#considering how they treat woc

[sapphic-agent]

The further and further, I drifted away from the Glee subreddit, the more I realized how toxic the environment was, and the more I realized how that toxic environment was created by Rachel fans most of the time. It's funny to me how a lot of Rachel fans on there moaned about how hard it was to be a Rachel fan and how they got so much hate for supporting her, when they were the same people who hated on Santana and Quinn relentlessly and caused a lot of those fans to leave. The nail in the coffin was their inability to take accountability for any of Rachel's wrong doings, use things not even related to the discussion to make Rachel look better and speak in circles until the poster criticizing Rachel would be defeated and either delete their post or stop trying to discuss their perspective.

They're quick to call Santana out for her bullying on the show but I see a lot of Rachel fans behavior on that community and their treatment of people who criticize Rachel or like Santana or Quinn as bullying behaviour or at least crossing the threshold towards potential bullying. Thoughts?

Because in their heads Rachel's just the poor victim who everyone's so mean to.

I have so many issues with this thinking. Because for one, Rachel isn't the only one who gets bullied, they ALL do. The only times Rachel's "made fun of" by the group other than Santana is when she's being insufferable. Even Quinn stopped being outright mean to her after the first half of season 1. You can't claim Rachel's the victim when the only reason they're snapping at her is because she's being genuinely annoying.

She's been her fair share of nasty to everyone else. She was never above commenting on others' appearance ("Ken and Barbie? Are you trying to throw this?") or putting others down ("The only job you're ever gonna have is working on a POLE") or being racist ("This is GLEE Club not CRUNK Club") or threatening people ("I will SO slap you again") or insulting someone behind their back ("I can't believe you're standing in the corner of a failure like Carmen Tibideaux"). Midn you, this is all stuff she's said. I haven't even mentioned the shit she's actually done.

I've always said this, but Rachel is JUST as bad as Santana and Quinn (but they're pretty and popular so they're automatically she-devils and poor Rachel has it worse because she's a LOSER- Rachel fans are fucking pick-mes). Which was fine in seasons 1&2 because she actually did try to be better. But at some point that stopped and Rachel was allowed to say and do whatever she wanted with no real consequences because everyone forgave her anyway.

For some odd reason, the Glee subreddit can't understand that

[lovinnelily]

Y'all do know you can't make Jason be NOT white without changing his whole character, right?

For other characters, yes, because their physical appearance are not that influential in their story, on how they are viewed by people, on their personality formation — you can have a black/asian/indigenous/arab/brown/latino/etc Nico and yes, the hate he gets will have a undertone of racism but at the same time nothing significant on his story, motivation or personality will need to change. This is also true for other characters: Clarisse risks repeating the "aggressive WoC" stereotype but the character itself doesn't change.

This isn't true for Jason, whose main character trait is how he is perceived by others and how he showcases himself to others based on that perception. (specially with how little effort Riordan put on him besides making him perfect-er Percy who's somehow also weaker and less important than him).

Let's not pretend a black, Arab, indigenous, Asian, Latin man, etc, in the USA would ever be treated with the universal reverence Jason gets from New Roma, you can't have the illusion of perfection and most of all, of invincibility they have about him when you see him suffering racism or xenophobia in the middle of a mission. In theory, nothing in his life has ever gone wrong, that's his image, destined to be king, he is supposed to have no weakness on his peers eyes.

He is not trying to prove people wrong, he is trying to prove them right; he isn't worthy despite their prejudice, on the contrary, he only tried to make himself worthy to fulfill their expectations. He can't be a woman or an immigrant or have a visible disability or any other thing that strays him from a perfect ideal by western society standards, and be that same character.

[aussie-bookworm]

Don’t you ever just get tired of needless gendering?

I like rock and punk music so Spotify recommended me a playlist called Bubblegrunge and every single artist I can recognise is an all female rock/punk act

Their music isn’t particularly different than any male acts but because they’re female they’re categorised as “Bubblegrunge” something considered softer and sweeter

Like fuck off with the arbitrary gendering. It’s just music. It doesn’t have a fucking gender

[oimoi-op]

About your tags on the Lucienne post: oh we usually aren't even half this nice LMAOOO I could be a lot meaner but like. Both our posting about her and also the anger and frustration comes from the same place of love for and fascination with her. There's so much to talk about it's insane

Literally tho like!!!!! she's such a compelling character on so many levels, yet a lot of the fandom reduces her to the "mom friend" or other similarly reductive if not misogynistic stereotypical roles so for me (someone not super involved in the fandom these days) it's so refreshing to see you and others discussing her on her own merits and not just an accessory/afterthought for someone's white slash ship lol

[starlooove]

The difference in how y’all see Ivy vs the Al Ghuls is why I don’t believe y’all when you reblog one afro native Ivy fanart and go “this should’ve been canon!!” Like if it was you’d hate her too lmaoo

[jackoshadows]

It's so confusing and weird that Bridgerton introduced in world racism both with Lady D and Simon in season one of the show and in Queen Charlotte and at the same time they also want the audience to accept that somehow Marina Thompson or the dark skinned Indian Kate Sharma has more privilege and power than Penelope Featherington?

Kate Sharma was also poor, so much more than the Featheringtons. She depended on Lady D to host them. The Sharmas were looked down on by the ton because Mary Sheffield married an Indian. The Sharmas were disowned and ostracized by the Sheffields.

Kate was also an unmarried spinster. No one was asking Kate to dance. As much as Kate wanted love and romance and to dance at a ball wearing pretty dresses, she got none of that. She was also the woman on the sidelines watching as others danced and fell in love.

Racism and colorism is also very much a thing in eurocentric notions of beauty considering the setting and characters of Bridgerton is 99% white.

