#Trans-? Shaw returns

[caffichai]

Long day of hard work!

[no-see-um-incorrect]

Trans Milo Headcanons 🐺🧡

(because I kid you not I thought that it was canon that he was trans when I first started listening until I was told otherwise)

: he came out when he was 13 (a few months before tank came into the pack)

: Man was sweating Bullets when he was coming out to his Ma. She’s the only parent he cared about and was terrified of the thought of losing her like this

: no surprise when he came out to Marie she was perfect. And cemented it in him that there’s nothing he can do that would make her love him any less 

“and don’t worry about your father sweetheart. I’ll handle him. and if he has anything to say about my boy well. He can make his bed on the curb”

(Colm had the fear of God instilled in him that day)

: The next week before school Marie saved up every dime she could even going so far as to ask for a small loan from the alpha (which he happily gave  and accepted no money in return) took Milo to get a few new outfits, cologne and a haircut 

: he specifically took Asher shopping with him and Asher was the best hype man  

: on the first day of school, this man was dressed, like Danny Zuko from grease (he Slayed)

: he was the hottie of the school. we’re talking three ask outs a week| the only person HE went to prom/dances with was Bailey 

(this is following the saying that confidence makes you attractive and boy did he get Hella confident after coming out)

: One time he was left stranded in the bathroom without a tampon/pad and Asher came in at around the same time analyzed the situation Milo was in and then stole tampons from  Amanda‘s locker, leaving a sticky note that says “pay you back later”

: there’s a tradition that every time a new male member enters the pack they get to have a run in wolf form alongside the alpha. And Milo got to run with Gabe after he came out 

: after he got top surgery Marie came by every single day during the first month of postop to help take care of him 

(the next one is a T4T sweetheart And Milo Headcanon)

: The first time they stayed the night together (milo’s first healing video) the next morning they both wake up early and witnessed each other taking their hormones and just kind of…👁️👄👁️

(commence the Spider-Man meme)

: Milo started testosterone when he was 18 (around the time he started working for Shaw security) and you better best believe Marie filmed every single month on how his voice progressed 

————————————————————————

I have more 😈

But for now I hope you enjoyed these 

Keep in mind these are my Headcanons based off of my experiences feel free to disagree with them, or leave your own I love seeing them 

[j-femmescoli]

books i read in 2023

my goal was to read a book a week and while the timeline wasn't perfectly even, i did manage to get it to add up (and then some!). this year i focused on religion and philosophy as well as classics (of which im counting both as traditional "ancient or pre-modern famous and outstanding" types of books, but also famous more modern books). i also bolded some books that were really good in my opinion that have really stuck with me so if you are interested in the genre i'd suggest those

st joan by bernard shaw (play)

mary and your everyday life by bernard haring (theology)

theology of liberation by gustavo gutierrez (theology)

magnificat by elizabeth ruth obbard (theology)

piedras labradas by victor montejo (poetry)

the boy who was raised as a dog by bruce perry and maia szalavitz (psychology)

4 great plays by ibsen - the dollhouse, ghosts, the wild duck, and an enemy of the people by henry ibsen (plays obvi)

the night of the iguanas by tennessee williams (play)

being logical by dq mcinerny (idk sociology maybe? it was about recognizing and avoiding bad-faith arguments and logical fallacies)

the alchemist by paolo coelho (classics)

frankenstein by mary shelly (classics)

an american tragedy by theodore dreiser (classics)

is this wifi organic? by dave farina (idk how to classify this one either but it was also about recognizing bad-faith arguments, specifically when it comes to pseudoscience)

the nicaraguan church and the revolution by joseph muligan (theology, history)

catholic social teaching: our best kept secret by peter henriot, edward deberri, and michael schultheis (theology)

beowulf (classics)

sapiens by yuval noah harari (anthropology)

the church and the second sex by mary daly (theology)

mary in the new testament edited by raymond brown, karl donfried, joseph fitzmyer, and john reumann (theology)

a catholic devotion to mary by oscar lukefahr (theology)

1001 nights / arabian nights trans. sir richard burton (classics)

a house on mango street by sandra cisneros (poetry)

primary source readings in catholic church history edited by robert feduccia and nick wagner (theology)

doing faithjustice by fred kammer, sj (theology)

winds of change by isaac asimov (sci-fi)

the sound and the fury by william faulkner (classics)

una ciudad de la españa cristiana hace mil años by claudio sanchez-albornoz (history)

the glass menajerie by tennessee williams (play)

reinventing the enemy's language by joy harjo and gloria bird (indigenous women writers anthology)

the great gatsby by f scott fitzgerald *reread* (classics)

the bell jar by sylvia plath (classics)

the kite runner by khaled hosseini (classics)

one nation, under gods by peter manseau (history)

development as freedom by amartya sen (economic / political philosophy)

women in ministry: four views edited by bonnidell and robert g clouse (practical theology)

mother of god: a history of the virgin mary by miri rubin (theology / history)

a study in scarlet and the sign of four by sir arthur conan doyle (classics)

adventures of sherlock holmes by sir arthur conan doyle (classics)

the casebook of sherlock holmes by sir arthur conan doyle (classics)

the valley of fear by sir arthur conan doyle (classics)

the memoirs of sherlock holmes by sir arthur conan doyle (classics)

the return of sherlock holmes by sir arthur conan doyle (classics)

the hound of the baskervilles by sir arthur conan doyle (classics)

his last bow by sir arthur conan doyle (classics)

the fundamentals of ethics, fourth edition by russ shafer landau (philosophy)

dracula by bram stoker (classics) (yes i'm counting dracula daily)

desde mi silencio by carmen gomez (poetry)

happiness in this life, excerpts from the homilies of pope francis (theology)

the vigilante / the snake / the chrysanthemums by john steinbeck (classics)

quest for the living god by sister beth johnson *reread* (theology)

the adventures of tom sawyer by mark twain (classics)

the adventures of huckleberry finn by mark twain (classics)

the boys in the boat by daniel james brown (history)

and that's all folks, ending the year with some classics, plus my mom insisted i read the boys in the boat while im home for christmas because she wanted to see the movie lol. i got so many books for christmas so i'll be startin off strong next year too, and my goal is finishing my collection of john steinbeck, by which i mean obtaining as well as reading everything i can find by him. here's my list from 2022 and i'll see you next year

[thena0315]

Imagine if they had instead done a villain assemble for the conclusion of The Fast Saga

Johnny Tran: Wasn't officially confirmed dead, Brian didn't say he was when he checked his pluse and told nearby people to call an ambulance

Carter Verone: Was arrested

Takashi (Former DK): Last seen losing race against Sean to never return to Tokyo

Arturo Braga: Was arrested

Cipher: Before Dante she was the biggest villain in the franchise

Dante Reyes: Son of Hernan Reyes whom the team stole the family money & killed his father in Fast Five

Since the Shaw brothers are now allies of Dom's team, they're not included. Jakob made amends with his brother.

[gracilissart]

mind infodumping about Seamus and Seraphina? I love them both 🖤

WOAH !!!! HI !!!!!! yes. yes of course. I would love to yap on endlessly about these two mfs

I'm unsure what exactly it is that you'd like to know? I wouldn't even know where to start because Seamus and Seraphina both are a convoluted mess and I have way too much unorganised info on them 😭😭😭 however. I'll try give some basic info about their methods to give you a start 🫡 to keep the post preview short I'll put the given info below a read more cut.

