#I think she’s a victim of manipulation and physical and emotional/verbal abuse

[bitchapalooza]

Isn’t it canon that Russia is abused by her bosses? Like she’s forced to do all this shit or she’ll be punished? Anyway, Russia went from being the victim to the abuser and ngl I’d love to read a whole character analysis for why this is possible but I don’t know psychology enough to write it

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

i feel like some of the fandom is a bit harsh on Monty... like, trauma is definitely not an excuse, but it does give pretty much all of his actions an understandable explanation?

like... Monty was actively being abused by Esther in practically any scene they were together. he said something she didn't like, and she yelled and grabbed him threateningly. both of the times she transformed him, from crow to human and then back again, she literally stabbed and ripped him up in a really gory way.

i sure wonder why an evil witch's familiar who's constantly treated like that would follow her orders even if he disagreed with them!!

and considering that Esther is potentially one of the only humans Monty came into contact with before meeting the others, and she's like that - he turned out alright, didn't he? he's petty, a bit rude sometimes, and takes things personally, but generally, he's a shockingly decent person.

yes, he didn't take it well when Edwin rejected him. but, as others have pointed out - how was Monty genuinely meant to know any better? he had lived his whole life as a crow in a cage too small for him, where the only person he knew was his extremely nasty and cruel owner. and then, all of a sudden, he's forced into a new body and has humanity thrust upon him against his will. he explicitly expressed this discomfort himself when Esther degraded him for getting "too emotional" for her liking.

"i never asked to be human. with all these... feelings."

even after the bitterness of the rejection, Monty never actually wanted to hurt the Dead Boy Detectives. turns out, he didn't even know that Esther's plan intended to end them completely, and was so horrified upon finding out that he made an attempt to lead them to safety, which was, by the way, putting himself at massive risk. Esther already punished him likely under the assumption that he just didn't put enough effort into manipulating them - can you imagine what she'd have done to him if she knew about his last-minute attempt to actually save them?

of course, i don't think Edwin was wrong for not forgiving Monty. he deserved that. Monty still helped in the scheme that aimed to destroy him. he also fully deserved to reject Monty if he wanted to (conversely, i do also see people say that Edwin "could have handled it better," but honestly, i don't know if it's just me not being neurotypical or something, but i genuinely do not see how Edwin could have been nicer about it? he was straightforward and polite, then afterwards, still tried to be Monty's friend until the betrayal.)

however, Monty was still very much a victim himself, and any harm he did was not from his own will, instead motivated by fear of the terrifying witch who had him fully reliant upon her, often through both verbal and physical force. Esther never hesitated to hurt him. he was painfully aware of that. she didn't care about him beyond how useful he could be. and when he failed at that, her reaction was violent.

but he didn't have anyone else.

[bonefall]

the worst parent poll made me realize just how many ppl in the fandom are willing to jump straight into abuse apologia. bc on one hand you have ppl dumbing down crow's abuse to "him just being mean" and on the other end you have ppl saying that curlfeather didnt abuse frostpaw because she sacrificed herself and frost + her siblings love her so she couldnt possibly be an abuser. truly mindboggling stuff take these serious topics away from the fandom asap.

Part of me feels like it's because many in this fandom have a feeling that if a character's actions are abusive, it means you're "not allowed" to like them. Like there's an impulse where if you liked a character, it MUST mean they weren't THAT bad, because you'd personally never like "an abuser."

As if it reflects poorly on your own morality, as a person, that you connected with An Abuser. Understood them, even. Even if it was just a character.

If it's immoral to Like Abusive Characters, of course your reaction is going to end up being abuse apologia. To enjoy something isn't logical, it's emotional, so you will get defensive about it when questioned. When you do, it's not going to be based on logic because you didn't reason yourself into that position in the first place. It's an attack on you as a person.

I feel like that's often the root of abuse apologia in this fandom, and sometimes the world at large; "If I admit that this character/person IS abusive, it means I was doing something bad by liking them, so I have to prove to everyone else that they weren't or it means I'm bad too."

And to that I say... That's a BAD impulse! Grow up and admit you resonated with a character that did a bad thing! If that's an uncomfortable thought, sit with it!

Sometimes abusers are likeable! They usually DO think they're justified in their actions, or doing it for "a good reason," or were just too preoccupied to care. MOST of the time, people who commit abusive actions are also hurt or traumatized in some way. You might even empathize with them. None of this means their actions have to be excused or downplayed.

"Abusers" aren't a type of goddamn yokai, they're people just like you and me. You don't help victims of abuse by putting the people who hurt us in an "untouchable" category.

In fact, all it does is make you less likely to recognize your own controlling behavior. You're capable of abuse. People you love are capable of it, too. People who love YOU can still hurt you.

In spite of how often people regurgitate "It's Ok To Like A Character As Long As You're Critical Of Their Actions," every day it is proven to me further and further that no one who says it actually understands what that means.

All that said; I think it's no contest which one's a worse parent, imo.

They both mistreated their children, but Curlfeather did it through manipulation without verbal or physical abuse. She politically groomed her into a position of power so that she could use her as a pawn. It can be argued if this counts as child abuse-- but it's firmly still under the broad category childhood maltreatment, which is damaging.

(though anon I'm with you 100% at seeing RED when "but she sacrificed herself" is used as an excuse. Curlfeather's death does NOT CHANGE what she did to Frostpaw in life. I think it's a valid point to bring up when comparing her to another terrible parent for judgement purposes, such as in the context of this poll, but I really hate the implication that redemption deaths "make up" for maltreatment.)

Crowfeather, meanwhile, is textually responsible for putting Breezepaw through verbal AND physical abuse, as well as child neglect. His motivations include embarrassment from a hurt ego, revenge on his ex, and being sad because of a dead girlfriend. This abuse drives Breezepelt towards radicalization in the Dark Forest.

You could argue Curlfeather is a worse person for Reedwhisker's murder, but as a parent? It's not even a question to me. Crowfeather's one of the worst dads in WC.

[xxxkokin]

lolita is not a love story.

part II

several times humbert mentions that he convinces lolita of what would happen if she tattled, if she went to the police and confessed to a man having abused her, that she would be sent to a reformatory prison for delinquent children such as herself. he resorts to techniques of verbal manipulation, physical abuse (several times grabbing her wrist or using his size against her), and various rewards (candy, seeing new sights across america, lavish cuisine, etc).

it becomes even more and more relevant through the story that dolores gets bored, and rightfully repulsed by humbert’s constant infatuation with her. in the second half of the book, she displays clear reluctance to participate in the sexual fantasies of humbert, and yet he ignores it. he does not even question for a moment what dolores had wanted, simply thinking, ��oh, my little pet” or ��the fool” in reference to his “child”.

his only emotional reaction to her sobs after the deed was done was laughter and glee after he retracted one of his promises. what she wants recedes into the background as humbert becomes more and more occupied in keeping his grip on her rather than making her feel loved or protecting her.

i do believe, however, that it would be incorrect to call dolores haze a victim. yes, she sustained years of sexual and physical abuse via humbert humbert. however, the word victim implies powerlessness. whenever she could, she took advantage of his desperation for her own monetary gain, to sustain a lavish lifestyle, and to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress.

“I saw Lolita’s eyes, and they seemed to be more calculating than frightened.”

While humbert drinks himself into a stupor, dolores makes herself busy driving him crazy with jealousy. eventually she manages to escape him. humbert’s final departing gift to lolita before they are separated for three years are seven books and a bouquet of flowers, which he drove sixty miles to fetch. at this point the reader has seen dolores accuse him of rape and indecency with her when she was a child, and yet the pathetic softness of offering such a gift before his own abandonment strikes pity into the heart of the audience.

dolores and humbert reconcile after three years of separation. she is in desperate need of money and begs humbert to consider her situation. he could not kill her. he was in possession of a gun and yet finds himself even more obsessed with her than he was the first day he met her. he offered, twice, if she would come with him to live out a beautiful and happy life together.

she said no.

humbert, after this rejection, realizes that he has not been a saint, experiencing the first ounce of character development that 224 pages has taken him. he opens his eyes to the fact that he had whisked away her childhood, her freedom, and still after all of this proclaims he is still in love with dolores. H.H. was not in love, and lolita is not a love story. every description the reader receives of the evasive dolores haze is through a lens of objectification and idealism.

dolly haze was just a memory to him.

