#I'm also an adult woman and my life experience has not excluded me from that particular form of sexism

[tracybirds]

Sorry, this got too long for a reply.

@myladykayo @sethizah To be very clear, if we're referring to the mess that happened a couple of years ago, the "shaming and shunning" was one person wanted things tagged and a bunch of people (quite frankly, yourself included MLK) overreacted and took that request in incredibly bad faith. While I don't believe they 100% expressed themselves well and they also reacted badly, the truth of the matter is they were a teenager, you are an adult, and the escalation that occurred was unnecessary.

Yes, there are people who prefer gen fic and that is not an expression of disdain on those who like reading and writing romance. There are so many people in our fandom who enjoy reading and writing romance, although yes it is a rarer thing simply by the nature of five of the main characters being brothers.

Although I don't write much romance, I do enjoy it, and I'm glad there's space for both in our fandom. Tagging things (or in my case writing short author's notes and summaries because I'm a disaster at tagging) will always make things easier to find or avoid. And focusing on making and interacting content you enjoy, and surrounding yourself with people who get what you're about takes time but will always be a more positive experience.

I can't read romances (there are very few exceptions) I don't really know why since it seems like everyone likes them but it doesn't interest me... I love reading stories about friendships and family, but romance I can't read it, I don't know why. So this fandom has been one of the very few left that still writes stories just about friendships and family. Almost all other fandons are about shops (betrayal, deceit etc..). One of the reasons I love this fandom.

(Not that romances are bad, for God's sake, that's not it. It's just my damn hyperfocus that doesn't let me enjoy anything outside of it...)

[linka-from-captain-planet]

Florrickology, Part 6: "Desire" Florrick? you're damn right I do

In-game, Counsellor Florrick is only ever referred to just that way: her title, "Florrick", or both. Nothing and nobody--not even Ulder, whom she sometimes calls by his first name--ever calls her anything else.

But in the game files, she's consistently referred to as "Desire", implying that her behind-the-scenes full name is Desire Florrick.

... which is extra interesting when you consider the possibility that she named herself.

Of course, the immediate first question is: how do you say it?

Being that Larian is a Belgian company, I would assume it was their intent to pronounce it the French way, said like deh-zi-ray rather than like the flat-out English word "desire." Personally, I'm too lazy to hit an accent key twice, so I always style it as Desiré even though Désiré is probably more correct, to convey the pronunciation I think is intended.

side note: I knew several Desirees growing up in the rust belt USA and they were all uhhhh extremely trashy, so discovering my urbane elven beloved had the same name took me out and was actually really hard to adjust to

Moving on: Prior to checking out the game files, I simply assumed that "Florrick" was her only name, which I was willing to accept based on the scant lore I knew. Other nobles and officials have their full names written out in-game, so there's no reason to expect that she was excluded for some reason. I do figure that it's probably just an oversight, and her first name just got lost in the shuffle between writing the files and developing the final product.

But she has a first name, still.

Disregarding real life and its boring explanations as usual, the question is, in-universe, why does nobody and nothing--not herself, not Yeva or Ito, not Jaheira, not Ulder, not Wyll, not official documents--ever use it?

There are several ways to go with this:

The game files don't count. Her first and only name is truly "Florrick", so there's nothing else to call her.

We only see her while she's acting in some official capacity, where she expects to be called by her rank and/or title by inferiors, and her last name by equal-ranks or superiors. The same people may call her Desiré in private gatherings, but she keeps it formal at work.

She just prefers to be called "Florrick" in any setting.

And more, but those are my top 3, each with merits for my purposes. #1, my original assumption, fed into a lot of the headcanons I developed about her, but I think #2 is my default. #3 is just sort of amusing to me.

But beyond the question of why nobody calls her by her first name, the question remains:

Who named her that?

I'm not, never will be, and don't want to be a lore expert, and it's a moving target anyway, but the consensus seems to be that elves choose an adult name when they reach a certain milestone in their life experience, usually around 100 years old, which replaces their given childhood name.

So... is Desiré Florrick her original given name, or her chosen name? Since my headcanon is that Florrick is somewhere in the neighborhood of 120-130 years old, that would lead to assumption that it's her chosen name.

"Desire" as a virtue name is pretty odd from an English-speaking perspective, and I would not be surprised if the sexual connotation of the word led to the devs choosing it for her (since they randomly decided to sexualize her more than most other NPCs), but it fits. She's a woman of passion and ambition, of loyalty and determination. Her desire to serve the public, to give her absolute all for the betterment of the city she loves, is what defines her. It suits my headcanon that her status and esteem is all the result of hard work, and relentless pursuit of what she wanted out of life.

