks around, and likes what they receive from me.

People think that the most important currency is money. In 2011, it's not. It's CREDIBILITY.  No amount of money will buy credibility.  It has to be earned the hard way. I have the confidence to approach strangers and enroll them in a sweet, joyful common dream, because I have kept my word for decades. The average stranger doesn't know that for a fact yet, but they are intrigued enough by my affectionate, respectful and confident demeanor to give me a chance.

So, let's say that I'm at a public event (usually one that I created for this purpose), looking for new people to sign up for FMSD (FetishMenSanDiego.org). I call these events "Honey Traps", which is a term that I am using as a metaphor - They are events that are attractive enough to drag individuals away from their damn computers. The average person sits in front of FaceBook, Fetlife, Recon or some other endless distraction, but has a firm conviction that everybody else is having more fun in the real world than they are. EVERYBODY has that idea in their heads, and doesn't understand how few people are having fun in the non-virtual world. We're all lonely, disconnected and losing our ability to feel like we're part of something real, and bigger than our concerns, insecurities and considerations.

I look around me at these events, looking for someone who is clearly wearing their favorite "suit of armor". They are broadcasting "I'm shy", or "I'm not interested" or "I'm just passing through". Those are the folks that I make a beeline for.  Other people might call them "Attitude Queens".  I don't - I understand that "Attitude with a Capital A" is just shyness. I can handle that, and here's how… This is my standard script for approaching strangers:

I approach the stranger, stand quite close (about two feet away), where they can clearly see me and can't pretend that I'm part of the furniture. I pointedly look them right in the eye, and say "Excuse me, have I spoken with you before?", while wearing a pleasant, (but not excessively pleasant) smile, and slightly upraised eyebrows. My demeanor is clearly communicating polite and courteous interest. They usually have a slightly startled reaction to this, saying "No, I don't think so". I'll then ask "are you a San Diegan?" If they say no, then I tell them a bit about our group, and show them a few pictures from previous events, and then move onward to the next guy.  If they say yes, then I continue with the script.

Remember, many of these events are NOISY - Loud music, chattering people all around.  This gives me cover for moving in closer and making actual, physical contact with them. I touch their solar plexus with the back of my hand, while introducing myself, and asking who they are, and a few other polite questions to break the ice. This is 100% effective in initiating physical contact, because no matter how shy or cynical that person is, they have been programmed their entire lives to shake hands to show that they are nice, well-raised people who don't have any weapons. I'll say "I'm Papa Tony, and I host many of the leathermen's events here in town." I'll release their hand, and whip out my iPhone. I''ll show them group pictures that clearly show happy, satisfied crowds of people who obviously share traits with my guest of the moment. These events are diverse, full of big smiles and don't follow any common rules of the "I'm Hot and You're NOT" philosophy.

I'm now paging through photos for the enjoyment of the person in front of me, and drawing QUITE close - Close enough to rest my hand on his shoulder while I'm flipping through pictures one-handed. That way, I can talk in a normal, comfortable, just-between-nice-guys voice, because I'm so close - My mouth is maybe ten inches away from his ear, and I'm using my Indoor Voice. Closeness COUNTS. In our current culture, we have learned that somebody who stands at a distance from us is not a trustworthy person. Spammers like to hide. Abusers like to hide. Nice people are close by, and have no fear about other nice people in a polite society.

Example: Let's say that you see a stranger shoving his way through a crowd, and when he gets to you, he says "Get the fuck out of my way, ASSHOLE!"  Chances are pretty good that he's going to get a big dose of ASSHOLE in response.  That's not a side of us that we prefer, but our internal, hard-wired  Fight or Flight response demands that we do SOMETHING in a stressful situation.  Now, delete that example, and imagine somebody coming up to you and treating you as a thoroughly respectable, intelligent, pleasant and enjoyable person, right from the very first instant. You're being approached, not for the sake of money, or power, sex, or any other other obvious, predictable reason, but because somebody wants YOU, of all people, to be a part of an actual, visually-appealing, thriving community of nice people, who get together often in public.

