#Just let the kids have medicine and stop being transphobic | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

enlighten3d · 9 months ago

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CARMELA LORE!!! I don’t know if she’s interesting to you but uhm mitski started playing so i must share her loreee (abuse is mentioned btw just letting you know just in case!)

So she grew up with her mum Carmela and her dad Daniel and she took both of their last names (carmela is Venezuelan)! And fun fact!! Her parents are teen parents, both of them being 16-17 (maria was turning 17). So the two had an ok relationship, what do you really expect from two teens who had to get married the moment they could thanks to their parents (having kids out of wedlock and stuff)/lh. Daniel definitely didn’t do much, since he’d been told by his dad (and mum) that it wasn’t his job to take care of his kid, like in the actual taking care not just the socialising and talking to the kid if that makes sense. BUT AS THE TWO GROW UP!! They start to get a relationship that I could only describe as Me and My Husband by Mitski (with hands thrown- if that also makes sense sjdgsj)

So over time, Maria ended up leaving to go the city since she wanted to study medicine! And she planned to take Carmela with her but stuff got in the way! (Daniel. He got in the way) So she ended up leaving anyways (OMG WAIT PARALLELS WITH JANETTE ok don’t mind me finding parallels with my oc lore) without Carmela- which Carmela did not understand at 11 years old so she thought her mum was just leaving. And then speeding forward to when Carmela is 16 (the time during her mum leaving and now was not good especially with her dad- she has a bruise across her neck if that indicates anything- uhm SORRY I JUST REALISED HOW DARK THAT IS UH)

In short her mum comes back to the town, her guilt also catching up to her, makes friends with Janette since they find they have a lot in common, Maria ends up in the cult even though Janette tries to stop her from joining. Maria becomes very heavily devoted (?) to the cult meaning when Janette needs to find someone that isn’t Oliver to do the cult ritual, she happily offers up her daughter Carmela! (who is reeling from her mum showing up and her mum trying to apologise) Also the reason Maria is so devoted to the cult is because they are very good at catering to the person’s needs (maria’s being somewhere to stay)

also the last time maria saw carmela, she was presenting as a boy (transssss) so thats another box for her (carmela) to unpack

YEAH. THATS THE RIVERA LUZARDO FAMILY!!! (carmela’s last name) SORRY THAT WAS A LOT AND A BUT HEAVIER THAN USUAL.again as always any questions are welcomeee

OOO CARMELA !!! trust me, shes interesting to me... and beyond that id be glad to hear the lore of ANY of you have, whether ive heard of them before or not

oo this is a long ask /pos... so much food. om nom nom

okay. woah. what do i even say to that

i would like to throw hands with daniel. hes next in line in the timmies parking lot right after adele. i would also lose this fight but id be trying a lot harder cause i hate him more (adele is objectively worse cause shes like.... committed at least one murder, but... adele is gay so its alright, she gets a pass /j).. fuck him. motherfucker..

carmelas mum is... i just feel bad for her, honestly. just really really bad. she ended up in a Situation, make the best decisions she thought she could, tried her best, is literally just Trying. i just feel bad for her man. shes just a person. she is quite literally the most normal person in this entire thing i think. shes just Trying, man. yes, trying ends her up in a cult, but she is Doing Her Best. like... how to put this... shes Real. adding her to the list of ppl who need a shock blanket

unless shes transphobic, in which case INTO THE PARKING LOT SHE GOESSSSSS

i love carmela, did you know that...

does she get no choice in being the next cult leader...

i hope shes alright... (shes not, is she)

#asks #murder lesbians #im rly tired rn sry #carmelas mum is literally the most normal person this whols thing as i said. literally the best way i can phrase it.

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destroyyourbinder · 6 years ago

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why not go to therapy for gender dysphoria?

