#a non White person starring in a popular show?

[papirouge]

some of yall need to calm down with calling "socialism" "leftism" or "wokism" ANYTHING that your remotely dislike

[thought--bubble]

Dreamin of You

Modern Dark Actor Aemond X (Non-Famous GF Reader)

Warnings below

Word Count: 3065

Modern Aemond Masterlist

Full Masterlist

Banners by @arcielee

Warnings:: Jealousy, possessive behavior, obsessive behavior, Dubcon, insecurity, unprotected sex (p in v), oral sex (F receiving)

Based on THIS request

"Aemond! Over here!" You cringe at the noise, a man with a camera nearly screeching into your ear.

Aemond shields his eyes, trying to block out the flashing of the cameras as he tightens his arm around you, pulling you through the crowd.

It has been about a year since he got his big break. The leading man on a hit show that streams on Netflix. One of this year's biggest hits.

His life entirely changed nearly overnight, changing yours right along with it. You could no longer go out in public with him. You would be swarmed by cameras and people reaching out and grabbing at him. Women yelled out to him that they loved him.

Oh, how the women scream for him.

It doesn't surprise you. He is handsome and charming, not to mention tall, with a jawline that could cut diamonds.

Aemond used to be a quiet man. Hiding in the shadows. Shy and self-conscious. His disability made him bow out from most social situations unless you were there.

You had met Aemond back in primary school. Growing up beside him, you knew him better than anyone else. Or at least you used to.

The man standing beside you now, curling you up in his arm, is not the same man he was just one short year ago, and the realization hit you recently.

You had accompanied him to a photo shoot as you often do. Watching him flit about the place, shaking hands and charming them all with that beautiful smile. The two female models on set hanging on his every word. One being so forward as to brush her hand on his arm. Which he allowed.

Every day, you felt the pressure of his newfound fame start to squeeze into every facet of your life.

You had never been an insecure person. Never. Now you found yourself constantly comparing.

Aemond had been approached by models, a fellow actress, and even a pretty popular musician, and when you look at them and then at yourself, it's obvious that there is simply no comparison.

He is going to leave you or cheat on you at some point, which has you constantly on edge. You had been denying this, but what man wouldn't? What man would stay with his average before fame girlfriend when he could have a lingerie model? A pop star?

You know that he loves you and you love him too, but sometimes love is just not enough.

That's how you find yourself here. Standing in his living room, watching him update his Instagram after fighting your way through a sea of photographers.

Your stomach feels sick as you watch him, trying to build up the courage to say what has been bouncing around in your head for weeks.

"It's time," you whisper to yourself.

You clear your throat as you gently shake out your limbs. "Aemond? I....I need to talk to you."

"Course." He doesn't lift his head from his phone, no doubt jumping on every notification coming from his social media accounts.

"It's important"

He lifts his head and furrows his brow.

"Everything alright, love?" He turns his phone screen down toward his lap to show you that you have his full attention.

You open your mouth to speak and immediately the anxiety of what you're about to do hits you like a tidal wave. Am I doing this? Really doing this?

Aemond can sense the panic that is coursing through you and stands up and quickly walks to you, taking your hands.

"Don't be afraid, love, tell me what's going on," He squeezes gently. His tenderness makes this all so much more difficult.

"I think it's...... Aemond? I..... I'm leaving" the relief you feel at finally telling him is soothing, it's done. You've said it. No take backs.

"Leave?" Aemond grips his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white as he turns his head from you. "Leave where? Go where? For what purpose?"

"Aemond..... I mean leave..... us. This" You turn your head in an effort to avoid that eye. You know you shouldn't look away. It's you who is doing this to the both of you. What right do you have to be sad?

The gentleness on his face is replaced with shock, and he turns his back to you, taking a few steps away. His silence is deafening, but you want to be fair. Give him a moment to process this.

"I... I just don't think we fit anymore, I'm so happy for you, Aemond. You're so talented, and all this that's happening to you? You deserve it, and i want you to have it." You recoil slightly at your own words. You've been thinking it for months, but saying it out loud, saying it to him. It's so painful. So final. "But, there's no room here for me anymore"

As you feel the all too familiar sting in your eyes, you watch his form turned away from you. You want him to look at you. Let you know that he understands that you don't want to hurt him. That this is what is best for both of you.

Instead, he chuckles, and you're hit with a wave of confusion before he turns around and stalks toward you. "Leaving? You think you're leaving me?" The smirk that creeps its way onto his face sends shivers down your spine.

He clicks his tongue as he reaches you, pulling you in tight against his chest.

"You don't get to leave." He coos. "No, my darling, you'll stay right here." he gently runs his fingers through your hair, the movement comforting and menacing.

The little hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Who is this? This isn't the Aemond you know. Kind gentle, Aemond.

No, this person is someone else.

His lifts your face to him by your chin and kisses you gently. The way he moves between loving and domineering so seamlessly, it's as if there are two of him.

"You are mine little dove." He chuckles again as he looks down at you, the gleam in his eye, conveying a message that you are having trouble reading.

"Things have changed yes, we will figure out how to make you more comfortable, but one thing remains constant and that is you."

"You don't get to decide that." You wanted to say this with conviction but it comes out weak and feeble. You and Aemond have hardly ever fought and when you do, he wins every time.

Aemond sighs and smiles. "But I do. See i decide if we stay together. Me, and i have decided that we will. Now if there are things that we can work on to make you more comfortable I am happy to do that" He pushes his face into the crook of your neck as he whispers, " It's what's best for both of us"

You push him back, his arrogance finally pushing you over the edge.

"Who are you? Huh? This isn't you! This arrogant, entitled twat!" The dam that was holding back all of your frustrations fully bursts and you can't help yourself from offloading.

"You flirt with models right in front of me, you-"

"IT'S AN ACT!" He explodes, and you jump back, his voice unrecognizable.

"You think I want them? Those vapid cunts?" He grips your arm tight and shoves you down onto the sofa. The movement jarring.

"Don't shove me!" You move to get up but he leans down caging you in with his arms.

"When I sleep, I dream of you, when awake, I dream of you, when I do anything, I dream of you. There is not another for me, not in this lifetime or the next."

You push your body back on the sofa, trying to put a little distance between the two of you. He glares at you for a moment, lowering his arms from the sofa and bringing them to your shoulders.

"If you leave, I will find you, and I will drag you back to me" He slowly drops to his knees in front of you, sliding his arms down the length of your body in the process. "I'll always find you."

Your eyes widened slightly in fear. His love has always been expressed in gentleness, kind gestures, and soft caresses.

"What happened to being partners? Since when have you owned me as you seem to think?"

"I always have." He looks at you, not with malice, not with hubris, but with a look that tells you he takes this to be simple fact.

He pushes your skirt up, and begins trailing kisses up your thigh.

"Aemond.... we shouldn't. " His grip on your thigh tightens, but he doesn't stop. Your mind is telling you to push him away, stop him but your body is succumbing to his dangerous allure, like a lamb to the slaughter.

The closer he gets to your heat, the faster you lose your resolve. He's always had this effect on you. When he kisses you, touches you, loves on you, you all too quickly fall to your knees.

He slides his hand up your other thigh, slipping it under your skirt until he reaches your hip, gently squeezing at the flesh there.

You close your eyes and lean back on the sofa as he continues to lick and nip at your thigh. Every touch of his skin to yours sending currents of electricity through your veins.

"We're gonna be fine darlin" His voice is hynotizing. Just a moment ago you wanted to punch him in the face and now you are spreading your legs wider to give him enough room to fit his face between your thighs.

"That's a good girl, such a good girl" He moves his hand from your hip to your heat gently caressing you through the thin fabric of your thong.

"For someone who thinks we shouldn't be doing this you are very very wet" You feel the embarrasment rush to your cheeks but are unable to stop yourself from gently bucking your hips upward.

Aemond chuckles and clicks his tongue. "Is that was this was all about hmm? Have I been neglecting you sweet girl?" He moves your thong to the side and brings his finger to the wetness pooling there. "Hmmm seems I have, you poor poor thing" He mocks with fake sympathy.

You sigh as he grips your thighs dragging you to the edge of the sofa. pushing your skirt all the way up and exposing you to him.

"So fucking pretty" He leans forward and flicks the tip of his tongue on your pearl. Your leg twitches in response and he pulls his head back.

You groan at his teasing scooting your body closer to his face, as he starts to chuckle.

"Now, now sweet girl. I'm going to need you to admit, that you aren't going anywhere." He lightly scratches at the sensitive skin on your thigh with his thumbnail. You were supposed to break up and leave, This life with him was making you miserable. "Give me what I want, and I will return the favor" He again leans forward and flicks the very tip of your clit twice.

The teasing is starting to drive you to madness, you came into this room with conviction and a plan but it looks like you would leave this room with shame and satisfaction. "Fine! I'm not leaving, I'm not, I promise, I promise!" You feel a mix of discomfiture and arousal coursing through you but at this point you just don't care.

"Mmmmm" is the only sound he makes before again leaning forward and taking your engorged nerve into his mouth and sucking on it harshly.

"Fuckkkk Aem" You bring your hand down and grip his head, pushing his head closer to you and he is more than happy to oblige.

He slides a long course finger into you while he continues to swallow at your pearl. The sensations have your legs shaking uncontrollably, and as if your hips have a mind of their own, they buck gently against Aemonds face as he gives you everything he knows you want.

His finger crooks inside you, rubbing at the pad inside, gently calling your orgasm to him.

"Oh fuck ahhh!" Your whole body stiffens as he quickens the pace of both his mouth and finger.

As you tumble forward into your peak, you squeeze your legs around his head, the blood rushing to your face heating up your entire body. Is this heaven, or have you been tricked into hell?

After you finish sitting dumbstruck on the sofa, Aemond wastes no time. He slides towards you on his knees, wrapping his hand around your waist.

You rest your exhausted head on his shoulder and wrap your legs around his hips. With just one arm he lifts you slightly off the couch and slowly rises to his feet, you feel the muscles in his chest and shoulders tighten as he lifts you and himself from the floor carrying you into the bedroom. His hard cock pressed against you.

"Have I got you all stupid for me, sweet girl?"

