#but Harry has flaws too don’t get me wrong

[velvetstreets]

https://www.tumblr.com/velvetstreets/750935310625538048/out-of-curiosity-why-how-did-you-move-on-from

Thank for answering this, I really appreciate it!! I’m still in my obsessed with Jack era so I need to hear what helped other ppl move out of it lol I need to not be so obsessed with him 😫

Can you pls elaborate on the things he said, shared or did that gave you childish vibes? And anything else that helped you stop being obsessed with him plsss? 🙏🏼 I need help lol

Thank you soooo much! I appreciate it and respect your opinion. Hope you’re having a great day!

LMAOO no worries 🫶🫶 hahah it’s okay to be in the obsessed era! I was there for a long time

🚨warning for mutuals, Jack Harlow criticism under the cut, read at your own will! 🚨

I don’t know if I can really pinpoint the childish vibes, just the way he tends to avoid talking about serious topics (in person/interviews) and turns to humor (which isn’t totally a bad thing, he likes to keep the vibes light which I get and it’s an attractive trait) but idk his team/a lot of the people he keeps around him are……… not good people lol

He’s very big on keeping the same circle/bringing people with him up on his success journey, big on loyalty- but like… sometimes it’s good to move on from people in your life. Especially when some of those people are just bad. KY Engineering (one of his close producers) and Nemo his creative advisor have previously stated horrible misogynistic takes on Black women several times, and their attitude towards women in general are…………….. yeah

And for someone like Jack who loves to boast about how much he loves and respects women it… yeah! Idk he often gives me a vibe of his morals are in the right place but he’s not one to correct his homeboys publicly at the end of the day- especially if there are no women present.

(This part isn’t childish, more just sad and upsetting) He also continuously told the story of how he lost his virginity during his last tour which was so horrible bc it was clear the girl he lost it to groomed him :(((( and he/the people around him don’t see that/understand that because its common as a man to be proud that you “bagged” an older girl and it’s like…. Baby lemme hold ur hand and tell you no it’s not…

And he spoke on the Megan the Stallion/Tory L*nez incident and didn’t remove Tory off his song unlike other (female) artists, saying he didn’t feel like it was his place to speak on Tory’s actions, but hoped that Megan was doing okay which was so???????????????????? Like I don’t understand how you can acknowledge she was shot and say that you know you’re a good person and have integrity but then keep her abuser and the man that tried to kill her on your song…. The math is not mathing!!!!!

I just… he has some evolving and learning and growing up to do, and I felt like me personally I fell out of love w him bc we’re the same age and I couldn’t understand how he was not consciously on the same wavelength in terms of mentality ya know :/

I still think he’s a good rapper and makes good music, and I think he’s continuing to evolve mentally (his 3rd album showed more of that), and I don’t believe he’s a bad person at his core, but the lack of action/opinion in certain areas just made me wake up and was like oh i don’t love him like that anymore

But also he’s a white man from Kentucky so I shouldn’t have expected much from him in the first place lmao that’s my fault!

(as a black woman w academic parents and from a socialist environment I forget that people… don’t have/grow up with the same mindset? And then that makes itself known and I get shook lmao)

(P.S. I don’t blame or judge others for liking him still!! His aura is very charming and likable I completely understand, I just personally lost interest in him that way)

[sevilynne]

Nah, you’re right poster. Ignore the dickheads sending you horrible messages for an opinion. Lily didn’t do anything bad. But I don’t think based on the book that she even liked him that much even as a friend, and so it is sad and fucked up that Severus was so loved-starved that she was the best that he ever experienced when she just…wasn’t that fussed about him.

Idk who you are, but I love you sm.

I have a little theory with a few people that Lily has been waiting for anything Severus would do wrong to get rid of them, and before anyone else beats me up for this, it kinda makes sense.

Lily is perfect headgirl who's quite beautiful in probably almost everyone's eyes, and her having 'Snivellus' would make her have this imperfection.

It would also make sense for her friends to be like "Oh Severus is a Slytherin and likes the Dark Arts!" Since she'd obviously have Gryffindor friends.

And he's also like that weird student in school that no one would want to be friends with.

It honestly sucks that Severus has her as the best person that happened to him, it's so fucked up because Lily's just a red flag friend (KEYWORD: friend) and everyone just bullies him.

I mean, who would laugh at their friends while they get publicly humiliated? James knew what he was doing, literally no one in the Wizarding World wore trousers. Severus would've cursed anyone who would even try that on Lily.

I just want to give Severus a hug man, he never got his happy ending (And he's so depressed in Hogwarts Legacy too) he has Lily as the best thing that happened to him, had bullies who SA'd him and attempted to murder him, and his father and mother canonically neglected him (Since Harry is abused, he'd view this as neglect since Harry's life is also fucked up, so it's also heavily implied that Severus was abused as well.)

I don't know why people hate me for an opinion, if you see Lily as a great person, then sure, but Lily is just a red flag for me, because she's not a great friend. Sure, she has flaws and imperfections, but I—an imperfect and person with flaws—would never deflect any stuff a bully did to my best friend nor would laugh at them while they get SA'd.

Severus did terrible stuff, sure, but he never failed his duty as a friend like Lily did :/

[youngyoo-apologist]

OG Choi Han they could never make me hate you cause if some random rich boy was yelling at me and telling me my family deserved to die like a day after it happened and all I wanted was to know how I could get help I’d beat him up too

This plus the added fact that the Harris Village people were the first people to take Choi Han in and take care of him after years and years in the dark forest. Like he’s obviously not going to be mentally stable after all that, and he was so young when everything happened to him like I cannot blame him at all. I don’t think I can ever hate OG Choi Han like ever, he’s flawed, he has problems, but I love him dearly. He deserves the world. This kid who had to fight for his life, was taken away from his family, and in the process had to give up parts of his own humanity to survive, and like went to war two years later, they could never make me hate u OG Choi Han…

Like yeah violence is bad I guess but OG Cale had it coming(saying this as an OG Cale fan, I love him, but he was mean as hell when he was younger!)

If I’m honest, I think they were both in the wrong to an extent. Like OG Cale shouldn’t have said all that no matter the circumstances, and OG Choi Han shouldn’t have beaten him up so much. But u say mean shit and you get hit, that is how it will work when you’re talking to the guy who just saw his entire village get murdered like idkkkk man

I understand where OG Cale was coming from, but he had many issues and while he wasn’t an awful person, he was capable of doing bad things because of his own internalized pain and emotions that he never got to properly process because of his emotionally distant childhood and relationship with his father who should have been there for him more when he was younger.

Okay speaking of his childhood, Deruth isn’t the WORST father in the world but there are a lot of things he could have done better. I think a lot of Deruth’s flaws come from his fear of failure and messing up. He’s scared of doing the wrong thing, and so he sticks to doing what he knows and using what he knows best. That’s why he uses his money, that’s why gift giving is his way of showing affection, he knows that it is one thing he cannot mess up.

The problem is that money and gifts is NOT what OG Cale needed. I think what that guy needed the most was a parent who wasn’t afraid to talk to him, to ask him questions. Not to say that Deruth gave up on OG Cale, but I think in a way he gave up on OG Cale by giving up on himself. Deruth didn’t trust himself to have the capabilities to talk to OG Cale, which is why he never did. It’s because that Deruth was scared, and didn’t trust himself, that he could never face OG Cale

If Deruth was able to trust himself a little more, and pull himself together, I don’t think OG Cale would have turned out the way he did. As a kid, he probably thought the only way he could help his family without relying on anyone(no doubt this whole ‘I have to do it myself’ thing came from the fact that he couldn’t rely on his father when his mom died, and instead was acting as a pillar of support for his father when it should have been the other way around) was to sabotage himself, the only heir. If he was shown to be unfit to be heir, then everyone else would have no choice but to direct their hatred towards him instead of his family.