"Florrick", I'm overall just willing to buy as her original surname. It sounds kinds of woodsy, just lyrical enough to sound a bit elfy. It fits.

But it's also compelling to me to imagine that she didn't originally have a surname, but took one on to fit in better among the upper echelon of Baldur's Gate, where inheritance and family names are important. Florrick being a wood elf wizard who lives in and faithfully serves the Big City is quite the mad libs of a character setup, so I like to imagine it matters and informs parts of her life. Assimilating into a new culture is an interesting experience, so it's a big part of my greater Florrick headcanon.

[nerdygaymormon]

Any thoughts about last night's devotional? I've heard some stuff about it but didn't watch it so I was hoping you could provide some insight and opinions (if you saw it).

Elder Oaks encouraged young adults to get married...soon! He lamented that the average age of marriage has gone up significantly since 1970 and that people are having fewer children.

He acknowledged that the cost of education and housing have increased tremendously (and wages haven't kept up), but reminded everyone that pioneers left their homes and possessions and encouraged young adults to forego material comfort and start a family.

Sister Oaks, who didn't get married until she was age 53, chimed in with some better advice. "Prepare yourself for life — by education, experience and planning. Don’t wait for happiness to be thrust upon you. Seek out opportunities for service and learning. Most importantly, trust in the Lord."

As a queer Latter-day Saint, let me point out that he put a lot of emphasis on getting married, he put it as the first thing he chose to speak about. He will later say marriage is only between a man & and a woman, which excludes many queer people. This is a typical example of what queer members of this church experience, having marriage praised but also that it's denied to us. There is a dissonance.

—————————

Honestly, I am tired of commenting on Elder Oaks' queerphobic statements, but he keeps choosing to make them and so I keep responding.

Elder Oaks decided to share a letter he received. He receives thousands of letters a year, and instead of choosing any that express their discomfort at his queerphobia (I guarantee he gets many), Elder Oaks chose one complaining that church members aren't queerphobic enough.

I honestly thought Elder Oaks was going to use this to agree, I mean, why else would he choose THIS letter to share. He didn't agree or disagree (although choosing this letter was quite a choice).

Elder Oaks reiterated that the church only approves of marriage between a man and a woman and encouraged trans people to follow the church's rules.

He used the story of the woman caught in adultery who was brought before Jesus. Jesus refrained from judging the woman. Likewise, we should refrain from judging others and instead should examine ourselves.

Let me point out that adultery betrays the person to whom they've made a commitment and is called out as a sin repeatedly in the scriptures. Gender diversity is not a sin and there's no scripture saying that it is. Therefore, I don't think it's a great use of this scripture story, but I appreciate that Elder Oaks is saying even if we think the other person has done something wrong, we don't condemn them, but treat them with love. Unfortunately he also added we should tell them about God's law and then to "Go, and sin no more."

A few years back, Elder Oaks came up with a novel approach by saying the 1st and 2nd great commandments were in conflict and encouraged us to prioritize love of God by being careful not to love our LGBTQ neighbors too much. But at the 2023 young adult broadcast, he changed this.

Elder Oaks admitted that his tendency is to emphasize keeping the commandments and he gives less attention to loving his neighbor. He finds it easier to judge someone by how well he thinks they keep the commandments.

"I now believe that goal to be better expressed as trying to live both of these commandments in a more complete way. Anyone who does not treat individuals who face gender identity challenges with love and dignity is not aligned with the teachings of the first and second great commandments."

I'm not thrilled that he refers to this as "gender identity challenges" or as "issues of confusion of identity," because that implies challenges can be overcome and identities can become unconfused. However, saying saying that loving your queer neighbor is not in conflict with loving God does seem to be progress. In my opinion, he could have apologized for his past statements and the consequences they had, but he didn't take that opportunity.

Then he followed that up by saying "we need to remember that God has revealed again and again that He created male and female." Elder Oaks just can't help himself. Let me add that God also created the transgender, genderfluid, nonbinary, and intersex people.

Now that he addressed trans people, time to move on to people experiencing same-sex attraction. He warned that we should be careful not to label ourselves (in other words, probably avoid calling yourself gay, lesbian, or bisexual) because these labels won't lead us to eternal life in the Celestial kingdom.

What I find from this broadcast is that mere crumbs are being offered to queer people by Elder Oaks, when Christ would offer us a seat at the feast in the banquet hall.