Seamus Wrynn

Seamus always struggled to connect with people. he never quite felt as though he was a 'person' in the way he understood other people to be, and thus felt in return there was no way for any person to fully get him. nobody but his older sister, Eileen.

the relationship between his sister and himself was innately abusive. what initially came across as overprotectiveness on Eileen's behalf later grew darker, more sordid. growing ill and bedridden made her physically dependent on Seamus' care, but the dynamic only strengthened the hold she had on him. the psychological and sexual abuse slowly warped Seamus' already-fragile outlook on love, sexuality, and his theories on how the world around him works.

the death of Eileen made him a ticking time bomb; it was only a matter of time before he did something bad, not just to those around him but to himself as well. an apprenticeship under a photographer who took a particular interest in him set up the perfect storm; Seamus now had an outlet.

his photography is a glimpse into his outlook. there is a vision, but what that may be grows increasingly unclear the deeper you try to dig and analyse. it's everything, it's nothing, it is meaningless violence but also is all-encompassing. the constant is death, violence and eroticism wrapped into a single gallery of depravity.

for how much it is his gimmick I realise I have actually tackled his body of work very little on the blog so hopefully I can get around to depicting it more 🤞 whether it be through art or writing. teehee!

Seraphina Shaw

for as long as she could remember, Seraphina was angry. violent and angry, and for most of her life she had been unable to pinpoint why she was always so angry.

the answers seemed simple at first; she lived in shithole 90's-00's Glasgow, had a drunken shithead dad who oftentimes couldn't bring himself to care about what she was getting herself up to and the sight of heroin and what it did to people was unavoidable. to be angry at the world for such unfair circumstances was only natural.

especially when it turned out you not only were pan, but a trans woman and suffered under the effects of albinism.

however, it didn't explain why she felt so violently towards those who didn't wrong her, and why making others hurt - despite her not wanting to give in to it - excited her so.

working with Seamus as a human unravelled these repressed urges and made her, to some degree, understand. understand not just Seamus' twisted vision (although not fully) but understand more about herself. in her eyes there was no point in pretending she ever was or will be a good person, so why try? why do that when it feels so much better to embrace evil?

it took her time to really see eye to eye with Seamus; he still did pull a lot of things that could be considered nothing short of traumatic, which deeply complicated the way they interact. nowadays, they're amicable.

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

The Woman I Was Not Born to be by Aleshia Brevard

goodreads

Told with humor and flair, this is the autobiography of one transsexual's wild ride from boyhood in rural Tennessee to voluptuous female entertainer in Hollywood. Aleshia Brevard, as she is now known, underwent transitional surgery in Los Angeles in 1962, one of the first such operations in the United States. (The famous sexual surgery pioneer Harry Benjamin himself broke the news to Brevard's parents.) Under the stage name Lee Shaw, Brevard worked as a drag queen at Finocchio's, a San Francisco club, doing Marilyn Monroe impersonations. (Like Marilyn, she sought romance all the time and had a string of entanglements with men.) Later, she worked as a stripper in Reno and as a Playboy Bunny at the Sunset Strip hutch. After playing opposite Don Knotts in the movie The Love God , Brevard appeared in other films and broke into TV as a regular on the Red Skelton Show. She created the role of Tex on the daytime soap opera One Life To Live . As a woman, Brevard returned to teach theater at East Tennessee State, the same university she had attended as a boy. This memoir is a rare pre-Women's Movement account of coming to terms with gender identity. Brevard writes frankly about the degree to which she organized her life around pleasing men, and how absurd it all seems to her now.

Mod opinion: I haven't heard of this memoir before, but I am intruiged by the exploration of the intersection of trans indentity and feminism.

[coochiequeens]

Tuft has made it clear she’s willing to lace her boots back up and re-debut — not as the “monster of a male” she says she once was, but as a trans athlete who loves her body." If he really wants to show he's not a "monster of a male" he would only go against oppents who went through male puberty. Or switch to the other wrestling company that does have TIM performers.

BY SAMANTHA RIEDEL December 8, 2023

Former pro wrestler Gabbi Tuft says she wants to return to a WWE ring “very shortly” and face one of the company’s biggest stars, two years after publicly coming out as transgender.

Tuft, who underwent open-heart surgery in 2019, revealed to TV Insider she recently stepped between the ropes for the first time in over a decade while visiting a training school owned by industry veteran Dustin Rhodes (formerly known as Goldust). “Since I did that there has been a huge resurgence and feeling for what I love,” Tuft said, adding that she was actively seeking medical clearance to compete once more.

“I said to my doctor, ‘Hey, review my scans. Am I clear to go wrestle if I want?’” Tuft said. “I’m hoping to hear back from [them] this week to see if I’m a hundred percent clear. If that’s the case, very shortly I may resume training.”

In her original run with WWE from 2008 to 2012, Tuft wrestled under the moniker “Tyler Reks,” a troublemaking villain or “heel” who played a reliable foil to the company’s heroes. As Reks, Tuft faced off against numerous high-profile male stars of the era, some of whom are still active in WWE, like Kofi Kingston, The Usos, and (somehow) CM Punk. In her comments to TV Insider, Tuft praised one potential future opponent who’s rocketed to wrestling fame and Sapphic adoration over the past few years: Rhea Ripley.

Ripley, the current Women’s World Champion and resident leather-clad demoness of the “Judgement Day” team, has become a huge breakout star over the past few years, appealing especially to queer wrestling fans who dig black lipstick and shoulders. (It helps that calling her “mami” and/or “papi” is, according to WWE’s storytelling, canonically appropriate.) Ripley “is such a force in WWE. She is powerful,” Tufts told TV Insider. “To be honest, when I look at her and her athleticism and tenacity, I see a phenomenal opponent. A phenomenal match in the making.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Tuft praised fellow trans wrestlers Nyla Rose and Gisele Shaw, who perform in All Elite Wrestling and Impact Wrestling (soon to be rebranded TNA, again) respectively. “I love Nyla and Gisele [....] It’s incredible to see them part of the women’s division,” Tuft said, hinting she feels “like there is a spot there for WWE” to finally introduce an out trans wrestler.

“You haven’t seen it there yet. It’s raising questions as to why. Are they waiting for the right opportunity?” Tuft wondered. “It’s definitely a question in my mind. Maybe someday there is someone who can fill that hole very soon.”

Although WWE has yet to feature an openly trans or nonbinary wrestler on TV (and no, “Santina” and other comic-relief drag characters don’t count), the company has slowly opened its doors to queer authenticity, both in and out of the ring. WWE wrestler Steffanie “Tegan Nox” Newell came out as bisexual in 2020, followed by ring announcer Kayla Braxton the next year, while lesbian star Daria “Sonya DeVille” Berenato got engaged to her “ride or die” partner this February. (Kimberly “Piper Nevin” Benson made a coming-out post in 2019, but has since deleted it and hasn’t discussed her sexuality since.) And while WWE’s stories about gay relationships can get, uh, messy, Tuft is right to point out that the company could just hire a trans wrestler and let them wrestle, much as AEW has with Nyla Rose.

Whenever WWE is ready, Tuft has made it clear she’s willing to lace her boots back up and re-debut — not as the “monster of a male” she says she once was, but as a trans athlete who loves her body.

“[T]he day I stopped caring about what other people thought, was the day I truly became limitless,” Tuft wrote in her 2021 coming-out post. Alas, “limitless” is already taken as a wrestling catchphrase, but if Tuft does get cleared for an in-ring return, we’ll be first in line to get her merch regardless.