[lightofraye]

MEN CAN BE VICTIMS TOO

Gender stereotypes lead to problems when it comes to abuse. Many abuse survivors will be overlooked, ignored, because of that problem. We would like to think that a man, who is usually physically dominant and likely more aggressive, is impossible to be abused.

However, they’re more common than one would think. The way they’re abused also varies greatly.

I know. The question that comes up is: if a man is being abused, wouldn’t we know it? Wouldn’t we see it?

The answer? Nope. You wouldn’t.

Men in abusive relationships is kind of like a dirty secret. People, especially the victims who are living with it, don’t talk about it—if they even realize it’s happening.

Here’s the reason why: Societally, we see it as impossible for a man to be abused. Because if he is, that must mean he’s weak and easily manipulated if the abuser is controlling him or abusing him. Right?

No. Not one bit.

But that impression, that perception, persists, and that keeps the victims from opening up about their abuse and seeking help when it’s needed. Of course, that assumes the man even recognizes he’s being abused. It’s sadly common for the victim to have trouble seeing it and be resistant to admit it.

For a man, admitting he’s being abused can be emasculating, making him feel he’s not a real man. He may decide to develop patterns of behaviors or thoughts to help minimize and explain what he’s experiencing. They may also have a narrower definition of what is considered abuse in a relationship.

Abuse isn’t just physical. If you ask a man if he’s experiencing abuse, he may automatically assume you’re talking about physical abuse, if he’s being hit by his partner. It’s more likely that the man experiencing abuse is dealing with emotional, psychological, verbal, or even sexual abuse.

Many male victims will ignore any other kind of abuse that isn’t overtly physical and fail to recognize what’s happening to them.

This is a huge blind spot in society for the relationship abuse men can experience means we fail to notice how much more common it is than we want to believe.

A woman who is abusive to her male partner, however, may exploit the general restraint men are taught to never use their physical advantage over women in an abusive manner. So she may give into her own anger issues or manipulative instincts and become verbally or emotionally abusive toward her partner. This kind of “you can’t touch me” approach leaves a man unsure of what to do, other than to take it and live with it.

Men are also prone to sexual coercion by women. Rather than forcible sexual abuse, a woman may use sex as a weapon to try to control a man. This may come in forms of withholding sex, promising sex or sexual acts in order to get what she wants, using sexual flirtation to control or outright hurt him.

There is also covert forms of sexual acts—such as forcing fellatio or grabbing genitalia—that can be seen as a form of sexual abuse.

Because some men are responsive to acts of a sexual nature, they may not recognize this manipulation as a form of sexual abuse. However, using anything as a means of trying to control your partner, including sex, can be seen as a form of abuse.

Psychological abuse can also be used. This can include demeaning the man in their life, undermining his confidence, causing the man to feel isolated and dependent. These can manifest in a few ways, such as being socially cut off from friends and normal activities; being called names or intimidated; interfering with family relationships; making unfounded accusations of infidelity; constantly monitoring calls, texts, and social media; and exerting financial control and manipulating or undermining behavior—such as overspending.

In addition, the man’s children may be used against him. They may threaten a man’s access to his children.

SIGNS A MAN MAY BE EXPERIENCING ABUSE

So if men don’t want to talk about it and may not even recognize it—and there are no physical signs—how can you tell if a man is being abused?

There are signs to look for.

• Changes in personality. This may not signal abuse, but it means something is going on. Such as an outgoing person becoming withdrawn or a responsible or steady man acting in angry, wild, or irresponsible ways.

• Being anxious or fearful about his partner’s response. Being regularly and overly concerned or anxious about how you partner will respond to you isn’t healthy. It may be a sign of fear that failure to please will result in punitive or abusive measures.

• Becoming overly apologetic. A person experiencing abuse may become accustomed to unnecessarily apologizing or overexplaining their behavior.

• Needing to check in with his partner repeatedly. Along with becoming fearful of his partner’s response may come the need to check in with his partner constantly. Or the partner’s needs to keep tabs on him and know his whereabouts at all times.

• Depression. In men, depression can manifest as anger more so than in a despondent mood.

• Alcohol or substance use. Men are prone to using alcohol as a method of self-medicating. They use it or other substances as a means of managing emotions and escaping. So if a man begins drinking more than usual or starts smoking, consider it a warning sign something may be off.

• Seeming generally unwell. Men are notorious for their inability to express feelings. If a man is experiencing abuse, he may not know how to talk about it, feel ashamed of his situation, or stuff his feelings. This can result in outwardly observable illness. In essence, the abuse is making him sick.

THE NEXT STEPS

Stopping abuse in any relationship is difficult and complicated. It’d be nice if it were as easy as just saying stop or leaving, but it’s not.

Ending abuse is not something that’s easily done alone. Many people experiencing abuse find that the support of family or friends, and likely a mental health professional, can help them make the needed changes.

It can be done.

But the hardest step for a man is the initial step, which is admitting the abuse exists.

Be there for them. Let them know they’re not alone. Above all, believe them.

Sources:

Dutton DG, et al. (2013). Male victims of domestic violence. (Opens a PDF)

Friendly C. (2018). The victimization of heterosexual males.

General statistics. (n.d.).

Hine B, et al. (2020). "I have guys call me and say 'I can't be the victim of domestic abuse'": Exploring the experiences of telephone support providers for male victims of domestic violence and abuse.

Mathias T. (2019). Male victims of domestic abuse struggle to disclose abuse.

Male victims of domestic abuse face barriers to accessing support services – new study

Coercive control: Male victims say they aren't believed

The Truth About Abusers, Abuse, and What to Do

Abused Men: Five Painful Issues They Face

[botanikos]

Not that I owe anyone an explanation, and please DO NOT reblog this, but I want to give a little background to my stance/opinion/whatever you want to call it...

Relationships are complex and messy, just as people are. We are multifaceted beings with emotions, impulses, desires, etc.. I stand by what I said about Stolas being a victim of abuse and I will absolutely portray him as such. As a victim of abuse, manipulation, and someone who lives in an occasionally hazardous home environment, I am entitled to my own opinion on this matter. And to be quite honest, if you are going to actively think of Stolas as anything other than a victim, please do not engage with me. I'll put the rest under a read more for the sake of not taking up too much space on the dash + it's personal, blah blah blah.

I am NOT excusing Stolas's behavior or his own faults. He is FLAWED. He has made mistakes, he needs to own up to the things he has done and do a LOT of unpacking of internalized misconceptions. He absolutely did Blitz dirty and owes him countless apologies, and he was an absent parent to Octavia (bro could have done better, I'll be real about that but I've BEEN in Octavia's position to recognize the WHY and what's going on; Stolas doesn't even properly talk to her about everything). That being said, we are actively given hints and gestures that show us he LOVES both of them dearly; they are likely his reason for living.

But as someone who has had my way of thinking shaped, my ability to effectively communicate my feelings stunted, and who has been on the receiving end of verbal and physically abusive behaviors -- I find his character incredibly validating and easy to connect with. Stella actively and openly ridicules him, yells at him, and throws objects (not to mention one of the imps). We receive a scene where she is about to physically assault him, and he stops her.

Anyway, I don't fully know where I am going with this anymore but yep. My portrayal will absolutely explore and reflect the fact that he is a victim of abuse. It will not be solely centered on that, but it is a MAJOR part of his character and elements he needs to actively work on/through.

peace out, thanks for reading! also I am OKAY plz don't dote on me or worry!

