#I have empathy for people with emotionally abusive husbands

[vanilla-vivillon]

There may have been signs

[silly-litttle-writer]

I have feelings about Aegon and since we’re all waiting for season two I’m gonna rant for a bit.

…

I’d like to talk about Alicent in the Green trailer saying something along the lines of “do you understand how much has been sacrificed to get you on the throne?” to Aegon and how low key manipulative that line is.

She knows Aegon doesn’t care about the throne but he does care about being burdensome to his family and that’s why the line most likely weighs heavily on him, we don’t quite know how he reacts from it but from the little bit in the trailer the line does affect him.

This is Aegon having to literally be dragged to his own coronation! This is Aegon trying to flee to Essos to avoid a war over the throne he doesn’t want or feel he is worthy of and ALICENT HAS THE AUDACITY TO SAY THAT TO HIM?! HE DIDNT WANT THIS! HE ACTIVELY TRIED TO AVOID ALL OF IT BECAUSE HE HATED THE IDEA OF TAKING THE THRONE SO MUCH HE WAS WILLING TO GIVE UP BEING A PRINCE! HE DIDNT ASK FOR ANY OF IT AND YOU’RE GOING TO USE THAT TO EMOTIONALLY HURT HIM?! Like I’m grateful the show is showing that side of her cause that is book accurate Alicent but I hattttteeee how Aegon is treated in the show and by the fandom.

I hatttteee that certain characters are deemed sympathetic and oh no poor them (Viserys) while others are not graced with an ounce of sympathy or most importantly empathy (Aegon). Is Viserys entirely bad? No, I hate him but I do not believe he has no redeeming qualities. He loved Aemma and he unfortunately realized his greed for a son was less important far too late, after he killed his wife for a son, does he love Rhaenyra and (sometimes, it’s rare cause Viserys is a coward by nature) stand up for her? Yes, but he is far less sympathetic than CHILD (say whatever you want about adult Aegon but child Aegon deserves none of what he is given) Aegon in my mind I will take no criticism on that. Viserys actively created the toxic environment he is surrounded by, if he’s suffering it’s of his own making. Aegon was a child for a bit of this nonsense and had absolutely no control over what happened around him.

Aegon is the son VISERYS FORCED TO EXIST. He manipulated (softly which is why people like Viserys more than like Larys Strong for example) but he still MANIPULATED (show Alicent not book Alicent cause book Alicent is the one who seduces him and manipulates him) Alicent into marrying him at 15, forcing her to have his children as she can’t deny her husband AND THE LITERAL KING. He wanted a son so badly he carved his first wife up to try to save the son that was killing her, this failed and so he forced Alicent to give him that son and then ONCE AEGON IS NO LONGER CUTE OR EASY TO LOVE HE TOSSES HIM ASIDE. He becomes completely and utterly absent in Aegon’s life and that’s not even talking about how little he cares about Helaena, Aemond, or Daeron, Daeron who was literally shipped off to another part of the continent. He does not care for Aegon, he doesn’t guide him, does not instruct him and teach him the ways of the world. Instead Aegon is stuck with having to rely on Criston “I bash in people’s skulls cause I can’t control my anger and I can’t get over the girl I fucked ten years ago” Cole and Otto “I view women as literal incubators for sons” Hightower, alongside Alicent “I’m a hypocritical coward who will damn and literally terrorize any woman who tries to find a way to cheat the patriarchal society instead of using my power as Queen to make my children’s lives better than my own” Hightower. These same people teach and raise him. One, they teach him to not regulate or handle his emotions. Two, they frequently and repeatedly beat and verbally insult him for just saying I don’t want to challenge my sister for a throne that isn’t mine. Three, teaches him and enables the toxic and sexist mentality perpetrated by the society that they live in that women are things to use and abuse by men and that consent does not matter to him because he is not only a man but a prince and she has no real right to deny him.

Why do you think Aegon grows to be an abuser? Because he was never taught anything else. His bad behavior was enabled or even encouraged, with only slight punishment from the same woman who literally paid his victim hush money to not tell people that her son forced himself on her. She stands there telling the girl her son forced himself on that “I understand” and “It’s not your fault” and then LITERALLY PAYS HER HUSH MONEY TO SHUT UP ABOUT IT AND GIVES HER WESTEROSI BIRTH CONTROL! THEREFORE ENABLING AND ALLOWING THAT BEHAVIOR AND SHE ACTS LIKE SHE HAD NO PART TO PLAY IN WHY HER SON BECAME AN ABUSER!

He is exactly your son. He is the son you chose to raise. Aegon wasn’t born like this, YOU MADE HIM LIKE THIS AND THEN DESPISE AND CURSE HIM FOR IT. He never had a chance to be anything else, he was doomed from the start and that is why I empathize more with Aegon than Viserys. Do I feel bad that Aegon was slapped and called out for forcing himself on a girl? No, he should have been properly punished. He should have been punished for that kind of behavior a LONG time ago. But that’s exactly the problem, Alicent doesn’t punish him for this behavior and then gets upset when he continues doing it. You created the “monster” in front of you and then are shocked when he does monstrous things. You made your own bed and now you refuse to lie in it and instead choose to frequently and repeatedly abuse, terrorize, and antagonize those who refuse to participate (Rhaenyra) in the system that turned you into a victim and your son into an abuser.

[the-badger-mole]

i don't think there's a single take you have regarding Aang that i haven't agreed with. Like, i have so many thoughts regarding him and while i'd say them, you already have, and far more gracefully and eloquently than i ever could.

there is one thing i can say that i do want your thoughts on that i don't think i've seen from you before. Aang being a bad father, to me, is absolutely in character and i don't have a problem with it. What i DO have a problem with, however, is Bryke destroying Katara's character in the process. There is NO POSSIBLE WAY that Katara would EVER tolerate her children getting ignored by their father to the extent that the Air Acolytes don't even know they exist. Brykes done her dirty in every possible way, but to me this is by far the worst offender. So i want to hear your thoughts on it. (this also just proves my point that katara and aang wouldn't have lasted longer than a year at most in canon but whatever)

I've talked about this before (here), but I actually think it's completely realistic that she wouldn't intervene in any major way with how Aang treated his kids, given how her dynamic with Aang was set up. I know a lot of people won't hear me, but Kataang is actually a very emotionally abusive dynamic. Katara in the show has a massive blind spot when it comes to Aang. He does some pretty awful things to her in the series. I mean, yes, there are the non-con kisses, and the Lava Fissure Incident, but also the way he took off to go play the day after Katara's father sacrificed himself so Aang could get away safely. It's bad enough that he ignored her when she and the others wanted to plan next moves, but it just shows a lack of empathy on his part. Same with how he engages (or rather doesn't engage) her grief over the loss of her mother. There is no point where he shows any real interest in her emotional well-being. Most of these moments are framed as sad moments for Aang.

Katara also has a massive blind spot for the Avatar, and for Aang the kid. She trusts the Avatar as this supernatural entity that's going to fix the world and all of her hopes are pinned on that. She can't call out Aang or even be remotely tough on him because she's taken on the role of emotional nanny for him. So between her awe for the Avatar and her care for Aang the kid, she puts her needs completely aside in favor of making his life easier. Remember in the comics where Aang is entertaining those fangirls who are openly disrespectful of Katara and he thanks her for understanding? (Gag!) How else was their family life going to go? I am just shocked at how Bryke managed to prat fall into such a realistically heartbreaking portrayal of how dysfunctional Aang's family would be, and not realize it. And think Aang is still a good father and husband. And have people BELIEVE that.