[the-six-fingered-villain]

So I accidentally fell in love with the Halo series. Idly gave it a try on a recent trans Atlantic flight and found myself immediately caught up in it by the first episode. The fact I was a little high no doubt helped. Watched half of it on flight to Europe and then the rest on return trip home. Very happy with... everything? But, I mean, it is exactly what it says on the label-- a TV show inspired by a video game.

Have minimal exposure to the game-- obviously have played a round or two of multiplayer here and there. Enough that I could recognize the weapons and the equipment.

Bounding it to the confines and expectations of 'video game made into TV series' -- I enjoyed the acting (especially by Spartans, Soren, and folks on Madrigal), was fine with narrative stakes, thought things 'made sense', was quite pleased with the costuming/special effects/props, and was particularly impressed with the fighting. The choreography of the fight sequences felt robust (and kinda' makes me want to re-watch some of it again) and the occasional switch of POV always amuses (I'll forever remain fond of that brief segment in the 2005 Doom movie)

Tragically my only quibble was an intense, near irrational dislike of Dr Halsey, which makes no sense given my taste in characters!! I should have loved that bitch! I'm ashamed to admit I think the actress's youth and good(?) looks soured me on her-- should have been older and less Hollywood looking? Someone like Fiona Shaw or Dolly Wells?

Anyway, season 2 drops Feb 8th on Paramount+, which we normally don't have a subscription to... am... unsure if this will cause me to renew it... TBD

[salty-ironstrange-shipper]

hi!! sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you have any recommendations for good cherik ffs?

Yes! I made a fic recs post a couple weeks back right here, and here are a couple more that I’ve mentally added to that:

Does It Feel Like This When (explicit)

Words: 5,616

Summary: Erik keeps everything -- body, mind -- under wraps, leaving Charles no choice but to find other outlets for his desires. When those desires cut a little too close to home, though, everything comes out into the open.

Opinion: good smut

Undone (explicit)

Words: 6,649

Summary: This began as a short ficlet written for this kink meme prompt: "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.' - Heraclitus

Post-X3 Charles, instead of transfering his consciousness to the coma guy, finds his mind back in the body of his younger self, right after Shaw's attack on the CIA compound, on their way to the mansion.

The thing: Charles' wants to fix what happened with Erik, but he can't bring himself to do it. He knows that this younger Erik can't be held responsible for his future self's actions, but, nonetheless, here is the man who will paralyze him, who will leave him on the beach, who will turn his sister into a merciless killer. Here is the man who will betray him in the worst way possible, by using him as a tool, a weapon, in his quest to kill all the humans.

So Charles blows cool and hot towards Erik, and Erik is left wondering where all the UST went and why Charles is suddenly so...emotionally distant, even when they're spending more time together than they used to.

Opinion: short, but sweet and emotional

You came my way and I knew a storm could come too (explicit)

Words: 10,706

Summary: Erik is an outlaw who hides constantly in Charles' barn with the man's permission to do so. Charles offers Erik to stay, but Erik never does.

Opinion: I just read this one and I need to comment on it, but it’s fun! Western cherik and a trans character written by a trans writer; give it a shot if it sounds like you’d enjoy it

Best Ex Ever (explicit)

Words: 12,167

Summary: Charles wakes up drunk on the pavement of a gas station, phone dead. He finds a payphone but can only remember one number. Erik Lehnsherr's.

The problem? They broke up two years ago.

Opinion: This one’s just fun. A surprisingly insightful look into having a relationship with a telepath, plus, they’re just cute.

Sign of the Times (explicit)

Words: 70,785

Summary: Casablanca-ish AU.

Charles Xavier meets Erik Lehnsherr in Paris, 1937. They spend the next two years with one another, stupid in-love, until war comes heavy in September 1939. Erik leaves for Poland and the Resistance movement there, promising to return. Charles is left in Paris, where Nazi jackboots march in, Summer of 1940. He becomes a member of the underground French Resistance, publishing illegal newsletters, leaflets, until news comes through in February 1942: Erik is dead. Charles throws himself into more dangerous work, meeting with Communists, helping derail a German train, and he does too much, goes too far. His friends find him safe passage out of France, out across the Mediterranean, to Morocco, Casablanca. It is here he finds Erik, alive.

Opinion: Y’all, when I say this fic is good, Y’ALL BEST UNDERSTAND ME. This shit is so emotional. So well-written. Captures the fear and feeling of the time and the headspace of the characters so well. Real warning for World War II and all that entails, but THIS FIC IS GOOD AND IT DOESN’T HAVE NEARLY ENOUGH COMMENTS SO READ IT AND GIVE IT SOME LOVE

An Ideal Grace (mature)

Words: 86,244

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a visiting professor at Columbia University, as well as an acclaimed and award winning poet. Charles Xavier is a lead researcher with the Genetics Department who is well on his way to tenure. But what happens when Charles has to cancel a class because half his students abandon him in favour of a mysterious new English Lit professor? Naturally he ends up sitting in in the class, where Professor Lehnsherr mistakes him for a student. It's really too bad Erik has such a strict policy against dating students. It's also too bad Erik doesn't seem to know how to use Google.

Opinion: Real talk, I kept half-reading the first chapter of this and not finishing it; human AUs aren’t my fave and I wasn’t super into the premise. But @funkylittlebidiot mentioned really liking it, so I figured I’d give it another try. I’m glad I did, because the plot really picks up and the emotional development and backgrounds and complexity of all the characters are super well-done and interesting. Would definitely recommend.

[msfbgraves]

I see you, villain? The problem of Percival Graves

Thinking about the othering of villains, of course I thought of Percival Graves (because when do I not think of Percival Graves, aight) - and the problems he creates if you present him as a villain. Because in the world Rowling created he cannot have that function. In fact, Percival Graves a living, breathing indictment of JKR’s morals.

More under the cut because this is going to be long!

Simply put, a villain has to embody everything the narrative, and the audience, instinctively and collectively knows is wrong. In-story, a few characters can understandably choose their path, but for the most part - no. What they do is antithetical to the morality of the audience. Yetr what Graves does, for most of the movie, is not clearly villainous. In fact, hardly anything he does is.

Hang on, though! He wanted to kill Tina and Newt without so much as a trial! And we know she is good, right? She works at  MACUSA, she tries to protect the wizarding world, she likes our hero, her sister is a sweetheart...

Graves also works at MACUSA. Queenie works at MACUSA. So that cannot readily code them as evil. Graves also works to protect the wizarding world. He’s shown to be a kind man to Tina, at least - he is not an all out bully. He is also more openmindend than the leader of the supposed good guys, Seraphina Picquery.

Then, maybe, the point is that MACUSA is not good, and aligning yourself with them is an evil thing to do. Fair enough, but if that is the case - what does that make Tina and Queenie at the end of the film?

Getting back to the fact he wanted to kill Tina and Newt...

Yes, he wanted to execute Tina and Newt. And as such, was exercising powers that the institution they both represent, sanctions. Again, the institution our heroes support, and if not do not actively oppose, condones this. In that light, is Graves the only villain? Or is he supported by a greater evil our heroes also align themselves with? To the audience the execution order is a great big no-no, but in-story, Graves is completely within his moral rights to do what he does.

But Graves is manipulating Credence.

