#and their traits will too when they grow up

[witherby]

If Mouse got traits from everyone, did anybody got traits from Mouse?

Oh, what a cute question! Let's say yes!

Dick learned to relax his standards for himself. Mouse isn't a vigilante, they don't have perfect grades, and they always take breaks or communicate when they simply can't or don't want to do something. Dick has started giving himself the same leniencies — he'll actually rest when he's sick instead of powering through it, he'll forgive himself for mistakes he's made, and if he simply doesn't want to do something, he won't. He's learning through Mouse to stop chasing perfectionism.

Jason picked up on Mouse's penchant for sleeping in. They like being in bed and being lazy. The world will still be there when they decide to grace the rest of the manor with their presence, so Jason adopts the same attitude. The perpetual bags under his eyes disappear in six months and his rage induced by the Pit becomes ten times more manageable. He and Mouse kickstart a mandatory Family Nap Time when it seems like everybody is running on empty.

Tim starts learning how to take things at face value. This family often has problems saying things outright, except for Mouse, who says what they mean and means what they say. If they're hungry, they're going to verbalize it. If they're disinterested in something, they're going to verbalize it. If they feel sick, they're going to verbalize it. No, Tim, they aren't actively starving to death or disinterested in a topic because they secretly hate you or seconds from dying of a plague. Please quit overanalyzing every little situation.

Damian grows a funny bone. He spent so long trying to shrug off the title of "youngest Wayne" and "baby bat" that he became almost grizzled about it. He's overly "no-nonsense" and acts more mature than he sometimes feels for the sake of being treated seriously, which costs him the leniency that comes with a normal childhood. Mouse's carefree mannerisms and easy optimism, as well as taking over the title of the baby of the family, allows Damian to let loose a little bit. Now he's more accepting of his desires to goof off and play games for the sake of having fun instead of being productive.

Alfred got the full Grandfather experience from Flittermouse. He's so used to being in a family of hyper-independent people that he didn't realize he wanted to feel needed. Because he knows that Bruce and Dick and Jason and Tim and Damian are perfectly fine without him. They don't need him to cook, or clean, or tend to their wounds, or help them with anything, really. They want him around, though, because they love him and he all of them, which is enough for him.

But a baby? Babies need to be tended to. They need attention. They need care. They need to be fed and clothed and cuddled and doted on. And Alfred didn't realize how much he missed doting on little Bruce when he was a child until he was gifted the chance to do it again with Mouse.

Hal learns how to be a parent with Mouse. He develops patience so, so quickly, because you have no choice when you're taking care of a brand new human who's never human'd before. He also secretly uses parenting tricks he's learned raising you on some of the planets he's called to oversee and communicate with diplomatically. Gentle parenting a whole race of K'inleons into avoiding war with another planet was not on his bucket list but damn was it effective. And, like Jason, he learns to stop and rest with Mouse, too. Maybe he doesn't need to pick up extra missions as a Lantern and stay up late patrolling his sector of the universe after doing a check just hours before. Maybe he can just stay on Earth and rest and be Hal.

Bruce would've picked up Mouse's easy capacity to love if they didn't already learn that from him. Bruce's one, fundamental trait is his optimism and capacity to believe in second chances. But Mouse does teach him to communicate more effectively with his loved ones. He slowly but surely gets over his fear that muttering the words "I love you" will not end in that person's death. He allows himself to display his vulnerabilities and admit when he's tired or wounded, instead of soldiering on after the battle is won.

[randomfandomworks]

Caleb x Reader

Word Count: 1.2K

Pronouns Used: (You/Your) (occasional use of feminine titles such as Mom or Mother)

Warnings: Mentions of Pregnancy and Birth (only mentioned, not heavily described)

A/N: The Domestic Caleb brainrot got the better of me, not disappointed though just realizing I probably should have gone to bed earlier instead of proofreading (the proofreading did literally nothing, I suck at proofreading)

Dad!Caleb who will love his kids either way but expects a son to be his first, one he can raise to be as protective as him.

Dad!Caleb who’s eldest turns out to be a daughter, a daughter who just so happens to get his protectiveness and her mothers attitude and skills.

Dad!Caleb who spends plenty of time outside with her either training or helping her climb the apple tree you two had planted years ago when you moved into the house.

Dad!Caleb and his matching haired daughter coming inside with their arms overflowing with apples, big, proud grins on their faces.

Dad!Caleb who spends extra time with you in the kitchen preparing a number of different classical and creative apple dishes with your freshly picked fruit.

Dad!Caleb, who never stops wearing the necklace you got him, though it’s a bit worn now, and notices the interest your daughter takes in it.

Dad!Caleb who a few days later gifts your little girl a matching necklace, it’s a bit smaller and changed but her face lights up either way knowing she’ll be matching with her Dad.

Dad!Caleb who is overjoyed when you announce your second pregnancy to him, a secret you and your daughter had kept well hidden until the right time, she had already turned into your partner in crime.

Dad!Caleb who is perfectly willing to give up his office as a nursery but gets more than disappointed when you have to take down his model plane collection, having no where else to put it, it ends carefully stashed in a closet.

Dad!Caleb who can’t help but side eye or glare at anyone who assumes he’s hoping for a boy, as if he wouldn’t want another girl, especially one with your traits.

Dad!Caleb who is still overjoyed regardless, yet visibly more stressed, when you learn that your having not one but two boys in the coming months.

Dad!Caleb who will spend a later half of the night staying up and laughing with you as you both come up with the most outrageous baby names, both of you trying and struggling to keep quiet as your daughter rests peacefully, tucked in by him a few rooms away.

Dad!Caleb who is by your side for every struggle and smile just as he always has been.

Dad!Caleb who can’t wipe the proud grin on his face until at least a week after your boys are delivered.

Dad!Caleb who softly introduces your daughter to her brothers, teaching her gently her new responsibility of keeping them safe as the oldest but reassuring that they can always come to him if it ever gets to be too much.