[betzabobababi]

Through the Pain

Hey Hey! Before yall complain! You guys asked for this. You asked for Anakin x reader and flangst but I connected to this a bit more so this is what you get. I do not disappoint. I only ever disappoint my mum, NEVER my audience lmao. So I have exams this week and next week as well. I'm already dying but since I'm most likely going to be exhausted in all forms I doubt I'd be able to write after my exams. So I wrote this to help you guys hold out a bit more. This story is dark and angsty.  

The point of this story is sort of to show how abusers and victims feel while abusing or being abused. Reader is being abused by Anakin (read the warnings) When a victim of abuse tries to break free most of the time they are brutally punished. Anakin (abuser) manipulates his victim (reader) into thinking and believing that if she ever tries to leave him she’ll slowly die. If you or someone you know are being abused please reach out! Speak to someone (more information at the end)

Pairings: Anakin x  Fem!Reader

 Type: Dark angst

READ THE WARNINGS!

WARNINGS: Abuse - mentions Mental Physical verbal and emotional abuse- choking-mentions of being pregnant.

Summary: Real life can easily get confused with a fantasy. Especially when that fantasy almost always comes true. When anakin almost goes too far, you say something to stop his rage.

.

.

.

.

.

This was all a dream. Soon, you’d wake up and you would be back in his arms laying on your bed. Wrapped in his warm welcoming embrace. You could practically feel his hands around you…..

Waking up from your fantasy you realize his hands are in fact around. That heat you felt, isnt coming from him, it's radiating from the floor below you. Snapping your eyes wide open, your brain becomes fuzzy, the lack of oxygen now forcing your body to fight against your opponent. 

Throwing your hands on his you dig your nails into his calloused hands. Lowly he says “Stop. Fighting.”  Your eyes begging to be let free. Mouth agape, trying it’s hardest to get air into your now burning lungs. With little to no air your speech was constricted. Trying your best to get a few convincing words out you open your mouth wider. “A-Ani…thi- this isn’t…this isn’t you.” You finally croak out, using most of the remaining air you had.  Eyesight speckled you could barely see him. But you could hear him. He growled lowly. “YOU LIED TO ME! You said you’d always love me, you'd stay by me. You TOLD ME- you told me I had your trust.”  His hands on your throat getting impossibly tighter he brings you over to the edge of the rock. Lifting your body up into the air as if you were something useless and weightless. He began to shake you over the lava. As if he was violently trying to show you that he would do it, he’d drop you. 

Eyes now completely screwed shut, you whimper, begging for air. Begging for a chance to redeem yourself. Your brain scrambling to find a way to convince him to put you down, you scream, “Anakin! I’m with child!” Suddenly the shaking stops. You’re brought onto the flat ground and your neck is released. You fight your body to try and adjust and breathe deep gulps of air. Somehow you survived Anakin's grueling punishment. His punishment was to show you that even though he loved you, his authority (thanks to the dark side) should Never be challenged. He was stronger, smarter, and more hot-tempered than you ever could and would be. 

Sure your relationship with Anakin was a little (more like a lot) toxic, with his constant threats to harm you if you ever tried something. His mental, emotional, verbal, and physical abuse was now something you were used to. But you would never leave. You were forced to accept him into your life and now if you were to be without him you’d cease to exist (meaning if Anakin didn’t kill you the pain of being without him would) He was burned into your mind, your heart, your life. So no matter how painful his punishments were you would never leave him. 

“You’re - We’re going to be parents?” He corrected himself. As he asks his face is expressionless and his voice is emotionless. Slowly you nod, not being able to read the meaning of his reaction. Your husband’s hands quickly go down to your belly. Now realizing he had been violently shaking the soon to be mother, putting both her and his future child at risk, he wraps his arms around you. Murmuring soft “I'm sorry's”. Once he had enveloped you into a hug you buried your face into the crook of his neck. Slowly he brings his hand to your chin and he raises it so you’re looking into his deep yellow eyes. Voice barely higher than a whispers he says, “I love you��

Acting as if his punishments never happened was the best and probably the only way to bring his rage down. So that's exactly what you’d do. This time was no different. Quickly recomposing yourself you let out an airy sigh, wincing as your throat begins to swell. “I love you too.” You respond sincerely. Returning your head back to the position on his neck, Anakin picks you up bridal style and carries you towards his ship. Setting you down in the passenger's seat you slowly doze off. Once you wake up you find yourself resting on your bed, covered in Anakin's warm embrace. You close your eyes once again leaving yourself in your ever growing fantasy.

National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788

National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-4673

Stop it Now! 1-888-PREVENT

United States Elder Abuse Hotline 1-866-363-4276

National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4-A-CHILD (422-4453)

Child Abuse Hotline / Dept of Social Services 1-800-342-3720

Child Abuse National Hotline 1-800-25ABUSE

Children in immediate danger 1-800-THE-LOST

Exploitation of Children 1-800-843-5678

Missing Children Help Center 1-800-872-5437

Family Violence Prevention Center 1-800-313-131

Suicide Hotline 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-827-7571

[trickstarbrave]

i am watching sulmatul's video on v:tmb and i have to say. i dont agree with her assessment of terese and jeanette's storyline

this isn't to say i think everyone has to like it. its a deeply upsetting backstory and how terese and jeanette talk about it isn't comfortable in the slightest. it can be very, very triggering for anyone listening. but i have played the game over and over and that was always my favorite part.

so uh. cw for: csa, DID, psychosis, murder, serious mental illness, self harm through risky behaviors, and verbal abuse. but i do wanna talk about my thoughts

--

sulmatul frames it as terese was openly being portrayed as a seductress being abused by her father, jeanette openly trying to seduce him in turn, and all being done for the sake of edginess with no care for how they portray such delicate subject matter.

i can agree it is a bit edgy and some parts are unnecessary with dark humor which doesn't take the edge off like the writers probably assumed it was but only gives it a trivializing edge in some parts. but upon first play-through i already grasped what was going on and more play-throughs only confirmed it.

terese and jeanette were never two separate people physically, i dont think. the painting of them and their father as two little twin girls was likely commissioned by terese and was to throw the player off. its clearly stylized anyways and not a realistic portrait. DID is typically formed due to severe childhood trauma, after all, and consistent sexual abuse a very common source of said severe childhood trauma, unfortunately (i have met people with DID who have openly admitted to developing it in response to CSA). jeanette was always terese's alter, and was originally to protect terese. jeanette holds all the negative feelings about their abuse, and all the negative thoughts terese has about herself. jeanette is the one who snuck out of the house to sleep around, which is not jeanette "being the classic whore" but instead a form of self harm by engaging in risky behaviors. jeanette figures if she has to suffer through sex, she might as well do so on her terms. meanwhile terese has convinced herself she's actually their father's "favorite".

jeanette openly despises their father. jeanette openly resents him. she says "father always liked terese more" when trying to manipulate the player and trying to inspire pity, but she's not really broken up about his death and instead takes a sort of sick delight in it.

jeanette only really specifies sleeping with him one time in particular: the night of his death. jeanette came back from sneaking out. their father came in drunk, and jeanette was still awake. terese it seems only has partially or emotional amnesia given how quickly she knows what jeanette has done and vice versa, and always seems particularly disgusted with how much jeanette sleeps around and with who because she remembers it, even partially. their father mistook jeanette as terese, and assaulted her. terese then wakes up, climbs out of bed, gets their father's gun, and shoots him in the head for "cheating" on her in a fit of psychosis, only to then regret what she had done.

terese was never not the victim, nor is she ever portrayed as a seductress when she is the primary victim. she is not a nymphet, nor is their father portrayed sympathetically as an abuser. when jeanette calls her a whore, its to hurt terese severely. terese hates openly talking about the abuse, ashamed of it, despite how much she says "father loved me more than you" listing off all the ways jeanette's behavior upset him. but its also clear they have built up their whole identities around what the other is most insecure about but tries to hide.

