#hermione is not a good female role model

[fanfic-lover-girl]

You came down harsh on Hermione and I’m going to say I think the whole wizardry world sees violence as fun and probably don’t share our views because everything can mostly be easily fixed. Like the Weasley’s testing their product on the younger student population (who most likely can’t defend themselves) and sell love potions (aka date rape drugs essentially). Hermione meanness should be pointed out, but like how fanfic writers whitewash Draco (reduce him to a misunderstood kid) I think it’s fair that others do the same for her. Also, with Draco we have the knowledge that he associates with a racist and I’m not talking about blood supremacy which makes him trash already. I’m talking about Pansy worm comment to Angelina. We are aware that Draco willingly cast two unforgivables. One successfully and the other unsuccessfully. Like they are both trash, but it’s funny on how you went on a Hermione tangent when Draco himself is basura too. Seriously though Hermione should have never attack Ron she was trash for that and should have been called out by Harry or Ginny. Then again Ginny also attacks ppl so yeah.

Hello anon.

First of all, why is it a problem that I came down harshly on Hermione? I tagged my post as anti Hermione and I hate her. Well, I don't hate her really, I hate how her character is handled.

I find most characters in HP intolerable. I can count the number of characters I like/tolerate on one hand maybe. I think the wizarding world is full of disgusting people who see muggles as lesser and have a high tolerance for abuse.

Why do I need to criticize Draco when I criticize Hermione?? The point of my post is that Draco is heavily criticized already for his part in Dramione but the same is never done for Hermione. So I criticized her part in dramione since no one else will. I clearly stated in my post that Draco is not good for Hermione either. You can find multitudes of people who hate Draco and multiple anti Draco posts. I think we need more posts calling out the golden trio for being terrible people too.

Before getting into HP, I thought Harry Potter was a great hero. But after examining his character I realized Harry is an awful person and has little consideration for other people. I actually find Harry more abhorrent than Draco. Because Harry is supposed to be the hero of the story but he is clearly lacking.

I actually hate fanfics that whitewash Draco. Draco is snarky and fun and awful a lot of times. I find him very interesting and entertaining. I don't like him being made into a super victim abused by his daddy and I don't like when he is overly demonized.

So yeah. What exactly is the problem? My post was about Hermione. Not Draco. I don't care if people want to whitewash her. But I sure as hell won't be tolerating it. If girls want female role models, there are other female characters out there 1000 times better than Hermione. Female characters who don't abuse their love interests for one.

[princesssarisa]

Until now, on Facebook, I've been a devoted follower of A Mighty Girl, a website full of children's and teen resources – books, movies, toys, Halloween costumes, etc. – for young girls' empowerment.

I've had misgivings about the fact that they continue to sell and promote Harry Potter products in light of J.K. Rowling's TERF-dom. But I let it slide. I thought they were separating the art from the artist: they paint themselves as LGBT+ friendly, they sell books for and about transgender girls, and I assumed they thought they could still promote Hermione, Luna, et al as role models without endorsing their author's bigotry.

But I've noticed something on their Facebook page yesterday and now today: something missing. Throughout the Olympics, every time a woman has won a gold medal, A Mighty Girl has shared a Facebook post congratulating her, and promoting their books about other female athletes in the same field. But they haven't made a post about Imane Khelif. Not a word about her win.

Why have they not made a post about Imane Khelif?! Why are they seemingly pretending she doesn't exist? Have they bought into the propaganda about her? Do they think she's a man? Or are they afraid of getting backlash and losing customers if they celebrate her? Or are they trying to stay on Rowling's good side to keep selling her books?

If they don't make a post congratulating her either later today or tomorrow, I'm not sure I'll want to follow them anymore.

[aficionadoenthusiast]

jk rowling is not a feminist.

as young girls, we thought she was cool. a famous, successful, rich author, she did things we were told we could never do. she made billions in a male run industry, and for fantasy no less. and then she gave a bunch to charities supporting women.

she appealed to the girls who were less interested in makeup and more interested in books, and the outside, and, hell, even sports. Lavender and Parvati weren't worth the golden trio's time, thus looks and "girlishness" weren't worth our time. she made us think there was something wrong with femininity. we were better if we were more like the boys.

and then Lavender dated Ron. we hated her for that. she wasn't meant for Ron; Hermione was.

and, oh, how we loved Hermione. she "wasn't like the other girls." she was smart, a reader; she was like us, the outcasts. but what joanne didn't want us to know was that there was nothing wrong with femininity. Lavender and Parvati are just as good as Hermione.

But Ginny dated around, and we never fault her for that. wouldn't jkr think that's bad if she's such a bad feminist? yes, and, in fact, she does. is that not how she displayed Cho for dating Harry just after Cedric died? for no other reason than she wanted Hinny as endgame.

and, god, we loved Ginny. she was sporty, she was cute, she was a Weasley - and acted like it. she was jkr's idea of the "ideal girl." unfortunately for Ginny, this made her a plot device. she got to be Harry's Girlfriend, and suddenly the wizarding world didn't care so much about her other accomplishments, so neither did jkr. she came into the story as necessary.

Luna was cool. we liked her. she also "wasn't like the other girls." she was weirder, like us. but that still doesn't mean she was better.

another woman we liked was McGonagall. as the only competent adult in the hp series, she Got Shit Done. she was a role model - one of the only good ones we got. but even so, she answered to dumbledore - a much less competent adult. story of our lives. this problem was never fixed. we are destined to yield power to incompetent men.

in ootp, jkr set her against the other female teachers. trelawney took the brunt of it. "bitches be crazy", am I right?

then there was umbridge. not fit to be human, umbridge represented everything jkr saw wrong with femininity. pink, frail, airheaded, a follower - the list goes on. and she did the same thing with petunia dursley. jkr set them up practically as warnings! here's what happens when you act like a traditional girl! this is how people will see you!

this is not true.

neither are her beliefs on transgender people. beyond it being a basic human right, this is how we destroy gender roles - by abandoning traditional gender entirely.

none of jkr's beliefs on feminism are true.

being trans does not take away your right to feminism.

all of you are valid. to the most feminine woman ever, to the butchest girl out there, trans, enby, cis, whatever, you are valid.

and jkr is not a feminist.