[bluegekk0]

I’m not entirely sure how to word this, but I’ve always been curious on the White Lady in the fpk au. I know she was abusive to Wyrm, but is there any other changes from the canon about her?

Also bonus question is she still sealed in the egg in the Queen’s Gardens?

I think her relationship with Vyrm is the biggest deviation compared to her canon relationship with PK, but it's not the only one.

Another big one is that I decided to reinterpret her "desire to spread her seeds" as the game puts it. The full line of dialogue is "A voracious desire to spread seeds upon the land, to propogate myself, to breed." I see a lot of people interpret it as her wanting to have offspring (or just to procreate), I imagine it's because of the last part, but in the AU I chose to envision it with more emphasis on the "spread seeds upon the land" part. She took part of Greenpath for herself and I imagine she's very territorial, which would be part of her nature, and eventually one of her regrets. It's also why I believe she was the one pushing for the expansion of the kingdom to the degree that they did (not that Vyrm had nothing to do with it, but he was far more likely to negotiate as opposed to forcing his way, as seen with the Mantis Tribe).

She had the desire to broaden her territory, to claim it for herself, to possess it. And some of it bled into how she viewed Vyrm, in many ways she treated him as her possession and did not pay attention to his needs, only how good he looked next to her, or how he satisfied her needs and wants. But she did not hurt him on purpose, in fact I think she saw that as love - in her mind, she wanted him to be perfect, and all the scolding and disapproving glances were meant to motivate him to look and act properly. A very messed up and selfish way of seeing it, but unfortunately one no one has ever called her out for.

Generally she's also much more cold in her mannerisms and speech, though I've always seen the attitude of the in-game WL as a bit ignorant (sending another vessel to the temple just after the previous one failed? It's like she either doesn't care, or is oblivious). But seeing as a lot of people see her as more motherly, perhaps that's just my own interpretation. Either way, that's the direction in which I took my WL.

That's not to say she's evil, or actually means harm. I think her way of thinking is just very different, and being a god whom others worship and fear, she never got the chance to reflect on how she treats those around her. Well, until the aftermath of the vessel plan, and her separation with her husband. I do think she loved Vyrm in her own, fairly messed up way, and separating from him made her see the error of her ways. After they met following his hibernation, seeing him be much happier with Grimm solidified the idea that she was horrible towards him and he deserved better.

She's no longer in the cocoon, she left it sometime after the infection ended, and moved back to her mansion in the gardens. That is where she lived before Vyrm's arrival, and where she moved after separating from him. She has her residence there, and even got the Mantis Traitors to serve her (in return for allowing them to stay in her territory, seeing as they were left with no home and no leader). That said, she did a lot of reflecting while in her time in the bindings, and she does feel guilt for her part of the deal, as well as all the years she mistreated and emotionally abused Vyrm. Just like him, she's trying to be a better person now, and she's getting there, albeit slowly. It's hard for a being who always struggled with empathy to suddenly be the most thoughtful and approachable, but she's trying.

Vyrm does occasionally visit her out of courtesy, and she treats both him and his family as honorable guests and makes sure they enjoy their time there to her best ability. While she still feels like she loves him, she has since realized that her idea of love was warped and that he deserved better than her. Plus they both have their own lives now, so it's safe to say that they put the unhappy marriage behind them.

I already rambled a lot, so if you're interested in reading more about her, I have this post I wrote a while back. I also recommend checking her tag, I have it linked in my pinned post alongside other characters.

[akajustmerry]

hey guys uhhhhhh........do you think Roman Roy was "truly" caring for gerri when he refused to stop sending her dick pics without her consent?? how about when he attempted to FIRE HER TWICE over the fallout from his sexual harassment of her??

do you guys think that Roman Roy is being "non-judgemental" of people's sex lives when he constantly makes inappropriate jokes about his sister having sex to her and her husband's faces??? what about, like, when he made jokes to Marcia and Kerri about their private sex lives?? was he being sooooo non-judgemental then???

was Roman going into bat for people when he backed a neo nazi fascist to be president so he could beat out his sister in being their dad's favourite? How about when he knifed Gerri because his dad wanted him to?? what about when he went to Kendall's party and said all that shit to him AND shiv?? Was he batting for his siblings when he went to rat them out on the Pierce deal behind their back??

I know these articles are meant to be funny or whatever, but it feels like such a gross disservice to misinterpret the very meticulous commentary on institutionalised misogyny that Roman represents, especially relating to his harassment of Gerri and how he treats Shiv. Too many people fall for the funny guy energy and ignore the abuse Roman perpetrates while simultaneously being a victim of abuse.

Roman isn't empathetic. He's just emotionally vulnerable which can look like empathy but it fucking isn't. at the end of the day people who have empathy aren't out here sexually harassing their co-workers and sister. and they sure as hell aren't putting nazis in the whitehouse for validation. like sure there are moments where he cares but so the fuck what??

Like, I am a Roman girlie (not a girl) but fuck, you can just say you think Roman is hot or whatever. You don't have to make a fool of yourself cherry picking the show to oblivion and ignoring the core political context. just either have conviction in your horniness for shitty people or shut the fuck up. So tired of these takes that are so obviously written by white straight people who wouldn't know what empathy was if it slapped them across their exposed frontal lobe. Y'all saying shit like "this character who harasses women and flirts with nazis is soooo sexy and empathetic actually" is why poc are made to feel unsafe in fandom spaces.

[bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky]

every time i read a story where a character went through so much trauma and having to react to situations in a certain way because of said trauma, i dread opening up a comment section.

all because of one story i read a long time ago on wattpad (As Long As I Live - CrazyPunter) where a woman was severely abused by her husband and then the abuse suddenly stopped because of both of them going through car accidents (separately, first the husband then her) and majority of the comments after he started treating her better like he should've in the fucking first place were absolutely horrendous because apparently she was too forgiving and couldn't stand up for herself. like dudes, the girl has been stripped of all her finances, all her self worth and any familial support she had post-marriage because not only was she abused by her husband, most of his family piled on it too, along with her family hating her for lies surrounding her as well. how could they have expected her to instantly come out all strong female heroine after being brutalized so much??

anyway, my point is, people have a nasty habit of not taking into account the trauma characters go through and always want them to be all handy dandy about shit that gets thrown their way. which fucking sucks because it shows a genuine lack of empathy towards victims of abuse.

don't listen to that one commenter and that one anon. you're doing amazing with your fics. and if you complain about how people demonizing the way you write and demand you to change it, then you're well within your write to tell them to kick rocks.

It’s such a rampant problem!

I wrote something awhile back about someone who was in a toxic, emotionally abusive relationship and someone who read it actually told me that her best friend Bucky (who her abusive boyfriend completely isolated her from) should’ve been mean to her!!! And shouldn’t have helped her!!! it’s like these people think that victims of abuse choose to be abused. It’s very unsettling.

Thanks for this message, I really appreciate it 💕💕💕

[samantha-and-her-chaotic-desires]

Due to your recent post:

🖊+ Lacrimosa Ambrose (what a woman <3)

P.S.: Have a nice day! :3

SDFGHJKLJHGFDFGHJKKJH I love you I love you I love you and you ALSO have a nice day!!! <333

HOOOOOOOO BOY I'M GONNA DUMP A L O T OF STUFF :D I'M GONNA GET LENGTHY BUT HHHHHHHH PLEASE BARE WITH ME

DISCLAIMER: Lackadaisy belongs to @lackadaisycats and it is a beautiful animation and web comic, I HIGHLY recommend.