By this time, my target of interest (and possible new brother) is intrigued, despite multiple layers of well-earned cynicism. I continue to destroy his defenses: I'll say "We want all ages, all colors, all body-styles and all levels of experience. The only kind of people that we actively and aggressively discriminate against… Is GRUMPY PEOPLE!". This is usually good for a laugh, but they always look at my face and see that I'm being quite authentic in this statement.

I will then set the hook - I'll be showing him the pictures, and I'll say "You would fit right in". And, clearly, he would. Everyone is tired of being judged by externals.  Even the world's prettiest/most-perfect men and women are sick of the social "A-List" game of perfect teeth/hair/muscles/tits/whatever providing us with varying levels of social status. It's an empty philosophy, but we never know when it's time to let go of it and just be happy like a bunch of uninhibited three-year-olds. By looking at the pictures (and grabbing the phone from me and zooming in closer to see everybody better, my new brother is losing his defenses fast.

I'll say "The nicer you are, the more friends you deserve - This is normal human behavior, but it fell apart somehow for gay men. We've fixed that." I tend to get rueful agreement from my new buddy.

I'll go further, and demolish his preconceptions like my life depends on it.  I'll say "Listen to the people around you".  He'll stop, and listen seriously and intently.  I'll say "Everybody sounds really happy, don't they? You can't fake that kind of happy." He'll have to admit that yes, everybody else sounds like they're having a rocking good time.  I'll tell him "You deserve to have just as good a time as anybody here. I'm the host of this event, and you have my word of honor that no one here will ever treat you shabbily.  If anybody DOES, you bring it to ME, and I will take care of it right away.  I take full responsibility for the safety, success and well-being of everybody at this event, and you can count on me. Just go up to people and chat, and they'll all be nice to you. I know most of the folks here, and they aren't meanies, or tweaking, or spiteful."

I'll mention that I have nothing to sell him, and never will. I don't make a penny off of this, and neither does anybody else. In today's society, this is unheard-of… It seems mythological and theoretical. EVERYBODY wants a piece of somebody else, wants to treat us like walking wallets, and they have cunningly learned to hide it until they have tricked you somehow. And yet, here's this big galoot who is saying that he wants your actual, non-virtual and physical presence at a series of upcoming events. Nothing more, as long as you're a pleasant, well-socialized grownup.

Then, I say that I have an email-list that tells people what events are coming up, so that they know about them BEFORE each event, instead of hearing about it after everybody else had a great time. I'll ask "Would you like to be on the mailing-list?" This is Decision Time. I'm being the very epitome of a forthright, pleasant, respectful and clearly idealistic human being, and now, I need them to step up and deliver their half of the social contract. Just listening, or tolerating, or being a disinterested observer isn't enough - They have to make a commitment and be responsible about it. Like I said earlier, it's nearly always a slam-dunk… People can't get on the mailing-list fast enough.

I have created a web-page that is perfectly designed to be used on a Droid or iPhone's web-browser, using a free utility that allows me to sign people up for the mailing-list ON THE SPOT, without delay. I hit a bookmark icon on my phone's main page that brings me directly to that page, tap the field that asks for the email, and hand the phone right over for their data-entry. While doing so, I say "You have my word of honor that you will never receive any spam as a result, and if you don't like the mailing-list, just click on the link at the bottom and you'll be unsubscribed immediately". When they are done, they hand it back to me - I always have a pair of reading-glasses with me, in case somebody needs a pair for accuracy. I insist that they check the address one final time, and then tap the "Submit" button.

Nowadays, my success-rate is so high, I can sign up a total stranger within three minutes, and I will do it over and over and over, all during the event. I do not sit with my Good Buddies, chewing the fat. To me, that is exactly the wrong thing to do. I have a task to perform, and nothing will distract me from it. If I am going to be committed to creating real, honest and solid community, then I have to extend the hand of friendship to every new face that shows up.  The moment that any affinity-group stops welcoming new people IN A CONSCIOUS WAY, then that group is dead. D-E-A-D. Our newest members are our group's future, and if we force them to bounce off of our indifference, then we may as well close up shop. The group will get older, and less relevant, and wither away.

