#but I see ppl saying it’s sexism against men

[pastadoughie]

i am literally begging people to stop putting sexism and transphobia on my dashboard please fucking think critically abt ur internal biases for 5 secconds and please accept even an ounce of critisism without assuming that someone is attacking you unfairly

alot of you have extremely sexist beliefs that you dont recognize because within social media as a whole these are incredibly normalized, covering blatent homophobia and misandry in tumblr buzzwords doesnt make you not sexist it just lets you be sexist and homophobic and transphobic in a way that is socially acceptable and incouraged within a queer centric space

i keep seeing posts talking abt how people actively like artwork (writing, photography, drawings) more when they find out its of a butch lesbian and not just a dude, and like, if your opinion on a peice of media can change solely based on the gender of the person being depicted by it, with zero change to the character, then that implies an inharent bias against men like, just because its men doesnt mean it isnt sexism

same thing where people think that media depicting gay men is better when it explicitly isnt written by a gay man, like that implies a fundimental disrespect of the work based on the sexuality and gender of the author. if you like an artwork but then you find out its written by a trans women, and all of a sudden you think its garbage, you are transphobic, but when people try to point this same bias out for the works of queer men this is largely written off.

i know ppl will argue abt punching up and whatnot, and while i do in some ways agree with that overall sentiment, i think that we should be striving to uh, not be sexist at all, rather then just being misandrists instead of mysogenists, like, if you only care about sexism when it hurts women/women ajacent people then you dont actually hate sexism you just want it to harm a different group of people, you dont hate the system you just want to be ontop of it and benifit from it

misandry and mysogeny present in different ways, they arent a directly comparable thing, different people have things worse in different ways so its rlly hard to take a group and say "this group has it worse", like yes generalizations like that can help in an extremely broad sense, but the world is not black and white and this kind of shit is mindnumbingly complex, trying to act like there is some kind of objective scoreing system for who is more oppressed then who is just unproductive and harmful

and moreover, someone having it worse then you doesnt make you less deserving of trying to make your situation better, i dont experience racism and in many many many ways i have it easier then poc people, that does not make me undeserving of support and that doesnt make me complaining or trying to better my situation unreasonable

we can care abt the lives and want to better the situation of different groups simoltaniously, we dont have to stop caring about racism because we want to better transphobia

i get that transwomen have it rlly bad and i do not experience the exact same struggles as them, and therefore cant comment on alot of them, but so often i see erasure of queer men in order to give more focus to transwomen, and just because trans girls go through alot of shit doesnt make that ok

one thing that people have to recognize about misandry and specifically transmisandry that you dont really have to see as much with its mysogeny counterparts is that they have far more attention and people care far more about activism for queer women/women in general, queer mens experience and specifically the transmasc experience is very very very often erased and written off even by supposedly trans friendly and queer sorces, people care more about butch lesbians then they do trans men dispite the insane ammount of overlap between the two groups, when researching about historical butch lesbians alot of them are just, trans guys that people are misgendering and mislabeling as butch lesbians because ooooo woemennnnn

being transmasc myself i can say that like, the erasure of trans men is an extremely large issue, for large swaths of history the experiences of trans people arent paid attention to at all, and even looking at media coverage today, if people are going to talk abt transgenderism they are talking about it specifically under the lens of trans women

this is largely because misandry (specifically, people thinking that having cock and ball makese u somehow predatory) makes trans women an easier punching bag, trans women get more attention because they are easier for radfems (misandrists) to be bigoted against in a more violent way, if you assume all men and amab people are violent and predatory by nature then this makes justifying violence against trans women easier

and yea being a punching bag for the media is fucking hard but it does mean that activism for that group is much much much louder, more people are complaining about trans women so more people know abt the specific issues they face

but dispite trans men yaknow, also existing and recieving a shit ton of transphobia and erasure over history they dont get talked about as much, people hate us and are violent twards us but we dont nessasarily get the same outrage for our treatment

trans men are just as often get the dismissal for being women, and the outrage for being men as trans women do we just dont get as much support and thats really difficult! often people seek to treat transmasculinism as some kind of new thing like, i get the comment often that "usually its boys that wanna be girls" and its like, no. its not. its simply that people care less about us

i think that its really easy to misenterpret me here so im gonna just get this out of the way, i dont think that women have it easier then men in a broad socital sense, but also, i dont nessasarily believe that means that my complaints are invalid, being a queer woman is not a walk in the park, and neither is being a queer man, and both groups experience homophobia transphobia and sexism in different ways, so acting as if saying one is objectively worse then the other is unfair and reductive

i think that if we want to get anywhere in regards to making it easier to be trans then we need to talk about all queer experiences, you cant just, only care about trans women you have to care about all trans people, and moreover queer people in general, this means you HAVE to be vigilant about people wrapping up sexism in a tumblr buzzword packadge, you need to consume things critically and you are not immune to pipelines, people dont just wake up and become radfems you get continually fed more and more extreme idologies, being fed things that you 90% agree with untill you eventually become completely removed from the groups you were supposed to stand with

you can care about the oppression of multiple groups at once, and if you think activism in any way involves the erasure of a certain group then you have fundimentally misunderstood what youre supposed to be doing, queer men exist and they deserve support and respect and you need to be able to support and respect them without being like "ohh she is soooooo trransfemme coded" like. men can be queer and still be men, they can be queer and still deserve your love and support, i am begging.

also yes i am aware that outside of my specific experience of tumblr people fuckin hate trans girls and women in general and they dont feel the need to do this shit. but that doesnt mean what im talking about is not an issue and is not something that people need to change and address. if you find urself doing this shit you have got to reflect on yourself, you arent immune to transphobia or homophobia or sexism ESPECIALLY if you think that you somehow are magically immune. nobody is. no identity is. everybody is suseptible to this shit and it takes active critical thinking in order to combat it

[my-traumacore-sideblog]

feeling rly unsafe 2day, but it's specifically bc of being a trans guy, i keep seeing stuff from cis women abt how men r always the worst and how men hav a duty 2 make their lives revolve around women or else we're sexist, how apparently men need 2 all b willing 2 lay down their lives 4 any woman or else we're just as bad as the creeps who make ppl feel unsafe 2 go out at night and yes i said people not just women but they only want 2 acknowledge it when it's a cis woman that's the victim

i did not fucking sign up for this

i did not fucking sign up 2 sacrifice my life either literally or thru dedicating my life only 2 others just because the pronoun "he" fits me better than the pronoun "she"

i should not hav 2 worry that im an inherently bad person because of being a gay trans man

i should not hav 2 worry abt being perceived as a threat bc of being a queer man of colour

i've honestly started to hav thoughts abt de-transitioning not bc being a guy in the way i am doesn't fit me but rather out of fear of the scrutiny every action of mine will b placed under

i was sexually abused as a child but i guess that doesn't matter anymore because im a man now, boys don't cry they punch ig, apparently since im a man now it means im destined 2 become that which hurt me

all i want is to be a man, in a nonbinary way yes but still a man (demi-guy), i want to love men who love me back, i want to live a quiet life surrounded by love and happiness, i want to live a gentle life

but no.... because im a man now then apparently it must make me predatory in some way

i can't de-transition... i know i wouldn't survive emotionally... so i stick with it, with allowing myself to be a demi-guy.... but it hurts knowing that me being free is perceived as dangerous, that im seen as inherently a threat to women

edit: so a terf started clowning this post, just 2 make this shit clear, this is not a fucking debate blog this is a me posting abt my feelings blog, i would've thought the url "my-traumacore-sideblog" would've made that clear

also no racism and sexism is not the same thing

yes women face oppression at the hands of men and should be allowed to talk about it but men also face oppression at the hands of women and should be allowed to talk abt it, 4 men who r not in a minority group this is usually in terms of legal stuff (how r*pe is legally categorised, custody disputes ect) but this is even more of an issue and more every day when it comes to men in marginalised communities, yk like me, yk like what i was venting abt in my fucking post i should b allowed 2 talk abt my own oppression 2 and acting like me venting abt my own oppression in a post tagged as a vent post on my vent blog makes me the same as my white oppressors is not only terf shit but also racist and it shows a lack of political literacy, a woman has just as much capacity 4 violence as a man but a queer man of colour is seen as inherently violent and a white woman is inherently seen as always being a victim but ur ok w/ these white women using that power of perceived vulnerability 2 call 4 violence against queer men and men of colour and especially queer men of colour just say u want cis women klansmen and leave im not backing down from talking abt my own oppression bc of white woman tears

anyways person who clowed is now blocked so don't bother trying 2 respond 2 my edit

