#but you refuse to acknowledge it. and in refusing to acknowledge your cultural upbringing youre only shooting yourself in the foot

[james-silenthill]

People that refuse the concept that things might be culturally christian are chuckleheads

[animentality]

"trans women don't know the unique experiences of being a woman-"

there is no fucking universal experience of being a woman. you only think that if you're a fucking white woman who forgets women of color exist on an hourly basis.

you only think that if you assume your experience is the only experience in this world to have.

you don't know what it's like to be a black woman, a disabled woman, an indigenous woman, a Chinese woman, a mixed race woman, a Latina, a Pakistani woman, a Cambodian woman, a Muslim woman. You can't know.

You can't pretend to know.

You can't even use "universals" like all women are afraid of men or all women have been sexually assaulted or all women know what it's like to be condescended to, because different women experience different things according to their cultural upbringing. Some places are better or worse than others. Some places are not better or worse, but have their own equivalent issues.

Some places are densely populated and full of weirdos, some are backwoods redneck towns, full of more intimate weirdos.

Some people experience sexual grooming, sexual assault, catcalling, stalking, gender discrimination...and some people don't.

Some people have families that support them and their sexuality.

Some people live in abusive patriarchal households and grow up haunted by their own gendered "differences," painfully aware of how wrong the world is. Some people live in a pretty okay world, with only light grievances, and microaggressions.

Some women identify only loosely as female, and some people who are assigned female at birth reject womanhood entirely, and that completely negates any "standard" of womanhood that you cling to, because it's just a word.

It's a label that humans use to make sense of themselves.

But you can rip it off any time you like. You can also paste it on, even if you weren't born with it.

Trying to apply your own womanhood to other women is wrong, foolish, and a waste of time.

And that's why your transphobic ass is ridiculous.

By trying to "generalize" the female experience, you just totally neutralize any point you're trying to make.

People should be able to talk about how different their experiences are, so we can talk about why some people have it worse.

Terfs are so fucking annoying because they're typically white feminists, who don't care about black female experiences or any other WOC's experiences.

They refuse to acknowledge how flexible the very notion of being a woman is.

And as a result, they're nothing but a blight upon this world, whose only purpose is to pretend that they, the angry white women, are the only people who matter.

Fuck you and fuck that.

[pluckyredhead]

I read your ollie and SA post and I def agree with how they don't treat that incident as rape but I'm also....I'm not excusing it but I don't like this history of making Asian women villains casually or not that DC does....

Having cool, complex villains is one thing but they disappoint me so much

Again I def don't think this at all negates what's happened to ollie, it's all terrible

Oh 100% agreed!

DC is in love with this trope of the sexy ambiguously evil rapey dragon lady Asian woman and her noble white baby daddy and the child torn between the two. See also: Talia, Cheshire, Shiva. (I know David Cain is not a good guy but Bruce essentially fills the role of the noble white baby daddy for Cass as well as for Damian.) (Also I should note that of all four of these characters, I would only classify Cheshire as an out-and-out villain - Shado was originally more morally ambiguous than anything else, Talia goes back and forth, Shiva was originally a heroic character. But DC has definitely used them all as villains at times.)

It's a huge part of why I try to be really careful in talking about Shado and this history, because again, it's important that we recognize that what happens in that story is rape because our culture is bad enough about consent already - but the writer (Mike Grell) clearly was not intending to portray Shado as a villain there and I don't want to toss out an interesting, complex Asian character because a writer steeped in rape culture made a mistake 35 years ago.

It comes back to holding multiple ideas in our heads at once, and all of these can be true at the same time:

DC has historically been enamored of a really racist, sexist trope.

Some of these characters have committed rape and we need to call it what it is (Shado, Talia although that's been retconned out, and there is some real murky stuff with Cheshire and Roy in Rebirth Titans).

(Actually it's not clear whether the Shado incident is in canon anymore either or if the New 52 totally overwrote it. If it's still in canon then she had an affair with Ollie's dad that resulted in Emiko and raped Ollie and maybe also made out with Connor, which...fucking yikes.)

These characters have all been written as complex and nuanced and sympathetic at times.

They've also been written as villains and it's not racist or sexist to acknowledge the things they've done on page (murder, nuking an entire country, whatever the hell Damian's upbringing was like), but it's fair to acknowledge that often the writing that sparked those random heel turns was racist and sexist.

It's okay to enjoy them as villains, or to want them to be more heroic, or both.

It's important to have diverse villains as well as diverse heroes.

It's more important to not turn every Asian female character into this trope.

So yeah, it's messy and complicated for sure! But I think that's why it's important to look at the context behind these stories instead of just saying "she did a bad thing, throw her away forever" or "I like this character so I refuse to acknowledge that this bad thing happened." Which is basically what you said but a lot more long-winded lol.

[cherrixxox]

In Princess Zelda’s defense: Misogyny in the Legend of Zelda (and every fandom really)

(Spoiler Warning for BOTW and TOTK)

One thing I’ve noticed as Tears Of the Kingdom has come out, is this incredibly shameless irritable misogyny in the Legend of Zelda fandom. With fandom and internet culture really boosting in the last decade, I feel as if people are less fearful of what they say, and I’ve noticed it in the fandoms I love, like Legend of Zelda specifically.

What could I possibly mean? Doesn’t everybody love Zelda? You’d be incredibly surprised what people say about her.

I can’t image why. She’s incredibly kind, smart, interesting and an emotionally complicated character, which I personally find endearing and not at all bland. However, I think I’ve finally come to understand *why* she’s so hated in the fandom as of this last couple weeks. I think I finally get it.

Zelda is a complex character. I know this doesn’t fit with some of the fandoms fantasy of her being “boring”, but I challenge that with a question. Why is it that every female character, regardless of personality, backstory and upbringing, actions and speech patterns are all boring to you? Is it because they’re actually boring? Or is it because female characters, no matter how developed, will always take the back seat to male characters even with less complexities?

I think I would be remiss if I didn’t mention shipping culture playing a huge part. It’s unfortunate, because, as a gay person, I do think that a lot of the fujoshi/bl community is misogynistic and hates admitting that: so they turn towards the only thing they can- picking and choosing small scenes and lines out of context to demonize a perfectly fine character.

Let me remind you all that I don’t care about harmless shipping. Mostly everyone in fandom ships characters. It’s normal and as long as you aren’t being weird about it and everything is morally correct: who cares. However, I do think that shipping culture has made is hard for people in fandom to correctly distinguish media in any other way. And that’s unfortunate. But I’ll come back to my shipping point later.

Zelda, for instance, is not fond of Link in the beginning of the TOTK/BOTW/Age of Calamity timeline. That’s very apparent from the very first memory in order from Breath of the Wild. In context, that all makes sense why and it’s explained very well. She very quickly after takes a liking to Link, and the rest is history.

However, you have people saying that she’s awful, hates Link, treats him badly, etc. She’s being treated like she’s helpless, something that, in game, she despises feeling. If you can’t tell from context, many times it’s said out loud and in your face. Take this memory with Urbosa for example:

She feels like a failure and Link being appointed to her just reminds her of that feeling.

Despite feeling this way, she’s proven to be a character that can grow and develop. She takes a liking to Link, as previously mentioned before, shortly after said scene with Urbosa explaining to link why she is the way she is. After her heart crushing memory where she’s sobbing about how she couldn’t save her father, the champions or Hyrule, Link is in danger. He is close to death and still he refuses to give up. At the very moment he is going to die. Zelda *finally* is able to release her power, after many many years, and in turn, his life. Why? Because she loves him.

Mipha hints at this being the way she can release her power. Though she doesn’t outright say it, it’s incredibly obvious she’s trying to get across that Zelda think about love and who she cares for.