[sokkas1mp]

ok i get not seeing her as part of the gaang but why dont you like suki? genuinely curious

i'm so glad you asked :)

In the show, Suki is literally flawless. Not in a complimentary way, but in the sense that she has no character flaws. No problems, nothing to overcome, nothing to use to grow. That makes her a very flat and uninteresting character. Not to mention, she's alongside five heavily flawed and complex characters, so it made her flawlessness stand out even more. That just made her very boring and very difficult to identify with. After a few rewatches, i find myself wanting to skip her scenes. she just don't bring any interest for me anymore.

ik a lot of people love her because "feminist, independent queen" but that's so annoying to me. This is coming from a feminist: I would much rather have a female protagonist have flaws to balance her positive traits then have a protagonist be flawless in the name of giving girls a perfect role model. you need flaws to be real; without them, it creates the idea that you need to be perfect to be successful/respected (it's the same issue with hermione in the movies, for any hp fans out there). That's also why Katara and Toph are so good. They are real people and highlight very real flaws, as well as being insane powerhouses.

TL;DR: i find her boring and no longer enjoy content that includes her

[scnscstcrks]

Female Awesome Meme: 7/10 females in a movie

Hermione Granger ( Harry Potter Series ) “Books and cleverness! There are more important things --- friendship and bravery.”

[truelivingblogs]

Childhood

Emma was born in Paris to British parents. She moved to Oxfordshire with her mother when five years old, after her parents separated. The most important aspect towards success is to realise one's own aspirations and dreams and then focus in order to work hard.

Early Career

Watson understood her dream. She started studying, singing, dancing and performing in school plays. She got her first break to play Hermione - smart, bossy best friend of Harry Potter. She auditioned eight times and was finally selected for the role which made her an international star and paved way for glory.She was nominated 42 times and 16 won awards for the iconic role of Hermione. The 11 year Watson won Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor for her first performance. She was also named as the highest paid female star in February 2010.Even as an actress, Watson continued her education and received a degree in English literature from Brown University in Providence Rhode Island. She had both the commitment towards her education and the desire to live a normal life she said, “I really want anonymity." She also began her modelling career in 2005, determined to show her talent and versatility and not to be just seen as Hermione Granger. She emerged as a fashionista. She is unafraid of critics and tried different styles. Watson took fans by surprise when she chopped off her long locks, and sported a pixie hairdo in August 2010. In 2011 she graced the cover of Vogue and in 2014 she was awarded Best British Style at British Fashion Awards.

Achievements

Emma won the Best Supporting Actress in The Perks of being a Wallflower and also won British Artist of the year in 2014. Watson have not only after her potter series developed as an actor but also as a woman with strong head , who wants to be known for good reasons. The British actor touched new heights of laurel when she was appointed as UN women Goodwill ambassador in July 2014 'Hermione' uses her star power to uplift women. She puts commendable efforts on empowering young women and serve as an advocate for UN Women's He for She campaign promoting gender equality. At the age of 24 Watson is a source of inspiration for many women. Emma Watson is a smart individual with beauty and intelligence, whose focus and hard work have made her achieve sucess. Her determinism and strong voice is a standing example to many. 

[quillify-tries-to-talk]

Some of my favorite tropes in media

1. Found family

Welp. Why am I surprised?

In addition to a ton of platonic relationships, there's also a bang-on hilarity in each one of these groups.

Six of Crows (the progression in Kaz and Wylan's dynamic??? Nina and Inej being besties??? Jesper and Inej having a running joke of scheming face lol??? Matthias forgoing his prejudices to team up with Jesper and Kuwei???)

The Hargreeves siblings??? (We're not gonna talk about what's going on between Luther and Allison 💀 but the rest of them 🥺🥺🥺)

2. Ballroom dance scenes

Oh, to be twirling across the dancefloor in the arms of your partner (bonus points if it's your enemy💖) and you can't decide if your heightened breathing is due to the music's tempo or the 🌟tension🌟

Whyyyyyyy did we have to stop balls!?!?!? Whyyyyyyyy???? Are you telling me that we lost the opportunity to wear our most artful dresses and have a night of elegant dancing and food and it was replaced by nightclubs??? T_T

3. The sunshine character actually has problems.

Love, love, love it when the sunshine, always joking, always kind character opens up about their own issues and insecurities yet they don't stop being kind and don't lose their heart just because the world is going to hell

Prime examples: Ron Weasley (au contraire, HP fandom, this guy has one of the best characterizations in the books and y'all just sleep on him because you want your special ones so much), Leo Valdez (my boy repaired a whole dragon alone, dealt with losing his mom, was homeless and yet keeps the atmosphere light and happy and makes hilarious jokes T_T), Inej Ghafa (horribly traumatized, has done things to survive in a brutal world, deserves the world, and yet is so, so, so fiercely kind and compassionate and always there for her friends💖)

4. When the tough, scary one is soft for kids or animals

Nothing is more wholesome than watching a stone-cold badass softening towards a kid or adopting a baby animal or just showing love for their family (Five Hargreeves 🥺). Shows that they still have a bit of their heart unguarded wnd hopeful.

5. Wholesome friendships that just stay friendships + siblings being siblings.

My ace ass hates love triangles with a fiery passion and it's really tiring to see every friendship being shipped left and right or being pushed into love triangle *side-eyes CC*

Lucie Herondale and Cordelia Carstairs are my favorite parabatai duo and I need more content of their friendship and antics pleaseee. I need more of them being a chaotic duo.

Alastair and Cordelia are my favorite brother sister duo, just with the way they address each other and how Cordelia thought about killing him during the demon attacks in ChoG.

Percy Jackson and Grover Underwood. The guy sailed across the Bermuda Triangle to rescue his best friend.

Also the potential we lost with Hermione and Ginny because R*wling couldn't write more than one PoV -_-

But on a happy note, Ron and Harry are my favorite and I love these dorks so much. They really become brothers by the end *gross sobbing*

Aru and her Pandava sisters and the two braincells they share🤦‍♀️😂

Once more, the Hargreeves family going from strangers to dumbass chaotic family in TUA s2😂🤦‍♀️

6. Enemies-to-lovers

Bonus points if they're also academic rivals. Why is this trope not used more? We could explore some great themes on the shit education system.

No one? Fine I'll write a fic myself.

Also, enemies to lovers =/= abusive relationships. Keep that trash away from me where the love interests are manipulative, abusive towards their love interests and then later fall in love with them. My favorite progression goes like this:

Ugh pretentious ass, look at them==>ugh why are we working together?==>why do we work so well as a team!?==>goddammit why are they so nice!?==>I guess we're friends now==>what is this tension!?!==>*notices something pretty about them* uh oh. 😳😳😳

Prime examples: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Kallias and Alessandra from The Shadows Between Us. Jude and Cardan from TFOTA (I know they're toxic. Would not stan that relationship irl but I loved their development in the trilogy)

7. When the best friends go to an event as each other's date and are mutually pining over each other but are oblivious dumbasses.🤦‍♀️

Bonus points if other people mistake them for a couple and they can't even get out a proper explanation ;)

*whispers* Harry and Ron should've asked each other to the Yule Ball

8. More thoughtfully-written boys in YA

Please move on beyond the bad boy and broody, immortal, muscular warrior trope. Give representation to my PoC, neurodivergent, trans and fat boys. Give boys dark features (I promise they are as entrancing as blue eyes or blonde hair). Make them emotional, make them something other than stoic, make them like teenagers (and not adults playing teens). They deserve the world and well-written role models as much as girls do.