If Deruth had talked to his son at least ONCE when he was a kid, asking him why he was upset or why he did the things he did, I think OG Cale would have told him. Why? Because he’s a kid!! A kid will obviously want to rely on his father, if he just had one sign telling him that he didn’t have to do it alone I’m 90% sure OG Cale would have said something.

Basically, while Deruth isn’t the worst father, he’s not really a great father either. I think he does do his best, but he has issues with communication lol

OG Cale and OG Choi Han are both complex characters and had their own reasons to behave the way they did. The thing is with people is that they’re complicated and have layers, so the situation with them would have layers behind it as well with multiple co-existing truths and stuff

[duplicitywrites]

Hi Duplicity! I’m asking you this with no intention to cause offence, and because you’re a creator in this fandom I like a lot, but how do you balance your content with JKR Rowling’s views ? I keep seeing people say that we should all stop consuming and producing Harry Potter content, because despite the intention, or Hc-ing it to suit our views, any engagement with the source material is bringing it to attention, and thus bring her and her hateful views against Trans people to attention, furthering her platform by ensuring her works remain in the collective mind of many people instead of letting it die out and somehow contributing to her legacy. I know you’re very very supportive of LGBTQ+ folks and seem like a very kind person, and I’m not insinuating at all you support JKR herself, but how do you deal with that implication and the unintentional effects your fanfics may have ? Just because it is somewhat true that fandom fuels popularity that fuels profit and yada yada. Please don’t take this the wrong way! Thank you and bless you for your writing ❤️

no offense taken! i hope you'll take my response the same way 💗

to be blunt, i think people who say that we should cease any engagement with the source material are wrong. the equation of content consumption with someone's personal morals is reductive and ultimately harmful.

this (often literal) armchair activism disrespects and disregards the very real efforts people make on a day to day basis -- whether that be through volunteer work, charitable donations, or simply serving as support to friends/family who are a part of those very minority groups that those naysayers claim to advocate for.

jkr is extremely vocal about her garbage opinions -- why are people not directing their ire at her instead of the random strangers they encounter on the internet? well, strangers on the internet are easier targets. it's easier to get a response. it's easier to ostracize and bully someone who doesn't have the security and following that a public figure like jkr has.

it's concerning to me how the concept of "doing the right thing" has shifted more and more towards "attacking the 'wrong' people". who is the target in these situations? is it actually a transphobic person who is being criticized, or is it someone who just likes harry potter? because in most situations i've seen, it's the latter. moral policing in fandom spaces has only gotten worse as the internet slowly morphs into one homogeneous corporate blob, and this is just another example of it taken too far.

harassing someone for liking harry potter doesn't miraculously make them a good person -- it doesn't make them morally superior. it just makes them someone who likes to attack others to feel better about themselves, someone who often looks for 'acceptable' excuses to do so. i'm secure enough in myself that i don't let this bother me, and i certainly don't accept anyone who thinks this way as a 'better' person than me.

i know i am not responsible for the opinions and actions of my readers. it is insanity to claim my writing harry potter fanfiction is making transphobes be transphobic, just as it is equally ridiculous to claim that writing about murder will turn people into murderers.

personally, i believe the best step is to not financially support harry potter as a franchise. this means not paying for official merch/content. but that's my own business -- i won't judge, insult, or attack the people who do, and that's because it would be hypocritical to hold anyone to this standard.

what about disney? what about walmart, or amazon, or any other company that profits off of the misery of minorities and the disadvantaged? people will say there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, but that is just another black-and-white approach to an incredibly nuanced topic.

the world we live in is flawed, with "problematic" humans involved at every level of society. there is no clear answer for every situation, so at the end of the day, i can't and won't tell you what to do or what to think, other than encourage you to make these decisions for yourself.

as individuals, the best thing we can do is take responsibility for ourselves. think critically about the actions we take and the impact these actions have on others. live the best life we can under the circumstances we've been given.

(much better than dunking on someone for putting their hogwarts house in their social media bio.)

[trippin-over-my-fandoms]

The tv show Dexter is my Roman Empire

I absolutely fucking love the show Dexter and its title character but I’m on my rewatch and ooooohhhh my gosh it pisses me off so bad especially with knowing everything that comes next. And you wanna know why? Because Dexter Morgan was done a terrible disservice. And look I know you have to have conflict to have a show and I love it for the complexities I’m probably reading too far into but its so frustrating to see it all go down. Which if your like me is how you get sucked into wanting Dex to come out on top and get his justice but then New Blood comes in and wakes you up and you’re like left like …. whoa.

Let me explain-

* Disclaimer: this is my personal interpretation of the character of Dexter Morgan in the tv show Dexter, I am in no way a licensed therapist or psychologist but I am neurodivergent and diagnosed with Borderline Personality (potentially ADD and OCD but we’ve yet to explore those in full) and my view is heavily influenced on my own experiences with mental health. This is also not a “oh we should give all bad people a chance” post this is on Dexter specifically thanks *

Before I started my rewatch I was always on how Dexter frequently expresses that he has no emotions or does not have the typical range someone who’s “normal” would. He often thinks on emotionally difficult situations as trivial and he cannot put himself in someone else’s shoes. But he is not void of emotions. He very clearly cares for Debra, Rita, and his children. When Brian is a threat to Deb’s life he is incredibly protective of her, when he’s forced to kill Brian it so visibly upsets him, going through therapy and coincidentally unlocking painful memories, Brian’s death leading to a nervousness that hurts his ability to kill, the pain of losing Rita and his son being left the same way he was as a child, etc etc

Now you might say hey these are all negative emotions but there’s plenty of examples of positive as well. Anytime he receives closure and is put at ease, endorphins released from his addiction to killing, spending any time with his children (I fully believe its not an “act” especially the longer he’s with them), feeling like someone sees and understands him for who he is and accepts him despite all his flaws (the absolute most painful imo), etc etc

A lot of these examples come from the first season alone (also that I’ve seen twice, I’ll update perhaps as I continue) where he has so much potential for healing that I believe gets ripped from him more and more as the show goes on.

It is my firm belief that Harry groomed Dexter to be a serial killer and enabled his negative state of mind therefore ruining any chance at healing from trauma and dealing with a clear neurodivergency he exhibited for whatever sick sort of fantasy he had and could act out through his adopted son. And it pisses me off to no fucking end.

Constantly we are fed as a core foundation of the show and main character that Harry Morgan is who “helped” Dexter live the life of a serial killer. He taught him how to get away with numerous murders, how to avoid police suspicion, how to channel his desires, how to dispose of a body, and most importantly how to fake being like everyone else. He didn’t give Dexter a true chance. You don’t look at a damn child who kills an animal and think “oh he’s gonna be like that for forever so let’s either get rid of him or teach him how to do it safely” (but if you do- fuck you dude), no, that’s a CHILD and in Harry’s case one he KNEW came from a horribly traumatic background. You see a child clearly struggling and you help them. You don’t look at them and tell them that everything they have ever done wrong is part of an evil they will never be rid of.

Dexter looked up to Harry. Dexter and Deb both saw Harry, as most children do their parents, as some super being who knows all and could never do wrong. So when an idol looks at you and tells you for so many years that you are a monster and there is no cure to this darkness inside of you? You believe them. It becomes your identity. Because surely they know everything so why would they be wrong? Why would you question it? You go along with what they say to do and the only relief you get from your trauma is the destructive way you are taught to express it. In Dexter’s case that is taking a life. It doesn’t help that Harry hid so much from him. It doesn’t help that he made Dexter feel as if he was alone instead of getting him proper help and not taking advice from a gosh damned therapist that also grooms children into being serial killers.