I feel like if a man had that same backstory, people would acknowledge how incredibly complex of a character he was. They never do this with female characters, and instead take their emotions at face value, like how Zelda has multiple scenes where her determinations, wants and hopes are explained with heavy emotion and people throw it all away for some screwed up, incorrect perception of a character who is more multifaceted then they can ever comprehend.

And why do I think people refuse to look at the truth when it comes to Zelda? Yep, I’m going back to shipping. Like I mentioned before, specifically the fujoshi shipping community seems to be incredibly misogynistic as a whole. And if you self identify as a fujoshi, please stop. It’s not a good term or a nice term. Obviously this isn’t about people who enjoy gay ships in general as I don’t see any harm in shipping whatever you want as long as it’s not morally wrong. However, as someone who has been heavily engrained in fandom culture for the majority of my life: women are second rate citizens to the vast majority of these people.

With the appearance of Sidon in BOTW came a brand new ship that, though I think it’s a very very weird ship considering that Sidon looks like this when Link first meets him:

I never had anything much to say about it. I didn’t ship it, but to each their own since Sidon is very much an adult in current day BOTW/TOTK.

However, the birth is Sidon as a character has incredibly turned the tide when it comes to how people view Zelda. Every bit of character growth and backstory has been dismantled because they see her as a “home-wrecker” to this very much headcanoned ship. I genuinely think people who do this have very little ability to understand female characters in any piece of media, but Zelda is a great example of this. Now that TOTK has come out and Sidon (reminder from the beginning of this post, that I said there would be spoilers) canonically has a Fiance, I feel like this misunderstanding of female characters has just completely gone off the rails and people are now just saying things completely untrue.

For one: I don’t think arranged marriages are ever the best way to try to convince an audience that two characters are in love, and I give that to the shipping community completely. Arranged marriages are not good 9/10 times. Though, sometimes they work out, it’s often for political reasons, and almost never are these two people in love. It’s not a good trope. *However*

Sidons case is different. Yona, a brand new character in the series, is his fiancé. She’s, in my opinion, is quite pretty and helpful to the Zora community, as she seems to be their main healer in the domain.

A lot of the fandom is taking the fact that he saw her as a sister when he was a CHILD out of context as he quite literally says in the next paragraph that his feelings for her start to change and become “difficult to quantify” which clearly, in this case, means that those feelings are changing. And then, he seems to get to embarrassed to go further as those are for more private thoughts. Not only that, but Sidon very clearly calls her his love multiple times, even when she isn’t around.

And how does this character, the kind and caring Yona get treated?

Badly. Just from the first month of this game being out I’ve heard that she should die, she’s a dumb bitch, she’s ugly, she’s boring (how creative), etc.

I can’t help but notice that these comments are clearly coming from a place of distain that Sidon isn’t a free man, and believe it or not hating a female character because she gets in the way of your ships is misogynistic whether or not you think it is!

Now that Sidon isn’t free for grabs, I feel like that brings considerably more backlash upon Zelda yet again because she’s just not a character that can be ignored in favor of Sidon anymore. I’ve noticed an incredible increase of this hate that just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Hating female characters just because they get in the way of your ships will never be cool, but will always unfortunately be a part of fandom that I will refuse to get behind. It’s not just The Legend of Zelda fandom. I can name multiple female characters who get hate for the same exact thing.

This may have just been a rant that went on too long, maybe a mini essay, I’m not sure, but I genuinely challenge the Zelda community to interact more with the actual game over who belongs with who and stop picking at straws to find faults in characters that ruin your perfect perception of who you want to be with who. And please, judge the female characters the same way you’d judge the male characters.

-Cherri 🍒

[hagoftheholler]

🔥 Ancestor work!

This one... is one that's been brewing for a minute I'm not gonna lie. I'm gonna start by saying that if you don't wanna do ancestor work, that is perfectly fine. It isn't for everyone. You do you.

This is mainly about people who specifically say they won't work with their ancestors or even acknowledge their existences because their ancestors were all the bad people you can think of, and therefore want no affiliation with them... then proceed to speak on decolonization and generational trauma a lot. So yeah, this is mainly directed at white people.

Half of ancestor work, for me, has been learning about my family's past and observing how that has affected (or benefitted) the family today. Yes, I mean the racists. I mean the homophobes. I mean all the flavors of white supremacist and bigots. By doing this, not only am I making myself aware of the details of my family's unsavory history but also making myself reflect on my upbringing. Therefore, I reflect on myself.

Not wanting to do ancestor work is okay. As I said before, it ain't for everyone. Everyone vibes with something different. What I'm not gonna sit here and tell you is that saying you refuse to affiliate with your ancestors, that saying you don't "claim" your ancestors, because they were shitty people is doing something useful. It's not. White people, I'm saying this as a white person: most of our ancestors were fucked up people, did fucked up things and the results of that can often be observed in our families today. You don't erase that by saying you don't "claim" them.

If you want to decolonize, and learn how to be better, some of y'all are gonna have to suck it up and accept not "claiming" most of your ancestors isn't giving you brownie points. It's the same energy as pagans saying they don't "claim" white supremacists or nazis that identify as pagan, and then proceed to appropriate Indigenous cultures or try to claim Lilith is some kind of girlboss Goddess. Saying you don't "claim" certain people isn't doing shit, and further ignoring their existences ain't doing shit.

If you're doing the work, then you know this doesn't apply to you. Simple as that.

[ravenalla]

Alright episodes finished, thoughts under the cut

Overall, best episode of the season I’d say just in terms of technical aspects. It looked a lot more cinematic and less cheap, the choreography is still awakened as hell sometimes for the fight scenes but it was at least entertaining.

I’ve known about the IG-11 thing months before the season started because of leaks and was dreading it. It’s such a silly idea to give Grogu an iron man suit, and the fact that it’s this basically made out of this character who had an emotional death in season 1 really rubbed me the wrong way. Seeing it now it definitely isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to look, but it still feels kinda lame to do that. Like they just wanted some reason Grogu would even be on this mission besides Din.

However, speaking of that WE FINALLY GOT SOME MORE DAD! DIN DJARIN CRUMBS YESS!!!! Grogu being a insistent little toddler who wants his way while Din just is so done was so fucking adorable. Also guys I don’t know if Pedro was in the suit for that season or he just had an extra boost of motivation while recording seeing it was finally a scene where he got to show some of that prior personality Din had, but he didn’t sound the same monotone he has all season, he sounded so lively again with inflictions in his voice like in season 1! It was like an oasis in the desert I loved it.

As for the elephant in the room..urgh yeah let’s talk about that scene with Din and Bo-Katan. I know the shippers are going to go crazy over it, but I refuse to believe this confirms some love story. Din has always been shown to be respectful and loyal. As he said, honor is his way. To me that is all that was, Din once again showing he’s a dependable person when he is helping people and knows how to let those around them truly see themselves. Am I happy that after reducing his character to be nothing but Bo’s sidekick he has a like proclaiming his service to her? Fuck no, but at the very least I can say this doesn’t seem out of character for me if we just accept that Bo-Karan’s past is never going to be properly addressed and she just is a good person now Din would trust.

Which like, istg you had a scene with her admitting her past failures to the other mandalorian and there was nothing about her ACTUALLY BEING DEATH WATCH??? SHE WAS A TERRORIST!!! And yet that’s not brought up at all, it’s just more “oh don’t feel bad you tried your best 🥺” God even when she is saying how she failed everyone it’s a new situation they wrote where she was clearly in the right for trying to save her people, why tf did they write her in Clone Wars to be this complicated messy individual if Dave just wanted to basically erase all that and do the shes simply misunderstood thing. That’s so fucking frustrating, if you want to have your character grow then actually acknowledge their past flaws.