Dad!Caleb who easily carries both of his boys out of the hospital, a drastic change to how uncoordinated he first was when they were both born a few days ago.

Dad!Caleb who will instantly and silently handle nights with the babies, allowing you to tuck your daughter in and rest yourself instead of stressing yourself unnecessarily.

Dad!Caleb, who is the first person your daughter turns to after school, reading her new book to him as he cradles one of his boys in his arms, reminding you of how he used to bounce her and read to her quietly when she was her brother's age.

Dad!Caleb who is excited every day your children grow more in their personalities.

Dad!Caleb who makes the cutest individual cakes for your son's first birthdays, not minding at all as they end up smearing his work over their faces.

Dad!Caleb who makes those individual desserts a tradition for the two boys as they grow up, and makes sure to put just as much effort into whatever your daughter wants as well.

Dad!Caleb who gets the most boyish grin on his face when one of your sons discovers the model planes he had tucked away ages ago, model planes he now happily unboxes and helps his son put up as he gains an intense interest in them.

Dad!Caleb with one boy who gains his curiosities about aircrafts and your smile and jokes, and another who has the ambition of your daughter, derived from you both, but not the skill and is an amount of clumsy that neither of you are sure who belongs to.

Dad!Caleb with a daughter who is adventurous and loves to read, a son who will happily spend hours with a puzzle or memorizing new facts, and another who will trip over his own feet but can beat both of his parents at a claw machine.

Dad!Caleb who spends time picking and reading new books to his little girl, who will sit outside and use his Evol to make his son’s model planes fly, and who will teach his other little boy all of the tricks to different claw machines leaving them time and time again to clear out the plushies, a gift they will both give to you as soon as they get home.

Dad!Caleb who never forgets an important date from birthdays and anniversaries to things as small as school meetings or performances.

Dad!Caleb who is more than busy but will never miss anything important to any of his kids, and would never dare miss anything important to you.

Dad!Caleb who will make time for his entire family, but especially makes sure there is time for you two.

Dad!Caleb, who will bring you flowers after work just because the idea crossed his mind, and makes sure to pick up a small bouquet for your daughter as well after seeing her reaction the first time.

Dad!Caleb who wakes up every morning to make his family breakfast and will bring yours to you in bed, allowing you two a few more minutes of quiet together before you both get all of them ready for school.

Dad!Caleb who loves movie nights with the whole family as much as date nights between just the two of you.

Dad!Caleb who will continually surprise you with new ideas, dates, recipes, you name it.

Dad!Caleb who will ruffle your children’s hair just as he ruffled, and still ruffles, your own

Dad!Caleb who knows how much you appreciate photos and will drastically add to your collection of your family.

Dad!Caleb who will add every photo of you all that he has to your never ending collection besides one, one of all four of his favorite people asleep on the couch together. Breakfast is long forgotten on the coffee table, a movie your kids just had to see is playing in the back, and they’re all cuddling into you somehow. Each peacefully sleeping and just as at home against you as he has been, just another thing they inherited from him.

Dad!Caleb who quietly keeps this photo in his wallet, looking at it whenever he needs, reminding himself day in and out what everything he does is for.

Dad!Caleb who knows you can both struggle with keeping up with your kids but will make sure it never falls entirely to you.

Dad!Caleb who loves his family more than anything, but has always loved you first and will continue to love you more than anything, and make sure you know it if you ever seem to forget.

[mk-wizard]

I have to admit that as a grown woman who still is a TF fan... I feel the same way about this and many medias. If the men can continue to be masculine, why can't women keep being feminine? It's also why in my adult life, Cinderella is my favourite Disney princess. Because no matter what was thrown at her, her kind spirit could not be broken.

And people forget that Optimus Prime himself has been through a lot, but NEVER became hardened for it even when being apart from his beloved. Why is it that Elita-One has to become one of the guys to be strong? Would Optimus' match not have the same unbreakable spirit?

This is also why I love Windblade. Because she is a much needed reminder that a woman can be beautiful, feminine, a lady and graceful, AND strong, independent, brave and heroic. To me, Strongarm as an adult tomboy character should be the exception not the standard and I don't mean that as an insult. If you look around you, most adult women are in fact feminine. And you know what? I think even Strongarm deep down wants a husband and family too, and her feminine side would shine in those roles. And I refuse to see that as a bad thing. Being a loving wife and mother are positive female traits. In fact, I always felt she and Bumblebee had very good romantic chemistry.

To me, the one true version of Elita-One is courageous, a leader, honourable and a warrior, but also motherly, wise, a lady, patient and kind like a queen. More to the point though we need to stop femininity shaming in female characters.

Sincerely, a grown-a$$ woman who is girly, a home maker, loves baking and her favourite colours are shamelessly purple and pink.

PS: I am not ashamed of throwing in the fact that I ship Strongarm and Bumblebee together, and I imagine she does want Bumblebee to see her as a femme not one of the guys.

PPS: I also forgive TF One's characterization of Elita-One because I see her as a teenager who still as growing up to do and THINKS she has to be the way she is to survive. Also, she had a raw deal, but I see flashes of the Elita-One she will grow up and mature to be.

Transformers One and the Butchering of Femininity

If you're surprised that I'm still worked up about this film, you're following the wrong blog. I'll say this once, and I won't repeat myself:

If you won't take criticism for this movie, keep scrolling. Otherwise, you'll just bring this on yourself.

Now, about the above women.

Transformers as a franchise has had female characters long before Arcee ever showed her face onscreen. Debuting roughly in the middle of the second season of Transformers G1, we are introduced to six female Autobots still living - or rather, surviving - on Cybertron. Of those six, four are named and have speaking roles: Elita One, Chromia, Firestar, and Moonracer. They are quickly shown to have distinct personalities that, while rough (Chromia) or seasoned (Firestar), are still recognizably feminine in how they regret a mistake and nurture the ones under their care (Moonracer and Elita respectively.) Additionally, their appearance is notably feminine too, and while it may be "exaggerated" for a robot lady, it's not done with malice. Rather, it's done to show that while these women are tough and have fought for millions of years, they are still women. They are not women in male bodies, like Strongarm from RID 2015 (and who had the gall to take her name from a preexisting male character), but they are fighting to take back their home, and are patiently waiting for the time they can lay down their weapons and return to the life they naturally desire - primarily, that of caretakers and mothers.