We got so little of Kate's backstory, of who her parents where - we didn't even get their names!! - of the trauma (explained for both Simon and Anthony using flashbacks) that had Kate overlooking her own happiness for that of her sister.

Despite bragging nonstop about the diversity of Bridgerton the showrunners thought that the white Featheringtons needed more screentime in season 2 rather than the South Asian family.

And Kate was planning on going back to India and work as a governess to pay for her livelihood. Because, you know, there's more honest ways of being a 'working woman' than running the equivalent of the regency 'Daily Mail' dragging other women down. The modiste Madame Delacroix, Kate planning to teach and Sienna in season one are all working to pay a living. Black, brown and lower class women looking to alleviate poverty.

And considering how much harder Kate already had it as an outsider in the ton, it wouldn't have been easy with Penelope using her gossip rag to describe the unmarried Indian woman as ' a Spinster of a beast'. What did Kate do to Penelope to warrant this? Nothing. Just a way for Penelope to make money at Kate's expense.

That's the thing I dislike the most about the way the character of Penelope is written on the show - her victims don't deserve her vitriol and are often in much worse circumstances than her. From Kate Sharma to the unnamed seamstress who apparently lost all her customers because Penelope wrote falsely about their work in the her tabloid as a bribe for Madam Delacroix.

And I think that's what I find problematic about the writing of the show and even the discourse surrounding it - when characters like Marina Thompson (the poor black cousin who would have ended up destitute on the streets because of Penelope) and Kate Sharma arguably have it far worse than Penelope Featherington as per the show's writing and yet we are supposed to have the most sympathy for Penelope because her crush Colin didn't love her back and she's a curvy white woman?

I guess that's the difference between how I perceive this world and these characters as a woc and the majority white female audience for this show and it's such a huge disconnect for me. I guess this is also partly because the show has this badly written and 'strangely toothless racism' as Ash Sarkar beautifully put it. As in the racism is treated in this world as a little problem solved by handing out a few titles to black people instead of being a white supremacist ideology which treated black and brown people as inferior, serfs and slaves.

From what little we got from season 2, Kate Sharma definitely did not have it easy navigating the ton as a poor outsider and that certainly contributed to her poor choices. She is also put through the wringer, treated like the other woman, is miserable for several episodes, had to apologize again and again and nearly die before Edwina forgives her!

In contrast Penelope's actions have hurt so many and yet she gets a pass by both the show and a fandom that wants Colin to grovel before her because of a single offhand remark and because he didn't return her affections.

Also making it clear here that I am not comparing Penelope to the male characters who always get the better writing, flaws and all. I am comparing Penelope to the female characters of colour - Kate Sharma and Marina Thompson.

I mean, Marina Thompson gets so much vitriolic and sexist hatred for not having told Colin Bridgerton the truth of her pregnancy. How dare Marina hurt this privileged white man Colin Bridgerton. When she was desperate to not end up destitute on the streets or get raped by old white men. And yet Penelope gets a pass for hurting women like Marina and Kate.

It continues a trend of white female characters never being held to the same standard as female characters of colour. Daphne sexually assaults Simon in season one and that was not even addressed on the show. Male rape is apparently no big deal because Daphne wanting children is what's important. It's Simon who has to apologize and within one episode resolve his trauma and accept being a father. This is despite both Daphne and Penelope having more screentime and more writing that builds their character unlike the stick thin writing given to Kate Sharma in season 2.

So yeah, I will be checking into season 3 to watch the ten minutes we get with Kate Sharma since we got so little of her in her own season and it's so singular to get dark skinned south Indian characters in a period drama romance like this. It's just the way the writing on the show, the production and even the fandom treats it's characters, especially characters of colour has been disappointing to say the least.

[punkeropercyjackson]

We've lost the plot when it comes to Percy Jackson.He's the personification of abused neurodivergent kids who got to grow up to live happy adult lives and to defy stereotypes.There's no ambiguity or alternative interpretations because that's what his author has always said he intended him as.When i say 'defy stereotypes',i'm also not limiting it to mental disabilities but GENDER too seeing as his plot in The Titan's Curse was proving himself as different from traditional men to Zoe and is said to be unlike other male characters countless times even in looks by a significant amount of the rest of the cast.Not to mention he's accidentally written as way more afrolatino-coded,specifically monoracial and darkskin,than white-coded considering all the straightup profiling he gets in the mortal world as a child and how many of his habits and traits are black and latino norms and tastes,including being from El Barrio and for the canon purists,Riordan has stated verbal approval of moc Percy

He was NEVER meant to be a normie,he was ALWAYS meant to be a minority and relatable to US,not white boylosers that let people bully them because they're self-proclaimed 'cringe but free' and pick me girls who flirt by being mean and treat woc like an entirely different species.And NEITHER of who challenge societal expectations or help out oppressed groups or try to fix the system or break cycles of abuse because they're too pissy to in any way that's not as aesthetic instead of a personality and a lifestyle.Percy.Jackson.Was.Never.For.You.He's a misfit because he's a minority since he's neurodivergent,poor and an abuse victim and he loves other minorities enough to be a bully beater nonstop no matter how many schools he got expelled out of

Hmm,would any of y'all have done that?I mean i've never been expelled but i DID stand up for other kids in addition to myself without a second thought all the way back to elementary school and i've shared a personality with Percy my whole life even besides that,including being afrolatino,bpdtistic and a trans femme and BECAUSE i'm all those things since Percy is also them.But if the books were about me,y'all never would've gotten into the series because the only weirdos to you are nerds,not the oppressed and you think we spit in the name of 'real' outcasts because we're 'too much'.Percy literally hates rich white people in-text and is implied to listen to The Ramones but when we say he means that shit and ain't just being quirky or tryna look cool,y'all forget yourselves and what happened in the books because that neo-liberalism in all the other books you read gave you brainrot and convinced you bookworms and fandomers are persecuted.Get better taste and social awareness,i'm not embarrased to be into super into children's media cause i have a life but i AM embarrased to have to share it with y'all.Especially those of y'all who think Luke was a radicalist instead of a fascist and insult greek people by using the bad parts of their history for your ships but never employ their actual culture