Get him into taxidermy or even encourage bloodwork from an earlier age, teach him to be a coroner or mortician or euthanasia tech. Get him someone to listen to how he feels if you can’t do it yourself so he feels heard and seen so he doesn’t grow up thinking that his problems are terrifying so he must bottle them up because no one can handle them. Dexter spends so much time feeling so alone when all he needed for years was someone to just listen to him and not be afraid. And it’s honestly so damn sad as someone who spent so long feeling similarly.

I mentioned I have borderline personality and while I don’t often experience the rage commonly associated with it I do heavily experience depression and anxiety frequently as a result of struggling to understand my connections with others. Similar to Dexter I encounter hardships with empathy and I constantly second guess my relationships with everyone to the point it was so bad in junior high and high school that I began to believe that no one would ever understand me and I would need to keep my thoughts bottled up. I struggled with intrusive thoughts that ranged from self harm to sexual whether it was of me or of others. I find dead things and anatomy fascinating as well as how graphic deaths can occur interesting. I’m not phased by certain things people deem so morbid. Until I got therapy to accept myself and my interests and understand that I am not my thoughts I felt crazy and weird and like I was a square block in a puzzle box. So it is heartbreaking to see Dexter treated like a monster.

I love how New Blood went and I love that Dexter died. I don’t believe as much as I feel bad for him that he “deserved” any sort of happier ending in fact I feel like it fit the story very well. And I above all absolutely loved that Harrison broke the cycle. The show to me overall is terribly tragic and it’s difficult to watch at points because of the statements i have made. But I do love it. It’s very entertaining. Very thought provoking.

And to those who find themself in similar thought patterns to myself or even relating to Dexter as I do- you are not your thoughts. You are not too far gone and you are not any sort of monster for thinking those things. You are cared for you are loved you are seen you are not alone.

[jmagnabo92]

PM - 105 - June 13 - Surround

@prongsfoot-microfic

In the wake of the fight with Molly, Sirius gets upset and James has to pull him out of his funk with some cuddling.

AO3

***

Whenever Sirius is upset, he tends to curl up into a ball on his bed.  Sometimes as Padfoot, sometimes as himself.  This was one of those moments that he’s himself.  Curled up in a ball on his bed, wishing that he was anywhere else in the world since he absolutely hates being back in his childhood bedroom. 

Yet, he is.  

The fight with Molly over his son Harry affected him more than he tried to let on.  The only thing that helped was James supporting him.  His return was everything to Sirius and Harry because they needed James right now when they’re both in vulnerable positions right now and they need someone who isn’t in the same state.  

Still, having his support, didn’t stop him from his thoughts that maybe Molly’s right.  He hasn’t been the best father/godfather.  He made mistakes and he’s currently in hiding because he’s still a fugitive.  He couldn’t support Harry better than living in a cave in Hogsmeade.  He couldn’t do anything so why should he have any rights to Harry when he might just screw it up?

Maybe he would be better off if Sirius left Harry in James’ capable hands and disappeared.  

Just as he thinks that he can feel strong arms surround him.  He closes his eyes and takes in the smell of coconut, James’ favorite smell, and knows – even though it was obvious – that it’s James.

He doesn’t say a word, just letting the hug and feeling of not being alone anymore surround him for a few minutes.  It feels good and chases away the doubts clouding his mind.  There’s a special comfort in smelling James surrounding him. 

It’s nice and Sirius loves it.  Especially since James is always good about giving him the chance to speak first.  He won’t say a word until Sirius feels good enough to say something.  

He revels in the feeling for a few minutes, but eventually… “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” James questions.  “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Sirius turns around in James’ arms.  “Of course I have – our son is suffering because of me and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

James shakes his head.  “None of us knew what was going to happen and frankly, I don’t think Molly has a leg to stand on considering that she hasn’t been the supportive force she claims to be for Harry.  She’s got no room to talk and you’re doing just fine.”

“Just fine isn’t enough – I’m dragging you both down…”

“Lies.”

“It’s not a lie.  Harry worries about me when I should be worrying about him…. And I can’t even help him, and it all started with my bad decision to go after the rat.”

“Listen to me, Si, it’s not your fault.  Things happened and yeah, they weren’t our best decisions – having Harry in the middle of a war, Lily and I making ourselves a target and not just leaving the country, you off fighting when you should’ve been staying with us and the keeper, trusting Pettigrew, letting Dumbledore and Hagrid steal Harry away… they were bad decisions and it sucks that that is what happened, but we can’t do anything about the past.  It is what it is, and we have to deal with that.”

Sirius shakes his head.  “How can you make that list and not think that it’s all my fault?”

“Because we made most of those decisions together,” James states, plainly.  “The three of us were always a unit and we didn’t make choices on a whim.  We planned and thought it through.  Unfortunately, I was too trusting.”

Sirius opens his mouth to refute him, but James says, “Don’t you dare.  It was me that said I trusted Pettigrew, that after everything we went through together that he would never betray us.  You and Lily were very vocal that things were changing and we could only trust each other, but I stood my ground.”

“But if I never suggested pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes…”

“That was a brilliant plan.”

Sirius scoffs.

“No, really, it was.  Utterly brilliant, there was just the minor flaw of literally choosing the rat,” James states.  “If he had been as loyal as you, and hadn’t been the rat, diverting the attention away from him would’ve been brilliant.  It just so happens that he wasn’t loyal.”

Sirius hums.  “I suppose you’re right.  Still, now, I’m a fugitive and …”

“And nothing, you’re not a weight dragging us down.  Harry loves you – more than anyone else – he knows that he can go to you and be honest and free.  Exactly what he needs right now.”

“He has you now.”

“But I’m not you,” James states.  “I’ve only been back a week, and it’s going to take a lot longer to get him to trust me and even when he does, he’s likely always going to prefer you.”

“You think?”

“I know,” James says, smiling softly at him. 

Sirius smiles, too.  “Thanks, love.”

“Anytime.”

[slitheringghost]

snape + 1, 5, 14

lily + 2, 11, 12

sirius + 7, 15, 16

(sending you my three fav marauders' era characters <3)

Thank you so much for the ask! <3

Snape

1. what i most like about them

I really like the glimpses we see of child!Snape as a friend. He tries to reassure Lily when she's worried about being Muggleborn, he’s not mad at her when she deflects blame onto him about Petunia, and then is “encouraged” when she brightens. He’s also so visibly upset when she's sorted into Gryffindor. (As I’m not a Snape fan that’s… sort of where the list of things I like about him end.)

5. a headcanon i have

Cheating because this falls under “a HC someone else has” but I really love it. From this post - that Snape tried to set Lily up as the exceptional Muggleborn amongst his Slytherin friends when he came into Hogwarts. It’s clear he came in prepared to impress the Slytherin purebloods (at least that’s how I take the “Snape came in knowing more curses than half the kids in 7th year” comment, that he was loudly showing off his knowledge) and it makes a lot of sense to me that he *also* planned to ~get Lily in the with the Purebloods~ and make her social climb along with him. Evidently Snape knew about Muggleborn prejudice, and he also expected Lily to be in Slytherin for 2+ years pre Hogwarts and knows she would’ve experienced alienation and hostility in it similar to how he would.

It feels like such a Slytherin-esque loyalty thing for Snape to do (and heavily misguided of course but well intentioned), to lie to Lily about how Muggleborns are treated and keep it secret from her for years only to come into Hogwarts prepared to be like “Hello Slytherins this is my super special Muggleborn friend she’s totally Not Like Other Muggleborns look how powerful she is, pls accept us”. That post interprets her as a Parselmouth so it’s questionable how much it would work without that (though Parselmouth Lily is excellent and now my HC too), but regardless I think he’d at least try anyway.

14. my fav au for them

I... can't think of anything rn sorry.

Lily

2. what i hate about them

Nothing, she’s perfect <3 In seriousness, I don’t dislike anything about her, but I’ll talk about some of her flaws (because despite fandom claiming she’s written as a Saint, she clearly has them).