[boreal-sea]

hiii so english isn't my first language and i'm learning more about gender and trans stuff and if i might be trans or something (i've been told i sound agender?? but that feels wrong), and something that confuses me, so i'm asking around abt it… "woman" used to simply denote afab, right? like a body type of ppl with a biological (not surgical) vagina & estrogen puberty. like a female dog. ppl say that it reduces women to their genitals, but what about with other animals? like female cat, female horse, etc, just bc we say "oh she's a girl" or "oh i have a male dog" doesn't mean we're saying they're only their genitals in that case, right…? a bitch is just a female dog, that's why it's a misogynistic word. misogyny is based on how ppl see someone without a penis as lesser, bc they don't have the power to forcibly penetrate and feel genital pleasure for it, they can't impregnate, they're "just a hole" etc. like so much of misogyny is just body-specific. the misogyny transfems experience seems terrible but also conditional? bc if they're found out to be amab they're treated as creepy men, so they then stop experiencing misogyny, they just face usually homophobia. meanwhile bio women (and transmascs who don't transition) have no exit door to the misogyny unless they transition and pass perfectly as male or something, and historically that wasn't an option. to me man & woman have always been neutral body types until i came across trans stuff, and i think the idea of gendered brains sounds sexist af. like gender seems like bullshit, i see me being a woman as just like being a female cat, i don't have ~womanly~ vibes in my brain, i was just born female and that's the least important thing about me, but male society made it weird. why should gender continue to be a thing? what does gender actually mean, if sexism was to be eradicated? is it bad if i view my womanhood as just a body type? most cis people i've talked to view their "gender" like this, as just a body type, like any other animal. they don't "feel" like one, they just have the body and aren't dysphoric about it. they might not always like it, but they don't have dysphoria about it, so they just… are. is that transphobic? i've heard mixed thoughts about it from trans ppl & activists, i'm just curious. feel free to ignore this lol ;;

If the term woman does not feel right for you, but your body being female feels fine, that's ok!! There are many genders that are not man or woman: agender, gender neutral, and nonbinary are options. You could also just say "I do not have a gender, please just use female". That's ok to use for yourself. However, most people do not like to be called "female" or "male" in English. It is considered dehumanizing to call someone male or female if they are a person, because as you said, it treats them like an animal. So we just don't do it.

In English, "woman" is a gender. "Woman" is not attached to the female sex. If a person identifies as a woman, then she is a woman, even if she is not female. We usually say "cis woman" for a woman who was assigned female at birth (afab), and "trans woman" for a woman who was assigned male at birth (amab). We do not say "biologically female".

For example, I am afab, but I am not a woman. I am a trans man, and I am nonbinary. Meanwhile my friend from college, she IS a woman, even though she is amab. She is a trans woman.

As for misogyny: what you described as misogyny is actually sexism. Sexism is based on sex, misogyny is based on gender. They are separate.

Trans women experience both misogyny and sexism, and it is not "conditional". A trans woman does not stop experiencing misogyny if she is discovered to be a trans woman. That is not how this works. She will continue to face misogyny, and it will be misogyny mixed with transphobia against trans women. This is called transmisogyny.

"Being treated like creepy men" is a major part of transmisogyny. It is hatred towards trans women. When a trans woman is called a "creepy man", she is being misgendered (which is transphobia) and treated like a sexual deviant even though she is not. She is experiencing this misogyny because she is a trans woman. If you hate a person for being a woman, that is misogyny.

We don't say "bio women". What you mean is a "cis woman". Yes, cis women also experience misogyny, and they cannot escape it - but neither can trans women.

"Man" and "Woman" are not body types, they are genders. When you say "body type", you are meaning someone's sex, but body types can be changed. A trans woman can have a vagina and breasts, just like a cis woman. A trans man can have a penis and a flat chest, just like a cis man. There are surgeries for all of this, and hormones trans people can take to change their sex from male to female, or from female to male.

There is currently mixed science about the idea of gendered brains. You can find scientific research that supports the idea brains have gender, and you can find scientific research that supports the idea that brains do NOT have gender. Right now, no one knows. But it is not something we get to have an opinion about, it is something science must learn.

The idea of gender is a social construct, just like sex. The idea of man and woman was invented by society. I agree that it is bullshit to assign qualities to man and woman. Women do not have to be nice, men do not have to be aggressive. These are called gender roles, and they are indeed bad. Trans people agree that gender roles are bad, and we are loudly yelling that no one should have to act a certain way just because they are a man or a woman. I want to free gender from gender roles, so genders do not have assigned roles, and so anyone can do anything they want.

If we got rid of sexism, that would be great, but that would not make genders disappear. There would still be people who identify with "woman" or "man" - it would be their own personal feeling of what that means to them. Maybe you do not have "womanly" feelings inside your head, but maybe someone else does! It is not your right to tell her she cannot be a woman.

Many people have very strong feelings about their gender. It is ok if you do not, and it is ok if you don't understand people who like their gender! But you have to let other people live freely. If a cis woman wants to be a woman, let her. If a trans woman wants to be a woman, let her.

A cis woman fits the body she has. She doesn't have to think about her body or her sex or her gender - she may never think about it at all!! Her body doesn't give her a big feeling. It is boring. She may say "I am a woman, and I have a body that was assigned female at birth, and I have breasts and a vagina and a uterus, and all of that feels correct to me". That is what it means to "feel like a woman" for a woman who is cisgender - it doesn't feel like much!! It's not a big feeling, it's just "Yeah, all of this matches, and I don't have to think about it".

Meanwhile, a trans man might say "I was told I am a woman, but that does not sound right to me. I have a body with breasts and a vagina and a uterus, and that feels wrong, too. I do not fit this body, and I am not a woman." That can be dysphoria, and that is how some trans people feel. Many trans people think about their body and their sex and their gender a lot because those things do not match, so it causes discomfort all the time.

Imagine you go buy a pair of shoes at the store. You put them on, and they fit perfectly. You go home, and wear the shoes every day. You probably do not think about your shoes all day long; you probably don't even feel them on your feet. You don't notice your shoes at all, because they fit right and are comfortable. They do what they need to do; they are boring.

When a cis woman says she doesn't feel much about her body, that means her body fits like a good pair of shoes.

Now imagine you are given a pair of shoes, and they do not fit right. They are too tight, but you are told you have to wear them anyway. All day long, your feet hurt. Your toes are being pinched and the shoes are giving you blisters all over your feet. You think about your shoes and how much they make your feet hurt all day long, because you cannot stop thinking about them. The pain is still there even when you get home and take the shoes off. And you dread that tomorrow, you have to put those bad shoes back on and walk around, again and again.

That is how gender and the body can feel for a trans person. It is constantly on their mind, it is something they pay attention to all the time because it does not fit right.

[aydaptic]

I think what gets me about Gavin is that why do people act like he is incapable of change.

Let’s bring up Hank. Hank hates androids. He treats Connor with disrespect, he insults him, he physically assaults Connor (regardless of the players choices) and in some options, he can kill Connor.

Gavin is the same. He hates androids, insults them, can assault/kill Connor blah blah blah but interestedly enough the last two can only happen due to the players choices, unlike Hank where regardless of player input, Hank will shove Connor against a wall and threaten him.

Now with these two being so similar, why the different treatment?

Because Hank gets development. Hank has trauma connected to androids. Hank is partnered with Connor and along with him, learns that androids are not machines but truly alive and by the end, Hank does not hate androids and he and Connor are friends.

That’s the difference. The story shows Hank changing. Also, and this is dependant on personal tastes I feel but Hank is nicer to his colleagues and more people respect him versus Gavin who doesn’t give two shits about people’s opinion.

So now I ask, why could the same not happen to Gavin?

Who says he doesn’t have some deep reason for hating androids? Hating them for taking human jobs is already a damn good reason in my books. I mean just look at how AI is already doing the same thing right now in real world.