You make some incoherent noises as he gently drops you onto the bed and climbs on top of you.

"I love you" He breathes the words directly into your ear, the sadness in his voice not lost on you. He slots himself between your legs tightly gripping your thigh and pulling it up against him.

"You can't ever leave ok?" He roughly kisses you before you can respond while he pulls you closer by the thigh pushing himself up tight against your core. "Not ever".

Aemond ruts against you, still fully clothed. "Can't live without ya." His voice sounds strained like this is taking everything out of him. "Won't live without ya." His movements become more rough, more desperate.

He pulls back from you just long enough to get your panties off, disposing of his boxers and trousers in the process, before slotting himself back between your legs.

He slides an arm under your back, bringing his hand to the back of your neck, raising your face to his.

"All I want is you. All I've ever wanted is you." His lips meet yours in a searing kiss, a kiss that screams don't go.

He pushes himself against your entrance, begging to be let in. You lean back further parting your legs and he pushes forward slowly.

"Fuck, I love you, oh gods I love you" He moans as he fills you up. Once he reaches the hilt, he lies down on top of you, sliding both of his arms under your shoulders before he gently starts to move against you.

Your bodies are pressed together so tight. You can hardly tell there are two separate people here.

"I'll never let you go, I'll never let you go," he repeats this over and over as his speed increases, his voice changing from desperate to domineering.

He grips your shoulders tightly, holding your body in place as he ruts up into you. "Do you understand now? You can never leave. I love you. You're mine. " his thrusts are slowly getting harder, as the heat again builds up in your abdomen.

"Fucking mine. Always mine. Forever mine," he growls the words at you as he bites into your neck.

"I'm gonna fill you up." He bites into your shoulder, pushing himself as far into you as he can get, but pushing ever still. He can't be close enough to you. He can't be far enough inside. Everything feels like it's just not enough.

He pulls back from you, has his speed increases, and his rhythm falters.

"Cmon cum for me sweet girl" He licks his thumb and brings it to your nub pressing down harshly on the nerve, his movements furious.

You whine out, your legs trembling as you feel your lower stomach growing tighter and tighter, the feeling overwhelming but so good. "Aem." You whimper, "ohhh gods"

"No baby, it's just me." He watches in wonder as you reach your peak for a second time, arching your back and yelling out loud.

"That's good. That's a good girl. Fuck yes baby" His movements become sloppy and he grips your hips tightly as he chases his release. "Say you love me," he growls his hips smacking against your skin with a loud slap sound as you moan out riding out the top of your pleasure.

"Fucking say it" he grunts as he tries to hold back his climax, "Please baby say it." His face is contorted somewhere between pleasure and pain until you acquiesce.

"I love you." The words flow from your mouth so delicately, so naturally. There was never a question as to whether you loved him. The question is whether that love is enough.

Hearing the words from your tongue immediately sends Aemond into the climax he was fighting as he screams out like some kind of feral animal thrusting into you harshly as he rides out his high, collapsing onto your chest leaving himself sheathed inside.

"I love you too"

You wake up the next morning to the alarm on your phone going off and grumble, turning it off and rolling onto your side, looking at a sleeping Aemond. Feeling ashamed of yourself for giving into him last night.

As you slide out of the bed to get ready for work he reaches out and grips your wrist tight.

"Where are you going?" His eyes are still closed and his body hasn't moved the only thing alerting you to his consciousness being the hand tightly gripping your wrist, and his voice.

"To work?" You move again to get out of the bed thinking the matter settled.

"Oh, no we are sending your letter of resignation today" He opens his eyes and shifts in the bed stretching but not releasing your wrist.

"Aemond, i'm not quitting my job!" You can't believe he would even think that was an option. You love your job. Why would you quit? Why would he even want you to? You look towards him in utter confusion as he slightly tightens the grip on your wrist.

"You can't go. You might not come back." He yanks you back into the bed crawling on top of you.

"Like I said before. You're gonna stay right here"

To be added to a taglist click here

[edennill]

If Tolkien characters had Tumblr blogs part 2:

part 1

Finduilas:

url: waitingtothewind

pfp: drawing of a fictional crush in pastel colours (babygirl fulfills her royal duty to exercise patronage over artists by comissioning reams of fanart lol)

bio: ✧˖･* princess finduilas of nargothrond :) ✧˖･* 47 ✧˖･* poetry appreciator ✧˖･* romantic at heart ✧˖･* girl of many fandoms ✧˖･* favourite animal: doggos ✧˖･* favourite food: strawberry juice ✧˖･* and if I had a voice that could make mountains melt I would walk over stars just to see how it felt ✧˖･*

title: ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

has a very pink custom theme with a fancy font. runs a fandom/aesthetic blog and stays clear of discourse. writes really good meta that is quite popular and poems that get notes in the single digits. doesn't really know how to deal with anon hate. participates in every tag game she comes across.

Maeglin:

url: keeps changing it between @molelol and @twilitdark because he likes small animals, but wants to sound edgy.

pfp: keeps changing it between a baby mole and the kind of very dark photo where you can't really see what it's supposed to be.

bio: M / not a minor

title: the dark under the trees

guards his personal info incredibly closely (a good practice, but how much of it is due to his father having been so controlling that he learned secrecy early on is up for discussion). rarely posts, mostly reblogs photos and shitposts. vaguely vents about his idril/tuor/gondolin/treason problems. when he gets into discussions with people he can be uncomfortably fierce, has sent anon hate on occasion.

Celebrimbor:

url: craftingsilver

pfp: red eight pointed star (default variation, not technically fëanorian) on yellow background

bio: older/younger than you think | look I've seen the Trees that's enough | Noldorin jewelsmith | male

title: time and soul, wrought and tempered

mostly posts and reblogs crafting tiktoks and tips, sometimes adds a dash of science, philosophy or something personal. has made a resolution to filter out any posts pertaining to his family on his dashboard and keeps to it almost till the end. shows a strong sense of humour and has gathered quite a following.

Idril:

url: celebrin-does-things

pfp: blurred photo of her with her back to the camera

bio: 500s - architect, wife and mother - everyone is welcome

title: "ammë, there's winter in my boots"

started off as a miscellaneous blog, but shifted to being mostly about Eärendil's shenanigans. she vaguely vents about maeglin/gondolin/cousin's treason sometimes, but still comes off as way more laid back than irl. hardly used her tumblr before her son was born and still treats it mostly as a place to document things he has said + a way to talk with like three treasured mutuals. the architect part in bio is mostly a ruse because she has only ever completed one or two projects but can hardly reveal she's a princess, can she? (before the fall of nargothrond if she got on tumblr it was to nag Finduilas to remove her personal info from bio hah)

@eri-pl, this is in part because you asked (a while ago, sorry), though I'm afraid I don't have much to say about all your suggestions. I prefer not to get into Sauron's headspace actually, but the idea of him having access to social media is horrifying lol. And Pharazon has all the worst characteristics of Reddit atheists, non-ironic modern white supremacists and racist trolls rolled into one with the added horror of the new unsavoury state cult. Míriel is not allowed a sim card🙁😬

also I'm just now realising I tagged a compatriot in something I wrote at 3 am so if you have time stamps on you now know my messed up sleep schedule and if you don't I've just told you lol but never mind.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hi BPP,

I'm convinced Billboard has a spilt personality for real because how do you write an article about it being difficult to produce big stars right now, turm around a do a hit job on K-pop and Jimin specifically in order to quash his chances for any American noms and awards

***

Hi @ejassy

Lol Billboard doesn't have a split personality, you're just not really listening to all they're saying.

(Brian is something of a twat sometimes but even he has his moments)

Billboard's problem is not that it's difficult to produce big stars right now, it's that (1) the big stars that are being produced are doing so outside the legacy framework and direct influence of the American rainmakers - the American labels and middlemen who would demand their cut, and instead it's fans of various artists who can influence which artists rise to the top; and (2) that the big artists that are being produced (by fan engagement) are increasingly non-white, non-American, and non-English-speaking.

That's their conundrum.

It's a problem they've had since 2018 when BTS out of nowhere showed up in the top 10 on the Hot 100 with Fake Love after it not just went viral, but was sustained on the charts driven by demand from American pop listeners (this was the time many members of the Bey hive joined the ARMY fandom and BTS caught on with the pop-listener 'gp' in huge numbers). Since then, every award-season article Billboard has published (since 2019) has had the same tone as the one published yesterday, with each year Billboard getting more overt in their disdain, and the quiet part of what they actually mean to say, getting louder.

I've been writing on this blog for over a year about BTS, k-pop, fandoms, and the music industry, and if there's one thing I suggest people take from it, it's this: it's important to understand that everything about BTS represents a world in which the industry gatekeepers as they're currently structured, are rendered obsolete.

It's why the Korean music establishment had a similar reaction to BTS from 2013 - 2017. BTS should not have been as successful as they became, they didn't come from a Big 3 company with all their industry connections as most successful groups did, they didn't have the backing of an American conglomerate as more recent breakout groups like Fifty Fifty did, they didn't have the typical visuals, sound, vocals, styling, etc that the most popular and successful groups did.

All they had was their hunger, their talent, their hopes, and their pride, with Bang PD using every bit of streetsmarts he had to navigate the cutthroat competitive environment in the industry. And the fandom quickly realized, as early as 2014, that they could not possibly operate like every other k-pop fandom if they wanted BTS to ever have a fair chance.

It wasn't until BTS became too big to ignore both inside and outside Korea, that the Korean music establishment start giving them their dues. Personally, I expect the same pattern for Western recognition. BTS was well on pace to deliver on that promise in 2020 with their MOTS tour - it was planned to be bigger than Taylor Swift's tour is today, back then. It was rumoured to be bigger than anything anyone, even Beyonce, had done till that point.

...but we all know what happened. Dynamite was a huge hit but in comparison to what could've been, it was a pitiable substitute.

Cue the English trilogy and Grammy attempts, snubs, and hiatus. Now there's a vacuum left by BTS, that most k-pop groups are trying to use to establish themselves with the same toolbox ARMYs and Western stans are using, while leveraging BTS's reputation, and the American middlemen are watching to see which groups are most compatible for them to partner with so they too can get in on the action and not get left behind.