Yes. Graves is manipulating Credence. And in doing so, is doing more for him than anyone has ever done for him before, including Tina. There’s little Modesty, but even she turns away from him in the end, and, being ten, there’s not much she can do for him up until that point. Tina went after his Ma once, and that changed exactly nothing as he was made to forget the whole incident. (The script implies that he hasn’t but that wasn’t made clear other than in one look, so it’s hard to take that as fact.)The rest of the wizarding world has left him to rot for his whole life. Graves wants something from him, yes - but he also promises him something in return and does him smaller favours: he listens to him, more than once (”You’re upset. It’s your mother again. What did she say? Tell me.”) he heals his wounds, he puts a meal in him (in the Lego movie at least) and he gives him physical affection.  Conditional love is an abuse tactic, but in context, this can hardly be seen as a villanous action, not when our ‘good guys’ are worse than useless.

Graves wasn’t going to make good on his promises to Credence, though. He dropped Credence like a hot potato when he didn’t need him anymore.

Yes. Graves’ in-story, truly immoral flaw is that he is racist towards Squibs. But you know, so is almost the entire wizarding world. They also condone the subjugation of non-human magical creatures, as Newt is all too aware. Graves is certainly no hero, but this alone also can’t make him a villain in the context of the world he is in, because then everybody is.

He hit and verbally abused Credence.

He did (poor boy). It wasn’t a random moment - more of a ‘Snap out of it, we have no time for this’ we’ve seen people do in movies before, but that was inexcusable. That’s his society’s racism in full view.

He went after Newt.

Of course he did. Newt was a fugitive trying to tamper with a dangerous beast - it really was kind of his job.

He went after Tina.

Again, fugitive trying to tamper with a dangerous beast. Kind of his job.

He tried to manipulate Credence again

He tried to save his life. In order to use him later, perhaps, but he might have absolutely made good on his promise to get Credence a place in the wizarding world now he knew he was a wizard (and his racism thereby no longer a factor). (”You are a miracle. Come with me. Think of what we could achieve together.”)

The Graves we’re presented with is a manipulative, dangerous man, complicit in an evil system - but so are they all. In this system, human life, wizard or no, is extremely cheap. Yes, Graves can execute on a whim, but so can, and does, Picquery. She too takes life for some perceived greater good, just as we already know Grindelwald does.

The one who calls this all out? The one who refuses to be complicit? Is Graves!

If the wizarding status quo is as rotten as it is, being opposed to it cannot make a character villainous. And yes, when Graves is revealed to be Grindelwald - and as a visual shorthand is immediately othered more (he is made uglier and is spouting nonsense) this point still stands. Yes, he’s killed people to further his objectives. Well, so has MACUSA! They’ve killed Credence! They would have killed Newt and Tina. And is there any justice for the non-magical people that get killed due to MACUSA’s negligence? (Chastity Barebone? Shaw - he may be an asshole, but what of his Dad? All those other people Credence’s unchecked magic has injured or killed?)

JKR desperately wanted to write a good-vs-evil dichotomy, but what she has actually written is a chaos-vs-order dichotomy. True, a lot of what codes our heroes as good is their rejection of of the established, inhumane order, but so does Graves. Yes, he is ultimately a worse person than our heroes because he is a racist and abuser where Tina, Queenie and Newt are not. but that is not what the movie is about. Our heroes are not trying to fight for magical and non-magical integration - that is supposedly what Grindelwald (and so too, Graves) is doing. They are trying to restore order. That’s what the whole conflict is about. Order vs chaos. In the beginning, Newt’s creatures cause chaos that needs to be stopped. Credence causes chaos that needs to be stopped. Well, they succeed - in the end, Newt’s creatures are caught, the non magical people neutralised, Credence is killed, and Graves - who has declared his opposition to order openly - is defeated.

That is also what technically makes Graves the villain of this story - he is very much trying to further chaos by using an Obscurial. But when order is inhumane, trying to disrupt it cannot be seen as evil.

That’s why Grindelwald, as a villain, really doesn’t work. The audience isn’t convinced the current order should survive. After all, what good does it do? Why perpetuate an institutional evil?

In the second film, they have to ramp up the otherness of Grindelwald - he is uglier and very much more chaotic and he kills more people than the established order does - at least, so we’re told. He goes on causing massive chaos, and this actually, is coded as one of the Crimes of Grindelwald - but the audience doesn’t buy it. Going back to the first film, what we’re presented with as the villain is a handsome, extremely competent, eloquent, manipulative and abusive (granted), but at times merely friendly influential man who is the sole source of comfort for a suffering teen, whose life he tries to save. (For his own ends, ok, but Credence himself is also not entirely pure - he does cause multiple deaths.) Graves then goes on to rebel, magnificently, against a morally corrupt world order, because he could not save Credence’s life. 

I kind of stan that last bit, too.

Now, I’m not surprised that JKR’s subconscious believes that order should be protected against chaos - she is a middle aged white billonaire trans exclusionary radical feminist. But the rest of the world really isn’t that on board with her “The world is fucked but let’s  keep it that way” worldview. The end of the first film still kind of works because both Newt and Tina are rebels at heart who are falling in love and Queenie is also saying “Kindly fuck off” to the established order. But it is a bittersweet ending, because a young troubled man could not be saved and a handsome, badass rebel turned into a bleached pineapple.

Or did he? Where is he?

Where is Percival Graves...?

[matt0044]

Sledge: “IT’S A BOMB!”

I’m no toy collector but that HAS to be one of his action figure’s catchphrases.

The Beast vs. Dino Team-Up kicks off with the team seeking Ryjack’s ship before Evox’s motley crew can snatch it for themselves. I honestly still love that they set up this team up with two episodes in advance rather than making it a single one-off that can be viewed in isolation. It’s just a part of Beast Morphers.

Zoey locates it and tries to board it when an unknown party is in-bound for the ship but triggers the self-destruction, the first time that’s ever gone right for a villain. Evox takes notice of this and sends out the Robotars along with the Reanimaizer in order to recover whatever they might find within the wreckage.

Roxy recognizes Snide’s sword from her original’s memories of Grid Battleforce training and has Blaze reanimaize him. It’s almost a shame that it couldn’t be Zeltrax but upgraded since it would’ve helped justify Dino Thunder. Maybe they could’ve sprung for Messagog since he was just dubbed over with a suit actor?

The villains hide as Keeper appears before Zoey. She mistakes him for a possible enemy and throws a Compliant Collar on him in a decent bit of quick thinking. Her team arrives and recognize him from Ranger History Classes. I’m assuming that’s a Grid Battleforce course but I love the idea of Ranger battles being a part of history books. Something that Megaforce sorely could’ve used.

Devon gets Keeper into a truck only for a Vivik to make off with him. The Beast Rangers morph and pursue them into the city where the Kyoryuger vs. Go-Busters footage kicks in, the truck originally carrying AbaRed. I love that they’re able to bring over footage of specials and movies since the higher production values shows how special it is with Devon dodging explosion on the roadway. :)

Triptoids join the fun as the Beast Rangers are distracted from the truck with all the mooks. However, a trans-dimensional portal opens up to reveal Tyler, Chase, Koda and Ivan fully morphed only to soon lose Keeper to Snide quickly. Not gonna lie, I really smiled seeing the boys back in action and kicking butt. :D

Evox gets Keeper to exposite about the Energems as well as the Dino Charge story, understandable due to how weird that timeline seems to be. Meanwhile, the Rangers reconcile with Zoey’s lapse in judgement before getting a message that demands Ryjack’s collection in exchange for Keeper’s life. Commander Shaw makes a calculated risk by agreeing to them due to the info they may get.