Prime example: Ron Weasley, Jesper, Wylan, Enrique and Hypnos from TGW, and Julian Blackthorn.

I could write essays for Ron but all I'll say is that r*wling did a good job by giving the role of emotional support (that's usually considered a feminine job) to a boy and made him funny and kind-hearted🥺

As for Julian, like I said before ruthless characters being soft for their family make me go T_T

9. Showing feminism with an equal society (as Tricia Levenseller does it), wholesome f/f and m/f friendships, normalizing the presence of LGBTQ people, without trashing men or femininity.

If you have to deliberately create a highly patriarchal society to show off your progressive views and badass female MC, then you're doing feminism wrong :)

Oops my saltiness leaked out in the end 😳

[dontmesswithnoheroin]

hey do u know what i cant stand 

the hot smart woman trope

yeh that one

i  r e f u s e to watch queens gambit because im so sick of this trope. and im gonna elaborate.

some would say im a woman and also smart. i study Conventionally Smart Subject^TM of physics, although - as some of my colleagues would argue - the dumbest kind of physics, which is cross-disciplinary geophysics. not a lot of equations, more like computation, models, looking at graphs and saying “ahhh... i dont get it”. 

any STEM student will tell you that a good deal of professors in STEM do not give a flying fuck about what they look like. the amount. of hairy underbelly sticking out of a too small button up shirt i’ve seen in my years as a student... far too much. in my study, about 75% of the professors are men. the women generally have to look neater than the men because Gender Roles, but a good deal of them still don’t give a fuck about what they look like, if it’s presentable, then that’s what it is. 

and don’t get me wrong, there are many female scientists that look fantastic and dress beautifully and are really, really Hot. and i’m a big fan of them.

but like. i feel like in movies and tv shows, if a woman is smart and not hot, she will not be taken seriously. it’s the fucking male gaze. i’m so sick of this tired ass, lazy ass trope of “woman too smart for her own good... she has social issues because she is So Smart. Smarter than the other women. Also wears spandex all the time.” like choose one??? if someone is so intelligent that they spend nearly every breathing moment solving complex problems within their field, they’re gonna forget to shower. and don’t even get me started on exercise to reach that Hollywood Skinny.

Hermione is the perfect example of this, especially the way they portray her in the movie. In the book, her transition at the gala is striking, because she generally doesn’t care what she looks like, with hair all over the place and an imposing personality that makes her less Attractive To Men. However, Emma Watson was chosen for this role, arguably one of the most conventionally beautiful women, and additionally they did everything to glam her up. Her entrance at the gala did not have a bit of the impact it meant to have had, because Hermione was already beautiful, styled to be beautiful, and generally a nauseatingly perfect character.

Standard Astronout Outfit:

Literally every woman in the Marvel universe is Like This:

Also that scientist chick from Jurassic World that ran from the dinosaurs in fucking high heels like kill me now:

And look, I don’t mean to dig at these women for being Conventionally Hollywood Attractive. It’s not their fault, right? And I also am aware of the ugly woman scientist trope, and that there are films and media in general which tried to break the stupid stereotype that women can be only either smart or sexy, not both. But I’m just so tired of a portrayal of an intelligent, workaholic woman as a sex bomb, an eye candy for men. You don’t get all of these things at once. Women are imperfect. A lot of women spend most time not wanting to be looked at. A lot of women scientists are unsexy most of the time. That should be fine. Women should be portrayed as human in media.

I have to say, there are also plenty fantastic examples of smart women who are also beautiful and not portrayed in this way. In fact, there is more and more of them. My recent fav is Mary Malone from His Dark Materials:

And don’t get me wrong here, I think Mary is h o t. In fact, I would let Mary raw me all night long. But her looks are nowhere near the center attraction of her character. It’s her intelligence, curiosity and kindness. She looks and dresses like a professor I could see at my campus. Her workaholism is expressed as having no family, spending all the time on her work, instead of strutting around in underwear with a bottle of whiskey. Her smarts ARE truly not good for her sometimes, she gets completely swallowed by her research. But she is never portrayed as a Sexy Woman In The Middle Of A Breakdown. And the best thing about Mary is, when she goes on a journey to a parallel world, she wears fucking hiker gear. HIKER GEAR. I love her sm.

Anyway, perhaps you can see my point why I really dislike the main character of the queens gambit without even seeing the series. Because the (record!) popularity of it reminds me of the fact that in the eyes of the world, a woman still has to be Sexy to be Smart. And I’m tired of it, folks. I’m really bored. Bring something new. I’ve seen a woman in underwear. I see her everyday actually. I want to see more female scientists that don’t give a fuck about male gaze, or anyone’s gaze for that matter.

That has been my TED talk.

[juvinile]

* HALEY  LU  RICHARDSON ,  CIS FEMALE  +  SHE / HER  |   you  know  EDEN  ROMANOV ,  right ?  they’re  TWENTY - THREE ,  and  they’ve  lived  in  irving  for ,  like ,  ON  AND  OFF  THEIR  WHOLE  LIFE ?  well ,  their  spotify  wrapped  says  they  listened  to  SAFE  PLACES  BY  CASSIDY  KING  like ,  a  million  times  this  year ,  which  makes  sense  ‘cause  they’ve  got  that  whole  LACING  YOUR  MARY  JANES  SO  TIGHTLY  THEY  LEAVE  MARKS ,  WIND  BLOWN  SILK  OVERSHIRTS ,  STRANDS  OF  FRESH  CUT  HAIR  LEFT  ABANDONED  IN  THE  SINK  TO  WILT  thing  going  on .  i  just  checked  and  their  birthday  is  SEPTEMBER  16TH ,  so  they’re  a  VIRGO ,  which  is  unsurprising ,  all  things  considered .

TW  INCLUDE  internalized homophobia tw, homophobia tw.

AESTHETICS :

lacing your mary janes so tightly they leave marks, wind blown silk overshirts, strands of fresh cut hair left abandoned in the sink to wilt, light academia compulsions, using pressed petals with the thorns left sharp as bookmarks, falling apart inside the safety of your own room, putting yourself back together in a broken mirror, tight ponytails and tighter features, stretching yourself thin as elastic, bittersweet pomegranate, strawberry chapstick layered over clear lipgloss, reading the wrong script, world domination.