I see this question often posited by both trans people and radical feminists, as well as garden-variety homophobes and transphobes. This is a brief attempt at an answer from my perspective. --- 1. The first reason is that trans people aren't stupid. They are right when they say there is no known therapeutic modality that is known to reliably reverse transgender identity or get rid of gender dysphoria. This does not mean that transition is therefore the best means of dealing with gender dysphoria, but it means you cannot currently just go to a psychologist or therapist and "get therapy" to make it go away. I’m tired of dealing with radical feminists or gender critical types who dismissively insist that this is currently a possible option. I am skeptical that you can ethically treat transgender people with the intent to change their personal identity anyway even if some sort of treatment protocol was developed. There may be some way to lessen gender dysphoria in a therapeutic context without major ethical violations, but few therapists are willing to try, and those who will work with people wanting to ease their gender dysphoria without transition often are working blind and therefore are liable to make mistakes that can harm already vulnerable patients. Even barring the political environment around transition right now, I am not sure therapists generally know what to do to help people or even how to conceive of the problems of those who come into their offices framing their issues as "gender dysphoria" but who do not wish to transition or who are postponing the choice to do so. When I discussed my gender dysphoria outside of a transition context with two different therapists previous to desisting from trans identity, one in about 2007 and the other in about 2014 or so, the first one told me I couldn't possibly be transgender because I was waffling on wanting a penis and attempted to get me to work on rejecting femininity by asking me to do CBT practices when I got compliments about my appearance, and the second did not even know how to deal with my gender issues at all, asked me to educate him on trans identity more broadly, and then tried to get me to accept that I was attracted to men because I considered myself bisexual but was not wanting to interact sexually with them. I ceased discussing it in therapy (and considered the times I had attempted to an unacceptable risk) because I sensed it was actually impossible for my feelings to be understood outside a transition-based context and at the time transition was impossible for me. The desisting and detransitioned women I know who are trying to reconcile with their femaleness seem to have had a very mixed bag of luck with therapists; the ones I know with positive interactions with therapists around their gender stuff have had to go through multiple therapists to find a decent one, and I know a few women who avoid therapists entirely now. Even if you go explicitly seeking a therapist for this issue as a full and competent adult with decent boundaries and deep pockets you will often have poor luck. 2. Those people offering means of getting rid of transgender identity or gender dysphoria are generally explicit religious conversion therapists or pediatric doctors using unethically coercive strategies to alter children's gender behavior. These are the last people you want to be in contact with if you have a gender or sexuality problem, and their strategies don't work except insofar as they might shame you into suppressing your feelings and desires. The doctors offering these therapies for children are direct descendants of therapists who used these strategies to prevent adult homosexuality, some of the older ones literally having studied under gay conversion therapists or at clinics offering anti-gay therapies, and I would guess they probably have similar outcomes in that they permanently traumatize kids. You would have to be extremely self-negating to seek these people out or literally under the pressure of authorities, which obviously isn't conducive to developing a way of coping with your body, sexuality, and gender structures that is healthy and promotes your well-being. 3. One of the hallmarks of being trans is wanting to transition, and one of the hallmarks of gender dysphoria in female people is either strongly wanting to be male or literally believing you are in some way male. Trans people do reach for "being trans" as a primary explanation for their thoughts and feelings about gender, even though they may have pervasive doubts and obsess over the question of whether they are "really" trans or their dysphoria is "real". Female trans people in particular often believe that if they aren't trans or don't have gender dysphoria, they must be "making things up" or that their suffering is stupid, only for attention, not as severe as they thought it was, and so on. The obsessing over whether you are "actually trans" or not ends up locking you into your dysphoria deeper than you might have gone otherwise, and means you will hold onto being trans as an explanation and the trans identity far longer than you otherwise might, because your dysphoric mind is telling you that if you aren't trans then you must really have been a stupid girl this whole time. The last thing a dysphoric female person wants to be is a stupid girl, so you will continue holding onto interpreting your experiences as trans or as gender dysphoria because that is part of the dysphoria itself. I don't believe most trans people look to transition as something they wholeheartedly "want" to do (and those that claim to are likely extremely dissociated from the reality of transition and their bodies more generally); most I think recognize to some degree that transition is risky, painful, socially isolating, legally fraught, and a medical nightmare. But the whole problem with having gender dysphoria is that it's self-reinforcing; if you are actively dysphoric, the way your dysphoria works is to propagate itself and that means you will not try a solution that invalidates "dysphoria" or "being trans" as the reason why you feel this way. Although in some sense nobody "wants to be trans", most trans people are relieved in some way or another when they find out transgenderism exists and that transition is possible, and most female trans people actually resist the possibility of therapy to get rid of their self-concept as not-female. I have not met a trans man who actually wanted to stop considering himself a man, although I have obviously seen many trans people want to ease the suffering caused by gender dysphoria and stop being subject to the negative social consequences of being trans or transitioning or being subject to misogyny/homophobia/transphobia. The reason why trans people reach for transition is because it purportedly allows them to maintain their self-identity and also get rid of the suffering caused by their body being incongruent with their self-identity. If you already conceive of yourself as trans or have extensive gender dysphoria it is unlikely you will reach for a solution that will invalidate your own perception of what's gone wrong, a.k.a. you will not go to therapy that will eventually cause you to let go of the idea that you are a man or not-female. The problem is that the self-identity is not separable from gender dysphoria, and interpreting your suffering as the result of the fact that your body is female but "you" are somehow not is a framing driven by the insecurity cycles and obsessions particular to gender dysphoria. You cannot ease dysphoria long-term without being able to recognize and confront that you are female in a value-neutral way. I honestly believe to the extent that transition can work, it works precisely because it allows some trans female people to let go of constant nitpicking at their bodies, it allows them to be among other female people who don't see them as worth less because of their bodies (albeit ones changed through transition) and in an environment where they can freely discuss their experiences together, and it permits some to actually experience being embodied without shame and distance from themselves. This should not sound unfamiliar to most trans people as it's exactly how the positive results of transition are framed. I just disagree that transition is necessary to achieve these results, that transition actually achieves them persistently in most people, and that to whatever extent they are achieved it means that trans people are right about why they happen (that it means you are a man or not-a-woman). 4. I don't think therapy to achieve peace in your body usually works if you are female, whether you are dysphoric or not, and it's because I think the therapeutic relationship and medicine more broadly are a small-scale replication of the authoritarian and misogynistic practices that cause female people to be alienated from their bodies to begin with. I don't think most female people want or need an authority implicitly or explicitly telling them that their bad feelings about their body are wrong when authorities have inculcated these feelings in us to begin with. Most female people don't end up with gender dysphoric feelings specifically, but I don't think it's an inherent sign of mental illness or irrational for trans men or other female trans people to avoid authorities trying to invalidate or reinterpret their experiences with gender, sexuality, and their bodies. Maintaining a core identity (even if it's a male one) that is untouchable by others trying to convince you out of rejecting womanhood, when "accepting womanhood" means a shitton of gross, dirty, and violating things, absolutely makes sense, and I'm never going to try to convince anybody otherwise. Therapy is inherently intended to guide you to "better functioning" and for most therapists, this means decreasing your friction against social reality so you can hold a job, housing, maintain relationships, and so forth. Obviously being able to survive is important, but being able to survive in this world means making some horrible bargains against your well-being (such as devoting forty hours a week to being captive to people who don't share your interests in a place you don't want to be so you can make enough money for shelter and food) and therapists do not usually frame these bargains as having severe costs. They sometimes actually frame you as ill precisely because you recognize the costs of these decisions, and because you fixate on trying to find a way to escape them. So why would you go to a therapist, then, so you can make yourself believe you are a woman again, if that therapist won't acknowledge the costs of everything required for you to psychologically adopt that identity as well as try to adjust as a "proper woman" to others and gives you a pathological label for insisting that the costs are real or too high? If you are a trans person attracted to your same sex, why would you try to go to a therapist to adjust to being a lesbian for example when few therapists even know what healthy adjustment looks like, nonetheless the kinds of terrible bargains you have to make to avoid or deal with homophobia? One of the most isolating and devastating things about having gender dysphoria is that nobody else seemingly sees how awful it is to be female, and the people around you who should be supportive of you (your female family members, friends, peers, coworkers, etc.) are invested in doubling down about how happy they are and how great it is to do things that you find invasive and traumatic, and seem to be in horrific denial of how it could possibly affect you and may even attempt to force you to adopt these practices and attitudes yourself. If therapy is supposed to get rid of these feelings and replace them with the feelings of the women around you, of course you won't go! Of course you won't go to therapy if the therapist herself is one of these women, or is a man who does not seem to get it at all. If "adjusting" and "functioning" means accepting your lot, trying to gaslight yourself into believing your shame about your existence was unwarranted, crazy, or came from nowhere, and fixing your dysphoria means learning to act and speak and think like these other women and to LOVE it, then hell no, most of us will not adjust or function until our feelings are recognized in some way or another. For some of us this means maintaining being trans and pursuing transition, and for others it means politicizing our experience and becoming active feminists and/or radically anti-authoritarian. It’s telling to me that the medical industry is supportive of one rather than the other, because the latter choice is more likely to indict psychology as a practice and transition is capable of being incorporated into medicine. But seeing it that way is a function of my political view on the whole thing.

#writings #dysphoria

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thebachelordiaries · 8 years ago

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The Bachelorette: A Very Petty Review of Rachel’s Guys

The best part about reality television is judging people with no consequence.

I have no pity on these men. One will probably become The Bachelor, another will (hopefully) become Rachel’s life partner, and the rest will have an endless supply of hot chicks thirsting over them for the next three years. Yes, even Mr. Square Jaw is included in that statement.

This season of The Bachelorette has 31 men and most of them aren’t good enough to be with Rachel. I’m just being honest here. Rachel is gorgeous, smart, hilarious and has a rocking body. Boys can’t handle her, fuck boys will be destroyed by her and egomaniacs will be exposed by her.

I have so many questions for this bunch. Will this season’s villain compare to Chad? Who will get embarrassingly drunk on night one? Is it possible for these guys to create a bromance (circle jerk) bigger than Chase and Robby’s? Am I really expected to tell all these white guys apart?

WHY DO ALL STRAIGHT WHITE MEN LOOK ALIKE? UGH.

Let’s introduce ourselves to the 31 aspiring social media influencers who may or may not be vying for Rachel’s heart. This review is going to take awhile, so grab a snack.

Adam, 27, Real Estate Agent

Things were going badly out the gate after Adam called the fake-quirky white feminist Jennifer Lawrence his dream girl. The situation became a complete dumpster fire after he said the most “romantic” present he ever received was a threesome on his birthday. If anyone wants to know why I’m single, it’s because men my age consider threesomes romantic.

Alex, 28, Information Systems Supervisor

I want to like Alex because I witnessed him put on a fantastic male stripper performance on the Ellen Show, but these answers make him sound like a wet paper bag. Alex claims to be a wingman and not a party starter, but the way he shook his ass on Ellen says otherwise.