[meditating-dog-lover]

Awkward girl with strict parents and constant rejection

Growing up I was an "awkward girl" with a strict dad. This led me to experience bullying in school and even at home. And it wasn't fun. I also wasn't allowed to date nor really socialize much (I was but I wasn't allowed to really go anywhere). I was also heavily socially and romantically excluded by peers. People would not include me in social circles and guys would laugh at me whenever I expressed any interest in them. This happened over a decade ago, but the rejection still stings.

Despite my tough upbringing and "awkward" personality, I absolutely did not deserve that treatment and I will always maintain that belief. I also did not deserve to have a strict dad who deprived me from a lot of fun experiences growing up. I eventually graduated from high school (12 years ago) and worked on establishing myself so I can have some freedom and independence away from my dad (from an academic, career-wise, and financial point because those 3 things guarantee autonomy).

I also worked on my health and my personal style, which made me "better looking", even on my social skills to a degree. I've received compliments on my appearance, from both girls and even guys. Despite this, I still feel awkward and insecure, like this wasn't something I was used to growing up. Despite how I appear externally, I still feel confused and insecure internally. Like those feelings from school never really went away.

A confident woman would accept those compliments, but to me it feels a bit odd. But because I've been so deprived of compliments and connections growing up, I really do appreciate them and positively take them to heart. When a seemingly attractive guy says I'm very pretty, of course I'm going to think about that for weeks, even months. I do want to be confident of course, but that's something I'm still working on (I'm doing a great job on improving).

As I said, since I have experienced rejection and humiliation from guys growing up, I find it surprising when a seemingly attractive guy compliments me. And it has happened recently too. I'm not someone who develops feelings very easily out of fear of getting hurt. I've never been in love, but I've definitely had feelings of infatuation before. Frequently as a child/teen, rarely as an adult. I consider myself to be an intelligent person, but whenever this happens, my brain melts as if I drop 50 IQ points. Like I turn into a young schoolgirl. So when the feelings are "reciprocated", I do feel that plus I feel insecure and awkward. I've been deprived of this when I was younger and I didn't deserve that (both due to social rejection and isolation and because I had a strict dad who didn't let me date). So I don't know how to "manage" these emotions. I also appreciate when it happens because it serves as a "fuck you" against those who rejected me, where I feel like their rejection and isolation failed and I can finally be appreciated, included and loved. Also I've always felt shameful due to how my parents raised me. So while I love the reciprocation and attention, I also feel like "why do you feel this way about me? I'm awkward and shameful and not that attractive". Being told I'm very pretty, gorgeous, and even sexy (yes I've been called that before) feels so unusual.

It does involved working on my confidence, I will find love, reciprocation, and validation in life. I just want it to be in a healthy manner where it doesn't make me drop 50 IQ points and act juvenile and goofy (which is so weird coming from me given how I generally present myself in person and on here). I won't let my dad and bullies take this confidence journey away from me. It's a work in progress, but I need to let myself know I'm beautiful and deserve love and validation and autonomy and success. And all the compliments I receive despite them feeling awkward. I do want a deep loving relationship in the future, but if I'm getting compliments from guys at the moment, then I'll happily accept them, even from girls.

[just-your-average-tangerine]

u said u understand inetellectually that ur not capable of being loved, but "intellectually" all that theorizing and shit is based on underlying assumptions.

''im not capable of being loved'' is an underlying assumption the primate that runs most of ur brain made. its not math or biology or shit really. the distinction between emotion and the frameworks we make is less blurry than people like to think.

You're not dealing with facts about yourself, you're dealing with your own feelings and being in a shitty situation. Give yourself time. Show yourself and that brain primate some love. Apollo you deserve it, and you will see love from the people around you also.

I meant intellectually more in the sense that I acknowledge it but don't know what to do with that information. I guess theoretically would have been a better word?

But to your point, it's not based on math or biology no, but it is based on experimentation. Coming up on 26 years of it. With me as a constant and variables of other people, and outside circumstances (life circumstances, how we met, what we 'bonded over', etc). And time and time again, people are only interested in me as far as I am useful to them. As a young kid I was useful as a dress up doll because I was raised by a butch lesbian single mother so I didnt know anything about makeup or hair so the girls could do whatever they wanted to me and I didn't know any better. As soon as I didn't like what they were doing or wanted to try something for myself, they didn't want me around anymore. Later in school, people were friends with me because I let them copy off me in class or did their homework for them, as soon as I stopped, I had no friends again. As an adult its been that I drive people around or buy them lunch or little gifts, or they just wanted another trans person around and as soon I wasn't the only other option I wasn't needed anymore. Even if you don't count the time before I started school, which is a perfectly reasonable portion of my life to exclude, even though my family doesn't care about me either, that's still over 20 years worth of the same results over and over again. I mean, I'm an actor, not a scientist but I think any experiment that shows that kind of consistency over that period of time is pretty clear.