CHARACTER  INSPO :

hermione granger (harry potter), cameron post (the miseducation of cameron post), the white rabbit (alice in wonderland), martha gellhorn (hemingway and gellhorn), dolores abernathy (westworld), nina sayers (black swan), emily dickinson (dickinson), caitlin park (the infinite noise), margaery tyrell (game of thrones) 

GENERAL STATISTICS :

full name :  eden anastasia romanov

age / dob :  twenty threee / september 16th

gender :  cis female

pronouns :  she / her

faceclaim :  haley lu richardson

orientation :  homosexual / lesbian

residence :  port apartments

occupation :  intern in the mayor’s office

pinterest :  HERE !

BIOGRAPHY :

eden anastasia romanov. born and raised in irving (though at times it felt like the romanovs lived in behind the walls of their own private castle, operated a few steps ahead of everyone else. eden ate it up), eden was one of the younger romanov’s. her father, vaughn romanov, was a senator who recently decided to run for town mayor and her mother, adelaide romanov, was a philanthropist.

she always always always looked up to her eldest sibling, cain. it seems this was a common thread for the romanov siblings see abel.  (played by james and bri blows a kiss)

very much born with a silver spoon so far up her rear, she was always her father’s precious angel. very much her father’s daughter. she knew cain was the one with all of the pressure but this only drove her to crave success more. she was determined to make her parents proud, even if the weight on her shoulders was completely self imposed. all her parents wanted from her career wise was to marry well and look pretty. more on this trauma later.

her and her siblings were expected to be more than involved in school and their community. she was a cheerleader and a gymnast, top of her class, president of the debate team, sang in the church choir. she was a perfect smiling face for her mother’s philanthropy events and stood next to her siblings at all of her father’s rallies. she played two instruments and spoke as many languages. she made it look easy.

there wasn’t very much time for eden to make friends. she only had a handful, girls she’d grown up with in the gymnastics gym, and she knew people that gravitated towards her really only had their eyes on her family’s money. (erm. maybe thats just ur weird trust issues eden but idk im not a therapist) because of this, she was exceptionally reliant on her siblings. they were the only ones who understood what it was like to be spread so thin you snapped.

(homophobia tw) she was the first of her family to spark controversy, though it never got out, when her mother caught her kissing a girl from her cheer squad in her car parked in front of their house. though her parents didn’t fully mind, this news would be bad for her father’s campaign so eden wasn’t given a say. the romanov’s would make it go away. she still had to appeal to the wealthy sons of her parent’s aristocratic friends. you couldn’t really do that with your tongue down a girl’s throat, now, could you e? 

her father bribed the girl’s mother to take her daughter off the cheer team. this was also the day eden decided she would be a politician. there was no question. she couldn’t feel helpless anymore. was it equal parts about besting her father for making her best friend go away? perhaps. eden wouldn’t admit that. she wouldn’t admit a lot of things.

deeply liberal. a stark contrast to the republican (centrist. but still.) values of her parents. a rift was drawn between her and her parents. she was no longer her father’s little girl. she wasn’t the romanov that could do no wrong. she was yet another family black sheep, who had a lot of making up to do if she wanted back in wealth’s good graces. she felt abandoned by her parents, an issue that she would grapple with for the rest of her life. (end of tw)

her grades dropped after this. she considered running away but in the end she graduated high school. she wasn’t valedictorian like she had always hoped, but salutatorian still looked good on college apps. eden was never known for giving up, but she wasn’t usually known for coming in second place either.

it was really hard for her when cain left to.. wherever it was they went off to. (she’s still afraid to ask) she was in college, pursuing a political science degree, and she suffered more than she would ever let on. she didn’t sleep much at all, the entire year. she accomplished very little, focused solely on keeping up the image she’d worked so hard to craft. if she could survive this she could survive anything.

screech (the sound of tires coming to a halt). cain came back. conveniently, eden made the decision to take a gap year and come back for a second senior year at university. it wasn’t related. she did this for herself. (she didn’t)

cain didn’t remember her when they came back. nothing hurt worse than this.

she’s going through a lot right now. she’ll b fine. 

don’t know where to fit this in but she owns a cat named lady d named after her role model princess diana. she’s mean and bites people a lot but eden thinks it’s endearing.

PERSONALITY :

determined. type a. organized. studious. go getter. tenacious. shrill. hot tempered. prone to fantasy. escapist. withdrawn. tightly wound. deeply in need of catching a break. ankle biter energy. ruthless and bloodthirsty, can and will destroy anything that gets in her way? stuck in her head. strives so hard for perfection, low self esteem. unforgiving with mistakes. especially her own. thinks she doesn’t need anyone else. really really needs someone else. indulgent. likes luxury and doesn’t apologize for it, but isn’t loud about it either. princess locked in a tower waiting for her knight in shining armor energy. does this make sense.

WANTED CONNECTIONS : 

other irving hs students her age that were also really hard workers in school. the people she competed with and also competed alongside. 

other members of the cheer team. first girl kiss anyone? first girl kiss? 

siobhan is her ex girlfriend from college that she broke up with because of all the internalized homophobia. does this spark any connections? lmk. 

a boy she’s dating to appease her parents. not sure if she’s doing it to get them off her backs or because she really wants to prove herself to them. probably both. 

hi hookups anyone? she might be pretending to date a guy but that doesn’t mean she’s a sadist. let’s have fun. 

ok who sells her weed. god knows she needs it. 

anyone who grew up going to her mother’s events. suffering through stuffy socializing together. eden was really good at it it was probably annoying. 

does anyone need a roommate in port? she’s really clean and keeps to herself but her cat does bite. warning. her cat does bite. 

anything else i can’t think of but. i’m sure there’s more.

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

my two cents on the “media representation” debate will always be this:

when I was 11, one of the most relatable characters to me -- a tiny white girl in middle school -- was 30-something black pharmaceutical representative Burton Guster from Psych

[safebubblebycyg]

trans harry + drarry au:

☆ harry being deadnamed would literally be the worst pain to ever exist to him but draco would always be there to bitch slap the person who dare speak such a name

☆ harry having to go to madam pomfrey to get testosterone potions

☆ madam pomfrey rolling her eyes at him one day when hes late "mister malfoys mouth is not filled with testosterone, potter"

☆ harry secretly binding during quidditch even though he literally can NOT breathe

☆ hermione looking ready to hex him when she finds out

☆ " 'mione!! i swear im taking it off after!!" "that doesnt matter harry!! its dangerous!! either wear a sports bra or dont play!!"