On a more brighter note, Moff Gideon will never not be entertaining, even if it makes the season 2 finale worthless in another way THANK YOU FOR SOME ACTUAL COMPELLING CONFLICT FINALLY. Him with the Mando helmet and suit looked fucking sick (in a villain way of course I mean this is clearly cultural appropriation and genocide we are dealing with here). I know people are gonna be freaking out from the Thrawn mention and whatever else sequel triology related stuff they said but I don’t care I’m just happy Moff Gideon got to come back and antagonize once more for my entertainment lmao.

Sigh. Paz. You were just starting to get a bit more fleshed out and they killed you off. Don’t get me wrong its an honorable death at least, but god see this is what I mean when I saw Bo-Katan has taken over everything, Din’s known him practically his whole life and we didn’t even maybe get to see a shot of him seeing him killed as he was dragged away, it’s just a moment between Bo and him because she is the protagonist at this point. Maybe if they had had a conversation about their personal different upbringings or something, but as is it just feels like a random moment between them. Oh well, still made me sad because I like Paz and at least it meant something saving both factions of Mandalorians I GUESS? That also has been handled pretty poorly imo, since this show doesn’t let people actually talk to one another hardly (unless it’s assuring Bo she’s a great person yada yada). I have one thing that really bothered me about that confrontation scene where Grogu stepped in, but I’m gonna make another separate post for that.

Finally, let’s talk about our main man himself. Din getting kidnapped at the end is slightly insulting after having to be saved by Bo constantly all season, however on it’s own I do love the vulnerable spot he is in and this creates a cool cliffhanger that makes me actually excited for next week! (first time all season lmao). I really thought they were going to take his helmet off in front of everybody right there, which idk I think that would have been a cool way to just further insult the mines and Din after he (albeit pretty easily and cheaply) redeemed himself, especially in front of Paz. But we didn’t get that so eh, maybe next episode is where we get our helmetless Din Djarin sequence who knows. I am so hoping for him to finally get the spotlight next episode and get a personal scene between him and Moff Gideon, it’s not going to feel as satisfying as it would be if Din had the proper development this season he deserved but still it would be better than nothing.

So overall, best episode of the season in my my opinion, but that still doesn’t mean there isn’t the same problems the whole season has had concerning Din and I wouldn’t say it’s the best of the series by a long shot. I do actually want to see the ending though, but apparently it’s going to be very controversial. I don’t know what they’re gonna pull up their sleeves but as long as Din and Bo aren’t confirmed to kiss at the end like a Disney princess tale or some shit, I will be cautiously waiting.

[trinrose3]

I maybe wrong, but it seems Splinter is letting his own trauma guide him into parenting. The boys may remind him of the day he lost his humanity, so he watches TV over spending time with his children. He resented his family, so he neglected to properly teach them about their family history and how to wield their weapons. Splinter is just so fucking complicated. He was thrown into fatherhood so suddenly; all by his own choice, sure, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to struggle. Yes, he has most likely unintentionally emotionally neglectedthe boys, but that doesn't make him an evil abusive shitbag. An abuser is someone refuses to apologize or fakes their apology and goes right back to the abuse. Knowing his character, he would admit to his faults, ask what he can do to change that, and work hard to be better. And I believe he's already started doing this. (@bitchapalooza )

Yeah that seems to be the case! Does that still make his actions in the past okay? Absolutely not! You can understand where someone is coming from without excusing their behavior and acting like it never happened or that it was less bad/impactful because of their past.

Its also not like ALL of his actions weren't unintentional either tho.

Unfortunately it is a very prevalent issue, but a lot of people think that hitting children is okay. Its not. Full stop. Culture or youre own personal upbringing be damned. It's never okay to hit someone especially someone youre meant to love and care for, especially if theyre your child. I truly dislike how often its used for physical comedy and ROTTMNT is no exception to this. Whether its an issue on the writers part or if thats just genuinely a part of his character thats not something I feel like should be comfortably looked past.

Splinter really is a complicated character but its more of a disservice to act as if he doesnt have these flaws then it is to acknowledge them, Which is something that I see A LOT of fans do, which made me want to make that post in the first place.

He definetly seems to be taking steps in the right direction if the ending of season two was anything to go by. I guess well just never know if we dont get a season three GIJIRGHIRGSRH

[pinkcadillaccas]

I'm just feeling so struck by the infinite variation of gender. Obviously, trans and queer spaces are always talking about how there is no single unifying physical trait or internal experience of gender, cis or trans, but that's ALSO true for the purely social aspect. It entirely depends on your culture and how society views you, and how you view society! Autistic, black, trans, Christian and poor women (just to name a few) are all going to have vastly different experiences of womanhood and interpret their socialisation differently. Yes there are general uniting factors, as a rule of thumb we can say women are socialised to defer decision making to others and men are socialised to speak up over others, but I can guarantee you will find thousands of people for whom this was either never the case or their specific personality and upbringing just never allowed those traits to be embedded. Bioessentialists are not just clowning because they refuse to acknowledge the infinite variety in the biological world but ALSO in the social world. They say trans women are men because they grew up with a penis and trans women are dangerous because society makes men dangerous and these are all given as fact. None of this is true. You will never be able to fit everyone identifying or assigned at birth as one gender into any one physical or social trait and attempting to do so will only do harm. There is no such thing as a strictly binary gendered world even in places where that binary is massively socially enforced. The infinite variety of the human condition simply won't allow it to happen.

[banhchao]

This might be a dumb question, but what counts as fetishizing Asian men? East Asian specifically

Not a dumb question! Uh well I guess racial fetishization all works the same but just in different fonts lol. It’s dehumanization through objectification, hypersexualization and/or infantilization of people of colour. It’s stereotyping people of specific races to look or act a certain way. Preferring phenotypical features like dark eyes, dark hair, tall height, wavy hair etc. is not fetishization cause they are objective features. But a so-called “racial preference” is based solely on stereotypes as a) race is a social construct b) ppl’s looks vary across races. For example, saying you are only attracted to East Asian men without a stereotypical portrait in ur head makes little sense as East Asian men vary in hair types, hair colour, skin colour, height, facial features, body type etc. It actually makes no sense to make a generalized statement like that.

same goes for personality type - East Asian men are usually emasculated and infantilized, viewed as “innocent and pure and baby 🥺” when in reality, East Asian men vary in personalities, upbringings, experiences, interests etc. To say u want to date an East Asian man cause “they seem so sweet and loyal like in the kdramas! 😍” when In reality, everyone is different. Either that or because of kpop they can be hypersexualized - which isn’t any better considering at the end of the day, you wanna be seen and loved as a human not a trophy meat on a stick! 🍖🍢 or even just in general, treating your s/o like a prize you won because they are of a certain race. All of these scenarios, they are seen and treated like objects, not as human beings.

The last guy I was seeing was East Asian and he was the complete opposite of the “pure Asian boy stereotype” lol and I adored him for who he was and how well we clicked together and our similar upbringings. not at all because Of this preconceived notion of who I thought he was based on racial stereotypes! i liked him for him! But now I’m talking to someone new who isn’t East or Southeast Asian and yet we have our own unique bond and click well too! ✨☁️💓 the basis of a relationship is yes, partially attraction but majority is that strong emotional connection! And race plays no factor in that (unless u r the same lol)

ppl with racial fetishes usually say things like “I want a (insert race here) husband to have exotic mixed babies! 😍”, or “I want a (insert race here) boyfriend, they are so (Insert racial personality/behaviour stereotype here)!” Also I find it a lil hard to believe that u can only be attracted to one racial stereotypical phenotype and not appreciate other hair textures, colours, skin colours, facial features etc. cause personally I am attracted to ppl from all races (and this is because I never base anything solely on race!)