So, what about the folks who DO NOT sign up? What if their cynicism is too awesomely impervious? No problem. "Invitations can be accepted, denied or renegotiated". I never attach my ego to trying to enroll 100% of the people that I approach. It is impossible. I wish them well, I mention our Web site (while pointing to it on our club banner, hanging in obvious display) and step over to the next person. I have seen those same people come to our events over and over, because they wanted to see whether my fancy talk had any actual credibility.

So, one more time, let's talk about Credibility with a Capital C. LEADERS PROVIDE. We keep creating these "Honey Trap" events, and take group pictures periodically.  Why? Because no amount of words can convey the awesomeness of a successful, joyful and satisfying event as well as group pictures can. No amount of money, or trickery, or bossiness or manipulation can make a big, diverse and deliriously happy crowd look like a bunch of Labrador Retrievers with a tennis ball. You want to document your successes, even if they start out small. That's still better than the big, echoing emptiness that is usually the default when somebody is looking for heartfelt community in the real world.

[lame-and-corny-blog]

Anti-Blackness in Asian-American Communities

In the wake of the nazi and white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, I have heard much talk about the need for solidarity among people of color. However, in order to eliminate white supremacy together, it is necessary for non-black people of color to confront the pervasive anti-Blackness in their communities. Anti-Blackness is not only perpetuated by white people - speaking from the non-Black Asian-American (specifically Japanese-American) perspective, we uphold this harmful ideology as well.