In other words, they fight because they want to have families in a safe home and will do so to achieve this dream alongside the men.

Elita One is a spectacular example of this line of thought. Take a look below for roughly five minutes to see her original characterization.

Elita is an Autobot commander who has shouldered the responsibility of fighting for her homeworld in the absence of her leader and man for four million years.

Yet, it did not make her cold and aloof.

Rather, it only made her natural maternal side and kindness grow. She knew that she had to fight Shockwave and his forces on Cybertron and that it would be difficult, but she was not going to let them break her spirit. She would and did not let them take her femininity from her, for that would be just as much of a win for them as killing her and the others. The Decepticons want a new world order, which would also entail destroying the old order of society. Elita, as a woman, will not let that happen, for then not only is there no more safety and social order on Cybertron that would put any family she could have at risk, it is also denying her her right to be a woman who is as capable on the battlefield as she is tending house (which, let me tell you, takes the same grit and determination as a man going to work to support the family.)

Elita wants to have a family, as do her fellow female Autobots (Chromia hugging Ironhide should tell you how much that iron lady missed her man), and if that means taking up arms until they can return to a normal society, then by golly she will do so. She fights to protect and defend; it is not in her nature to fight anymore than it is in Optimus' nature. It is simply what she must do until the war is over, and when it ends, she will leave the battlefield behind her as Optimus will.

Elita is a kind, warm, motherly woman. She will help pull you out of the darkness of despair and will hug the pain away. She is a mother, and deep down she will fight if she has to, but she will only do so if all else fails.

Yet what does Transformers One do to her?

If the title of that first clip alone doesn't show you what Elita was reduced to, then maybe the clip of her childish scream will.

Instead of a motherly, feminine woman, Elita is gutted all the way to her marrow and filled with the poisonous traits of all modern "strong female characters" - namely that she is a career focused woman who needs no man unless it's to belittle him for his imperfections/limitations/perceived idiocy. The only difference is that Elita is somehow written to seemingly develop feelings for her male subordinate Orion Pax, though the story takes great pains to show that she "dominates" the partnership with Orion/Optimus, something that is a gross disservice to her and Optimus.

All of this is a destruction of Elita's characterization. They ripped her feminine qualities for a modern misconception of what women must be in order to "make her relevant".

And it's not just Elita. It's also another, though newer, female Transformer.

Airachnid, though absolutely sadistic and a cold-blooded killer who revels in murder and carnage, is still feminine. In fact, she perfectly embodies warped femininity used to allure, entice, and bend men to her whim. She has a certain "dark charm" that even Breakdown finds attractive for a short while. This is a natural feminine wile that Airachnid uses to her advantage whenever she gets the chance, or to simply flaunt her attractiveness for kicks. This is what most evil women in fiction and real life do, because why lift a finger when you can charm a man into doing the heavy lifting?

Now, we come to her in Transformers One.

Ignoring for a moment that she looks like every post 2015 cartoon's cut and dry "non-binary" character, the writers completely drained Airachnid of her agency. She's supposed to be the femme fatale that uses her femininity to get what she wants and remains on no side but her own. But instead of keeping that, instead of having a dangerous third party who could even be a chessmaster playing both sides for grins and giggles, her femininity is sucked out of her and she's given the role of bodyguard who does nothing but follow Sentinel's orders and fight in a very bland way that is the most gender-neutral I've ever seen in a character.

What happened to the female psychopath who fought like a woman? I hated her, but in the sense of "I hope she dies", not "gets neutered like a dog".

All of this is a travesty and a slap in the face. This movie is telling us that female Transformers, or even females in general, must be cold, snappish women focused on only the work and never once consider having a family that women naturally yearn for. This is a toxic notion that has obviously permeated the fictional world for a little over ten years, and this movie shows that it's not slowing down.

I don't care that all the fans are going gaga over the plot or whatever they're talking about nowadays with this flick. All I care about is that we got female characters stripped of their femininity in Transformers. It should never have happened, here and in other stories.

Get offended, incensed, and screamy all you want over my post. I'm beyond the point of giving an English damn about what you think and say of this film.

It's an insult to me and to the women of this franchise. They're independent without having to put down the men, memorable without having romantic or with romantic connection to their male allies, and fun without being "haha, strong girl go brr". The fact that you all feel the need to shove this poison down our throats tells me how insecure the lot of you are, and I'd pity you if my veins didn't burn like Hades' rivers right now.

Don't bother speaking to me of this ever again. I'm done. Yes there was good in it, but it came too little, too late. And frankly, it came in the wrong packaging - heh, pardon the pun.

I refuse to engage with anything Hasbro churns out until another five, maybe ten years from now. Perhaps by then it'll have collapsed in on itself and a brighter future for it risen from the ashes, I don't know.

So long - and enjoy these fan produced songs that grant the Transformers' ladies more honor, dignity, and respect than Hasbro could ever dare dream of matching.

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Jungkook as a Boyfriend

Disclaimer: No facts, all alleged, just my interpretation.

Alright, time to get to another person I am excited to do and see what I can get for him as a boyfriend. So, I will do four sections. The first one will be their light traits. The second will be their shadow traits. Third part I will go into their sexual energy as a partner. The last will be any final messages or anything else I can get and also any improvements they can make.

Light traits as a boyfriend:

He is someone who will do anything for love and find the love of his dreams. Once he has that person. He will do what it takes to keep that person and to keep their attention. I say he may want his person just to fall in love with him over and over again.

He will be about romantic gestures, buying gifts, doing sweet things for his person to make them happy and show his love in many ways. I can see him surprising his partner with flowers, gifts, or anything they desire. He will spoil his partner a lot. He will do whatever it takes to put a smile on their face.