☆ harry reluctantly wearing a sports bra after his confrontation with hermione

☆ ron finding out when harry unbuttoned his shirt to reveal tattered bras way too small for harry layered onto his chest

☆ ron immediately accepting harry "you've always been more a man than ill ever be, mate"

☆ draco finding out a month after they're dating

☆ he found harrys binder monster (as he affectionately called it) "love, why didnt you tell me sooner? that's it, im getting you a new one. a real one"

☆ draco immediately SPOILING harry. new binders, button-ups, and boxers

☆ "draco you cant just buy me a binder every time i get a stain on one, it's way too much-" "oh hush, what else am i spending my money on?"

☆ snape being the greasy thot he is and purposefully using female pronouns and deadnaming harry in class and in the corridors

☆ which causes ron to start H.P.P.S.; harry potter protection squad

☆ neville, luna, ginny, hermione, pansy, blaise, and ron being proud members of H.P.P.S.

☆ they even got pins just to confuse the hell out of harry

☆ harry not going to class on dysphoric days

☆ mcgonagall understanding when he misses class and allowing hermione to do his homework and take his notes

☆ harry once got told he played quidditch "like a girl" which tore him apart...until ginny stole the beaters bat and hit the quaffle to let it hit them dead in the face

☆ harry finally getting fed up with not knowing what H.P.P.S. was so he pulled them all to the room of requirements and made them fess up

☆ harry just burst into a fit of giggles and thanked them before giggling again

☆ harry let his protection squad stay intact as long as he got a crown with group initials

☆ yes, harry got his crown

☆ harry coming to potions class as an ultimate grump one day

☆ "miss potter you're late-" "yeah and you're transphobic, dont talk to me snivilly"

☆ he didnt even get detention, snape was too taken aback to remember to give it to him

☆ harry forgetting to take off his binder before he slept and waking up so sore he couldnt take it off

☆ "er- 'mione??" "yes harry?" "can you help me take my um, my binder off?"

☆ hermione giving him a twenty minute lecture and fussing at him for sleeping in a binder. she also gave him one of her bras "YOU ARE NOT WEARING IT TODAY, DONT ARGUE HARRY"

☆ harry dragging himself around the castle until draco stops him on the way to dinner. harry just slumps against his chest and sobs "m couldn wear m binder today, 'mione wouldn let me, m slep in it" he had sadly mumbled against dracos chest. draco just squeezed him tight and drummed his fingers against his back "how would you feel about top surgery?"

☆ long story short, draco wanted to pay to get harrys top surgery done by the top wizarding surgeons in the world "it wont even leave a scar, recovery will only take a week"

☆ in conclusion that was harry's favourite christmas present in his fifth year

☆ "GUESS WHOS FLAT, FLAT BEGINS, I AM FLAT, TELL A FRIEND" was all harry sang for a month, and only the muggle borns understood him that month

☆ draco catching harry sobbing in the bathroom one day "thank you- merlin thank you dray, im finally flat, thank you so much"

☆ and harry finally feels so good

☆ until snape finds out. yeah, that's right the slimey bitch ruins harrys pride

☆ "harriet, please stop touching your chest. we know you altered your body because you fail to be a real man, but you're getting a bit egotistical." AND DRACO HAS NEVER BEEN MORE LIVID

☆ he punched snape. but not before delivering the most powerful speech that hogwarts has ever heard, "how dare you. how DARE you. HOW DARE YOU. you are supposed to be a teacher. a role model. someone that students believe in. and yet you have to audacity to call harry by his dead name, misgender him on multiple occasions, and proceed to humiliate him after he has been living the happiest life he has ever lived and you saw that and RUINED IT. you, severus, are a monster. you have no idea the hell that harry has been through for being born in the wrong body. so let me give you one. 41% of transgender individuals attempt suicide at least once in their life times. that is almost half! OH and get this one! 51% of transgender males are part of that. that is MORE than half. for all you know, harry could be part of that percentage. because of people like YOU. insecure, idiotic, racist, homophobic, transphobic, morons. harry had to fight his family for his will to live and you're the only person left in his life that is trying to take that away from him now. you think that just because hes a little different and just because he wasnt born with a completely flat chest or a bulge in his pants that he isnt a man? because if that's all a man is to you then you are full of shit, severus. because harry is more of a man than youll ever be. my father will damn well hear about this. and you will be fired. because you are a greasy, transphobic, nobody. now excuse me, as i escort the entire class out of your useless lesson. nobody will ever need to know how to enhance the effects of amortentia anyway"

☆ yeah snape was fired. and no one dared to mess with harry again

☆ draco declaring one day that one half of the slytherin table was now dedicated to the H.P.P.S.

☆ theodore, astoria, crabbe, goyle, seamus, and dean joined the H.P.P.S not too long after this, missing their friends and finding it funny that draco had now become vice president with ron

☆ harry now spending his summers between the burrow, the granger's, and malfoy manner

☆ basically, ron, draco, and hermione had a contract (yes, hermione wrote it) that was a custody plan with harry. they even got mcgonagall to sign on it

☆ "you are not living in a household that calls you such horrid things" "they just call me a gir-" "AND YOU ARE NOT. HORRID"

☆ honestly any of the three could have had that conversation with harry

☆ harry felt safe at all times now

☆ "dray? mione? ron? thank you"

[emma-what-son]

(Echee post) Emma Watson criticises 'dangerously unhealthy' pressure on young women

Posted on March 30 2014

From theguardian.com March 2014 Emma Watson has criticised the "dangerously unhealthy" image projected by the fashion industry and said the pressure to look perfect has taken its toll on her. The actor has also described her doomed attempts to merge into the background as a student at an American university, where she found herself being trailed everywhere by British photographers. After the recent New York premiere of Noah, she tweeted a photograph of the array of cosmetics – and a guardian angel pin – that she said were essential aids to her flawless appearance, and another of herself in a backless dress captioned: "I did NOT wake up like this." The actress said she is better at taking criticism these days than she once was. "As a younger woman, that pressure got me down, but I've made my peace with it. With airbrushing and digital manipulation, fashion can project an unobtainable image that's dangerously unhealthy. I'm excited about the ageing process. I'm more interested in women who aren't perfect. They're more compelling." Watson became famous playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies and has been constantly in work since. She is about to start filming a thriller, Regression, by Alejandro Amenábar and is also trying to complete her degree at Brown University, Rhode Island. She enrolled in 2009 for what would have been a four year course, but has taken several breaks for film work, and spent a year studying at Oxford. "After Harry Potter, all that mattered was university," she said, in an interview with the Sunday Times. "It wasn't always easy to break down barriers, as having men from the British press following me with cameras didn't help my mission to integrate. The American press, by contrast, "afforded me so much privacy", but her fellow students recognised her at once. "On the first day, I walked into the canteen and everyone went completely silent and turned around to look at me. I had to say to myself 'it's OK, you can do this'. You just have to take a deep breath and gather your courage."