Anthony, 26, Education Software Manager

Anthony’s answers make it seem like he is smart, funny without trying and successful. I just hope his head isn’t as weirdly shaped as it looks in this picture.

Blake E., 31, Aspiring Drummer

My first thought is, why is there more than one Blake on this season? I don’t even know one Blake in real life. My second thought is, does the occupation of “aspiring drummer” offer health insurance? Blake was engaged to a “crazy girl” for 48 hours and went to horseback riding camp when he was younger. Rachel, run. And don’t look back.

Blake K., 29, U.S. Marine Veteran

If he could be anyone, Blake would want to be “The Rock” because the famous actor looks good wearing a fanny pack. Blake also says he wouldn’t eat monkey brains or wrestle a crocodile for love. Blakey, stop trying so hard.

Brady, 29, Male Model

Yeah, Brady may be the conventionally attractive version of Casey Neistat, but that’s all he has going for him. Imagine being so ignorant to the rest of the world that the person you hate most is “The Situation” from The Jersey Shore.

Bryan, 37, Chiropractor

I just realized these bios don’t say where these men are from. What the hell? Also, Bryan is hot, smart, AWARE OF THE REST OF THE WORLD and doesn’t have a weird-shaped head. What’s with kind-of old chiropractors never settling down? Apparently it is a thing. (This reminds me, I need to schedule an adjustment with my chiro.) I like Bryan, but he kisses and tells. On the Ellen group date he announced to everyone that he kissed Rachel already. Smh. Girls do NOT like snitches.

Bryce, 30, Firefighter

It appears that my high school english teacher was reborn as Mr. Square Jaw. Who the hell writes like this? “Laid back shot of gasoline when the fire starts to die.” “...eyes you could drown in and a smile that insults the sun.” “A fresh drink of water with a jolt of lightning.” Settle, down Nicholas Sparks. To top it all off, ABC deleted his transphobic comment after well-deserved backlash on Twitter.

Dean, 26, Startup Recruiter

There are some things I dislike about Dean, and some things I like. I dislike that he looks like an alien. I like that he called marriage an “institutionalized sham derived from religious beliefs” yet still wants to get married, because same.

DeMario, 30, Executive Recruiter

DeMario seems like strange dude. Half his answers confuse me. I feel like I had a similar reaction to him when he met Rachel on ATFR. I have one request: keep wild animals in the wild. No pet lions for you, DeMario.

Diggy, 31, Senior Inventory Analyst

This guy is funny, and evidently not a virgin (petition to get a virgin male on The Bachelorette. No, Sean Lowe didn’t count.) Several of his answers made me actually crack up, which is pretty hard to do. Sadly, I don’t think he’s marriage material at the moment. I also need him to explain this below answer further because I am jumping to some problematic conclusions here.

Eric, 29, Personal Trainer

Ah, what would a season of The Bachelorette be like without at least one personal trainer? Eric seems like a serious dude with a type-A personality. He’s also a deep thinker and a health nut. He probably likes to act like he’s perfect, but he’s not. No one is. Your flaws will be exposed sooner or later, buddy. I’ll be watching you.

Fred, 27, Executive Assistant

I wanted to dislike Fred because he is dressed like an insurance agent in his picture, but his answers turned me around. His favorite artist is Jean-Michel Basquiat, and I believe Rachel put the same answer in her bio. Overall, his answers were 10//10. I can see him being accepted by Rachel’s intimidating father, the Hon. Lindsay. Others wouldn’t be as lucky.

Grant, 29, Emergency Medicine Physician

Grant is a doctor and kind of looks like a less-hot version of Dan Humphrey from Gossip Girl. On paper, him and Rachel would make a good couple. I can’t tell if he is good looking though, I need to see him in motion (it matters, OK?)

Iggy, 30, Consulting Firm CEO

Another “good on paper” kind of guy. I had a turtle named Iggy growing up so I really can’t get past that.

Jack Stone, 32, Attorney

What kind of name is Jack Stone? His name combined with the creepy expression he is making in this pic is not giving me a good first impression. His answers were decent. I like that he had some humility and “pleaded the fifth” on the bedroom questions. Thanks for being the only classy one.

Jamey, 32, Sales Account Executive

I know I just said this about the above person as well, but what kind of name is Jamey? That’s a name your mother calls you at home when no one is around while you’re between the ages of 6 and 12. Jamey is so far the shortest of the bunch at 5 feet 9 inches tall. He ideally would only date models and does not have female friends. I would say that I’d like to be his friend, but I have a vagina. Vaginas are for fucking, not friending. Basic Jamey logic.

Jedidiah, 35, ER Physician

Jedidiah looks like he shaved off his eyebrows and is now letting them grow back in. If you are wondering why this 35-year-old, handy, well-traveled doctor is single, look no further than the fact that he has some sort of strange obsession with wolves. All of his former dogs were more than half wolf and he has a wolf tattoo. I feel like this would be a red flag for most women.

Jonathan, 31, Tickle Monster

I hope Jonathan knows he is likely going to be put on the sex offender registry after his stint on the Bachelorette for his occupation title alone. He is divorced and likes to listen to Britney Spears and Flo-Rida. He was on the Ellen date so he, by some miracle, made it past the first night.

Josiah, 28, Prosecuting Attorney

I hope Rachel has a thing for lawyers because ABC is really pushing them on her. Overall, Josiah seems like a good guy. Some things are better left unsaid though, like getting it on in his office at work.

Kenny, 35, Professional Wrestler

I was hoping Kenny was an actual wrestler, but I have come to the conclusion that he is a Nacho Libre-esque performance wrestler. I am willing to put money down that he will show up in a wrestling outfit on night one.

Kyle, 26, Marketing Consultant

I never want to hear this guy talk on television after reading his bio. These answers have gotten way too sexual for my taste. Kyle said his ex was into BDSM and he experimented with being a dom. Remember when I was shocked by the threesome answer? Things have escalated since then. He also doesn’t know what gluten is but tries to avoid it anyway. That says a lot about who Kyle is, and it’s enough for me to know I don’t want to know anything else about him.

Lee, 30, Singer/Songwriter

ABC needed to cross their T’s and dot their I’s. Personal trainer? Check. Approximately five lawyers? Check. Male model? Check. Singer/Songwriter? Check. Thank you Lee for fitting the latter demographic.

Lucas, 30, Whaboom

Lucas looks like Luke Pell if he was beaten with an ugly stick. I’m not even going to make a comment on his profession. Lucas says he would want to have lunch with a dead Bruce Jenner and an alive Caitlyn Jenner. I’m not sure if that’s how transitioning works. The person’s former self just doesn’t “die.” I do agree, however, that it would make for an interesting convo. Bruce would ask, “how’s everyone?” and Caitlyn would be like, “I ruined every relationship I had with our family. I hope that’s cool.”

Matt, 32, Construction Sales Rep

I dig this guy even if he does have basic music taste. He has worked with inner city kids, and if he could be anybody for a day, he would be Matt Lauer, which I think Rachel would like. The craziest place he’s had sex was on a balcony of a cruise ship. I remember when I was on a cruise and all I wanted to do was make out with someone on the sun deck. Sadly the only guy who wanted to make out with me had a girlfriend, which is a metaphor for my life.

Michael, 26, Former Professional Basketball Player

Michael was a basketball player on the european pro circuit and (likely) a current crossfitter. He follows a Paleo diet, which if you didn’t know, is scientifically incorrect. Read up here, youngins. I forgot about the “former professional athlete” quota. I think we have reached our “standard Bachelorette professions” requirements but we still have about 6 more unnecessary men left. ABC is wasting my time 2017.