terese, is an uptight, direct, serious business woman almost in direct response to jeanette's deep seated fear and insecurity of never being taken seriously. and jeanette is a seductress who simply loves sex and sleeping around, either to manipulate people or just for fun, in almost direct response to terese's deep seated fear of being seen as a whore or unclean for being sexually abused.

i don't think sulmatul had any malice with summarizing it as such. it is not a story that handles sexual abuse with kid gloves on, with clear lines of right and wrong and holds your hand through it. in real life victims are messy and complicated. some refuse to admit they were abused and claimed it was all consensual. some respond with risky behaviors, horrible attitudes, and a general lack of care that makes them unsympathetic to most. oftentimes they are pitted against one another by an abuser who distracts them with jealousy and making them tear each other down. even for those who resent their abuse, after being subjected to it for so long, you begin to hate and resent those who are given special treatment and are seen as the "favorites".

i can see anyone who doesn't like engaging with that sort of storyline having a knee jerk reaction, and i can also see someone unfamiliar with the messy, disgusting feelings and behaviors of abuse victims to equally draw the wrong conclusion. but what is to one victim triggering and offensive is to others an outlet for being seen.

every play-through i try my damnedest to keep them both alive. they do love and support each other but are twisted by old wounds that continue to feed into a cycle of self harm, personal attacks, petty jealousy, and insecurity. they have been running from their trauma for years with only each other as their confidant, and neither has emotionally healed enough to handle it. they won't heal if they lose the other. it only validates the poor coping mechanisms the surviving sister has. but god is it hard to do so.

v:tmb doesn't have a lot of deep themes, but it is overall (at least in the early parts) attempting to explore the grotesque, messy parts of society people try to look the other way from. disease (including sexually transmitted diseases), sex, abuse, murder, drugs, nightclubs, sex work, all of it without glamorizing it, and cloaking it in the imagery of bad horror movies of the time.

[muutosarchive]

𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝: 🤝 , 💀 , 🧱  𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬

[   🤝     ] how does your muse approach intimacy? are they hesitant, or do they like it? what types of intimacy do they like and dislike? (ex. physical intimacy, sexual intimacy, emotional intimacy, etc.)

they’re hesitant, to say the least. at first, anyway. copia was actually victim to people intentionally withholding intimacy from him, or otherwise using it to manipulate him. his first experience with sensual/romantic intimacy (kissing, maybe some heavy petting) stemmed from a vulnerability to be accepted & the fear of not being worthy of affection in that way. it turned out the sister had been coerced and had approached him because she was dared to. he was teased & bullied and such, not to mention imperator’s emotional manipulation. i imagine him accepting intimacy is hard in a sense, because he’s worried it will blow up in his face. i think ultimately though he’s avoided it. i may even go so far as to say his sexual experience for example is pretty scarce... but i’m still mulling over this, at present. of course it would be verse dependent, also.. but his hesitance will not change unless he’s comfortable. if he trusts you enough to let you in, he’s going to let you give this intimacy to him because it feels like relief to finally feel safety in it. safety’s ability to live in intimacy is something he needs to discover more. i think he would be the type to wanna let go of the control. he likes sexual intimacy sure, but his favourites are the physical/emotional. he likes to feel enveloped, and cared for. he wants to feel how he never did growing up i guess.

[   💀     ] has your muse gone through anything traumatic? if so, how has this trauma affected them?

whoa boy. uh, yes i think we went over some above. he went through enormous amounts of teasing, bullying... isolation, socially for the most part. like, his only friend was terzo.. & even then he felt like an outsider. he felt abandoned by his parents, he felt ashamed because he knew who his mother was yet was never acknowledged until she had something to gain from his being her son. verbal abuse/insults, emotional manipulation. one time as a teenager there was an incident where someone killed one of his ‘pet’ rats. i think generally he was just made to feel like he wasn’t worth protection, nor love even? & while he dreamed of it, he always wondered if that was for him. but he always worked very hard, and he achieved. got his title, his higher-up position. but he still wasn’t respected, especially by nihil. who he doesn’t KNOW but suspects is his dad. the trauma made him the socially awkward, hesitant & panic stricken man he was/still is. he definitely wasn’t socialized or acclimated to the real world. he very rarely as a boy/teen was outside of the property & because of that it took him a long time to adjust to certain things. i think he ran errands as a cardinal, but even then it was tense. i think most of his confidence in his early days on stage was emulating terzo & just... instincts. just letting the music and the crowd take over his body & possess him until he got the hang of it. but it makes him hesitant to seek out intimacy, it makes him distrustful of people being nice/friendly/otherwise wanting to help him... self esteem issues, and panic attacks/anxiety. fear of further abandonment, the inability to see himself as different than the man everyone mistreated. idk, he’s very unintentionally charming and wise and like, funny.. but he never truly realized that until the masses made him believe it. before he was made to think he was off-putting or weird, if you catch my drift? not to mention the fact that he was manipulated into agreeing to the killing of his only friend, & his (maybe) brothers.

[  🧱   ] how would you describe your muses’ morality? what are their core values?

uhh well he’s a devout clergyman, and has been raised and indoctrinated into this religion since he was a little boy (whenever imperator came back presumably, though i hc she left nihil long enough to have copia and brought him home). he was raised by sisters of sin, so he’s definitely in touch with his sensitivity. very much a man raised by women, in every sense. & while he’s soft towards those of that nature he’s got a sort of reserved (nervous if not standoffish) demeanour with others. most of the people around him were tormentors of his young adulthood and he’s bitter & nervous around them to be sure. however, he doesn’t ever fight back or hurl insults bc his brain could never get to it quick enough. so he has a normal sense of right & wrong like the average person, but ofc skewed to align with his beliefs. but what sticks out in his mind as heroic (what he dreamed could have been the case for him more), are those who stand up for the little guy.. or the people who help people who need it. i think he shares the church’s values closely but at the same time he’s always gonna stand up for the fair treatment of others. especially the broken misfit toys of the earth. he wants to protect now that he’s able to, just as he wants to be protected. that’s why he gets on so much with the ghouls, and he’s thoughtful of them. he wants to protect them as they’re sworn to protect him in turn. he just has a thing for human decency that swells when he sees / meets / interacts with fans and new friends. he’s not above going to certain measures to protect who he loves, but he clearly feels guilt over the emeritus brothers in my head. but at the same time he feels guilty for it subsiding, and the war between finally accepting that he’s worthy of love for who he is & between hating himself for what he’s done is raging. 

PROMPTS I’D LIKE TO RECEIVE, PART 1.    /  /    @raiighn​

[canary-prince]

Im unfortunately very, very familiar with this. Many parents do, in fact, justify the abuse of their children. MOST justify it. They call it character building or insist that the child deserved and couldn't learn any other way. My mother repeatedly insisted that the psychological torture she inflicted on me was ultimately a positive. They will also use their own shitty childhoods as a way to gain sympathy, eg, bursting into tears when confronted and telling some fucking sob story about how much worse it was for them when they were little. Alternatively they will blame their abuse on the other parent being an inadequate spouse: "if your father didn't IGNORE ME because I'm ugly and fat, I wouldn't feel so miserable and alone!!! Thats why i can't put up with your crap, because your father hates me!!" This is how Abusive mothers typically act: the abuse is often verbal and emotional over physical and when their Abusive behavior is pointed out, they bring up their own psychological pain to derail the discussion.

They will claim they are too traumatized, too depressed, or too "unloved" to control themselves. They will reverse who the "victim" is: "I screamed at you and called you a worthless, deformed pig because everyone in this house always treats ME like absolute crap so you should think about how ungrateful you are before you accuse me of being a bad mom!!"

If the Abusive parent has any sort of chronic illness, disability, or mental health issue, they will not be above using that as justification either: "how do you expect me NOT to tear up your stuffed animals and artwork right in front of you?? You know you're supposed to keep the TV down when I have a migraine. No it is not my responsibility to tell you I have a migraine, it is your responsibility to check. If you don't stop that shitty, manipulative crying right now, I will tell your father I caught you stealing and who do you think he'll believe?"