GUARDIAN COMMENTERS SAY: So something like this Burberry campaign she did a few years ago? Hypocrisy at its finest. She flaunts with the fashion industry and enjoys its perks all the time, but hops on the 'female beauty' bandwagon and enjoys a moan when it suits her. I'd find her socially conscientious pleas convincing if she hadn't profited in the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) from the big, bad, evil fashion/beauty industry. A few years ago, Emma Watson appeared in high-profile advertising companies for posh Paris fashion house L'ancome. I'm guessing she was handsomely remunerated for her 'work'. Certainly she was not forced into letting her photo shopped image be used to market expensive cosmetics and perfumes. Did she only discover how 'oppressive' the fashion industry is when L'ancome cancelled her lucrative contract? Ms Watson is essentially a third-rate actress, and her pronouncements on large and complex issues, such as the pressures on women, are so idiotically vapid that one is brought to conclude that she really can have very little aptitude for higher education. I mean, her comments are hardly indicative of an educated person, or even of a moderately literate or intelligent person. By the way, I understand that she spent a year at Oxford as a visiting and/or exchange student while enrolled at Brown. How come? She is a British national, and so by rights she should not have gone to Oxford on a visiting/exchange student programme, irrespective of whether she happens a student at an American university. If I am wrong about this, then I should like to have some explanation as to her status at Oxford, and how she came by it. Otherwise, I suppose that one might be forgiven for thinking that it is yet another case of a once respectable academic institutions bowing down before the false idols of celebrity and money. (This is quite apart from the fact that all that one has read about her since she began life as a student concerns her acting career, her modeling and her various boyfriends.) SOME COMMENTS FROM THE DM ARTICLE Notice how it's always people who are very aware of how attractive they are that babble on about how it's okay to have physical blemishes? I'd like to see an ugly person say the same thing. Only someone young, beautiful and with her whole life before her can say that, and mean it. Sometimes, her comments maKe her more stupid. Get lost and Wingardium Leviosa. What a daft thing to say. But, then again, this is coming from someone who can't seem to finish uni. I feel like I've aged about 10 years reading this article. Annoying girl. Not only annoying, but also pretentious and disingenuous. ^None of this is my words. It from commentators from two sites emma-what-son posted many more so check out her page

Here's what I think As for what she is saying about Brown it's a complete 180 from how she described it before 2013. In 2013 she started to elude to the fact it was not as great as she made it out to be. She gushed how wonderful her experiences had been to so many magazines. Now I think she's looking for pity and to have excuses why she never stayed at Brown. She preached how she was staying put. I am so fucking tired of having to post quote after quote proving my point with this when she lies time after time. She is not honest! What the truth is doesn't matter because she always lying. It's a constant thing with her. As for the pressures on women she is really a piece of work. The guardian commenters summed it up nicely. She had no problem attaching herself to Burberry and Lancôme. She's had no problem giving them praise and talking about fashion and make-up in just about every interview. That part where she talked about photo shopping and air brushing. Just wow! Did she see the Wonderland magazine she edited? Some photos it didn't even look like her. She'll continue allowing her image to be manipulated no matter what. She thinks she’s aging? She still looks 15 without all the make-up and photo shopping. Last year she was stopped at JFK because they thought she was a unaccompanied minor. Did you know one of the product she pushed when modeling for Lancôme was an anti-age cream? That's the dumbest comment in her entire interview. But really she's said this kind of stuff the last three years and most notably in 2011 where she had a various quotes about body image and being comfortable in your skin. I wont bore you with those quotes since I have before. She gets lauded for those comments and people place her in role model status but when you closely look at it they were just words that meant nothing at the time other than to make people think, “Emma is so anti-Hollywood!! She’s a role model for women and young girls” but meanwhile she never believed in any of it in the first place. At the time she said those things she was at a more healthier weight than she ever was. In 2011 you can tell she either stopped working out or ate more. I thought she looked her best then. Now she’s back to stick thin and even surpassed it a way IMO is unhealthy. She sending a bad message to women. From standard.co.uk July 2011, “She sees modeling as an extension of acting, in fact - just playing a role - but is conflicted about its demands. “I think the pressure the media and the fashion industry put on women to look a certain way is pretty intense. There’s a certain tyranny to trying to achieve that kind of beauty. I don’t know, I’m maybe not the best person to speak about this because I obviously completely adhere to it,” she laughs nervously. “ ^She really needs to start taking her own advice and quit being a judgmental hypocrite. Not just with this topic but everything she tends to speak out against that she does it herself. Recently she tweeted a photo of all this make-up and I posted this on my tumblr days ago

^Same phone in this photo is what they're using in the bottom photo that I also posted on tumblr She said something else recently (Sunday Times interview) that is just typical Emma. I covered this a few times. From emmawatsonbelgium.blogspot.be March 2014, "For someone who has starred in eight blockbuster movies and is worth an estimated £30m, she is endearingly modest about how green she felt leaving Harry Potter behind in 2011. Emerging from that magical machine was “really intimidating”, she says. “I’d done two tiny plays when I was, like, six and eight, but I wasn’t driven to act. I wasn’t doing Oscar acceptance speeches into a hairbrush." Yeah it might have no been a hairbrush but who knows she could be lying about that. She'd practice her speeches in mirrors. From telegraph.co.uk July 2007,  "Pauline is utterly obsessed with being an actress and I was just like that when I was younger. I dreamt of it. I practised speeches in front of mirrors. Whenever there was a part at school, I went for it. I was probably a bit of a show-off in the sense that any chance to get up and be seen, I did it. I was such a drama queen. I used to wail and moan and cry, and little things were blown up into being big things. I don't know how my parents stood it, really. I've grown up a bit. I've had to. I actually really want to be an actress, a proper actress who makes it her career. I'm always expecting to be found out and I thought, If I'm no good, now is the time to find out." She really wants people to think she all of a sudden wants to act. What I think is she is really trying to distance herself from her lack luster post Potter career by making it out like she now wants to act and that’s why she has no lead roles because her resume does not equal her hype. The last few years she’s separated herself from “always wanted to be an actress” to “I was not sure”. She’s being disingenuous as usual and people believe it. Plus she said she did modeling so directors and producers would look at her differently so that's why she used Burberry and Lancôme. And she did a course at RADA in 2008 so if she was not sure or didn't want to than why did she do these things? One more thing from the Sunday Times interview From emmawatsonbelgium.blogspot.be March 2014, "It’s about as close as she’ll get to revealing anything about her newest relationship, with Matt Janney, rugby hunk and Oxford’s most eligible bachelor. “I can’t comment on it, I’m sorry,” she says, suddenly jumping up and hastily bundling her things back into her bag, which has exploded across the sofa beside her. “I’m trying to keep my private life sacred, although I don’t want to lock myself up and never go out. So I guard it, because I don’t date people who are famous, and I don’t think it’s fair that, all of a sudden, intimate details of their personal life are public as a direct result of me. I find that so uncomfortable, and I wish there was a way I could protect those people, but it’s not in my control.” When I suggest her boyfriends are consenting adults, she looks worried. “But you don’t choose who to love, who you have feelings for, do you?” She throws her phone into her bag and retreats home to pack, as she’s flying to LA. Just a normal girl, then, off to present an Oscar."