The Rangers meet up in Abandoned Warehouse #1637 when their risk doesn’t pay off as the collection is sent to the Crystal Dimension and a Gigadrone is inbound. The Beast Rangers head out to protect the Morph-X while Dino Charge sticks around to deal with Snide, morphing for old time’s sake. Tyler gives Riley and Shelby to jump on in through a portal so they can join the party.

Sadly, Riley and Shelby’s actors were unable to reprise their roles. I can’t tell if they did dubbed over the suit footage in post or if they got new actors to imitate since they are dead ringers. I hope nothing bad went down behind the scenes. I also would’ve justified their absence better as seeking out Keeper in other areas or getting the drop on Snide, blasting him straight out from the portal. :P

Either way, it’s great to see the old gang back together in Kyoryuger vs. Go-Busters footage where they got Koichi Sakamoto’s crazy choreography back in business. Tyler even brings out Mini-Rexy to go Supercharge and uses his legs as make shift T-Rex teeth. Dude’s right. It was about to get wild all over again. :)

While the Beast Rangers contend with the Magnedrone (I gotta call it something), Evox reanimaizes Sledge from the end of the Poisy Show. I love how he calls collecting the Energems a hobby. No grand plans for the world, just gotta get them Energems. His old crew returns as well to give the Rangers a thrashing, something that I think can be attributed to the Reanimaizer’s effect.

The episode ends with the Dino Charge Rangers and Keeper leaving for their own dimension. It makes sense with their families at home but I’m assuming that they’ll keep in close contact with Sledge back. In any case, the stage is being set for “Grid Connection.” Again, having the crossover baked into the overall storyline is something even the Saban era shied away from post-Lost Galaxy.

[hadoriel]

Hey, as somebody who's been playing WoW for about a decade now and is deep into lore and all that... Some of these points seem a bit outdated. I totally agree with you that the game's narrative needs to be constantly doing better, especially since there's a lot of old stuff over the course of the franchise that has either aged badly or was never looked at critically enough (I mean, it was born from a bunch of white American dudes, so there was a lot of bias they'd just never confronted when they created it)

But I do think that, overall, we're making strides in the right direction. I mean, some of it is awkward, like every side couple being gay in Dragonflight as over-correction, but at least we're no longer at the stage of 'everyone headcanons a main character as queer to the point one of the writers goes on Twitter to yell at them and frantically claim the character isn't gay' from the Pandaria years. Heck, they finally caved and confirmed Chromie as trans, after they made her character joke about in in HOTS a decade ago. And although her story isn't spotlight, she's still there, talking about taking her humanoid form, in several quests. Flynn and Shaw got a whole book together, traveling part of the world

Orcs, Trolls, Tauren etc have been heroes for a while. I think a better solution is rather, when an Orc is a hero (a la Thrall), he shouldn't be made more humanized (like giving him eyebrows??) and/or they should be given better spotlight (instead of, say, us saving Baine in Shadowlands for him to just sit in a corner... literally). We do have a lot of characters from 'monstrous' races that could be in the spotlight, lots of really cool ones, too! In fact, that's one thing that I love about Warcraft's worldbuilding, is that there's so many characters that aren't human. But Golden really loved Anduin, so we keep getting him, there's a lot of elves, and Thrall is pretty much the default Horde character to choose from when they don't want to build up someone else. I'd love to see Ji and Aysa again tbh. Talanji would be nice. Point is - we DO have heroes of those races. It's just that they either don't get enough spotlight or, in Thrall's case, they humanize them too much

This will probably be up in the air for a while. I remember my hackles being raised at Drustvar's storyline, because that was so recent, and yet the overarching plot of the zone was 'the native people here are evil legit witches and our colonizer ancestors killed them - we need to kill them again' with a token couple of 'good' people of the native culture who hole themselves up in a cave and lament how evil their brethren are. So, yeah, we do need to keep talking about this, though I think it's a bigger issue than just WoW, of course

I think they've been successful at this. The Tuskarr in Dragonflight tell actual Inuit tales, have actual Inuit names, and were approved by actual Inuit people, for example. Goblins seem to be working towards a new future with Gazlowe in charge. I was pleased that the centaur were matriarchal without being evil (as is stereotype - even as recently in WoW as the blood trolls in Nazmir) and the archeologists were espousing modern archeology ethics, like returning their finds to the people they belonged to

Have you seen the new character coming in War Within? The black half elf lady with the prosthetic shield arm? I do think they're trying. But unfortunately the toxic gamer bros have been calling her a 'diverse checkbox' character and getting mad, even though we know very little of her so far besides being a major character. Yes, it took WAY too long to add darker skin tone options for player races. But they are moving forward

"... mansplaining to a PoC coded monster that his government system is inherently wrong" - I think you're talking about Anduin here, yeah? Who was he saying this to? For some reason my brain keeps going to his dumb conversations with Sylvanas instead orz. Nonetheless, the Light is... unfortunately Christian-based and it makes me uncomfortable, as a non-Christian, but I do think they've also been trying to diversify the Light so that the Christian elements are uniquely a human culture thing. There was a big ruckus over it regarding the Paladin hero talents a bit ago on Twitter, actually. I don't think we've even touched human Light beliefs since, what, Cata? I just generally think Anduin could've been a good character, had he not been treated like he was always right, and then dragged through the mud as a forced attempt at being a foil for Sylvanas' insanity through SL

Anyways - I don't think, just because Warcraft has some issues, it should be outright banned in random polls, especially when we DO have canon queer characters now valid for the blog in question. I don't think anyone should really bother poll blogs about 'ugh I hate this media it's so bad!!' unless it's like... actually overtly offensive outright. Which WoW isn't

To OP poll blog themselves, sorry for the reply ramble. Please don't ban Warcraft because of a random anon lol ;; It's a big and old franchise, has problems, but it's nothing like... bad bad awful ban worthy

I'm not asking you to pull Mathias Shaw, I just want more people to be aware that white queer characters doesn't equal wokeness and the general exclusion of non whites from LGBTIQA discussions.

I also criticize media like World of Warcraft so the writers will eventually get the message that stuff like this is offensive and they should do some damage control like:

Stop depicting orcs, trolls, tauren and countless other "monsters" as purely evil villains, let them be heroes too.

Admit the countless white colonizing characters did wrong and that people like Zul'jin were wronged.

Tone down the racial coding a little bit and don't do it for new races they create.

Stop having all prominent human characters be white and for god's sakes, tone down the white savior vibes!

No having characters like a blonde blue eyed white guy from ersatz europe that worships ersatz christianity mansplaining to a PoC coded monster that his government system is inherently wrong unlike Ersatz Europe's absolute monarchy does NOT equal talking down toxic masculinity, it (unintentionally?) endorse a white supremacist vibe. PS: Did you get my other Warcraft Ask?

I know! I was just putting that in the tags because I've had problems with people making assumptions about what I stand for as a person before based on "allowing" a certain media to go through. Not targeted at you specifically! Although my knowledge of WOW is severely limited personally, I agree with everything you're saying here! Also yes, I did, I'll post it after this one. I've been holding off on answering certain asks because I just don't have the time to do thorough research right now, so I'm glad you elaborated on what you meant!

