#and to defend her pride

[plumeriacosmos]

polin au where penelope gets to say claire’s iconic “look at the state of you” to colin

thats it. thats the au

[kmesons]

back on my infected!paul/wilbur cross nonsense. an interaction between these three would be very amusing I think

[kuruk]

?!?!? a cis woman saying this in defense or her boyfriend is kind of awful it's just genuine homophobia and not even slightly help like this is cruel..

[bringbackgoth]

o my god my baby boy is SO HANDSOME!!!!!!!!

I dropped him off to board with his handler for a week while our foster girl recovered from her spay surgery and so his handler has been blessing me with photo and video updates.

She sent me this pic, which DID have more pinks in it from her camera and I wanted to keep those pinks but when I went to edit it... I really like this photo.

The leash he was on has been edited out by me so don't worry yourself thinking he was off leash in a strange place. The person boarding him is one of the only people I would ever trust to drop him off for a full week.

Look at my little man and his sunset photo 😍🥰😍🥰😍 SO handsome, SO demure

[rodneyfuncomiccollectiontwo]

Episode 1 of the PaRappa the Rapper anime makes more sense if you assume that Paula acted the way she did because she had a crush on Katy.

[bimoonphases]

@wolfstarmicrofic May 5 - prompt 5: Awful First Meeting [word count 676]

Remus was having a bad morning. He already didn’t like early shifts, but that morning he had overslept, had ran all the way to the café because there had been no buses in sight, had grabbed the first apron he had found and had dived head first right in the middle of three whole field trip classes of teenagers and their caffeine-starved teachers. Then he had barely had the time to wipe the counter and register how hot the guy who had just pushed the café door open was, with his leather jacket with a pride pin on it and his bike helmet under his arm when then man had made a beeline for him, taken one look at his apron and had started shouting at him.

“My friend can very well defend herself, but I’m here to make sure you will never dare to creep on her or any other girl who comes here!” the stranger waved a finger in Remus’s face. “And you’re on the clock, what are you doing, using your paid time to creep up on girls?!”

Remus opened his mouth to say he was very, very gay and in any case he wouldn’t dream of being a creep to anyone, but the stranger was on a roll.

“When someone says no, it’s no, it’s a full sentence! There’s no ‘why’ or ‘but’ or whatever! If she ever comes back here I want you to stay away from her! Don’t talk to her, don’t look at her, don’t even breathe in her direction! Actually, you’d better not talk to any girl or woman who comes in here, am I making myself clear, Severus?!”

Remus blinked, staring at the hot guy who was now catching his breath, then he looked down at the badge pinned on his apron and groaned seeing it said Severus - Happy to help, which was quite hilarious since Severus had never been happy to help in his four months at the café.

“Well?” the stranger glared at him.

Remus removed the pin from his apron and tossed it in a nearby bin with a grimace.

“Sorry,” he said then. “I’m not him. He used to work here, but he got fired just yesterday and I must’ve gotten his apron by mistake coming in this morning.”

The guy frowned.

“How do I know you’re not lying to save your ass?” he asked.

Remus knew he didn’t have to prove anything, but even glaring and shouting the stranger was so insanely hot he would’ve kicked himself if he let him think he was a creep. So he reached in his back pocket and handed him his battered wallet, the pride pin on it well on display.

“My ID’s in it.”

The stranger shot him a puzzled look and had a look inside, his expression immediately turning from anger to horror.

“Shit, I’m so sorry!” he handed back the wallet. “I looked at your name tag and thought it was you, I’m really sorry!”

“Don’t be, I was wearing the wrong name tag after all,” Remus smiled. “And you defending your friend was quite endearing. You can tell her Severus was kicked out when the manager caught him being a creep to his sister.”

“Good,” the stranger nodded. “So your name’s Remus then?”

Remus nodded, the guy smiled and he somehow became even hotter just like that.

“I’m Sirius,” he said. “When do you get off work, Remus? I’d like to buy you a drink as a proper apology.”

“Only as an apology?” Remus smiled.

“Well, not only that,” Sirius grinned. “When I saw the name tag my first thought was why are the hot ones always arseholes.”

“I’m off in an hour,” Remus laughed. “And I promise I’m not an arsehole.”

“I’ll wait right outside for you then. I have a spare helmet,” Sirius smiled. “And I can be an arsehole, but only when you’re mean to my friends.”

Remus kept smiling as Sirius walked out and he gathered empty mugs to clean. Maybe that morning wasn’t so bad after all.