Below The Surface is my 2023 Lackadaisy fic. It will be linked below <3

Lacrimosa Ambrose - The Siren:

FIRST IDEAS:

At first, I wanted to make a villain for Lackadaisy. I was doing this purely for the sake of my Murder Mystery fic Below the Surface (posted here and currently being worked on here!) and I wanted someone who was a REALLY big threat. And so, I created a new mafia-like group: The Rose Brigade. But who would be the leader? I wanted a powerful---and also a plus sized woman in official art I'm making!---who is no-nonsense and irredeemable.

I wanted to originally make her a Bombay cat, but as I looked through more cat options, I decided to settle on a Chartreux cat! They're so pretty!!! Below is an image I wanted to reference, yet alter at the same time.

Her voice claim is very much Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil. She has that badass, sultry tone to her that makes me fold over for this queen that can very much kill me.

She was originally going to be redeemed, but I decided "hell no she deserves a whole villain arc that DOESN'T give her a chance to turn good" and I am very much happy with that outcome.

I didn't know WHAT she would be job-wise? I originally wanted to make her an actor, though when I designed and wrote for Silas Tueuse (another Lacka-OC whom I love dearly), I wanted to mix things up, and wanted diversity. So Miss Jazz-Singing-Sensation was born! Her color palette and drawing her dress KILLED ME.

Choosing her name wise, I wanted to allude to Tracy's work, and allude to a villain. So when I was scrolling through the website, I noticed the Lacrimosa poem, and BOOM. Her name was chosen. Last name means 'immortal' in Greek, plus it's a play on the dish ambrosia. :)

FACTS/HEADCANONS:

She owns a jazz lounge, and is a famous jazz singer! The name is TBD, but she gets a LOT of traction there.

While she was from Boston, Massachusetts, she is Latin! She often refers to people as mei deliciae (translated to my darling), and one of her favorite foods is ceviche! It consists of either shrimp or fish, as well as lime, lemon, onion, chili pepper, and cilantro! From my understanding of it, you can dip chips into it and eat it like that. Sometimes you can even avocado in it, if that's your fancy! Below is a photo example.

She is a horrible driver. Horrible. Picture Cruella De Vil but drunk. Sooo yeah, 100x worse.

She has a daughter, but she's distant from her, and she rarely---if never---checks in on her.

She is incredibly narcissistic, but does NOT have Narcissistic Personality Disorder: she does have empathy, though it's hard to tell if she's being genuine or not.

Prefers suits over dresses, but will wear dresses for performances to keep up her professional image. For casual meetings, she wears a dark indigo and dark blue suit with a fedora and a rose pin on her jacket lapel. The outfit accentuates her curves nicely, and I will draw her more in a suit in the future <3

She has a Colt M1911 Revolver that her husband gifted her before he passed. She uses it constantly.

ROLE/PURPOSE/OTHER STUFF!:

She's the main antagonist, and she is the leader of the Rose Brigade. She tries to hide behind a sweet, motherly facade, but she is emotionally and physically abusive to certain people. She is also a bit overconfident in certain abilities.

She had ties with Atlas May, though so far I have yet to confirm or deny if she killed him. So with her relation to Atlas, she slithered her way into trying to manipulate Mordecai, seemingly present as a mother figure towards him while in St. Louis. Ivy gushes over Lacrimosa's singing skills and performances, so her meeting her in person, she's just all giggly. Nonetheless, Lacrimosa is a softie for praise, and can't help but feel slightly more appreciated.

Lacrimosa might be manipulative and a full blown awful person, but she has been taught common courtesy. She knows to be respectful, she believes everyone is equal, and will not discriminate against those who are in the LGBTQ community. However, this does NOT excuse her awful behavior. She is MEANT to be an awful person.

She will ALSO absolutely break anyone who tries to tamper with her. She CAN and WILL call you out on your bullshit.

Her song (if it were 2023) would be Medusa by Kaia Jette!

HHHHHH THIS WAS SO MUCH???? AND THAT'S NOT EVEN IT????? FGHJKHGFDXFGHJ I might add on later

[sillyangstfic]

I know I've just finished ranting, but I woke up and got to thinking and now I'm even more dissapointed with the MLB writers. Specifically in how they completely missed the ball when it came to showing how extreme pressure and trauma could affect teenagers.

Felix & Adrien are the poster children for childhood abuse and the writers botched it despite them having clear responses to their respective traumas. Adrien is desperate for love and approval due to years of emotional neglect and isolation cause of his overprotective father. Felix is very emotionally unstable because his father was an abusive (I am convinced the only abuse he didn't recieve was sexual) controlling narcisist. Their shared story arc should've focused on how they achieve their freedom and move on from their abusors.

I feel like it would've been much more interesting if Felix's goal was to find a way to turn him and Adrien into humans, truly freeing them from their amoks (including the threat of total control and death if the amok was ever broken). It also would've made more sense for his villain to hero arc: he starts off wanting the miraculi for their wish granting abilities before finding an alternative method that requires help from the Guardian, therefore forcing him to apologize and come clean. Felix discovering Hawkmoth's identity could've fueled his desperation and made him cooperate more easily. This could be followed by Adrien revealing his identity to Chat Noir to Felix/Argos and the two having a tearful moment where they finally truly open up to each other.

I also don't like how his trauma was adressed by giving him Kagami as a love interest. Like yes, they're in very similar situations, but the way it was done felt so forced. If it had been up to me I would've made so that it was Luka who Felix became attatched with, be it platonically or romatically. First it because you can't tell me Luka wouldn't know instantly that Felix and Adrien had switched places. Second, Luka would absolutely see through most of Felix's layers and respond with complete empathy and understanding. Cue Felix being kinda freaked out for a while before becoming very attatched to Luka. The threat of Luka leaving Paris with Jagged could've also been a more logical catalyst for Felix breaking down and creating the Red Moon sentimonster. Luka being firm but understanding with Felix would've absolutely been the kind of response that Felix would need to start working on his emotions. Meanwhile Felix would encourage Luka to stop forgiving everyone so easily and actually set boundaries for himself. Also I wanna see the pair singing Loser Baby from Hazbin Hotel on the Parisian rooftops (you can't tell me the song doesn't match them).

If they wanted to do something with Kagami, it should've been more of a kindred spirit/found family/queer platonic situation rather than a stalkerish love at first interaction kinda thing. Like yes, codependancy could've been explored as a trauma response, I just think the way it was done with Kagami was poor.

Adrien's character arc should've focused more on him finding closure regarding his feelings towards his father and how he finds ways to fulfill his emotional needs with other people in his life. In particular, Nathalie and the Gorilla.

I headcanon that Emilie was alive when she was put into that coma, but since the disease wasn't completely halted, she passed away. So instead of having a fulfilling death sorrounded by her loving son and husband, she died in a cold tube while her son was left behind wondering his mother went. I also headcanon that Natalie loved Emilie just as much as she loved Gabriel.

As Natalie grows sicker, Adrien becomes more terrified at losing another loved one to the broken miraculi sickness. So while Felix finds a potion to free the pair, Adrien tries to find a treatment for Nathalie. Both succeed.

Adrien and Felix become fully human and no longer need to worry about their lives being bound to a single object. Nathalie starts recieving the treatment when Adrien swaps out her pain pills with pills containing the medicine. Cue Nathalie figuring it out and having to choose between the man she loves who sacrificed her for the sake of his obsession or the child of the two she loved the most who someone still cares despite everything.