(that being said, POC that are not attracted to or refuse to date yt ppl are the most valid)

Date ppl for who they are - their personalities, their quirks, their funny sayings, their jokes, how they make you laugh, how happy their smile makes you 🥰. How well they treat the ppl in their life, how you can talk to them for hours, how you are counting down the seconds until you see them again 🥰. Creating bonds and connections with another soul 💞💕 This is the beauty of love and relationships - pursue and date people as people!! and yes nothing wrong with acknowledging cultural differences but never go into a relationship wanting someone for their race or having race be such a main focus - it’s weird!! Go into it because u like them and they like you - as human beings. Not as preconceived notions of racial stereotypes perpetuated by racist media and society.

and remember - fetishization is not a privilege!

[tinynebula]

the latine identity is like the opposite of gatekeeping you literally just have to learn and participate in the culture. learn spanish/portuguese/indigenous languages. learn our history as taught by us. travel and visit our countries. listen to our music. read our books. watch our movies and shows. learn our customs. eat our food. make our food. celebrate our holidays. wear our clothes. eat our candy. listen to us. we love to share. we go nuts at literally the slightest acknowledgment of "this is a beautiful culture." everyone is welcome to participate. what you can't do, is to refuse to do all those things, blame your parents or your grandparents or your upbringing and still have the audacity to try and call yourself latine.

[skullsandwineglasses]

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) - Eps 1-3 Impressions

I’m not a knowledgeable enough of a Star Wars fan to give an insightful review, but as a casual prequel fan, I have to say that this series is great fan service. 

-The first 5 minutes of the first episode shows a highlight reel of the tragedy that are the prequels and Anakin’s downfall. Say what you will about the writing and dialogue about the prequels, but the dissolution of the relationship between Anakin, Padma, and Obi-Wan is almost Shakespearean. 

-Obi-Wan indirectly referenced Padme like, 5 times already in 3 episodes. While I’m glad that Padme is finally getting the acknowledgement she deserves since The Clone Wars series, they still haven’t outright said her name yet. What are you afraid of?? 

-In Chinese culture, it’s often said that if you suffer in your relationship with someone, then it means that you must have owed them something in your past life and must now repay them in this life. Obi-Wan must have really owed Anakin in a past life because dang, he just can’t catch a break with the Skywalkers. It feels like Obi-Wan’s whole life has been devoted to guiding and guarding the family. 

-In order to give Obi-Wan an excuse to leave Tatooine, he has to save Leia, who’s been captured to lure him out. I’m just wondering how he is able to safely go back into hiding now that everyone knows he’s out there. 

-It’s nice to see Leia being talked about in reference to Padme, as well as Leia’s curiosity about her birth parents. I always felt that Leia never really cared for her birth parents like Luke did, which is understandable given that Leia had a much more loving and privileged upbringing than Luke. In the OT, Leia only talks about the birth mother once about how she has a distant memory of their mother being beautiful but sad. In the sequel trilogy, Leia doesn’t really talk about her Skywalker lineage at all, even though her son is obsessed with her father (in fact, the sequel trilogy seems to have so much disdain for the OT and prequels, as seen by the retconing of Luke and an overemphasis on Vader rather than Anakin). But Leia resembles Anakin in temperament (even though Obi-Wan says her stubbornness is more like her mother) and resembles Padme in leadership. You can see both of her parents in her. I wish someone would talk about Padme’s legacy with Leia because Padme’s leadership deserves to be remembered, and it would be nice to see Leia look up to her mother as a senator. In the Book of Bobba Fett, we see Ahsoka remark how much Luke reminds her of Anakin, and it’s almost heartwarming to see Luke being referenced to Anakin instead of Vader. And now, we see Leia being referenced to Padme. The sequels refused to connect the OT and prequels, but I’m glad that theses series are bridging that gap. 

-I like how this series fleshes out Leia’s character, even though she’s only 10 years old in the series. You can see how her experience with Obi-Wan, and the conversations they have, influence her and will shape her in the future. Leia is clever and perceptive and can read between the lines. I’m sure that she’ll look back on this adventure with Obi-Wan and realize how much her birth parents mean to him and how great they were. 

-In episode 3, you get a very distant view of Hayden’s hooded face as Obi-Wan hallucinates him. Poor Obi-Wan is haunted by Anakin. And in their very unbalanced confrontation at the end of the episode, we see that Obi-Wan is not just out of practice, but his trauma and guilt prevents him from matching Anakin. Anakin, now Vader, is like a ghost that has come back for revenge. And boy, does Vader crave revenge, as seen by how he recreated the flames from Mustafar and dragged Obi-Wan through them. It’s hard to watch. It’s sad. It’s unforgivable, but also frustratingly understandable. 

-The prequels were all about building angst, from Anakin and Padme’s forbidden romance, to the brother-turned-enemy relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan. This series explores that angst. It’s probably the angstiest addition to the franchise. It’s emotional. It’s intense and full of rage. Even Uncle Owen lashes out against Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan, meanwhile, carries all of these memories with no one to share them with. He’s been alone for 10 years, living the same day over and over again. The only way he marks the passing of time is seeing Luke grow up, which then reminds him of having watched Anakin grow up. He’s stuck in the past, but the past no longer exists. Anakin no longer exists. Obi-Wan used to be a protector, but now out of self-preservation and protection of Luke, he watches idly as people are tortured. Bail Organa calls him out on favouring Luke over Leia. Obi-Wan is no hero, but he’s a damaged man. Instead of serving the galaxy, he’s serving the two descendants of his closest friends. 

It’s hard to believe that I’m already halfway through this series. It’s obvious that things won’t be resolved in the next 3 episodes. Obi-Wan and Vader don’t confront and conclude their relationship until 10 years later. Maybe this is the last time that their paths cross. Anakin is also the closest (physically) he’s ever been to his daughter. We know exactly what will happen, and therefore we also know exactly what won’t happen. Anakin won’t find out about his children, Leia won’t learn the truth about her birth parents, and Obi-Wan won’t find peace. The point of this series isn’t to add or further anything. The point is to show us the emotional turmoil that both Anakin/Vader and Obi-Wan go through for the rest of their lives. 

-Speaking of emotional turmoil and Padme, I wish they would show Vader mourning Padme. That’s not something that’s been presented in canon yet. In fact, it would be interesting to see Vader being haunted by the people in his past. He clearly has never stopped thinking about Obi-Wan, but what about Ahsoka and Padme? We all know Vader from the OT. He’s cruel and ruthless, and we see his merciless, sadistic cruelty in the third episode. But he was once human. He was once a boy who loved too much. And so, that’s why I think seeing him lash out at Obi-Wan for leaving him for dead on Mustafar is almost cathartic (albeit still difficult) to watch. It shows that Anakin is still in him. Vader isn’t cruel for the sake of being cruel. He’s cruel because he feels wronged as Anakin. 

Both Anakin and Vader are unforgivable. I don’t even think he redeemed himself at the end of The Return of the Jedi. Killing Palpatine to save your son and bloodline isn’t exactly altruistic. It doesn’t repent for the fact that Anakin killed probably millions of innocent people. But knowing that Vader was once Anakin, Obi-Wan’s once padawan, brother, son, and friend, does evoke some sympathy. 

-Overall, I won’t judge whether or not this series is well-written. I think I’m too emotionally invested to give an unbiased review. But I will say that it answers some questions we have about Anakin and Obi-Wan’s state of mind after Revenge of the Sith. 