I see him being someone who wants to inspire his partner and motivate them to do well. I see him have lots of wisdom and sharing that with his partner. They can go to him, and he will help lift their spirits and have some motivational words to say to them. It is like they would feel at ease around him.

He seems like a cuddler. Someone who would hold his partner dear to him and comfort them whenever they needed. Like if they have a bad day. He would just hold his person. I can see him also be a good friend and someone who just listens to his partner. He seems like a simple person when it comes to love, he just loves and isn't too complicated about things.

I see him having ideas to try new things together and will have plans to do those things with his partner. There will always be some new things he brings to the table. I think he just wants to try new things to keep the love alive and to not let things get too boring. So, he would come up with new things to keep things alive.

This was cute and I expected it to be this way.

Shadow traits as a boyfriend:

Okay, to start of he can be a bit of liar, and not always tell the truth. Also, he is very honest, a bit too honest, so he can be brutally honest to his partner and won't be afraid to tell it how it is. If you done something stupid, he will say it. He doesn't hold back on communication. Also, this man will always have something say, and that can get annoying. So, I find it funny that he can lie, but also be honest, he picks and choose when he wants to do that.

He can be a bit childish, yeah that will pop, a bit immature. He can be hard to reason with at times. And there could be some childhood wounds that pop up. I feel he does have some abandonment issues, also peter pan syndrome of struggling to grow up, be an adult, and take responsibility for things. He may struggle to own up to his mistakes.

Abandonment issues will pop up. He will cling to his partner and there will be a struggle to be alone, so time apart can be difficult. He may guilt his partner to stay with him and not leave, may even guilt trip them. I wonder if this stems from his relationship with Mom. He was shipped off very young, I believe 15, so there seems to be abandonment issues there and that will bleed onto his partners and this strong desire and need to belong.

He does seem to have this arrogance to him. This need to be right, a strong competitive spirit. So, it will be hard for his partner to get a say in at times. He may struggle to listen to his partner if there is a disagreement. He also acts impulsively, so he may do dumb stuff in the moment, not sure what that looks like, but that could end up messing up the relationship.

Also, he seems to be way too logical and strategic at times. He may not pay too much attention to the emotional aspect of things or how things can emotionally affect his partner. He may see things as too black and white without the regards of the perspective of his partner. It is like to him it all makes sense, it is logical, but he disregards his partners feeling and thoughts on things. It is like he is way too rational and would struggle to understand why his partner is upset.

Sexual energy as a boyfriend:

Okay, he is an enthusiastic, adventurous, carefree, spontaneous and experimental lover. He enjoys exploring new things and having fun when it comes to sex. I see him being a generous lover but also being honest about what he wants and what he doesn't like. I don't see him having many boundaries and he enjoys taking risk.

I do see there is trauma when it comes to sex, and that is something he will need to heal, and he may do that in the process of sex with his partner. There are lots of wounds and pain there. But this can be a healing journey with the person he loves and who can tend to his wounds and be kind and patient with him.

This man does have a strong desire and a strong sex drive. He needs to be careful with this Mars energy, it is very primal and aggressive, so that aggressive and competitive energy can be released through the passion of sex, or in the moment. There is this impulse to have sex with his person. He will be pretty needy when it comes to sex and may desire it a lot. And I am seeing this desire to overpower his partner and dominate them.

He does seem like someone who is very experienced when it comes to sex and seems to obtain a lot of knowledge, so you are in for a ride with him. I say he is someone who knows what he is doing. He knows exactly what to do for both parties to achieve their peak. He does tend to cling to the past, this may be his past trauma, or past lovers, and whatever happened their bleeds into his sex life in the present as well.

Final messages/improvements:

Okay, so the High Priestess flew out so quick, so that is an important message for him. I was kind of confused what that meant at first, but I think they want him to do some inner work, before developing a relationship. To get the answers he needs to look from within, but to also be patient and to not rush things and try to quickly find the one.

That this process takes time, but overall, he needs to go within and find happiness within himself instead of seeking a partner to fulfill his needs. It is like he may feel finding a partner will just answer all his concerns and questions and it won't, going within does that. He may need some time for himself to figure that out, but not sure he will give himself that time.

I think there could be someone in his life that could be a good fit for him. He would need someone just as passionate as him and creative, someone charming, magnetic and who emits warmth, strength and inspiration. I wonder if this person lives in a different country, hmm. They may be a performer too. It is like he would work well with another creative person, a person of passion, someone pretty similar to him, but also has their differences so they can learn from each other. They both can help each other and create something beautiful together. Also, they both need to have a strong pull and attraction towards another.

I wanted to close this out, but I was pulled towards another deck. He should play around with ideas, have fun with things, maybe date around more, and not just cling to one person, which seems contradicting, because isn't there a specific someone that I mentioned above, or they are showing characteristics he should look for that could fit what would work best for him, that could be it, so there may not be a specific person at the moment. I am being shown those are the traits he should look for.

They also want him to live out his fantasy or what he envisions, so if there is something he wants out of love and relationships to stop living in a fantasy and start making it a reality. It is like you create your reality, so he needs to do that. It is like the person he may want to seek and may feel it is right for him. He doesn't go after them, as he may feel he isn't good enough or it won't work out, but they are saying for him to go for it.

Hmm, this was as interesting as I thought. I will close it here. This was fun. Hope you enjoyed this, and I do hope he finds love and healing.

[gatheringbones]

[“When I ask him what he would like his life to be like in five years, he replies, with a hint of irony: “Maybe in five years just get hella white-collar with it, investment properties. Basically just be financially secure enough. In nine years have some kids. Yeah, I want to be a white American male property owner. Really, it’s a dream.”

Darby thinks he’ll be a great dad one day. He’s “such a good teacher,” she says. “He can explain things very well, and I think that is a good trait in a dad. To be able to explain something to your kids and be very knowledgeable. Parker’s just the epitome of a dad. That’s how I see him.”