[cancerian-woman]

Hi! I hope I don’t word this wrong, so sorry if I do, but if Hope had a black/non-white mother, do you think the Mikaelsons would’ve treated her differently? I think you (or maybe it was someone else) spoke about how they treated Marcel was part because he wasn’t blood related to them and part to do with race, so I thought it would be interesting (?) Again, sorry if this is worded weird, I don’t mean it too

Hi, I get what you meant no worries. I’m gonna answer this backwards though lol. Long post warning. I had to grab my receipts.

Yes, Marcel is treated differently because of his race but that’s because the writers 1.) needed the diversity quota filled and 2.) wrote dynamics in for anti-blackness to exist. The narrative that the black child couldn’t heal a family but Hope the white one will. Suddenly having more black/of color actors in the cast but only because white characters are using their bodies. Slavery. That’s relatively differently than a woman of color in Hayley’s spot. Hayley existed as the werewolf queen, girl with no parents who had a child and wants better for her…

Before I say my thoughts I don’t think Phoebe Tonkin had to do much to get her role as Hayley. Kevin Williamson loved her and wanted her in TVD, TSC was done. Then she got Hayley in TVD. She knew she was doing a spin-off.

No black woman or WOC would have gotten the role that easy. I’m calling a spade a spade. The industry wasn’t taking a big risk on black women(and of color) leading TV back then Kerry Washington spoke on this. This is different from sitcoms that targeted just black audiences if that makes sense.

Hypothetically speaking if the lead of TO was a woman of color I assume to make the show successful still amongst their racial bias to someone the writers would do the work to make the character enjoyable on-screen for everyone. Making a black woman/of color a lead is an intentional choice. For example Kat Graham(listen around the 3minute mark) has recently shared that she could only audition for Bonnie. No one else was considered for her and she was presented Bonnie. See how that’s very different from Phoebe’s experience? If Hayley is black/of color then Hope would be biracial, that is something the writers would have to grow within the characters. You cannot ignore that.

To end this off I would hope and imagine"Hayley" as a black woman or whomever filled the position was treated fairly and accepted within the character and through the actress. I don’t think the Mikaelsons would have done wrong by her. They loved Hayley. Dysfunctional yes but they did care for her.

Using Kat Graham’s experiences as examples you can’t Bamon Ban a lead’s relationships, you can’t kill off every black person related to her, intentionally sideline a minority and underpay a minority. You can’t be on Twitter (Julie) bashing their fans and them. Or having a meltdown because said black woman is paired with your fave man and more. Hell, Kat Graham wasn’t allowed to attend cons with the main cast until the later seasons. Joseph Morgan actually went before she did.

The fanbase would not have been as welcoming to a black woman in the role and definitely not to a biracial child in the plot. I’ve said it before in various spaces and gotten backlash but even Hope has more characteristics that tie her to Bonnie than her own mother but it pisses people off lmao.

Hope I answered this well for you💜

[sailingfireshipz]

Alright! Yall said, "Let it rip so you know the drill! Grab yourself a little snacky snack & let's unpack this shit.

I find it funny how people are trying to misconstrue the problem that we have with the way Pascal is acting & treating Stella. No one has said Stella was right in the manner in which she approached him in episode 1. Hell Kelly called her out on it & Stella herself admitted it. My issue lies in the fact that regardless of episode 1, it appears that Pascal has given his other LTs a level of grace & understanding that he is not giving Stella. So I genuinely want to know why. And if episode 1 is his why, then it goes back to what I said preseason about Stella's mistakes (minor compared to those of others, her husband included) following her. Stella being held to different standards & expectations than her male peers.

If episode 1 is not his reason then I'm left to assume & those assumptions lead me to facts that are rooted in systemic misogyny, racism & sexism.

1. Stella is the only female WOC LT at Firehouse 51.

2. Stella is a younger LT compared to what the CFD is accustomed to seeing per the chief comments in 9x03

2a. Also let's keep in mind the conversation she had with Carver in 11x01. When Stella came home she told Kelly that when she told Carver she got support from DC Hill & his response was "that makes sense" as if she was incapable of earning the shit on her own accord or merrit but implying Stella got a leg up because she was a WOC. Are we forgetting how Stella even met DC Hill? DC Hill came to 51 looking for the FIREFIGHTER that got control of the rig & prevented an accident with civilians. That firefighter was Stella Freaking Kidd.

3. Maybe Pascal thinks less of Stella because she's married/dated a coworker. He could have the same perception that "she slept her way to top"that was expressed in 9x03.

Some observations that I'd like to consider as we unpack his behavior.

1. Pascal brought up turnover on truck yet didn't have the wherewithal to look at the files of the firefighters who transferred out? We've seen that every time someone transfers out, there's a transfer slip that has to be completed. He would have seen Mason & Gallo didn't get transferred to another house within the CFD. He would have saw that they literally are in different STATES still firefighting. I honestly don't know what Gibsons would have said but it would have shown that only one of her FFs that was under her command is no longer on the job.

2. Why was Pascal so QUICK to believe Damon's (White male) word & opinion of Stella over Stella's request to put him back in the floater pool? Stella has been at 51 as a firefighter & LT LONGER than Damon has been a fucking firefighter! So you mean to tell me you're about to strip a LT who has received the firefighter award for valor based off the word of a firefighter who came to 51 as a floater & per Kelly in 13x04 relatively fresh out the academy!? Yall see how insane that sounds right?