- She’s emotionally volatile when she’s hurt - i.e. she blames Snape for Petunia’s anger when Lily readily went sneaking with Snape (and frankly I’d guess that Lily was the one who suggested that they sneak into Petunia’s room in the first place, even if Snape was the one who found the letter).

- She’s a fash apologist. Invented Snape apologism, no Snape fan could get on her level. Defends her fascist terrorist friend when he’s going around attacking Muggleborn students while calling them slurs - including her (most likely) friends like Mary Macdonald.

- Manipulative and knows how to use people’s weaknesses against them! She strikes back viciously using Petunia's insecurity. She does the same with Snape (bringing up the Prank, I'd wash your pants if I were you Snivellus) and James (That Whole Rant in SWM). In these cases, it was deserved and Lily was completely right and did nothing wrong in those scenes… BUT I'm sure this tendency played a role at points when others didn't deserve it too.

I also see her as really leaning into those manipulative tendencies when she was working for the Order and trying to figure out a way to deflect the Killing Curse to save Harry i.e. I interpret her dynamic with Bathilda Bagshot in part as her manipulating Bathilda for information, maybe about Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s experiments, and possibly unethically using Legilimency in those situations too. (More on Lily being manipulative here)

11. what i think of that character's friends

I’ve talked about that some here - I think the obvious answer to “where are Lily’s friends” is “they were horribly murdered” and it bothers me how people downplay the tragedy of the First War and its effect on Lily.

I like to go with Mary Macdonald and Marlene Mckinnon as her friends for several reasons. There's the alliteration (that also exists with Sirius and Snape - it's like Lily's found family got its own little naming pattern) and that the three of them could allude to the three Marys at Christ's resurrection, with Lily as the (not so Saintly) Virgin Mary, and the name Marlene apparently stems from Mary Magdalene.

Plus, Lily having one Muggleborn girl friend and one pureblood girl friend gives an interesting variation of dynamics to explore, and commonalities and culture clash, etc.

The dynamic between Lily and Mary also has the potential to be fascinating, because Lily being friends with her while Snape is tormenting her and Lily is defending him? Extremely spicy.

12. how i think their childhood was like

It was like, fine but I still HC some mild dysfunction amongst the Evans family. In that they're the kind of class conscious parents who see their children as idealizations vs. real people. They clearly didn't do anything to stop the fighting between Lily and Petunia, and I HC that when Lily got pregnant, it's not like they wouldn't accept her back or anything, but Lily also didn't entirely feel like she could live with them without their judgment - being pregnant at 19 and jobless and unmarried doesn't look good to the neighbors etc. Which made her more likely to accept James’s proposal.

I like this fic’s take on the dynamic (the excerpt is from a letter Lily’s writing to Mary Macdonald):

My parents are fine, you know - I mean since you're also muggleborn I suppose you do know. They ask me how I'm doing at school and how my classes are and the answer might as well be in Ancient Greek, but they nod along with it and smile and say they're sure I'll get top marks, etc. I think what they like more than anything else is that they've got a daughter in boarding school in

Sirius

7. my unpopular opinion on them

Sirius was severely physically abused by Walburga lol (and likely Orion too). People make Walburga into the kind of abusive parent that like, Molly Weasley canonically is - who screams at her children constantly and is very critical of them with high expectations and apparently uses corporal punishment often.

But none of Molly’s kids would have a complete breakdown if they were brought back to the Weasley house. Sirius’s situation pretty clearly implies extreme childhood trauma, which can take many forms (Harry was physically abused, but his situation is extreme even without it) but the details we get about the Blacks and Walburga really heavily imply physical abuse (…and tbh sexual abuse was also my first thought). There's also the fact that the magical world is centuries behind the Muggle world in terms of social progress, and so violent abuse is much more normalized (proven with Merope's situation, more on that here), which makes it even more likely that the Blacks (who are at the extreme end of that culture) are deeply violent.

15. my hc for their style

Predictably, leather jackets, and in general getting really into Muggle fashion.

16. what song i think they'd like

Cop Car by Mitski <3 Also I’m just projecting my taste onto Sirius some, but I think he’d love Velvet Underground. (Additionally, I HC Lily loving Nico and Chelsea Girl being her fav album).

[faith--in-the-future]

I honestly never understood this lie that Louis isn’t attractive. Quite literally, I thought Louis was the only already pretty/beautiful member from 1D at first. The other boys were “cute”, I guess but not in any significant way - except Zayn, who was also always actually good looking too and became very hot as his features matured a bit. I am around the same age as the 1D members and only Louis attracted me. Even when the boys all grew up, I still only really found Louis snd Zayn attractive. I never got people acting like Louis is/was unattractive? He has very pretty features and the perfect body shape (maybe if you’re into heavily muscled figures you wouldn’t think so but come on and I guess Louis doesn’t fit the stereotype of what toxic masculinity demands of male body types but it’s better that way). There were times when it looked like Louis was self-conscious about his body type, like his cute little tummy, and he got quite thin at certain points (which always worried me) but he always had the pretty face. Looks are subjective, I get it, but even people I don’t find personally attractive, I can acknowledge if they fit into that attractive classification. Some people I knew at the time thought Louis’ features were a bit too androgynous/feminine to be their type - and still do when he’s clean-shaven - but still thought he was an attractive person. Like with everything else about Louis, it’s like people just jumped on a bandwagon of unnecessary hate and decided they were right despite all evidence to the contrary. Like sometimes the second fandoms will use the most gorgeous photos of Louis to try to drag him or clips where his singing is spot-on. They only see and hear what they want to see and hear. A m**** H*aly fan tweeted how Louis will pay for his crimes to 7 and I just don’t get it. Louis nailed 7, always does. It suits his voice and style so well and he kills that song. I’m even a fan of CATB and I prefer Louis’ version (🫣) and his high note and his pronunciation are everything

It’s amazing to see Louis happy and confident and owning his amazing body and showing it off a bit more 🥰

as for everything else in this fandom it was just a trope perpetuated by press/media and then people followed it due to their sheep mentality and then it became a self sustaining cycle which can never be broken probably :/

for MY taste in early 1d he and zayn were the best looking ones then in like 2014 after the fratboy phase him zayn and harry were the best looking ones cuz niall was still pre pubertal basically 😭 and liam was having different issues then after 1d I think niall actually went through puberty lol and I think he's good looking now too

the whole conversation is stupid imo bc ugly people do not get picked to be popstars on TV lmaooo if any of them had been ugly they wouldn't have become millionaires that's just what the world is

there are bad pictures of any of them bc thats just what being human is like 🤷🏻‍��️

also hate that people equate ugliness with moral flaws or think that calling someone ugly is the worst thing u can do like there's nothing inherently wrong with being ugly this isn't a Disney movie... grow up

ps: I like louis' 7 better too! I love his arrangement :) and again that's just ppl picking on louis bc its easy and "allowed" but they don't really have a real opinion of their own lol they'd love that cover if they had been told to . simple as that

[thealmightyemprex]

Disney Requests REview : The Aristocats

Requested by @goodanswerfoxmonster ,Im gonna talk about the Aristocats .This one is actually a childhood favorite of both of us ,and he wanted to know what I think of the movie as an adult .It is true this was a favorite of mine as a youngster,its definately the 70's Disney film I latched onto the most .As I got older I have found it has people who dismiss it or straight up dont like it ,however.....I still like it,despite completely getting why people wouldnt latch onto it

This 1970 film follows Duchess (Eva Gabor ) a mother cat with three kittens ,all set to inherit a large fortune from their owner the former opera singer  Madame Adelaide Bonfamille (Hermoine Baddley ),when they are kidnapped and abandoned in the French country side by the butler Edgar (Roddy Maude-Roxby ) ,who seeks the fortune himself ,so the cats gain the help of a street wise alley cat Thomas O'Malley (Phil Harris ) who guides them on their way back to Paris