Because the reality is that the landscape has changed. Fan engagement is not going away and will have to become a key consideration for creating 'big stars'. Everybody recognizes this. Not everybody likes it, not everybody accepts it, but everyone understands that this is now how the cookie crumbles, and that BTS and ARMY are a big reason this is now the status quo.

And the fact is this has earned the group and fandom, more enemies than friends.

Jimin, by virtue of being a BTS member, is not exempt.

Like I said before, there are many types of people in fandom spaces and everyone has their own reasons for being here. Some trivial, some not. But anybody who actually considers themselves an ARMY should take the time to understand what it means to be a fan of BTS. In my opinion.

[tvmigraine]

Disney (Almost) Made an Anniversary Kamen Rider

You remember during the 2000s where Disney owned Power Rangers? It wasn't a bad era in terms of what was put out, but maybe I'm bias because I grew up with it. Running from Ninja Storm to RPM, Disney had a troubling run with the show - the quality was good for a kid's show, but Disney did not like making it. It's not a secret that they were trying to bury Power Rangers, the show only continuing after RPM because it was bought back by Saban. It doesn't feel like a coincidence they sold back Power Rangers less than a year after buying Marvel Entertainment.

And ever since, Disney has had no interest in Tokusatsu as a genre. You could argue the closest they ever came was Mech-X4, a Disney XD show about a kid controlling a giant robot to save his town.

Then rolls around the 100th anniversary. Tokusatsu is still as popular as ever in Japan and, while Super Sentai isn't as popular as it used to be, Kamen Rider has been going strong ever since it's revival in the Heisei Era.

If Disney wanna make money in Tokusatsu, it makes sense to put it in Kamen Rider.

This is the Imagination Belt. It was released last month and, honestly, I'm glad I got back into Kamen Rider in time to see the strangest anniversary celebration yet. It was produced by Bandai and I won't pretend this is officially a Kamen Rider product - it's made by the same company, but that's not enough to call it that.

But it sure takes a lot of the beats!

As a person who has previously rambled about a non-existent canon surrounding a Sonic Screwdriver toy, I really appreciate that this gives me more to talk about inherently. Kamen Rider historically has been getting more and more Riders with every era of the show and this toy is no different - ten different Disney icons made into marketable... keys... how did they not do Sora-

Nevermind, I'm glad they didn't.

The designs aren't great, I won't pretend they are, if you're a fan of Kamen Rider. It's clear the character designs were leaning closer to Kingdom Hearts (or even Spectrobes, if you remember that), so it's hard to judge them in terms of your typical Tokusatsu outfit. That being said, the consistency of the goggles does imply something about this uniform - if it's as important as the belt to be included on everyone, that's notable.

There's also a notable detail with the Imagination Belt itself - the Keys. Half of them are Gold, half of them are Silver, inherently splitting the team of Riders (Imaginators? Imagineers? Disney Adults?) in half. It implies simply that the goals of all the Riders don't align, that perhaps they're in a battle.

The Character Selection is also brought to mind. I imagine it's based on multiple factors, like popularity in that area and inclusion of specific brands... but that doesn't stop them being weird. Including specific representatives for Marvel, Lucasfilms and Pixar absolutely make sense - the choice of Woody is textbook. Iron Man equally makes sense, but the design has him look (personally) more like Lightning McQueen, which may just be a flaw of similar colour schemes.

But Grogu? Ya coulda picked anyone from Star Wars and... I get that The Mandalorian is probably the best received in pop culture... but the implications that he's getting his powers from a space baby is quite funny.

NOTE: The specific split of teams is Gold Keys belong to Mickey, Minnie, Simba, Woody and Iron Man - Silver Keys belong to Snow White, Moana, Tiana, Elsa and Grogu.

They also have built in power-up modes, specifically "Full Max" which seems to grant a power boost based on related characters - Mickey's Full Max gets help from Donald, Goofy and Pluto, meanwhile Simba has Timon and Pumbaa for example. But in your typical Tokusatsu, if your power-up involves other iconography, that tends to involve beating monsters. Are the monsters for "Imagination Belt" other Disney characters? Were Donald and Goofy evil beasts that had to be defeated? Did Woody have to beat Buzz Lightyear and the other Toys-Turned-Monsters? Minnie's Full Max is her with a cat, did Minnie Mouse have to fight a CAT?!

But onto the Lore Implications...

There's easily enough here to build an insane fanfiction, as you're about to see, but this does continue a point that I really appreciate about toys - kids, collectibles, whatever you want. You can tell your own story and it's not even difficult. Everyone has inherent creativity and, given a small amount of time, you can make any story out of any objects.

Case in point...

"Imagination Belt", to me, feels like Ryuki or Geats - it is a Rider War (Disney Adult War) where these two factions of "heroes" are fighting. It's probably against each other, Gold vs Silver, but you can imagine there are other monsters in between as your usual plot hooks.

The "Riders" of this world likely have their powers from raw imagination - passion for something that manifests in the Keys, giving them power in return. If the imagination becomes twisted.

Based on appearances, the Iron Man and Grogu Riders probably are leading both teams, the conflict started by the both of them and spiraling from there. Mickey is the obvious protagonist, Grogu looks like he'd make a good rival to keep the protagonist moving forward.

And there may be only ten official keys but Disney is an all-consuming black hole of creativity. There could be a lot more and you know it.

[meraki-yao]

I have a question since you're from surrounding regions, is taylor actually well known in china? Why do you think GQ went with him there are a lot more famous celebs, taylor doesn't even have a lot screen exposure

So for some reason, I'm taking this question super seriously.

Please note that 1, I can only speak from my observation and my position 2, I'm from Hong Kong, so there are certain things about mainland China that I might not be aware of

Regarding Taylor's notability in China:

Is he well-known? Well, and I say this with all the love I have for Taylor, not really. In fact, during his time in China, there have been several cases in the videos that I reposted that you can hear people ask in Mandarin "Who is he?" A few more recounts I read said that quite several people who ended up near the fan crowd asked "Who is that handsome foreigner?" and followed and took photos/videos of him not because they recognized him, but because they were intrigued. (but side note, even the people who didn't know who he was said that 1, he's really handsome 2, he's really friendly, so that's sweet)

The thing about Taylor's notability in China comes in two regards:

1, RWRB became one of the most popular western queer media to be distributed on streaming platforms in China (especially since most if not all of the local queer media is banned, yes I'm angry about it), so this part kind of goes without explanation

2, Taylor uses Chinese social media platforms, which is really rare for Hollywood actors. This gives him a platform to interact with Chinese fans, since because of firewall/censorship, it's a hassle (and technically illegal but shhhhh) for Chinese fans to check his Instagram/ Tiktok/ Twitter(not that he uses it)/ Threads

Regarding the reason GQ went with him:

1, it was a personal invitation from the Editor-in-chief of GQ China (so more or less the head PIC of the event). They met during the Ferrari show, the Editor, Rocco Liu invited Taylor, Taylor said he'll come if it works out with his schedule and the rest is history.

2, And this is my speculation (because I care about international relationships and thought about this a lot), but I think GQ wanted to try something new by inviting Taylor, a Hollywood actor (and thus promoting the overall image of China but that's getting too political for my taste on my own public platform), and since Taylor is (a) currently popular since RWRB is still relatively new and the Chinese fandom is still really active (b) evidently willing to try out the local ways of things as seen from him using and operating his own Little Red Book and Bilibili account.

I mentioned this before, but I think that since Taylor was so willing to try new things (which is a quality of his that I personally admire greatly), all the people/organizations/companies in China who got in contact with him saw the opportunity to experiment and see what a Hollywood actor could do in a Chinese setting/market and how much traction he can bring. That's my guess for why he was so busy and going from event to event non-stop, and evidently looking tired by the time he was going back to the States (especially for someone who appears to never be tired)

So yeah. I think they took Taylor's enthusiasm for trying new things and his currently persistent popularity in China and ran with it. Not that it's a bad thing though.

But I will say this, for the GQ event, all sorts of people were invited. The most famous ones with a considerable career already (think the equivalent of RDJ, Brad Pitt, Leonardo Dicaprio etc), the currently popular young stars (think the equivalent of K-pop stars or the "white boy of the month" trend) but there were a considerable amount of people that I completely never seen or heard, and neither did a lot of Chines audience. In fact, I don't know who the two ladies who were in the same boat with Taylor during the water carpet are. So there's also that.

[kaissauce]

Oh I would love to hear your essay on Kirby's personality please, if you still have it! You have a really lovely interpretation and its alway nice to see people talk about love :D

Thank you! i still have the essay it is a bit old but im too lazy to revise it entirely so it’s flawed but i think i got the important points down

i didnt look at the manga interpretations of kirby because there’s a lot of them and there’s not much of note

im putting the essay under read moreee

Kirby: A deep dive into a pond

The Kirby franchise is one of the bigger ones out there. It’s been around since 1992 and has about 38 games since then. Despite being pretty popular, when you ask people just who Kirby is they’ll probably give you simple answers like “he’s that little pink ball who’s happy and innocent” or “that guy who fights gods over cake”, but just how accurate are these descriptions? Who really is Kirby?

To answer this question, I’ll be looking at three different mediums of the Kirby franchise, the game, the novels, and the anime. Of which, have different canons and portray Kirby in different ways. I’ll start off with the game iteration. In the very first Kirby game, there isn’t much to Kirby. There’s no dialogue or pause screen descriptions. Anything personality-wise can only be guessed from his actions. In this game, Kirby sets off to get the sparkling stars and food that King Dedede stole and bring it back to the people of Dream Land. From this alone we can tell how kind he is for going out of his way to fight all these enemies and bosses to give food back to the people. In Dream Land 2 and 3 he saves Popstar yet again, even saving King Dedede from Dark Matter despite their qualms in the past. However, Kirby’s Adventure is an interesting one, as it deviates from the black and white good and bad that was set up in the Dream Land games. Though King Dedede split up the star rod, preventing the Fountain of Dreams from flowing, he did it to prevent Nightmare from giving everyone in Dream Land bad dreams. Kirby doesn’t know this and immediately assumes that King Dedede is up to no good. He pieces the star rod together and defeats King Dedede, but as he approaches the fountain to put the star rod in its rightful place, King Dedede tries to stop him. Though, it isn’t out of malicious intent. He shakes his head and looks worried. Kirby doesn’t listen to him and puts the star rod back in the fountain. Only to release Nightmare. Kirby’s completely shocked by this, not knowing what to do. Luckily King Dedede doesn’t hesitate to get Kirby up there to fight Nightmare. This game’s important for the development of both Dedede’s and Kirby’s characters. It shows us that Dedede’s grown from the king who would steal from his citizens and that Kirby isn’t flawless. It highlights a glaring flaw of Kirby’s: he doesn’t stop to talk it out. Never does he resolve something by talking or reasoning with the big bad, which tends to work out most of the time, but in Kirby’s Adventure and Squeak Squad, the dangers of this are shown with Nightmare and Dark Nebula respectively. Although, the dangers aren’t permanent due to how powerful Kirby is.