Milton, 31, Hotel Recreation Supervisor

The first red flag was that Milton has a tattoo inside his bottom lip, which is only cool when you’re 16. He has lived four months without power, I assume because he didn’t pay his bills (I could be wrong here.) He also wants to get “discovered” by being on this show. Last, but certainly not least, he thinks a man being romantic is emasculating. If god exists, this douche will get sent home on night one.

Mohit, 26, Product Manager

Mohit is a man of no limitations and does not let society’s demands define him. In fact, he listens to both rap and country music. Yep, you heard that right. We are in the presence of a true trailblazer.

That sound terrifying. What if the Tabasco ends up in someone’s private parts?!

Peter, 31, Business Owner

I see some grey hairs coming in, and I honestly dig it. Peter was on the Ellen date and my first impression of him was, “Fuck, he’s hot.” Peter is a former model and has finished three ironmans. He was supposed to tell a “fun” story about a one night stand but it honestly just sounded like he was date raped, so I didn’t particularly find it “fun.” (Side note: Imagine FEMALE contestants answering these questions? America would burn them at the stake.) Also, Peter, being a professional football player is not easy. How would you like permanent brain damage from numerous concussions? Didn’t think so.

Rob, 30, Law Student

Is is just me or does Rob look like Ryan Sutter? On the plus side, Rob said he has empathy, and most of the other men probably don’t understand what that word even means. On the negative side, Rob seems like someone who talks endlessly about all his worldly travels. Gag.

Will, 28, Sales Manager

Will was another guy on Rachel’s Ellen date. I don’t particularly find him attractive, but I enjoyed him on the group date and don’t really have anything mean to say about his answers. Maybe he will grow on me.

Prediction Corner

We did it, fam. We made it through all 31 contestants. I took me a couple of days, but whatever. What’s done is done.

Now that we got to know the guys, here are my way-too-soon-to-know-if-any-of-this-is-true predictions.

P.S. If you tag me or comment any spoilers on my page, take a good, hard look at your life. Why do you like ruining things for other people? Get a therapist and figure out those internal issues. Thanks.

First Impression Rose: Bryan

First 1-on-1: DeMario

Final Rose: Fred

Future Bachelor: Alex. Or at least he’s going to become the hottest commodity to ever exist in Bachelor in Paradise. Low key want Ben to be The Bachelor again, though.

I am not going to defend any of these answers since I made them up at the top of my head.

So there you have it. What do you think of this season’s contestants? I don’t think it’s possible that this season could be filled with more fuckboys than the last, so I will be entering Monday night’s season premiere with a positive mindset.

What contestant do you like the best? I want to know.

#the bachelorette #abc #chris harrison #rachel lindsay #photo credit goes to ABC screenshots i could've taken myself if i wanted to

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nbnova · 7 years ago

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Challenge accepted!

Name: Samantha (prefers Sam)

Age: 14

Gender: Demigirl, prefers she/they (closeted due to transphobic family)

Birthday: December 3, 2003

Sexuality: Homoromantic Asexual (prefers to say gay/lesbian for simplicity)

Relationship status: single and lonely af

Appearance: Short, only about 5'3. She's stocky and heavy set, with a circular head and lighter skin. She has wavy, often unruly golden blonde hair reaching down to about her upper back and acne smattered across her round face. Her eyes are normally a muted blue color, the saturation of the blue changing with lighting. Sometimes, it can look almost grey, and other times it is almost unnaturally bright. She often wears baggy clothes, boots, and jeans, not really bothering with much makeup except for maybe some mascara. She does, however, have a favorite white sweatshirt, which she will wear more than she'd like to admit!

Personality: People may describe her as bitchy and cold, but in reality, she's quite warm hearted and caring. She really has no idea how to deal with her own emotions, much less the emotions of others, and when people yell or cry in front of her, it scares her immensely. She's actually quite timid, and will jump at the slightest raised voice or hand. However, once you get past her general coldness and distance, you get the warm, talkative and caring part of her. She could go on for hours upon hours about the things she enjoys, but if she thinks she's annoying the other person, she'll apologise and swiftly stop. The problem is, she thinks she's constantly annoying people, so she doesn't really get the chance to just talk. A lonely kid with extreme wanderlust, someday she'd like to travel the world and get a degree in graphic design. She has strong opinions and a sharp tongue, which can sometimes lead to arguments and hurt feelings among friends and family. She has trust issues, but once she trusts someone, she would literally do anything for them. And by anything, I mean ANYTHING. Of course, she does have common sense, but if she puts her trust in someone, she clings and can be very reluctant to let go. To most around her, she is a complete mystery, only giving out snippets about herself and absorbing the information around her. She can be rude and hypocritical, and often has extreme mood swings.

Backstory: When she was a young kid, her needs and wants were constantly overshadowed by those of her older sister, Jess. Her mother had been having a hard time with her narcolepsy and, when Sam was two, had started to take medicine that had side effects like anger and irritability. Her father disliked the fact that Sam wasn't a boy like he had wanted, and always shoved any mention of her under the rug. The medicine that her mother was taking caused her to scream at and hit her two children when they even tried to talk to her about things that were going on and their emotions, and her father was always shoving the rhetoric on her that emotions = weakness, so she was pretty much conditioned to believe that showing her emotions outwardly would get her hurt. Not to mention, at the time she was getting bullied relentlessly in school, getting told that she was "ugly", "worthless", "fat", and "a total weirdo". By the time she was in first grade, her mom had stopped taking the medicine, but her dad was still pushing that same rhetoric. All of this bullying by both the other kids and her parents lead to her taking matters into her own hands, and attempting to off herself in third grade. This opened her parents' eyes to just how badly she was doing and how badly they had screwed her up, so they ended up moving to another school as a result. At this point in her life, Sam pretty much was hopeless. When her new school year finally came around, she was extremely nervous and guarded around the other kids. However, when she met two girls that were actually kind to her, she completely broke down into tears. Why were they being nice to her? She thought. Didn't they all think she was horrible? Her new friends became very worried about her, and both decided that they would help her and be good friends. However, at the end of the fifth grade, her house was ripped from underneath her, one of the two friends betrayed her trust, and she was forced to live in her cousin's house. Her cousin was often downright nasty towards her, and would scream at her if she did one little thing wrong. After all of this and a lot more, she fell into another depression, and once again attempted to take her own life in the sixth grade. Soon after that attempt, they were able to move out of their cousin's house, and maybe, finally Sam could have peace.

Likes: being with her friends and sister, adventure, new places, bookstores, writing, trying to draw, Nintendo games like Kirby and Metroid, space, early summer days, rain, music, reading, having fun, and learning.

Dislikes: Most of her family, when others treat people like garbage, talking about her life, having nightmares, people belittling her for her interests and/or age, not being taken seriously, yelling, showing weakness, and being underestimated.

Fun facts:

-When someone raises a hand to here, even for a high five, she will instinctively cringe.

-She lives in Massachusetts.

- There are numerous self harm scars across her legs, and for that reason, she hates wearing shorts.

- Her uncle is teaching her how to use a sword.

- She has a huge belief in chivalry, and tries to be extremely polite.

- She's actually a huge nerd, and really likes DND!

I challenge every writer to make a character template about themselves.