Who says that Gavin couldn’t have spent time with an android, like Hank did and had his views changed by seeing their plight?

The only thing that separates Hank and Gavin is that the story showed Hank changing and growing and Gavin not and that’s fair. The story is about Hank, not Gavin.

But as a fandom, that’s the reason why we exist. To take characters, elements of a story etc and explore what the creators did not/forgot to.

Yet people have apparently lost any ability to do this when it comes to Gavin. You’re really telling me that these people can buy Hank changing throughout the story but can’t fathom Gavin, who hates androids just the same as Hank, doing the same?

You’re telling me these people can’t think, can’t delve deeper just a little, tiny bit?

I don’t know about you but that just screams so lazy and unbothered to me.

If people don’t care about Gavin, then don’t. I personally don’t care about characters that many love but don’t sit there and say “Gavin is so irredeemable and evil and there is no way that someone like him can change” because most of them will say Hank is their favourite character.

Most vocal ppl don't wanna hear this, but I'll say it plainly bc idgaf.

Modern society (immorally) encourages ppl to hate Gav bc he's a masculine white man -- one not confirmed to be gay which would land him far less criticism today -- that's conventionally attractive. Hank isn't considered attractive to most ppl out there and that gives him a pass. It's abhorrent.

Straight/gay, white/black, male/female, etc. It doesn't matter. Hatred towards a sexuality/race/gender, etc. is never okay. No "ifs" or "buts." Period.

The number of times I've heard ppl say Gav and Con, "are only popular bc they're attractive white men" is insane. I've encountered lesbian Gav fans, ace/aro Gav fans, Gav fans who find him ugly. So that alone disproves such a brain-dead statement that all Gav fans like him "bc he's attractive." It's plain racism, sexism/misandry, heterophobia, and hatred for good-looking individuals in general.

Anyone denying this is either delusional about it, unaware, or well aware that they're full of shit and lying their asses off.

[magnoliamyrrh]

okay enough of the rants im logging off last thing ill say is that identity politics is largely a disease 👍 its point with the extremism its been taken to in part due to cia postmodernism being to wreck class conciousness though the wokeificstion of fragmentory policies and identity👍 bipartisan politics also serve to divide the country (all countries) incresingly so that people cant come together👍 having the worlds most stupid useless fragmentory identity politics discussions doesnt help it keeps us from coming together and focusing on real shit 👍wars pit the resources and labour of the working class against each other for the benefit of the rich 👍"im iranian youre american, you and i have more in common with each other than our governments with us, and our governments are more similar etc etc."👍 if racism stopped and if sexism stopped and if classism between the working classes (which, everyone has forgotten what the term "working class" means, its not abt economic bracket, low, middle, and higher class can all b working class yes including the doctor whose making a lot of money bc it is the exhange of labour for wages) stopped the working class could stand united not divided aginst the system 👍differences in race, class, and sex have Always been used to pit the working classes against each other, and to give people a sense of "well at least were better than Those people" (opressed middle class disdain for lower class, opressed mens disdain for women (at least they have power over someone!), opressed peoples disdain for other opressed peoples)

i may bitch and complain about kinds of people on here bc its a way for me to get my frustrations out, but ultimately i do think it is vitally important to have hope and to try to bring unity between people. ultimately i think it is unity which is the only way this planet, species, and every other species on this planet may see a better futute. ultimately, more than anything, i think despite everything we, for everyones sake, have to understand the deep interconnected nature of everything, have to truly understand that one cannot be free without all, and have to try to build bridges.... it is very easy both as both members of the opressive and opressed class (and yes most ppl occupy both in some way) to fall into disdain, fear, and wants of separatism. ive done it plenty myself and at times i still do. trying to "be better" is absolutely exhausting. but. i do truly believe that we have to try. i do not believe hatred is forever. not classism not racism not sexism not abelism not anything. it is not a curse people are doomed to from birth. people can change, we all can. we at least have to try

[seefasters]

Regina spektor anon again (hi!!!) Getting through mash at an unbelievable pace cus ive been putting it on while i ink a 20-something page comic. Im at the end of s7. Margaret being part of hawkeye and bjs little crew is amazing. Her lightening up a bit and also getting more, like, consciously written as sad and hardened by her experiences is soo good. Also i think by s7 theyve finally (correctly) landed on the idea that she does not need to be paired off with hawk or charles or any main cast male in order to justify her presence. Thank god for that cus her Platonic Chemistry with ppl, esp hawkeye, is off the charts. Shes my favorite character i think (her and hawkeye anyhow)- shes just so compelling. Shes also getting a little more masculine sometimes. You see her in fatigues and shit like that which yknow👀. Sapphic hotlips agenda (i know what was up when that old childhood friend came to visit). Btw I love Charles. Hes awful and elitist and a chauvinist but hes definitely a far better foil than frank cus he's capable of holding his own against bj and hawk and he's not a warguy rlly. (I say this with great affection for larry linville and for frank as a character, cus he was great too!! Its just that i like charles more) and watching charles warm up very slowly is great. I tend to not be on charles's side but its very satisfying to watch hawkeye get put in his place sometimes and it also makes it a lot more satisfying to see ppl get one over on charles because its actually a challenge. Speaking of which, i loved in love and war and inga Very Much. What stellar episodes. I demand More slamming hawk into the ground about his misconceptions and fuckups (affectionate) especially regarding women. Also the show made me cry again- when hawkeye tells radar off and makes him cry, margaret's little dog monologue, and especially especially when mulcahy punches that wounded man during the xmas ep??? :,>( the shame he felt was so relatable and touching. again thanks for introducing me to this series, its such a joyful experience to get to know this piece of art and experience it. Ooh oh also, i wanted to weigh in on the Where To Start Debate. While im not a purist and i think any way a person comes to a piece of art is valid, imo the best way to do MASH is to start from the start. The sexism and racism was genuinely very disheartening, and the cornier, sitcom-ier writing does make it feel a little less essential than subsequent episodes and seasons but honestly if you're in for the longhaul it ultimately deepens the experience cus so much of subsequent MASH is invested in interrogating its past, generally thru giving margaret more of a voice and by complicating Hawkeye's role as the guy we the audience are meant to agree with and identify with. The satisfaction that comes with deepening Margarets characterization and taking her problems more seriously is partially predicated on, for example, the early shows casually dismissive attitude regarding instances wherein she was sexually assaulted or harrassed or demeaned. I hope they continue doing that. I know that that isnt an experience everyone wants, but it feels rlly cool to watch the show learn empathy and grow from its crueler, fratbro-ish perspective to something more holistically empathetic. Sorry thats soooo many words dont feel obligated to respond if its too much. I just have thoughts. Thanks.

aaaaaaa hi anon!!!!!! i love reading your thoughts dw <3

margaret's character arc is definitely one of the best things in mash. everyone say thank you to loretta swit for fighting for her character

and yes wlw margaret is so real!!! some ppl hc her as a lesbian, i personally prefer to think of her as bisexual bc her relationships with men on the show are too important to her character to consider them comphet. 2 me. all headcanons are beautiful though love is love

i'm so happy you like charles! he's definitely a more fitting antagonist for the kind of show mash became by season 6. the way his character is explored does add a lot more depth to the show (and at some point i feel you'll find yourself rooting for charles too lol. maybe! maybe not) and dont worry there will be more slamming hawkeye into the ground. maybe too much even

and i think you're right about starting mash from the pilot! part of my enjoyment of mash is about seeing how it changes, evolves and confronts its own shortcomings. for some people that might not be the case though, so i generally think if someone's not vibing with season 1's pacing or jokes but still wants to check out the show, s2 is a solid place to start. it has a soft pilot AND it's one of the best seasons of television ever like literally win win

youre always welcome in my inbox!!! i'm v jealous of you experiencing mash for the first time tbh so i'm living vicariously through you lol

[finalgirlbuffysummers]