That is the crux of an Abusive parent: your actions will have any justification. Their actions will never be their own fault. Your tiny mistakes will incur traumatic consequences but they will never admit to having gone too far.

Hello! This is so long and complicated I'm sorry in advance. I absolutely love your prompts they're really great at motivating me to write, so thank you. I wanted to ask for some prompts, dialogue or other. My oc is almost a young adult and they've experienced abuse in their last few years and because of that they're more distrusting and wary when meeting new people. They meet this other person who is very good at psychology and profiling or like, 'reading people', and they quickly realize (apart from other people who don't really notice all the little details) what the oc went through and make sure to always be a bit more careful and understanding for them. Now I really don't want to make a mistake when writing or just discussing abuse because the last thing I want is to accidentally insult one of my readers who actually went through something similar by writing it wrong or just using sone one cliche thing like flinching at loud noises or something. The abuse in my story was done by a mother/ parent/ caretaker and it was more emotional than physical, so the oc would be craving those moments when they're on her good side and she's being caring towards them, because even abusers have moments where they treat the other person kindly and make it hard to leave or give up because you think maybe they'll change, maybe there's hope, etc. The thing I'm struggling with is how to write those moments where the person after realizing they've (oc) been missing the proper affection and comfort take the time to hold them or talk to them, and/ or to write the emotional abuse because I'm not sure where to do my research and google is sometimes not very helpful. I'm just struggling with like reasons the mother would give to oc to like, 'justify' her actions, and be like this is what's best for you, or I know better, and things like that. I would be very very thankful if you help with this. Thanks again. <3

Hi :)

I am absolutely no expert in this as I have fortunately never gone through this. So this is just my opinion from observing those dynamics of young adults with an abusive parent.

I often see that parents are not really 'justifiying' their actions, rather than gaslighting the children to believe that it wasn't actually that bad. That they remember it wrong. Or even, as some kind of justification, that the child also was very hard to control and made it impossible for the parents to be good parents for them. Maybe this is a direction you could take it in.

Good luck!

- Jana

[ablackwomansurvivingrape]

How Abusers Speak

We all know what sticks and stones can do, but the second part of that saying isn’t exactly true. Words do hurt. Some survivors have told us, in fact, words can hurt just as much or more than physical abuse. A survey on DomesticShelters.org showed 62 percent of survivors said verbal abuse felt more damaging than physical violence. Unlike a bruise or broken bone that eventually heals, degrading comments can reverberate inside a person’s conscience for a lifetime.

Beyond words as weapons, abusers will also use words to control. By threatening a survivor with harm if she or he leaves to demanding to know where a survivor is at all times, words can almost be just as powerful as a locked cage. 

We asked survivors on our DomesticShelters.org Victims and Survivors Community Facebook Page for some examples of things abusers have said to them. 

Early Red Flag Words

The earlier you can spot abusive behavior in a partner, the better chance you have at safely getting out of that relationship. Make sure to always trust your gut when you hear phrases like this:

“Where were you today?”

“I tried calling ... why didn’t you answer?” [This is after 15 missed calls in a few hours.]

“Why did you make me do that?”

“You don’t love me as much as I love you.”

“No one will ever understand you like I do.”

“If you loved me, you’d do this.”

“All women before me were cold and not as invested [in the relationship] as he was. I think it was a challenge to see how much commitment he could 'secure.' Early on he complained about me holding back, not depending on him enough, not being as open and vulnerable.”

Words to Degrade

Verbal abuse can lower a partner’s self-esteem—something an abuser is counting on. Because when a survivor’s self-esteem plummets, that survivor may depend on an abuser to define their self-worth–“What can I do to prove I’m not as bad as they say?”—resulting in a maddening, approval-seeking cycle that can keep a survivor trapped indefinitely. 

“You’re crazy a bad mom.”

“No wonder you're losing all your friends.”

“You’re no fun.”

“You’re a piece of trash.”

Words to Shame

We’ve all said something we regret at one point or another, but the trademark of verbal and emotional abuse is a pattern. Abusers don’t just lose their temper once, they systematically shame and insult their partner over and over again, usually without regret and always without reason. 

One survivor, Brianne, who told DomesticShelters.org her story last October, says her abusive partner repeatedly told her she never did anything right, “so it was best if I didn't do anything to help. But then he would turn around and berate me for being lazy and not helping. The house was never clean enough, even though one could practically eat off the floor.”

If a partner’s words make you feel shame, lower your self-worth or make you question what it is you did wrong on a near-constant basis, you could be dealing with an abusive partner. Here are some more examples from survivors:

“You're always creating drama/making a big deal out of nothing/starting a fight/trying to get the last word in.”

 “If you leave me, no one else will want you.”

“You’re not smart/successful/strong enough to survive without me.”

“You need to go on a diet.”

“Why don’t you look as hot as you did when we first met?”

“Don’t gain too much weight when you get pregnant.”

“You’re such a slut/you dress like a whore.”

“This is why no one likes you.”

Words to Control

Lisa Aronson Fontes writes in “Resisting Control When It’s Disguised as Love,” that “Occasional acts of kindness are a grooming strategy to retain control and make a partner stay in the relationship. An abuser may intersperse loving acts with angry outbursts, sexual coercion and manipulation, producing a kind of emotional whiplash in his partner.” 

Control is not always outright, aka, “Don’t wear that. Don’t go there. Don’t speak to him.” Sometimes, as Fontes says, it’s disguised as concern. The indicator that it’s control? If you feel anxiety or fear about making a choice because you’re afraid your partner is going to get mad at you, you may be under their control. Here are some more examples of controlling words:

“You can go but I don’t want you to go.”

“You don't need to work right now; the kids need you.”

“Couples don’t have secrets—I need to be able to read your texts or emails whenever I want to.”

“You’d be much more pretty if....”

“I bring the money into this house so I decide.”

“I’ll give you money to spend. You don’t need to worry about a bank account.”

“How much did you spend? I need to see all your receipts.”

Words to Deflect Blame

Abusers are notorious for not taking any responsibility for their choices; don’t forget—abuse is a choice. It’s never a survivor’s fault, even though that’s exactly what an abuser may try to make a survivor believe. An abuser may also blame their abusive actions on drugs, alcohol, stress, mental illness or childhood trauma. While these factors can perpetuate abuse, they do not cause abusive behavior. It’s important to remember there are plenty of individuals who have a few drinks and don’t start berating others. There are plenty of cases of individuals who have survived childhood domestic violence and have not gone on to abuse others. 

Deflecting blame can sound like:

“Look what you made me do.”

“It’s your fault I drink.”

“I was only trying to help.”

“You're oversensitive.” 

“You always play the victim.”

"I'm only happy when you're happy."

"It was just a fight."

"But did you tell them why I did that? Did you tell them I was a victim of abuse as a child? You're not giving them the whole picture."

"You're making me feel like a monster."

“You’re too sensitive.”

"You're looking for the bad in what I'm saying. Like your mom does."

Abusers are not the only ones who try to blame survivors. Sometimes, those outside the relationship may use victim-blaming as well. For more on why and how that happens, read, “What Victim-Blaming Sounds Like.”

Escalation Words

In our recent piece, “Abuse Almost Always Escalates,” we talk about how an abuser rarely stops abusive behavior but rather is more likely to ramp it up as the relationship progresses. Most terrifying is the fact that, left unchecked, abuse can escalate from harmful words to violent physical aggression, even murder. Watch out for phrases that clearly spell out an abuser’s plans for the future. 

“Just try to leave me—you’ll regret it.”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

“You think you got it bad, I can show you bad.”

“I'll take everything away from you if you leave me. I'll take the house, the kids, the car, you'll have nothing. You're the crazy one. No one will let you have custody of the kids.”

“You know I can get a gun/I have a gun.”