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masterstrange · 4 years ago

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𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄’𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂 𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐕𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐒 / wizarding world au.

This is an open concept universe; no set timeline or location to make it flexible for the different canons and timelines within this universe. The default is American, born in 1976 - but can be plotted otherwise.

𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑 / This blog does not support JKR, or her transphobic views and actions. This is purely based on the framework of the universe. Please block these tags if content related to this universe is upsetting for you: 𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄 / hogwarts au. AND 𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄 / ilvermorny au.

Born to muggles, Eugene and Beverly Strange, Stephen struggled accepting his identity as a wizard at first. It certainly went against his father’s plans and sensibilities to allow his son to learn ‘unholy skills’; it took a combination of his mother and school officials to settle the matter once and for all. It took a permanent toll on the relationship between his father and himself; trying to make him proud while also being something that went against everything he was taught and raised to be.

It was easier for Donna two years later. For a moment, Eugene thought they were safe in regards to her, only to find out she had been delayed entry due to when her birthday fell in regards to the school year. By then, Eugene gave up in a sense. Becoming distant and detached from the kids lives, pinning all his hopes on Victor to be ‘normal’. His wish was granted, as Victor grew to be wary of his siblings and distant from them.

Upon graduating, Stephen began practicing at one of the finest hospitals in the Wizarding World. Eventually working on very important studies and experiments to further the boundaries of magical medicine. Yet, as his professional life flourished, his personal life suffered. Eventually culminating in an accident that left his hands permanently damaged from a curse and unable to practice both medicine and most witchcraft.

Desperate for answers, Stephen traveled the globe. Not willing to resign himself to the muggle life his father was too quick to try to indoctrinate him into upon finding out (a bit of arrogant pride on his part); eventually discovering more of the Wizarding World on a global scale. Finding cultures that preformed magic wandlessly, and beginning to study their techniques until he mastered them himself.

As he studied his new skills, Stephen also learned more about himself. Confronting demons both literal and internal. Becoming stronger than he had been before; eventually returning a very different man with a new purpose. There was an array of strange and unknown, people needed defending and knowledge and limited understanding of parts of the picture had led to the downfall of more than just himself. Branding himself as a Professional Freelance Specialist in the Strange and Bizarre; and working sometimes along official organizations as a consultant; Stephen Strange began protecting the world from the untapped and unexplored parts of the magical and non-magical universe.

𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒:

NAME: Stephen Vincent Strange

BLOOD STATUS: Muggleborn

HOGWARTS HOUSE: Slytherin

ILVERMORNY HOUSE: Horned Serpent

WAND TYPE: first wand: Hazel, Dragon Heartstring. 9″ second wand: Yew, Phoenix Feather Core, 14″

PATRONUS: Blackbird, yet was unable to cast a corporeal patronus for a couple decades to his own annoyance

BOGGART: Failure, Loss of Control, Loneliness - usually manifesting in a loved one dying after failing them and being chastised for it; helpless to do anything to stop it. However, later in life, sometimes it reflects the horrific things he has seen in his life.

PREFECT/HEAD STUDENT: Prefect, Head Boy

CAREER: St. Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries ( former ) (Hogwarts V. only) / St. Gryffiths Hospital for the Ailing and Enchanted ( former ) ( general ); ‘ Freelance Specialist ’ in the strange and unusual / Consultant

BEST CLASS(ES): Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, DADA, Herbology

QUIDDITCH: Yes, Chaser. Joined Third Year.

PARSELMOUTH: No, he cannot speak it but he can understand it fairly decently after study

OCCLUMENS: Yes

LEGILIMENS: Not Natural, trained in later years.

WEREWOLF: No

ANIMAGUS: No

METAMORPHMAGUS: No

NON VERBAL MAGIC: Yes, used on occasion

WANDLESS MAGIC: Yes, learned later in life. Used often.

ALLEGIANCE IN THE WIZARDING WAR: DEFAULT: Anti-Death Eater, but uninvolved as the war hadn’t fully reached North America yet. HOGWARTS: participated in the resistance after the death of Albus Dumbledore; participated in the battle of Hogwarts without attacking a single person outside of stunning - mostly in hospital wing and helping to bring the injured to get treatment.

* — Based off of his canonical birthdate on this blog, he would have been three years older than Hermione Granger (the eldest of the trio). Yet, I am always okay plotting him for different generations. Details that change is the hospital and ministry he worked and dealt with the most prior to his accident, as well as how much the events of the war would have affected him directly.

𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐍’𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂 𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓:

Stephen spent his school years studying to become a Healer / Mediwizard; he received O levels in Herbology, Charms, DADA, Potions, and Transfiguration ( as per the requirement ). He worked routinely at the hospital becoming specialised in rare and dangerous ailments; this specialisation and natural affinity led to him doing side work for the ministry, specifically in the Department of Mysteries. It was this that led to over inflated ego and hubris; and eventually the night he was trying to develop a new treatment for curse related ailments. Trying to control really dangerous and powerful magic, but overestimated his limits. Prompting in Stephen to lose control of the spell, his wand reacting violently ( caused by his own panic and anger as Hazel wood is known to expel powerful discharge based on it’s user’s emotional state ). The wand shattered under the strain, rebounding itself and it’s spell onto his hands first and foremost. Damaging them irreversibly.

Stephen eventually studied wandless magic while travelling in search of some cure to his cursed hands; learning that wands were not a required tool for magic ( in fact, they were european in origin ). After a long amount of dedication and practice, Stephen mastered the skill and uses it predominantly. Eventually, Stephen did acquire another wand, finding it a useful tool for exact and delicate projects. However, it’s not his primary tool for magic.

𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐍’𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄𝐒:

WAND ONE: HAZEL, DRAGON HEARTSTRING CORE. 9 INCHES.

HAZEL WOOD often reflects the owners emotional state. It’s been known to expel powerful discharge when it’s owner has lost their temper or experiences any form of strong negative emotion while in use. It requires emotional control on behalf of the owner to use properly The positive aspect of a hazel wand more than makes up for such minor discomforts, however, for it is capable of outstanding magic in the hands of the skilful. It’s extremely loyal, to the point where wands of hazel are known to ‘wilt’ or fully cease functionality upon death. Hazel wands also have the unique ability to detect water underground, and will emit silvery, tear-shaped puffs of smoke if passing over concealed springs and wells.

DRAGON HEARTSTRING produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner. The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.

SHORTER LENGTH wands tends to attract people who are lacking something in character

NOT FLEXIBLE

Stephen in his earlier years was all about closing off his emotional self, wanting control over his surroundings to obsessive means. However, he often came across temperamental and difficult to work with. Pushing himself to learn faster and be better; seeking control through every means possible. The conflict between letting people in to be close to him and keeping the world at arms length is shown even in the wand he attracts; hazel wood being loyal to the point of death, and dragon heartstring being able to change allegiance if deemed deserved. Yet, both agree on the point of once it’s given, it’s strong. Yet, his emotional state, despite his best efforts, was the catalyst for this wand’s demise, mixed with hubris pushing him further than he was able to handle. This emotional and unskillful handle of a wand known to be temperamental led to it’s destruction. However, there is something to be said for it’s loyalty… as the wand broke as it did, limiting the damage to Stephen on his hands and taking the brunt of the damage itself. The wand’s loyalty to it’s foolish master, saved it’s master’s life in the end but at a cost.