In one of your tags so you said you went to a women's college. May I ask what it's like? 👉👈

of course! So i'm not gonna specify which school I go to but it's one of the Seven Sister Schools. I really enjoy being a part of that legacy of education and feminism, I love the alumnae network of successful women that is available to students during school and post graduation, (they are eager to help you), I love that all resources are allocated to women, therefore setting them up to succeed in fields that are dominated by men. We don't have to worry about competing with men for resources or facing sexism in the gym, sports teams, classroom, etc. The point of these schools is to empower women. I do have some men in my classes and i see them on campus because we partner with neighboring co-ed colleges, but mostly its other female students in my classes. I never feel like I'm being talked down to, or that my intelligence is being dismissed. I feel listened to, I feel supported, and I feel really safe on campus, even at night. It's a really great learning environment. I feel like I can really focus on my studies, i feel like I belong. Its also really nice to live outside of the male gaze. Because I know that there aren't many men on campus I feel way less pressure to wear makeup. I think about my appearance less, I think about how I look to men way less, because they're simply not there. Unlike most other places in society, I don't have to consider men. Its great to be in community with women where we can bond over our shared experiences, and make connections so we can do well later in life. There is also a really big gay community at my school (and at a lot of women's colleges), which is so awesome, being in a space where gayness is normalized and we don't have to worry about homophobia from our peers (usually). To talk a little more abt the culture, if you want to go to events/parties/classes with men that is usually an option bc of partnerships with other schools or just simply proximity to a city or whatever. I have lots of guy friends at other schools and I regularly party with men. It's not hard to find a guy to date if you want to. Ik some ppl care abt that, myself included haha. We also have a lot of cool traditions that everyone participates in! Last but not least, i will say that im a white student at a predominantly white institution (PWI) as most womens colleges in the US are. Therefore, I have the privilege of not having to deal with issues of racism and exclusion like POC students do. This college was not built to exclude people like me, whereas students of color could not attend until decades after its founding. When I talk about female solidarity on campus and how much I enjoy it, I have the privilege of experiencing it first without having to consider my race, or that fact that others may exclude me or inflict aggressions against me bc of race. While culturally and institutionally PWIs have a lot to work on, at my school we do have cultural centers on campus and Black and Latinx exclusive housing for those who wish to live there.

But yeah these are some of my thoughts! (I'm a sophomore btw). Honestly its great being around smart, strong, badass women all the time and making incredible and deep friendships with some of the best people I've ever met.

Sorry this is so long but if you are looking into attending a women's college I really really really recommend it!! there are so many benefits. also feel free to dm me if you have any questions!!

[bingotime]

i keep seeing these posts and. aiee... look... i feel like ppl are allowed to disagree with me its just. idk. like. transandrophobia as a concept is.... shrug. idk how to explain it im not smart enough i just feel like. people dont quite process that trans women are quite literally mistreated by the same community theyre supposed to be a part of, and a lot of people add to this. its not that we all dont face the same oppression, it's that trans women experience a really fucked combination of transphobia AND. AND. AND -> misogyny. nb people still face oppression, trans men still face oppression. but trans women are disproportionately affected by it!!!!!!!!!!! ppl gotta understand that, that's not saying nb folk and trans men DONT experience transphobia! shit, that they dont end up on the receiving end of misogyny!!!!!!! but trans women are particularly fucked over by this shit bc bro imma be fr. the ire and hate, alongside the acknowledgement and being known by general society, its targeted at trans women. people outside of queer communities will see anti-trans bills focused against trans women, will see rhetoric against trans women, all this shit. this is what they will see FIRST. idk how many times ive told somebody im trans and they were like. oh ur a trans woman? and i had to explain the concept of a trans man, bc people have no idea trans men exist. and it happens! the media DOES this, the trans scare is FOCUSED on destroying the livelihood of so many women!!! it does this!!! trans women are the ire of the media and in the minds of so many people, this aint a crazy ass thing to say i dont think?

and transandrophobia implies that androphobia itself exists, which is. eh? ehhhhh. in the context that is, that androphobia is the oppression of men. like it just. a man can experience racism, a man can experience sexism, a man can experience misogyny, a man can experience homophobia, but guys dont... get oppression because theyre men. and i mean the hetero normative idea of what a man is, because once you step out of that idea, you are no longer seen as a MAN. once you leave that little box, you are no longer considered a "proper" man. do you see what i mean. you arent discriminated against because youre a man, youre discriminated against because you fall "short" of who is considered a man. androphobia as a concept just... doesnt exist. there is a patriarchy that exists to disprove that. what trans men experience is real and it exists and it is volatile, but it is not transandrophobia. that aint the word for it personally. youre allowed to disagree with me tho. but this isnt to say, that, again, trans men and nb people dont experience transphobia, one that still intersects with trans women, yet are spoken about even way less. trans women are forced into the spotlight, often with awful connotations attached. and trans men are underrepresented and unspoken for ykwim. crimes against trans men get underrepresented, trans men who experience sexual assault never talk about it because people imply their experiences as trans men are a way to escape that trauma, and trans men are seen as clueless and infantilized constantly. it exists man!!!!! it happens man!!! and it sucks!!! both of these fucking suck! but trans women CONSTANTLY have to deal with the attention of the world on them, this is why ppl say its horrendous! cuz it IS! while trans men struggle to be seen, trans women have to deal with always being seen and being mistreated and all this shit. like i hope this makes sense but theres a clear difference. trans women are the focus of literally everything anti-trans bc they are seen as a direct threat and victimized at the same time!!!!! its this intersection that makes transmisogyny so particularly vile!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pastadoughie]

Read over what was going on with anon asks and your posts, and tbh, if you are 16 and you are reaching this kind of critical thinking and actively trying to better yourself through meaningful debates and convos, you are doing god's fucking work from early. I couldn't even begin to form the kind of arguments you are articulating at your age in your posts, so fucking kudos.

I have a similar opinion of sexism being bad no matter the form it takes, patriarchy affects everyone because it imposes roles on everyone, not only women. Breaking those roles on all sides and genders should be the ultimate goal, not try to benefit from the system to become the oppressor.

In any case dude, good luck with the unavoidable influx of people who will misinterpret your posts. Also, your art is hella cool!

i think that alot of ppl just have a rlly hard time like, getting over the gut response to defend themselves when they recieve some kind of serious critisism, like, i think ppl understand on some level that sexism as a concept is stupid, but it can be hard to fully see all the nuances it takes and like, actually recognize it when its subtler

sexism is bad and when i point out that alot of you guys believe ideas that are like, really sexist then thats like, im assuming none of you are like "YEAA SEXISM RUELZZZ!!!! I HATE PEOPLE BASED ON THIER GENDOR" and u rlly rlly dont wanna be lumped into that group

its rlly normal to not wanna be mischaracterized and if you dont self identify as sexist then when someone points out sexist retoric it feels like an unfair and reductive veiw of u

and its like, you really really really need to work past that, im talking abt this stuff because i want ppl to change and be better and if you want that for yourself u have to like rlly chew on these kinds of things

i think what alot of people have issues with is like, relatability in artwork, like "of course im gonna like art with queer women in it more and find it more valueble if im a queer woman" but i think that this points to a really rigid and uphelpful veiw of gender

ive discussed before that, because the mind numbing ammount of biological differences people have theres no actual objective definition of sex or gender, its socially constructed and entirely arbitrary and subjective

i think that labels for sexuality and gender are useful shorthand in our current society though ideally we wouldnt need them, but you need to remember that these things arent rigid

butch lesbian is not a definable group, gay man is not a definable group, they are arbitrary words that mean something different for literally every different person

likewise acting like those meaningless labels somehow make some artwork more or less valueble just points to a bias against people with a certain label

like, the labels dont mean anything they shouldnt change your veiw of a work, if you resonate with a peice of work why does it matter what label is put on it? why does that affect your veiw on the peice?

and yes you are objectively going to relate to some experiences more then others, but i dont think relatability should effect how you value the work, infact id argue seeing perspectives different then your own is incredibly incredibly valueble and, if your disregarding (even subconciously) certain things because theyre made by men then that not only hurts men but it hurts you, it isolates you

maybe i didnt word that perfectly im not always the most articulate but like, i think most of the issues people are having with this are coming from me articulating things maybe not as intuatively as i could or from people refusing to properly engadge with what i have to say

idk, regarding the people accusing me of transmysogeny i just wanna say that like, I AM NOT ALLERGIC TO TALKING TO YOU ABT THIS!! i want to be better and i dont want to be mysogenistic! and if you do see concerning behavior in me i want to be told of it, you keeping these kinds of things to yourself or refusing to engadge with me when i actively am trying to be like, thourough and nuanced about things is just kinda, not productive

[defyinggod]

I think we need to recognize that the reason women are allowed to get away with saying things like ‘kill all men’ vs men saying ‘kill all women’ is because men have, and I am speaking in broad terms, terrorized women as a whole on levels that women have never terrorized men. When women say ‘kill all men’ we know that it is most likely not a serious threat, and even if it is, it is not on a wide scale and also very unlikely because it has not been executed on a large scale before. I have never heard of a single historical event where women invaded some place and raped, tortured, and killed the men present there. When men say ‘kill all women’ we know that this could very much ring true. History has proven to us time and time again that women are the prey, not the predators. And while I’m not saying that the phrase ‘kill all men’ is right, or just, or even trying to defend women who say it — I am simply stating that is very different from when a man says ‘kill all women’ and anyone who says they are even comparable is completely delusional.