3. The only reason Pascal changed his tune on Stella in 13x03 was after Mouch brought him her files/records. So my next question is, why did it take another white male to help sway him? I'm not saying he had to take Stella's word outright but it's the fact that he absolutely SHUT her down & redirected the blame back on her & her "lack of leadership" without investigating the facts. He claims to be all about rules & protocols yet failed to effectively do his research on the situation prior to going to Mouch & asking if he'd be ready to take the LT exam if he needed him...? Huuuuuuh?? I love Mouch, but someone point me to the major save or rescue he did this season so far to "prove himself" to Pascal.... oh wait, he hasn't had one, but you know who has... more on that later.

4. So after Mouch literally saves the night because he himself felt it necessary to go to this man's house off shift at night to bring him her records. Pascal does the right thing & tells Stella to make sure the next replacement on 81 sticks. So what does Stella do!? Does she drag her feet? Does she ignore his orders? Nope she gets right on it. She knew who she wanted but was STILL vetting other candidates because she wanted to make the best informed decision. Yet Pascal was at her neck again saying she was overthinking it. It had been 2-3 shifts MAX. It seems like Stella is showcasing leadership skills that Pascal should be because good leaders don't make important decisions lightly or without all the facts. They research they do their homework they vet out the low hanging fruit to ensure the best decision is made for the betterment of the house.

5. Hermann overheard Pascal & out of HIS mouth, he said Pascal had Stella so stressed out that if she didn't find a replacement for truck, he'd have her bugles. So again, that's not us making the shit up it's quite literally implied in the dialogue that clearly people are picking up the energy & animosity Pascal has towards her. So again, I'm asking where the professionalism is, or is Stella the only one required to be professional?

6. So now I want to talk about Kelly & Pascals interaction in 13x05. It honestly felt like Pascal said that shit to Kelly to see if Kelly would react. We watched Pascal go to LT Vales house & physically assault him for a conversation Vale had with Monica... so clearly he's very protective of his wife so why would he think Kelly would be the person to call Stella an asshole to? That shit was so uncalled for & CHILDISH because if Kelly had punched him in the fucking stomach then what?

At the end of the day before Kelly is Stella's husband he is her peer when they are on shift so again why are you talking shit about one of your direct reports to another direct report?

It sort of felt like a powerplay because Pascal has already brought up to Kelly about him & Stella working together & that he'd be keeping an eye on them. Then he goes & makes that comment knowing that Kelly probably won't respond to it out of fear that he'll throw them being married in his face again if he defends her.

So what we're not about to do is try to normalize or justify Pascals behavior based on the argument that "Stella shouldn't have mouthed off or challenged him." Because honestly, we've seen Kelly & Casey go head to head with Boden & other chiefs, commissioners, etc. when they felt passionately about something (right, wrong, indifferent, they've done it). Not saying what Stella did was right or absolving her from accountability but we're not about to act like she yelled at him & told him to go fuck off! She should've handled herself differently but she shouldn't have to continue to bear the brunt of his twisted ass power plays or whatever the hell he's power tripping on.

He doesn't have to like her & as far as I'm concerned she doesn't have to like him but hell bare minimum he needs to start acting like Battalion Chief with 20+ years on the job versus a petty ass manchild who's mad the girl on the playground embarrassed him in front of his friends.

And I don't want to hear about "Stella hasn't been challenged or Boden let her get away with blah blah or Boden didnt make her "prove" herself & that maybe if she "proves" herself he'll give her a break.

Hard stop, NO! Kelly hasn't had to prove himself. Hermann hasn't had to prove himself. So WHY TF would Stella have to "prove" herself to this man? Like i mentioned before, the playing field needs to be fair across the board for all of them. If anything, Stella has proven herself because she's the one who pulled Damon out of that collapsed sign. She's the one who saw Ritter laying there & still gave clear, concise direction to her truck company (instead of getting all emotional like they think women are going to act in times of crisis 🙄) She took the case in 13x05 & ran with it. Kelly was with her in one scene investigating those crashes. After that, Stella was the one making house calls & following up. Yet at the end of the episode, they had Kelly debriefing the chief on the outcome of the case & not Stella... WHY? At minimum, Stella should have been there & they could have used it as a moment to have them move forward. Instead, they used it as a way to have him add fuel to the fire with that backhanded compliment laced in disrespect by saying she's a pain in the ass & i don't know why!?

Do i think Pascal is a racist, misogynistic, sexist POS sent to uphold the CREEKY views of the CFD? Idk 🤷‍♀️ but what i do know is if it walks, if it talks if it looks then it just might fit. Because there's a clear distinction in how he has handled Stella over the last 4 episodes versus everyone else. & if he's none of those things & he's still just hurt over being challenged by her in episode 1, then I say this with care, but it's time to build a bridge & get over it because I'm tired.

So, in conclusion..... Dom Pascal

When you're referring to anyone at 51 but especially Stella Kidd. 😌

[peggy-sue-reads-a-book]

How To Be a Safe Person to Menstruate With

You can be private without expressing disgust. Just step away politely or be honest that you are embarrassed. Neither of these choices shames women.

The reverse is also true. Like I said, just because someone doesn’t want to talk doesn’t mean they’re lame and ashamed.

Compliment girls wearing on their self-expression like red jewelry or watering a Venus flytrap with their menstrual cups.

There are lots of sustainable products now but accessibility is not equal. Not everyone has the water resources to wash reusable products so don’t get preachy.

If you shit on someone else’s choice of birth control, by God I will come for you.