Some believe you can predict which abusers will kill. Take the danger assessment in this article to find out if the abusive partner you know is on a path to potentially commit homicide. 

[sokkastyles]

The topic of abuse and when an adult is obligated to step in and help is pretty personal for me, actually, as a teacher. I've been in situations where I didn't agree with the way a parent was treating their child, even in situations where I suspected abuse, but it's very complex and a hard call to make. I've walked by the conference room while the mother of a trans boy was discussing "Sarah's needs" with the principal, and wanted to run in and scream "He wants to be called Chris, actually," but I CANNOT do that. I was in a conversation a few days ago with three other teachers discussing a parent who has been deemed "Munchausen lady" by the faculty but there's nothing that can be done if there is no evidence her son is being harmed. The most we can do is diplomatically suggest to the parent that her child is much more capable and healthy than she thinks he is. I've had students beg me to call their parents to tell them that they are not in trouble with me over a missing assignment because "dad won't believe me" and the most I can do there is talk to the parent. I've had parents tell ME to discipline their kids for minor infractions. I’ve had a student whose mom destroyed his cell phone in front of him with a hammer as a punishment. I can report if I have proof that there is actual abuse going on, I can get the councilor involved, but it's not a cut and dry situation, and rarely is. I have parents who spank their kids with belts, which I think is abuse, but not everyone does and it’s not my call to make. I can be as gentle as I can with the child, but if the child is inclined to hurt others, then I have a duty to prevent that from happening.

And I've often said that Ozai is most dangerous to his children in his ability to manipulate them, not in outright displays of violence. He is largely an emotional abuser, and it's very difficult to identify and stop that kind of abuse. Especially if you have lived in that circle where that kind of emotional violence is normal.

I've been in situations where a parent yells at their child over zoom every day during class as well as me, the teacher. I reported it to school administration and was told "Yeah, we know," but nothing could be done about the situation. In Iroh's case, who can he report to, when the abuser is his brother and also lord of the country?

People have this idea that abuse is always easy to spot and easy to define and that the victims always look a certain way. Part of Iroh's guilt over Zuko being burned is that he feels like it was his fault that he let it get to that point, because it is easy in hindsight to say someone should have prevented it, someone should have stepped in, but not so easy in practice because abusers often know how to work the system in their favor, and Ozai is able to get what he wants a lot of the time, and able to convince both Azula and Zuko that his will is what is best for them. It's tragic that ANY adult who saw what was going on with Zuko and Azula didn't stand up and say "this is wrong" long before Azula started hurting others or Zuko was burned, but the idea that Iroh didn't care about Azula or unreasonably hated her because he wasn't able to counteract Ozai's influence, not the mention the idea that he unreasonably hates her because he won’t let her harm Zuko, is just nonsense.

It’s much harder to protect someone from emotional abuse - especially the kind of emotional abuse Ozai subjects Azula to - than it is for Iroh to protect Zuko from Ozai or Azula physically hurting him, and even that was difficult and Iroh wasn’t able to protect Zuko from being scarred. We also see how difficult it is for Iroh to protect Zuko emotionally even when he can physically protect him and even when he is separated by distance from his abuser. Early Zuko I would say actually behaves in ways that I think border on verbally abusive to Iroh, and Iroh doesn’t take that from him, either. The difference is that Zuko also clearly loves Iroh and is much more amenable to his influence.

Even verbal and emotional abuse in the form of insults and belittling statements like the kind of stuff Zuko is subjected to from Ozai are much easier to spot and prevent than the kinds of stuff Ozai does to Azula, the gaslighting and the love-bombing in order to exert control over her. It’s not impossible to counteract that but it is extremely difficult, and this kind of situation is tragic all around. There’s a lot of media that centers around abuse that depicts it as something obvious and easy to spot, where a kind adult can swoop in and save the victim, who always wants to be saved, but that’s often not how it works in reality and that’s why it’s so hard to prevent from happening in the first place.

[idreamtofmanderleyagain]

Hot takes about Severus Snape are a wierdly decent glimpse into how a person with progressive values analyses things. Literally every time someone talks about Snape, it’s like this tiny window into how one-dimentionally people actually think.

Recently saw a twitter post that was a fantastic example. Here’s how it goes (paraphrasing):

Person A:“Snape is POC and Queer coded, that’s why you guy’s hate him uwu lol.”

Person B: “Actually I hate him because he was mean and abusive to children under his care uwu but go off I guess lol”

Both of these takes are designed to be dramatic and/or reactionary. They each use partial truths to paint very broad strokes. These are get-em-in-one-hit quips. This is virtue signalling, if you’ll excuse that loaded phrase. Nobody had a substantial conversation, but now everyone who sees their statement knows the high ground they took.

At least a hundred other people chimed in to add their own little quippy hot takes into play, none of which add anything significant, but clearly made everyone feel very highly of themselves.

So many layers of nuance and complex analysis is completely lost in this kind of discussion. On tumblr, you get more of this kind of bullshit, but you don’t have a word count limit, so you guys just spew endless mountains of weak overblown evidence backing up your bullshit arguments, none of which was really about engaging in a real conversation anyway.

Here’s the thing about Snape.

He is a childhood domestic abuse victim. His abuser is a muggle.

He becomes a student at a magical school that takes him away from his abuser and immediately instills in him the idea that being a part of this magical world is a badge of self-worth, empowerment, and provides safety and security - provided that he keeps in line.

There is a war is being waged in that world over his right to exist (he is a half blood).

He is a marginalized person within the context of the narrative, forced to constantly be in the same living space as the children of his own oppressors who are being groomed and recruited into a hate group militia (the pureblood slytherins). They are in turn trying to do the same to him.

He is marginalized person bullied by children who are also part of his oppressor group, but who have “more liberal” leanings and aren’t direct about why he’s being targeted (the mauraders are all purebloods, Sirius, who was the worst offender, was raised in a bigoted household, the same one that produced Bellatrix.).

He had a crush on a girl who is a muggleborn, and therefore she is considered even lesser than him and carries a stigma to those who associate with her. That girl was his only real friend. In his entire life.

For both Snape and Lily, allying themselves to a pureblood clique within their own houses would be a great way of shielding themselves from a measure of the bigotry they were probably facing. There would have been obvious pressure from those cliques to disconnect with one and other.

Every other person who associates with Snape in his adulthood carries some sort of sociopolitical or workplace (or hate cult) baggage with their association. Some of them will physically harm and/or kill him if he steps out of line. He hasn’t at any point had the right environment to heal and adjust from these childhood experiences. Even his relationship with Dumbledore is charged with constant baggage, including the purebloods who almost killed him during their bullying getting a slap on the wrist, the werewolf that almost killed him as a child being placed in an authority position over new children, etc. Dumbledore is canonically manipulative no matter his good qualities, and he has literally been manipulating Snape for years in order to cultivate a necessary asset in the war.

He is a person who is not in the stable mental state necessary to be teaching children, whom has been forced to teach children. While also playing the role of double agent against the hate group militia, the one that will literally torture you for mistakes or backtalk or just for fun. The one that will torture and kill him if he makes one wrong move.

Is the math clicking yet? From all of this, it’s not difficult to see how everything shitty about Snape was cultivated for him by his environment. Snape was not given great options. Snape made amazingly awful choices, and also some amazingly difficult, courageous ones. Snape was ultimately a human who had an extremely bad life, in which his options were incredibly grim and limited.

In fact, pretty much every point people make about how shitty Snape is as a person makes 100% logical sense as something that would emerge from how he was treated. Some if it he’s kind of right about, some of it is the inevitable reality of suffering, and some of it is part of the cycle of abuse and harm.

Even Snape’s emotional obsession with Lily makes logical sense when you have the perspective that he literally has no substantial positive experiences with other human beings that we know of, and he has an extreme, soul destroying guilt complex over her death. Calling him an Incel mysoginist nice guy projects a real-world political ideology and behavior that does not really apply to the context of what happened to him and her.