[nerdylilpeebee]

Hey. I know you were already told this but as a former TRA the reason so many of us find radical feminism is because it's an actual safe space for LGB and GNC ppl whereas Trans activism is filled with racism, sexism, and homophobia. As a GNC lesbian, your activism aims to eradicate me and anyone like me. Sorry that the truth hurts and I hope someday youll look past your hatred of women and become a decent ally to marginalized people.

“Safe space.”

That’s why lesbians get shit on for finding women sexually appealing right? To the point where even redkatherinee, a radfem artist who radfems spent years defending after she drew trans people being boiled alive and baked into pies (as well as countless pieces of art aimed at triggering dysphoria, more often aimed at trans men than trans women) got accused of fetishizing lesbians cuz she drew an anime woman naked with visible cellulite.

That’s why radfems talk about killing, mutilating and otherwise harming all men all the time, only bothering to specify they don’t mean gay men (and black men and blah blah *insert non-acceptable targets here*) when a gay man speaks up about it, and say that all men are predatory (again, only specifying “straight men” when a gay man speaks up about it) and tell gay men they wish more of them had died during the Aids crisis since most gay men aren’t joining them in their hatred of trans people, right?

Oh, and let’s not forget bisexuals. Cuz we all know that the lesbians supremacists TOTALLY care about bi women. Except when they date men. Or don’t agree with them. Or find men sexy at all. Or even find women sexy at all. Then they’re cockworshipping handmaidens. Pick-me’s. Fetishists. They can “just choose to not date men,” or they don’t have radfems’ sympathy and are complicit in their own abuse.

And GNC people! Don’t even get me fucking started. If it’s not failing to give a fuck that gnc people feel a large brunt of their anti-trans bullshit (arguably more than trans people do, since they outnumber us), it’s pushing for shit that makes it so now little girls need to have strangers check that have the right genitalia before they can play school sports. It’s mocking trans people’s appearances using features that gnc people more often than not share. It’s acting like having wide forehead, larger shoulders, a hairy body, a square jaw, being a bit taller than average, etc. ALL MEAN THE PERSON IN QUESTION HAS TO BE A MAN.

Radical feminism and especially radical feminists are the furthest thing from a safe space the LGB and GNC folk have. They’re just so good at lying to those of you who tow the line that you can’t see that. Step out of line, disagree with them, and they’ll either treat you like shit or start using the manipulation tactics they spread around their spaces to ensure you “peak” again.

The trans community is like any community. We’re flawed. You will always find racists, sexists, homophobes among groups and especially their allies. It’s true for the LGB and GNC folk, it’s true for black people, it’s true for muslims, the jewish, EVERYONE, but for some reason it’s only trans folk progressives are comfortable turning against for the existence of those people. Hell, you yourself brought forth one of the justifications for that. “You’re trying to eradicate me and anyone like me.” We ain’t trying to do that at all. And even if the most extreme of us are, it’s a completely impossible fucking task. XD The threat would be non-existent as it could NEVER be achieved. Contrary to what terfs believe, we’re not some all-powerful monolithic group backed by billionaires.

Once you get your head out of your ass, and see the truth, just like countless ex-terfs before you, I hope you’re one of the lucky ones who gets out before you feel the brunt of their abuse.

[sokkagatekeeper]

i agree with you that cisgay zuko is probably the more accurate interpretation of the text, though i think there is a possible defense for trans zuko that might even add more depth to his arc as a gay man(a bit of a reach and def not what most ppl are thinking when they hc zuko as trans but i’m thinking it so) the fire nation glorifies binary roles, especially binary masculine roles. 1/?

there are such societies where being trans is accepted, but only binary trans ppl bc of the importance of social roles (and being gay is not bc masculine and feminine social roles are understood to be heterosexual (men are men partly bc they are attracted to women and vice versa) but not necessarily as long as they are adhered to one can switch between them but not between or have traits of both (ie feminine men or masculine women)). 2/?

so basically bc social roles are important sexism and homophobia still exist, and trans ppl can exist but must be binary and heterosexual bc of the roles/hierarchy, which are viewed as foundational to the function of society. so if zuko were to come out as trans at a young age, especially a trans man (which would be more valued bc of the value placed on masculinity) then his ability to live as a man in the fire nation is inherently dependent on a) his ability to embody binary masculinity, 3/?

and b) him liking women bc heterosexuality is what is accepted. him repressing any natural “femininity” and distancing himself from it (“ew girls”) is part and parcel with his binary fire nation understanding of what a man is, his acceptance in society/fear that he may not be allowed to live as a man if he doesn’t occupy the role properly, and his attempt to be a straight man (bc femininity belongs to women, which binary men are attracted to but not the same as in fire nation society, 4/?

as well as his view that masculinity is more valuable) (but also his inherent gayness coming out through his natural repressed distance from girls but not femininity). him dating mai is a further attempt to fulfill this social role alongside proving that he is not gay (really the two are intertwined, for him to occupy the social role of “man” in the FN one of the things among repressing femininity is also being “straight” bc gender and straightness are intertwined in FN) meeting aang is an 5/?

awakening for him bc aang is from a culture that doesn’t have binaries, and meeting sokka is as well bc sokka is bi but also still seen as a man and from an egalitarian culture where masculinity and femininity are equal. then his journey of self-acceptance embodies both accepting the fact that he’s gay and widening his understanding of what manhood is, that he can be a man without having to embody the patriarchal, heterosexual ideal of one, learning that binaries (of gender roles and 6/?

man/woman heterosexuality) are bad, masculinity is not inherently more valuable and hierarchy (rooted in binary) is bad, and so he can accept both his masculinity and femininity (which is tied to his gay arc) while still accepting that he is a man (and that gender is ultimately fake but it impacts his reality so he can occupy 8/?

the role he chooses to see fit in whatever way he wants to including being gay lol). idk if this makes sense but yeah, just wanted to present a possible analytical argument for trans zuko :) and ik this was pretty rambly but if you want any more expansion or clarification lmk!!! 9/9

okay first of all.

[ID: a screenshot from “the invasion, part 2: the eclipse.” sokka shoves azula against a wall with an angry expression. the subtitles originally said, “where is suki,” but have been edited to say, “where is seven.” end ID.]