I also headcanon that since Adrien is freed from his amok he experiences more side effects from his miraculi. In particular, Adrien starts living by cat principles and becomes a brat but only to Gabriel (he's still nice to everyone else). As @miafillene4396 put it (youtube), "Cats dont follow orders. Merely act on polite requests from those they appreciate." I also want see Gabriel break down and just blue screen when he realizes that he can never control Adrien ever again.

A focus on trauma could've also done wonders for Chloe's character development. We could've been shown how Chloe moves on from her mother's absence by finding fulfillment in her relationship with Zoe and properly rekindling her friendship with Adrien. I have a scene where, after finding out the truth about his existence + his dad's identity, Adrien goes to Chloe for comfort and she gently holds him as he breaks down.

It also could've given a tear jerking identity reveal that would've been a satisfying end to the love square. Marinette being extremely overworked and overstressed due to her responsibilities as a student, a Guardian, and heroine. As soon as she figured out how to make charms that prevent akumas, she should've broken down with tears of joy running down her face because it meant that she could finally come clean to Chat Noir with no risks for Chat Blanc.

Cue an identity reveal where they both break down crying and spend the next few hours doing equal shares of trauma dumping and comforting. Instead of dating right away, they take the time to actually get to know each other and build a proper friendship without secrets or idealizations. Then they actually get to dating and it's the fluffiest healthiest thing ever. Also post-reveal, the focus of the show should've moved on from the romance to building a found family of miraculous users and their methods for coping with the side effects + Hawkmoth.

Okokok I enjoyed reading your rant, and I’ll say a few things but then I gotta go on a rant of my own

So first, personally I think that Felix’s dad would’ve threatened to use the ring to release/kill him (a lie, you need the miraculous, but how could Felix know that). Felix who always knew what he is, but was forbidden to tell anyone, and tries to hint it to Adrien (think Jacob in New Moon). I think it would be interesting to give him such a fear of death, of a sudden end to his existence. Couple this with my theory that Felix killed his dad, he knows exactly how fragile the human body is. Sentimonsters can live for centuries and can be harmed by almost nothing. Second hc time: I think they’re only half sentimonster, bec I interpreted Emilie’s pregnancy in the Felix slideshow as legit, something that she found a way to split with her sister, which would already make them more fragile than regular sentimonsters. So I don’t personally think he would want to be human

Either way tho, Gabe would totally lord it over his head. One word, Felix. One word. That’s all it would take. And you would be dead. So you’d better do what your dear uncle wants, hm?

Next, consider: Felix has two hands. I propose: brutally honest Kagami, identity fraud Felix, and lie detector Luka polycule

Next next: CHLOE REDEMPTION ARC ARRRRRGGG ANYTHING WOULDVE BEEN BETTER THAN WHAT THEY DID TO HER IN THE SHOW

Now onto: I would love to see cat principles Adrien. 10/10

Unfortunately for your lovely reveal idea: to me Marinette is a paranoid bitch before anything else. Girlie would wait until the defeat of Hawkmoth and then stupid Lila ewww for her reveal, just outta sheer anxiety. Honestly tho, that’s a fun idea, and I’d love to read it if you ever wrote it. This is just my hc

My rant:

Okokok speaking of pressure on teens, Marinette. Not just as Ladybug, where she’s in charge of saving the city and sometimes bringing people back from the dead (you can’t tell me no one drowned in Syren), but also especially when she becomes the guardian.

Marinette who knows one day she’ll forget everyone she loves. Marinette who doesn’t want to, who refuses to. Marinette who writes down everything

Tikki being concerned and confronting her, saying Marinette, that’s the third diary this week. And Marinette explaining through tears that she can’t lose it, can’t lose them. She needs to remember

She can’t stop writing. It cuts into her sleep, but she doesn’t care. Tikki whos worried, but for once doesn’t know how to help

The guilt eats her alive when she’s with her friends, knowing that they have no idea she’s going to leave them behind, no clue one day she’ll look into their faces unable to remember how much she loves them

Marinette starts making birthday presents decades in advance for her family, then Alya, and whoever else she can squeeze in. She’s glad she got a head start on Adrien’s

Desperation drives her, a ticking clock hanging over her head

No one can know who Ladybug is. She’s not ready to forget yet

[loominggaia]

razzek

If this doesn't end in 100% Itchy, those pollsters are lying. XD

niittinaatti

I'm gonna go with Morbus, putting your crush's wife in a coma and trying to persuade him into having her euthanized is pretty hard to forgive

kid-az

Boy do I regret not picking Morbus after remembering just what happened in Love Poison….. Skel is an ass but atleast he wouldn’t do THAT!

aveture

Ah I forgot about morbus and the love poison. Can I change my answer to that?

kid-az asked:

No joke I actually really loved Morbus as a character until Love Potion. After that all I want is for her cats to leave her and be adopted by better people and her being unable to find a cure for her outwards appearance being (Half) as nasty as she is on the inside.

-- -- --

These are all good points! I think in the name of fairness, we should have a break down of each candidate's most punch-worthy actions...

Itchy: "Allegedly" fucked a goat, burglarized homes, mugged people at knife-point, calls people slurs, assaulted an elderly person unprovoked, various peeping-tom behaviors, straight up murdered a dryad once, stole a horse from a soldier.

COUNTERPOINT: He has poor impulse control due to brain damage, some of these behaviors are not really his fault. Once he understands what he's done wrong, he usually feels bad and tries to make up for it. Usually. He's very capable of love and empathy for others, he just doesn't show it at the appropriate times.

Lukas: Murdered his own mother, is verbally and sometimes physically abusive to his crewmen, almost axe-murdered his best friend while drunk, victim-blamed a crewman who was sexually assaulted, tried to goad Zeffer into suicide and then hired an assassin to take him out when he refused.

COUNTERPOINT: Lukas acts the way he does due to immense trauma, and he's fully aware that his behavior is unacceptable. Recently in the series he has expressed remorse and taken steps to become a nicer, more empathetic person. He takes full responsibility for the pain he's caused others and doesn't make excuses for it. He is ashamed of his nasty behavior and is trying to understand why he acts the way he does, so that he doesn't keep repeating his mistakes.

Gwyneth: Cheats on, takes advantage of, and abuses her "husband" Brogan, extremely greedy and miserly, regularly insults people for no reason, flirts with married women and tries to break up marriages.

COUNTERPOINT: Gwyneth has endured the horrors of retail for decades. 'Nuff said. (Just kidding...In reality, she was kidnapped by slavers and quickly learned that the world is brutal and unforgiving, so she fears showing any sign of weakness or tenderness towards others. Bad experiences in her life have hardened her. She was probably aloof to begin with, but the experience of being kidnapped kind of "broke" her emotionally.)

Skel: Racist, misogynistic, classist, arguably transphobic, almost abandoned his crewman Jeimos in a hostile territory, verbally abusive to his crew and everyone around him, general asshole behavior.

COUNTERPOINT: Much of Skel's bigotry is hypocritical, and it's apparent by his contradictory thoughts and behaviors that he's quite mentally ill. His actions are much kinder than his words, and he performs these kind actions in secrecy, as if afraid to show any kind of "weakness" in front of others. Much of his hostile behavior is due to untreated mental problems.

Frederick: Literally stole candy from a baby, physically assaults people (including his own father) to get what he wants, acts arrogant and defiant, bullies others for fun.

COUNTERPOINT: Frederick is young and most of these behaviors are a result of bad parenting on his father's part. As he grew into his teens, Frederick started realizing this behavior wasn't getting him anywhere in life and promised to change. He has shown gradual positive changes ever since, though he does still slip back into his bullying ways from time to time.