[sebastianshaw]

☕️ (House of M. More specifically his relationship to his teammates out of the field. Like Marrow)

I imagine that House of M Shaw is almost all Shaw’s better traits raised to the max, and his worse ones significantly lessened, but he also has flaws that 616 Shaw doesn’t have. For instance, he stopped Sentinel production when he found out he was a mutant, so unlike his 616 counterpart, he does have species loyalty. .  .but that’s not necessarily a good thing. He enforces King Magnus’s rule as director of SHIELD and the Red Guard, but we know that’s a rule which is unfair to humans. So unlike 616 Shaw, this is a Shaw who is loyal to mutantkind even at the expense of humans, but was ready to make anti-mutant death machines when he thought HE was a human. It’s clearly a VERY different mindset than 616 Shaw’s “whatever makes me money” attitude. Which, speaking of, I don’t think he’s greedy, certainly not to the extent his 616 self is. I mean, he stopped Sentinel production and helped Magneto to sabotage many of the Sentinels already on the market, even though these were making him money. And since he’s now working as SHIELD Director, it can be assumed he either gave up being the CEO of Shaw Industries, or is sacrificing a LOT of time in order to be SHIELD Director, and time is money. I’m sure the position pays well, but I very much doubt it’s on par with being the multi-billionaire that being a businessman made him. He’s very. .  .lawful. He literally is the head of law enforcement, the top of the chain of command. Early Shaw in 616 had some Lawful Evil traits, but I prefer to think of House of M Shaw as Lawful Good, since being Lawful Good in itself can be bad so long as that “bad” is what is the law, and I think that fits what I described about him enforcing a system that has unjust aspects. That said, the Good part still provides a lot of contrast to his 616 self. Speaking of---he’s the brave, calm, commanding, very strategic leader that we see him be in The Dark Phoenix Saga and Secret Empire. He’s not the most personable, buddy-buddy boss, but he’s only strict, not cruel, tolerating no nonsense but also looking after his people. He’s very by the book, which can make him seem stiff and like a stick in the mud, but also this means he does follows due process and respects the law even when it benefits the suspects/perpetrators. He keeps his team in line, which includes not letting them use undue force on a target, and if a suspect is cooperative, does not resist, etc., he will note that if he’s asked to testify regarding them. Very strict, very lawful, very fair---when he can be. He can’t mete out the law fairly when it comes to when the young princes causing trouble, for instance. He’s not a “father” to his squad and nor does he try to be, but he treats them with respect and I think Marrow appreciates that. They don’t WANT him trying to be their pal, they don’t WANT someone trying to be close to them, but they lowkey do think of him in a somewhat paternal sense because he is such a strong male authority figure, and they appreciate his fairness towards them, his equal treatment, the fact he does care for his squad’s safety but also doesn’t tolerate insubordination, etc. They can see he has guts and a strong sense of strategy, he gets things done, he keeps things in line, he doesn’t abuse those under him. Marrow respects these things and while they DO get out of line a good bit themselves, Shaw can typically pull them back in because of that respect. Shaw returns that respect. He knows he can count on Marrow and they’re good to have, even if they need a calming influence at times. But that’s fine---he’s got more than one firecracker on this team, after all. He doesn’t show them any favoritism, but I think he might feel just a bit towards them (and Rogue) due to being the youngest on the team. Again, he never oversteps the line into fatherliness, he’s not warm, but he looks out for his team, he looks out for them, while still having high expectations and expecting top performance---as he should, it’s a top team. No kid gloves, but no cruelty either. He appreciates what Marrow brings from a practical standpoint, and treats them like, well, a person, isn’t going to let them burn out or mess themselves up, also isn’t going to let them be overly aggressive with someone when it’s not necessary. He is far less informed about trans stuff than 616 Shaw, so he doesn’t get the they/them thing and thinks that when Marrow says they aren’t a man or woman, means they have some kind of intersex condition. Seeing as that would be impolite to inquire about, he doesn’t ask, and just goes with the pronouns. Marrow can do their job, and that’s all Shaw really is concerned about, not what’s in their pants. I kind of like the idea Shaw might have been the one to pull young Marrow out of the sewers. It might not work timeline wise depending when exactly Magneto took over, but I like the idea. The mutant massacre PROBABLY didn’t happen, but there might well have been SOME kind of SHIELD rescue mission he was involved in. It didn’t result in a deep father/child bond or anything, he’s not Wolverine, he didn’t take them in or raise them as his own, but they do remember him as scooping them up and getting them in a helicopter years ago before they grew up and joined SHIELD themselves, and they’ve never discussed it with him since he’s never brought it up either. In their day to day interactions, Marrow calls him Boss and Chief most of the time in a slightly-jokey way, and will push his limits without ever actually pushing past them. They’re amusing, even if Shaw does a very good job keeping stony-faced, not truly disrespectful, with a knack for getting into trouble. Several of the team have this knack too-- Rogue, Toad, Kurt, probably more---but Marrow’s is very much all their own. They’ve been on the surface for a lot longer if we go with the “pulled out of the sewers/danger by Shaw as a kid” route so they’re better adjusted to things but occasionally stuff still throws them for a loop and it does often fall to Shaw’s shoulders (or Logan’s but why should he get to be the only one?) to Explain the Thing. He has also definitely thrown them at people during combat before and THEY LOVE IT. They don’t interact OUTSIDE of work but that’s because Shaw keeps a very strong divide between work and home, and Marrow feels much the same. They don’t really have a home life to protect like he does, but they do keep people at a distance. They meet him outside the job once, with his family, and it gives them a very weird feeling. Partly is it’s just weird when you encounter people outside the sole role/situation you’re used to them in, like seeing a teacher outside school, because you have no idea what the rules for appropriate interaction are now, but also partly because they very much see Shaw as the leader of their group (which, he is) and seeing him with his family really makes it REAL that he has an entire other ‘group’ that he values and takes care of and it just makes them feel . . . strange, especially given their lack of a bio-family. They give him the cold shoulder for a few weeks after because they just don’t know how to deal, and if he notices, he doesn’t say it (he does, he is just letting it be) They also really like that he DOES bring in snacks for the squad and it’s always really good savory stuff, like authentic pork bao buns from Chinatown with an egg yolk in the middle. Overall they have a bond of mutual respect and while there is a power imbalance/hierarchy it’s one that he does not exploit or abuse, and he takes responsibility for them as much as command. They don’t get any closer than is professional, as befits him being all-business and them being guarded, but do look out for each other and get along well. 

[philosopherking1887]

Something Past and Whole (an A:TLA ficlet)

1587 words; also on AO3.

What should win our gratitude.— It was artists, and especially those of the theater, who first gave people eyes and ears to see and hear with pleasure what each one himself is, experiences, and wants; they first taught us to esteem the hero that is concealed in everyday characters; they first taught us the art of viewing ourselves as heroes—from a distance and, as it were, simplified and transfigured—the art of staging and watching ourselves. Only in this way can we come to terms with some base details in ourselves. Without this art we would be nothing but foreground and live entirely in the spell of that perspective which makes what is closest at hand and most vulgar appear as if it were vast, and reality itself.

Perhaps one should concede a similar merit to the religion that made man see the sinfulness of every single individual through a magnifying glass, turning the sinner into a great, immortal criminal. By surrounding him with eternal perspectives, it taught man to see himself from a distance and as something past and whole.

—Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science section 78 (trans. W. Kaufmann)

Zuko was accumulating epithets, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

His friends, naturally, all found it hilarious. They already delighted in poking fun at the titles of his office, calling him ‘Your Fieriness’ or ‘Your Fire Lordship’ or even, when Aang was feeling particularly obnoxious, ‘Flamey-o, (Sifu) Hotlord!’ The new epithets were just more titles for them to play around with and give him grief about.

Zuko did not find them amusing. Not, as his friends all claimed (with varying degrees of tact), because he took himself too seriously and didn’t know how to laugh at himself! Well, maybe there was some truth to that charge… but the problem with the epithets was that he found them morbid—as if the world was trying to write his epitaph before he’d even died. Trying to pin him down, to flatten him into a single static image, like a dried flower or a butterfly to be pressed into a book, catalogued alongside history’s other specimens of world rulers: Warlord Toz the Terrible, Earth King Wei the Fat, Earth Queen Jian the Just, General Chin the Conqueror, Fire Lord Sozin the Bloody, Princess Yue the Brave. Rival historians were already fighting over his father’s legacy: detractors (hoping to ingratiate themselves to the new Fire Lord) called him ‘The Phoenix King of Ashes’ or ‘The Phoenix Who Did Not Rise’; loyalists (who did not fear retaliation from a Fire Lord they thought too weak) called him ‘The Last Dragon’ and prayed for the return of the deposed Fire Lord Azula as ‘The Blue Phoenix.’

Of course, Zuko had already acquired a couple of epithets before his ascension to the throne: ‘The Banished Prince,’ or ‘The Disgraced Prince.’ Accurate enough, but too simple, too straightforward for the full truth of the matter. So too were the epithets he had gained since becoming Fire Lord, starting with the ones that Fire Sage Shyu had given him on the day of his coronation: ‘Zuko the Peacemaker’ and ‘Zuko the Restorer’—not only of his own honor, but of the honor of the whole Fire Nation, of its place in the community of nations, of balance among the nations.

Those were the official, government-approved descriptors; but Zuko heard himself being written into history in different ways, too, in reports from the network of spies that now answered to Ty Lee, or while stealing around the Capital in the guise of the Blue Spirit to listen at the windows of bars and gambling dens, lurking in the alleys near the late-night food stalls where carousers gathered and (importantly) talked. Some of these epithets were pedestrian and perfectly predictable: ‘Zuko the Burned’ or ‘The Burned Fire Lord’ were among the most common, and Zuko resigned himself to being remembered, like poor Wei the Fat, for his most noticeable physical characteristic.

Others, however, were more significant and telling of how his people viewed him. Some called him ‘The Avatar’s Fire Lord,’ ‘The Avatar’s Puppet,’ ‘The Avatar’s Pet.’ For surrendering the Fire Nation’s cause in the war without a fight, they called him ‘The Toothless Dragon’ or (in mocking reference to the temporary loss of his firebending) ‘The Dragon Without Fire.’ They jeered him as ‘Earth Lord,’ ‘Water Lord,’ or ‘Air Lord Zuko,’ depending on which nation he had just made some shameful concession to: evacuating the newer Earth Kingdom colonies; paying reparations to the Water Tribes; taking formal responsibility on behalf of his ancestor and his nation for the Air Nomad Genocide, denouncing as shameful slander the propaganda used to justify the slaughter, publicly abasing himself—on his knees with his forehead to the earth (as he had not lowered himself since he had apologized to his father for his disrespect and begged for his mercy)—and apologizing to Avatar Aang as the last survivor of his people. At their most blunt, Zuko’s own people called him ‘Zuko the Traitor’ and ‘Betrayer of his Nation.’

But not all of the epithets Zuko heard by spying on his subjects were so damning. Some sincerely used the titles Shyu had given him, Peacemaker and Restorer—spoke them with respect, gratitude, even reverence. There was a name he had first heard among Fire Nation migrants to Republic City, which had made its way back to the Fire Nation Capital to be spoken softly among his younger subjects (who barely remembered the years of the war, and had grown up with his account of things rather than Ozai’s or Azulon’s): not just ‘the Restorer,’ but ‘the Redeemer.’ Zuko hated that one even more than ‘Traitor’ or ‘Avatar’s Pet.’ He didn’t deserve it and could never live up to it; he knew he could only disappoint those who expected it of him. Better that they should call him ‘the Redeemed,’ but he could scarcely say he deserved that, either.

In the years since Zuko had raised Druk, he began hearing a few epithets he didn’t mind. ‘Zuko Dragon-tamer’ he considered inaccurate and insulting to his companion—did they think a dragon was a platypus-bear that one trained to do tricks?—but ‘Dragonrider’ was truthful enough and, he thought, had a nice ring to it. He preferred ‘Dragon-friend,’ in recognition of the honor and favor bestowed upon him by the Masters Ran and Shaw; but that one, unfortunately, had failed to catch on. His very favorite—the one he dared to hope might be the way history remembered him—he heard only three times over the space of a year, some thirty years after the war’s end… the year that Uncle Iroh died suddenly of no ailment anyone could identify. He could not tell just from hearing it whether it was ‘The Dragons’ Son’ or ‘The Dragon’s Son,’ but he liked to think it was somehow both.

Aang was teasing him about ‘Dragon-tamer’—“You should run off to join the circus like Ty Lee; I bet you’d look smashing in a ringmaster’s uniform!”—when Zuko finally managed to put words to what troubled him, instead of inarticulately spluttering his indignation. “I hate that they all want to make me into only one thing, wholly and completely, and ignore—or maybe deny—all the times I haven’t been that thing, and all the other things I am, and have been, and might still be.”

Aang considered this. “Maybe you should think of them as like roles in a play—like theater masks that you can put on and take off.”

“Yes, because when we’ve been made into dramatis personae in the past, it’s always been so flattering,” Zuko said, his voice dry and sharp as desert wind.

Aang laughed. “I’ve learned that sometimes it’s easier to just play ‘Savior of the World’ or ‘Wise Ancient World Spirit’ than to try to explain all you really are. And sometimes it’s fun to pretend that’s all you are, that everything is simpler than it is. Of course you have to take off the mask eventually… but you know how fun it can be to wear it for a little while, and for a little while just be the Dragon Emperor or the Dark Water Spirit. Or is it the Blue Spirit?” he asked slyly.

“Easy enough for you to say, when you’re always cast as the hero. What if it’s the villain’s mask they want you to wear?” Half-consciously Zuko put his fingers over his scar where it covered most of his cheek, then ran them up to the corner of the eye that was permanently narrowed, mask-like, into a threatening glare.

“I haven’t always been the hero,” Aang said quietly. “And I’ve also learned that sometimes it’s easier to accept your role as the villain than to tie yourself in knots, and most likely break your back, trying to convince everyone to love you.”

“You’re one to talk,” Zuko retorted. “You can’t even stand to let Katara stay mad at you for an hour.”

Aang chucked ruefully at that. “Becoming a parent has changed my perspective somewhat.”

“And what is ruling a nation other than parenting an enormous family of unruly children…?”

“I didn’t say that, Your Fatherliness. I mean…”

“Very funny.”

“Aw, c’mon, Peacemaker. You know you can’t stay mad at me.”

“How could I, when I’m your faithful pet?”

“Who’s a good dragon…? Ouch, those were definitely teeth!”

“Don’t believe everything you hear about me… or read in history books.”