[nolabballgirl]

Im a white girl and im just learning here so forgive me if im slow on this. But i don't understand why druck is put on a pedestal with regards to how they've tackled race/developed their characters of color. Druck also tends to dismiss race entirely (Sam, David, Fatou and Abdi) or make the trauma of characher their whole character (Ava and David) or underdevelop characters when they've had space to do more (Amira, Sam & fam). So why is druck deemed better than other remakes in this area?

hi, Anon! thanks for your ask. okay, so for me to answer your questions, you have to accept two premises:

neither skam nor any of its remakes (including druck) are perfect.

when a remake acknowledges audience pain and admits that it has made mistakes, hires writers of color, and then greatly improves upon its mistakes, that has to be commended.

so, let's break down race and representation for the remakes. and as you will see below, the remakes are so egregiously bad when it comes to race and representation, that when you compare druck after jünglinge took over, it's on a separate level altogether and that's why i believe druck is deemed to be better when it comes to race and representation. (also, i'm skipping skam nl and skam austin from this analysis because who knows how those two would have ended up...and begoña owes me a heart to heart after she ruined by beloved skam españa, but let's be real, eskam had a long way to go too.)

druck -

well, from the list in your ask and from the hard work that skamofcolor put in, druck is a remake with one of the most racially diverse main cast members in both the old and new gens as well as the most characters of colors in side characters as well, so that's an improvement compared to the other remakes. but you're right, there were a lot of missed storylines they could have tackled with the old gen.

druck's sana season (amira mahmood) does not put their sana through weeks of torture or ruin the girl squad in the process. (and as a muslim, i will say their handling of islam was the best among the remakes but i digress...) however, amira did not get her full 10 weeks of screen time and the show missed a huge opportunity diving into shared microaggressions and racism that sam, abdi, etc. also faced. and druck was ripped for it! for cutting amira's time and playing it way too safe and not giving sam her fair due, among others.

now, here's where druck does something that no other remake has done and honestly, this is where i think most of the praise stems from. they listened to the criticism! wait, showrunners and writers can do that?! do you mean we are not just yelling into the avoid? not only have the writers said the ways in which they could have improved (even after s6 they discussed audience perceptions and overestimating how ava/mailin would be received, etc.) but they also hired JÜNGLINGE to bring the new gen to life. if you are unfamiliar, this is how they describe themselves:

JÜNGLINGE is a film collective of mid-twenties raised in the hybrid cultures of post-migrant Germany. We believe that young, European film needs to tell queer, diverse and most of all – specific – stories about growing up and living together in our societies.

so looking at that progress over time from druck s1 to druck s6, i can't help but give them them props for such a marked improvement. in fact, i don't think ANY single skam season covers race and ethnicity as well as s5 and s6 did. sure, they were not perfect (see point 1 above), but my god, the strides that these two seasons made. so much so that in s6, we had a non-white interracial couple as main, who were both unapologetic about their ethnicities and upbringing and culture (Gambia and Vietnam). and having fatou/ava's friendship be so prominent, listening to them talk about black hair, and referencing nazis in germany - yes to all of this!

and let's talk about ava! what an amazing character who was allowed to be angry, giggly, happy, sad, and express herself, without falling into tropes like imane from skam france, and so many people can relate to her struggles with white liberal mailin. there was a sensitivity there that's so rare in these remakes. and what druck couldn't do with amira/kiki, they were given room to explore here, and i really do feel that it was an important story to tell, especially in the age of whitesplaining, white feminist tears, and white liberals talking over women of color.

skam france -

eight seasons in and skam france is STILL mistreating its characters of colors and not given them their full due. now with bilal literally taking a back seat to jo (look at the YouTube header for crying out loud!) but ever since yann in s1, skam france has done such a horrible job with its depiction of POC, especially black characters. daphne is one of the most racist vildes and the treatment of imane (even beyond her season) has been vile and unfair.

and you would think that post s6 and after a new showrunner and writing team was hired on, that there would be improvements (similar to what druck did above), but no! look at how both aurélien and judith were treated in s7, and after a strong opening for s8, it looks like bilal is now taking a backseat to jo, and once again, skam france and its new team are prioritizing a white character over a character of color.

and has there been any acknowledgment by the skam france team of the criticism over the years? rather, david has often doubled down in the face of fan critiques - just an unwillingness to listen, and so we are left with this as a result.

skam italia -

say what you want about skam italia but when it comes to race?well, they certainly take the cake for the whitest remake, so much so that swaths of fans will refuse to watch this remake for the "wana" debacle, and rightfully so. (whitewashing of the sana casting) and remember how people tried to defend this casting decision? but don't forget that italy has a higher percentage of muslims living in the country than norway does! give me a break.

and how can i forget how hajar brown was dragged after she, as a woman of color, deemed to shade and criticize casting decisions for this remake?

wtfock -

do i even need to get into wtfock and its representation on race?! i mean s4 and s5 are arguably the two worst seasons of any skam remakes period. and the complete lack of acknowledgment from the showrunners after the torrent of criticism they received. the egregiously racist writing. i am a defense attorney by profession, and even i am struggling. there's seriously no defense for them here...

so given all this above, i hope this explains why i value the steps druck has taken, especially in s5 and s6, to tackle and improve their depiction of race and representation.

[butterfly-winx]

Things about each other’s cultures that the girls find most difficult to understand/cope with (pt1)

Solaria

Layla & Musa: Capital punishment

The fact that there are crimes punishable with death, even if only in religious courts (or especially because of this distinction) makes them recoil. Both Andros and Melody have actually had histories of blood feuds and whole families wiping each other out as an acceptable form of punishment for benign slights, which have since been outlawed and adherence to the new rules is very strictly enforced. Though this cultural past might influence the girls’ strong reaction to this practice.

Bloom: Perpetual daylight

Realistically Bloom knows that even Earth has parts at the poles where the sun either doesn’t set or doesn’t rise depending on the tilt of the planet, but it absolutely twists her mind that Solaria always has one of its suns ON. People living at the Solarian equator follow studied schedules for when to go to bed and when to rise again, regardless of the amount of light they get. Bloom, an intuitive sleeper relying on normal melatonin production ty very much is absolutely thrown off and her sanity suffers a lot after a while spent planetside.

Tecna and Flora: Royal cult

The adoration of a singular leader over everyone else is a very foreign practice to both girls. Tecna fails to see the logic in assuming the infallability of a leader, be it religious or secular, in making all the final decisions for a country with only a minimal parliamental intervention. Flora simply refuses to acknowledge the need for a strict governmental institution. They both agree that it is weird how secular power and religious adoration of planet, its suns and its ruler melt in the leader cult of Solaria. They especially find it funny knowing Stella while also knowing royals are supposed to be untouchable and perfect, cause come on, Stella? Really?

Lynphea 

Layla and Bloom: Corpse conservation

Visay Lynpheans, like Flora, don’t bury their dead (they live on treetops, where wold they even go) but instead embalm them and lay them to rest in a family hut. Combined with practices regularly tending and redressing their long gone relatives, it is not something Bloom or Layla ever really encountered before. While Bloom is just superficially perturbed, Layla does lay awake at night uncomfortably aware that there is a building next door that houses all of Flora’s ancestors. In Androsian culture it is only the soul that belongs to oneself, the body, which came from the earth needs to be returned to it for the family and the deceased to gain final rest. 

Tecna: Lack of roads

Tecna, the second they land in the forest: where are your roads? How do you transport goods and services? What do you mean this animal is your mode of transport? They really don’t understand the reliance on living things to base one’s infrastructure on, and how despite weather and moody animals, stuff still gets from A to B on time.