Morbus: Neglected her son in favor of her career, abandoned her family, sold harmful drugs for decades, fetishizes and sexually harasses male satyrs, acts sexually aggressive towards Che, verbally abuses just about everyone, poisoned Philippa into a coma out of jealousy, forces her pets to live in her nasty hoard, generally snotty, selfish, and rude behavior.

COUNTERPOINT: I think it's obvious that Morbus is very, very mentally ill. This woman has been spiraling into Hell for over a century, completely untreated, and all the fumes from her alchemy career probably didn't help. I think some of her behavior is just due to her shitty upbringing, and she probably is a bit of a selfish bitch at her healthiest. But I also think her more extreme behaviors are the result of sickness and trauma that were left unchecked for way too long. To her credit--and this is a big deal imo--she does display some empathy and usually rights her wrongs eventually...granted, she'll reach the point of nearly killing someone before she does, but tends to shape up at the very last minute and save them from herself. She also apologizes for her actions once her conscience beats her over the head hard enough, showing that she's not a total psychopath. Morbus is undoubtedly a despicable individual, but it's hard to say how much of that behavior is really within her control. She gives the impression that she's been fighting a horde of personal demons all her life...and she's not winning.

With all that said, if you haven't voted yet, you still have 6 days to do so! ---> Poll Here <---

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Read the Series

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Evil Eye Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD Do you have any superstitions? ❓ 🦇 Raised in a conservative and emotionally volatile Palestinian family in Brooklyn, Yara thought she would finally feel free when she married a charming entrepreneur who took her to the suburbs. With her family balanced with her professional ambitions, Yara knows that her life is infinitely more rewarding than her own mother’s. So why doesn’t it feel like enough? Her mother blames a family curse for the trouble she’s facing, and while Yara doesn’t really believe in old superstitions, she still finds herself growing increasingly uneasy with her mother’s warning and the possibility of falling victim to the same mistakes.

💜 I could spend a year writing this review and it would not convey everything I need to say, nor the vast depth of emotion I felt while reading it. Instead, I'll start by saying thank you. Thank you, Etaf Rum, for a story that captures the complexity of being a Palestinian-American woman and daughter of immigrants. Thank you for illustrating the trauma that can leak from one generation from the next -- trauma we're seeing and feeling in real-time, as Palestinian families continue getting displaced from their homes. Thank you for crafting a woman like Yara, who, despite trying so hard to defy the expectations and limitations set on her, still struggles, because that is the reality of this life. A woman who, despite pain and invisible scars, took a step forward, embarking on a journey of self-exploration and change. Those words, "self-exploration and change," seem so simple. Maybe, to some people, they are. But to women of a certain background, certain upbringing, they seem impossible. From experience, I know what writing these perceptions (both through my own journal entries and through characters) can feel like. It's no easy feat, and takes quite a bit of self-exploration into yourself, the writer. So again, and a thousand times over, thank you. I've seen more of myself, my background, my history, than I could ever express in a review.

💜 Yara says, "I want to be a voice for Palestinians...I want to make people feel seen." Rum writes, "Her whole life, she'd believed reliability would never been granted to someone like her...women like her who were searching for themselves in the art around them, women whose experienced needed to be legitimized." That's what you've done. That's what this story, what Rum and Yara's story, has accomplished.

💙 I do wish we'd seen more positives to the Palestinian-American experience, if not through Yara's life, than through other Palestinians around her. But her isolation was a source of her depression, so I understand why we didn't see how other women like her were living their lives. I also wish we saw more consequences for her husband's actions. Then again, how often are men ever really held accountable?

🦇 Recommended to all readers, namely anyone to learn more about the Palestinian-American experience. Please remember, this is only one perspective, one version, one life. Millions have experienced the same root history; a catalyst that's echoed outward, uniting us through a shared experience. But as Yara said, olive trees grow back twice as large after they're burned to ash.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🧿 Palestinian-American FMC/Author 🪬 Journal Entries 🧿 Feminism 🪬 Literary Fiction 🧿 Mental Health (Depression/Anxiety)/Therapy 🪬 Motherhood 🧿 Trauma/Abuse

💬 Quotes ❝ But she also had dreams of making meaningful work, leaving her mark on the world. She felt certain, in the depths of her being, that something beautiful wanted to be created through her. ❞ ❝ Why didn’t the world recognize that identity and privilege were accidents of birth? How much more empathy would people have if they understood that their position in life was decided not by goodness or merit or fault or need but by luck and chance, a toss of a coin? ❞ ❝ It was because all her life she’d learned to feel safer in obedience than to be free. ❞ ❝ Language was often a bridge, but sometimes a barrier. No matter how she chose her words, they would likely come out a bit distorted, inadequate...Silence was better than being misunderstood, erased, unseen for who you really were. ❞ ❝ Her soul had always been cracked in the center, her body split in two, her feet stretched so wide between opposite sides of the globe that she couldn’t stand straight. ❞

[cloudinterlude]

Do you think Howard was faithful to Marla? I ask this cuz a part of me says yes but then realistically, his history 😭😭 speaking of history, and the bits and pieces we got. What do you think Howard’s childhood/up bringing was like? And how do you think it shaped him? I love your analysis

Hi! Thanks for the ask!

I actually will give a definite yes on the question of Howard's fidelity to Maria. His raunchy history and the time period is certainly something that could make you question it, but Howard didn't perfectly fit into the common mold of a man back then and he was a playboy because he didn't commit. Howard was very free with his affections when he was single. And that's the key - he was for and in any willing woman because he had no commitments and certainly didn't entertain the women who thought he would settle down for them (cue montage of Peggy and Jarvis visiting all those women who were pissed at Howard for disappearing the next day and leaving them with a bracelet lol).

Everything was casual for him. Peak flaky womanizer with no strings attached - at least on his end. But when it comes to committing to someone he presumably actually cares about, well, I don't see MCU Howard indulging in that kind of betrayal. I can agree on things like "Howard was a negligent husband and father" or "Howard grew to be emotionally unavailable to his wife" because we see pieces of those aspects in him already. Infidelity though? I can't find the breadcrumbs for that. In fact, he seems to be more loyal to people he cares about.

I will say though, that if Howard at any point of his life stuck with a casual girlfriend rather than a wife, well, lol. The cheating trait might have a leg to stand on. Depends on how much he values someone. But even then, I think he'd just send Jarvis to the hypothetical gf to break up for him if he lost interest in her.

When it comes to his childhood...I honestly don't have any solid theories. Howard told us he grew up poor with parents who didn't hold jobs that would be considered high ranking. The area he grew up in was poor. And so, to make it to the wealthiest parts of society, he lied and cheated his way up seeing as his charm, intelligence and wit were the only resources he had to use. I'd imagine Howard's genius was isolating at times. Not only when it came to connecting to his peers, but maybe also with his parents. People who have super-genius children often don't know how to accommodate their intellect, even if they had the resources to put their kid's brain to use. Howard's parents evidently had none, so who knows with that. On the subject if I have any headcanons on Howard's parents being loving vs abusive, well. I can only imagine that they, at most, were emotionally distant. Howard learned that trait from somewhere lol. I don't think they were particularly horrible to Howard...maybe confused and worried. He's an odd person. of course, this is all speculation on my part!

How it shaped it - well, it's how we see him act now (in Agent Carter)! He keeps most people at a distance, is flaky, distrusting of even the people he values, ect ect. But, his difficult upbringing and rise to the top also gifted him a sense of empathy, generosity and some righteous anger. He completely understands the nuances of societal discrimination and how difficult it can be for people with different lives. Hence why he himself is not a hateful bigot.