(/j it's easy to forget what number you're on when sending multiple messages)

second of all i would like to know which real life society works like the one you, anon, described? because i haven’t heard of one in my entire life. in fact, it sounds very segregated to me and i am (for the 100th time) a believer in the intersectional theory; all types of oppression, its origins and practical purposes are intertwined, and you can’t entirely have one without the other in a collective or realistic society. saying that you can have homophobia and misogyny without transphobia especially in a nation where imperialism is glorified sounds kind of. like radical feminism. or in another word, terfs, who believe that all different kinds of oppresion exist entirely separate from each other, which makes them fail to see the bigger picture & often leads to them subscribing to ideas that are dangerous and/or harmful to (mostly) trans women and ppl of color. it’s important to understand the ideology that one is against (assuming u Are against radical feminism??) as well as the ideology one personally holds. anyway #sorry but. just so you know all of the Implications of this.

and third of all, what i’m realizing lately is that trans zuko vs cisgay zuko arguments are just the same reasoning in different wordings, and mainly (not all) what makes cisgay zuko more plausible is simply... context.

the entire atla fandom is constantly missing a very important part of the fire nation’s systematic homophobia: its ties to the fire nation’s imperialism. it doesn’t matter if it was sozin or not who outlawed homosexuality in the fn, but it does make a lot of sense taking into account that (there had to be a pre-existing prejudice among the population for that to work out, but that’s for another day) the fn is about to become a massive military machine for a world wide war, which means they are going to need to breed. homophobia has its own utility in the fn’s imperialism by helping to ensure that as many people as possible have babies. and this is also part of why gender roles matter so much; it's not just that homosexuality is outlawed, but that any deviation from a heterosexual nuclear family structure is greatly frowned-upon.

this doesn’t work if zuko were trans and had to have kids with mai, for example. why would they force him into a heterosexual cage if it’s not to make an heir and a soldier? it makes absolutely no sense knowing what we know about the fn’s politics (and using common sense, which i understand is not a hobby of many ppl in this fandom alas).

and yes, the fire nation glorifies traditionally masculine roles and characteristics, but you need to ask yourself why. is it because they glorify their imperialism and war and military? is it because traditionally masculine roles embody these characteristics of imperialism, war, and military, considerably more than traditionally feminine ones? why does this society work the way it does? why is heterosexuality a must in the fire nation? what is the practical purpose of this prejudice, this rule, this norm, according to other politics and values of this society?

the entire part 4 of this thing about how zuko’s transness and homosexuality could be related doesn’t make a lot of sense to me and i think it’s too much of a reach. there are certainly binary trans people, especially trans men, who are caught up in gender roles and end up reinforcing transphobic and even racist ideas due to it (we're on tumblr; we've all seen this & discourse around it). but the thing is, i really can't see that happening in a society that accepts trans people enough for zuko to transition at such a young age? it just doesn't make sense that zuko would internalize those transphobic ideas if everyone were fully supportive of his transition (which. i assume they were as again, he would've been so young. most people, even people who are relatively progressive when it comes to trans people, wouldn't allow that).

but regarding your part 5, it’s like. you are so close to getting it. zuko feels he needs to fill the role of the man desperately, yes!! because he was born a man and identifies as a man, but has some traditionally feminine qualities that are explicitly frowned upon in the militaristic society he was raised in. he’s gay.

you mention that meeting aang and sokka, to an extent, would make zuko open his mind to the different layers of masculinity and that he doesn’t have to be this mold of patriarchal masculinity, because aang is from a culture that doesn’t have binaries and sokka is from an egalitarian culture, is that it? well.

1) zuko can do that without being trans; in fact he does this canonically, and it also makes more sense that way, because this one of the reasons we assume he’s gay. i already covered this a thousand times before, it’s not a new argument, see my third of all etc etc.

2) (and this made me very ughhnghrrhh) the part about aang’s and sokka’s upbringings having no binary system/being egalitarian is just... not true lmao.

the air temples were segregated by gender, if you recall, and while i doubt they had any trouble with homosexuality or trans ppl, they definitely had some concept of gender binary in their everyday lives. in fact, i think the air nomads is more similar to the society with binaries but no in-betweens that you mentioned, if less strict and in a different fashion, probably not tainted by the looming spectres of imperialism and militarism and probably the only reason why this works; they are spiritual people, and aren’t obsessed with breeding even more monks. however they probably had no idea what to do with a nonbinary person, for example, and i don’t think aang was the exeption of this rule. he’s very gnc by our standards, but he still identifies as a boy, and that’s kind of relevant to the whole ember island players situation. i could make an entire post talking about this alone but i digress.

the southern water tribe... sigh. massive sigh. MASSIVE SIGH okay. the swt being an egalitarian society is just untrue. this is crucial to sokka’s arc, because he is not the one sexist exception of his tribe, or the black sheep, or whatever. sexism and its adjacent prejudices are all socialization — sokka was not born thinking girls were only useful to sew and cook and men were only useful to fight and hunt. he learned this from some external source. and it’s not difficult to see where he got it either; all those grown women were definitely more suited to fight than sokka was when zuko’s ship crashed their tribe, but sokka, at fifteen, was still the only soldier standing. this is heartbreaking, and it tells you something about the society they live in; you just have to pay attention. the only difference (and perhaps. similarity?) with the fire nation is that their gender norms and such seem to be a lot less specific and rigid (waterbending women did fight when hama was taken for example), and the specifics and rigidness there might exist are probably a consequence of the neo/colonization they suffered both from the fn and the northern water tribe (which is still a monarchy where the swt is more of a democratic-esque society By The Way; even more intersectionalism!!). but again i digress.

this part of anon’s argument bothered me personally a lot, because i think that if you are going to try and craft an argument for a headcanon with evidence and/or plausibility directly from the text, you might as well get your facts right. otherwise it just seems very inconsistent. but anyways!

now that the breaking down of this reach of an argument is done i wanted to say that like. us here on sokkagatekeeper dot tumblr dot com are ciszuko truthers and that’s not going to change because we enjoy critical analysis of not only characters but the societies and contexts they live in, as realistically as possible when talking about fiction. other people prefer to suspend their belief a little more to headcanon x as trans or x as gay or x as neurodivergent or whatever, which is objectively wrong, meaning the literal quality of it being incorrect, but not necessarily morally wrong, which tumblr tends to confuse all the damn time. being wrong in fandom is not usually that deep, and you don’t even need to acknowledge that you are wrong or prove that you are right to us personally because we aren’t looking for that. this is our reading of the text, which we've arrived at through analysis, and which we think is compelling and often fun to make jokes about. you're allowed to have a different interpretation. we have many mutuals who hc zuko as trans, and we're not like. on the verge of unfollowing them for it.

this was an interesting ask to receive and analyze and we’ve been hoping someone coherent would start a debate with us on this subject, because honestly (despite what we said in the last paragraph lol) it does annoy me when people are just. wrong about things and i can't find a coherent argument anywhere. i really do love it when people disagree with me and are still able to make points; i love being able to debate and possibly learn from it. like, we were harsh about this, but it was nice to have an ask about this that was thoughtful.

i still believe that if you are happy thinking zuko could be trans/his journey reflects that/whatever else then that’s fine. not everything needs to have a canonical justification for you to have fun. that is not the case with us, because canon is literally so good, but we are different ppl with different tastes. and we enjoy making fun of zuko for being cis more than we enjoy stretching canon to make trans zuko work. also i don’t want you ppl to go around thinking or saying this was a cis person talking okay nour they them only. okay thanks byeeee

[englishstrawbie]

Hi,

Do you think this is the final S19 writers had planned for?

It feels flat, not letting you wonder for much, a bit anticlimactic.

Also I think Jack is totally gonna come back for Marina baby in case the writers keep up with this bs storyline, hopefully not, but I do not trust them.

At the end all the storyline this seasos no matter the character, were done in a way to elevate the men and show them as heroes and saviors of women one way or another.

Jack exit doesn’t make much sense (even if I’m happy for Marina reasons) I wanted something different for him, but it’s interesting that even in this situation he comes up as the misunderstood hero, and get the pity of all the women that keep wanting to give him things he doesn’t not deserve.

Maya ended up sounding a bit like an ahole, in terms of the Sullivan situation, Bit was about time she spoke up, I wish it was more about ppl fighting against sexism and homophobia all together with some sense of justice instead of being the Gia kind of narrative, they really wanna put Maya in the wrong even when she’s totally right, it seems the same writers that lust over Jack are the same that dislike Maya…I wonder why???

So basically at the end the writers made Jack come off as the hero and Maya the work obsessed obnoxious lesbian that threaten her coworkers to get what she actually deserves…ok

I like how as soon as you remove “the man factor” from the wlw relationship, the character go back to be the real self, even if the Green Card part is not accurate it was still nice a part for a couple of takes that makes Maya look like an insensitive ahole like the sex trafficking thing (someone didn’t read the notes about Andrea on the big writers board lol)

I don’t care about Andy and it’s a mystery how it’s gonna work out cause all the bts drama.

Maybe have both Maya and Andy Captain but for different shift and never let them cross paths again just saying hi when there’s a change of shift…. I don’t see how they could pull it off otherwise.