Vote to protect birth control

Do not tell someone they’re gross for using pads and cups that require washing.

If you have found a trustworthy gynecologist, spread the word

If a woman tells you she feels ill, in pain, or like something is wrong believe her

Do not tell her to lose weight or consider therapy. If you do, I will hit you with a fish.

Take hormonal diseases seriously

When someone tells you she has endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, cancer, or PCOS, do not come at her with medical expertise you suddenly think you have.

Offer to buy pads and tampons but make sure to ask what kind — some have allergens.

You can always get someone a glass of water.

If it’s a trans guy you’re talking with, validate his body without treating him like one of the girls. If you don’t know how, just ask.

Do not try to guess if someone is on their period. That’s rude.

I have an alpha period. If we hang out, you will sync to my period and we can all be unhappy together.

If you bleed monthly and are talking to a woman who doesn’t, you aren’t better than her. You define your period. She can define hers.

If someone is confused because she started her period and got a positive pregnancy test, take her to the hospital and defend her with your life. She is miscarrying and needs an ultrasound. If a doctor dismisses her as just having a difficult period, make ape noises and then threaten him with arson.

If after all this you are still angry, DM me his name and I will personally come for revenge. I am pregnant and very powerful.

For that matter, my husband will sort him out for you.

Take black women seriously. Respect that WOC face medical discrimination and gaslighting on the daily.

Advil is valid. Homeopathics are valid. Do not assail your friend with essential oils when she’s asked for a Midol.

If your friend shares some concerning symptoms with you, do not freak her out with an armchair diagnosis.

But you should definitely validate her pain and encourage her to get help. Or even help her get help. Throw her in the car and personally drive her to the doctor.

If your friend confides in you that she has an STI or you are able to guess that she has an STI, be nice to her because if you don’t I will find you and I will yeet you away into the night like Batman.

Educate yourself about periods. Learn the correct anatomical words.

And for God’s sake, you still have to wear a condom.

[apollos-olives]

Hi!! Recently I was asked to compile different pieces of non literary media for students to analyze (I’m not a teacher I’m a ex student working part time at my old school while I wait for uni), and one category is song lyrics. I was thinking of choosing some Mitski songs bcs from what I’ve listened to, there’s quite a bit to unpack.

However, I’m just a casual fan and I don’t know her as a artist very well. I’ve read some of her interviews and from what I can garner she seems to pride herself as not as someone who pours all of herself into a song, but rather someone who crafts it all carefully.

At the end of the day though you seem to know more than me. I don’t want to misinterpret her. Could I ask if there are any songs you would recommend to choose? Especially if there are themes like women in patriarchy or other global issues (though this isn’t a requirement!). Thanks, and please don’t feel obligated to answer this for whatever reason 🙏🏻 <3

ohhhhhohohohhhhhhh you've come to the right person

-

one of her more popular songs is called "liquid smooth", where it talks about how women of color are sexualized in the eyes of society and feel as though that once they are past their "prime", then society deems them as unlovable and useless.

those first few lines discuss how women of color are sexualized whether they want to be or not, and how they are considered "full of life" when they're at their "prime". mitski explains that she's at her "peak" and that she's "ripe", but she's "about to fall", and that shows how after she hits her "peak", society deems her as unlovable or unappealing just because they're unable to sexualize her in a way that they used to. and this is very much apply to mitski's life, as a japanese woman. we all know how japan became "trendy" in recent years and how the sexualization and infantilization of japanese women has been a very prominent thing amongst weaboos and the like. so this song primarily dicusses how society is very harsh towards women of color and disregard them after it is deemed that they are unattractive past their "peak".

-

another song of hers is "stay soft", and while it is a bit harder for me to understand, my personal interpretation of the song is how society forces women, particularly women of color, to "stay soft" and stay appealing for others and not complain when they are degraded and abused by that same society.

when it says "only natural to harden up" i believe it refers to how society tells women to toughen up and deal with how they're being treated, but while still being told to "stay soft" to stay appealing. i think this song is more about the hypocrisy that society places on women of color, because they are told to "stay soft" and "harden up" at the same time. many woc understand the whole "scary and mean woman of color" stereotype and are constantly trying to fight against that form of racism. i think this song discusses the hypocrisy of society for demonizing women of color when they stand up for themselves, and it discusses how woc are abused but still told to be appealing and toughen up, or else they will be outcast and deemed, again, unlovable.

-

my current favorite song is "happy", and this song does take a bit more time to analyze, since a lot of the message goes well with the music video. that being said, the music video IS. well. disturbing. so i'm going to summarize it and describe it, and link it if you want to follow along. so general trigger warning for gore, blood, abuse, etc.

so we start off with a woman of color. she is an asian woman, and she's the one explaining this. she's talking about a man, who she calls "happy". she discusses how he visits her and how she feels as though she is loved by him. she explains that he "lays her down" and makes her feel happy.

"happy" in the music video is a white man. happy gives her a pearled bracelet. she is very much in love with him. in the video she is serving him tea, and she trips and falls and apologizes. he rolls his eyes, scoffs, and disregards her. in the next few shots, you can see that he is with another woman. a white woman. multiple. with blonde hair and blue eyes. you can also see that the woman of color is alone in bed at night, with happy's bedside empty.

in the video, it is another morning, and she bids him farewell. she is cleaning the house and looks in his bag, where she finds a chunk of blonde hair. she realizes he is cheating with a white woman. she later confronts him while crying, and he comforts her.

i think this the the point to discuss how women of color are often disregarded or put to the side. it's very obvious that happy is only using her for sexual reasons, since he doesn't care about her past that, as shown with the tea scene and with the bed scene. woc are often abused by white men while they favor a white woman instead.