I also know it's true due to observation. I know a lot of trans men, of all ages, and of all of them, only one has had a successful relationship, and that's with a woman. I'm gay so that's not really relevant to me. Of all the gay men I know, and I know a lot of gay men, none of them are interested in trans men (unless it's as a hookup they'll never tell anyone about).

I know that due to deductive reasoning. Communication is vital to any kind of relationship. I'm autistic. I can't do communication.

And honestly it doesn't really matter if, hypothetically, I am able to be loved. I currently have to navigate the world completely on my own, and that's not possible long term. I have no support system, and no one willing to help me. I lose my housing this summer, and I have nowhere to go. And because I don't have anyone, I have no way of fixing that. There is no holding out for better times without people to help you get there.

[ravenhairedgoldenretriever]

@snug-as-bugalugs-in-rugalugs you are so correct about the brothers and his sister but also his Jewishness! Like when he ran away to find himself he ran away to, well, a not Jewish community? like I would love to see him experience his culture. Even in the Jewish epsiode it's acknowledged that everyone "does it differently" ie he was worried about being bad at it but is told by having a Jewish mother, he is family!!! The emotions of having a culture he was born into but doesn't know, not really. But then again his brother were more familiar than his birth sister ever was, but also then again his sister left him and his brothers were both murdered. The emotional turmoil he could experience of having learned after a place he finally belongs after years of suffering, he went through his whole life losing to just learn of this.

Add on top that he's "new" to the faith but he would assume they have similar views of homosexuality that most of the world does. The idea of trying to find a place to belong only to go into that world all alone, truly alone, would be terrifying. His mother is dead but sang to him, his only real memory of her and he seemed surprised by the song itself, he was shocked to hear it like it was a memory that electrocuted him. He would normally be infodumping on how each culture has its own songs but maybe it's one that is translated or shared, etc etc and waxing poetic about how everyone us different but all humans are humans in the end, but no instead he hears the song and stops to listen to be sure. He stopped and just- listened. He went to the house at the end of the epsiode and he was so happy!! His smile was so small but bright! It's also very childlike almost, like how trauma victims will revert to an age they experienced trauma (I have personal experience, it doesn't happen to everyone or everytime and I'm projecting but it is a real thing) so it's understandable for Watts to be a little shy like a child because he would be feeling the trauma of his frankly stacks on stacks on stacks of trauma that is his childhood! Or maybe he's just shy! Would love to see how he would be with them long term.

Back to the part of it being the mothers last name. Did Clarissa choose to take the mothers name when they were left with the Marks'? Clarissa hates men even as a teen so of course she would never take a man's name, did she blame their father for their accident and it kick started her on her path, just a general resentment of being a girl in a man's world and wanted to take more "from the mother's side"? Or did their father willingly choose to take the mother's name? Was he progressive or was it just her name was easier to shorten to a more "acceptable name" i.e. Wattenbergs to Watts and that's what everyone knew them as prior to their deaths?

His parents are gone, we never see the woman who cares for him, the boarding house woman or something, so it's safe to assume she is gone in his adulthood conisdering she isn't there to mourn the loss of her second son and Watts was put working a full career at 16 while doing his best to care for them.

His sister left him, and his brothers were taken from him. And now he's to enter a community truly, utterly alone? Being acceptable warmly to a dinner/ceremony is one thing, but to be accepted into the community on the whole? Watts isn't great with communicating with others so he would know who to ask or how to just, roll up? Rent a place in the neighborhood? Go up to a stranger "hey, I'm Jewish btw. On my (dead) moms side. I'm not an orphan, I'm an adult who just has a dead family excluding my sister that willingly left me as both a child and an adult"??

This entire rant got me onto the fact he never got to be- or conisder or talk about considering and decide not to be- open with his sexuality with anyone important in his life outside of a few choice colleagues and a few men who seem to not want just/all of him? He never got to tell his family about his sexuailty, he never got to celebrate his new culture with his brothers!! He never got to try pretzels with them!! Did he pay for his brothers (the first) burial or was the mom still around? I know Watts did the second. Also what is Watts' like post life plans? His will and what have you. Does he plan to be bury next to them? Who does he trust to make sure this happens? I'm losing my mine.