Overall a terrible season under many aspect, let’s hope that hey will make some change for the next….

I think the finale was written this way on purpose - but what that purpose actually was, who knows! I am constantly confused about what it is that the writers have been trying to achieve with some of their storylines and arcs this year. Anticlimatic is a good way to describe it.

Maya and Carina's whole arc this year has been about having a baby, and then suddenly, with two episodes left, they throw in the green card interview. The timing was silly, when there are still so many issues around the baby storyline that are unresolved - and then to tease us with taking a pregnancy test and then... not. Why?

I have so many questions about Jack driving off - in the middle of a shift, no less. I want him gone, because I want peace around the baby storyline next year, but if Grey was leaving, wouldn't the cast have wished him well? So maybe he will be back next year but doing what? When there's (apparently) no space for him as lieutenant if the only reason Andy got a job at 19 was because he was leaving. And, as so many people have pointed out, we'll now have 4 lieutenants at 19 when back in season 2, it was an issue having 3. #makeitmakesense Unless one of them steps up to captain and he fills the fourth spot.

My take on Maya in the green card interview is that she just got to the point of having had enough. All season she has had to put up with the bureaucracy of losing her captaincy and now she's in an immigration interview, which is more bureaucracy, having to persuade a stranger that her marriage is genuine and real. She's never really dealt with her frustration over her demotion so when he asks her the question about why she lost her job, and accuses her of insubordination, she goes off on one. And then he's asking her what feels like pointless questions Of course it was the wrong time and place - but, let's face it, it was a plot device to get her to the point of confronting the Chief at the end of the episode.

And that has been a common theme of so many stories this year. Take Jack being the donor. My view of it at the start was that they were trying to tell a story similar to Danielle's personal experience, and I think perhaps it did inspire them, but it was also a plot device to further Jack's storyline - because being a donor meant getting a genetics test, which meant finding out he had a biological brother, which meant finding out that, after he was adopted, his parents went on to have a family without him.

That's why so many of the stories have fallen flat this year, I think.

I am curious about whether Maya's threat to expose Ross & Sullivan backfires. My gut tells me it will. But it's interesting to have Maya go down that path, really the only path she has left since she can't rely on justice and fairness. I don't think it reflects badly on her - or maybe it's my Maya-tinted-glasses talking. Again, I think it shows that she's had enough.

This season has generally been badly written. I hope that there is some reflection over the hiatus given how poorly the second half of this season and the season finale has been received.

[magnoliamyrrh]

Paul is a fucked up manchild who berates his mom the second he gets supernatural powers and sees himself as better than everyone. That’s only if you can get past herbert’s awful writing where his villains gotta be fat and gay and he repeats these facts every single time they switch povs as if the audience has somehow forgotten (seriously, highlight every time herbert mentions the villain is fat. It’s so common it’s just boring stale writing). Paul in dune is the worst kinda self insert fanfic. Dune is such a shitty book girl how do you enjoy it

ohh he definetely is a man child; i feel bad for him in like the first half of the first book mainly bc hes a teenager, hes 15, like, a teenager teenager not an almost adult 17-18. he may come from a powerful family but hes just thrust into very messed up circumstances, more or less tortured to prove hes human, has to grapple with being some sort of raised-to-be-exceptional genetic experiment and being used in some weird intergalactic lie and war, and incredible amount of historical pressure and other things. like, at 15, hes more kid than adult dealing w this. but also, while being 15, he is smart, and charming to others, and he quickly rises to great infleunce and is good at manipulation. and yea the moment he gets some more power he turns it even against his own mother, against himself, and against others and the longer they go on the more insufferbale he becomes; what ground of expeptionalism in him existed gets raised tenfold -hes an inherently flaued character by all means who even when he tries he fucked up badly many times. i mean like hell, among all the shit he ends up doing, even just that thing that he himself didnt have the power to put shit in order, so he ends up forcing it on his son, like how he was shoved into a bunch of things when he was younger

and yes lol i am well aware of the villan thing. i do get that in this context the "fat" thing and even the gay pedo thing is moreso an allegory for greed and the keeping of and hoarding of precious things (im Not saying fat ppl are like this mind u, im not saying its good either, but in many cultures fat has or is indeed revered as a sign of wealth; and this is used to contrast to those who dont have, and i reckon this is where it comes from in the story). but yes, i do think thats uhh i hate this word problamatic. the fat thing, the gay thing, the pedo thing. definetely part of an ongoing issue of attaching several of those characteristics to villans, and also of making villans generally ugly, thus associsting the two together. like yup, its definitely not good

idk tho, i think. dune was written in the 1960s by a white dude. like, it doesnt suprise me that that stuff is in there. ive read plenty of things that have parts of them that are problamatic or outdated or offensive and it just,, is what it is. like idk i can enjoy something while also being aware and critical of the parts of it that are fucked up - i think if i wasnt able to, i wouldnt be able to like,,,, explore a lot of the literature that exists out there, especially older literature, no matter from where its from in the world or if its written by men or women. most of it or most authors at least have written some weird shit or held some weird shit. idk just a stupid parallel off the top of my head i love the 1001 nights stories - i grew up with them - but theyre filled to the brim with weird shit and problamatic things and sexism and racism and slavery and whatever else, like absolutely filled - to an extend they reflect the times. i still, however, enjoy reading them tho

i also dont know how much paul is a self insert - maybe. ive never read the dude as sympathetic or a sympathetic anti-hero much. i did find the idea that out of this all-female order theyd have the idea that a male would be the one w the greatest power and some sort of prophesied force of power weird, sooo idk maybe. but idk, if its a self insert i rlyyy dont think its supoosed to be a flattering one much. the dude just gets worse and worse as the books progress, and he ends up after fucking up so much and being too weak to fix it, exiled, alone, spending his last yesrs wondering in loneliness and deep regret. so, i dont think its shown that his superiority complex or anything else brought him something good; it just lead to tragedy

mostly i like the series for the intricacy of its plot and the way its introduced, the messages it tries to send even if it at times fails or does so badly. like yea, its not perfect, but it is trying to ssy something about foreign meddeling and co-opting of religions and cultures and desperste situstions, or colonialism and capitalism, of exploitation, greed, power, etc. and also in very large part its lore, its scifi elements, its weird out there mysticism, and all the parts of it that are very, very weird. i am fascinsted by the world that this dude created. im a really big fan of magical realism and to an extent the books are like this - because they start more normal and over time become more and more mystical and fantastical and weird and less grounded as more concepts, creatures, and affects of the spice are introduced. i also do like that the main character isnt an actual hero. all this talk of prophecy and whatever, but its all bad, and it goes so fucking bad. its to an extent a subversion of classical fantasy tropes, combined with space scifi.... and yes. there are times when the writing isnt great, or when its outdated, or when it hammers things again and again (like the villan thing). i also think in many places the writing is intriguing, careful, and calls for attention and contemplation of what is happening

and idk apart from something like 1001 nights..... to an extend, i feel abt dune as i feel about game of thrones. i rly love those books. yes theyre writing by an old white man. yes there are parts of them (less than the show id say) which are problamatic and outdated and i could go on a whole list about that. but, i still enjoy them. i think the world grrm martin created is insanely insanelyyy complex, beautiful, fascinating, the lore is some of the deepest and most intriguing ive ever seen, and the character writing - the sheer complexity of the characters, the willingness to show how fucked up humans are and how often things are so stupidly complicated, the way he can get us to love even insufferable characters, the way there are no perfect good heros, the broader anti-war and even climate change message, the harsh and grounded realism of much of the series,,, the way theyre also kinda like magic realism, bc over the books magic keeps coming back more and more, the world becomes more full of mystic and mystery and prophecies which arent 100% true, the way the books are largely a subversion of fantasy tropes. like, yea. theyve got issues, grrm martins writings got issues. but i think theyre brilliant in many ways at the same time 🤷‍♀️

so i guess. yea. im definitely not saying the books dont have issues or theyre perfect or theyre the peak of literature. but im still able to enjoy parts of them

[dhaaruni]

thank you for speaking up for us even though you have very little to gain, and you know you’ll be treated like that for it. like, I know in the grand scheme of things, sexual harassment and violence against white women being treated as deserved/a myth harms you too because that’s just excusing/denying sexism altogether. but on an interpersonal level it would probably actively benefit you not to say anything on our behalf at all but you still do so. you empathize with other women so earnestly. just thank you for that and i’m so sorry that ppl are so mean to you for it.