Kirby doesn’t speak in most of the games besides a “hi” every now and then. He does in Kirby’s Avalanche, a spin-off typically viewed as non-canon and “out-of-character”, and is shown to be quite cocky and sassy. He calls Poppy bros sr.’s bombs “pathetic”, insults Broom Hatter’s avalanche skills, “I'd worry more about cleaning up your Avalanche skills first”, as well as insults Kracko’s aiming skills “You couldn't hit a barn sized lightning rod, Kracko”. However this is not the only time Kirby is shown to be cocky. In the pause screen descriptions of main games, Kirby is sometimes the one to be describing his copy ability, which happened more commonly in the games before Return to Dream Land. From these descriptions, Kirby’s personality especially shines. Some are goofy like tornado and freeze, “Spin spin spin spin spin Spinspinspinspin Spinspinspin AAAAAUGGHH!”, “Stop! Come no closer! I'll chill you to the bone!” and some are confident and cocky, “Flaming tackle time! Who's gonna stop me?”, “No one can hurt me! Look out below!”. Generally these descriptions have an upbeat charm to them, which matches how positive Kirby tends to be. Although, Kirby isn’t always happy-go-lucky all the time, which is highlighted by a joke in Super Star Ultra that wasn’t translated that clearly. In the english version, the narrator calls Kirby a “jolly fellow” prompting Kirby to make a frowning face. In the Japanese version, it’s more clear as to why he makes that expression, because the narrator’s being dismissive of any chance of Kirby having troubles by essentially saying he has nothing to worry about. Kirby is generally a happy person, yes, but he still feels other emotions and it’s not out of character for him to get angry or sad, even over small things like getting knocked out of a tree while looking for apples (Scene in Epic Yarn) and not getting anything at the picnic (End goal game of Crystal Shards).

Kirby also proves himself to be pretty smart, able to reprogram robots, able to drive, able to raise baby chicks and a very skilled fighter. He’s also independent, though Meta Knight and King Dedede are sometimes seen as mentors to Kirby by many fans; while in reality they're more so rivals and friends.

So that’s how the game Kirby is, what about the Kirby in the anime? This Kirby is notably different because of how much younger he is. Awoken 200 years too early according to Meta Knight, this Kirby is a baby. Like the game Kirby, he tends to be positive and has a sense of justice, fighting and defeating monsters almost every episode. Unlike the game Kirby, they need guidance and tend to be pretty oblivious as well as gullible. Tiff, Tuff, and Meta Knight all help with this, with the first two taking older sibling roles and Meta Knight taking a weird mentor that doesn’t seem as helpful as he should be. This Kirby is also very kind hearted and even befriends three monsters, Chilly, Phan Phan, and a baby Galbo. He isn’t nearly as powerful or smart as his game counterpart and he is notably a lot more emotional, which makes sense considering he is a lot younger.

The Kirby in the novels written by Mie Takase, is more similar to the game Kirby than the one in the anime is. Notably this novel really exaggerates Kirby’s impulsiveness and love for food. He’s also pretty weak in comparison, mostly when he doesn’t have an ability. However, the biggest difference between this one and the game one is that he’d actually try to talk things out before resorting to violence. He is also more emotional than his game counterpart, getting much angrier at Magolor’s betrayal and even gets scared when he sees that Void Termina looks like him.

^ That’s where the essay ends it’s incomplete and im too lazy to make a proper conclusion but im gonna add on some stuff

My take away from all these iterations are that some constants of Kirby are that he cares about his friends and wants to protect them, trusting to a fault (could be taken as he’s naïve but i see it as he sees the good in everyone), generally positive, and rash

as for why my interpretation is the way it is, yes a good chunk of it is projection but it’s also to highlight different sides to him and make him more of a person, because if that polygon interview taught me anything it’s that Kirby’s supposed to reflect the player’s emotions, not his. And frankly I find that boring! I want to see him express extreme emotions I enjoy the subtle hints to his personality in the pause screens of his abilities in older games i enjoy his sassy remarks in avalanche.

essentially im trying to build off of what little is put in place to give him a fleshed out personality. the constants i listed above are what I try to incorporate in it, and as i built off of those i find other traits to give him, like strict moral code which stems from his rashness and care.

call it overanalyzing but i find it fun despite how tedious it may seem picking out the tiniest details (and i mean TINY. i even took the fact that Kirby sent Marx into the nova at the end of their fight into account as spitefulness–because he didn’t NEED to do that but dude was pissed) to build a character around when there’s other characters that have much more basis.

thank u for reading, sincerely kaissauce who is up at midnight typing this last part so idk how comprehensive it is anyway thanks for asking this so i had an excuse to ramble about kirby

[daraemory]

tl;dr I’m really struggling to find my place in the pro-wrestling fandom.

(disclaimer: I’ve been taking a break from twitter and tumblr for the past couple of months so I don’t know anything about any recent iwc drama, what’s been going on in the dirt sheets or even the more legitimate wrestling news sources. i’ve been on tiktok some but unless it’s a ship or thirst edit, i hardly watch any posts on wrestle-tok.)

i feel like all i ever see in the wrestling fandom is people talking about how everything sucks. how terrible the product is. don’t get me wrong, people should be free to criticize pop-culture no matter the genre or medium. there is absolutely a LOT of problematic things in the industry that should be called out publicly.

it’s just, that seems to be all there is. wrestling makes me happy. i want to be in a community with other fans who are made happy by it too.

maybe it’s because i’m too used to the typical tv/movie/book fandoms. while i will jump at the chance to tell anyone who will listen how there is no greater performance art than wrestling, that is more “real” than marvel or star wars (which i both love) or any other popular franchise, that no “method actor” in hollywood comes close to what pro wrestlers do year round… but at it’s core it’s still about stories and characters and that’s the way i tend to approach it.

i want to have thoughtful discussions about current storylines like how luchasaurus is showing signs that he is breaking free from christian’s influence, theorize the possible motivations he had for choosing christian over jungleboy to begin with. i want to talk about how dalton castle is spiraling under the weight he’s put on his own shoulders to save ring of honor. i want to talk about the new version of warhorse and what led him to feel he had to change everything about who he was. my shipper heart wants to explore why jay white mentioned his “destino” only days before naito finally main evented wrestle kingdom. i want to read pages of meta about past arcs like the corruption of brandon cutler from his time with peter avalon where he refused to cheat to his becoming the “stooge” for the young bucks.

i am tired of “booking” and “pushes” and “ratings.” yes, i am aware that that is just as much a part of wrestling as the characters and the storylines. it’s just, for right now at least, i want wrestling to be a place where i can escape and lose myself in kayfabe just like i would in any other fictional world.

there’s just so much real life awfulness going on in both the world at large and in my own personal life, i want to be able to stay away from negativity in the things that bring me joy. and while it has been refreshing to just watch wrestling on tv without knowing about any of the back stage bullshit, i am longing for a community to discuss the things i love about it. i have a handful of wonderful non-wrestling friends who are always happy to let me word-vomit about what’s happening in kayfabe, but it isn’t the same as being able to have conversations with people who have the same knowledge and enthusiasm for the stories and characters as i do.

i just wonder if there is such a place in this fandom for me. or if that’s just not how wrestling fandom works. or if that’s how all fandoms are these days. admittedly, i’m a fandom old. i started out in fandom reading fics from yahoo mailing lists i accessed on dial-up internet.

anyways, i just needed to get this out. if anyone has any advice or thoughts about this, i welcome them, but please be patient if i don’t reply right away as i’m still not ready to be back on tumblr regularly.

[pavardscherie]

oop im sorry!! i meant karin adeyemi

quick note: i don‘t know karim adeyemi personally. it‘s based on imagination, watched videos and my personal opinion. use of you and she pronouns in a very switching, and confusing way.

let‘s be completely honest here. having karim as your boyfriend will probably give you cramps of laughter every second day. almost each sentence is laced with humore, mostly laughing and joking around. so obvsiouly karim adeyemi would love a woman, who enjoys the fun side of life, and maybe has a very addictive laugh, which only spurs him on to make her laugh more often.

be prepared to be around jude bellingham a load. the two get a long very well, joking around and always sharing a good moment together. obviously, karim introduces the girl he likes to the one man that knows him extremely good on the team. jude‘s been there, done the dating a non-famous person thing, and completely busted it with thinking that she only wanted the acknowledgement.

how lucky he‘s around to share a little advice with karim. and if jude likes you, you already earned a hell load of extra points. there are two options you can be when meeting his teammates, confident and greeting them all before they can, or shy and taking a step back to let karim take over. and he definitely prefers the latter, as it gives him enough time to see their reactions, and introduce you with the sweetest compliments.

as karim adores the african food, especially a dish called fufu, he would love to show you africa, especially nigeria since it’s where his father is from. the entire culture is a very interesting part of his life, and he wants to share that with his significant other. you don‘t need to have the same culture or be completely obsessed with it, he just wants to show you and make you understand where he‘s coming from. bonus points if you actually like fufu, and learn how to cook it.

also, be prepared to spend loads of vacations in romania. he‘s been to his mothers birthplace multiple times, and even knows a few words in romanian, and he will show you the country with much joy. so if you love to travel, and are really excited about new things or learning new stuff, you’re the right one for karim. also spontaneity belongs to his life as well. he never has a promised day off, it always happens biased on the different training sessions, and how the progress is. long walks, sightseeing, and deep conversations in a sweet, little cafe belongs to the adventure.

i'm pretty sure, he loves to go out, he's a young, popular guy, playing football for a living and there's always a little advantage in that. if you're down to go with him, he's always taking you, showing you off and has his hands on your waist. if you don't want to go, he loves a trustworthy woman, who knows that he might get a drink or two, but he would never take advantage of his situation and cheat on you.

so, karim definitely loves a girl who can do both. the comfortable and calm lifestyle, walking through the beautiful streets of small towns, and having deep conversations. but as soon as the white moon settles between the golden stars and the loud music echoed through the busy streets, he takes you through the night's adventures.

style-wise, i would definitely go for the up-to-date one. following a couple of trends, not all of them, but in the end, it's most important to him that you feel comfortable in the fabrics you wear. his jersey is his favorite thing on you, that's sure, and he adores it when you're in the stands, supporting him and he is able to dedicate his goals to you. appearance-based, i'd go with a dark-haired, tanned or darker skin tone woman, who just fits his entire vibe.

big, brown doe eyes, or maybe even green ones which are very rare, the hair braided or in curls. karim doesn't care what it looks like, as long as you're happy and comfortable with it. karim appreciates you in every single way, showers you with compliments and praises you, how good you are for him and make him feel. so, also be prepared, for a very sweet boyfriend, with high hopes and the desire to make it work for a long, long time.