in the video, probably a day later, she finds a red purse with a note from happy that says "i love you". she's very excited and opens it up. she not only finds a blonde hair chunk, but on the inside it says "for my blue-eyed cookie". she is not blue eyed. it's obvious that he took the bag that he gifted to the white women he was cheating with and gave it to her. she looks at herself in the mirror. her eyes are dark. they are not blue. she realizes this.

later that night she goes down into the basement, and finds happy with a bloody corpse of a white woman. she's horrified, as the body is mutilated, and the scene is incredibly gorey. she sees happy removing pearls off of the body, and she looks down at her own hand and notices the pearl bracelet. she realizes that she was his next victim, and screams and runs but trips. he attacks her, she falls again, next to the body. he's choking her, and she grabs the axe (?) on the body and kills him. the next scene we see is her in the car driving away, crying.

so. there is a lot to unpack here. i don't think it's so much about the gorey parts but more so about how women are often victims to men, and how women of color are typically pushed aside and into the shadow of white women, who are favored more by white men in this western society. this song talks about how women of color are abused in this society by being manipulated into thinking they are loved, when they are really just being used for white men's own personal gain, and how ALL women, even the white ones, are victims to this horrible system.

man there is so much to go into here, but i think you get the gist. i'm sure you can do a deeper analysis if you'd like, i'm just pointing out the main theme of the song

-

another one of mitski's songs is "your best american girl", where it talks about how often times, people of color become white washed or forget their own culture in order to "fit in" with the american, or western, "culture".

this "don't wait for me, i can't come" part is what i assume is her realizing she is different and does not fit in with western society.

"your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me" is referring to the difference between the cultures of her and her lover, and how they were raised differently. i want you to notice how she says "i think i do", because i'll be coming back to that in a moment. when she says "i guess i couldn't help trying to be your best american girl" it refers to how she tried fitting into american society and disregarding her own culture and heritage in order to feel as though she belonged in that society. she uses past tense though, so clearly she is past all that, or at least starting to moving on from it.

this refers to how she still loves this "american boy" and still wants him, though i think it's less about a lover in this moment and rather referring to how she wants to be part of the american society to not feel like an outcast. i'm unsure about what she is "regretting", but it's either she is regretting ever discarding her heritage for the american society, or regretting leaving american society to return back to her heritage (and therefore being treated like an outcast in that very same society).

notice how she says "i finally do" instead of "i think i do" ? this is where she finally accepts her identity and feels comfortable enough to be proud of her heritage for a moment, long enough to show how she decided to stop pretending to fit in with american society. it does return to "i think i do" in the last line, where i believe it means that she's still unsteady about her identity. but i still think she took that big step in returning and appreciating her heritage and her culture.

-

two other songs that i think is very easy for you to analyze is "eric" and "real men". you can understand pretty easily what those songs are talking about, so if these songs above aren't enough ^^ then i suggest you look into those two songs if you want more. thank you SO much for asking, i was literally vibrating with excitement because i LOVE being asked to analyze mitski's lyrics. i just love her messages so much and i think they're very powerful.

[theraddestfemalive]

Y’know what? Fuck it. I’m going to say this

I don’t think any non-gc or tra lib gives a fuck about what im about to say, even considering that im going to tag the cr fandom.

I’m only adding one radfem tag because this post is centered around another topic.

i feel like ever since the trans population has tripled, it hasn’t been the same. Before any of you cucks think im talking about the idea of being trans, im also talking about the community behind it. Their ideas within the concept of it.

the concept of being ‘transgender’ was built on the foundation of sexist stereotypes; although the origins had a different purpose in ancient societies (varying ofcourse), it was ultimately used as a weapon to oppress women in the modern times, the goal was to make a person ‘feel’ like a male or female and now trillions of micro labels and gender identities are used to describe people who feel slightly above the normal and they’re treated as if they’re some kind of clothes that you put on instead of an identity.

Because of this, most people don’t even know what a woman or a lesbian is. They try to replace the definition of something that was exclusive to one sex to cater to the whims of men.

Ever since last year, most my friends that weren’t into that shit now identify as trans and I saw a dramatic shift in their personality. Most if not all of them were autistic women that did not conform of societal standards of what a ‘woman’ is. Some people may argue it’s because of how lightly a transgender identity is perceived. But on my end, I think it also has to do with the lack of representation of quirky female characters in media.

likely I would’ve fit into one of those micro labels or some shit like that but I was lucky enough to discover characters and things that I aligned with so I didn’t have to deal with shitty gender dysphoria (alongside with my very obvious mental issues and me being neurodivergent myself)

When I look at the older cookie run art (2016-2021), or even from eastern countries (eastern countries aren’t really politically correct) I could truly see the characters in the scene. There is passion behind it. The artists are either older or they know what they’re doing. And it doesn’t seem like an overload

when I see newer cookie run ‘fanart’ esp when there’s a lot of people within the western community, I don’t see a lot of what the characters truly are. All I see is their interpretation of what their character would look like if it was an unoriginal copy of a 14 year old gendie’s oc. Alongside with that, they add a thousand headcanons and sexualities, making the character unrecognizable. And if that wasn’t the cherry on top, they’re so obsessed with lgbtq and race stuff (no im not a bigot, don’t even try to fucking label me as one im a bisexual woc ) that’s all what they talk about besides stupid discourse topics. Oh, and also changing a dough color is ‘racist’ (they’re fucking COOKIES. Their dough color was based off of their ingredients and complimentary colors, even the devs had to explain and yet the western community still bitches about it like whiny 5 year olds. They come in all colors, not just fucking skintones.)

I think the characters and ships of the community would be much more likable for me if it wasn’t infiltrated by the discourse gang.