Anti-Blackness permeates Asian American communities in many ways. Whether we recognize it or not, it extends through both our American communities and Asian cultures. Many Asian Americans are taught from a young age to hate dark skin - by our parents urging us to use skin-lightening or bleaching creams and family members refusing to go out in the sun for fear of tanning (both common in many Asian countries, including India, China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and more). Light-skinned Asian models featured in fashion and makeup advertisements also reflect this beauty standard. K-Pop groups have been known to use Blackface and to profit off of Black culture by appropriating dreadlocks, cornrows, African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), and other forms of hip-hop culture. In the United States of America, anti-Blackness in Asian American communities is exemplified by incidents such as the shooting of unarmed black man Akai Gurley by Chinese police officer Peter Liang. In November of 2014 Liang was charged and convicted of manslaughter, leaving many Asian-Americans angry and claiming he had been used as a “scapegoat”. Their reasoning was that, if no white police officers had ever been convicted, why should he have been? Sadly, the severely misguided protests against his charges were apparently the largest public display of Asian-American activism in 20 years. The protests were anti-Black because Asian-Americans were attempting to secure a privilege (typically afforded to whites) for themselves, and callously disregarding a life that was unjustly taken to do so. What all Asian Americans really should have done was support Akai Gurley and protest his wrongful death, no matter the race of the offending police officer. Instead, these Asian American protestors failed the Black community at a time when, as the whole nation was watching, their speaking out might have helped to bridge communities and brought to light the common threat of white supremacy. Another area ripe with anti-Blackness is the concept of the “model minority,” typically used to describe East Asians and Indians in particular. This myth that “Asian-Americans” as a monolith are economically and academically successful, naturally smart, and the ideal that other races should aspire to be is harmful to all Asian-American communities, Black folks, and other people of color as well. The model minority myth was actually purposefully crafted around the 1950’s to 1960’s, when the media began primarily featuring Asian success stories, despite many stories of struggle in our diverse community. By 1987 when Time Magazine ran the cover story “Those Asian-American Whiz Kids,” this new stereotype was solidified. The model minority myth drove a wedge between communities of color, and is still perpetuated not only by white people, but, unfortunately, also by many Asians who are proud to be the “better minority.” It would probably pain these people to know that instead of Asians simply becoming more successful, what really happened was that American society changed its form of racism towards us in order to use us as propaganda, and to deny rights to Black folks. Jeff Guo from The Washington Post argues, “The image of the hard-working Asian became an extremely convenient way to deny the demands of African Americans. As [Ellen] Wu describes in her book [The Color of Success], both liberal and conservative politicians pumped up the image of Asian Americans as a way to shift the blame for black poverty.” The model minority myth is still used against other communities of color to suggest they are simply not working hard enough, when people say, “if Asians could make it, why can’t you?” Asian-Americans are still systematically oppressed in America, but the model minority stereotype was created to further a narrative that could be used to separate and contain communities of color. In this narrative, Asians are “too smart,” Black folks are “too unintelligent,” and conveniently, white people get the occupy the space of “just right”. This theory, known as "The Three Bears Effect" or the “Goldilocks Effect,” holds Black people as inherently inferior and Asians get to celebrate their perceived success, not recognizing how much it actually works against us. This system also erases mixed Black and Asian folks, who are expected to place themselves in a narrative that paints Black and Asian communities as completely separate, and that doesn’t account for their existence. The Model Minority Myth is rather cunning in its oppression. The stereotype that Asians are all “good at math, straight-A students, successful, and do not complain”, while seemingly positive, does not allow us any room to make mistakes. As a result, in part, suicide is the 8th leading cause of death among Asian-Americans, and we are also highly unlikely to mention symptoms of depression or seek treatment, for fear of being seen as weak and as failures. This myth also completely tends to erase Asian communities that are not succeeding economically, which is prevalent especially among communities of immigrants from poorer nations or with a large population of refugees. The restrictiveness of the Model Minority Myth also causes Asian-Americans to rebel against it - which is not inherently bad, except their method of doing so relies upon Black culture. A prime example of this is chef and author Eddie Huang, who once said, in response to a question about his affinity for hip-hop, “I feel like Asian men have been emasculated so much in America that we’re basically treated like Black women.” Huang then proceeded to appropriate AAVE and disrespect the Black women who called him out (a distinct form of intersectional violence called “misogynoir”). When Asian-Americans take Black culture as their own and do not respect the very people who created it, they are perpetuating anti-Blackness.I have been talking a great deal about the shared identity of “Asian-American,” but it is important to acknowledge that as a community, we are far from a monolith. East Asians (Japanese, Chinese, Korean) have unique light-skinned privileges and are treated differently than South, Southeast, and Central Asians. One of these privileges is that East Asians are often centered in dialogue concerning Asian issues and other Asian communities’ struggles are largely ignored. It is important to note that along with anti-Blackness, we must also eliminate the privileging of lighter skin over darker skin, known as colorism/shadeism, in our communities and work to center non-East Asians. These struggles, ultimately, are all interconnected through the broader goal of solidarity and the collapse of white supremacy.Black folks have been fighting for our collective rights, and the dismantling of white supremacy, for ages. They have extended gestures of solidarity in the past, only to largely get stepped on by Asian-Americans in our attempt to “get ahead”. Though there have been movements such as “Letters for Black Lives” and “Asians for Black Lives” recently, “Yellow Peril Supports Black Power” during the civil rights movement, and a number of individuals who have committed their lives to solidarity activism, we cannot expect Black folks to continue fighting for our rights, nor can we expect them to trust us, given our communities’ rampant anti-Blackness. Only when we eradicate anti-Blackness from our communities will solidarity be possible, and this is an imperative. As Mari Matsuda put perfectly in her speech to the Asian Law Caucus in 1990 titled “We Will Not Be Used”:“The role of the racial middle is a critical one. It can reinforce white supremacy if the middle deludes itself into thinking it can be just like white if it tries hard enough. Conversely, the middle can dismantle white supremacy if it refuses to be the middle, if it refuses to buy into racial hierarchy, and if it refuses to abandon communities of black and brown people, choosing instead to forge alliances with them.”And so we must decide: in the struggle against white supremacy, which side will we choose?

[quakerjoe]

A CUPPA JOE for SUNDAY 13 MAY 2018

This morning, one of our "brothers" here at Quaker Joe threw this quip into a thread "Christianity is under attack in America." It got me thinking, actually and I wondered: 

By whom?

Seriously, I'd love to know. Most #Muricans claim to be "Christian", even if they don't act like they are. It sounds to me, to be perfectly honest, that the ones attacking Christianity are those from within, not from any outside sources. Bogus "Christians" vote for sexual predators carrying a cross. They INSIST on rampant gun ownership, because that's what Jesus would want, right? They back trump because a thief, adulterer, and con man who sexually assaults women is God's Chosen, right?