WAND TWO: YEW, PHOENIX FEATHER CORE. 14 INCHES

YEW WOOD wands are among the rarer kinds, and their ideal matches are likewise unusual, and occasionally notorious. The wand of yew is reputed to endow its possessor with the power of life and death, which might, of course, be said of all wands; and yet yew retains a particularly dark and fearsome reputation in the spheres of duelling and all curses. However, it is untrue to say (as those unlearned in wandlore often do) that those who use yew wands are more likely to be attracted to the Dark Arts than another. The witch or wizard best suited to a yew wand might equally prove a fierce protector of others. Wands hewn from these most long-lived trees have been found in the possession of heroes quite as often as of villains. Where wizards have been buried with wands of yew, the wand generally sprouts into a tree guarding the dead owner’s grave. What is certain, in my experience, is that the yew wand never chooses either a mediocre or a timid owner.

PHOENIX FEATHERS are one of the rarest core types. Phoenix feathers are capable of the greatest range of magic, though they may take longer than either unicorn hair or dragon heartstring cores to reveal this. They show the most initiative, sometimes acting of their own accord, a quality that many witches and wizards dislike. Phoenix feather wands are always the pickiest when it comes to potential owners, for the creature from which they are taken is one of the most independent and detached in the world. These wands are the hardest to tame and to personalise, and their allegiance is usually hard won.

LONGER LENGTH tend to be drawn to bigger personalities, and those of a more spacious and dramatic style of magic.

FLEXIBLE.

By the time Stephen is ready to acquire himself a new wand, he isn’t the same boy from the wand shop when he was eleven. While he still is not the most approachable man, he is better and, more importantly, more healthy control of his emotional state. No longer hiding from it. That being said, he isn’t easy to get close too - he just won’t be in denial and let people who deserve it win him over. His pacifist nature is shone as Yew has been in the hand of great defenders; yet his strange and unusual life ( present and prior ) and self imposed duties align him ( even if not always deservedly ) with the balance of life and death. His willingness to push himself and try new things and persevere until mastery is what makes him able to unlock the full potentials of his wand core. And of course, with many of his hang ups aside and no longer needed to compensate; Stephen is allowed more room to be his full strange self… allowing him a longer wand to fit… and his more at peace nature with life, death and time allows his wand to be more flexible.

𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄: 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃

The Blackbird Patronus appears to those who try to help themselves. Blackbirds are mysterious and intuitive, appearing when needed most. Blackbirds keep their secrets and will protect yours fiercely. While they may not be the most ferocious protectors, they are one of the most mysterious and magical. Keep well your own counsel, and you may have a blackbird to help protect you in the darkest of times.

Stephen was unable to perform a corporeal patronus until long after his accident and second wand, as it requires a certain temperament and mindset to be able to perform this very rare type of patronus.

#𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄 / ilvermorny au.#𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄 / hogwarts au.#𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 / alternate universes.

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yeonchi · 6 years ago

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Doctor Who Series 11 Review Part 5/10: The Tsuranga Conundrum

Air date: 4 November 2018

Be honest here - who thought this episode was going to be something Japanese-themed from the title? Surely I wasn’t the only one.

To say the least, a third of this episode was weird, a third of this episode was mature and a third of the episode felt like a children’s TV show. That’s my spoiler-free thought for this week.

We have now reached the halfway mark for this series, so I’ll be giving my mid-series thoughts at the end.

Once again, spoilers after the break.

Episode Background

The Doctor and her friends are searching for something on Seffilun 27 (though she believes that it could have been on Seffilun 59) when they discover a sonic mine. Failing to place the mine in a temporal lock, the Doctor and her friends are hit by the blast and are taken to the medical ship Tsuranga, where they regain consciousness after four days. Disobeying advice from chief medic Astos, they begin looking for an exit, meeting Keeban neuropilot Eve Cicero and Gifftan Yoss Inkl. The Doctor learns that Tsuranga is actually an automated ship on its way to Resus One when an asteroid seemingly crashes into it. From that point on, strange things begin happening and the Doctor must find a way to keep everyone alive until they get to Resus One.

Male pregnancy - an SJW thing or overreaction?

The first SJW red flag I found in this episode was Yoss, who was being transported to Resus One in order to give birth. The reason I say this is because I’ve seen comments from people who are outraged at things that seemingly defy what nature intended. I, for one, could honestly care less about this and let people birth or adopt children if they decide to do so. After thinking about this, I may have found a way to downgrade this red flag by utilising references from the episode and in nature.

It is stated in the episode that both male and female Gifftans can be pregnant (gender equality right here, ladies and gentlemen), with the catch being that males can only give birth to males and females can only give birth to females. This makes me want to know more how the entire process works, but I digress. The point here is that Yoss is depicted as a humanoid alien with a different biology to that of humans on Earth.

In nature, female seahorses deposit their eggs into the pouches of male seahorses, who incubate them for 9 to 45 days. The term “male pregnancy” only applies to seahorses, giving them a unique status in that regard. There’s no such thing as transgender seahorses either, by the way.

In humans, however, the only way that trans people can get pregnant is if they were trans men - that is, they were born female and are transitioning to male - and they briefly stopped taking testosterone treatments. The nature-defying thing that some people (dare I say, transphobes) take from this is that men can seemingly get pregnant when in reality, nothing has really changed - the bottom line is that women can still get pregnant, it’s just that some choose to identify as men. There are no cases of pregnancies in trans women as of yet, though I pray for the sanity of this world when it happens (no offence intended).

So really, the SJW red flag in this episode can be negated if you think about seahorses (and maybe humanoid aliens). I feel kind of bad for arguing away the “SJW agenda” in the new series since people who honestly believe that said agenda is affecting mainstream media and entertainment are less likely to take my advice on these things. I’ll come back to this later.

Back to Ryan and Graham (character development)

The focus for character development this week goes back to Ryan, followed by Graham. As such, I could probably repeat my tokusatsu comparison from Episode 1 - Ryan symbolises the main Riders of recent Kamen Rider series in that his parents aren’t shown because they’re either missing or dead.

Though Yoss seemed excited at some aspects of his pregnancy, he worries that he is not ready to be a father, which is why he intends to give his child away once he is born. Ryan is reminded of his father upon hearing this and so, he confides about their relationship to Yaz. We also learn that Ryan’s mother died of a heart attack and that he was 13 when he found her body. He also notes that her death had an impact on his father, theorising that he was avoiding Ryan because he reminded him of his mother.

Later on, Yoss chooses Ryan and Graham to be his doulas when he is about to give birth. Graham mentions that he has watched every episode of Call the Midwife, but when they learn that they need to cut Yoss’ pregnancy sac open in a process similar to a Caesaran section, Graham reveals that he “always looked away at the squeamish bits”. The interaction between Ryan and Graham in this scene is amusing. Ryan encourages Yoss to at least be there for his child and be a better father than his father was, even if not perfect. Taking his encouragement to heart, Yoss decides to raise the baby himself, naming him Avocado. Graham attempts to fistbump Ryan again (like in Episode 3), but he gets rejected. Anyway, how do you do, fellow kids?

A kids’ show villain mixed with an adult plot in a “family show”

Let’s talk about the monster in this episode, the Pting. Having him be a CGI monster really shows how we live in a society. So, the Pting are tiny non-canivorous monsters that consume inorganic material to feed off its energy. They are impossible to contain or confine, they are unkillable, can live without oxygen and their skin is toxic to the touch.