[swan2swan]

Had the realization last night that one of the main reasons why Zuko had to take a lightning bolt for Katara was because he wasn't used to fighting on a team.

Pretty much every battle he'd fought before was a one-on-one or a free-for-all. Even before he went rogue, it wasn't like he was worried about his soldiers, or facing anyone who was an actual threat.

So it didn't even enter his mind that someone else was in lightning range.

He goaded his sister into attacking him, forgetting that he wasn't a lone wolf anymore, and that every attack he allowed Azula to make was a danger to those around him.

[licorishh]

I'm sorry but the complete and utter lack of appreciation on the internet for the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is just absurd. WHERE IS YOUR ENTHUSIASM. WHERE IS YOUR APPRECIATION FOR SUPERBLY-CRAFTED MEDIA. Sure, the 2005 one is fine. Whatever. But the 1995 one??? HELLO???

'95 Mr. Darcy is the biggest simp on the face of the Earth and I will hear no objection to the contrary. My guy spent the first three episodes doing nothing but whining about how dumb and lame everybody was except for him 20% of the time and just staring at Lizzy like a big stupid idiot the other 80% of the time. My guy invented yearning.

My guy yearned so bad he finally bothered to do the self-reflection he'd never cared to do before when she eviscerated him to such a degree because she wouldn't stoop to marrying someone for whom she had not a shred of respect. My guy yearned so bad he was willing to risk his station in life, his livelihood, literally everything just to save her family from ruin, something he would never have dreamed of doing in the beginning of the show. My guy yearned so bad he recognized his deepest flaws and put in the work to change them and become a better person not so that she'd give him what he wanted, but because he realized she was right and that he was in the wrong and needed to make those changes literally just in order to actually have a happy and fulfilling life.

My guy literally created "I love my wife so bad I'm gonna explode and she could kill me on the spot and I'd thank her for the opportunity to be involved"-ism and you people ought to show more gratitude for him singlehandedly altering fandom culture.

[bethanydelleman]

Unconsciously Done: An Examination of Misogyny in the Treatment of Caroline Bingley in Jane Austen Fan Fiction

This essay is not meant as an attack on any specific author who writes JAFF. It is a criticism of a trend that is very strong in the genre and I find extremely problematic.

It is my firm belief that Jane Austen felt deeply for the plight of women in her era and that her books examine the difficult decisions that women were forced to make because of their secondary position in society. Jane Austen presents women to us who have little power and whose only hope in future provision and comfort lies in the whims of men. Moreover, Jane Austen never in her collected works, asks us to delight in the downfall or destruction of a woman. Given this context, I find it highly distressing and untrue to Jane Austen’s legacy that so often in Jane Austen Fan Fiction (JAFF), authors invite readers to celebrate the degradation of Caroline Bingley. This is a repugnant practice that both goes against the intent of Jane Austen’s works and by attacking a woman in particular is an unconscious display of misogyny.

After the Netherfield Ball, where the Bennet family shocks Elizabeth, Darcy, and Caroline with their vulgar behaviour, Caroline and Darcy agree that it would be better for Charles, Caroline’s brother, not to marry into such a family. Together, they go to London and convince Charles to remain there, away from Jane. Caroline writes to Jane to inform her of this. Later, when Jane follows them to London, Caroline cuts off the friendship, which lasted, we should remember, for only a few weeks. She also works to conceal Jane’s presence in London from her brother. She is aided in this endeavour, again, by Mr. Darcy. Her final act of the book is attempting to embarrass Elizabeth in company at Pemberley and then insulting Elizabeth to Darcy in private.

For the purposes of this argument, I will first lay out what the original Caroline Bingley does in the novel Pride & Prejudice. Caroline dislikes the unmannered inhabitants of Hertfordshire, specifically the Bennet family, a sentiment she shares with Darcy. They make fun of the Bennets behind their backs together in the first section of the book, along with Caroline’s sister Louisa. When Jane Bennet is sick at Netherfield, Caroline is not as attentive to her as Jane’s sister would like, despite spending several hours with her multiple times.

It is important to note several things. Firstly, none of Caroline’s actions cause lasting harm to anyone. In the end, Jane and Charles do marry. Secondly, Caroline is drawn by Jane Austen as a social-climber who is not above using artifice to reach her goals, but her actions are entirely rational within that context. Every action that Caroline makes is a logical expression of her two motivations, a wish to marry Darcy and a wish to see her brother marry well. Thirdly, Caroline is aided in nearly everything she does by Darcy himself. One could speculate that without Darcy’s interference, Charles would have returned to Hertfordshire as he planned. Darcy’s own words imply this, “with a stronger dependence on my judgement than on his own.” (P&P, Ch 35.)