Also I want him to meet Emily! Adopting Felix the boy from the orphanage!! Like???? Aaaa!!

rewatching Brother's Keeper and noticing that (like me) Watts hunches/bends over often but he normally had to when speaking to his brother(s). He's also way taller than his siblings, like me, and probably often does his best to seem smaller with most people. Unconnected to the brothers directly, but Watts gives off energy of hunching over to not take up space for multiple reasons.

Shoutout to Watts' comment about how some people "can't change the way they are" when talking of Nigel as a child hitting different post later episodes. Watts defends his brothers for being intelligent and insightful and wonderful even though with Down's Syndrome people of the time (and still today let's be real 😒), they would be dismissed as not being capable of committing crimes due to their disabilities. Watts would later go on to try and change his own "ways" dealing with his sexuality and question ways to change it.

Watts literally hates how society views himself and learns to accept it over time, but he never wavered in brothers. He loved them so much he knew they were better than what the world saw, but saw himself as the one who has "issues".

I'm overly exhausted so my words don't make sense, but in my head I have connections of Watts seeing the best in his brothers but the worst in the world due to the fact people could hate parts of himself he can't change (and he's tried!) but also the world sees the worst in the best people, people like his brothers, due to the fact they are different than the norm. He probably only became a constable to search for his sister but also to protect his family. His position probably deferred others not as aggressive as Nigel by giving him more "standing"; he wasn't just the "fake older brother, taken in out of pity" but a man of the law who cared deeply for his younger brothers and was as smart as a whip and just as dangerous when given the proper information.

[sokkas1mp]

I gonna break in this acocunt with me being angry about something that doesn't really matter (very fitting for tumblr if you ask me), this article.

First: "And I’m sorry to open with this, but part of that is due to the age difference between them. Two years is hardly worlds apart (I’m personally working with four), but a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl are. Especially the way these two are drawn. Not to be too voyeuristic about Y7 cartoons, but Katara has clearly gone through puberty, while Aang hasn’t. There is something just…off, about a sixth grade boy having a full on make-out sesh with a high school girl."

This argument is one of the most stupid ones if you ask me, because it blatantly ignores the culture we have been presented by the show. I can understand why people find this weird, but we have to try not to look at it as if its our society, because its not. In A:tla, specifically the water tribes, 16 is marrying age. Right there, our "age norms" (idk what else to call it) are very different. And there are no divisions between ages in their world like we have with middle and high school. To me, two people are fit to be together based on their maturity, not their age. That's why 45 & 40 is not the same as 15 & 10, or 20 & 15. This is the same for Kataang. They have very similar life experiences and matured together, literally side by side, so a two year ago gap is irrelevant.

Second: "...Katara took on a very maternal role with Aang. Sure, she’s a caretaker and sort of a “mom friend,” but it’s a bit more than that. She served as his literal guardian during the show’s run—there’s just no other way to look at it. By the third episode, she called herself his “family,” and later even went on to role play as his mother to get him out of trouble at school. Aang, meanwhile, was… Well, I wouldn’t say “immature” for his age, […] However, Katara is 14 going on 25, while Aang is just, Aang."

There's a compilation of Katara doing thing with Aang that if someone saw a mother doing with her son they would call it incest:

Katara definitely acts motherly towards Aang, but that is just her nature. She is more than just motherly with him. And some people like to call the check kisses familial (which is kinda weird imo), but we know Katara herself doesnt think that:

"Easy there, big brother" She pushes Sokka away. Not to mention, this was about a scene or two before she kisses Aang on the check.

Calling someone close to you your family does not mean you see them in the same way you see your parents/siblings. And Sokka played Aang's father in that scene, but we aren't sitting here using that as evidence to call him Aang's paternal figure.

Something Aang haters forget (or chose to ignore) is that being lighthearted and goofy does not equal immature. Yes, Aang does some juvenile things, but that shouldn't take away from his growth and maturity.

Third: "In fact, in the last season, Katara was shown to be uncomfortable each time Aang kisses her, and even went as far as to tell him to back off with the romantic stuff in the episode before the finale, because she was confused about how she felt. [*new paragraph*] Yet, in the end, she just trots up and blushes at Aang, than happily makes out with him when he goes for it,"

Katara initiated 2/4 of the kataang kisses (not including the check kisses). The kiss in The Cave of Two Lovers and the kiss in the finale. Yes, she's the one that "goes for it" in the finale (she also initiates the hug). She only pulls away once out of the 3 times we see a kiss end (this would be excluding the kiss in The Cave of Two Lovers). She wasn't confused about her feelings, she didn't want to have to worry about a relationship when they were nearing the end of the war.