At the same time, the Tsuranga is monitored from Resus One. The ship’s systems pick up signals of the Pting and send them back, leading them to send a response request to it, asking if there is a creature on board or not. The Doctor can’t take control of the ship or change its route because it can be detonated in event of a hijack. If they confirm that something is wrong, then everyone on board would have to evacuate before the ship is detonated, which they can’t do because the escape pods have been jettisoned. If they deny, then they have a total of three dismissals before they detonate the ship anyway as a precaution.

The Doctor and Eve deduce that the Pting is heading for the ship’s anti-matter drive, so Yaz and Ronan are tasked with keeping it away from the engine room. The Doctor later realises that the Pting intends to feed off the energy from the ship’s systems, so she denies Resus One’s response request for the third time and extracts the bomb from the engine room. She then attempts the lure the Pting to the bomb by placing it in airlock and speeding up the detonation. Indeed, the Pting finds its way to the airlock and eats the bomb, which detonates inside him before the Doctor jettisons it out into space.

Meanwhile, Eve offers to pilot the ship to Resus One, with the Doctor also offering to create a false positive cover signal so that they won’t detonate the ship. Though Eve was admitted with Corden Fever, the Doctor learns that she actually has Pilot’s Heart, something which she uses adrenaline blockers to manage in order to maintain her image and status in her galaxy. Her brother, Durkas, knows about this and continues to help his sister pilot the ship. When Eve succumbs to her disease, however, she gives control to him and he manages to pilot the ship safely to Resus One.

Is it me, or does this episode feel like a plot from a children’s TV show, only with more drama added? The Pting seemed to make this episode a bit juvenile, in my opinion.

Empowering confidence

Mabli was on her second tour of duty during the events of this episode. At the start, we hear her doubting herself on her skills, with Astos being the one of the only people who believed in her. The Doctor takes it upon herself to give her the confidence to believe in herself.

When the Doctor hears Mabli’s pessimistic comment, she compares the present problem to administering medicine, telling her to “imagine the solution and work to make it a reality”. The first time I watched this episode, I was too dense to realise this, but after seeing it a few more times, I finally recognised that there is a tokusatsu connection that can be made with that line and that is basically the underlying premise of Ressha Sentai ToQger, namely... (watch the video in the link to find out)

Other general thoughts

The Doctor doesn’t talk about her aversion to guns when stasers are mentioned. Presumably, this is because she (and everyone else) knows that the Pting can’t be killed. From what I can deduce, the Doctor is against killing and the use of guns for such a purpose. This will be going on the record in case she voices her opinion against guns at a monster that can’t be killed in the first place (or at least through conventional means).

There is no mention of what happens when matter meets anti-matter. If the anti-matter drive were to be damaged or destroyed, then wouldn’t the ship be destroyed instead of losing propulsion since the contents of the particle accelerator would leak out?

The Doctor’s sonic screwdriver gets eaten by the Pting and its energy sucked out. Isn’t the self-reboot feature a bit of a deus ex machina?

Grace is mentioned again in this episode. With all the mentions in the series so far, you’d think she’d come back by the end of this series. I mean, she is listed as a recurring actor on the TARDIS Data Core, so you never know.

Summary and verdict

This episode was weird and maybe a bit all over the place. The Pting is basically an antagonist from a kids’ show and its involvement leads the Doctor and the others on a rat chase. At least Yoss wasn’t written as a trans man, because that would have confused some viewers and added to the case of SJW pandering. Despite all this, it was a pretty decent episode, but even me saying that is being merciful towards the series.

Rating: 6/10

Mid-Series Review

At the start of the prelude, I wrote down two questions that I wanted to answer. Since we’ve reached the halfway mark for this series, I thought I would answer them at each stage of Jodie Whittaker’s tenure, starting from now. Keep in mind that my answers are not definite until I do my review for her final episode.

To answer my first question, Jodie Whittaker’s performance just seems okay to me, so the bar is still about average. The Twelfth Doctor’s speech in The Zygon Inversion was what made him my favourite Doctor (followed by Eleven), but I’ve yet to see anything from the Thirteenth Doctor on that sort of scale.

As for the second question, yes, the SJW agenda is starting to affect how I think about this series. Like I said earlier, I’ve been managing to argue away the SJW red flags I’ve been finding in this series. I don’t know if this will end up in me being in denial or whatever, but I’ll see where this gets me.

Here are my ratings for the series so far:

Episode 1: 8/10

Episode 2: 7/10

Episode 3: 7/10

Episode 4: 7/10

Episode 5: 6/10

Mid-series total: 35/50 (70%)

This series has been okay for me so far. It should be noted that each episode so far has been written by Chris Chibnall (with Malorie Blackman co-writing Episode 3), so my criticisms so far reflect his work just as it reflects this series. We won’t be hearing from him again until the series finale as the next four episodes will be written by different writers. I’ll be looking forward to writing my final review and verdict for this series.

We’ll be going back into history next week as Yaz meets her nan in the sixth episode, Demons Of The Punjab. Stay tuned!

#doctor who #doctor who series 11 #thirteenth doctor #doctor who series 11 review #thirteenth doctor review

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vernicle · 8 years ago

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13 ways Trump's been terrible for LGBTQ people during his first 5 months.

[ad_1]

Has he truly been that terrible for LGBTQ people? Let us retrace our actions.

Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Colorado in 2016. Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

Final summer months, Donald Trump promised "to secure our LGBTQ citizens."

The assurance — seemingly the to start with time LGBTQ legal rights were being acknowledged by a nominee at a Republican Countrywide Conference — arrived as a sigh of relief to some LGBTQ people and allies hoping for continued progress on queer legal rights, even in the celebration that Trump would earn the election: Could lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender Americans last but not least have a Republican ally in the White Dwelling?

To find out if Trump's guarantee held up, let us recap the to start with five months of his presidency as it pertains to LGBTQ legal rights:

one. Trump rescinded federal rest room protections for transgender students.

Image by Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images.

With Trump's approval, the Justice and Education and learning Departments rejected tips proposed beneath President Barack Obama that permitted trans students throughout the place to use the rest room that corresponds with their gender.

The reversal presents state and regional officers additional sway in forcing little ones to use the rest room that aligns with the intercourse they were being assigned at delivery — a shift that puts them even additional at risk of violence.

2. Trump stopped information assortment on LGBTQ seniors, creating it complicated to know if and how sure systems influence them.

Image by Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty Images.

The Trump administration pulled concerns relating to sexual orientation and gender id from an once-a-year study supplied to seniors by the Division of Wellbeing and Human Expert services.

The information assortment is vital in pinpointing exactly where and how federal pounds should be expended on systems benefiting more mature Americans, NBC Information noted, and could negatively influence expert services like transportation, caregiver help, and dwelling-supply meals for LGBTQ seniors.

three. Trump has surrounded himself with blatantly homophobic and transphobic officers with huge influence around policy.

Trump with Mike Pence. Image by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images.

Bringing yrs of abhorrent sights on LGBTQ people and their legal rights to Washington, Trump's cabinet definitely does showcase a extraordinary assortment of bigotry, Michelangelo Signorile noted in The Boston World.

Education and learning Secretary Betsy DeVos' household foundation has donated tens of millions of pounds toward groups exclusively concentrated on slashing LGBTQ legal rights. Wellbeing and Human Expert services Secretary Tom Rate called Obama's transgender-inclusive procedures "absurd." Attorney Basic Jeff Periods has an "alarming document on LGBTQ equality," according to the Human Rights Campaign, and Housing and Urban Improvement Secretary Ben Carson the moment when compared intercourse involving people of the exact gender to bestiality and pedophilia.