[thisiswhatwereupagainst]

The Forgotten LGBT Characters of 1990s Marvel Comics

Hey X-Men fans! It’s still June, still Pride month, so I wanted to talk about three lesser-known LGBT Marvel characters. They’re very obscure, and they’re all also all from the early 1990s. Like Mystique, one might consider them pioneers of Marvel becoming inclusive of LGBT people. Unlike Mystique, no one really knows about them, as they never became major players (far from it, in fact) Be warned, two of them are villains and very much products of their time and the unfortunate way that society was still treating LGBT people; Marvel was starting to include them, sure, but in very demonized, stereotyped ways. But problematic or not, they existed and they’re close to my heart, and I’d like them to be remembered by a greater amount of fandom. Who knows, if enough people like them, maybe they will come back in canon one day and be treated with greater sensitivity!

Shinobi Shaw (bisexual) - Shinobi Shaw appeared as the young estranged son of Sebastian Shaw, who abused him terribly as a child. While he looked pretty badass at first by killing his father (it turned out not to take, alas) he spent the rest of his time being pretty much a joke as a villain. He preferred to just get drunk and hang out with a bevvy of hot men and women than really do any villainy, and what villainy he did commit was largely limited to trying to get X-Men he liked (Warren and Storm) to join him. Seriously, he sent Warren an invitation to a Hellfire Club party on a PERFUMED card with a LACEY border written in LOOPY PINK INK, and wanted him to be his White King. He totally had a crush on him. Jubilee drives it home with a “Liberace” comparison just in case that was all too subtle for readers. And of course he was attracted to Storm because...STORM. All bad guys like Storm! That’s not where the hints of bisexuality end, though. And by “hints” I mean “on more than one occasion he’s surrounded by men and women who are in various states of undress” like basically the art is trying to tell us that he’s in the middle of an orgy at any given time. At one point, his butler asks him if he’s having oysters or snails tonight, which is an old-timey way of saying “women or men”, and Shinobi replies he thinks he’ll have dinner first, just so the readers are sure he AIN’T talking about food here. Also he dresses in a purple pirate coat and lilac pinstripe pants. I don’t like stereotyping but COME ON GUYS. Fashion bicon right here! Shinobi is definitely and blatantly depicted as bisexual, but he’s really not what could be called good bisexual representation. He’s not only a villain, he’s played up as simultaneously despicable and ineffective, as too effeminate and damaged (his status as an abuse survivor is not treated sympathetically either) to be any real threat, but still as disgusting nonetheless. He’s also depicted as something of an attempted sexual predator, but also as, again, not really enough of a “real man” for it to be scary, just gross. He’s also played up a LOT as a decadent hedonist obsessed only with pleasure, which is an age-old stereotype of gay people and bi people both, but especially bi people. There’s a lot of problems with Shinobi. But he’s still a lot of fun as a character, at least to me, and the hints of how emotionally damaged he is from aforementioned abuse and the implication he may have a substance abuse problem and that all this decadence might just be his only way of coping because he’s clearly unable to connect with people but WANTS to somehow...there’s a great character arc here waiting to happen, if some writer only sees it. Those familiar with the far more famous Daken might notice some similarities in design; both are the eastranged predatory  bisexual abused half-Japanese son of a burlier, hairier, pre-established white male character. Of course, Daken was far more competent and became a much more major, complex character. Maybe Shinobi was sort of his first draft? Who knows! All I know is that as of June 19, Shinobi has finally re-appeared alive in Uncanny X-Men #20, and I’m hoping for more shenanigans--preferably in the flamboyant bisexual disaster Shinobi style! Mindmeld (transgender) - Mindmeld appears solely in X-Force #62 as a bodyguard in the employ of Shinobi Shaw. No alternative name is given for her, and it’s my headcanon that “Mindmeld” is her chosen name as both a mutant and a trans woman. How do we know she’s a trans woman? Well, we don’t. But she’s drawn with the same body type and facial shape as all the male characters are, because this is comics and there’s one mold for guys, one for ladies. However, despite big muscles, a strong jaw, and a distinct lack of breasts, she presents pretty feminine, with makeup and a lot of jewelry. The other characters (the heroes, no less) express confusion about her gender, saying things like “Now, Mr. or Mrs. Mindmeld...” and “What is your real name? Pat? Chris?” (get it? those are unisex/androgynous names?) However, only “she” pronouns are ever used for her. Given all this, I think it’s fair to say that these jabs along with her physical appearance are meant to hint to the audience that she’s a transgender woman. She could fall into some other trans category, such as non-binary or genderqueer, but considering this was the 90s (when those identities were less known) and being written by straight cis guys (the least likely to know about said identities) I think that her being a pre-op/non-op/non-passing trans woman is a safe guess. My bet is that her presence was meant to add some shock value and play up Shinobi’s own bisexuality (since it’s a common misconception that a straight man couldn’t possibly be into a trans woman) In any case, she was short-lived and ill-treated by both the story and the other characters, but I find her intriguing. She’s also very important despite her obscurity, as she’s the first representation of a transgender mutant that I’m aware of that didn’t involve something like shapeshiting or or bodyswapping (though her powers could swap the brains of other people!) or being an alien with no knowledge of gender norms, or any other “explanation” that accounted for being trans that had no real-world equivalent. She just seems to have been trans in the way REAL people are trans, something that thus far no mutant I’m aware of (save for another one-time character, Jessie Drake) has been. And I think she damn well deserves some love for that. Plus look at her, she’s just cool! Nocturne (wlw) - Nocturne aka Angela Cairn (no, not TJ Wagner, this is a different Nocturne) is the only non-villain on this list, and the only one whose sexuality was treated sympathetically, perhaps because it was only hinted at and her story was told largely in metaphor. Ironically, she’s also the only chracter here who is not a mutant or an X-Men character, despite X-Men being the publication that’s supposed to be all about embracing the different and downtrodden. She first appears in the 1993 Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #13, and had a few subsequent appearances before disappearing from the page altogether. Angela Cairn was a police officer of Black, Cuban, and Native American (tribe unspecified) heritage. As a lifelong victim of prejudice, she joined the police in hopes of using the law to protect others from being victimized. She is implied to have been in a romantic relationship with a fellow female officer, Jackie Kessler, and the two may have co-habited. After Jackie is murdered in the line of duty, Angela went on the trail of a serial killer who she believed was the same supervillain that killed Jackie. Following a false lead, she was lured to a warehouse where she was trapped and experimented on by one of the nameless mutates created from humans by Baron Zemo. Unlike the other monstrous mutates, this one did not seek to return to human form, and, for reasons unknown, wanted Angela to become like her. As a result, Angela was transformed in the mute, winged, vampire-like being called Nocturne. No longer able to live in human society or even explain to others that she’s Angela, Nocturne becomes homeless and protects those who also live on the fringes of society, including a boy who is the victim of a gay-bashing. Her journey ends up being not a typical superhero tale, but an introspective single-issue saga of pain and self-acceptance. It’s told largely in what I interpret to be metaphor for coming to terms with being open about her sexuality only after she lost her partner, which I write more extensively about HERE, and I personally find it to be a surprisingly deep and nuanced story---especially for comics, which are usually about as subtle as an anvil when it comes to whatever social commentary they’re trying to get across (not that this is always a bad thing either!) Anyway, if you read this far, I’d very much appreciate it if you would reblog! I think these characters deserve to be more well-known, and I think a lot of people will enjoy seeing their representation, flawed and dated though it may be.