[cyarskj1899]

Never gonna forget that the only credible source and respected celebrity throughout the trial was a WHITE WOMAN.

not those lying gossip blogs that are not for black folks

not those male rappers who were dehumanizing her

a white journalist.

A crime reporter with a Bob hairdo that was so mother

Op-Ed: Megan Thee Stallion Is Owed a Massive Apology From Too Many Black Folks

Image: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartRadio.

Black folks, we need to have a real chat.

Today, after a whirlwind trial filled with inaccurate reporting and malicious viewpoints, a jury found Canadian rapper Tory Lanez—born Daystar Peterson—guilty on all three charges in the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. Specifically, he was found guilty of assault with a firearm, negligent discharge of a weapon and possession of a concealed and unregistered firearm in a vehicle. 

Zora Neale Hurston once wrote, “if you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” Although she spoke of the silence of Black figures and voices by way of white supremacy, the Black community exerted this same violence in the case of Megan Thee Stallion. 

It's true that we often shy away from critiquing ourselves—meaning our community—as we receive a great deal of finger-pointing externally, but we cannot continue moving like this. This message is direct to you, Black people. 

Leading up to this trial, Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, was met with such vitriol and disgusting hate for her decision to come forward against Peterson. As a result, she received death threats, has been slut-shamed, and was questioned about whether or not she was harmed and wrongfully disrespected for something she did not do to herself. Above all, an enraging level of misogynoir—a deeply inherent contempt, prejudice and dislike of Black women—was displayed across our community by not just Black men, but Black women and gender non-conforming folks as well. 

This hatred of a Black woman with status, popularity and security in her being is not uncommon though. Famed track star FloJo even experienced it at the height of her career. There is a certain threat felt about Black women with the aforementioned traits as it goes against the constructed notions of subservience expected of her, both traditionally and historically. 

This is a devastatingly overdue conversation we need to have in our community and not shy away from. As Malcolm X observed, the most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. Comedians cosplaying and mocking the worst parts of our women, the Tyler Perry shows that are unforgivingly crude in their depictions of us, and the misogynoir think pieces, podcasts, social media posts and blogs—they all profit off the disrespect of Black women. 

If you are familiar with Megan's story, then you are aware of the compounded hardships she has experienced, especially as of lately. In court, she admitted to even having suicidal ideations because of the treatment she has gotten from people. This is unacceptable. 

Is the placement of Black men on pedestals more important than the livelihood and well-being of others in our community? 

This is not to say that the Black man is not deserving of protection, but it does not evade the need for total accountability. From the #MeToo Movement to women's rights, it seems that the over-glorification of Black men has emboldened many, regardless of gender, to be dismissive of the lived experiences of Black women. And we know where this comes from and what it is rooted in. But it does not mean that we cannot evolve or progress past such archaic thinking. We can no longer choose to stand by folks simply because of our connection to Blackness. It's not an "anti-Black Man agenda" or a need to vilify them. This behavior that our community has incessantly normalized is harmful and almost cost a young woman her life and dignity.

Now that Peterson has been found guilty, after two years of people caping for him blindly and wishing ill against the "Hot Girl," she deserves so many apologies from so many of us in the Black community. 

All in all, Megan needed our support and too many of us failed her. Outside of the persona of who she is, Megan Thee Stallion is a Black woman who was victimized and ridiculed for coming forward about her mistreatment. Instead of being shown love and compassion, rappers wrote diss tracks about her, Black women shunned her from their so-called beloved sisterhood and unsolicited judges of public opinion deemed her unworthy of justice and care. 

Unfortunately, this decision regarding Tory Lanez/Daystar Peterson will not bring her peace or real justice. She will continue to be seen as an outcast by a vast amount of people globally although she was the one shot. 

Let this trial be a lesson about the importance of discernment when it comes to the media sources we consume, the words that come out of our mouths and a reminder to question your internalized misogynoir when situations like this occur. Analyze the ways in which you perpetuate hatred against Black women, may it be purposefully or not, so that you can properly show up for the Black women in your own respective lives. 

No matter what happens after this guilty verdict, we should hope and pray that Megan Thee Stallion is uplifted by genuine people who hold her in the highest regard and will protect her. 

No further questions. 

Sent from my iPhone

I’m sure we all would’ve loved to see a black journalist get this same level of attention and accolades but that’s just not how it worked out. Urban media took Tory’s side despite his piss poor case. You anti bw cocksuckers have nothing to blame but yourselves Y’all dropped the ball heavily.

And that goes for urban media/black celebs that never acknowledged the situation until after the verdict was read. Not one of those fake af journalists urban /black media outlets nor those biiich arss celebrities (50 cent, Drake and akademics among others. )was correct throughout this whole time only a white woman was getting respect for being ethical and honest.

This case could have really been the one to open the door for black journalists! But instead they wanted to be the first with the "tea" an be apart of the trauma already being invoked upon a black woman while sucking on the peen of a violent degenerate

These gossip girlies and these biiich arss celebrities are going to the deepest pits of hell and for what? Two years of slutting themselves out for a little demon with violence tendencies and toxic masculinity? Talk about Huge opportunity wasted a disgrace and insult to credible and legendary black journalists and a disappointment to hardcore fans of faves who were willingly throwing away hard work and integrity to be such a whore for a demonic little man and dehumanize a bw smh!

[nightcoremoon]

my experience in the Harry Potter fandom (before we all realized Rowling was a talentless hack, an attention whore, and a spiteful bitch) from ages 6 to 12 was blind adoration, until the last book came out and was a steaming pile of shit thus killing my interest in the series and turning me into the most jaded of teenagers you’ve ever met in your entire life.

i still read the odd fic here and there, but ages 13-16 I was way more into avatar the last airbender, avengers, pokemon, jak & daxter, warcraft, inheritance, death note, invader zim, and all of my contemporaries were into HP and twilight and thus by extension so was I. and I still occasionally was like okay yeah the books are mediocre schlock at best but hey they helped destigmatize the occult in the mainstream eye, and the movies did the best job they could with what they were given, and the books COULD have been good if only you’d just changed like 90% of them. the fandom wasn’t about the books themselves, it was all about the culture that the books had created. because nobody really read any of the books more than once because everybody just watched the movies (DON’T EVEN LIE AND SAY THATS NOT TRUE).

we all rolled our eyes at rowling jingling her keys to make us talk about it again and again but it’s like, ok so dumbledore is gay but you didn’t fucking show it and you made the actual gay character lupin die offscreen, ok so snape was apparently a good person underneath being a toxic shitlord but you didn’t fucking show it and you made the actual only good person hagrid a complete non-entity, ok so Anthony Goldstein was apparently your jewish representation but you didn’t fucking even say his goddamn name once in the entire series and the only black characters were racebent for the movies because you didn’t fucking even mention they were black because we know full fuckin well that every single character was white except for CHO. GODDAMN. CHANG.

all you really had to do was say, okay yeah in my youthful ignorance I accidentally made a contribution to problematic media and so I will now strive to fix my mistakes and write a new series that shows how I have grown as an author. except she didn’t do that. she just greenlit the cursed child and accepted royalties for fantastic beasts. and if it weren’t for eddie redmayne and the fact that it’s part of a licensed franchise, the movie would have totally flopped. it was not very good. and jude law and johnny depp did their best but the script was awful and it suffered from prequelitis (which so far only Star Wars has avoided and even then only very narrowly due to saturation). rowling didn’t even have any fucking writing credits on the movie but she made a fat stack of cash anyway. that’s a trend you’ll notice.

every single way I ever found enjoyment in the fandom was in reading people on here suggesting ways to improve it, or to parody it. like desi harry and black hermione, a very potter musical, potter puppet pals, a billion different rewrites that were all way better than the source materials. i even read my immortal, AND YES IT IS REALLY REALLY BAD not even in an ironic so bad it’s good kind of way, I mean that it was just absolutely godawful in every conceivable way, and was only a highlight of how not to write a fanfic. it was so bad that I reread the original books as a palate cleanser. and let me tell you this, harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone is one of the clumsiest books I’d ever read as a teenager. it’s completely amateur in every way, and it made me understand just why it was so popular with the 13-16 year old crowd. it was written at their reading level. the passages from the actual HP books are all virtually indistinguishable from fanfictions I read over a decade ago made by people who are in their early 20s now. in fact there are plenty of fanfictions written by teenagers that are better written than even the least shitty HP book which is defaulted to half blood prince if only because for once there’s actually some narrative cohesion that isn’t a complete and total ass pull and because if you’ve written five full length books then you goddamn well better understand the basics. engaging with the source material was not fun at all and the only way to milk any fun from it was to make fun of it. and by age 16 I was sick and tired of the cynicism. and around that age is when I joined the my little pony fandom.