Even though he was governor of Indiana, Vice President Mike Pence signed a invoice into legislation allowing firms to discriminate in opposition to LGBTQ patrons primarily based on spiritual beliefs and supported conversion remedy — a form of kid abuse — for LGBTQ kids.

Unsurprisingly, none of these people have showed indications of modifying their beliefs on LGBTQ legal rights considering the fact that having office environment.

4. Trump's messaging and The us-to start with fiscal priorities are emboldening anti-LGBTQ movements about the entire world.

Image by Kirll Kudrjavtsev/AFP/Getty Images.

The "Trump Impact," as The Day-to-day Beast coined it, is empowering hate groups globally — not only in areas like the Caribbean and Latin The us, but in even the most LGBTQ-welcoming nations around the world, like the Netherlands and the U.K., according to OutRight Global.

What is actually additional, regardless of what spending budget passes via a GOP Dwelling and is signed by the president will probable slash tens of tens of millions of pounds in funding for systems that avoid HIV transmission and secure LGBTQ people from persecution overseas.

five. Trump has carried out practically nothing to cease — or even condemn — the mass arrests and murders of homosexual, bisexual, and transgender adult men in Chechnya.

Image by John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images.

Due to the fact April, at minimum 100 LGBTQ adult men have been arrested, tortured, and even killed by legislation enforcement — all while the Chechen government refuses to admit LGBTQ people even exist there.

Many entire world leaders have spoken out in opposition to the atrocities. Not Trump.

6. Trump signed an government buy allowing for additional leniency in permitting church buildings get political.

Trump visits a Las Vegas church in October 2016. Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

In early May well, Trump signed an government buy that eased tips prohibiting church buildings from getting politically active, Reuters noted. With the shift, pastors and spiritual figures can additional freely endorse political candidates devoid of getting rid of their tax-exempt status — a shift that could result in additional anti-LGBTQ political rhetoric getting spewed from the pulpit.

And the buy doesn't cease there.

seven. Trump has permitted sure spiritual companies to discriminate when it arrives to wellness treatment provisions for LGBTQ personnel.

Image by Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images.

Underneath the exact government buy, spiritual groups can now additional conveniently deny wellness insurance plan to personnel when the treatment conflicts with their beliefs. A Christian charity group, for illustration, could lawfully refuse to cover sure medicine related to HIV prevention or the expenses linked with gender affirmation surgical procedures for a trans person.

That is, Rabbi Denise L. Eger wrote for NewNextNow, "private wellness conclusions involving an personal and their healthcare group will be impacted by the spiritual sights of their employer."

eight. Trump is fighting for wellness treatment reform that would pressure 1000's of HIV-good people off their treatment.

Image by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.

LGBTQ Americans (significantly homosexual and bisexual adult men of coloration and trans gals) have been disproportionately impacted by the AIDS epidemic, which is why moves by the GOP to overhaul the Reasonably priced Treatment Act is setting off alarm bells for advocates almost everywhere.

Behind shut doors, Republicans are drafting a wellness treatment invoice that will probable reverse the bulk of crucial Obamacare provisions. Before legislative initiatives propose the invoice, if passed, could decimate our progress on defeating HIV/AIDS by dismantling the Reasonably priced Treatment Act's Medicaid expansion and creating sure HIV medicine inaccessible to all those who need to have them most.

Trump's comprehensive disregard for prioritizing a national approach on the concern is a single big reason why a variety of gurus just resigned from the White House's HIV/AIDS advisory panel.

"As advocates for people residing with HIV, we have dedicated our life to combating this disorder and no more time truly feel we can do so effectively in the confines of an advisory physique to a president who basically does not treatment," the gurus penned for Newsweek on June sixteen.

nine. Trump's training office is scaling back civil legal rights investigations, hurting little ones who are transgender in the course of action.

Education and learning Secretary Betsy DeVos. Image by Manel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.

The Washington Post noted on June 17 that the Division of Education and learning is dropping a consequential discrimination case involving a trans university student in Ohio who was harassed by teachers and students and barred from applying the rest room that corresponds with her gender.

Simply because Trump rescinded federal tips protecting trans students in February (see #one on this checklist), the office reversed its decision to deem the school's steps as discriminatory, officers reported.

It might be just a single case — but it's indicative of an even additional stressing big picture. The move is part of a more substantial change away from implementing civil legal rights rules via the office, and that change in mind-set and policy is a single the Ohio student's advocates are calling "hazardous" for LGBTQ students nationwide.

10. Trump is quietly taking away mentions of LGBTQ people and their legal rights on federal webpages.

The Obama White House's LGBTQ website page has been changed with this generic website page.

Just as Trump was inaugurated into office environment, several White Dwelling internet pages on a variety of concerns briefly disappeared as the new administration took around — not an unusual hiccup during a presidential transition. Obama's website page dedicated to LGBTQ matters, even so, however has not been changed.

On June 15, the Division of Commerce eradicated sexual orientation and gender id from a checklist of shielded groups in its equivalent work chance statement, BuzzFeed Information recognized. (After the report printed —and the office confronted swift backlash — the checklist was current to contain LGBTQ protections the moment once more.)

Federal sites lay out what the president and his administration's priorities are. Erasing them from government sites is a obvious signal that the troubles confronted by LGBTQ people are not of rapid worry for Trump and his administration.

11. Trump's proposed travel ban barred LGBTQ refugees from getting into the U.S., putting them additional at risk of violence.

A transgender refugee from Honduras who is briefly keeping in Mexico hopes to make it to the U.S. ultimately. Image by Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images.

Trump's government buy on immigration served as a blanket ban on refugees coming from a handful of Muslim-greater part nations around the world. Amongst all those fleeing their homelands for basic safety and stability, while, are LGBTQ people escaping persecution primarily based on their sexual orientation or gender id.

Acquire Ramtin Zigorat. He's a 27-calendar year-old LGBTQ activist and refugee stranded in Turkey right after getting sentenced to dying in Iran for getting homosexual. The UNHCR had granted him admission to the U.S., but that was place on keep right after Trump's travel ban. He's a single of quite a few.

"Probably they will kill me tomorrow," he explained to CNN back in March. "You generally live with this dread."

12. Trump made a decision in opposition to which include concerns related to sexual orientation or gender id on the 2020 census.

Image by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

Inquiries on all those matters have under no circumstances been on the census. But a proposal to contain them in the 2020 study was rejected by the Census Bureau, leaving LGBTQ people invisible, nevertheless once more, in a single of the most vital collections of federal information we have.

If information doesn't exist on a marginalized inhabitants, it will become impossibly additional complicated to support their precise demands.

thirteen. Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch — a proper-leaning justice with a questionable track document on LGBTQ legal rights — to the Supreme Courtroom.

Image by Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.

Arguably a single of the most long lasting impacts Trump will have on civil legal rights is his picks for the Supreme Courtroom — which is why his decision to nominate proper-leaning Gorsuch has LGBTQ advocates on edge.

"For a conservative, he might stake out some admirably unorthodox positions on the bench," wrote Slate's Mark Joseph Stern right after noting Gorsuch's bigoted stances on transgender equality and homosexual marriage. "But an embrace of LGBTQ legal rights will not be a single of them."

So, to get back to the initial query: Do lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender Americans last but not least have a Republican ally in the White Dwelling?

The proof speaks for itself.

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