I think instead of giving drugs and cosmetic surgery to children, we should get deeper into the psychology of why there’s a lot of trans people on the rise. Don’t you think it’s weird that it has to be an ‘urgency’ to get surgery or children will kts? Maybe instead of thinking it as a life or death situation, think of how most of these people are mentally ill compared to the other lgbtq demographics.

I probably sound like a fucking dick here and im going to get a lot of hateful notes and messages, but honestly.. idgaf

Before you water this down to ‘trans people bad’ im just highlighting the problems of their community and its immense effect on teens my age (13-15 age range im not telling you) before dickriding the movement, I think *again* we should get deeper into the psychology of these people, thank you for reading.

maybe one or two people know who i am because of the image i will show below, who cares lol

i will block if I receive any threats :)))

[therealslimshakespeare]

https://www.tumblr.com/precious-little-scoundrel/759111481569705984/i-find-it-interesting-that-sanchez-immediately

so basically this called woc solitary!! hope this helps!! jk that sounds so mean. but honestly, i adore sanchez for so many reasons and at the end of the day, she is literally a woman of colour in a pow camp run by germans. she really doesn’t owe to it to anyone to be all sunshine and rainbows. yes she’s a lieutenant, but she is the only female fighter there and she doesn’t have any women that are technically her responsibility, nor does she have any pre formed bonds with other women upon entering the stalag. and i don’t really think she’s done anything that makes it fair to vilify her? or to compare her to maureen? just my opinion!

Fucking love it when the pay off for my little seeds of reasoning in the fics pay off. 😭 you get it. The fighter pilot liner aspect is also huge, on top of being a woman of color.

I think some of the questioning could be due to the fact the Gale is so likable and yet she doesn’t budge for him -which is atypical for a fanfic OC, I believe? But in my head, considering who she is, she wouldn’t. And she’s fucking justified for it. Utterly. And I like stories that make you go “but that’s my blorbo!!!” about how a character treats Mr Blonde American but it forces you to also go -wait, of course she’s not cracking a smile. Imagine how horrifying that situation is. Of course she’s not. Anyway, that’s my hope for it. Glad many of you took it that way, as well.

But also. PSA. Addendum.

Yall, thanks for the excellent opinions, I always love them but let’s also continue to remain kind. We can always express differing opinions but it doesn’t have to be targeted at the sender of a previous ask. I wanna try keep the tone here as conversational as possible.

This is not a scolding or a pointed remark, just thought I’d go ahead and hitch a ride on yours for this Nonnie, sorry baby 💋

[figmentof]

It didn’t even occur to me until anon brought it up, and now I’m going to make it everyone’s problem /lh (special thanks to @celestialsblues, @demolitiondyke and @transgenderpirate for helping me with this! ilysm)

If you are of the camp to believe in race-blind casting in that Ruibo Qian and Madeleine Sami (who are Chinese and Fijian-Indian respectively) are to play Anne Bonny and Mary Read in the same vein that Taika who is Māori plays Ed, please then also consider the lengths the show went through to make sure that Ed is explicitly a man of color. His backstory, the abuse his Māori mother suffered under his white father who he subsequently killed, his motivations of becoming a pirate is stated by Oluwande in 1x01 “[Jim and I] do this (piracy) because we don’t have any other choice”, the microaggressions that Ed clearly experiences from white people, and needless to say, the way Izzy treats him as nothing but a poster child of monstrous existence and even threatens his life when he dared to deviate from his violent persona-- all of this connects to him being brown.

If Anne and Mary were to be portrayed by two woc, then their entire story would have to be overhauled in the same way Ed’s was. But why bother going through all that trouble when Chinese pirates are part of pirate history? Why take yet another two well known white/western pirates and make them woc when Zheng Yi Sao is right there and has the same level of notoriety as Blackbeard in Asia? Now I’m definitely not insisting it has to be her, if the show wants to make Ruibo’s character an original Chinese pirate queen that would be splendid too! If we are to have lesbian pirates, why does it have to be the two women who we (and historians) have already heavily speculated to be sapphic? At this point it’s not about re-imagining white characters as poc but rather focusing on creating original roles for poc or incorporating lesser known pirates of color. This also goes without saying: all of the characters within the show are definitely informed by their race, poc or otherwise, so this sort of casting goes entirely against the message that the show has made thus far.

Now you may ask, but they re-imagined Ed (and to a lesser extent, Stede) so why can’t they do the same for Anne and Mary?

OFMD has been under valid scrutiny for using two existing historical pirates as their leads and subsequently making them not only queer, but deeply sympathetic people. This has lead to tone deaf behavior from fans who actively went to the graves of these two pirates who infamously participated in the slave trade to honor them. Their real life counterparts are racist, and in Blackbeard’s case, also a rapist. Regardless of how anachronistic OFMD is, and no matter how hard they’ve tried to distance their narrative of Ed and Stede away from the horrors caused by their historical counterparts, it’s still ultimately not the smartest decision David Jenkins and his writers could’ve made. Several bipoc have expressed that it would’ve been better had David said he was inspired by Stede and Blackbeard’s story and thus made original characters with different names if they really wanted to create a separate narrative. This is something that is constantly on my mind as a fan of color: the origin of this show wasn’t great. But what’s done is done, we just have to be cognizant of this fact as we enjoy this show going forward. One of the things the show did do right was actively create original OFMD flags as well as the new mermaid flag in s2 that clarified that the story they’re telling is a love story above all else (though that didn’t deter fans from getting tattoos of the Jolly Roger, sadly).