Musa and Stella: No centralised government

While municipalities do have a governmental organisation, it relies an a clan-like organisation bolstered by social credit (like comparative wealth, seniority, amount of contribution to the community) and is not at all the rigid structures they know from Solaria and Melody where a ruling class is fixed and revered. They ask a lot of questions about things they are absolutely convinced a government is necessary for, such as visas, voting, welfare benefits, not as a mean spirited got ya! mind you, and are incredibly thrown off by either the Lynphean homebrew solution or the general shrug “we can do without that” answer they get.

Melody

Bloom and Stella: Limited mobility

Melody and its countries are visa entry regulated regions. Even if one is granted entry to the planet via one of its countries, it does not mean one can just go and visit all others. On the contrary, entry to Tengalu can for example prevent one from being permitted into Melody due to border tensions between the two countries. Stella, used to diplomatic immunity, and Bloom, used to being at least awarded tourist visas without conditions, think these regulations are very arbitrary and unnecessary, (but they will admit to not understanding the cultural conflict between the affected countries fully.)

Flora: Gender norms

As someone who is so outside of the Melodean beauty ideal, the strongly enforced gender norms for women weighs on Flora hard and makes prolonged visits uncomfortable for her. Urban environments have moved on from the need of traditional gender separation in work and social life even. Rural life is the other extreme, but Musa’s home of a mid sized city is its own hellscape. Maybe Flora’s issue is that while she looks off to Melodean eyes, she is not visibly foreign (her Lynphean face and eye shape are kind of similar to Melodean’s) so aunties and grannies do comment on her appearance and free contact with her unmarried boyfriend. She gets mad on behalf of Musa and Melodean girls frequently.

Layla and Tecna: Inherited fate

Both of them think that one’s life belongs to oneself, for the better or worse, to make of it what one will. For Layla this is more a personal conviction, culturally speaking Androsians do think one owes some form of filial piety, but not in the way Melodeans do. Not only does one owe their parents to become successful to honour the sacrifices they made for one’s upbringing, but one is also born with all the fortune and misfortune inherited from one’s past lives according to Melodean beliefs. It has up and downsides, but the most upsetting aspect to Layla and tecna is clearly the perceived lack of agency over one’s present life, always dictated by what came before.

[beguines]

There’s something you’re missing. The hallmark of a good Christian denomination, or of a good RELIGION for that matter, should not be that it conforms to the times, swaying in the wind at the culture’s beck and call. A good religion remains steadfast in its time-tested beliefs while still ministering to those on the margins. So no, perhaps Catholic theologians aren’t preaching the virtues of progressive politics, but that’s not what makes a good religion or good theology. The Church has maintained its positions for thousands of years. There is truly no reason to deem it unworthy, or theologically lesser, just because our society has collectively lost its mind over the past 60 years. How bold you are to insist that the Church should center itself around you and your modern beliefs!

I want to start this reply by pointing out that it's very natural to have a visceral reaction when reading a criticism of beliefs and institutions you hold dear, so I'm not going to hold your attitude problem against you. That being said, to assert that I'm belittling Catholicism is really missing the mark. I read, post, and engage positively with a lot of Catholic theology on this blog. I practice a lot of Catholic traditions in my personal faith life, and I'm grateful to belong to a noncreedal denomination that's very open and welcoming towards those practices. You can clearly see that I engage in criticism of Protestantism as well, despite the fact that it's the faith of my upbringing to which I still belong. Protestant denominations are guilty of the same antisemitism, racism, homophobia, misogyny. The religious institutions we love should not be exempt from criticism but subjected to it all the more stringently.

The Catholic Church hasn't maintained its positions for thousands of years. Some of them? Sure, so far. But the church has reversed its position on thousands of teachings and has instituted a multitude of new practices over the millenia of its existence as cultural mores have changed. Vatican II is the obvious example, but for all I know you could be a sedevacantist. Just like people, all institutions should change with the times as we collectively learn, grow, and acknowledge our shortcomings. For powerful religious institutions, those "shortcomings" have frequently resulted in death and destruction that's difficult to even fathom. Change isn't inherently bad. It's not a betrayal of values, and "values" aren't values when what you're valuing is the dehumanization of others. It is not the hallmark of a good person nor a good religious institution to refuse to change.

There's this belief in some circles that modern "culture" is a monolithic beast, demanding that all surrender their values to the idol of Progressivism. This simply isn't true. The dominant culture neither endorses nor contributes to the end of systems of domination. Neither does liberalism. But the fact that you're so afraid of systems of domination being dismantled says much about you. I believe in economic justice. I believe in the inherent worth of all people, regardless of faith, political affiliation, race, gender, or sexuality. And if I could not reconcile my religion with those beliefs, I would leave it. You've perhaps (if you are or were a follower of this blog) seen me post about apophatic theology—the idea that we can only accurately describe God with language by saying what They are not—and I can quite definitively say that if a faith tradition follows a God they believe doesn't endorse those things, it's not God. I don't think the church should center itself around me or my "modern" beliefs. I think the church should be centered around fostering the common humanity and well being of all people, which you apparently find to be a controversial take.

The Catholic Church is helplessly constrained by the nature of its extremely hierarchical structure, which was intentionally institutionalized as a way of maintaining and wielding power by a select few. This is a criticism of Catholicism that you will see many Catholic theologians make (my mind immediately goes to Boff, but he's certainly not the only one!). The point of my post was simply this: Protestant theologians, being largely unencumbered by that repressive theological hierarchy, are the source of dynamic, engaging, life-affirming theology that you frequently don't see from Catholic theologians, who are at threat of severe punishment if they do not conform strictly to Church teaching. Both Leonardo Boff and Ernesto Cardenal have been victims of this, and Ratzinger as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was used as a brutal instrument during Pope John Paul II's papacy to silence and shame Catholics for speaking out about injustice. The lack of a formal hierarchy within Protestantism as a whole has enabled creative and groundbreaking theology to flourish in a way that Catholicism has been unable to match because of active and intentional repression, not a commitment to a nonsensical kind of traditional values that contribute to the oppression of the children of God.

[thejustmaiden]

Jaken = Rin's Dad?

Okay, is this how a daughter treats their so-called father?

Most definitely not.

Rin and Jaken's relationship clearly screams of your typical sibling rivalry punctuated with cute and silly moments of playful bickering.

Yes, Jaken may technically be her main provider, but that doesn't necessarily equate to him being more of a father than Sesshomaru. If anything, he demonstrates more of a brotherly love towards her. As we all know, parents (which Sesshomaru embodies more based on real life patterns and parallels) will leave their older more capable children in charge of looking after their younger brothers and sisters. In this case, that would mean making Jaken responsible for watching over Rin and protecting her if need be. Ah-Un offers protection, too. Think of it as Jaken as the big brother and Ah-Un as the family dog who are babysitting while Sesshomaru as the parent of the household is away at work or taking care of business. I mean, they literally fit that description to a tee and I'm dying at the accuracy of it all! 🤣👌

[Quick! Someone write up a modern au where Sesshomaru finally gets out to have a nice date night but everything goes wrong in the most spectacular way. Like maybe Rin and Jaken catch a ride on Ah-Un to go spy!]

I recently revisited some episodes from The Final Act, and I couldn't believe how many moments like this there were where Rin got after Jaken or when she would "put him in his place" so to speak. Obviously, all of it is mostly harmless. I was only surprised by how often it occurred, not to mention how Jaken would just stand there and take it. Towards a supposed father figure, Rin's behavior is downright unacceptable. There's a certain level of respect a child is expected to show their parents/guardians, and that's just not what I'm witnessing here between them. Like at all.