Parker tells me he can picture himself in the future as an old man—“not as a little old granny.” Of course women’s aging bodies, their sagging thighs and withered cleavage, are a source of derision, even hatred, while men are often seen as more distinguished, more powerful, as they age. Is Parker buying into the misogyny that is pervasive in our culture?

On Facebook Parker reposted “Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is,” which offers a partial answer to that question. The post, written by a self-described “white guy who likes women,” is a humorous analysis of how male privilege operates.

Dudes. Imagine life here in the US—or indeed, pretty much anywhere in the Western world—is a massive role playing game, like World of Warcraft except appallingly mundane, where most quests involve the acquisition of money, cell phones and donuts, although not always at the same time. Let’s call it The Real World. You have installed The Real World on your computer and are about to start playing, but first you go to the settings tab to bind your keys, fiddle with your defaults, and choose the difficulty setting for the game. Got it? Okay: In the role playing game known as The Real World, “Straight White Male” is the lowest difficulty setting there is. This means that the default behaviors for almost all the non-player characters in the game are easier on you than they would be otherwise. The default barriers for completions of quests are lower. Your leveling-up thresholds come more quickly. You automatically gain entry to some parts of the map that others have to work for. The game is easier to play, automatically, and when you need help, by default it’s easier to get. All things being equal, and even when they are not, if the computer—or life—assigns you the “Straight White Male” difficulty setting, then brother, you’ve caught a break.

By transitioning, is Parker trying to access male privilege and grab on to the “ ‘straight white male’ difficulty setting”? What happened to the dream of challenging the rules of the game, and leveling the playing field, rather than just trying to win?

In the current context of “neoliberalism,” a term social analysts use to describe our laissez-faire age, collective responsibility is often transferred to individuals, leading us each to try to maximize our own self-interest.

But such explanations tell only part of Parker’s story. I ask Parker: “What’s the worst thing about getting old and becoming a ‘little old granny’?”

He responds: “If I grow old as a woman, I will never be seen by a lover for who I am. When you’re having sex, and you look in their eyes and know that they’re seeing you for who you are.” His voice cracks. “As a granny, no one would have seen me.”

When it comes down to it, Parker simply wants the same things we all do: to be seen and understood by others, and to be desired, and even loved, for being who we are. He spoke of the fear of having a life that was unlived. The quest for male privilege, and securing material and other comforts, plays a role in his decision to transition, to be sure. But it’s much more than that. Transitioning will, he hopes, enable him to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, so that he can see himself as a “whole person,” and others can see that person too.

Yet Parker is also very much a product of his time. Like others of his generation, he has come of age when reality television shows celebrate the makeover of the body, and where entrepreneurship is touted as the solution to economic inequality. Rather than speak of collective solutions, we are more likely to celebrate the possibility of choice and strive to become empowered individuals. Rather than see men as the problem, today’s “postfeminist” generation says: if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. So if life is like a video game, and it’s possible to change your default setting and make winning easier, then why hold back? Who wouldn’t opt for an easier life?

While his search for male privilege was not Parker’s main reason for transitioning, it was a side benefit, and no one out there was offering him any better choices. Parker may well become a great dad, secure in his white-collar dream one day, walking around in Bermuda shorts and in some retirement community in Southern California, but for now, his fantasies call up Fight Club’s bad-boy protagonist. “Tyler Durden is the man!” Parker says. “Fucking Brad Pitt. He’s such a cool dude. He never gets riled up. He doesn’t talk much. He’s good-looking. He’s got all the answers, but he just doesn’t give a fuck. That’s how I see myself.”]

arlene stein, from unbound: transgender men and the remaking of identity, 2018

[tblsomedoodles]

Me playing Rimworld like a scifi family simulator? never.

anyways, i've been playing far too much Rimworld so have some little doodles of my main couple's four kinda creepy kids lol. I will admit, "Feral" is technically his nickname, but i can't remember what they actually named him and i don't feel like booting up my game just to check.

Sandy and Feral are very close in age. Timothy is pretty close behind them, and Alice only just hit toddler stage recently. I was sooo worried about Timothy when he was tiny. B/c he was born sick, recovered from that only to catch malaria. Recovered from that and immediately caught the plague. he's alright now.

Sandy and Feral will sit on their dad's research desk to watch him work in game, and i think that's just the cutest thing, so i doodled that too.

fun fact! According to Alice's genetics, she's supposed to have purple hair, but she, instead, matches Timothy with his grey/white hair.

there's a lot of other kids running around my colony too, but they belong to others (one being just a clone lol). no joke, i think i have 5-6 adults and about 8 kids running around the place. it's chaos. i love it lol : )

[stuck-in-jelly]

Cant stop thinking about how apparently Season 7 is going to be Ezran’s season and the slow and steady build up to a breaking point for him.

Ezran is in a weird delicate balance, walking across the tightrope of being a child and being a king. We see both sides equally, we see Ezran’s barely clinging childlike mannerisms and we also see him command and lead both with love and with force.

And he is equally regarded in this manner by the people around him, some addressing him more as a child then king and others more king then child.

“Who is this child?” “Such childish dreams.” “You deserve time to do kid things” “the whining child king.” vs “He is a King!” “Because you know-you’re the King.” “That is what King Ezran decided.” “I serve the true King.”

That is already a lot to try and balance, his wants versus his duty as a king but now that balance is being tested.

The weight of everything is starting to crash down. His stressful rule as a king in a time of insurrection and war, his own people pushing back against his ideals and attempts at progress, his citizens and home decimated by a dragon, his father’s murderer being freed by his own brother, and now the releasing of an ancient evil.

No one told him his father was dead, too worried to tell a child horrible news, and no one had told him the plan to bring Runaan back, hardly giving him a second thought.

The more I think about it the more my brain drifts to this section from the season 2 novelization:

“No. No, no no!!” Ezran shouted. He didn’t care if he sounded like a two-year old.

“Ezran. It’s going to be okay,” Rayla started to say.

That was about the dumbest thing anyone could possibly say, Ezran thought. Nothing was ever going to be okay again.