So lets start with what doesnt work,I feel for Edgar too much .See EDgar is a good loyal butler,and only turns on the cats cause he is afraid they will outlive him.Its not like he hates the cats or wants to kill them ,he is just a desperate guy ,and while I love our heroes ,I'm sorry but I get Edgars motive.SEe if the will said he'd have to take care of the cats to get the money and he didnt want to ,that would be one thing but no ,the cats are inheriting FIRST and he only gets the money after they die .I think what they needed to do was make him MORE resentful or MORE greedy .I ve seen some of the early stuff about Edgar which emphisize him as a manipulator and a greedy monster ,and wish they went that direction (Also originally he was going to be played by Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester was going to play a maid with a crush on him ,wouldnt that have been fun ,have a Frankenstein reunion ) .I also just think as an antagonist hes just bad ,hes got his funny momrnt but there is just no menace

Also be warned one of the characters is a Chinese sterotype

That said I like the rest of the movie .This film is low stakes so it is a pretty light and fun watch ,got a chill vibe to it . I like the wacky side characters especially a energetic yet very elderly lawyer George (Played by legendary character actor Charles Lane ) and the drunkengoose Uncle Waldo (Played by Disney veteren Bill Thompson in his final role ) .There are two funny chase sequences involving Edgar and two dogs voiced by Pat Butram and George Lindsey ,that are highlights of the film .My absolute favorite scene however is when we meet Scat Cat voiced by the legendary Scatman Crothers who treats us to the ver underrated "Everybody Wants To Be A Cat ",its a hell of a fun show stopper and best part of the film

I also really adore our two leads ,Eva Gabor and Phil Harris deliver good performances ,O'Malley in particular has a swagger about him I like(With a great intro song ) and I legit think they have one of the most belivables and swettest romances in Disney

Question time

1. What do you think of the character animation? I always felt that the kittens didn’t move like kittens—don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong with the designs, but at best they move like adult cats. Oliver from Oliver and Company is how kittens move.

I like the animation on Duchess and O Malley ,but I agree about the kittens

2. …Duchess is like pretty hot, right?

This movie definately awoke some furries

Overall I enjoyed revisiting this movie,its flawed but I still love it

@ariel-seagull-wings @themousefromfantasyland @princesssarisa @filmcityworld1 @the-blue-fairie @angelixgutz @amalthea9

[jackoshadows]

Do you think that Sansa's "flaws" are gonna be something she eventually confronts herself? Things like her classism, treatment of Arya/Jon, etc.? She has had a lot of growth in some aspects but it doesn't really feel like she's grown much in that area, at least to me. Especially not when compared to other characters. I don't see it causing huge issues, but I could definitely see it causing some personal conflict with her siblings if/when they reunite.

For me personally, I think if she was going to confront what I feel are her flaws, she would have done it by now you know? The author has written in plenty of circumstances where Sansa could reflect on past actions and grow and for some reason GRRM just does not build on it. Maybe because he does not think it’s a flaw or maybe because he thinks that character growth has already happened on page (Like when he said Sansa regrets the role she played in Ned’s death) or maybe because there are other more important things that need to happen in the limited time and number of books he has left.

To give an example, take book 3 ASoS:

Sister. Sansa had once dreamt of having a sister like Margaery;  beautiful and gentle, with all the world’s graces at her command. Arya  had been entirely unsatisfactory as sisters went. How can I let my  sister marry Joffrey? she thought, and suddenly her eyes were full of  tears. “Margaery, please,” she said, “you mustn’t.” It was hard to get  the words out. “You mustn’t marry him. He’s not like he seems, he’s not.  He’ll hurt you.” - Sansa, ASoS

If GRRM had written it like Sansa thinking that she was unable to help her sister Arya against Joffrey and so this time she could try and help Margaery and do right what she had got wrong in AGoT - that’s actual character development. So many characters do it. For example, Jon apologizes to Grenn and Pyp for being a bully and sets about taking the time to teach them the sword.

However that’s not what happens here.

Sansa had once dreamt of having a sister like Margaery; beautiful and  gentle, with all the world’s graces at her command. Arya had been entirely unsatisfactory as sisters went.

She is still slagging off Arya! Even two books after being proved wrong regarding the likes of beautiful, elegant people like Cersei and Joffrey, she still assigns value to good looks and propriety. She considers this stranger she hardly knows, Margaery, to be her sister because she is beautiful and graceful.

And then after Margaery ends up using her and betraying her, we still don’t get any introspection about her real sister.

It’s the same when she spends a book pretending to be a bastard and yet fails to hold any opinions on bastardy itself. Not even about Jon, just the concept of bastardy. Daenerys sold into slavery leads her on a campaign to free slaves. Arya’s trek through war torn Riverlands helps her understand what the small folk are going through and that the North were equally culpable in what was being done. Jon’s bastardy and Tyrion’s disability allows them to sympathize with those who are othered and ostracized. Bran was always kind and sweet and he’s only 7-9, but there’s a great deal of growth in his ACoK arc as prince of Winterfell. 

And yet with Sansa, while she’s aghast at having to play a pretend bastard and hurt when Harry calls her as such - at no point does she reflect on why it’s unfair for bastards to be treated that way, only that she herself has to experience this.

That’s why it’s hilarious when stans make a great deal about her rare thoughts on Jon Snow in AFfC when Myranda Royce brings him up.

She had not thought of Jon in ages. He was only her half brother, but still … with Robb and Bran and Rickon dead, Jon Snow was the only brother that remained to her. I am a bastard too now, just like him. Oh, it would be so sweet, to see him once again.

She has completely forgotten about the existence of her bastard brother despite playing a pretend bastard in the Vale.

All my real brothers are dead and only the half brother is left, he will have to make do.

Oh and now I have been reduced to his level as a bastard.

It will be sweet to see him again.

Even now, at the end of book five Sansa does not still get it when it comes to class and sisterhood and brotherhood and family and all that.

And then of course in the TWoW sample chapter we see her overhearing LF’s price gouging scheme and as someone who is from the North, I would assume Sansa has an idea of the scarcity of food. And yet, all we have is extravagant feasts and 12 foot tall lemon cakes.

Again, Jon, Dany, Tyrion, Arya and Bran have all gone through dealing with food shortages as leaders and have found themselves scavenging for food and experiencing hunger. And yet, even when hit in the face with the reason for why the hungry smallfolk are rioting for food, Sansa is unable to comprehend why she was attacked while Margaery was a favorite.

Hopefully we do have some personal growth for Sansa in books 6 or 7, possibly when she meets up with Arya and they sort out the ‘Deep Issues’ between them. At least some growth in regards to her relationship with Arya is certainly happening considering the author has commented on it and that is an important relationship for both characters. Everything else? If it was going to happen, IMO it should have already happened.

[stylinsoncity]

I love your characters because they seem alive. And I realize that a big part of creating them to feel real is making them humans, inevitably faulty. But I find that it’s incredibly difficult to let that character be an asshole, say the wrong thing, fail, hurt someone they love. That’s an issue, of course, given that those are the things they need in order to grow and fulfill their story ark. How do you approach it? Making things the right amount of imperfect, knowing when to give into the character’s wants, and when to hold them back?

I think you can typically just tell when it’s a step too far, if you find yourself hating them. You should only go as far as you can reasonably redeem them. I’ve never written a cheating fic bc for me, in my personal life, that’s not something I would allow someone to come back from. Using your own personal boundaries to determine your characters boundaries can be helpful, at least until you get more comfortable writing your characters this way.