Fourth: "The post-canon comics only furthered the lack of exploration of her feelings in this relationship"

Fifth: "[referencing a scene in The Promise in which Katara is jealous of a fanclub being around Aang] "I'm sorry, this amazing, adult communication is blowing me away"

The are both still teenagers, who have zero previous relationship experience. Also, Aang had no ill intentions and Katara recognized it.

Sixth: [refencing Katara's role in The Legend of Korra] "Did Katara want to do anything other than sit in a healing hut and be known for having Aang's kids?"

This is another argument that just pisses me off. You can not use Katara's lifestyle in her 80s (she is 85 in s1) as judgement for her adulthood. It's purely assumption based. Constantly this author assumes that because she is in a relationship with Aang, Katara would drop her whole personality. What? Katara would not and could not be forced to do something or conform to some label and Aang wouldn't let it get to that point either. He would squash any idea that she is just "The Avatar's wife" or "The mother of the Avatar's children" the minute he heard it.

Seven: [comparing Katara's reaction to Aang The Desert to Aang's reaction to Katara in The Southern Raiders] "You'll spend a long time looking for her condescending tones. "Anger won't help, Aang," Katara never said, because she got that he was processing something painful and needed to sort it out himself. This difference in behavior is something that would be really fitting for a twelve year old boy to learn and understand. There's just no indication that he ever did."

Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I don't remember Aang being condescending towards Katara. He was offering his advice because he knew her and knew that she would regret doing what she thought was right when her judgement was clouded by anger. And guess what. He was right. He never forced anything on her, either. Sure, he was a bit more pushy than he could've been, but in the end he let her go on the trip with no complaints. He even agreed that this was something she had to do.

Eighth: [referencing The Ember Island Players] "When the actor says 'Wait! I thought you were the Avatar's girl', Aang agrees. Katara is his."

You know damn well Aang doesn't see Katara as just his. And she's give him PLENTY of reason to believe that his feelings are reciprocated (which they are).

Ninth: "It's the story of a woman who swallows everything lest the man she's interested in has to learn anything about his behavior that violates her boundaries."

Ha! You said she was interested in him.

But in all seriousness, you mentioned how Katara stood her ground and told Aang that she was confused, but apparently now she's swallowing her feeings.

Tenth: [talks about the cloud babies daddy issues]

I don't disagree with what is said here, for the most part, but I don't think it is a reflection on Aang and Katara's relationship.

Eleventh: "... given what what we got with Kataang, it's completely unsurprising that Aang and Katara's parenthood/adult life was defined by a lack of communication and availability, at least from what we can tell. This also puts Katara's choice to immediately moved to the South Pole once Aang died in perspective; perhaps the city he poured all his energy into, at the cost of his family, held some bitter memories."

Once again with the lack communication. We can't use the early years of their relationship to determine their whole relationship. Also, there wasn't consistently a lack of communication, you just pointed out one time and ran with it.

We don't know at what point Katara moved back to the South Pole, but there are plenty of reasons for Katara to leave Air Temple Island:

a) Her son moving in/or planning to move in with his family.

b) She was no longer needed in the city and thus had no need to stay.

c) She wanted to go back to her native home for comfort after the love of her life died at a relatively early age.

d) The next Avatar was discovered and she came home to train them.

That's all. Thank you for reading my unnecessary rant if you made it this far, and I just want to close out with a few things:

- There were some things in the article that I did not include for the fear of this becoming a novel of me repeating myself.

- I agree with most thing said in the final segment of the the article. Most, not all.

- I appreciate the author for not trying to shove Zutara in just because Kataang wasn't there. That is becoming increasingly uncommon, so it was nice to see.

[rgrettes]

heyy, I hope I'm not bothering but I've seen that you used to post about faberry and faberry fics like Shafd, and since I'm trying to find some faberry fanfics to read, could you please recommend me some of your favorites? Thank you :)

OKAY so this took me a whole lot longer than anticipated because I didn’t want to make it be like 500 fics long! But here, in no particular order, are my top 10 faberry fanfics! [excluding SHAfD of course bc whomever asked this definitely knows SHAfD!]I will be including trigger warnings/content warnings! Please be sure that you can handle the subjects before reading the content! Be safe and put your mental and physical wellbeing before a work of fiction!

10. Dirty Little Secret by patchesofink

Chapters: 77/77 [208k]

This fic would actually happen to be the first faberry fic that I ever read. I felt my little 15 year old self cry several times throughout this fic. It’s what first got me into writing fanfic, because I wanted to write as well as this author! There is a content warning so please be careful reading it if you are sensitive to topics mentioned!