For "Christians", here in the US, they're awfully anti-Christ in nature. That's how they present themselves; as bullies and judgmental mega-assholes. Instead of "love they neighbour" or "love they enemy" or "judge not", they openly attack anyone not like them. They've been attacking one another since before we were a nation; one "brand" of Jesus versus another. They've attacked and murdered Jews, Blacks, Muslims, Sikhs, Atheists, the LGBTQ community, have supported Misogyny, were the founding backers of slavery, native American genocide... "Christians" in #Murican history have repeatedly proven, through our entire history as a nation, that the word "Christian" doesn't mean what they say it means.

The religion, like religions before it, is waning, mostly because people of compassion, empathy and reason have caught on that the religion is corrupt, rife with hypocrisy, and should be walked away from and avoided. Nobody's attacking it; people are trying to defend themselves AGAINST it. You don't get to be a bully to everybody and when they stand up to cry about how you're being attacked and play the victim when you {the religion} brought it upon yourselves. If you want to be a true, honest Christian, it comes at a price: HONESTY. Most Christians have never read their bible except for select, cherry picked slices of it that back whatever it is they personally wish to believe, and using the Old Testament is simply WRONG. 

I could go on all day about this, but I've got other shit to do today. The bottom line is this. Christians in the US have been fighting against themselves since forever, and they openly shit on everybody else not Christian. People are getting sick of it. Standing up to a group of disingenuous, right wing nutjobs who flail about in a pile of hypocritical fecal matter is NOT attacking Christianity, it's calling liars out on their bullshit because they are NOT real Christians. We were warned in the Scriptures that there would be false prophets and that the masses would be blinded by them and follow them. "Christians" in #Murica do nothing about it. Satan, if he's real, could show up, fool them all, and most #Murican Christians would line up in droves to serve because they've been trained to knee-jerk react, get angry and to simply NOT THINK or QUESTION or analyze fuck-all anything. They've turned their backs on the divine, slapped Jesus' teachings in the face and punched them in the balls and then spat on him when he was down because that's how they handle things; not with love, acceptance or peace, but by casting stones even though they are not free from sin themselves.

People are catching on. People are rejecting them. People have had enough of the hypocrisy, the lies, and the bossy, pushy bullying and their infiltration into politics in order to push agendas that promote hate and fear, murder and rape, and a constant division among our fellow citizens and our neighbours. Christians are the only terrorists that anyone with half a brain in the US should worry about, and that is why we're standing up, for ourselves, for our nations, and for those who don't just talk the talk but walk the walk, for the sanctity of Christ's teachings because there are a FEW honest, genuine Christians out there who see this too and they're siding with those who most claim are "attacking Christianity". Thank you George, for getting the mind going while I was having my morning coffee. I know it was a quip, but I did find it engaging and the answer was probably longer than you'd expected.

I'd like to leave you all with this, since this has turned into a Cuppa Joe for this week instead of the one I'd prepared earlier in the week. I'd mentioned that the Bible itself mentions false prophets, so, as the former Christian that I am, let me leave you with some samples of what “the good book” had to say on the matter.

Ezekiel 13:9

"My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD."

Jeremiah 23:16

"This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD."

Here's one for Little Donny POTUS:

LUKE 6:26

"Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets."

Here's one I'd like to dedicate to Congress in particular...

Matthew 24:24

"For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

Matthew 16:11-12

"How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Matthew 7:15-20

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."

2 Timothy 4:3-4

"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

Acts 20:28-30

"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them."

2 Peter 3:14-18

"So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."

When talking about false prophets, this is where it gets sketchy, because the "good book" also grants you permission to shit on people not of your religion, be judgmental, and if taken in the right context, allows you to kill the infidels. I give you the book of John, that sketchy, over-the-top nutjob. He was never one of my favourites. He always seemed a bit of a war pig to me. In retrospect, he sounds a lot like trump trying to sell you his brand in a way that demands total belief in what he said and to attack anyone who says otherwise.

1 John 4:1-6

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood."

There are more, if you bother to read the Bible and really look, and the warnings are clear to those with an open heart AND MIND. Sadly, that's too much to ask from 21st century #Muricans who think themselves devout. ~Joe