I'm glad you like my character posts <3 <3 <3!! Honestly, I never expected to talk about Howard this much. I already liked him in CATFA, but Agent Carter added so much more dimension to his character and it peaked my interest. And as I've said, I never know how to like something a normal amount lol.

[chutkiandchotte]

The Alia/Ranbir Conversation

To begin with, I need to eye roll several times about how this entire issue has snowballed based on pure speculation. I personally believe this type of speculation is harmful - no matter what the truth is. I get that a few people are coming from a place of concern and good faith, but the majority seem to be participating in this discussion in a completely tactless and insensitive way, with no care that THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE not fictional characters, first of all, and secondly, the issue at hand is abuse which requires a certain amount of sensitivity to discuss. Even if you don't give two hoots about the trials and tribulations of rich, famous Bollywood stars...you are nevertheless participating in a conversation about abuse. Your thoughts on this topic have a good chance of reaching the ears of people in real life abusive situations; victims, abusers, and others who have the capacity to help. Your words on such topics are not merely words. They have a capacity to do harm or good that directly impacts people.

So keeping that in my mind, I want have a little rant today about why, in all of these conversations about toxic/abusive men in Bollywood and their partners, do we ALWAYS center the women and HER behavior, her flaws, her mistakes, again and again and again? What did SHE do, what is HER problem, WHY does she endure this...a hyper focus on HER character. And over and over again, the refrain of "why didn't she leave?".

There's barely any acknowledgement of the tremendous difficulties women in such relationships have to content with. If you are going to talk about abusive dynamics, then you damn well better talk from a place of information and understanding, not judgement and derision. Yet in the larger public discussions, there is zero empathy. Surviving a toxic relationship, with abusive dynamics, is extremely difficult for reasons that an outsider would not easily be able to understand. Remember, the view from inside out is WAY different from outside in. For example, many of these women now have kids with these toxic men. When kids get involved, they bring with them the weight of desi social conditioning, times ten, to keep a woman in a situation that is against her every personal happiness. It gets incredibly emotionally complicated to navigate. They might have had to weigh the happiness of their family against their own dignity, even safety, at so many different points in their life.

But none of this matters in front of the fact that she is a woman. And therefore MUST have done something to deserve it. ( /s) A popular blame thrown about is that she was "dumb" enough to fall in love with an obviously toxic, potentially abusive guy. So therefore, everything that happened subsequently, is her bed to lie in. A real psychopathic take IMO but really popular too! So, she made a mistake with her choice of husband and love; maybe she was "stupid" in love. But did the punishment fit the crime? A lifetime of heart break, emotional abuse, and tough choices! And all we can do is mock her, apparently. Yeah, not everybody is a perfect victim like we'd like them to be. Not everybody is on the same point in the angelic scale; some are more flawed, or self destructive, than others. That STILL doesn't make them worthy of blame for other people's controlling or abusive actions.

Why did they stay, why did they stay, why did they stay - society loves to scream this as an accusation, but are we ready to hear the real reason? It is a very emotionally loaded question and the answer might just be too devastating to comprehend for the majority of us. "Oh, she never once tried to get out" is lobbied as an insult - how on earth can you know this? What do you know about what they might have tried or not? What stopped them? What their partners might have done to stop them (for the kids custody, to avoid paying alimony etc etc).

That's part of the problem. The sad/pitying/mocking tone of talking about her, the focus on her as if she alone is to blame for all of this? Like this latest conversation about Ralia is all speculation. But even within that murky realm, it seems logical to focus on the flaws and mistakes of the person we all are imagining as the perpetrator, Ranbir. If you're so hell bent on speculation at all, why not speculate about the man, then??? We are always so very concerned with what SHE did wrong, as opposed to what HE did. But the attitude towards him is like OF COURSE he is like that (because boys will be boys), but SHE should have known better. If Ranbir got 25% of the mocking over this controversy that Alia did, maybe next time the next Bollywood asshole will think twice before acting in this way.

And I want to reiterate that it's really not about Ranbir Alia and whatever their relationship is actually like. Unfounded speculation serves no purpose. But for me, the more relevant matter is how this all has highlighted the way we talk about female abuse victims in this country. The derision and the subtle tone of "she deserved it" for her; and for him, unlimited forgiveness and unlimited chances to prove himself a better man.

If we can't give these women empathy - then at least let us not give them blame. If we can't understand them, at least let's not disrespect them.

[ruminate88]

Healing Journal 06/04/24

I was pretty sensitive and protected in my bubble as a kid. I was taking care of my grandma and raising my bro’s kids by 15. I knew struggles but not like I do now. Not until I was emotionally abused… I never talk about “Jake” as much as Cody or Andrew cuz Jake was a bully and he scared me a lot. I tried to make friendship with him through the years but keep boundaries because he would act so sweet and caring until I would get close to him. Then he would strike with his low key, “I am your friend so listen to me I know what is best for you always and therefore, I will tell you how to act and what to say….” Jake wanted full on control. 🥴 He would be so flirty and vibe with me and his mystery was always drawing me back in. Jake is the one though, who exploited all of my private photos on his Twitter and he claimed they were on his Facebook too for his “family to see” 😳💀 Idk if he actually did that cuz grossss I was too upset and scared to look but why????? Jake for sure kept me on the edge. He would leave me alone whenever I was in a relationship but always come back around afterwards and be my “friend” again but continue to act like he knows best for me…

Jake made comments like “You shouldn’t be depressed. You should be happy.” Ok… sounds nice, right???? But if you listen to his undertone, he’s actually downplaying how depressed I actually was cuz soon as things didn’t go his way, he’s talking down to me like I’m stupid. Jake has called me a “racist”, a “bigot” and a few other choice words in the past… It’s no different than Andrew saying, “you’re too beautiful to be depressed.” SAME EXACT UNDERTONE. 🥴🤡

It’s all lies… they were all the reasons I stayed depressed as long as I did. I was in a pattern of dating these “emotionless men” and they all hate me cuz they can’t have me or be me. I don’t think I’m better than them but I’m capable of feeling empathy for them and they’ll never have that for me. They’ll never feel sorry for me or care when they make me cry. 🫤 It’s just who they are I believe. The more I’ve told my story and listen to other people’s stories AND break down my story, dissecting it all, it was emotional abuse and there has been days I’ve questioned am I truly healing from it all and I am!!

The hardest wall to get over has been the ruminating, the feeling worthless because of them, feeling I need their approval on everything I do AND they broke my trust so I struggle to trust anyone else or even my own self. I have to FORCE myself to be with my husband cuz I know he’s a nice guy but I’m scared he could be pretending… 😓 Andrew made me doubt my own reality and my feelings. Did I even love him??? (Which I realize now it was just a sick and twisted trauma bond)

Just becuase you find people attractive, doesn’t mean you know them or love their heart. I still think Andrew is so handsome 💀😝😝 But I keep telling myself that everyone’s looks fade and if Andrew can’t treat me correctly, then I’m glad I dodged a bullet. I have to fight the cognitive dissonance and keep my head in reality. Ugggh I keep remembering all the pics he sent me from his shower when he was at college like grrr why did he have to do that to me??? (Not cool) haha 😆

[cosmicclownboy]

hi- why don't you like Maria?

Oh lord.

Where do I even begin with Maria.

Season 1

Makes a joke about Alex's secret relationship being with Wyatt and finding it funny- (Wyatt who is an abusive racist dude who commits hate crimes and bear in mind she knows Alex was abused for being gay) IT'S GROSS.