Rachel has a secret and Quinn has figured it out - but will Quinn use this knowledge to exact revenge on Rachel for telling Finn that Puck was really the father or will she use her own experiences to help. WARNING - language and sexual content, r*pe.

9. I’ll Be by stix04

Chapters: 20/20 [330k]

God I was such a sucker for fake dating au’s as a young teenager and I’m most definitely a sucker for them now. This one I didn’t read right when it came out, I didn’t actually find it until it had finished but it still makes my top 20 because it’s just too good not to talk about!

Can Quinn pretend to be in love with Rachel just to get out of Lima? Can Rachel pretend to love Quinn so she's not so lonely in New York? And what happens when both girls realize they're no longer pretending?

8. Long Way to Happy by patchesofink 

Chapters: 42/42 [104k]

This is the sequel to Dirty Little Secret and makes the list for being just as good as the original. This author is so talented and the story just resonates in my soul! 

warnings for sexual content, language, violence and potential ptsd triggers!

Sequel to Dirty Little Secret. Rachel still has some healing to do as well with dealing with becoming a mom. Quinn has her own issues to deal with. Can their fledgling relationship deal with the ups and downs of life and cope with senior year? Quinn learns to open up and Rachel deals with motherhood and not letting her past define her. It's a Long Way to Happy.

7. Leather Jackets and Bad Coffee by antonius

Chapters: 11/?? [75k] [has not updated since 2018 :(]

Bikers, 50′s style diners, and good girl/bad girl pairing. Literally who could ask for anything more? I’m super sad this one hasn’t updated in a long time but it’s still such a fun read!!

warning for violence!

Ninety miles and nearly two hours from the heart of New York City, just off of PA-33 North, is the little town of Belfast, Pennsylvania: population 1,257. Right outside the city limits sits Moe's, a small 24-hour diner whose newest waitress, Rachel Berry, has taken her best friend Kurt's advice and started a calm summer temp job away from the hustle-and-bustle of busy city life in order to rest up before her final year at NYADA.During her very first midnight shift, she encounters a group of rowdy regulars led by a pink-haired woman with piercing hazel eyes. Quinn Fabray is the leader of the Skanks, a small but well-known local biker gang that doesn't take shit from anyone.So began the strangest summer of Rachel Berry's life.

6. Talk by saintdyke

Chapters: 17/? [43k] [last updated may 2019]

This is another one I’m sad hasn’t updated in a while! This honestly stole my heart to a point that in the time I found it in mid April 2019 and June of 2019 I have re-visited the fic 105 times, rereading it at least half as many as that. I’m really hoping the author comes back to the fic, because it was keeping me on the edge of my seat.

warning for violence, abuse mentions and depictions, homophobia and ptsd triggers!

(Previously titled Grease Stains, Starry Skies) Famous actress Rachel Berry’s car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. A pretty blonde with a blue truck rescues her from the side of the road, and just so happens to own an Auto Repair shop in town. Quinn is frustrating and mysterious, and Rachel is just as stubborn. Together, they start a revolution.

5. Just off the Key of Reason by iamapanda

Chapters: 30/30 [129k]

This one is another absolute classic in the Faberry fandom, and is another fic that has stuck with me throughout the years! It has a fantastic softer take on Quinn that I truly appreciated because everyone back in the early years of the fandom would make her so angry and bitter and she’s just so soft in some interpretations

Rachel Berry is a successful Broadway star with a new roommate, the very odd, naive Quinn Fabray. It starts with a note on the fridge and a childishly scrawled doodle of an elephant. Everybody has a little crazy in them.

4. Still off the Key of Reason by iamapanda

Chapters: 37/37 [185k]

The sequel to Just off the Key of Reason! Still as soft and as crazy! I can’t mention one without having the other in the list as well! I can’t explain how it feels to look at the ff.net pages after so long, my heart is transported back to 2011 and I’m sitting on my bed after I’m supposed to be in bed. I miss the days where I could just spend time reading these fics and not having adult responsibilities.

Quinn is thundering her way through vet school. Rachel is enlightening the west coast with her talent. The story continues with a wedding, dogs in tuxedos, and Pooh Bear vows. Crazy never fades.

3. A Million Miles of Fun by Jade8Devlin

Chapters: 12/12 [103k]

This one is a little different from the last ones! It isn’t my favorite because of its literary genius, but because of how fun and out there it is! It’s concept is fresh and dark and something I honestly didn’t expect to see but it quickly grew to be a favorite for me!

warning for violence, abuse, mentions of murder! the whole story revolves around The Unholy Trinity + Rachel murdering Quinn’s family so please take that into consideration!