I think these asks were in the context of me saying that while white women can be racist to women of color, women of color can also be misogynistic to white women, which is highly counterproductive to bring about liberty and justice for all.

There's a whole bunch of people hate hypothetical wealthy white women who can like idk, travel to get illegal abortions when Roe v. Wade is overturned (since there are so many independently wealthy white women whose money doesn't come from their fathers or husbands amirite?) more than they hate real white men who are oppressing all women on a daily basis. Like in very simplistic and generalized terms, they hate white women for theoretically thinking mean thoughts more than they do white men for DOING mean things.

White women can absolutely be racist to women of color and I'm not excusing that since I've been victimized by it before, but I'm not going to sit here and pretend that WOC criticizing white women is always in good faith because it's not! Whenever I see WOC claim that being cruel to white women about their appearances or whatever is anti-racism, I'm like, you aren't doing anything for feminism or social justice by calling Meghan McCain or Sarah Huckabee Sanders fat and ugly with bad hair, you're just being a misogynist. Criticize their harmful views, of which they have many!

I also sometimes think about how Morgan Jerkins wrote about how she got off to white women being brutally raped in porn and I felt so terrible like imagine caring that little about your fellow human beings. Just horrifying. And, Morgan wasn't even young when she published that, not that youth would be an excuse, she was about my age and that's just ... bleak, you know? Peak no hope for women hours.

Anyways, thank you guys, and here's hoping that things eventually get better for us all.

[wolfsneedles]

perhaps a small meta like thing i wanted to write and share on robb. I was thinking about that very haunting and pivotal moment in ASOS, when rickard karstark a loyal man of robb and starks killed the two prisoner/wards kids from lannister family when he realised catelyn released jaime. Catelyn releasing him is different and a very realistically emotional thing but robb acting and defending his mother when rickard says It was Lady Catelyn who was responsible for murder of the two kids....he just slaughtered in sleep and dark of their cells (reeks of bit sexism and misogyny tbh). Not realising however that jaime wasn't gonna get killed anyways that to by rickard or Robb was never gonna let them hurt him. basically so if karstark was avenging his sons...who died in battle with Robb, it is understandable but this was rickard's individualistic revenge - he was fighting for robb too. For North and for Starks and for his KING. i never understood how he killed two children but thats not the concern really. It is how robb reacts to murder of two children by karstark which is so foolish and stupid and honestly cruel considering his revenge was not gonna succeed anyways when jaime had...already escaped (and no omg cat wasn't responsible for karstark betrayal). And then Robb says, "

"I owe their fathers truth," said Robb. "And justice. I owe them that as well." He gazed at his crown, the dark gleam of bronze, the circle of iron swords. "Lord Rickard defied me. Betrayed me. I have no choice but to condemn him.

He made up his mind anyways to execute karstark not for betrayal but also for justice. Poetic Justice maybe...but the entire scene of rickard karstarks execution is very hauntingly beautiful however uneasy and eerie, and you see robb from Cats POV doing something from his own hands himself. The imagery and environmental gloom is perfect. Even weather grrm wrote like, was hauntingly unsettling.

Lord Rickard's fought at my side in half a dozen battles. His sons died for me in the Whispering Wood. Tion Frey and Willem Lannister were my enemies. Yet now I have to kill my dead friends' father for their sakes." He looked at them all. "Will the Lannisters thank me for Lord Rickard's head? Will the Freys?"

He obviously knew, the death of karstark's liege lord will earn him worse betrayals and series of more unfortunate events,, yet he still in despair asks brynden and others, that freys and lannisters will obviously not thank him for this. Infact they repaid him worse.

How then can you call this vengeance? This was folly, and bloody murder. Your sons died honorably on a battlefield, with swords in their hands.”

I wanted to describe the scene which is so poetic. But the fact that there is constant thunder and rain can highlight the fact that it was or can be synonymous to misery and death and...robbs ultimate betrayal when karstarks leave in the night same day. Catelyn described the weather outside as,

"Outside the thunder crashed and boomed, so loud it sounded as if the castle were coming down about their ears. Is this the sound of a kingdom falling? Catelyn wondered"

In the next sentence u see, robb more mature and dauntless when he decides he will execute rickard, "Robb reached down with both hands, lifted the heavy bronze-and-iron crown, and set it back atop his head, and suddenly he was a king again. “Lord Rickard dies.”

(also makes me mention how ppl criticise dany too mostly from the got show, but in books why she kills people, i think....if u put yourself in those historical framework and mentality of medieval society with loyalties and devotion tied to each other whether based on federalism or personal love, betrayal and treachery or going behind a king or queens back doesn't...go unpunished. Treason never goes unpunished when we also think of jon snow executing janos and robb with karstark. You have to realise emotions of both people. the one who carries sentence and one who dies.)

Back to the scenic description i found in this chapter. Catelyn again talks about weather and i absolutely loved contrast bw the weather and grimness of it and an execution soon to be carried in godswood,

"When day broke, grey and chilly, the storm had diminished to a steady, soaking rain, yet even so the godswood was crowded. River lords and northmen, highborn and low, knights and sellswords and stableboys, they stood amongst the trees to see the end of the night’s dark dance."

"Robb flung the poleaxe down in disgust, and turned wordless to the heart tree. He stood shaking with his hands half-clenched and the rain running down his cheeks. Gods forgive him, Catelyn prayed in silence. He is only a boy, and he had no other choice"

I think the rain is perfect thing. the way it is pouring down and then previously it was mentioned how remaining men who took part in killing young boys of lannisters with karstark were hung from trees ...but their faces were darkened and washed and grrm mentions this a lot everytime he mentions a depressing scene with death and ppl hanging from trees esp when lady stoneheart or brothers without banners or brienne and pod encounter people hanged. Its also sooo haunting how karstark was executed in front of heart tree and godswood...by hands of Robb as well (similar to what ned said that man who passes sentence will swing the sword so he knows what he feels too and robb did it last moment too)

" That was the last she saw of her son that day "

This line by catelyn also describes horror of war and how young people like robb in this case are dragged into the lords game of thrones, sometimes half-heartedly sometimes intentionally she describes how war is affecting her son who is after all a boy.

".....rain continued all through the morning, lashing the surface of the rivers and turning the godswood grass into mud and puddles"

This weather is same as it was described and was on the day or eve of when Catelyn and robb along with edmure were making for the Twins and and something more horrific which was about to unfold there as well ( red wedding ) and on their way to twins the rain is mercilessly beating and falling too.

Last i wanna mention is day when robb and his men with Catelyn made for the Twins for wedding and weather was same miserable since last time it was when karstark was executed...which I was thinking DOES point to robbs failure and demise in the end as weather has a lot of impact on story and so does the ice and fire contrast that has always been made where winters and cold winds welcome the coming of darkness and enemy force in this case the Others, and fire reflects passion, warmth and hope for me in passages. prob why i love mention of dany and her dragons because they do represent an entirely different aura and hope against the dread that is building on the Wall and beyond it for coming of the actual-evil-forces the Others.

This is how perfectly the differences bw robbs victory in Whispering wood taken as sign of pride and hope is mentioned with --> emphasis on how warm the weather was, and now their travel to the Twins for red wedding as --> rain, mud, puddle, banks overflowing, their stark banners flooded and hanging down (another excellent indication for how house stark did have their back and strength broken after the wedding hence banner hanging low, or when arya later travels to twins and sees the banners on fire due to the massacre taking place...)

"..As the gods would have it, their route took them through the Whispering Wood where Robb had won his first great victory. They followed the course of the twisting stream on the floor of that pinched narrow valley, much as Jaime Lannister’s men had done that fateful night. It was warmer then, Catelyn remembered, the trees were still green, and the stream did not overflow its banks. Fallen leaves choked the flow now and lay in sodden snarls among the rocks and roots, and the trees that had once hidden Robb’s army had exchanged their green raiment for leaves of dull gold spotted with brown, and a red that reminded her of rust and dry blood"