You don’t want to just write characters who are assholes either. I think first you want to establish why they might be that way. Because in real life, that’s how it is. Usually there are several incidents or traumas that have led to a person being distrustful or untrustworthy or standoffish or noncommittal. For story purposes, you really only need one. But you can include more. But once you find that thing, it’ll help you think realistically about how the character might respond to certain things. If a person has been burned by a former fiancé for example, they might be really avoidant or shut down if they’re proposed to by their new love interest later on. this will also help you in determining what they're willing to give vs what they can't give just yet.

Also you always want to balance out their failings with kindness. Bc they’re not evil you know? They have flaws but they have a heart too, otherwise they wouldn't fall in love. Harry and Louis in SEL are a great example of this. Bc they ostensibly “hate” each other and they can be mean to each other but if the other one needs them, they’re there. They still help each other.

In CAYA, after the encounter in Solomon’s office, Louis checks that Harry isn't hurt when they're outside. Even though in a prior scene, he did something that was careless and hurtful, he still does care and still looks out for Harry.

In Pennington Park, i think Harry and Louis are both closed off in their own ways. But Harry wants to get justice for Louis. And Louis wants to keep Harry company. If they were to argue and say something that hurt the other person, well we know that's only human and we know they still care because the kindness proves it. they've shown they care.

this is a whole lot but i hope it sort of helps... :)

[charlesemersonwinchesteriii]

for the 'why wouldn't date them'

charles, hawkeye, trapper

and i think you might be into twin peaks? if so, dale cooper and donna hayward

whichever ones you want to do :)

Ahhhhhh omg thank you for all of these I want to do them ALL but let's go backwards.

Donna Hayward

Ok so the thing is I AM into Twin Peaks but it's been a while since I've seen it and I tried to watch The Return but I was too stupit to understand much less enjoy it :( sowwy. So I would be dating my own flawed incomplete interpretation of a person, really. Typical Twin Peaks. 

Anyways I love Donna! I think we have similar personalities and stuff. In all brutal honesty I think if I were in her situation with a friend like Laura I’d have done similar things. Also yeah maybe her actions did lead a man to suicide but that was NOT her fault. I think the only three things that would prevent an attempt at a relationship here are 

1) The obvious. Her taste in men = atrocious. In all the rest of these hypotheticals where the character is already canonically in a relationship or has feelings for another character I’m just like yeah the more the merrier but if Donna insists on inviting her insufferable ass boyfriend into the mix I could NOT fucking do it I’m sorry. 

2) This girl is not ready for a relationship yet after All That god damn. But then again neither am I so maybe that balances out. We would need to spend some time as support group buddies just hugging and crying a lot before even considering a date. 

3) It is unlikely we would ever interact as I am never setting foot in that town ever in my life are you kidding me. Donna is super pretty in both her incarnations but I’m sorry I don’t think any pussy pops severely enough for me to risk going to fucking doorknob hell or some shit.

Dale Cooper

Ignore everything I said in that last paragraph. I change my mind. I forgot my beautiful autism creature husband is here. I would risk it all for a date with Dale Cooper and so would all who know and perceive the truth. AND he’s got two hot girlfriends with him at least one of whom is ALSO an autism creature??? Sign me the FUCK up for this polycule IMMEDIATELY. “Oh but OP what about the horrors” I don’t even fucking care it’s fine. Dale can have little an evil doppelganger. As a treat.

Still there are some problems:

1) Dale is an FBI agent and Harry is a cop. Booooooo!!!! But maybe if Annie and Caroline and I unionize we can force them to quit their jobs. 

2) Unclear if I would be forced to join the Black Lodge Horror Vision Rotation along with Annie and Caroline. Boring and time consuming task and unlike Laura you don’t even get to do a Big Scream.

3) I personally actually don’t like pie or coffee at all :( I’m sorry babygirl I understand if this is a deal breaker. 

Trapper McIntyre 

You know that “golden retriever boyfriend” joke? Trapper is like THE golden retriever boyfriend to me. Which I mean as an absolute compliment! Golden retrievers are friendly, helpful, adorable, lovable dogs. I am always up to pet a golden retriever.

But the thing is, I would never get one myself. They’re just a bit too big, bit too much energy, bit too messy, and anyways I prefer cats. No hate, no judgment, just a series of tiny preferences. Not into jocks, not into casual no-strings-attached type relationships, not super into kids, you know how it is. Boring and petty answer but I just feel like this adorable happy-go-lucky goldie deserves the PERFECT forever home and obviously he’s one of the most popular of all the dogs at the Mashblr shelter so I know he’ll get adopted super fast. So I can turn my attention to the miserable ass overbred old cat in the corner <3

Hawkeye Pierce

Oh, Hawkeye. I just don’t think so. Idk what’s wrong with me but I have to work to see Hawkeye as like. A dateable entity in my mind. He’s our little scrunkly! It’d be weird to date a scrunkly. BUT maybe I’ve just been overexposed to him purely by dint of being in the fandom he’s the main character of, because objectively I DO find Mr. Alda’s portrayal of him in certain scenes to be Attractive (TM), and seeing clips of his charisma and charm and humor and all that good handsome stuff is literally what got me to check out the show in the first place! Man. What happened. Hmm. 

I think one issue is that scenes where he’s explicitly trying to be Romantic and/or Seductive have just never done it for me. Like comparing Hawkeye’s lovey scenes with Kyung Soon to Charles’ with Martine, there’s no contest in how they make me feel. To me, Hawkeye is honestly at his most appealing when he’s radiating Friend Energy, which is why his casual relationships actually work really well IMO; you feel like he’s truly a great pal to the nurses he hooks up with. This is also, I think, one of Piercintyre’s great strengths as a ship, because Hawkeye and Trapper both have amazing Friend Energy and then their natural compatibility makes that bleed seamlessly into sweet romantic vibes. And to be clear I would LOVE to be in a Friends To Lovers relationship too but unfortunately I am cringely obsessed with loveydovey romance in a way I’m not sure Hawkeye is even capable of. Plus there’s also just the fact that I’m a shy waiting til marriage person and I suck at banter and yeah it’s just not working. In conclusion neither Hawkeye nor Trapper should date me they should date each other!! But we knew that :P

THAT CUNT

There are 10000000 reasons not to date Charles. But I will be doing it anyways ^_^ Peace and love on planet earth <3

Anyways I’m not bringing up his Problematicness as a reason here because I didn’t bring it up for anyone else and nobody noticed, so why should it be any different with him. Like no obviously I would not date this dumbfuck racist but I also would not date a guy who thinks it’s a funny prank to make a woman think she’s being sexually assaulted. I also for that matter would not date a guy who works with the dumbfuck racist and is like aw, ya know what, he’s not that bad really :) the second they have a chance to have a bonding moment. I guess I have decided to be a buzzkill about that forever now btw sorry :( oh well 

But ok no real talk I would Not date Charles unless one very specific condition is met, which is that I have whatever magic stardust they sprinkled on his single-episode love interests before they put them in the story that made him be utterly besotted with them, because more than any other character on the show, it seems, the difference between Regular Charles and Charles In Love is so hysterically huge??? Like fuck. My dudes. We’ve done it. We found the one villain who actually does do a complete 180 and starts trying to act right as soon as a girl takes pity on him enough to look at him twice. (Disclaimer: I haven’t seen Ain’t Love Grand yet I’m sorryyyyyyyy) He’s so ~romantic~ and it’s like catnip to me unfortunately. :\ The total opposite of what I said about Hawkeye up there. Offers a girl his stupid little teacup and recites poetry at her. Unbelievable. Did anyone ever think about the fact that maybe I would like to be offered a teacup and recited poetry at. No. You all only think about yourselves.  