The show has made Stede to be an entirely original character that shares nothing in common with the real Stede aside from being white and born from wealth and abandoned his wife and kids. They have made it painstakingly obvious that despite us possibly witnessing Stede becoming more pirate-like in s2, he’s still not going to adhere to the traditionally toxic masculine norms that piracy has set and will do things in his own way (albeit he’ll be a bit more hardened and experienced compared to s1). Stede is obviously still white and the show doesn’t shy away from the fact that he has his own internal biases that he has to overcome as a white person, which is a huge part of his journey narratively along with navigating being a gay man. Compared to the villains (who are all white), he comes from a place of ignorance and learned behavior from the racist upper class society he was born in that he plainly aims to reject, which is one of the many reasons why he’s compelling.

Ed on the other hand, has this entire myth about him being this infamously vicious and terrifying pirate, but this legendary status is contrasted with the fact that he is a brown man. Now what the show chose to do with him is brilliant because we as the audience already have a preconceived notion of who he is based on our understanding of history. But then the show tell us, no, that Blackbeard you know is not this Blackbeard, our Blackbeard is a gay Māori man who truly does want to be a good person but is pushed into this role of violence. The show even made it clear that Ed hasn’t killed anyone aside from his abusive white father, and at the most only maimed people. He uses his wit and intelligence and the art of fuckery to make things happen for him, while the person who carries out all the dirty work (i.e. the violence) and builds upon the Blackbeard myth is Izzy, a white man. Ed despises the weight of his legend and the weight of toxic masculinity and senseless violence that comes with the responsibility of being Blackbeard.

Ed and Stede cannot and should not be disconnected from their races as it’s an integral point of the show, just as it is for the rest of the cast and even minor characters like the servants who are all poc. Taika constantly talks about how the show asks the question of “what does it mean to be a man?” and we’re getting more of that answer as the seasons progress. What if we had lesbian pirates who have a similar story but they’re not connected to western piracy? Instead have them have their own nuanced narrative that connects deeply to their ethnicity? In my opinion, making two woc Anne and Mary just seems reductive; and in a way, wouldn’t David and his writers be making the same mistake that bipoc have rightfully said they made with Ed and Stede?

[heather-chandlers-weirder-cousin]

Can we talk about Sasha and childist undertones in the Barbie movie?

Sasha is the only significant character in the Barbie movie who is a child. She’s also the only morally good character who’s anti-Barbie.

This in itself is a cool idea. A character to voice the criticism that people have had against Barbie for years now. That seems like a good idea for a Barbie movie, considering the themes it’s tackling.

Except… that’s not what we get. In the scene she’s introduced, she lays out her criticisms of Barbie and calls her a facist. This makes Barbie cry.

And then… nothing else. Sasha’s role in the rest of the movie is just learning how important Barbie is to her mom and shutting up, never mind that she has legitimate grievances, like her being an unrealistic body type. (Also, there’s something to be said about how WOC are only listened to if they agree with the white MC)

Beyond just being bad writing (“we addressed the criticism so there’s no need to tackle it!”) it’s very telling that the only person who’s feelings are ignored completely is the only child. We get a whole arc about the guy who spent five (5) seconds with the patriarchy and immediately ruined the lives of all the women around him, and it’s too much to treat the child like she has anything worthwhile to say. It’s very reminiscent of real life, isn’t it? A child with legitimate opinions is made to just shut up and listen to the adults, (who are of course right and smarter than them by virtue of being adults,) no matter how good a point it is. They’re young, so they aren’t worth listening to.

So by the end of the movie, Sasha has had none of her feelings expanded upon beyond the scene where she’s rude to the MC (and I could go on a whole separate rant about kids being tone policed,) she has stopped criticizing Barbie because the adults around her disagree, and none of her criticisms have been solved.

it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Idk

[that-left-turn]

I know it's unlikely, but if offered the right deal, do you think Angela Kang could be hired as showrunner?

She's already on the production team and knows everything about Carol and Daryl and their story. The project she was supposed to be doing has been dropped (I think they're hoping another studio will pick it up, but it's been a LONG time, and nothing seems to be happening there).

Melissa was treated badly by AMC like AK was, and they offered her a huge deal to bring her back.

I don't know if Angela would want to come back, even if her development deal has expired. Some sets leave a lot of scar tissue and working on S11 was toxic enough that she had to seek professional help. But, if Angela was interested, I think Norman would throw a fit. He got her fired to make way for the current show. It reflects what he wants for Daryl and is an excellent example why non-writers should never be in charge of story.

As for Melissa's deal, it isn't all that good. Yes, she gets money, but far less than her male counterpart, the title of the show emphasizes this power imbalance and AMC didn't give her equal billing. Her EP credit is more a vanity title than something that allows her real input. Whatever she suggests gets mutilated in post and she clearly doesn't have influence over the larger narrative beyond her own character arc. I don't know how many Carylers negotiate their salary/benefits, but getting a fair deal isn't an easy achievement and often, especially as a woman, you have to settle for what you can get if you want the job.

Regardless, I think Angela would be a good showrunner for the spinoff. Her arcs are layered and the characters imperfectly human. She would've given the audience canon in the spinoff, along with a nuanced hero whose emotional maturity reflects his age and life experience. But, I also think she's forced to navigate difficult terrain as a WOC with less trust and more opposition from studio execs, not to mention the male EPs sabotaging her. She didn't expect to get shanked by the very people she worked with every day for over a decade on the flagship show.

The spinoff needs a showrunner with enough experience and clout to be able to take on studio execs and a difficult lead, and manage a production this size. It's a giant task to turn those numbers around, and I wouldn't blame Angela if she wanted no part of any of it. If there were to be a different showrunner and if Angela was available, I hope that person would consider bringing her onboard to at least write an episode. Like you said, she knows everything about these characters and their backstories, and maybe she'd be able to deliver the intended payoff for things she set up in the flagship show, like Daryl's facial scar.