Even Snape’s specific little acts of cruelty to certain students is a reflection of his own life experiences. He identifies with Neville; more specifically, he identifies his own percieved emotional weaknesses in his childhood in Neville. There’s a very sad reason there why he feels the urge to be so harsh.

Snape very clearly hates himself, in a world where everyone else hates him, too. Imagine that, for a second. Imagine total internal and external hatred, an yearning for just a little bit of true connection. For years. Imagine then also trying to save that world, even if it’s motivated by guilt. Even if nobody ever knows you did it and you expect to die a miserable death alone.

There are more elements here to consider, including the way Rowling described his looks (there may be something in there re: ugliness and swarthy stereotyping). These are just the things that stand out the most prominently to me.

J.K. Rowling is clearly also not reliable as an imparter of moral or sociopolitical philosophies. I don’t feel that her grasp of minority experiences is a solid one, considering how she picks and chooses who is acceptable and who is a threat.

All of that said, this is a logically consistent character arc. Within the context of his narrative, Snape is a marginalized person with severe PTSD and emotional instability issues who has absolutely no room available to him for self-improvement or healing, and never really has. And yes, he’s also mean, and caustic, and verbally abusive to the students. He’s also a completey miserable, lonely person.

There are elements in his character arc that mirror real world experiences quite well. If nothing else, Rowling is enough of an emotional adult to recognise these kinds of things and portray something that feels authentic.

In my opinion, it’s not appropriate to whittle all this down by comparing him directly to the real world experiences of marginalized groups - at least if you are not a part of the group you are comparing him to. There have been many individuals who have compared his arc to their own personal experiences of marginalization, and that is valid. But generally speaking, comparing a white straight dude to people who are not that can often be pretty offensive. This is not a valuable way to discuss either subject.

Also, I believe that while it’s perfectly okay to not like Snape as a character, many of the people who act like Person B are carrying Harry’s childhood POV about Snape in their hearts well into their own adulthood. And if nothing else, Rowling was attempting to say something here about how our perspectives (should) grow and change as we emotionally mature.  She doesn’t have to be a good person herself to have expressed something true about the world in this instance, and since this story is a part of our popular culture, people have a right to feel whatever way they do about this story and it’s characters.

The complexity of this particular snapshot of fictionalized marginalization, and what it reveals about the human experience, cannot be reduced down to “he’s an abuser so he’s not worth anyone’s time/you are bad for liking him.”

And to be honest, I think that it reveals a lot about many of us in progressive spaces, particularly those of us who less marginalized but very loud about our values, that we refuse to engage with these complexities in leu of totally condemning him. Particularly because a lot of the elements I listed above are indeed reflected in real world examples of people who have experienced marginalization and thus had to deal with the resulting emotional damage, an mental illness, and behavior troubles, and bad decisions. Our inability to address the full scope of this may be a good reflection of how we are handling the complexity of real world examples.

Real people are not perfect angels in their victimhood. They are just humans who are victims, and we all have the capacity to be cruel and abusive in a world where we have been given cruelty and abuse. This is just a part of existing. If you cannot sympathise with that, or at least grasp it and aknowledge it and respect the people who are emotionally drawn to a character who refects that, then you may be telling on yourself to be honest.

To be honest, this is especially true if you hate Snape but just really, really love the Mauraduers. You have a right to those feelings, but if you are moralizing this and judging others for liking Snape, you’ve confessed to something about how you’ve mentally constructed your personal values in a way I don’t think you’ve fully grasped yet.

I have a hard time imagining a mindset where a story like Snape’s does not move one to empathy and vicarious grief, if I’m honest. I feel like some people really just cannot be bothered to imagine themselves in other people’s shoes, feeling what they feel and living like they live. I struggle to trust the social politics of people who show these kinds of colors, tbh.

But maybe that’s just me.

[dreamwalkeramrita]

Content warning: discussion of abusive relationships

I find it concerning that many LO readers openly glorify Minthe as a badass bitch. Several people think that Minthe 'deserved' better. I'm not saying that we shouldn't feel compassion towards Minthe - but it is important to recognize that Minthe is a classic abuser. She's beautiful, with sympathetic motivations and Rachel has fleshed out her character so it's easy to see why some readers like her. BUT Lore Olympus shows that she's been EMOTIONALLY (and maybe even physically) abusing Hades FOR YEARS and that should not be brushed off as merely being 'bitchy'.

People have tried to argue that Minthe is also a victim, since she's a woman in a relationship with her boss. Hades is a God; in fact, he's a King. My point is that despite the fact that Hades has the outward appearance of having agency in the relationship, Minthe is the one with all the power. Hades is obviously more physically imposing than Minthe - and yet, he felt afraid and didn't resist when she slapped him. He meekly listened to her abuses ("You're a piece of shit"; "you stink of death", Minthe said, in the introductory chapters), and Minthe exploited him financially while Hades was emotionally dependent on her. And yet, Hades obviously cares about her - that's how Minthe was able to hurt him so deeply.

In a typical abusive relationship, the abuser chips away at the victim's self confidence until the victim feels like they DESERVE nothing better. The victim is usually psychologically powerless to stand up to the abuse (even when Hades was slapped, Hecate had to intervene ; Hades did nothing in response to the abuse and had a mental break down). Minthe claimed to feel remorse for her abuse, but her actions did not reflect a sincere wish to change : in fact, in chapter 151 Minthe reflected that "he shouldn't have tried... He shouldn't have made me feel like second chances were infinite", which is another classic example of victim blaming that lets the abuser off the hook while making the victim responsible for all wrongdoing. Even in the next chapter, prior to Minthe's "punishment", Minthe hurled verbal abuse at Hades, once again trying to demean him. This is not the behavior of someone who is truly sorry for their abuse. This is what an abuser would do when faced with the possibility of losing control over their victim.

Abusers are not awful all the time. They can be charismatic, and can even have suffered abuse themselves. Abusers tend to justify incidents as 'mistakes' or sudden outbursts that can be apologized for.

In the LO universe, abuse is not trivialized. It is important for readers to not trivialize abuse or excuse Minthe as a 'misunderstood bitch'. It is difficult enough for victims to recognize abuse and extricate themselves from such relationships without trivializing and glamorizing it in media.

Should Minthe get a redemption arc? She probably will, but in my (humble) opinion she should only be redeemed if she really makes sincere efforts to stop her abusive behavior and allows Hades to recover his mental and emotional health away from her. Perhaps her time as a plant will enable her to introspect and reconsider her choices and behaviour patterns.

As a side note, I've also observed that Minthe's biggest supporters don't extend their compassion towards Apollo (and they should not, since he's a rapist). Apollo is universally hated by the fandom, and rightly so. However, he is being manipulated behind the scenes by Leto, and seemed to seriously delude himself into thinking that Persephone was into him before she literally broke his lute. I am not equating rape and abuse obviously, but it makes me wonder if Minthe gets a pass from readers because she's an attractive woman with a glamorous character design and a back story of financial insecurity.