Like even though objectively the way he nukes his relationship with Martine was hurtful to both of them, he’s so Tender the whole time it’s insane. She turned him into her pauvre petit miaou miaou overnight. I want that power so fucking bad I NEED that power so fucking bad. Say it with me everyone. I Could Fix Him. (”But OP Martine and Donna DIDN’T fix him he still left them both and never mentioned them again?” Yes but don’t worry they were just loosening the lid on his jar a little bit. I’ll get him open you’ll see. He’s gonna be soooo well trained when I’m done I’ll make him apologize to Maxwell and everything. He won’t even need the shock collar after a few weeks.)

But yeah if I have to like, try to appeal to him on my own it’s not fucking happening. I have no desire to hear the equivalent of a DOS deepfake hologram that has become evil due to being trained on text scraped from youtube comments tell me I’m ugly and stupid, which is exactly what would happen. Up til now I’ve sidestepped the issue that I do not think any of these people would give me the time of day (except Maxwell who would take pity on me probably because he is sososo Good) but I cannot ignore how much Charles just would Not like me. I don’t know how the selfshipper community does it they’re braver than any fucking US marine over there fr. Charles would look at me like I was a gross little bug on the ground and I can’t escape it. Oh well. Who needs him. Where’s your sister you dipshit I’m about to GET IT

[emrystheedgedancer]

I posted 335 times in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Also I would like to add my love for Marasi too. I love that she loves comfort and being clean. I love that she’s feminine without being a damsel, but not the all-too-common-these-days “strong woman who is so powerful they don’t need anyone and have no personality” type character

I just think that Marasi and Steris (among others) are living evidence that it is possible to write more traditionally feminine women who are still strong in their own ways without making it a cliche.

151 notes - Posted October 4, 2022

#4

Me every time a random word is capitalized in the Cosmere:

214 notes - Posted November 18, 2022

#3

I also love that Brandon made Wax an older man. I love a good 20 year old adventurer but I think that putting him in his 40’s and still trying to figure himself out was such a good move. It lends a kind of gravitas to the story and also proves that you don’t have to have everything figured out by 30.

Wax goes through so many struggles and redefinitions of his character. It’s refreshing to see an older person still have a journey to travel in fantasy

261 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

#2

Sometimes I can barely believe that Warbreaker is a Branderson novel

268 notes - Posted August 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

“Idealism should have a cost”

This is from Brandon’s chapter annotations of the Well of Ascension. It’s for chapter 38, the chapter where Elend officially and finally gets deposed from the throne.

And I just love this. Elend Venture is one of my favorite characters in fiction because of this idea. Idealism has a cost. Honesty has a cost. And Elend learns that the most brutal way he can and then is STILL a good man after.

I think in fiction there’s a tendency to make fun of good men. Most people I know tend to be more interested in the Kaz Brekkers or Darklings or Phantoms or Snapes instead of the Mals, Raouls, and Harrys. There’s nothing wrong with that but I do wonder if it’s because most writers don’t bother to give their good men interesting things to do and challenging ways to develop like Brandon does. They tend to put their heroes in challenging situations to learn some lesson but rarely ever show much of a change inside. They don’t test their morals at their core, they only show how those morals are applied to the world.

Elend is a brilliant character because he shows what it is to truly have your morals tested. That last part in chapter 38, where only Elend and one other person in the room know that the law says they can change their vote- it’s so good. Many men would have lied. Elend knows that lying will keep him his throne. But he doesn’t. And because of his honesty and idealism he has to sacrifice what he knows is best and what he wants.

I just appreciate the attention that Brandon pays to good men rather than having flat good men and interesting grey men or villains as so many others do. Elend is a good man. Kaladin is a good man. But they are also flawed men, who still have to learn and grow and sacrifice. Kaladin sacrifices for his idealism all the time.

I just really love Elend Venture okay

272 notes - Posted October 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[maelstrom-of-emotions]

I just made a post on this, and I agree with you OP. I don't mind fanon portrayals—do what you want, it's supposed to be fun—but it becomes off-putting because it gets so out of hand, that people actually start to consider it canon.

(I'm not even kidding, I have a friend who has read all the Harry Potter books multiple times, and she was like: ‘I wonder how they even passed school, it must have been due to favoritism.’

And I was like: ‘You did read the books, right?’)

I feel like this characterization is very, very outdated in its beliefs. Because it sort of insinuates that all smart people must be bookish nerds who have no idea how to have fun, something I feel like we've passed years ago. Now, I don't doubt that there are smart people who are always studying, and I've met my fair share of them as well, but it would be unfair to say that those are the only smart people to exist.

And speaking of which, we can't really classify intelligence and/or smartness as that's quite a broad topic, but in the ‘top of the class’ spectrum we're going with today, I've had classmates who were top of our class and were considered super-smart, topper children and they made marshmallow castles and debated on whether to dye someone's hair neon blue or sparkly pink — incredibly important discussions.

So, I think we need to let go of this idea that smart students are people who have their noses in books, no-nonsense, rule-abiding killjoys, the person who takes a light joke way too seriously and start explaining the science about it type of people. Because that's honestly stereotypical and a very narrow way of thinking.

Now, there comes the matter of : ‘That's all fine and dandy, but surely you're blowing this out of proportion? I mean, is there even any proof about this?’ And I see your point, after all, fanon becomes canon so much and so easily it's hard to tell what's real and what's not, and if one presents a case, it is required to bring proof, and so proof you shall have.

“It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong — one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James and Sirius.” 

Remus Lupin, Prisoner of Azkaban.

They managed to become Animagi, one of the most impressive bits of magic, considered so dangerous that the Ministry keeps tabs on it. And it took these teenagers, three years to do such a feat.

“Look, Harry, what you’ve got to understand is that your father and Sirius were the best in the school at whatever they did.” 

Remus Lupin, Order of the Phoenix.

“Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course — exceptionally bright, in fact — but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers —”

Minerva McGonagall, Prisoner of Azkaban.

And some might consider this over-confidence but they were both calm as can be after the OWLS, and were confident that they'd do well.

Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake,' he heard Sirius say. ‘I’ll be surprised if I don’t get “Outstanding” on it at least.

You might,' said Lupin darkly from behind his book. ‘We’ve still got Transfiguration, if you’re bored you could test me. Here ...' and he held out his book. But Sirius snorted. ‘I don’t need to look at that rubbish, I know it all.'

From Order of The Phoenix.

Not to mention these are the same people who created the Marauders Map which keeps tabs on everyone in Hogwarts, what they're doing, where they are, and even Polyjuice Potions and Invisibility Cloaks can't fool it — as seen by Barty Crouch Junior and Harry's wandering respectively. Quite some impressive bit of magic from children.

Now, they're not flawless characters, I've never claimed they are. In fact, as cliché as this sounds, it's their character traits that could be considered flaws are what make them interesting. But, it's not fair to just only consider those characteristics and write them off as stupid fools who have no clue what they're talking about and probably had to ask for other's students help.

I like to think—and this is a completely personal opinion—that it's their intellect that made them infuriating. Because, it's one thing to have a brainless prankster, but it's another thing to have someone who is smart and has fun. No wonder people had/have mixed opinions, it just feels very well-rounded. Something we're not used to seeing in characters. As they are usually very one-dimensional.

Sure, it's fun to pair the class clown with the nerd, as most characterizations of Jily do, and no shame if you do, I don't want to come off as though I'm bashing anyone's portrayals. But, explore other dynamics as well. It's quite fun, I've tried doing that for a couple of months, and my brother in christ I cannot tell you how more fun I'm having with fanfics.

James and Sirius's characterization in fanon remind me of how Harry and Ron are treated. How people think that they barely pass, when in the books, I'm pretty sure that it mentions that they “passed with flying colors” at some point. I suppose, in comparison to Hermione, Harry and Ron don't seem all that studious — but, remember what we just talked about? Don't stereotype. To quote what I said in another post: Just 'cause they don't study twenty-four/seven doesn't mean they're stupid, jeez.