The position of women in Georgian society is made clear through Jane Austen’s works. Women are dependent on their parents or guardians until they marry at which point they are dependent upon their husbands. There are only two acceptable options for women of the gentry, marriage or becoming a governess. When Charlotte Lucas submits to a marriage with Mr. Collins, we are told marriage was the only provision for well-educated young women of small fortune (P&P, Ch 22). Jane Fairfax, in Emma, is so upset with her the profession of governess, that she compares it to slavery (V 2, Ch. 18). Jane Austen is clearly of the opinion that a woman should marry for affection rather than only for wealth, but she acknowledges how difficult this line is to draw when marriage is so vital to a woman's life. Caroline is set up as a representation of a mercenary worldview in Pride & Prejudice. Like many other Jane Austen women, Mary Crawford (Mansfield Park, specifically her early interest in Tom Bertram), Lucy Steele (S&S), and Charlotte Lucas (P&P) for example, Caroline is pursuing a man for wealth rather than love.

Lydia Bennet is another woman whom Jane Austen, in the social morays of the time, could have condemned and invited us to hate. In Mr. Collins letter we hear the morality that would delight in a woman’s downfall, “The death of your daughter would have been a blessing in comparison of this.” (P&P Ch. 48). Yet again, the narrator does not invite us to treat Lydia with scorn. We are reminded of Mrs. and Mr. Bennet’s faulty parenting and that he ignored Elizabeth’s advice, we are reminded of the character of Wickham, and we are assured of Lydia’s future provision. Lydia will not fall into poverty because her two wealthy sisters will protect her. Her sisters do this despite the fact that they had the most to lose from her rash actions. This demonstrates an acknowledgement that all women, despite their faults, deserve to be protected.

It is important to note that while Jane Austen invites the reader to disapprove of these women who marry for money, she does not outright condemn them. Charlotte Lucas’s decision to marry Collins is explained with some compassion. The narrator notes that, “the boys were relieved from their apprehension of Charlotte’s dying an old maid” (P&P, Ch. 22) which again reminds us of the importance of marriage for a woman’s future provision. Maria Bertram (Mansfield Park), who married for money and then committed adultery for love and whose actions are clearly condemned, is still allowed compassion. The narrator mourns that Maria must suffer more than her male counterpart for the offence, "In this world the penalty is less equal than could be wished” (MP, Ch. 48) and Sir Thomas spends a good deal of time blaming himself for not raising his daughter properly, “here had been grievous mismanagement” (MP, Ch 48).

Unlikely as it is for Jane Austen to desire further punishment for Caroline, it is more improbable that she would wish for men to exact that retribution. We are told in the history of Eliza Brandon, (S&S) how much power a man can exert over a woman in their guardianship. Eliza is confined to the house and allowed no pleasures until she submits to a marriage to a man who will treat her with cruelty and steal her fortune. This action is despicable and is presented as such. Yet, many authors write Charles Bingley exerting this same sort of control over his sister, or at least threatening it. They wish for him to cut off her allowance and thus financially constrain her behaviour. They have Charles threaten to disown his sister, who in such stories is under his guardianship, or sometimes even give her money away. Not only is this unnecessary, as Charles already can control his sister’s behaviour to an extent as we see during the visit from Mrs. Bennet when he “forced his younger sister to be civil also” (P&P, Ch 9), it is cruel.

It is unlikely therefore, that Jane Austen meant for us to hate Caroline or take pleasure in her imagined downfall. In the original novel, the ‘punishment’ Caroline receives is equal to her actions, she must endure seeing Elizabeth Bennet raised to the position of mistress of Pemberley. It is the same thing that happens to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who like Caroline, wants Darcy to marry for wealth rather than affection.

More distressing are the words used by characters in works of JAFF, mostly by men who in Jane Austen’s original works treat women with respect, about how Charles might control this “deviant” sister. These terms are often far harsher than anything used for the correction of Lydia Bennet, whom we know to actually be unmannered and wild. Proposals that Charles, “bring Caroline to heel” are repugnant. Caroline is a human woman, not a dog. However one imagines speech in the Georgian era, these are not words used by Jane Austen. Suggestions that Charles cast her out of the family home or be obliged to lock her up, when not said in jest, are terrifying. In this society, these things could happen and would be catastrophic to Caroline.