Just the moment Ezran fully reverts to being a small kid again, when he stops caring that he is acting like a child because he is a child because he is mad because its all hitting him at once and it isn’t fair.

I want to see how he takes it all

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Love this addition! I initially had a MUCH longer version of this post where I went through each of Viktor's interactions with the Hexcore (which I might still publish at some point). But it was getting SO long that I kept writing drafts of it and running out of momentum to finish, so I went for the abbreviated version.

I think it's ambiguous what's happening in the moment that Sky tries to pull Viktor away from the Hexcore. Because the thing is that every time Viktor and the Hexcore do their little blood magic ritual together (because let's be real, that's what this is) the dynamic is a little bit different. The first time, it's unintentional on Viktor's part, but it's enough to get the Hexcore interested in him. (oh blood?? blood for me??? who is this leaving terminal illness blood on my altar lab bench??) The second time, the blood magic is intentional but Viktor is still hesitant and scared, and the Hexcore has to pull him in and make him complete the ritual. But the third time, Viktor knows the magic works now; he's determined and he's even willing to risk touching the Hexcore without more shimmer.

To me, his body language looks very much like he is intentionally reaching toward the Hexcore without it needing to pull him in, straining to stay connected long enough to complete the transformation, seemingly not even aware Sky is there until it's too late. (I love the first frame here in particular because you can see that the Hexcore is distorting a bit as it also reaches toward him.) Which I think fits with the development of the Viktor/Hexcore relationship arc, as it were.

But regardless of how one interprets that moment, I think everything else you said is right on. I think you are totally right that the Hexcore grows more sentient over time and seems to be capable of emoting, or at least doing things that humans perceive as emoting, by the end of the season. This is especially true after it transmutes into its most organic-looking form (which I tend to think was only possible because it was powered by the sacrifice of a whole human life). When Viktor picks up the stool to smash the Hexcore after it kills Sky, it starts like, shivering and wobbling, and if I had to assign body language to an orb I would say it looks afraid. It's only after Viktor drops the stool and turns his back to it that it lashes out at him. Which to me seems to be at least partially a warning. Hey. Remember we're connected now.

And everything about the resurrection scene...yeah. Yeah. Like. That orb is yearning. It is desperate to get in there and fix things. I think the only reason Jayce isn't more like hey what the FUCK is that he 100% shares that desperation.

The imagery is uhh not subtle lol.

Like if you didn't know the context you would think something very different is going on here.

The thing with Viktor is that a lot his wants get sublimated or displaced onto other things. His (extremely rational!) desire to use science to save his own life gets mixed in with "helping the undercity" to the point that Jayce doesn't understand his sense of urgency and Viktor isn't able to explain it. His frustration with what he sees as the flaws of his body gets displaced onto the people he heals, whom he "cures" of both debilitating addictions and minor "imperfections" like nearsightedness and receding hairlines. And I think there is a whole thread of sublimated sexual desire that you can trace through a lot of not-overtly-sexual parts of his story arc and his whole weird entanglement with the magic orb is one part of that.

The idea of the Hexcore absorbing some of Viktor's personality including his positive traits is FASCINATING. Because I've often seen it framed as the Hexcore using Viktor's compassion or his desire to help people to manipulate him into serving its own ends and I never particularly vibed with that take. But the idea of the Hexcore becoming a reflection of both his good and bad qualities is really really interesting and something I'm gonna have to think more about.

What started as a joke about the Hexcore being Viktor's toxic replacement boyfriend has genuinely changed how I look at that part of the story. Because I was like lololol WAIT BUT KINDA. He does develop a weird codependent relationship with that orb. They're obsessed with each other. They're compelled toward each other. The Hexcore does not just transform him. They transform each other; the Hexcore growing more organic as Viktor grows more magical. There's an exchange; a relationship there. They feed on each other (blood, magical energy). There is something almost vampiric about their interactions: Viktor (literally!) allowing the Hexcore to suck his blood; the Hexcore entering his body to transform it. There's the fact that he strips down to his underwear for both these transformation scenes (even though he technically could have been half-clothed both times). Not to mention the literal sex scene intercut with Viktor's first uhhh commingling with the Hexcore. There is an undeniably gothic and sensual element to it, the idea of surrendering yourself to a dangerous, unknowable force with a willingness to be transformed.

And yeah sure you can argue that Viktor was being controlled by the Hexcore from the moment he built it. I think there's enough textual evidence to support that reading. But that's boring!! It's much more interesting to me if Viktor is making the choice to keep coming back to the Hexcore, out of desperation and hubris, ignoring the signs that it's a dangerous, powerful object he doesn't understand.

I think you miss out on a lot of interesting Viktor characterization if you don't think that Viktor is doing this of his own free will. It might seem like a minor semantic difference but I think of the Hexcore not as controlling Viktor but as enabling him, drawing out some of his more self-destructive qualities: his obsessiveness; his tendency to self-isolate; recklessness born out of knowing he would have a shortened lifespan; and yes, arrogance in thinking he understands this thing he's created well enough to keep it from hurting anyone except himself. (He is willing to keep pushing the limit if he's convinced that the only person being hurt or put at risk is himself, which in itself says something about how little he has to lose at this point.) It is not just the Hexcore that kills Sky; it is Viktor's own stubbornness and unwillingness to see the damage he is doing before it's too late. Sky pulls him back enough to get his hand off the Hexcore three times, and every time he grabs it again. If he'd let go the first time, she would have lived.

And it's so fucking SAD, because Viktor is in his toxic spiral with the Hexcore from 1.05 through 1.09 and NO ONE SEES IT. It's such a contrast to the beginning of Hextech, where the scientific breakthroughs happen when Viktor and Jayce are together, happen because they're together. All of Viktor's breakthroughs in understanding how the Hexcore works happen when he's alone with it, frequently at night long after everyone else has left the lab. He keeps reaching out to it, even after it does things that scare him, because he is desperate and alone and thinks it can offer him something he needs. In the process their life-forces become inextricably tied together; while one lives the other cannot die. And they end up consuming each other to the detriment of the rest of the world.