Speaks about Alex's secret relationship guy being his home to Alex and literally feels his hopefulness because it is part of her alien ability and continues to pursue Michael in s2.

Maria (straight) outs Michael to Liz. That's not okay on any level.

When Liz tells Maria to speak to Alex before doing anything she ignores the advice and does what she wants.

She's really smug about Michael picking/pursuing her like she won.

Season 2

Pursues Michael at a funeral in front of Alex without talking to him.

Makes Michael's loved ones husband funeral about a relationship status

Slut shames a random woman who makes out with Michael when they were never exclusive

Enters a relationship with Michael where he has to be exclusive but she doesn't because she doesn't believe he could be faithful. That's reeks of harmful biphobia stereotypes.

Ignores Alex the whole time UNTIL she needs something.

When she appears at Alex's door she says they are even. AKA comparing Alex not telling her a secret that wasn't his to share to her pursuing the love of his life in front of him without any empathy and ignoring the whole time.

Bitches to Alex about Liz and wanting fuck all to do with her. Alex has to remind her Liz has a dead boyfriend and is struggling cause Maria only has Maria vision and lacks empathy for her 'best friends'.

Uses her mom's laptop to get the scope on Alex/Michael's relationship which reads 100% manipulative. She even says Michael is pushing you away and then proceeds to encourage the narrative where Michael pushes Alex away because she suddenly wants Michael. And of course Alex is supportive she recognises he lacks self worth and rolls over him.

Beginning of 2x06 she tries to set up Forlex to get Alex away from Michael. Once again manipulative.

Tries to make Alex feel guilty for being gay in 206 because when she was a kid she idealised being with him and had to come up with a whole new plan. He grew up in an abusive household you know that....It's not okay to say that. You know how much internalised homophobia he has.

When saying he's had good relationships provides only examples of relationships with women......................HE IS GAY.

Asks him if he would change being gay.......jfc.

Alex tearfully saying he dissociates with women because he clearly forced himself to out of internalised phobia, Maria takes it to mean she has a chance. She thinks she's the exception since a touch starved abuse victim liked to be touched by her in high school. That doesn't = consent.

When Alex, a whole ass Airforce Captain tells her it's unsafe to stay at the creepo's place she acts all I am feminist about it and this results in Alex being stabbed and Michael getting whacked on the head.

Earlier in the episode she whinges to Alex about Michael kissing another woman in front of her and how cruel it was and then proceeds to kiss Michael in front of Alex KNOWING how he feels for Michael.

In THAT scene it's clear she notices Michael's emotions towards Alex and is insecure about it. She uses Malex's feelings for each other to her advantage. She's chasing the fantasy of getting with Alex. These are two highly traumatised queer men who struggle to say no because they spent their lives in abusive environments.

Neither Michael or Alex were in a position to consent to sex that night Michael is concussed from a whack on the head . Alex has lost a lot of blood and is completely out of it. And neither would ever initiate that situation. Not to mention the assumption Michael would be down because he's bi is so harmful as a stereotype.

"I think she’s cool with her decision. She wanted some answers, so subconsciously there was an emotional comfort she needed. But she also had a little bit of an agenda. She needed some decisions made about the status of their relationships, so she thought, “Let’s throw everything against the wall and see where it lands.” I think she was just wondering if they made any progress on that front. She said it was OK for their feelings to be out in the open, but let’s just voice them for what they are. As we saw, Michael stepped up and was like, “No, I still love you and I’m with you.” Secretly, that’s what Maria was hoping for. By suggesting a threesome, she’s was basically telling Michael, “Make your choice… and I hope it’s me.” this is what Heather said about the scene. So not only was it coercive and such but she used her best friend like that with no care or empathy whatsoever. It's disgraceful.

The next day both Michael and Alex are confused by what the fuck happened. Alex due to his C-PTSD completely dissociates from the situation and Michael attempts to laugh it off despite him being hella confused. The only person who isn't confused is Maria who is listening to them from inside.

When Michael comes in she turns on the tears just in case he does want Alex afterwards. Bear in mind she is a psychic who can feel everything and she assumed Michael was going to go after Alex. Doesn't that say it all. SHE KNOWS MICHAEL IS IN LOVE WITH ALEX AND VICE VERSA. She does not care, because at the end of the day this is what she wants. She wants to win. She wants to treat Michael like this trophy that she can show off to people I got the great Michael Guerin not a relationship guy to date me.

When Michael wants to have emotional conversations she shuts it down for sex. The entirety of the relationship it has to be her way or the high way. She also recognises fairly on his abandonment issues and plays upon it, reads manipulative.

When Michael who has lost his mom and brother in the span of a few months asks Maria to be more careful about her abilities she doesn't listen. And ultimately breaks up with Michael when she can't get what she wants from him which is a yes man who will do what she says and isn't the idealised Michael she wants.

Season 3

Shits on Michael any chance she gets. She's so mean to him and he goes out of his way to look out for her.

Is dismissive of her own health despite the fact that everybody goes out of their way to help her. Liz is in California working on a way to help her. Kyle is risking his job.etc

Is fine with Liz, her best friend losing the love of her life to get a vision to prevent a murder. A vision she's only invested in because apparently in it she blames herself.

Is fine with Max or Kyle dealing with the guilt of her death had Michael not saved her.

Shoves Michael and belittles him because he's stronger then her. Infers he just sits on his ass and does nothing therefore does not care about anything....rude. There's also a weird superiority complex that her power is more important then Michaels or any of pod squad for that matter.

Creates a situation that is so bad that Kyle risks his doctors licence to give her adrenaline. Just take an ice bath or something there are a 1000 ways to give yourself adrenaline without risking your life and risking others.

Doesn't thank or acknowledge what Liz is doing for her honey has spent a FULL YEAR of her life trying to help and your just like yeah I'll let her soulmate die for my visions.

Emotionally guilts Isobel for not hanging out with her despite the fact she's hated her for two seasons and now has just randomly decided she wants to know......okay

This idea that Maria is suddenly lonely when she's the second of the main cast (first being Kyle) to have scenes with all the mains by Monday. Literally everyone is there at her beck and call but Maria is lonely??? IT DOESN'T ADD UP. Everyone's up her arse 9/10 how is she lonely everyone expresses concern and care for her ALL THE DAMN TIME. She's also narratively never had scenes that give the connotation that she is lonely. Michael has scenes that connotate he is lonely. Max and Alex do too. Maria has yet to have scenes that give the connotation of feeling lonely or depressed.

Maria comparing the alien siblings to her and feeling left out when she acts superior to them and they are literally siblings. Literally every character is somewhat left out with Pod Squad they've lived their lives assuming it's just them three against the world it's not a personal attack.

Maria is 1/8 alien at best so diluted genetically it doesn't show up and somehow she believes she has the capability of the aliens who are 100%. Say you have French DNA you don't expect to speak French suddenly.

This whole Maria never does wrong narrative and it's empowering that she's doing all of this just feels like a crock of shit tbh.

She reads like a 2000's movie mean girl.

All of my bullet points are why I don't like h Maria and it's not biased because I'm a so and so fan. Narratively she just wins up doing shitty things to Michael and Alex the most.

[dialovers-translations]

Hello! I'm gonna add my HUMBLE opinion on Christa since we're on it; this is not an attack, mind you, just wanna discuss it, anyway sorry for my English and let's go-

Well, I've gotta say that i read your opinions on her and there's something that worries me, when you say that you "won't excuse her just because she was abused too", and also when you say "she could have treated Subaru better" etc... Except that.. she couldn't, and you know why?. Because she was CRAZY and wasn't AWARE of it. That's it, Christa, thanks to his loving husband, became literally delusional and in my opinion she didn't even know it, she simply snapped and wasn't aware of her condition. And when you're not aware of something you just CAN'T CONTROL IT. How can you?? Sometimes you can't even control something even when you're aware of it!