Thank you for coming to my Ted-Talk. And if you have any other examples please let me know, I didn't have time to search for all of them.

James and Sirius aren't dumb, James and Sirius wouldn't be clueless in class, James and Sirius are smart and talented. Stop trying to make them dumb because what? They like pranks? Stop pushing the idiot James and Sirius agenda.

[cyarskj1899]

https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https://www.theroot.com/fire-waymond-wesley-for-his-remarks-about-dark-skinned-1849986312?fbclid%3DIwAR04FW5gJJDyNzVW95ahDXv5T8RyUj2YyO0WxzIr38Smrv2ZMJjIcUgZR1g&h=AT1HqIIsxR3uMUDlGSrYR03mXOOcZS6sIB6X-GV6lupojSMAwYL03552ky4_qJxGxnemVs6ApEBhsrkgIfs6GcYBVYI8goKd6Tar2vx4RYeRVoacO_Bp3s0wtaVfp-nmitThQCp_Iws7M70&s=1&mibextid=ncKXMAHOMELATESTCULTUREENTERTAINMENTBEAUTY/STYLECOVID IN BLACK AMERICAAWARDS SEASON 2023

OPINION

Fire Waymond Wesley For His Remarks About Dark Skinned Black Women

The assistant DA has the support of his office after his disturbing colorist tweets recently resurfaced.

By

Candace McDuffie

PublishedYesterday

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Waymond Wesley, the assistant district attorney in Houston, has somehow garnered the support of his office after a string of his past sexist and colorist tweets have resurfaced. Wesley made the posts in 2015 and 2016 shortly before he became a part of the DA’s office in 2021. Not only did they viciously attack Black women, but they were specifically directed at dark skinned Black women. 

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One post included cropping a dark skinned Black woman out of a picture with a lighter skinned Black woman and commenting that the former “messed up the pic.” Other tweets included: “darkskin heauxs get NO LOVE from me,” “lightskin women can do no wrong” and “all lightskin goddesses deserve breakfast in bed this cold ass morning...you darkskin heauxs should be out shoveling.” 

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Sadly, there are many more examples of his heinous remarks. One of the most disturbing was about the death of Sandra Bland, the Black woman who allegedly died by suicide in her jail cell three days after a traffic stop arrest in 2015. According to the screenshots, he wrote: “If black lives mattered to Sandra Bland, she wouldn’t have taken her own life. I’m serious too.”

Wesley, who also goes by Chef Way on TikTok in which he shares some popular recipes, “apologized” for his past comments on Twitter by stating:

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“To those I’ve hurt with my past tweets that have resurfaced, I am deeply sorry. That was a moment in my life where I was sick in more ways than one. Cooking saved me. You have watched a flawed man heal. I will continue to heal and learn. Thanks for being along for the journey.”

The thing is that the vitriol he spewed at dark skinned Black women—which even included insults directed at a young Black woman who was in high school at the time—is deeply embedded in who he is. That can’t be “fixed” by cooking. Also, the fact that Wesley—a Black man who isn’t light skinned—felt the need to prop up light skinned Black women every chance he got is self-hatred at its finest. 

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Dark skinned Black women don’t exist to be a part of someone’s “healing journey.” Wesley’s disgusting words should have real, tangible repercussions—especially because he is now in a position of power. If he treats dark skinned Black people this poorly online, just imagine how he will treat them in a court of law.

However, District Attorney Kim Ogg believes that Wesley is a changed man and plans to keep him on her team. In a statement, she explained:

“Waymond Wesley joined our office in March of 2021. We recently learned of comments he made on social media posts nearly seven years ago. These posts were inappropriate and offensive and do not reflect my values or those of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Wesley has explained that these posts came during a period in which he was struggling with serious personal issues, including alcohol addiction. Prior to joining our office, Mr. Wesley went through treatment and has worked with the State Bar of Texas to resolve his issues. His recovery is ongoing. I am a believer in second chances, and Mr. Wesley has conducted himself professionally since joining our staff. I am confident that will continue.”

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Would he receive the same support from the District Attorney’s office if he made offensive remarks about white women—or any other group of women for that matter? The fact that Wesley won’t face consequences for his behavior serves as a sad reminder we live in a society that will continue to disregard the humanity of Black women. 

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That nasty man needs to go! To hades with those who have self hatred when they hate bw.

[dreamsofjanuary]

matilda | e.m

summary: after having yet another fight with your dad, you run to eddie for comfort.

warnings: daddy issues, mention of abuse, kind of justifying one’s own abuse(?), not proof read

note: my attempt at self-soothing involves eddie now. i’m a goner. also this is kind of based on matilda by harry styles ig? very loosely.

you had a complicated relationship with your dad. you loved him - truly, you did, but he was horrible to you. you’d wrestled over how you felt about your relationship a lot, and come to the conclusion that he was a good person, really. just not a good parent.

tonight was another example of this, when he’d drank too much and forced himself into a bad mood.

“it’s not fair for you to take your anger out on me!” you tried to reason with him, though you knew it was pointless. but still, you had to try.

“i’m angry at you!” your father yelled back. “you always talk back, you never do anything for me!”

“you know what? i don’t need this!” you stormed away.

“you’d better not walk out that door!” he yelled as you did exactly that. you knew where to go. as you marched towards your boyfriend’s house without any protection from the harsh rain falling, you got yourself more and more worked up, until you stood at his doorstep in the rain, crying. you knocked, ignoring the cold shiver that ran down your spine. it took a few moments for someone to answer, and you were glad that it was eddie. he smiled until he realised you were crying.

“come in, you’ll get ill.” he said, ushering you in out of the cold. wordlessly, he took you to the bathroom, pulled your jumper off of you and wrapped you in a towel.

“what’s wrong, love?” he sat down on the toilet seat and looked at you, perched on the edge of the bath.

“it’s my dad again.” you sighed, watching as eddie’s jaw tightened. he knew your dad all too well from the stories you’d told him. he knew that he didn’t treat you right. that you deserved so much better. that he could kill that bastard for ever making you cry.

“come on, put some of my clothes on. you look freezing.” he stood, taking your hand. you followed him to his room, where he grabbed a jumper and a pair of jogging bottoms for you to wear. you put them on as you explained how the argument had started. you’d begun crying again as you climbed into his bed with him. eddie pulled you towards him so that you were lying on his chest, with one arm around you and the other brushing away your tears.

“i just don’t understand why he has to be so mean.” your voice cracked as you spoke. eddie brushed a hair from your face.

“you can’t understand it, princess.” he sighed. “he’s not mean to you for any good reason.”

“he’s not the person i thought he was.” you whispered into his shirt. eddie was quiet for a while as his lips rested on your head.

“you don’t deserve this.” he pulled you tighter against him as he removed his hand from your face, and ran it down the arm that was wrapped around his torso.

“i know.” you sighed, resigning yourself to his comfort almost reluctantly.

“i mean it. you don’t.” he said, still gentle, but more firm now. “he’s cruel because he can be. you’re a victim of his…of his abuse because you have no choice. you live with him so you can’t escape it for good.”

“i wish i could escape it. you have no idea how awful living with him is.” you mumbled. eddie was quiet for a while, seemingly mulling something over.

“stay with me.”

“what?”

“stay with me.” eddie spoke as if this plan had no flaws. as if this idea was casual, and not a life changing moment for his lover. “stay with me, in my mansion. it’s okay, my uncle won’t mind. he likes you. and you’ll be out of your dad’s house. hey, what’s wrong? do you not want to?”

sniffling, you wiped tears from your eyes.

“i do want to. but you don’t have to do this for me.”

“yes i do. but i want to, sweetheart.”

“thank you, eddie.” you sighed, almost blissfully. “i love you.”

“i love you too.”

taglist: @eyelessfaces