[cienie-isengardu]

I could definitely new timeline Bi-Han being jealous honestly. Not to mention I imagine New Era(NE for short) Bi-Han was kind of... aggressive as a toddler given his current personality. Hell, when Bi-Han was sent to test Raiden and Kung Lao, he shows way more aggression than Smoke and Kuai do so I imagine this sort of thing was always there.

He's not evil(he's a literal toddler) but I imagine he wasn't fond of Kuai at first sight and he doesn't get what is special about him or why he's 'hogging' mom's attention.

Which is why he doesn't see any problem with poking a newborn Kuai in the eye and not understanding why he can't roughhouse him as play. Kids tend to not understand how delicate babies are so I could easily see him doing something like this.

I respect your opinion but it seems we will need to agree to disagree about that one.

Bi-Han as an adult being frustrated and aggressive does not automatically mean he was that kind of child to begin with. And honestly, I wish the fandom's tendency to reduce character to only one(1) trait displayed at certain and a very specific moment of their life (story event) will die with Extreme Prejudice. A sweetest child can turn into a bitter adult, the same as the problematic kid can become the most kind, responsible person and it is as much about their nature as much about the upbringing and circumstances that shaped them. Because even the most pure person can be radicalized into a hateful being if said person fell into the wrong crowd or was raised in such a toxic environment. 

Bi-Han being angry now is closely tied to long-term frustration, both shown by story mode and specifically mentioned by Kuai Liang and so far, the only mention of his childhood behavior is him being cold to Tomas, which again is not the same as open aggression and bullying tendencies. So no, I don’t think just because Sub-Zero is now bitter and prone to violence, he was an angry toddler back then.

What is even more, we don’t have any clue how older Bi-Han is than Kuai Liang - if the difference is about two years old, I think he wouldn’t be old enough to hate baby on the first sight or roughhouse him in play, as I doubt their parents would left any of them without a proper supervision, whatever their own or nanny’s. If he is older than let’s say 5-6 years, he may as well already started his Lin Kuei training and not have time to play with baby nor reason to think the baby takes all the love and attention from him, as I imagine Grandmaster would have a special spot for his first-born son, if not the boy himself then his  education but also, the man was leader of the whole clan, and duties could keep him busy and away from both children. So kinda hard to hate a baby on sight, if the baby himself doesn’t get any special attention and its arrival doesn’t change much in regard to your own life. The attention of mother may be a different thing, but then again, the woman was a fighter, so why assume she was there to babysitting both boys all the time and not have a nanny to take care of Bi-Han and Kuai Liang, so she could fulfill her own share of duties, as a great warrior and Grandmaster’s wife? 

And you know what I also dislike about the whole jealous kid Bi-Han or general angry kid Bi-Han takes? The erasing of his parents’ contribution to the situation. Why are people so set on demonizing kid Bi-Han, even if just as “kids know no better and have a hard time to understand their feeling” way, but won’t include his father and mother into the picture? When I hear things like  Bi-Han poking a newborn Kuai in the eye or roughhouse him as play, I don’t wonder if the boy was jealous or cruel or purpose, only why a parents would left a baby and a few years older kid alone, without a proper supervisions or why they didn’t set a rules for little Bi-Han to know how to act and treat a new born brother and so on. And if he was jealous or unhappy, why didn't they help him process the negative feelings. Like, why do people exclude father and mother from such scenarios, as it is them who should be there for both sons and ensure their safety alike yet it is always somehow just Bi-Han was a bad, angry or difficult child?

I’m here for “innocent until proven otherwise” in regard to Bi-Han as a child but also, if only to spite the fandom, I will say this: for all we know kid Bi-Han could be truly happy to have a younger brother and helped his mother taking care of the baby as much as a few years kid could. And the bitterness and anger came when he was much older and had a better understanding of Lin Kuei's servitude to Earthrealm and Fire Lord. Here, you all will need to pry it from my cold, dead hands as I won’t change my mind unless the lore provides me irrefutable evidence.

As you see, I’m done with the jealous, abusive, bad kid Bi-Han. If someone wants to see him like that? Go ahead and have fun! But on this one aspect I can only agree to disagree.

[hometownrockstar]

i find it satisfying when a character ends up being exactly how i pictured then being, i think im very good at reading characters and extrapolating how they think. Like i figured out what kind of person jing yuan and dr ratio were before they came out by reading bits of their leaked voicelines and such, and i ended up being totally on the money when i saw them in-game. Sorry for bragging im just happy abt them bc i like them and their personalities lots

[bigskydreaming]

Also, does anyone else feel like this is all Locutus related? Everything weird about Jack, the Changelings’ mysterious benefactor, Picard’s original body....

I’m just saying, I feel like this is a Locutus thing but I don’t know how common that guess is.

[nozomijoestar]

It's funny to tease Weiss over liking maturity and older people but purely within the realm of pointing and laughing for a variety of reasons, one being that the media itself doesn't take the trait seriously, if you take that shit serious and actually ship her with people twice or more her age I don't trust you

EDIT: Her VA also stating maturity and caring in general draw the character in

[favroitecrime]

just finished 12 season of bob’s burgers and i’m not ready for the movie not season 13

[intomybubble]

I’m still playing Sims 4 and so I made a household with a Sim of myself so I can try doing a bunch of different careers (for the items lol)

I ended up romancing Don Lothario and accidentally had his kid after downloading and trying out the WW mod (we had 1 date prior, and I asked for him to live in with me afterwards).

I wasn’t paying too much attention to his name (since this was my first time playing Sims 4 since mid 2010s and I don’t know characters or lore), and used the random name generator and named our daughter, Dawn. I did not realize I basically named her after him lol.