and they were the two best years of my life at the time. it was nice to be engaging with wholesome content while also making memes that poked fun at its occasional harmless flaws. I watched other fandoms from a distance but MLP was my primary and honestly it still is, I just haven’t been as heavily involved with it these days beyond listening to the music and rebubbling fanart and even on occasion dabbling in the fanfic realm. but it was integral to me figuring out that hey wait a second I’m not a boy after all haha oops. so when I was 18 and finally transed my gender everything was… fine. ten years later I’m more into games that end with craft lmao

and then everything changed when the terf nation attacked.

by the time the queer parts of the Harry Potter fanbase (who weren’t abject pieces of garbage) were shocked & appalled by the betrayal I was the old coot in my rocking chair holding back the urge to say I FUCKING TOLD YOU SO. when people went back and were like, hey actually wow the books were full of racism and antisemitism, all of the black brown jewish etc parts of the former fandom did not hold back the urge to say we fucking told you so. but as a whole white trans people didn’t really seem to care about its problematic natures until it affected them. which is not a good enough reason to bully harass and suicidebait them especially since they were like 12. thankfully that seems to have done wonders in having the collective media literacy of white trans teenagers increase somewhat. that was a few years ago now and I’ll freely admit that I’m somewhat out of touch with the youth right now, I don’t have a tiktok, I don’t use twitter or instagram, I barely use tumblr. i couldn’t tell you the name of one single popular singer these days, and if I did it would be someone that the kids would roll their eyes at and call me a boomer because I said rihanna or beyonce or nicki minaj or something from the 00s and/or 10s. my favorite musicians all started in the 90s. if I asked out somebody who was only 20 it would be weird and creepy. i know where I stand in society these days and that’s fine. but I don’t exactly know where things stand as far as where most teenagers are at. i hope they’re doing fine. i hope they escaped the clutches of the damage HP did. oh wait I forgot about the blood libel game, gOD DAMN IT-

[just-an-enby-lemon]

@unrestrainedbalderdash said they don't care if I put Jonathan Crane into my idea of how I would do an adult Scooby cartoon. And since they are someone who I really liked and I really just need one person saying "hey is okay" to me to overly babble over something here we are.

Disclaimer: I did not watch the Velma show. I saw the trailer and reviews but that is it. This is also not a recreation of it. It's merely how I would do an adult scooby doo story with a more representative cast.

▫️Alpha Kappa Scobby (I'm bad naming stuff)

Is time to grow up.

With the end of high school comes the anxiety inducing question of what to do next? To the Mystery Inc. the answer was always obivous: continuing solving mysteries together. Unfortunally fate appeared to have other plans. Between parental presure, a crashing economy, a shitty job market and an investigation that abelit sucefull ended up breaking the Mystery Machine, hurting a civilian and facing the local authorities ultimatum that they could not keep their unregulated detective agency it appears to be the end.

But the thing is mysteries never ever leave the gang. Where they are things happen and as they face the monsters of adult life other monsters may appear on the way. Are they ready?

▫️The Gang

- Velma is our main characther. She is a second generation imigrant kid from an indian-american family, possibly autistic (mostly represented by her sensory issues and examples of masking) and a genius who suffers from anxiety and the pressure that both comes with societal expectations related to prejudice, familial expectations (especially as a second generation imigrant) and being a gifted kid. She is also a lesbian.

- Shaggy is Shaggy. They are a possibly stoner black latino (he may be a stonner or it may be just harmfull steriotypes possibly both) and they are also ace and non-binary using they/then pronouns. Norville is their deadname and the fact their parents call them that is a dead give away of the time of people they are. Shaggy was adopted and their parents are upped middle class white guys who adopted three POC kids and act extremily white saviour over it. Their bio parents are implied to be scientistis at Star Labs that died in an freaky accident when they eere still little. They may have something to do with Scooby being a talking dog. Though they met by Shaggy adopting a stray puppy. Their personality is still the same. Except for the parents issues. Like they are still the same glutonous coward who cares a lot for their friends and likes bad horror movies.

- Scooby is Scooby. Like nothing changed at all about him. Except that outside the gang people do question the fact he is a talking dog. Since their world is really weird people go from allien to failed scientific experiment of either LexCorp or Starlabs. The more accepted theory is that he is the first non-human to manifest a meta gene. He isn't being studies because he flied over radar until the gaang started solving mysteries and at this point he was too popular plus the governent had other more important issues going on. So he is just a fact.

- Daphne is a girl who defy expectations. She is weird. She has two mons (a thing I know is cannon on the Velma cartoon and am using), one is a british martial artist and the other a american fashion designer and she got very deep into both of her mons careears. She has some relatives in jail and she learned a bunch with them. She loves to learn except not the school stuff, so her grades were meh and people usually saw her as just a pretty face, even though she has a bunch of great skils like fighting, fashion, faking signatures, lock picking, stealth, acting, a bunch of sports and more. She is bissexual and has a huge crush on both Elvira and Hex Girls. She also loves escape artists (being good at scaping herself) and is a fan of bad horror movies and campy actors. She also has a crush on Fred.

- Fred is a sweet bissexual himbo and he is very clearly neurodivergent and definitvaly autistic. He stims a lot, has dificulty getting social clues, misses most sarcasm and some abstract expressions, has a huge special interest in traps, sometimes goes non-verbal, just the whole book. He is a rich white boy but fails to meet his misoginistic racist parents expectations not only by hangin with the gaang but by having a disability. His parents never took him to a doctor to be diagnosed because they believed it would bring shame to the family to have a disabled kid and just hoped he would "grow out of it". He does have some internalized prejudice but it's working to be better. He also has a huge crush in Daphne, is a very supportive and loyal friend and infodumps people a lot.

▫️The Pilot

The pilot episode starts with the gaang reciving their ultimatum and having to undergo an state aproved course to became private investigators and be abble to keep the Mystery Inc. going. Shennanigans issue and they all end up failing.

Daphne is too good on the self defense courses and also may have caused a teacher who implied she would need to do sexual favors for him if she hoped to pass in his boring law class to never be able to walk again. Luckily he was too afraid to press charges.

Fred keept trying to insert trap making into the course to ridiculous extremes.

Shaggy broke the vending machine, ate all the food and also just keept running away from the clues in all the pratical texts. They answers also mostly involved running and getting uninvolved.

No one knew if Scooby should do dog training or humam courses and he ended in a confusing stream of buerocracy.

Velma should by all means had suceeded though and the only reason she failed was racial bias. She tries to brush it off, after all she was not going to be a detective on her own anyway and all her friends failed, but it clearly afects her and this will be a thing hanging over her head the whole season. The episode ends with Velma discovering she got approved to a full scholarship on a fictional ivvy league university outisde of Crystal Cove she had applied more for her parents sakes than her in criminology.

▫️They failed what now?

After a whole debate during the second episode and the gaang being supportive even if it means it is the definitive end for them, Velma decides to go to college. Of course trying to keep together the whole gaang somehow ends up involved with the campus.

- Shaggy and Scobby get a job at the college cafeteria that Shaggy uses to move into a trailer in the college parking lot (that they plans into turning in a food truck) so they can get away from their transphobic parents. Scobby of course moves with them.

- With help of white rich cis man priviledge Fred gets accepted to the same school but into architeture (he does uses this knoledge to plan traps but also realizes he likes projecting rooms on general). The thing is thanks to missanderstanding a sarcastic coment from Velma he ends up being part of a very "bro" fraternity. It's mostly played for laughs as he definitivally doesn't belong there but also accidentaly starts turning the guys into better people. But also features on Fred understanding his priviledge and the internalized prejudices his parents dumped on him and evolving past them and also dealing with ableism.

- Daphne decided to try to work in a close by cafe and became roomates with a goth girl called June that works with Shaggy and Scooby. Both are fired and decide to open an etsy store together. She is also doing an online course on fashion. Velma has a crush on June and June is implied to have a criminal past. The etsy store is mostly used for laughs though it also is used to show Daphne dealing with being different from soceity expectations and the hardships of having a small bussiness.

▫️The Plot

The story focuses on their adventures on campus as they deal with adult life but also as weird things keep happening and students end up either getting murdered or disapearing all the time. While focused on episodic shennanigans with characther growth as the linear aspect there are some key episodes that show that there's a major conspiracy involving the university's past and the looming presence of an white supremacist cult.

▫️Cool and all but where is Jonathan Crane?

The thing is if I was writing this series I would make the connection with DC be mostly references with some few special episodes starting on the second season (including the obligatory Batman team-up and a episode were Riddler, who is on his P.I arc, is hired to the same case the Mystery Inc is in and they have to work together). So we would have things like Scooby possibly having the metagene, Velma being a Batman fangirl and having some batfam merch in the middle of her detective merch, Fred being a Green Arrow fan and buying trap material for Ace Chemicals and LexCorp, Daphne mentioning her uncle Alfred or Shaggy's bio parents having been Star Lab scientistis. Some name drops like WayneTech or Lex Luthor.

The exception being Jonathan Crane. Jon is an actual relevant secundary characther. After mysterious circunstances involving a fight with the dean, a recomendation letter and an ultimatum, Jonathan leaved Gotham University and became a teacher at the Yet To Be Named University where the gang is.

His disciplines are an eletive about phobias, psychophatology and forensic psychology. He is famous over the campus for being a genius and a great teacher but also for being harsh, having extremely high standards and hard exams and just being creepy and really really weird. There is legit theories of him being some kind of cryptic or a ghost. He has the uncanny hability of walking without making any noise and being abble to be silent and quiet until he suddently scares someone with his presence. He speaks little outside the classroom and is always alone. And if someone tries to be friendly with him, he will just leave and let the person hanging. No one ever saw him eat only drink coffe (that may be spiked with whisky sometimes). He is mostly saw outside classes either writing/typing or reading (he only reads text books and horror stories). He has a crow in his office and while the bird is calm and sweet with him it sings creepy old childrem rhymes and it definitivaly attacked a student who got emotional over a bad grade and started screaming with Crane.