Even the mere suggestion that Charles should control his sister’s speech in in a start contrast our exaltation of Elizabeth’s lively manner. Jane Austen allows us to find Mr. Collins distasteful for suggesting that Elizabeth controls her tongue, “and your wit and vivacity, I think, must be acceptable to her, especially when tempered with the silence and respect which her rank will inevitably excite” (P&P Ch. 19). Yet, JAFF authors want Charles to do this to his own sister! Would it be in keeping with the morality of the creator of Elizabeth Bennet to have a man force a woman into silence? Jane Austen gave women voices and ideas in a time when that was counter-cultural, yet 21st century authors, most of them women, want to send Caroline back to the dark ages.

Some authors have this same abuse performed by a husband that Caroline unfortunately marries for money or through "compromise" (a common but likely ahistorical trope), only to find out he is cruel. There are stories that present this outcome as just instead of horrifying. Again, these are 21st century authors, relegating a 19th century woman to a cruel marriage in which she has few rights and little chance of honourable escape. Occasionally Caroline is married to Wickham, and instead of Elizabeth Bennet pitying the match, as she does for her sister Lydia, she often finds it funny or just. The idea that any woman deserves to be trapped in an abusive situation, or have her wealth stolen from her by a deceitful suitor, is again, repulsive.

The final degradation that Caroline faces is also the most troubling: authors repeatedly deprive Caroline of her rationality. Jane Austen’s Caroline is a rational creature, as are all the women that are depicted in her works. Good or bad, Jane Austen’s women are carefully rendered images of real life and they have motivations that guide their actions. Caroline’s two motives were discussed above and her actions are entirely rational based on her goals Even if we dislike Caroline’s reasoning and acts, we ought to respect her humanity. Unfortunately, many works on JAFF, in an effort to create a more villainous character, twist Caroline into an evil, insane, psychopathic version of herself, bent only on cruelty and hatred, without any clear goals.

As for authors who relegate Caroline to a life of perpetual dependence, Jane Austen herself only consigns a single woman to this fate, Miss Bates in Emma. Jane Austen treats Miss Bates with respect and kindness, creating a town around her that takes care of both her physical and emotional needs. Emma is admonished by Mr. Knightley for ridiculing Miss Bates before other members of the community. To Jane Austen, a woman in perpetual dependence should excite pity, not disgust or laughter. Miss Bates also is granted a voice and we, along with Emma, are encouraged to listen to her and respect her value as a person.

The reason that all of this is so disturbing and repugnant is because these words are written by modern authors, people who should understand how oppressive and wrong the subjugation of women was in the Georgian era. For those authors, many of them women, to attack a fellow woman with the very tools of the patriarchy that we have ourselves struggle to throw off and fight against is horrid. Jane Austen does not resort to these methods; Caroline Bingley is not bent under the power of her male guardians in Pride & Prejudice. The only woman who is, Eliza Brandon, is an example we are supposed to pity, not scorn.

Worse, Mr. Darcy himself is an active participant in almost every bad action of Caroline. Yet, while Darcy is forgiven completely, and often given excuses like shyness for his actions, Caroline is again and again vilified. It is a double standard of the worst kind and one that especially female authors should recognize as unfair and unjust. Yes, we do not see Caroline’s apology or reformation in Pride & Prejudice, but she is also not a main character. Many JAFF works almost seem to forget Darcy’s interference or rudeness towards Jane and the rest of the Bennet family. He is excused and Caroline is hated and destroyed.

Instead of a human with rational motives, JAFF authors imagine Caroline as a demon. Caroline becomes a playhouse mirror imagine of Elizabeth, who is often turned into a “Mary-Sue” or a picture of perfection. This Carrie-Sue (credit to Amelia Marie Logan, who coined the term) acts in a way that Caroline of Pride & Prejudice never would. Carrie-Sue attacks and insults people in public without motive, including her own brother; she continues to pursue Darcy after he is married; she continually attempts to “compromise” him; and she will do anything no matter the cost. She is a grotesque in the worst sense of the word and she is not of Jane Austen.