So she can go to international magazines and complain she can't find a man or that men are intimidated by her? She had in the past before Will Adamowicz. It was in almost every one of her interviews for a few years. So she can use Matt Janney (this new guy) on a beach in a bikini PDA session as a publicity stunt to cover up her ex boyfriend being caught rolling coke bombs and also use him to product place an iPhone in Madrid but she wants to keep it private? And she doesn't date famous guys? What about Johnny Simmons (Young Neil) and George Craig (Front man for rock group One Night Only)?  If you can Google their name and you see them in movies or music videos, they're famous.

[ellanainthetardis]

Character Tag 10 favorite female characters

I was tagged by @clockworktributes​ and @hayffiebird​

Rules: List your 10 favorite female characters, one per fandom, then tag 10 people.

EffieTrinket: Who’s surprised? She’s one of the  most complex character I know. And so positive too. I’m not usually drawn to positive upbeat characters but she’s the exception to that. She’s perfect in her imperfection and I love her so much... 

Samantha Carter. She’s the first character I became obsessed about. I left her behind in childhood, I think, because I outgrew her. But she kicks ass and she’s the smartest person on the planet - a national treasure - and we didn’t have that many female badass characters back in the day.

Catwoman/Seline Kyle: Listen, I’ve been watching Batman since I was a toddler (the 90 anime serie, I recommand). And since I was a toddler, I knew I wanted Batman to end up with Catwoman. Besides, the more I grew up, the more I started appreciating her backstory. 

Inej Ghafa. Relatively new one because I’ve read 6OC last year but I adopted  her at once. I’m eagerly awaiting for the show to come out. I’m sure there will be fanfic then XD Because I know myself. What I love most about Inej is how resiliant she is. How strong. And badass, too. 

Ellana Caldin. Obviously or I would never have used her as my penname for so long haha. She’s a character in a French fantasy serie. She is a sort of ninja but not quite and she is basically independent, strong and she also can kill you before you know she has moved. Yes, I do have a type given the last three person on this list. 

Mulan. We needed a Disney princess on there, didn’t we? It’s not secret my two favorite disney are Mulan and Beauty and The Beast. Well, Mulan... She’s brave, alright? We can all use a little bravery. 

Emma Swan. I know she gets a lot of hate because apparently you can’t stan both her and Regina at the same time (which I do, actually) but Emma to me was an inspiration and I was really sad when the show ended (even if the show wasn’t always good, I still loved all the characters). Emma has walls so thick around her heart but she manages to let people in and I could use a little of that I guess. Plus the red leather jacket. 

Christina Yang. Christina taught me it’s okay to be clever and own it. It’s okay to be a little ruthless. It’s okay not to worry about crushing people’s feelings (no it’s not but it was refreshing to see). I just love Christina, alright, particularly her earliers seasons on Grey’s. 

Brienne of Tarth MY BABY BRIENNE. I love her so much. I know the actress is how most people picture her now (and I do love her portrayal so that works) but she’s so young? And brave? And pure? She’s that character I toss my ipad at the other end of the bed for (it survived) just because I couldn’t bear the idea of my baby getting... (well, you know, the rope thing in FOC). 

Buffy Summer. ALWAYS AND FOREVER. She’s a role model. She’s brave, she kicks ass, she’s vulnerable sometimes... I loved the show and I loved the comics. She’s just such a great character. 

10 is such a difficult choice! I guess honorable mention for Hermione Granger, Maggie Vera (I’m REALLY loving the Charmed reboot, you should check it out if you’re not already), Elizabeth Bennet, Mac from the Fever series... 

I can’t tell you how much tumblr annoyed with the gif. It didn’t want to include them. It took me 40 minutes of battle!

Ok I tag: @jisoomes​ @aschen-kiln​ @muddypuppy452​ @fluffybunny4eva​ and @100years-to-live​

[wishwars]

Top Ten Favorite Fictional Female Characters

Thanks to @bloody-wonder for tagging me! This was hard to pair down because at first all I could think of was things I had read/seen recently, and then suddenly I was remembering things and characters I grew up loving and AHHH it was hard!!! I decided to only let myself list one character from each series/entity represented below to help limit myself. Also, these aren’t ranked in any particular order - they’re all amazing!

1. Catra (She-ra) – She isn’t my absolute favorite character from the show (that would be Scorpia) but she sure as hell is the most interesting! Her character arc is also one of the most complicated and satisfying I’ve seen in a long time. More shows need to learn from this series and their representation of Catra – redemption arcs aren’t just for shitty white men!

2. Egwene al'Vere (The Wheel of Time) – So I almost chose Nynaeve al'Meara instead, but I have to go with my first reaction to the series as a kid, and I just loved how much Egwene grew and how badass she became. Everyone saw her as a sweet, naïve girl from a small village and in many ways she was, but then she went through a lot of hard shit and fucking changed an entire system to make it better for everyone and I am still in awe of her!

3. Hua Mulan (Disney movie) – [Okay, yes, she’s actually a historical figure, but I’m only familiar with the fictionalized version of her we get through Disney, so I’m going to count that as “fictional”.] When I’m asked to list my favorite Disney movie I always cheat and list three: Aladdin (favorite hero), Hercules (favorite music), and Mulan (favorite “princess”) and so I have to list her here! Disney’s resident badass, she made me think as a child about what true bravery is—self-sacrifice and compassion. We could use a lot more of that in this world right now.

4. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter) – I haven’t reread the books in a very long time, but I loved Hermione as a child because she was smart, stubborn, and compassionate and I still believe she’s braver than Harry. I think she taught a lot of young girls that it’s pretty cool to be smart; even if no one likes a know-it-all, they are very useful!

5. Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables) – I always find myself rolling my eyes at Anne’s antics and flowery language, but I honestly wish I could capture her imagination and whimsy for myself! Her drive for knowledge and propensity to get into ridiculous situations made her a delight to read/watch and I like to go back and live in her world when I can.

6. Tsukino Usagi (Sailor Moon) – I didn’t watch this series until college and at first, when I only listened to my roommate watching it across the room from me, I could not figure out what there was to like about it, but Usagi is truly one of the strongest characters I’ve come across in fiction, even as a clumsy, sometimes ditzy, cry-baby. I absolutely see her as a bomb-ass role model and that show was the shit.

7. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) – I love Jane Austen and so while this may feel like the easy answer when it comes to Austen’s heroines, Elizabeth just had to be my pick. She’s witty, kind, and flawed – what more could you want?

8. Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing) – As a Shakespearean, I feel like I need to list at least one Shakespeare character and Beatrice is ultimately my favorite. She has such a quick wit, but her words speak a vast well of love for her friends and family. Also, “O God, that I were a man! I / would eat his heart in the marketplace,” is such a fucking good line and “Kill Claudio,” should be a rallying cry.

9. Okoye (Black Panther) – I feel like I have to do a Marvel character, and while she’s not exactly a main character [sorry Marvel, but one shot of all your female character’s converging at the same place in your epic battle scene doesn’t count as “representation” – give your female characters more lines/movies please], Okoye is actually my favorite female Marvel character. The fact that she puts her country over her lover and then has to struggle against loyalty to her vows/the throne and loyalty to her friends?! I get goosebumps every time I think of her scenes.

10. Candace Flynn (Disney TV) – This girl is just a huge ball of anxiety and I absolutely adore her! I see far too much of myself in her and found her ridiculous commitment to busting her brothers to be very admirable. Also, the alternate universe version we got of her in the 2-D movie was SO badass!! In all her forms, this girl is a rock star.

I tag @sansastarkofficialfanclub, @cassraven, @aurorafiberarts, @floraone, and @uglygreenjacket

[loves-to-read-fanfic]

Chapters: 7/7 Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter Characters: Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Pansy Parkinson, Kreacher (Harry Potter) Additional Tags: Depression, Panic Attacks, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Denial of Feelings, Emotional Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Self-Harm, Graphic Description, Post-Hogwarts, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Not Canon Compliant, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, POV Harry Potter, POV Draco Malfoy, References to Drugs, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alcohol, Bars and Pubs, False Identity, Identity Reveal, Awkward Dates, Depressed Harry Potter, Good Draco Malfoy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Angst and Porn, Porn with Feelings, Smut, Gay Sex, Crossdressing, Crossdressing Kink, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Top Harry Potter, Bottom Draco Malfoy, Power Bottom Draco Malfoy, Pining, Model Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Song: Bleeding Out (Imagine Dragons), Inspired by an Imagine Dragons Song, Coming Out, Vacation, Happy Ending, Mental Health Issues, Healing, Drunk Sex, Doggy Style, Greece, Stalking, Arguing, Self-Harming Harry, Complete, Escort Harry Potter, misogynistic views, Suicidal Thoughts, Revulsion to Female Body Summary:

Harry is miserable living a lie because he thinks being a gay role model is wrong. Fake dates raising money for a charity that ends up putting him in a situation he had never expected. Draco Malfoy appears back in his life by some odd chance trying to flip his world upside down and he isn't sure it's a good thing. Malfoy always worked that way to him. Mental health issues, sex, escaping, and that sweet sweet craving that is happiness.

[sternerstufftoys]

Join the (Strong)army

It shouldn't be all that controversial to state that Transformers is ever in need of more female characters. It shouldn't be, but such is the sad state of affairs we live in, that to some people it is. More female characters than Arcee, at least. As we've previously discussed (refer to your notes, boys and girls), Arcee was inevitably characterised by her gender, making it her most defining attribute. Because that's what being a girl is like, eh fellas? Obsessing over the fact you're a girl. Probably.

2015's Robots in Disguise, in general an uneasy retrograde step from previous series Prime, was nonetheless far more comfortable with having female characters along for the ride than any of its predecessors. It was still largely male-dominated, but female characters didn't feel quite a tokenistic as they had been in the past, and Strongarm's a good example of this. No G1 Arcee she, oh no. Rather she was mostly shown to be a fussy swotty type, sort of like Hermione without the competence. It's a bit by-the-numbers, especially in her role as a counterpoint to the more slapdash Sideswipe. Yeah, get two opposing personalities, stick them on the same team, stick in a monster of the week, lather, rinse, repeat. RID's formulaic nature was it's biggest weakness.

But then Strongarm is one of those characters that really deserves another go, to break free of the constraints of the procedural nature of the original show. What would she be like alongside the G1 Autobots, part of a larger force? How different would she be as part of an ongoing war than a police operation? What happens when you take RID Sideswipe away and replace him with a different partner? There's potential there.

The toy then. Other than her remould Ratchet there's few examples of RID's shortcomings as a toy line than Strongarm. Without the Toyhax upgrade stickers she has one of the most disappointingly plain and dreary decos I've ever seen. It lets her down immensely, especially when compared to her cartoon model. No translucent plastic, very little moulded detail, and only the barest splashes of paint. She looks unfinished.

BUT THEN! Slap them stickers down and the toy just springs to life. Strongarm finally looks worthy to stand alongside a CHUG collection, even with that noseless face. A few stripes here and there, highlights for the moulded details... it simply shows up just how lacking her paint job was beforehand. The lack of translucent windows is still an annoyance, but it can't be helped. Most of Combiner Wars had the same issue, and we forgave them for it. Sadly, this problem extends to her rifle, which for some reason has a blast effect moulded right in... but of course it has to be painted, so just looks terrible. Good news is that Strongarm looks pretty great carrying Smashdown, an appropriately hefty weapon for her oh-so-strong arm.

Transformed, she makes for an impressively hefty 4x4 police car, but of course that extra size belies a hollow interior. So long as you don't flip her over it's not a problem, but you can't help but feel that there's space in the empty cavity for some accessory storage. Somewhere to stash her weapon other than on top in the most conspicuous way possible. You're not a very good Robot In Disguise if your disguise includes a giant gun on top.

So yeah. Give us more Strongarm. Put her in Cyberverse, increase her role in IDW, make her hang out with Bumblebee in the next live action film. Give her a nose while you're at it. Oh, oh! I've got one! Oh!

"My police car's got no nose." "How does it smell?" "Like bacon. Get him, lads." *sounds of undercover cop being beaten up*