With all that being said Crane is Velma's fsvorite professor and she is his favorite student. He doesn't presure or mocks her and is fascinated by her theories and they can discuss psychology, chesmistry, literature and criminology for hours. They respect each other and have a deep understanding being fairly similar (and yes make Crane be also POC, prefencialy south asian), they are friends and with her family alway Velma sees Crane as a pseudo father-figure. Even Crane's bird Ichabod seems to also enjoy Velma a lot. The rest of the gang has more mixed views of Crane. He is always polite with them but he is also creepy as hell specially with Shaggy and Scooby as he asks them a lot of questions about their fears.

Every single time someone either dies or disappears everyone accuses Crane. He is ALWAYS a suspect. And Velma is his only defender (sometimes the gang as whole also). And he is always show to be innocent. But is also hinted that he is still planning and doing Scarecrow shit and while it's played for laughs the huge impact Crane and Velma's bond have to Velma overcoming her issues is a hint that when it finally happens of Crane being the guilty part and his Scarecrow persona coming to light it will break Velma's heart.

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Duke Who Didn't. By Courtney Milan. 2020.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Genre: historical romance

Series: Wedgeford Trials #1

Summary: Miss Chloe Fong has plans for her life, lists for her days, and absolutely no time for nonsense. Three years ago, she told her childhood sweetheart that he could talk to her once he planned to be serious. He disappeared that very night.

Except now he’s back. Jeremy Wentworth, the Duke of Lansing, has returned to the tiny village he once visited with the hope of wooing Chloe. In his defense, it took him years of attempting to be serious to realize that the endeavor was incompatible with his personality.

All he has to do is convince Chloe to make room for a mischievous trickster in her life, then disclose that in all the years they’ve known each other, he’s failed to mention his real name, his title… and the minor fact that he owns her entire village.

Only one thing can go wrong: Everything.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: graphic sexual content, microaggressions

OVERVIEW: I was so excited when I saw this book at my local bookstore. I love Courtney Milan's work, and I was excited to get my hands on a hard copy of The Duke Who Didn't. It was wonderful to read more from Milan - and even more wonderful to read a historical romance that centered East Asian (particularly Chinese) characters. While there are little things here and there that I could nitpick, I found this book to be overall very charming, so it gets 4.5 stars from me.

WRITING: I don't think I have anything to say about Milan's prose that I haven't already said before. I love the way Milan makes her writing seem so effortless; it's quick, it's descriptive, it's full of emotion, and it balances showing and telling well. It's also full of heartfelt speeches that I've come to associate with her stories, and it had a tendency to grip my heart at the most unexpected times.

PLOT: The plot of this book follows Chloe Fong, the daughter of a Chinese immigrant living in a small village in 19th century Kent, as she helps her father start a commercial business selling sauce. Chloe plans to sell jars of sauce during the Wedgeford Trials - an annual event that draws visitors from all over the UK. If everything goes according to plan, her father's sauce will become popular enough that they can have a more comfortable income. The trouble is that the sudden appearance of Jeremy Wentworth, the Duke of Lansing after a 3 year absence threatens to throw a wrench in Chloe's plans, especially since the two have a powerful attraction to one another.

I really loved the story of Chloe and her father trying to get their sauce business off the ground. Not only did it show the two working together and butting heads in ways that clearly betrayed their affection for one another, but it also provided a nice commentary on what it meant to be "from" a place.

And perhaps this is an easy thing to like, but: I did appreciate the fact that this was a historical romance that focused on non-white characters. The genre is overrun with white characters, and though things are changing, I feel like anything I read by Milan (or various others like Beverly Jenkins or Alyssa Cole) is a breath of fresh air.

CHARACTERS: Chloe, our heroine, is easy to like and root for because of her dedication to her father and his business. Chloe is stubborn and determined but also over-works herself and refuses to accept help; these qualities make her relatable without making her perfect, and I liked that her arc involved learning to accept help.

Jeremy, our hero, is also easy to like because of his teasing and laid-back manner. I enjoyed the way he pestered Chloe without being mean-spirited and I liked that is arc involved not only learning to be "serious" ("earnest" might be more accurate?), but also accepting that maybe what's best for him can't be found in white British society.

Chloe's father is an effective supporting character in that he challenges both Chloe and Jeremy to grow. I liked that he and Chloe shared some of the same faults (overworking and refusing to accept help) while also having clear affection for one another. Descriptions of his cooking skills also made my mouth water on more than one occasion, and I laughed whenever he made his food overly spicy in order to mess with Jeremy.

Most other supporting characters are only minimally involved in the story, so a thorough analysis isn't really necessary. All of them served their purpose, so I didn't really feel like any were dead weight or distracted from the story.

TL;DR: The Duke Who Didn't is a delightful, heartfelt romance that really shines when showcasing the father-daughter relationship and the contrast between the two protagonists' personalities. If you're a fan of historical romance but are getting tired of Regencies about rich white people, you might want to give this one a try.

ROMANCE: Chloe and Jeremy's relationship was fun to read about in part because the character personalities contrasted nicely. Chloe is a planner and is always making to-do lists while Jeremy is more laid back and impulsive. Despite this difference, they played off each other well, and I liked that their disagreements were good-natured while also challenged each other to think and grow.

I also very much liked how their arc involved supporting one another. Jeremy fills an emotional need in Chloe's life by helping her learn to share her burdens, while Chloe helps Jeremy feel worthy after being rejected by a lot of people for being half Chinese. Their individual arcs and growth as a couple complemented each other well, so on the whole, the romance was very emotionally satisfying.

[dojae-huh]

Jaehyun is a visual and all I get it but I don’t get why he’s so popular when he doesn’t interact and do fan service as much as other nct members it’s weird. I get Koreans like visuals and he is kind of talented but why internationally aswell. Doyoung caters to fans way more as do yuta taeyong ect

There are several possible factors that work on different people.

Jaehyun is a visual. He is objectively and conventionally hot. The height, long legs, abs, photogenetic symmetrical face with a wide jaw, thick hair, clear skin. Jungwoo is a long bean, Taeyong is scrawny, Taeil is short, Doyoung is very thin - they all have fans who like their appearence, but Jaehyun is less about individual taste, he checks the instinctual "traits to look for in a potential male mate" list.

2. Jaehyun doesn't have very distinctive Asian features, he often dies his hair blond/brown, he speaks in English without an accent. As such he is "familiar" and attractive to more ethnicities. He looks both Asian and Caucasian. Does he look Hispanic? Opinions?

Sidenote. The fact that people of one ethnicity prefer people of the same ethnicity/similar looks is not racist, it's biological. When a child is born he learns the features of "my people", he also learns how to tell the faces apart by using traits he sees, traits that are familiar (long prominent very individual noses of Caucasians vs short similar noses of South Asians). When the child grows up he will look for familar, safe and genetically similar. Studies show that daughters of mixed race parents usually prefer partners who resemble their fathers (skin colour).

One of my collegues, a white person but with black hair, was constantly mistaken for a Thai. Only due to her black hair. As "farangs" are blond/brown in the minds of Thai people. My Indian friend was also called Thai by Thais, but this time because of the brown skin.

3. Jaehyun is an all-rounder, he is in the centre. As such he has "higher status" among neos. Fans like higher status members. Easier to brag about their bias.

4. Jaehyun is hot, but he is non-agressive, polite, smart and humble. He is the perfect idealised boyfriend.

5. Jaehyun can appear different. He can be goofy, he can be sexy, he can be dreamy. The fact that he is not very talkative and is "unbothered" allows to mold him into a desireable role, he is a clear canvas for those who don't spend much time on getting to know their idol. He can be painted as a frat guy, an alpha/daddy, a cute looser, a caring young father of two kids, etc.

6. Jaehyun is an all rounder, but he is not a threat to a bias. He doesn't threaten Tae's leader position (Doyonug does), he doesn't threaten Taeil main vocal position (Doyoung does), he doesn't threaten the variety king/social butterfly position of Jungwoo (Doyoung does), he doesn't threaten Johnny's sexy body title (Jae is fit, but he is shorter and weaker), he doesn't threaten Mark's role as the maknae and a Dream member in 127 (Haechan does), he doesn't threaten Yuta's actor career (Jae acted in a mediocre tv-series, while Yuta starred in a famous franchise, a movie for big screens), he doesn't threat TaeMark's rapper positions.

Jaehyun has brand deals and is sent to programmes, but he is not the one with the most spotlight on him. He seldom participates in content for YT, he is not asked to MC big shows or sing OSTs in Japanese series. He still irritates some, but not that many.

[kodicraft]

I for one would LOVE to see your cyberpunk rant.

(btw i appreciate a lot the fact you would encourage me to post about this /gen)

Alright, here goes.

I'm gonna start by reiterating the initial things I said when I "announced" this, I stated that big budget alien (as in, sci-fi with a focus on non-human space lifeforms, think Star Wars or Avatar as opposed to something like Interstellar) and Cyberpunk stories tend to be a big waste of a really great concept due to prudery, anthrocentrism (I'll be defining this word I made up later) and occasionally racism.

I think both alien and cyberpunk stories tend to suffer from these issues but they appear in very different ways, so I'll talk first about cyberpunk and then about alien stories.

Cyberpunk is a genre that hinges on great technological progress, people now have cybernetic enhancements, everything is an electronic device and everything is interconnected on the internet. While "cyberpunk" was first claimed by a futuristic sci-fi story, cyberpunk as we know it was popularized by Cyberpunk 2013 (and its sequels). It decides to take a much greater look at the social and political consequences of this technological progress which arguably made it very attractive back in 1988. Nowadays more than ever, its setting and story can be used as a direct parallel to the present time and it's clear that it's still a very popular genre thanks to games such as Cyberpunk 2077, arguably one of the most anticipated video games in the last few years.

Obviously, when you have something as large as "technological progress" as a critical plot point, you can take it in lots of creative directions! You can say a lot about the world by displaying current or potential abstract issues with a concrete image like body augmentations.

In 2020, quarantine forced a large majority of the world to work from home, entirely dependent on their electronic devices for working and ultimately being able to live. This can be directly compared to electronic enhancements in cyberpunk stories. These are electronic devices that can allow people to work and socialize in entirely new ways, however they are made by corporations, often closed source, and very expensive. Cyberpunk stories can take these fundamental concepts they have and put them in convincing stories to be able to comment on the real world and create an immersive universe. These are incredibly powerful tools for conveying your world and making it interesting.