If there is one overall thesis of Jane Austen’s works, it is that women are rational creatures. Elizabeth Bennet and Sophia Croft (Persuasion) actually use that term explicitly, but every heroine in Jane Austen demonstrates this same theme. We see inside their heads and we understand their humanity. Even the women we are meant to despise display rationality. Fanny Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility for example, talks her husband out of giving money to his sisters because she is greedy. Lucy Steele lashes out against Elinor Dashwood because she is fearful of losing her one chance at financial security: Edward Ferrars. Mrs. Norris (Mansfield Park), probably the cruellest woman in Jane Austen’s works, abuses her niece because she cannot bear her own inferiority to the Bertram family. She relieves her own feelings of dependence by pushing her niece further below herself. All of the actions of these women are despicable, but they also follow cogent motivations.

This is especially problematic because it is almost always Caroline who faces this treatment. Wickham, a character who actually deserves the term “villain”, is allowed rational motives, most often lust, revenge, and greed. He is allowed to retain his humanity and his mind; it is a woman who is deprived of hers. As I have stated, I believe this is done without malice on the part of the authors, but I would ask them to reflect on every instance, for I know there have been many i their own lives, where another person has deprived them of their humanity based on their gender. It is a pervasive problem that persists in our modern society and we ought not perpetuate it in our works of fiction.

To conclude, Jane Austen does not delight in the destruction, humiliation, or subjugation of women. If we wish as JAFF authors, and as women, to honour Jane Austen’s legacy, then we should refrain from doing those very things and from depriving a woman of her rational mind. The treatment of Caroline Bingley in JAFF is a form of misogyny and as such it should be stopped. This is important because while Caroline Bingley is of course fictional, the representation of women in fiction can perpetuate stereotypes and prejudices in real life. Jane Austen wanted to tell the world, through her fiction, that women are humans worth listening to and worth respecting. Let us leave Carrie-Sue behind and allow Caroline Bingley to finally live in peace.

[cabeswaterdrowned]

There’s something about Adam defending Gansey to Blue while also kind of defending him from himself, but also he’s probably glad to have Blue there partly because she’s like him enough to share some of his criticisms of Gansey and Ronan but because she’s less encumbered by performance she’ll just say these things and he gets to kind of play the opposite role while taking satisfaction that someone is saying them if that makes sense. Kind of goes along with him relishing Ronan’s shock when he invited her, yes he wants to go on a date with her regardless but like I said he could choose to do something else with her, but as someone hyper aware of power dynamics he wants her here to sort of be a barrier that keeps him from giving into being ‘one of Gansey’s things’ (him tightening his grip on her hand when Gansey’s looking is so. interesting) while also making himself seem more similar to / equal to them by comparison to her. There are posts I’ve seen mostly in older fandom that took Blue to task for kind of using Adam as an in to the group while also a barrier between her and Gansey / the fate she’s resisting and they aren’t incorrect that it’s unfair of her but I never find the sentiment of ‘pwoor Adam being used by Blue’ sympathetic because like, they’re pretty equal in that regard consistently. For reasons that make perfect sense for two inexperienced teens with a lot of baggage in their first relationship + … unconventional complications lol. 

[cheddertm]

IDFK what’s going on besides people not trusting Jaiden bc she was hanging out with Cucurucho n Pomme might’ve lost a life,,,, however i think while everyone would be sus of Jaiden, Foolish would be like

Foolish: shit you were hanging out with Cucurucho???

Jaiden: uh yeah, but i guess that’s a bad thing to do?

Foolish: nah, they’re cool. you know they let me ride a cloud once, so they’re basically my best friend :)

Jaiden: and no one is sus of you???

Foolish: <3

[trans-axolotl]

my life has been so much richer and full of meaning since I was introduced to mad liberation +the psych survivor movement and i am so so so grateful for the people who shared their time and energy and stories with me. can't imagine where i would be today without the people who helped me start dreaming of different ways of living + loving + caring for each other.

[antihibikase-archive]

The burning light of Nimbasa City, Hilda Weiss!

[petitexmagician]

Ethan takes his role as Zola's assistant seriously to the point where he made himself her bodyguard to make up for worrying her, leaving as a kid the first night in sumeru worrying his parents thinking something happened which transferred badly to Zola and kept a distance from her until she found out he was okay

He also has her brother constantly watching him via his familiar and he knows he's not in for a good time seeing a woman in a crow mask and kimono stare him down if Zola isn't alright.

[m4ndysk4nkovich]

fyi: if you’re a straight “ally” and in a relationship with someone who you know is homophobic, you’re not an ally.

[thedragonagelesbian]

hes literally never smiled like this before not for his lis not for his qpps just for his bestie isabela 😭