Rather their dynamic has the nature of some sibling relationships like I mentioned above. So I really wish fans would stop pretending otherwise, because based on what we know of father-daughter relationships- healthy ones at least- they don't appear anything like what Jaken and Rin have. If you could please provide me other examples of where we've seen similar portrayals in fiction or in real life, then perhaps I can get on board.

Look, that doesn't have to mean that because Jaken isn't her father then Sesshomaru must be. They can both be her caretakers without necessarily filling that traditional father role. I'm just saying that if we're going to start assigning titles to characters, let's make sure we are accurate and truthful in our assessments. If you're going to label anyone Rin's dad, then it needs to be Sesshomaru. Jaken doesn't have precedence over him in terms of fatherly attributes, that just wouldn't make sense.

After all, this isn't about what you want to see, this is about what Rin very likely sees. It's safe to assume that she views Sesshomaru more like a father than she does Jaken. She knows she's safe with him (broadly speaking lol) and that he'll come for her no matter what. That sense of security and comfort is what a child seeks and what they should always feel in a parent's presence. She trusts and even idolizes him, just as a young and innocent child tends to do with their parents. At that age, parents are perfect and could do no wrong in their child's eyes. Idk about you, but this describes perfectly how Rin is around Sesshomaru.

Rin adores him and will follow him anywhere- yes, even into danger! That's what the innocence and unconditional love of a child will bring them to do if necessary. Fortunately, at the end of The Final Act we learn Sesshomaru takes Kaede's advice when he realizes that leaving Rin with her in the village is in her best interests. That way she'd be able to lead a more normal and safer life alongside other humans. Remember, Sessrin shippers, that doesn't mean he wasn't still a part of her life and didn't witness her become a young woman over the years right before his very eyes. Therefore, if they eventually do become romantically involved, then most if not all of those gifts had intimate and seductive intentions and it essentially constitutes as child grooming.

I understand from a Sessrin shipper's point of view why it'd be so much easier to claim Jaken as the father. In doing so, they diminish Sesshomaru's role in her upbringing. By refusing to acknowledge the real role he had in helping raise Rin (short periods can be crucial and impressionable too esp. in a child's early years so yes they did assist in raising her not only Kaede), these shippers are better able to justify how their filial-like relationship evolved into a romantic one. So yeah, I get it, if I were a Sessrin shipper I'd probably do the same. It's one of the more plausible arguments available to them, after all. "Let's pin Jaken as the father to fend off antis!" is the best chance they've got, but even so, it's still not good enough. But if you insist Jaken is indeed like a father to Rin, then Sesshomaru is most certainly one too. Who says she can't have two fathers anyway?

The thing is however much you want to deny or downplay what Sesshomaru truly means to Rin and vice versa, nothing will ever change or hide the truth of the matter. Please, stop acting like they're only traveling companions and nothing more. Some of y'all even go so far as to say that they're like strangers. Knowing potentially little about a person is not equal to a lack of love and affection. Making big assumptions such as this to defend your ship is actually doing you more harm than good. Let me elaborate.

According to your reasoning, if that's all Rin ever was to him was a companion and Sesshomaru had no real attachment to her, then what precisely is the basis of your ship? Recall that Adult!Rin doesn't exist yet, thus we have no real idea what she will be like or if she's even alive. So how can you make comments like that but then go on later to say "they have such a unique and unbreakable bond" or "only Rin can be the mother because she's the only human he ever cared for" if all that time spent traveling together didn't amount to much in the first place like you claimed to believe beforehand? Do you see how your rationalizing is confusing?

Contrary to what some of you may think, I'm not just saying all this because I'm an anti and I'm obligated to disagree with you, or whatever other excuse you want to tell yourself. Believe it or not, I'm attempting to give as unbiased and objective of an analysis I can based on widely accepted interpretations of family dynamics, development, and any history we know of.

Of course I respect that at times fans will perceive things differently since that's bound to happen. What's hard for me to wrap my head around however is the unwillingness of some fans- not exclusively Sessrin shippers- to apply basic common sense and sound judgment to their observations and deductions.

Looking at all our facts, then taking the small handful of scenes Sesshomaru and Rin do share together into account, one can logically conclude that their dynamic is akin to one found in a typical parent-child relationship. If you still fail to recognize Sesshomaru as a parent to Rin, then that's fine too. In the end, that won't really change the fact that he'd still take on a role resembling an adult figure overseeing a young child's care and protection. Be it as a vassal, guardian, what have you. Plus, nobody is saying here that Sesshomaru doesn't make mistakes regarding Rin's general well-being, but so do all parents. Overall, I think the majority of us agree that Rin is in good hands. Whether it's in his direct company or in his occasional supervision from his frequent visits to the village.

In other words, it doesn't really matter what exact title you assign him in relation to Rin, as the distribution of power is all inherently the same with any and all adult-child relationships. That bond never changes once you've established it either, seeing as it's a special kind of connection one can only form with a child and a child alone.

I was a teacher for a few years, and speaking from personal experience, you don't need to be a parent, per se, to take on a role of authority in a child's life. I know without a doubt that I could never and will never view any of those kids I taught in a sexual/romantic light later down the road; yes, not even once they become grown-ups who are independent and more than capable of making their own decisions. Those of you who disagree are usually missing the whole point though, because we're not trying to dictate what Adult!Rin can and cannot do like many tend to accuse of us doing. This isn't a question of taking away from her autonomy nor does it fall under "purity culture," which is why people shouldn't continue jumping to these outrageous conclusions and really listen for a change. You're deflecting from the real issue here when you choose to misinterpret what we're saying by ignoring the problem we're actually referring to. You cannot present a valid counter-argument if you persist in twisting our words.

Bottom line: once these kids become old enough to pursue a sexual/romantic relationship, of course they have that right if they're ready. All we're trying to say is you guys ought to stop pushing forward this it's-completely-normal-to-want-to-bang-your-adoptive-dad-since-you're-an-adult-and-can-do-as-you-please agenda and not expect backlash. Ship it if you want, but please stop acting like their romance would be the epitome of a pure and healthy relationship.

Sesshomaru may not wear his heart on his sleeve, but it's foolish to presume he didn't actually care about Rin during their whole time together just because he didn't openly express his feelings until the very end. Surely everybody can comprehend that people handle and process their emotions differently. The way Sesshomaru chooses to is completely valid for the most part, so let's cut him some slack regarding this already.

What I'm trying to get at is that any child whose life you played an influential role in will always be a kid in a lot ways to you even when they're old and wrinkly. Just as they will always picture you as the loved one who guided and protected them when they were most vulnerable and couldn't always fend for themselves. Can't we relate this to children we know personally and apply it accordingly?

Finally, I want to end on this note. Could you kindly take a look at these two images below for a second?

The reason I ask is because of something I recently read that's relevant to the topic. There was this pro-sessrin tweet I saw that stated Rin trying to take care of Sesshomaru when they first met is what a mom would do for a child, which in their opinion, translates to Rin being more like a mother than a daughter if anything.

First off: are you freaking kidding me????

Seriously, so now children aren't allowed to tend to their sick or injured parents?! Parents are apparently superhuman and shouldn't be offered a helping hand from a child, even if they mean well and want to help their parent who's in pain?? Now this Twitter user was mostly being a smartass, but at the same time, it was evident they genuinely thought they offered a valid enough point that warranted no further explanation or clarification.

Secondly, by saying this Sessrin fans don't seem to realize that in actuality they're contradicting themselves and proving the point we've been trying to make all along. Glancing at the first picture and moving down to the second, the role of the one being cared for and the caretaker is reversed. So then by their own logic, Sesshomaru IS in fact like a father to Rin.