Do big budget cyberpunk stories do this though? Rarely, if ever! In Cyberpunk 2077, augmentations are never questioned. They have none of the flaws of a real electronic device and are instead just an excuse for abilities and the occasional plot armor. What sucks even more is the fact that in order to convey their world, these stories rely on extremely fucking stupid tropes.

Sex work, god I fucking hate sex work in cyberpunk stories. It's always literally just used to "show how bad things are". If you know me, you know I genuinely respect sex work and that I believe it is unfairly stigmatized and separated from other types of work. Obviously, the white allocishet male does not care because he is a prude and immediately correlates seeing a prostitute with a sign that society is crumbling.

I hate how prevalent sex work is as a cyberpunk trope, it's shoved in the face of the person consuming the work because the writers couldn't find a genuine way to use all of the tools their genre allows them to have in order to convey the depth of their fictional society. It's a crutch for bad writers, and quite frankly really insulting to sex work. Like please, these people have consumed porn in the past, of course they have, do they really lack the thought process to realize that it's a very important part of society and that it simply existing isn't a dystopian feature?

Sex work can definitely be used in good ways, don't get me wrong. I will always love works that genuinely normalize or comment on the stigmatization of sex work, but big budget cyberpunk stories written by prudes don't do that.

Same goes for gender stuff too, like are you gonna tell me that in this world full of electronic prosthetics and enhancements literally nobody is openly non-binary, transgender augmentations aren't literally everywhere? That's an incredibly unconvincing aspect of these stories that's entirely due to the fact that the writers are so goddamn close-minded and probably all cishets.

This is also the part where racism comes into play. I'll be more brief about this because it's not nearly as common as the other two criticisms I have at least in my experience, but it's worth remembering that cyberpunk is a very occident-centric genre mostly written and consumed by whites. Part of the appeal (to some, not to me) of cyberpunk is its "exoticism", how "different" it is from the present (which as I already stated is not true, but again, this is only the case to some people). Obviously, when you're a white writer with an immense toolkit of creative tools, what do you do? Fucking base yourself on asian culture.

Oh my fucking god.

The stereotypes of "Japanese" and "Chinese" culture are fucking filthy. It genuinely feels sometimes in these stories like the world is governed by weebs. I can understand that "Japanese culture" is very different from the Occident in a lot of ways that can be interesting to explore, it's genuinely uncomfortable as fuck when characters are literally just stereotypical anime men and women. Playing through Cyberpunk 2077 with its stupid-ass focus on this futuristic Chinatown felt like I was visiting a Chinese town as told by a American conservative.

This even combines with the prostitution point from earlier! White men fetishizing Asian women is nothing new but it's just way too fucking present in these big budget cyberpunk stories. Since the teams in big corporations are so heavily stacked against women and POC, it's clear why that's so often the case.

The last point that I cited was the "anthrocentrism", now, that's a term I coined myself because I couldn't find a preexisting word that said what I mean.

Anthrocentrism refers to a tendency in writing fictional non-human characters as just humans with "differences" shoehorned in. Think anthropomorphic two-legged aliens that breathe that are mammals or androids with mechanical blood that need to eat something (but oooo it cant be human food!!!). This is just a design route I hate a lot, humans aren't the center of the world and real beings aren't just humans but different. These anthrocentric characters tend to have very surface-level differences from humans that are made into big important plot points just to try to show how different they are, which really just brings attention to how they're not that different at all. I think Avatar is a very good example of that: Avatars are literally just bigger stronger humans with blue skin, a cat nose and a tail. They are mammals, they still breathe, eat, hunt, have societies with birth rituals, death rituals, hierarchies, etc. That fucking sucks so bad, these aliens are more similar to humans than 99% of creatures on Earth.

But I'm not talking about aliens yet, anthrocentrism tends to be apparent in big budget cyberpunk stories through artificial intelligence! For some fucking reason, these AIs are designed to be limited in very similar ways to humans. They don't benefit from multithreaded thoughts or snapshots or clusters or even internet connectivity. These are all features of computers that can be incredibly interesting for an AI but their implications are deep, you can't just multithread a human mind, you need to design a mind from scratch to support features like these, and obviously clever design is too damn hard for our poor close-minded big budget writers. I like how Portal decides to do this with GlaDOS. GlaDOS is a backed up human mind, while she gets access to controls for the facility and a highly advanced processor, she isn't fully artificial. Her human limitations make sense and are convincing.

In Cyberpunk 2077, Delamain is just an AI that drives cars. It has a human face n shit, but it's just a driver. Does it have anything that makes it different from humans fundamentally? Nope, its only differences from human characters is the fact it talks very formally and doesn't have a physical form. This is such a goddamn waste of a perfectly good idea because the writers can't be fucked to write a non-human character without it just being a human with surface level changes.

You can make the excuse "humans made it so it makes sense that it would resemble humans" but like when has that ever happened in real life? Literally what piece of technology around you has been designed to resemble humans? Our technology is an interface between the human world and a mathematical abstract world. Why don't we have characters that are the other way around? Why don't we have mathematical abstract characters that need interfaces to interact with the real world? That would be so cool! Strange non-human entities that program their own interfaces so the human at the monitor notices their presence, trying to learn human language based on their natlang processing code in order to communicate. That would be so fucking cool!

Let's go back to Avatar because I still have more to bitch about. The anthrocentrism in the series doesn't end at the design of the characters. Next time you watch one of the movies, pay attention to the breasts of "female" Aliens. Just admire the fucking lengths the artists went through because female nipples can't be shown on screen. They still want their aliens to look tribal and primitive for some reason but no nipples, not allowed. I think that it should say a lot about how these characters are just different humans that the prudery of the executives forces their clothes to behave so awkwardly. Star Wars for instance does a little better on this front but quite frankly most aliens that aren't based on humans are nothing but one-time side characters, which is possibly more insulting than them not being there in the first place as it shows that the writers only value human-like characters.

Why???? There are so many animals on earth and you pick fucking humans??????? Motherfucker there are creatures on god's green earth you could convince the whole of the internet are aliens from how they look and behave but you decide to make them anthropomorphic breathing mammals? With custom biology you can create such interesting characters with particular abilities and a unique culture that's so different from the real world that it truly feels like seeing another world, another convincing world that could have been ours.

The racism shows here again. I think we can all immediately identify the issues with displaying any non-human societies as "tribal" with "primitive" technology unless they're the bad guys. To white close-minded humans, that's what non-humans are.

Also, considering the fact that these writers aren't really making a creative and unique biology this is a bit of a moot point, but really, no alien reproduction? Are humans such prudes that we can't even imagine a reproduction process that isn't unacceptable to show to children? You are creating Aliens, fictional creatures, you have full absolute control over the biology and sociology of these creatures, you are literally god itself but you still drop an integral part of who they are just because it's too sexy.

Now, I do recognize that this is not always because of close-minded white neurotypical allocishet male writers, sometimes it's because of close-minded white neurotypical allocishet male executives! Either way, at some point in these high budget creations there is someone who doesn't understand their own humanity, who doesn't understand what humanity is or means, who can't put themselves in the boots of someone who isn't a white neurotypical allocishet male, and because of how the world is right now, that person is the weakest link and makes the chain break.

Smaller budget stories are just so much better, usually they are written by people doing it out of real passion, smaller groups with lots of creative cohesion, and usually people with a way better grip on reality.

I myself am currently writing my own sci-fi story, and am paying attention to how my setting can be used to comment on the present while creating an engaging fictional world. I've experimented with creating custom species and cultures in the past and if you know me you know I ain't no prude. I'll post it here once I'm done, this way if I'm a hypocrite I can be fairly judged for it.

Ok that's it for my rant, again thanks for feeding the fire that is my spiteful soul.

[stylewhiz]

Majestic Wild Horses - Spirit Animal

'Images of horses running free invoke a sense of freedom we aspire to as humans galloping daily through our lives'

Horses are considered noble and have been workmates throughout history in the fields, on the battlefield, or as transport when vehicles were non-existent. The aura of a horse is magical so if you were born in the Chinese year of this magnificent beast, you will likely bear similar traits of cheerfulness - enthusiasm, and liveliness as the horse is a jovial creature that draws in the crowd with a charismatic personality. It's hard not to love the horse person as they are free-spirited with a Pollyanna vibe that makes others think they have found the secret to a forever happy life. Depending on the year you were born your quirky, horse attributes can vary according to the Chinese elements of gold (metal), water, fire, earth, and wood. The five elements rule the cosmic flow of change in this ancient Asian philosophy so people born under the the guise of a metal horse may be a rebel, popular in friend groups with a super-strong intellect.  While In contrast, an earth horse is reliable, steadfast, and always ready to help others. As you can see the elements bring a shade of dark and light to the horse's personality much like the shifts in climate as our earthly seasons evolve.

'The spirit of the horse has been celebrated throughout the ages in myth'

The Turkish Tulpar a flying horse often seen as black or white while the Greeks revered the Hippocampus, a horse with a fish tale, and a white-winged steed named Pegasus held in high regard with the eight-legged Sleiponer and Unicorn, a majestic white apparition with a horned head. The Native Americans believe each person has a spirit totem animal, a counterpart that walks symbolically by your side exuding similar character traits. If you are blessed enough to hear the hooves of horse cantering by your side you will gain resilience, strength, and bravery.  Horses leap over massive jumps like obstacles in life showcasing an ability to work with the natural world and promote harmony. Those who encompass the qualities of a horse have an aristocratic and brave style of trotting through the wilderness of strife. If you fall the horse encourages you to get back up and ride again. This shows in the global paddocks as competitive and fast-track learning. The horse is a friend to humans carrying him through the good and not-so-good times with optimism and endurance. Dogs may be considered man's best friend but the horse is the star of human help They are pack and therapy animals popular in sports, for breeding, and on the racetrack or rodeo. Horses are endearing and the relationship between horse and rider teaches us the art of teamwork and the closeness one can attain when learning new skills. When you connect with the soul of a horse you touch the spirit of their magic and bond with their sacred heart.

Author ~  Linda (Style Whiz)

spiritualdecor.org