[its-our-paris]

*deep breaths* ok I want to get this off my chest. On the JD v AH topic, it irks me when people’s knee jerk reaction to evidence of him being abused is immediately resorting to “it’s mutual abuse, they’re as bad as each other and both toxic so they deserve each other”. Annoys me to no end. First, we are not going to blame the victim here. Second, why were you so entirely sure that he was the abuser when the allegations first came out, but when tons of evidence point to her lying and being the abuser instead, it’s suddenly “mutual abuse”? Why? Because he’s a man? Because he has substance abuse issues? Because he wrote graphic, horrible texts about his extremely toxic, manipulative ex who tried to frame and defame him and hurt his children to his friends? He’s no perfect role model or saint but none of that makes him abusive. Listening to the audio recordings, to the testimonies of the people around them, to the witness statements, it’s clear that she was the aggressor in the relationship and had no problem with escalating to physical violence (and emotional manipulation) or lying about abuse or even stealing a SA story from her assistant, when he continuously tried to deescalate, split and escape when she started to get physical. There is a clear imbalanced power dynamic in their relationship. And don’t even bring up the marriage counsellor’s “mutual abuse” statement; AH has been proven a liar and changed her stories countless times and the counsellor revealed this as well. From her depo the only accounts of JD being violent came from AH telling her in his absence while she admitted to always instigating fights and violence and didn’t deny her hitting him when he would bring it up in the sessions, and her “claim” has pretty much been debunked by herself in those leaked audio recordings. If he ever hit her, you bet she would bring it up a million times to justify her own violence whenever he tried to reason with her. Instead, she only came after him for splitting when she would start her verbal and physical abuse. Also, the amount of people who said they saw no marks on her at times where she alleged he gave her black eyes, a broken nose, cuts, bruises all across her body? Yeah, no. This woman has been arrested for DV while JD’s exes came out and said he’s kind, gentle and never ever violent. I don’t trust anyone who heard those recordings and doesn’t see what a disgustingly narcissistic, manipulative abuser she is.

P.S. have you seen how she’s been trying to copy his outfits and style these past few days in court? Fucking creepy. It’s also extremely chilling that she spoke at women’s marches about DV and is an ambassador for women’s rights. I’m a DV survivor and I’m both disgusted by and horrified of her; she’s an abuser trying to hide among us AND represent us. Fuck no.

Hah, oh man, I thought you sent this ask to my other (fandom sideblog) instead and didn’t want to answer it there, but you haven’t! Excellent.

Yeah, I agree with you about the audios. That’s really what made me go: Holy shit, I wasn’t *completely* sure about AH before, but that’s just... yeah. Damn. JD is no angel by a long stretch, but I think he deserves to win the case. I really feel for him. I have a bit of experience with verbal abuse in a relationship and gaslighting, and my god, the way she talked to him... I think a lot of people who have that experience are speaking up right now, saying that they recognise this very well.

The court outfits speculations border on reading too much into things for me personally, but they are... weirdly similar, I will admit.

Anyway, I just also wanted to say I’m very sorry to hear you went through the hell that is domestic abuse as well. Big hugs to you! ❤️

[cicissketchbook]

Okay so sometime ago, I think about five years ago, I saw some things in the tag about how April and Donnie’s interactions were abusive. It angered me greatly because I am of the opinion that misusing that word really devalues it and as a result, real abuse isn’t taken as seriously as it should be. During that time, I wrote this really long piece in the notes app of my phone, one part ranting, one part sharing, basically just putting my frustrations into words. I never posted it because I really didn’t want to open the doors of communication about the topic of abuse. Basically I didn’t want to put myself in a situation where people would try to argue with me about my own experience. 

Some time has past now and some people expressed interest in wanting to read that post.  I know that those individuals that expressed interest and are coming from a place of respectful curiosity, so this is for everyone else that might stumble across this post. 

Trigger warning: this post is about abuse. Not abuse in the show, not abusive characters, this is about real life actual abuse. This is basically me demonstrating why something is not abusive, by showing you what is. 

Also, it should go without saying that this is a story that’s very personal to me, I’m being a little bit vulnerable by sharing some aspects of that story. This doesn’t have my whole abuse story, but it has bits and pieces. You don’t have to agree with me, but please at least be respectful. 

I’m posting this because people have expressed interest in reading it. If you don’t like it or don’t want to read it, just scroll away. 

And bare in mind I wrote most of this like five years ago. 

So I saw something in the tag earlier about how someone or some people think Aprils treatment of Donnie is emotionally abusive and I am here to put this to rest right now. I'm sure he bulk of the fandom doesn't think this way, but I haven't stopped thinking about it since I saw it earlier and I'd just like to throw this out there. And honestly, I'm not even talking about just the Tmnt fandom. 

For the love of God, stop throwing that word around like you know what you're talking about. 

It's been my experience, coming from an abusive childhood myself and having been the one to help my best friend escape from her abuser, people don't really know what it is unless you've experienced it. That's not to say that you have to be a victim to recognize it, but to truly understand what it is and how it makes a person feel, it's hard to imagine if its never happened to you. People love to fucking throw that word around and nothing makes me see red more than that. 

First off, you sound ignorant as hell. Second of, by seeing interactions you don't like and calling them abusive, you are devaluing the seriousness of real abuse. And because that word gets thrown around so much, the line of what is considered abusive is so blurry now. Now you have people who think they're abused when they're not (kids who get spanked for example), and you have people are really are abused but they don't know it (partners who make excuses for each other).

You think April is emotionally abusive to Donnie? Honey, I will tell you what real abuse is like. Real abuse is being told that you aren't smart enough to come up with any good ideas on your own. Real abuse is being told that every good thing that has happened to you only happened because [your abuser] is in your life. Real emotional and verbal abuse is being humiliated and belittled and made to think you aren't good enough and nothing you do is good enough or ever will be. That your feeling are not valid and that you have no worth outside what this one person says you have. 

It is not abuse to disagree or argue with someone, it is not abuse to speak your mind even if it hurts someone else’s feelings. Just because someone has a negative reaction to something you did or said, that doesn’t mean your actions were abusive. Their reaction does not define your behavior.

The literal definition of emotional abuse is the attempt to control someone else. Be that through manipulation or gaslighting or isolating. Like I said before, the abusers goal is for the victim to think they need them, they are worthless without them, they could never make it on their own without them.

And then of course, there’s physical abuse, where your head is slammed in a door and your nose is busted open. 

Abuse isn’t this casual thing that happens sometimes, you don’t say “oh that person is kind of abusive” like it’s a character flaw. What you’re thinking of is just someone being mean. You can be mean without being abusive and you can be abusive without being “mean”, One of the steps in the cycle of abuse is literally love bombing. It’s a manipulation tactic to get you to think that the abuser is just doing this because they care about you, they want to protect you, they want what’s best for you.

And the affects of that can stay with you your entire life. To this day, I’m instantly distrustful anyone Who reaches out to me because I think they know my abuser. I suck at communicating because even the slightest hint that someone is mad or upset puts me in defense mode. If someone voice raises above a certain volume, even if it’s not at me, I shut down. I have to remove myself from the situation. I am literally in capable of communicating with someone who I perceive to be angry, even if they aren’t. Like my mouth will not form words, all I can think about is getting away from this person. I’ve been in situations where someone will move or approach me a certain way and I throw my arms up to cover my face. I’ve had relationships suffer because I would 100% rather be by myself then put myself in what I perceive to be danger, even though my logical brain knows that this person is not my abuser. My last boyfriend used to get mad at me because he felt like he was having to tiptoe around my trauma. To which my response was, “I literally just said I don’t like being yelled at, this shouldn’t be hard.”

This shit isn’t funny, it’s traumatizing.

(if you’re curious about this, I recommend looking up the cycle of abuse. A common thing is outsiders looking in and not understanding why someone can’t just leave an abusive situation, and then when the victim says it’s not that simple, they just don’t understand how that can be. Viewing abuse from an outside perspective makes it seem very black-and-white, but knowing the cycle of abuse can help to better understand what a victim is going through.)

(My abuser happened to be my stepmother, but it still affects me in both romantic and platonic relationships.)

(Also I’m not even going to touch on the thousands of people that are literally murdered every year for trying to get away from their abusers.)

Anyway….

I have yet to see anyone actually provide any kind of legitimate reasoning or example of April being abusive. Because she’s not, the examples aren’t there because they don’t exist. “Leading someone on” isn’t abusive. And I’ve talked before about how April doesn’t even do that.

Just because you don’t like some thing, doesn’t mean it’s abusive. And if half of these people actually knew what real abuse was, I guarantee they’d shut their mouth with a quickness.

It’s assholes that throw that word around that make is so victims of real abuse aren’t taken seriously.

If anyone has any instances where they think April was being abusive, let me know and I would love to debunk them for you. No, not discuss it, debunk it. This isn’t up for discussion.