What it comes down to is the names you give to the roles these characters play aren't as crucial as the dynamic they share. The specific characteristics of that dynamic are what define the importance of said role, not so much the name in the role itself. So real father or not, Sesshomaru and Rin clearly mean a lot to each other. Close relationships are defined and solidified by the devotion and belonging they have to one another, not solely by the duration of time spent together and their proximity.

Well, that's a wrap! I hope you guys got something outta this blog, and that you enjoyed or found some portions of it interesting. I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject from this fandom, but only engage in conversation if you plan to be respectful. Thank you!

[el-oh-her]

Barbie Movies That Are More Relevant Than You Think

1. Barbie’s Princess and the Pauper 

> The Big Thing: Shows a realistic representation of 1st world problems and 3rd world Problems coexisting. Annalise is a princess in an arranged marraige and Erika is an indentured servent, both looking to esacpe, but are determined to overcome these issues. They acknowledge that they have differerent problems but are both struggling in their own right. It’s important to know that they don’t wish they were someone else, they just wish they could escape their personal struggles. 

> Women supporting women! 

> Female Leads that are friends and aren’t catty towards each other 

> Annalise and Erika talk about things other than boys, althrough an arranged marraige is a plot point and all boy talk is really about that particular plot point. 

> “Duty is doing the things your heart may well regret” is the most badass line in exsitance, okay? 

> The Princess loved science. 

2. Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princessess 

> The Big Thing: This story is about extremism and the dangers of a binary system. In this case, it’s Law vs Chaos, and unregulated freedom of expression vs overregulated conformity. The 12 are unruly and chaotic and uncaring about their royal status which causes strain on the kingdom and they are super unprepared for royal life. The antagonist comes in, strips the color and the fun and is all rules and control and is trying to teach them how to be “proper ladies” which is also done in an extreme. Neither of these are right, and in the end the girls use their unique interests to save their father, and they acknowledge they should behave better and be prepared for royal life. They essentially find their middle way. 

> Realistic siblings. No one calls the other “sister” 

> Lacy, the frail sister, is never treated poorly by her sisters despite the fact she causes a few issues in the plot. Super supportive sisters. 

> LI isn’t a prince. He’s a shoemaker. 

> There’s an assassination attempt in this one! It technically succeeds. Really good show on adult topics in a children’s movie. 

> Power and Corruption are thematic here with the villain. 

3. Barbie’s Mariposa

> The Big Thing: This one is about destorying an entire society for personal gain and power. If you’re American, you’d understand why THIS is super relevant. The queen is bring poisoned and is the life source for all the lights, and those lights are what protect faeries from the monsters in the dark. The Big Bad Guy plans to take the throne with these monsters as her minions, promising them they can eat faeries. She will destory this land to gain the throne, and she doesn’t care who dies along the way. 

> Has a Cinderella vibe to it. Good rendition 

> Two First World Entittled rich faries are humbled through the journey, and learn to be king and selfless despite starting with selfish intentions. GROWTH. 

> Skeezite is a funny word. 

> ACCENTS. I think they’re all Spanish, but can’t confirm. The only Barbie movie that didn’t do British Accents, I’m pretty sure. Vocal Diversity is 10/10 

4. Barbie Fairytopia Series 

> The Big Thing: DISABILITY IN A FANTASY WORLD DONE WELL. Like holy shit the plot is the Big Bad is commiting bio-terrorism by poisoning the air that affects all faeries except for Elina because she was born without wings. DISABILITY BECOMING THE ONLY THING THAT CAN SAVE YOU. YES. She does  get wings at the end, but I always saw it as a prostetic because if she lost her necklace she lost her wings. And in a later movie she has to trade them away to save someone. 

> Bibble is valid 

> This series does the “girl who doesn’t fit in” trope well because Elina is constantly seen as the girl who doesn’t fit in. In the first movie she’s the girl without wings, in the second she’s the faerie, not a mermaid (Nori gets mean towards her because the mermaid prince wanted a fairy to save him or someting like that), and in the last one, I’m pretty sure she’s sort of regarded as the charity case. I can’t remember exactly, so don’t quote me. Either way, Elina is the most relateable Barbie character for people who struggle fitting in wherever they go because Elina never fits in at first (but it’s a barbie movie, so you know, acceptance and stuff) 

> This marks the third movie on this list with an assassination attempt for power. Power #Corrupts 

> Good overcoming narrative. Elina survives all her trials towards being accepted in society. 

5. Barbie as the Island Princess

> The Big Thing: This one is tricky because Barbie is a white character, and that is a valid critique for this one. However, the topic is handled well despite this fault due to the movie’s context. This one is about a status quo society and their treatment towards a different “Cultural” upbringing. Ro grew up on an island alone outside of society and talks to animals. She has an entire different set of values and beliefs. Her curiosity sets her off into a populated civilzation and a big part of the movie is the Prince Character making genuine efforts to help her adapt and make her comfortable for what she is used to, and the rest of the society relegating her to a barbarian. She struggles trying to fit in to a society that wants her to adapt to their society, but refuses to make any adaptions to hers. Her not being from there is eventually what saves the day, which is a healthy message that differnet people learn the world differnetly, and these cultures can meet and interact and help each other without forcing one to obliterate itself. Ro doesn’t stay in that society. She goes off sailing with the prince character, a happy medium from her island roots and desire to be around other people. 

> ANOTHER assassination attempt. 

> Big Bad has a daughter she’s trying to marry to the Prince, but the daughter doesn’t love him and is happy that he finds love. she and Ro are friends. 10/10 Women supporting women. 

> Ro’s cultural roots are celebrated a lot. It’s nice! 

> Prince never puts Ro in a corner to change, from what I remember. He guides her through what she’s willing to do, and helps accomidate her with that makes her uncomfortable (sleeps in the greenhouse,for example). 10/10 m8

6. Barbie and the Diamond Castle

> The Big Thing: The catalyst of this movie is Liana and Alexa’s lively hood being destoryed by a storm, and now homeless and jobless, they end up questing with a magic mirror to save Melody and the other trapped Muses. Alexa is hesitant and even gives up to stay in a Lotus Casino type place because there’s food and shelter there. There’s a heavy value on having enough to eat, and having a place to live. Displacement and poverty, I guess is the right word for this. 

> Okay so I heard around that Alexa and Liana are queer coded based on their dress colors in the final scene matching the Lesbian and Bisexual Flag and I stan that because honestly, Barbie need some gay. 

> The Will Sing For Food scene hits differently than any other scene in Barbie Movies. It’s just such a real thing. 

7. Barbie and the Three Musketeers 

> The Big Thing: Sexsim. This one is very on the nose of “women can’t do this.” and then Barbie adn Co proves them wrong!! 

> I am pretty sure there are SEVERAL assasination attempts in this one. 

> “Release the Fireworks!!” is carved into my mind. 

> The Master Trainer is an old lady maid. Cool trope subversion. 

Honestly, people who cry about adult themes in their kids movies need to watch these movies. Did you notice how many ASSASSINATIONS happen in these movies? SO MUCH ASSASSINATION. 

These movies are deeper and more complex than given credit for. I can admit that Barbie’s early movies didn’t do great with racial representation, but we can also praise them for accomplishing their aim of empowering young girls as much as they did. 

I can’t say much for mordern Barbie since that’s not my era. Perhaps someone else can comment about that better than I can. 

TL;DR: Barbie movies deal with adult themes in a child friendly setting and they are well done and you should go watch them and see how much deeper and complex these movies can be. 

A Barbie Movie I DO NOT STAN: Princess and the Pop Star. That movie is “Two whiny girls hate their privlaged life and wish they were someone else’s privlaged life and I guess help the poor” It’s not good. You can enjoy the bops it produced, but that movie is INSANELY Problomatic.