As things are now

We’re partners and “soulmates”

I go out to work (currently doing the spy career), while he’s basically my househusband

He was a creative freelancer when he was added to my household so he makes A LOT from paintings, and sometimes music

I gave him an variation of his default everyday outfit to give him glasses (bc I’m into glasses, but “lorewise” he spends more time at a screen for work so he started to need them)

I used a mod to change his “non-committal” trait into being a family man, and bc he’d still get tense from being “non-committal” (despite trying to get rid of it) I got a “carefree” potion from the rewards store RIP

I don’t 100% remember before changing it, but he was a decent dad beforehand. Now, its super cute seeing him chat and play with our daughter

My Sim wants to marry him, but I’ve been worried about him potentially refusing so I’ve just stuck with being “partners”

I did do a wedding on a different household (OC marrying Liberty) and that was a mess especially since I have no idea what I’m doing

I do now have actual venues to use in the future instead of the ugly base game park 👍

I did give my Sim the same necklace that he wears as a sorta “promise ring” in her outfits (I think its cute lol)

Bc I’m stuck on leveling stats, we don’t leave the house that often. But the WW mod has kept things… spicy without actual dates lmao

I think I’m going to try proposing and just having an incredibly long engagement soon…

[snekdood]

i just struggle to believe theres any ethical way to harvest meat. farm animal dying of old age? yeah. ok. sure. but farm animals aren't going to be perpetually dying of old age enough to fulfill the demand for their meats. you can make better and more convincing arguments to me for ethically harvesting eggs, wool and milk rather than meat.

[luna-azzurra]

Good Traits Gone Bad

Empathy turning into manipulation

Imagine a character who is deeply empathetic, someone who genuinely feels and understands the emotions of others. At first, this makes them incredibly compassionate and kind, always there to lend an ear or offer comfort. But over time, this empathy begins to shift. Instead of just understanding how others feel, they start to use that understanding to manipulate those around them. They know exactly what to say to get people to do what they want, twisting their caring nature into a tool for control. What once was a beautiful gift becomes a weapon, used to bend others to their will without them even realizing it.

Confidence becoming arrogance

Think of someone who exudes confidence—someone who knows their worth and isn’t afraid to go after what they want. This kind of self-assuredness is magnetic and inspiring, drawing people in. But sometimes, this confidence can grow into something darker. The character starts to believe they’re always right, that their way is the best and only way. They dismiss others’ ideas and opinions, thinking they know better than everyone else. What was once a healthy self-esteem turns into arrogance, pushing people away as they start to feel belittled and unappreciated.

Ambition turning into obsession

Picture a character who is ambitious and driven, always striving for the next big achievement. Their dedication is admirable, pushing them to work hard and aim high. But ambition can have a dark side, too. Slowly, their drive becomes an obsession. They start to focus solely on their goals, willing to sacrifice anything or anyone who stands in their way. Friends, family, and even their own health fall by the wayside as they chase success at any cost. What was once an admirable quality turns destructive, consuming them completely.

Loyalty becoming blind devotion

Loyalty is such a beautiful trait. A loyal character is dependable, someone who stands by the people they care about no matter what. But loyalty can also become dangerous if it goes too far. This character might start to overlook red flags or harmful behaviors, sticking by someone or something even when it’s clearly detrimental. They become so blindly devoted that they lose sight of their own well-being and moral compass. What starts as a positive trait turns into a kind of self-destructive stubbornness, harming them more than helping.

Courage turning into recklessness

Imagine someone who’s incredibly brave, always ready to face challenges head-on and stand up for what they believe in. At first, this courage is inspiring, giving them the strength to overcome obstacles and help others. But sometimes, courage can cross a line. It turns into recklessness, making them take unnecessary risks without considering the consequences. They start to believe they’re invincible, putting themselves and others in danger because they’re too focused on proving their bravery. What was once a powerful strength becomes a dangerous flaw.

Determination becoming stubbornness

There’s something admirable about a character who never gives up, no matter how tough things get. Their determination helps them push through difficulties and keep going when others might quit. But when that determination turns into stubbornness, it’s a different story. They refuse to change their minds, even when all the signs point to a different path. They ignore advice, dismiss alternative viewpoints, and stick to their course out of sheer willpower, even when it’s clearly not working. Their once-praiseworthy persistence becomes a source of frustration for those around them.

Optimism becoming naivety

Someone who always looks on the bright side, no matter what. Their optimism is contagious, lifting the spirits of those around them and helping them see the silver lining in every situation. But if they aren’t careful, this optimism can morph into naivety. They might start ignoring real dangers or fail to recognize when they’re being taken advantage of. Their rosy outlook makes them blind to harsh realities, and they become easily deceived or led astray, all because they’re so focused on seeing the good in everything and everyone.

Protectiveness turning into possessiveness

A character who is naturally protective of their loved ones, always looking out for them and ensuring they’re safe and happy. This protectiveness is heartwarming and makes those around them feel cherished. But when protectiveness goes too far, it can become possessiveness. The character starts to feel like they own the people they care about, becoming overly controlling and jealous. They start dictating others' actions, justifying it as care, but it’s really about their need to keep everything under their control. What started as a caring instinct turns into something suffocating and unhealthy.

Altruism becoming self-neglect

Think about a character who is incredibly selfless, always putting others' needs before their own. They’re the kind of person who would give you the shirt off their back, always ready to help, always there for everyone. But this selflessness can go too far. It turns into self-neglect, where they completely disregard their own needs and well-being. They keep giving and giving until they have nothing left, leading to burnout and exhaustion. Their altruism, while beautiful, ends up harming them because they don’t know how to set boundaries or take care of themselves.

Honesty becoming brutal bluntness

There’s a lot to be said for a character who is straightforward and honest, someone who tells it like it is and doesn’t sugarcoat the truth. People appreciate their transparency and trustworthiness. But when honesty turns into brutal bluntness, it’s no longer a positive trait. This character starts to disregard others' feelings, using their honesty as an excuse to be harsh and tactless. Their words cut deep, hurting those around them, all in the name of being truthful. What was once refreshing candor becomes a source of pain, as they lose sight of the importance of kindness in communication.