And in Lima, Ohio, a man and woman were killed earlier today during what is believed to be a home invasion. Russell Fabray was last seen leaving Gas'N'Go at two o'clock; his wife, Judith, from a grocery story an hour earlier. Police are linking the double homicide to the area's recent surge in breaking and entering – though these appear to be the first fatalities. The victims are survived by their daughters; Quinn and Stacey."Jessalyn Briggs shuffles the papers on her desk, clearing her throat. The somber expression on her face seems to float off her as she turns towards camera 3."Otis-the-Otter finishes today's news headlines as the little critter that could. Abandoned by his mother and found foraging for scraps in the Nelson family's garbage cans, Otis has proven; if you can't teach an old dog new tricks, teach them to an otter! Otis placed second at this year's Ohio Dog Show after last year's well-documented struggle by the Nelson family to allow Otis to be included. Well done Otis, we here at Channel 43 salute you.

2. The Silence of Silence by your.kat

Chapters: 31/31 [135k]

This one... I can’t describe why I liked it, I just liked it.

warning for mental health, and trauma [possible others, please read with caution]

Quinn and Rachel meet at Haverbrook under unusual circumstances. Why is Rachel silent? And why does Quinn care? "You can hear," Quinn said simply, "but can you speak?"; "Yes," Rachel signed. "I can speak. But silence is a friend who will never betray."

1. Kissing Quinn Fabray by vondrunkaton

Chapters: 6/6 [45k]

This one just makes me super warm and fuzzy inside. I don’t think I can say it’s entirely changed my life but it’s just so soft and i love it

Quinn comforts Rachel after Finn says something oafish. Rachel is surprised by how sweet Quinn is. There's also some making out in delicious detail. Fluffy getting together fic.

I am super open to talking about more fics I love/like and other pairings! This was a ton of fun to talk about and sent me down memory lane! I went searching for two hours on a vague memory of a fic that I think has been deleted by now. But if anyone wants to help me track it down! Hit me up and I’ll give you the details!

[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

Also plus too, if your logic isn't just based on bad history, but has something to do with, "femme means performing a queer subversion of femininity for other women," then I have yet another problem with the argument. By excluding bisexual women, you're attempting to say that their femininity is *for men,* which not only betrays a deeply limited understanding of the diversity of bisexual lives, but also... implies that all femininity is subject to external review -- is defined not by the feminine person in question, but by who views her and how they respond.

That's pretty fucking weird that we're defining women's gender presentation based on who sees it, who appreciates it, who approves of it, and who's attracted to it -- right? Women are not consumable goods. People may have all manner of opinions on what a woman wears and how she presents, *but women are not defined by those external opinions,* and it's blatantly anti-feminist to suggest that they ought to be.

I'm a woman who wears swishy skirts and high heels and hoards purses and loves bracelets. Some days I feel lazy and I roll up in jeans and sneakers instead, and the way I personally experience all that is that I dial the femme up or down as the mood strikes me. I also have been with my girlfriend for almost 18 years. I'm out to my family, out at work, and my meatspace social circle is overwhelmingly female and queer.

I can tell you right now that I do not fucking dress to attract men or to look secretly straight. In fact, back when I did date men, I presented very androgynously, as an unconscious (at the time) attempt to signal that I expected to be treated seriously, not dismissed as a girl who only knew about girl things. My ability to embrace the part of myself that feels most at home when femme came along with building an adult life that is *female and queer.* But while it's nice to get the "I love this outfit on you" from my mate and friends, I am still *not frigging defined by who thinks what of my clothes.*

No woman is defined by whether or not she pleases other people. Any given bisexual woman *may or may not* dress in some part as a performance of a man's idea of femininity for male approval -- it's a diverse group of people! We do a lot of things! But either way, she is DAMN SURE not defined by whether or not she pleases men.

Stop trying to divide *all women* against each other based on men's opinions, in general, but also stop shackling bisexual women to this idea that they are especially defined by their interactions with men. Jesus, stop even defining lesbian gender presentation based on the assumption that lesbian femmes are dressing *for* other women! Let women be at home in their own bodies without being *for* anyone else's pleasure and approval.

There is a lot wrong with tying the performance of femininity to the assumption that all women are primarily concerned about signaling sexual attraction and availability, and then parsing women into categories based solely on to whom you think they are available. Like, a lot.

Femme bi women married to men still have stories about queerness to tell that are worth hearing.