So, when you say -"I won't excuse her, because she could have left Karlheinz, be a damn good mom and care about Subaru more (even though she had no control over her emotional state because she became practically crazy and didn't even know it, great)"- to me it's like saying to someone who suffers from ADHD- "Why can't you just concentrate like others and be normal even though you absolutely have no control over that?!!". That's what I don't like about your reasoning (unless i misunderstood), unfortunately, it's not like "she could have been different", no, there's no "different", she couldn't change herself because she was just crazy mad, like, i don't know, schizophrenic-mad, that's the truth. It's not like ASPD, or NPD or whatever where you go to a therapist, they tell you from what mental illness you suffer and then you try to change yourself to be a better person and function in a society, no. Christa, in our society, would be locked up into a psychiatric hospital, there's no therapy for her, as bad as this sound. That's why I think you're argument doesn't work, you talk as if she had control over her state of mind and consciously did all that shit, but that's the opposite. It doesn't matter if she knew that Karlheinz was using her (I think first she fell in love, then when she found out the truth, she couldn't believe it and just snapped); she probably forgot about that in some of her attacks (when she treated Subaru aka Karlheinz with love), and then remembered that in some others (when she told Subaru aka Karlheinz she hated him). And if you say "yes, i know she didn't have any control over that but she still did it and I hate her for it".. well, the same argument can be used against people who suffer from Alzheimer, like- "I know you have a syndrome that let's you forget your own name but I still blame you and held you accountable for it"... Like, sure.

So, am I justifying her?? I think, yes?? I mean, how can you not?? She was mad, unaware of it, and even therapy wouldn't be able to help her honestly. And if people blame her i think they should also blame people with Alzheimer or ADHD (a mental illness where you can be aware of your problem but still find it impossible to control it, ahahah) etc.

Btw, I'm not arguing about who's the best diamom and all that shit, i don't care, i just think that this reasoning is stupid and, believe me or not, ABUSIVE. Because this way you're gonna blame "neurodivergents" (people who suffer from mental illness) for things they can't control. And that's a problem, because you could say things like:

ASPD/NPD- Why can't you just feel empathy for other human beings even though during your childhood you were emotionally, verbally and maybe even physically abused and as a defense mechanism you literally switched off your own empathy to not feel other people emotions because you are terrified to be hurt again?

DEPRESSION- Why can't you just be happy and smile a little more?? The world is so beautiful! (People don't know that the ones that suffers from Depression usually have a different brain structure from the one of a 'normal' person)

And so on. And to make you understand the stupidity of this argument even more, look at this-

ASTHMA- Why can't you just breathe??!! There's so much air outside!!

I don't actually think you'll use or have used this argument for people with mental illness (tell me you didn't pls). You seem like a good person. Of course, neurodivergents should be held accountable for things they CAN control, and they should try to be better people (not all of them have the humility of doing that unfortunately), but when I read your opinion I got a bit worried honestly. Today, mental illness are very stigmatized, and people in general should start to learn more about them, me included. Hope I didn't offend you, if there's something I misunderstood about your opinion then sorry

Of course, if Christa were a real person, it would change the situation and my opinion on it entirely. I also fully realize that she probably had episodes where she completely lost control, while at other times the rational side of her takes over again and she can think more clearly. (e.g. when she was dying from the poison)

However, since she is a fictional character and not a real person, I don’t necessarily judge her by the same standards. The original question was whether or not Subaru’s DF route made me like her more or redeemed her character, to which the answer would be ‘no’. I genuinely found her constant SCREECHING and crazy behavior to be annoying and I really couldn’t bring myself to sympathize with her. :/

I guess my issue with this whole deal is that Rejet touched upon subject of mental illness in a very shallow way by not fleshing out her character more through flashbacks of her younger years with Karl, her internal struggle between loving and loathing him, etc.

It is mentioned in bits of pieces but only on the side because Yui, Subaru and the Founders all need their screen time as well.

As a result, we’re left with somewhat of a clumsily put-together character who just comes across as a crazy lady throwing anger tantrums because her crush doesn’t like her back.

Christa did have a lot of potential for sure, but a character with such a complex emotional state of mind needs her own whole story to be done justice, rather than serving as a side character to stir up drama or provide the plot with some juicy angst.

[luxshine]

Ok... so I am watching Encanto, and the music and the animation is gorgeous, but holy shit, I hate the Madrigals AND Casita so much.

And now, spoilers, so please, be mindful. Like, Spoilers for Encanto AND Coco.

It's funny, in Coco, the Riveras are shown immediately to NOT support Miguel's music because of the family rules, but still are a loving family no matter what. While the Madrigals, who are shown as this amazingly together family who loves each other but yet... they ALL treat Maribel as a second class citizen! I mean, there's ABSOLUTELY no reason for her not to have a gift, narratively speaking, for the HOUSE to keep her without powers at the end or for the family NOT To invite her for a family picture! Hell, there are THREE people without powers in the house who are not treated like that! Abuela has no powers, yet treats Maribel as if she wasn't fit to clean the dirt from her shoes, her father calls her un-ordinary, and her mother just doesn't listen to her and keeps ignoring her REAL pain, and her uncle makes fun of her even when, again, neither her father nor her uncle have powers!). And yes, the family loves Maribel, it's obvious they love her. They just... are very, VERY bad at showing it when, say, the house is not falling down on their heads.

And no, her gift is not Empathy or whatever, as if she had that gift? She'd had a freaking ROOM. And Abuela HAS a room despite not having powers (And no matter what a guy on Facebook tells me, no there's no rule in universe that "The Owner of the House has no powers" much less that "The spirit of Abuela's Husband decided Maribel would be the heir of the house and Abuela missed the signs")

(Oh, and lets' not talk about poor Bruno. Speak about parental abuse there, in so, so many ways)

So yeah, beautiful movie, gorgeous music, incredible animation, great voice acting, and all... but uhm... I can't care for any of the characters emotionally. Not even Mirabel because, as justified as she is, she is ALSO incredibly selfish since she never realized how the powers affect the rest of the family (I get her not seeing Luisa and Isabella's issues, as they're her older sisters, and thus, she can have her issues but come on, Peppa's issues ARE OBVIOUS to anyone who sees a cloud on top of her AND Luisa has such an obvious tell!) And yes, I know Mirabel and how she's treated can be seen as a parallel on how non-neurotypical family member is treated by neurotypical family members... which is precisely why I ended up hating that the movie Made it seem as if the family HAD a point on treating Maribel the way they did and it was not really THEIR fault, since the narrative paints Maribel as selfish!

Ok, so I have issues with families ignoring children just because they're not "perfect"

And ok.. I ended up caring a lot for Luisa because, man, talk about perfect description of how the Eldest sibling of a Latinamerican family feels. And she and Antonio were the only ones who didn't treat Maribel so badly, so... yeah. Also, Unidonkeys. She gets Unidonkeys and Unidonkeys are amazing.

(Although I do wonder how close Encanto was to Colombian's true culture. I know the idea of kids not drinking coffee is as anti-Colombian as it can get, since... I dunno any Colombian kid who hadn't drink coffee by the age of 5, but the rest? I'd like to know since Coco was SO close to real Mexico, you could believe it was made by Mexicans)